As the twelfth realm descended, a surge of immense fortune coursed through Lin Zhao's body. His inner world trembled, and before his eyes, the size of his spiritual void expanded by nearly fivefold. The four sword-nurturing lakes and the perfect sword heart rooted within also grew more potent. The benefits of reaching the twelfth realm were beyond imagination.
The next moment, two consecutive chime sounds echoed in his ears, a double blessing:
“Ding!”
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [White Robe] for successfully refining a Divine Transformation Body and reaching the [Divine Transformation Realm]! New realm abilities acquired: [Divine Transformation Body], [Mirror Flower, Water Moon], [Nascent Soul Refinement 4], [Sword Refinement 4], [Endless Dharma Body]! An additional reward of 2000 Gold Scissors is granted!
“Ding!”
System Prompt: Congratulations, your [Eternal Sword Scripture] has been cultivated to the seventh level, successfully awakening the skill: [God Suppressing] (Eternal Grade)!
A cascade of surprises brought a smile to his eyes. In the national server, his combat power had truly far surpassed other players. Even in terms of one-on-one combat, the combined strength of players ranked second to ninth might not be enough to defeat him.
With a "swish," he summoned the realm ability interface to examine the specific descriptions of the twelfth realm abilities.
[Mirror Flower, Water Moon]: Allows the user to transfer damage taken.
[Divine Transformation Body]: Significantly reduces damage taken from attacks below one's own realm.
[Nascent Soul Refinement 4]: Allows for the refinement of up to four natal items, greatly increasing the lethality of all natal items.
[Sword Refinement 4]: Allows for the medium refinement of up to 48 flying swords and the minor refinement of up to 128 flying swords.
[Endless Dharma Body]: Can summon a Dharma Body to assist in battle, greatly enhancing one's combat power.
He took a deep breath, and with a thought, strands of sword energy condensed around his body, significantly boosting his defense and damage reduction. He could even transfer the damage he sustained to the void and release it, such was the power of Mirror Flower, Water Moon. As for the Divine Transformation Body, it was a passive ability. With this divine ability, Lin Zhao felt that everyone below the twelfth realm was like an ant before him. The remaining two fourth-level abilities, Nascent Soul Refinement and Sword Refinement, both enhanced the combat power of his immortal swords, significantly boosting his overall strength. Endless Dharma Body allowed for summoning a Dharma Body to aid in battle. In short, after reaching the twelfth realm, Lin Zhao stood at the pinnacle of all players. Once he activated his realm transformation and summoned his Sword Immortal Dharma Body, even the great demons on Ancestral Mountain might not be able to completely disregard his combat prowess.
"Hoo~~~"
He let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the seventh-level skill of the Eternal Sword Scripture. Opening the skill panel, he found a radiant skill icon among his sword techniques – the new skill, God Suppressing. Upon clicking it, his heart nearly stopped.
[God Suppressing] (Eternal Grade): Originating from a strike by Bing Lan, the Lord of the Eternal Secret Realm, this skill directly attacks the target's divinity and soul. It deals immense damage to targets of higher realms. The higher the user's realm and the stronger their combat power, the greater the power of God Suppressing. Cooldown: 120 seconds.
That’s it!
Lin Zhao felt a surge of exhilaration. The seventh level of the Eternal Sword Scripture clearly aimed to complement his weaknesses. Now, Lin Zhao could not only contend with those in the twelfth realm but also stand out against those in the thirteenth and fourteenth realms. With his twelfth realm transformation activated, unleashing God Suppressing would likely make even Nan Qingfeng and Jian Chen unable to ignore its immense destructive power.
Just as Lin Zhao was filled with ambition, a gleam of light flew from the Dragon Slaying Sword behind him, transforming into a silver-white figure. Clad in a flowing white dress, with an exquisitely beautiful face and a graceful figure, she sat by the window, looking at Lin Zhao with great interest. She smiled, "Not bad, you've broken through to the twelfth realm so quickly. Faster than I imagined!"
"Sister Bai!"
Lin Zhao exclaimed, his surprise and joy mingled. He lunged forward, taking Bai Long Shen Nu's wrist, and chuckled, "I thought after that sword strike at Mount Wu Wang, you would fall into slumber for a very, very long time before waking up."
"Times have changed now."
Bai Long Shen Nu's lips curved into a smile. "The chaos of heaven and earth has opened, and my strength will continuously awaken. Ah, the day has finally come. Little Zhao, try to draw the Dragon Slaying Sword. According to logic, you are now in the twelfth realm, and it might be possible for you to draw it."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "I can draw the Dragon Slaying Sword now? That shouldn't be possible, I'm only in the twelfth realm..."
"Just try."
"Alright."
Lin Zhao stood tall and straight before Bai Long Shen Nu. He raised a hand and slowly gripped the hilt of the Dragon Slaying Sword. As he exerted force, waves of dense Eternal Sword Scripture intent surged forth, covering his entire body. Immediately, the connection between the blade and sheath of the Dragon Slaying Sword crackled with golden lightning, and even the entire Natural Residence, indeed the entire mountain peak villa, trembled, bearing an immensely powerful pressure of the Great Dao.
Naturally, Lin Zhao bore the brunt of this Daoic pressure. He gritted his teeth, exerting all his might to draw the sword. The pressure on his shoulders grew, as if he were carrying two divine mountains. In moments, sweat beaded on his forehead, and even his eleventh realm martial body began to crackle, his bones feeling as if they would split.
"Not quite enough..."
Bai Long Shen Nu's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She smiled, "Indeed, I was too hasty. Then don't force the sword out of its sheath. Try to draw out just a wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's intent. If it's only a wisp of intent, the Daoic pressure should be much smaller, and even a wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's intent would be enough for you to roam the world."
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao felt a sense of relief. He slightly opened his palm, this time not grasping the main body of the Dragon Slaying Sword, but a wisp of its divine intent. With a "clang," a wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's divine intent was drawn from its main body, transforming into another radiant, peerless divine weapon that Lin Zhao held in his hand.
"Swish!"
A golden sword intent shot towards the heavens, and the entire mountain peak villa resonated, as if the gate of the Great Dao had been opened. It was likely that not only the cultivators in the mountain peak villa but also the demons of Mount Wu Wang, and even the mortal cultivators observing the world from the mountain peaks, could feel the sharpness emanating from the divine weapon being unsheathed at the mountain peak villa.
"Wooo~~~ Hoo~~"
Lin Zhao found it incredibly difficult to hold. Even though it was merely a wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's divine intent, it was already extraordinarily powerful, requiring Lin Zhao to exert all his strength just to lift it. To truly wield this wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's intent for combat, he would need to activate his realm transformation. He looked thrilled. This was the first time he had held the Dragon Slaying Sword without sacrificing his life. He lightly waved the blade, and for a moment, the entire Snow Region Heavenly Pool trembled slightly with his swing.
Remarkable!
Lin Zhao's face was filled with excitement, showing the thrill of flying with a sword for the first time. However, after only three swings, he felt as though all his sword intent and stamina were being drained by this wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's intent. He lightly flicked his wrist, shattering the sword intent. The scattered sword intent transformed into strands of Great Dao rules and returned to the sheath, continuing to nurture the spiritual energy of the Dragon Slaying Sword.
"Not bad."
Bai Long Shen Nu's pearly dimples appeared as she smiled. "Little Zhao, things will be truly different from now on. When you can draw even a wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's divine intent, there will be very few people in this lower realm who can stand against you."
Lin Zhao knew the power of the Dragon Slaying Sword well. At the eighth realm, he could already slay the thirteenth realm Bai Lan with a single sword. At the eleventh realm, he could cleave Mount Wu Wang open. This divine sword, ranked first among the ten swords of the world, was no empty title. He frowned, cupped his fists respectfully, and said, "Sister Bai, please rest assured, Lin Zhao will carefully consider every strike he makes. I will never lose my conscience and resort to bullying or twisting right and wrong just because I wield a divine sword."
Bai Long Shen Nu covered her mouth and giggled, "I'm not worried about that. I know what kind of person my Little Zhao is."
Lin Zhao scratched his head, feeling slightly awkward. He looked at Bai Long Shen Nu, still harboring some doubts, and smiled, "Sister Bai, actually, there's a question I've always wanted to ask you: what exactly is your origin? Logically speaking, if you are just a white dragon transformed into a sword spirit within the Dragon Slaying Sword... I don't think so. Your Great Dao should be far superior to that of a dragon."
"You..."
Bai Long Shen Nu gracefully stepped forward, extending a finger as slender as a scallion to gently touch Lin Zhao's nose. She chuckled, "You just think too much. You always manage to discern the subtle details that others overlook. However, the scheme is not yet fully revealed, so I don't wish to reveal my true form, nor do I want my existence to affect your ever-ascending Dao heart. Therefore..."
She narrowed her beautiful eyes and looked at Lin Zhao, "Little Zhao, just consider me Sister Bai, the sword spirit of the Dragon Slaying Sword. Everything I do will only benefit you, and that is enough."
Lin Zhao's brow furrowed, and he bowed respectfully, "Yes, Lin Zhao remembers."
"Alright."
Bai Long Shen Nu patted his shoulder and smiled, "Since you can now draw the Dragon Slaying Sword's divine intent, it is time for me to embark on a journey. I will leave the Dragon Slaying Sword with you. Sister Bai will go far to seek my roots. When we meet again, I hope my Little Zhao will have become a peerless Sword Cultivator of the fifteenth realm, or at the very least... a Sword Cultivator of the fourteenth realm?"
Lin Zhao scratched his head, "Not that quickly, Sister Bai thinks too highly of me. My talent for the sword path isn't that high..."
"Don't worry."
Bai Long Shen Nu smiled faintly. "Sister Bai won't be back that soon either. By the time I return, the major trends of the three realms should have already been decided."
"Mm."
The moment Lin Zhao nodded, Bai Long Shen Nu transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the wind. At that instant, Lin Zhao also felt that the sword spirit within the Dragon Slaying Sword was gone. It had truly become his sword now.
"Congratulations, Mountain Master!"
When Lin Zhao walked out of the Natural Residence, Huang Tingyu, Tang Guangjun, Lin Zhujie, and the others clasped their fists in congratulation for Lin Zhao's breakthrough to the twelfth realm. As for Nu Zhi, she smiled sweetly, "Should we add more dishes and wine to this lunch?"
"Yes, we must."
Lin Zhao's smile was warm and amiable. "Nu Zhi, please invite Aunt, Shang Hujun, and Old Sword Immortal Han over for lunch at noon."
"Mm!"
Just then, a gray figure approached from the direction of the Rainbow Garment World. He landed gracefully on the mountain path of the mountain peak villa, one hand behind his back, his entire being enveloped in a potent national fortune and dragon aura. His gaze fell upon the Natural Residence, and he said calmly, "Little friend Lin Zhao, may I have a word?"