"Fuck!"
Ben Moro, notorious for his foul mouth on the national server, unleashed a torrent of curses as he saw the swarms of Mayfly Swords flying towards him. He activated his Sword Qi to protect himself, conjured two flying swords, and shouted, "You want to take on ten people alone? Lin Zhao, you really think you're hot stuff. The top players on the national server are giving you face, aren't they?"
His sword light danced, continuously cleaving through the Mayfly Swords.
Lin Zhao ignored him. With a spin, his long sword sliced towards the throat of "Ling Ren Fa Zhi" in a deadly instant. His left fist, imbued with potent fist intent, struck heavily on "Ling Ren Fa Zhi's" abdomen, accompanied by the sound of tearing flesh. His Qi-Piercing-the-Heavens style punch dealt over 40,000 damage. As the fist qi exploded, "Ling Ren Fa Zhi's" body disintegrated into dust.
Killing with martial arts fist techniques, the feeling was incredibly satisfying!
This confirmed Lin Zhao's suspicion: ever since he returned to the martial path as a player, although he hadn't acquired specific fist techniques, any fist art he learned could be used with formidable power. Currently, as a third-realm martial artist, he could unleash over 30,000 damage with a single punch, leveraging his foundation as a ninth-realm sword cultivator. When he truly reached the ninth or tenth realm, or even the higher realms, wouldn't a punch dealing less than 100,000 damage be considered weak?
At this moment, the counter-attack from the opponents arrived.
Ding Chunqiu, Chang Ye Yu Huo, Li Canghai, Ben Moro, and Xi He Da Guo Kui – five sword users unleashed a total of ten Natal Flying Swords. Simultaneously, Lin Zhao was targeted by three sword qi strikes, a Soul Burning Arrow, and a Flying Kick. Dodging was unlikely, and he hadn't intended to. With a flick of his blade, he activated Sword Qi Protection and his Hao Ran Flying Sword shielded him. His Natal Flying Sword, Ming Yue, transformed into a silver streak of light and shot into the sky, then descended with the Moonfall skill. If the opponents wanted to kill Lin Zhao, they would have to pay a price, and whether they could succeed was another matter entirely.
"Crush him!"
Ding Chunqiu, battered by seventeen flying swords and left with critically low health, his eyes blazed with ferocity.
The next moment, a barrage of "pfft pfft pfft" sounds echoed. The ten Natal Flying Swords, empowered with divine abilities, struck Lin Zhao. But to everyone's surprise, a golden Immortal Robe effect shimmered on Lin Zhao's body. Ripples emanated from him, and the opponents' attacks felt like striking cotton, dealing negligible damage. Coupled with the damage reduction from Sword Qi Protection, after a volley of flying swords, Lin Zhao still had 72% of his health remaining!
In the next instant, the flying sword Ming Yue, crackling with Moonfall, rained down upon the opponents. Moonfall's damage was ten times that of Lin Zhao's basic attacks. Lin Zhao's normal attacks against these players dealt around 6,000 to 8,000 damage. Instantly, the opponents' health bars plummeted. Ding Chunqiu was instantly killed before he could even activate his invincibility. Chang Ye Yu Huo, Li Canghai, Ben Moro, and Xi He Da Guo Kui were all left with critically low health. They stared in shock, about to activate their invincibility skills. However, just as they were about to, the shared cooldown seemed to be locked, and their movements slowed to a crawl.
It was Lin Zhao who had ignited a second Divine Speed Talisman, locking time in a small area. In the next second, Li Quan returned to its sheath. Lin Zhao's body sank, surrounded by swirling white energy. With a series of "bong bong bong" punches, his fist intent was dense and his fist qi blazed. These were four punches that landed with flesh-rending impact. The ranged players, Jiumozhi and Qiu Qianren, watching from a distance, were stunned. Under Lin Zhao's barrage of punches, the bodies of their four top allies disintegrated into bloody mist, a gruesome end!
Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs, a high-level assassin hidden in the shadows, felt a pang of bitterness. Back then, when he followed Li Canghai to hunt down the nascent Scarlet Moon Knights, that white-clad figure was indeed formidable, but nowhere near as powerful as the one before him now. With version updates and the proliferation of player strategies, gameplay had become more diverse and free. He had followed Li Canghai and joined the sect of the great demon Lu Hai of the Twelve Sceneries, acquiring a mid-grade Immortal artifact and learning many powerful skills. Yet, it seemed everyone's progress paled in comparison to Lin Zhao. He was the one who had truly mastered the realms and artifact systems.
"You..."
Jiumozhi and Qiu Qianren retreated side-by-side, their expressions panicked.
Lin Zhao raised his hand and cast a Sword Qi Cage, preventing them from teleporting away. Then, his entire body erupted with sword intent, and his sword Li Quan glowed with an incredibly dazzling light. He swung his sword at the two opponents!
One Sword Decapitates Immortals!
While the two vice-leaders, who were all villains, couldn't truly be called immortals, decapitating two scoundrels with one sword was perfectly acceptable.
Within the sword light, the two figures were torn apart, dealing over 100,000 damage. This confirmed to Lin Zhao that One Sword Decapitates Immortals was incredibly effective against NPCs, and while not as overwhelmingly powerful against players, it still dealt far more damage than a typical SSS-grade skill, remaining an incredibly heaven-defying ability.
"Damn it!"
Of the ten players, only Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs remained. Without a word, he activated his invincibility skill and crushed a teleportation scroll.
Lin Zhao frowned but didn't stop him; he couldn't. When an opponent used invincibility, there was little else to be said. He watched Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs depart and then began to salvage the battlefield. These individuals had a good drop rate. Ke Guo Wu Ming dropped his Ghost Divine Artifact weapon. Ding Chunqiu dropped a Heaven-grade leg armor. Xi He Da Guo Kui dropped a Heaven-grade bracelet. Jiumozhi dropped a necklace. The rest were miscellaneous minor equipment, all of which Lin Zhao collected.
...
This battle was highly satisfactory, yet there was still a minor imperfection.
The imperfection lay in the fact that while Lin Zhao had mastered the three flying swords in his Sword Cultivation Lake, the five Immortal Swords in his Spiritual Ruins, and the twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords, allowing him to single-handedly defeat ten experts from the Brother Alliance, the 36 Mayfly Swords were somewhat disappointing. They only managed to slightly delay the opponents' attacks, dealing minimal damage. The Mayfly Swords' damage accounted for less than 10% of the total damage dealt, and the opponents could even cleave through their attacks. This didn't quite live up to the reputation of a Sword Immortal.
Hmm, these Mayfly Swords needed further honing and improvement. Otherwise, his orange gourd couldn't unleash its true potential.
He frowned and crushed a teleportation scroll to return to the city.
"Whoosh!"
His character appeared in the East Gate Plaza of White Emperor City. He immediately sent a message to Luo Man: "Man Man, I've avenged you. Aside from Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs, I've killed the remaining nine for you. Come back to the city. I've dropped Ke Guo Wu Ming's sword; I'll give it to you as compensation for your level loss."
"Ah?!"
Luo Man's face lit up with joy: "Coming!"
Not long after, a graceful figure appeared in the city, clad in armor. It was Luo Man. She rushed forward, about to leap into Lin Zhao's arms. Instantly, a group of old men setting up stalls narrowed their eyes, anticipating the spectacle. The young girls in White Emperor City were indeed numerous and passionate, but they were disappointed. The next moment, Lin Zhao raised his hand and pressed it against Luo Man's forehead, then tucked her under his arm and carried her into the Grand Hall, preventing her from being overly unrestrained.
"Clang~~~"
A Ghost Divine Artifact level long sword, emitting a blood-red glow, was placed before Luo Man. This sword was of the same rank as Lin Zhao's Li Quan, but with a higher usage level, giving it a slight edge in attributes. However, it no longer mattered. Lin Zhao wasn't lacking in attack power, so he unhesitatingly traded the long sword to Luo Man. He then gave Luo Man the spoils from the other players, telling her to sell them and compensate the other fallen members. This would be a satisfactory resolution for everyone.
Luo Man happily went to handle it, while Lin Zhao returned to the Snow Region Heavenly Pool.
...
Afternoon.
After practicing some fist techniques, he sat down to rest. Lin Zhao opened his hand, and strands of Mayfly Swords slowly rose from his palm, intertwining like a school of fish, a truly dazzling sight. But no matter how dazzling, they were ultimately killing weapons. If their destructive power was insufficient, they would lose their value. Since the Mayfly Swords were left to him by Qing Yan, Lin Zhao would never replace them, but he would continue to find ways to enhance their killing power. Though seemingly minor, as Lin Zhao's realm increased in the future and he became an eleventh-realm Sword Immortal, the current standard of these Mayfly Swords would undoubtedly be a hindrance, a flaw.
Just then, a pretty figure appeared beside him. It was Tong Yu. She placed a handful of fried peanuts on the table and said, "Brother Lin Zhao, eat peanuts. I fried them myself yesterday."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile, but his spirits were low.
"These flying swords..."
Tong Yu squinted, looking at the Mayfly Swords hovering above his palm, and asked with a smile, "Brother Lin Zhao, are you not quite satisfied?"
"Satisfied!"
Lin Zhao replied, "These are Qing Yan's遺物 (relics/mementos). A thousand, ten thousand times satisfied. It's just that their killing power seems a bit lacking..."
He rubbed his forehead and smiled, "Perhaps I'm asking for too much, and it's become an extravagant hope."
"A Sword Cultivator pursuing greater destructive power, how can that be considered an extravagant hope?"
Tong Yu pursed her red lips and said, "Brother Lin Zhao, actually, when my Master Old Daoist Wang taught me the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords, he left me a message, asking me to tell you when the time was right. I always felt the time wasn't ripe before, but now the time has finally come, and I don't want to keep it hidden anymore."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "Old Daoist Wang left me a message?"
"Mm."
Tong Yu smiled and gently raised her fingertip. Instantly, fine golden sword intent swirled around her fingertip, a magnificent and novel sight. This was the sword intent evolved from the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords scripture. Tong Yu looked at Lin Zhao and smiled, "Master Old Daoist Wang said that if one day you wished to learn the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords, I would be the one to teach you."
"What?!"
Lin Zhao was utterly shocked, finding it hard to believe that Old Daoist Wang would leave such a message. He was even more incredulous that Old Daoist Wang would teach him the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords, especially considering how stingy he had been with the old daoist, often treating him to cheap liquor.
"Brother Lin Zhao."
Tong Yu looked at him with her large, bright eyes. "Your orange gourd contains a total of thirty-six Mayfly Swords, which perfectly aligns with the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords, doesn't it? Furthermore, Master Old Daoist Wang told me back then that he wouldn't teach you the sword techniques of the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords, but only the mental cultivation. I believe his intention was for you to use the mental cultivation of the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords to more skillfully control the Mayfly Swords within the orange gourd, rather than truly making the Thirty-Six Vertical and Horizontal Swords your own path of the sword."
Lin Zhao stood stunned on the spot, finally understanding everything.
It turned out everything had been within Old Daoist Wang's calculations all along.