With Nan Qingfeng gone, Long Zheng's head was instantly severed by a sword, his life extinguished. With one of the two Upper Five Realm great demons dead and the other fleeing, the entire Ancestral Mountain was gripped by fear.
"Kill!"
Lin Zhao, wielding the Zhan Lu sword, used a horizontal sword stance to repel and stun a large group of Middle Five Realm demons. Chi Zhongyu swept his sword, its energy rolling, shattering the bodies of countless demon cultivators.
Wu Zhi's gaze was cold as she ascended a green peak. Her sword light descended, cleaving the famous Purple Cloud Peak of the Ancestral Mountain in two. The palaces and pavilions atop the peak crumbled. Huang Tingyu's sword strike, descending in a straight line from the sky, landed directly in the议事亭 (Yishi Ting - Council Pavilion) on the mountainside, instantly crushing the entire pavilion into dust.
This council pavilion held a position of great importance in the demon ancestral mountain, accessible only to great demons of esteemed status. In the past, Huang Tingyu's cultivation was not high enough to enter it, and he had often been mocked and ridiculed by the Upper Five Realm demon cultivators who frequented it. Now, he had smashed it to pieces with a single sword strike, settling all scores!
"Tang Guangjun, ascend the mountain!"
Lin Zhao pointed his sword blade. "Go and retrieve the Deng Tian sword! Tong Yu, Chi Zhongyu, clear the way for him."
"Yes, Mountain Master!"
Chi Zhongyu laughed heartily and advanced alongside Tong Yu. Their sword lights swept across, crushing the Middle Five Realm demon cultivators who had formed a wall in the air. Even their vital artifacts were pulverized. A twelfth-realm sword cultivator slaughtering Middle Five Realm demons was like a dimensional attack, utterly devoid of suspense.
Tang Guangjun ascended the mountain, his eyes filled with fury. He punched an old demon at the Nascent Soul realm to death. Then, stomping on the ground, he leaped into the air, accompanied by a vast lake of sword intent that descended upon a certain location on the mountaintop, turning hundreds of Middle and Lower Five Realm demons into a bloody mist.
At the summit of the mountain stood a vast mountain wall, below which were arranged various offerings. These included the eternal lamps of great demons and treasures plundered from the human world. Among the numerous artifacts offered, the most precious was Tang Guangjun's immortal sword, Deng Tian. Next was the sword of the Marquis of Wu, Yue Hao, and many other swords and magical artifacts belonging to human cultivators and renowned generals from human lands, all enshrined by the demons as proof of their martial prowess on the Ancestral Mountain.
"Crack!"
Tang Guangjun raised his hand, instantly drawing the immortal sword Deng Tian into his grasp. Back in its master's hands, the Deng Tian sword trembled and sang with joy.
Lin Zhao stood suspended in the air, Zhan Lu sword in hand, gazing down at the stone wall of the Ancestral Mountain. The treasures enshrined below were all a profound humiliation to humanity. He even saw the swords of Marquis Yue Hao and the Great Minister Li Chunyang, the severed immortal sword of Xiao Muhan, the charred vital artifact of Elder Sun Qinghe, and a section of the Mountain Lord's divine sword of Zhang Xicheng, the Mountain Lord of Ziyun Mountain, as well as a burnt peach branch belonging to the Peach Demon Han Yurou.
This was the national hatred and deep-seated enmity of humanity, and the bloody feud between Lin Zhao and the demons!
He descended in a flash, carefully collecting the relics of the human world's martyrs into his storage bag. Then, he floated up and said, "There is no time to delay. We must act swiftly. Old Huang, Wu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, destroy this stone wall of the Ancestral Mountain. Once it's done, we leave!"
"Yes!"
The three thirteenth-realm great sword immortals simultaneously unsheathed their swords, and dozens of brilliant sword lights descended from the sky. Accompanied by a roar, the Ancestral Mountain stone wall trembled, and after a few seconds, it began to disintegrate. In the past, the Qing Kui Demon Ancestor had observed the stars here countless times. The shattering of this stone wall, which represented thousands of years of the demon race's foundation, also signified the demise of the Lower Realm demons' fortune.
"Go!"
Lin Zhao glanced at Lin Zhujie. "Lin Zhujie, escort everyone back to the Snow Region Heavenly Pool. Make haste!"
"Yes, Mountain Master!"
Lin Zhujie conjured a section of his natal bamboo, instantly enveloping everyone. Then, he shot directly towards the Snow Region Heavenly Pool.
...
Moments later, they arrived at the Snow Region Heavenly Pool.
From a distance, the great battle at the Snow Region Heavenly Pool had already concluded. Traces of sword slashes were left on the Northern Mountain, but the lifeblood of the Snow Region Heavenly Pool was unharmed. The entire Heavenly Pool had been well protected by Gu Lingyu and Han Buyu. Jian Chen, Jiubei, and the others were not fools; the moment the Ancestral Mountain was breached, they had already retreated to Wuwang Mountain, otherwise, they might have faced a pincer attack upon Lin Zhao and his group's return.
"Shua!"
A wisp of bamboo leaf bloomed over the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, and everyone ascended into the sky on their swords.
Lin Zhao glanced in the direction of Wuwang Mountain. He saw that half of Wuwang Mountain was enveloped by an incredibly dense blood-red barrier. That was the mountain-protecting formation left by the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor. Although it only covered half the mountain, its sturdiness could not be underestimated. Within the formation, Jian Chen, Nan Qingfeng, Jiubei, Feng Quan, and others stood ready, poised to attack the mountain.
The demons were prepared, so there was no need for a direct assault.
Lin Zhao let out a sigh and turned to Lin Xingchu and Shang Xuli, cupping his fists. "Aunt, Lord Shang, thank you for making this trip. Many thanks!"
Lin Xingchu nodded with a smile. "A small matter. Since things are settled here, I shall return."
"Mm."
Lin Xingchu, trailing in his wake the luck of the waters, returned to the Xi Jian River. The Lord of Dongting Lake, Shang Xuli, also bid farewell and returned to Yunzhou.
Lin Zhao bowed his thanks again to Han Buyu and Gu Lingyu. Han Buyu hurriedly returned the salute with cupped fists, while Gu Lingyu performed a graceful Confucian disciple's salute.
Lin Zhao's small wish had been fulfilled. The Xun Lu sword was on his back, and his heart was filled with hesitation. The Xun Lu sword was a divine sword, and it should logically be given to Wu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, or others. However, he had a deep-seated feeling that the Xun Lu sword belonged to Xiao Jiu'er, and it felt wrong to give it to anyone else. Yet, Xiao Jiu'er had died for the world.
Therefore, he could only carry it himself, hoping that one day Xiao Jiu'er would suddenly reappear, at which point he could rightfully return the Xun Lu sword to her.
"Thank you all for your efforts."
He turned and bowed to Wu Zhi, Huang Tingyu, Tang Guangjun, and the others. "You all have your own matters to attend to. I still have some things to discuss with Lingyu."
"Yes, Mountain Master!"
Lin Zhao floated down and landed in the courtyard of the Lotus Breeze Academy. Gu Lingyu, dressed in a scholar's robe, sat beneath a white tree, beckoning Lin Zhao over for tea. Not far away, from a thriving peach tree, the peerless figure of Shi Hanyin emerged and began boiling water for tea for Lin Zhao and Gu Lingyu.
"Junior Uncle, what is it?" Gu Lingyu asked.
Lin Zhao took out the relics of the human world's martyrs one by one from his bag, from the sword of Yue Hao from over a hundred years ago to the relics of Xiao Muhan and Sun Qinghe from a few years ago. "Lingyu, you should recognize these items, right?"
"I do."
Gu Lingyu, with his profound abilities, immediately recognized the residual auras of the owners of these objects. He sighed and said, "Junior Uncle, are you still unable to let go of your righteous anger for those who sacrificed their lives for humanity?"
"How can I let go?"
Lin Zhao sighed. "Once many people die, they become like fallen leaves in late autumn, landing in the mud and becoming one with the earth. No one in the world remembers them anymore."
"Mm..."
Gu Lingyu nodded. "I vaguely suspect what Junior Uncle intends to do."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Then I'll be direct. What I want to do is very simple: to leave a name for the countless people who sacrificed their lives for humanity, to have their names inscribed in history. What the Great Shang Dynasty failed to do, I want to help them accomplish. And this task especially requires your help, Lingyu. After all, you observed the Snow Region Heavenly Pool for ten years and witnessed every major battle on the human map. With your abilities, you can deduce and trace back, to perfectly record the names of every fallen warrior."
"Mm."
Gu Lingyu took a deep breath and said, "This is a noble endeavor, but the workload will be immense. Relying only on myself and my disciples, we might exhaust all the bamboo in the Snow Region Heavenly Pool and still not be able to write down all those names and achievements. Ultimately, this matter requires the involvement of the Great Shang Dynasty. Otherwise, it cannot be completed."
"I know."
Lin Zhao said, "I will discuss this with Your Highness Zhao Shutong. Let the historians of the Great Shang Dynasty be involved, and it will be best. Whether it's recorded in bamboo slips or inscribed on monuments in the future, it will depend on how the Great Shang Dynasty proceeds."
He then frowned. "Right, the workload is indeed immense, especially since it needs to be ranked according to individual merits. However, if the Great Shang Dynasty ranks them, it might be biased. Therefore, I think it would be best for you, Lingyu, to handle the ranking of the top one hundred."
"Agreed."
Gu Lingyu nodded. "After the ranking is done, I will submit it to Junior Uncle for review."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work."
"Mm."
...
After leaving the Lotus Breeze Academy, Lin Zhao did not return to his villa on the mountain peak. Instead, he directly crushed a return scroll to the main city, instantly teleporting back to White Emperor City. With a thought, a list appeared from the upper right corner of the interface: the NPC intimacy value ranking in White Emperor City, with Zhao Shutong ranking high. He confirmed Zhao Shutong and sent a mental message: "Your Highness, I am in White Emperor City. I have something I wish to discuss with you. Would you like to come out for a cup of tea?"
"Alright, I'm coming."
Lin Zhao walked forward with his sword and sat down at a wine shop filled with peach blossoms. Nearby, many players who had just completed quests cast surprised glances. Lin Baiyi returning to White Emperor City was indeed a rare occurrence, especially for the numerous female players who couldn't take their eyes off Lin Zhao when they saw him. He was the number one celebrity in "Tian Xia" (the game), and seeing him in the main city was incredibly rare.
"Waiter, good tea."
Not long after Lin Zhao ordered tea, a figure floated into the wine shop – Zhao Shutong. She smiled brightly. "Just tea, no wine?"
"Let's handle business first."
Lin Zhao said with a smile. "There will be plenty of opportunities for drinking later."
Zhao Shutong smiled and nodded. "Marshal Lin, please speak. What is it?"
So, Lin Zhao explained his intention to commemorate the martyrs.
Instantly, Zhao Shutong's beautiful eyes lit up. "Marshal Lin and I think alike. In fact, Shutong has had this idea for a long time, but I've been too busy to get around to it. I've even thought about the specifics. This register will be called the 'Heroic Records.' In the future, I will order a piece of open land to be cleared in the imperial mausoleum outside White Emperor City to build a monumental stele, where the names of all martyrs will be recorded for future generations to worship."
"Good!"
Lin Zhao nodded. "I have already asked Lingyu to compile the register at the Snow Region Heavenly Pool. What do you think?"
"No problem."
Zhao Shutong smiled. "Dean Gu was once the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy in White Emperor City, so he is most qualified to compile the Heroic Records. I will return to the palace immediately and send all the historians who compile the records of daily life and historical texts to the Lotus Breeze Academy to await Dean Gu's command. Of course, their living expenses and meals will all be covered by the Great Shang Dynasty. We will dispatch enough spirit vessels to ensure that this Heroic Records is completed by the time we finish fighting the demon realm."
"Good."
Lin Zhao felt a sense of relief. "Don't forget about the matter of the army marching north."
"I won't forget."