"So, there's no room for negotiation?"
Li Chuyun gently rubbed his wrist, his eyes no longer hiding their murderous intent as he looked at Yu Wanling and smiled, "Although I don't know which sect's disciple you are, reaching the Sea Stepping Realm is already a remarkable feat. But since you're so reckless with your life, killing my West Shu Iron Cavalry soldiers without remorse, then all consequences are your own doing."
Yu Wanling slid back half a step with one foot, her fist intent surging. Wisps of fist energy erupted around her fists. Only at this moment did Yu Wanling truly display the combat power expected of the female war god of the ancient Shu Kingdom. The constantly rising and expanding fist intent made a group of cavalry soldiers extremely uncomfortable, and even several martial artists in the middle five realms frowned.
One of them condensed his voice into a thread and said to Li Chuyun, "Commander, be careful. This little girl... doesn't seem that simple."
"I know."
Li Chuyun's gaze was chilling, "No matter how not simple, she's still only in the Sea Stepping Realm!"
The moment his voice fell, Li Chuyun lunged out, enveloped by an exceptionally dense fist intent, as if carrying a surging tide. He slammed a heavy punch towards Yu Wanling's chest. The fist intent was so dense that it formed a powerful pressure, causing the surrounding vegetation to snap and break, as if caught in a storm.
But Yu Wanling remained still. Her beautiful eyes held a hint of anger as she also lunged forward, throwing a powerful punch. A loud roar erupted between them. In the next moment, both were forced back several steps. Yu Wanling's body stiffened slightly, and her true qi was almost suppressed by the opponent's realm, making it difficult to gather. Li Chuyun's blood and qi were also in disarray, his mind slightly unsettled by Yu Wanling's immense fist energy. He was slightly alarmed, this woman was truly extraordinary.
But as he thought of this, Li Chuyun's anger flared even more. He had always considered Shu Prefecture his territory. Although the He clan of Shu Prefecture, a branch of the Empress Dowager, was indeed deeply entrenched, the Li family held the military power of the prefecture. When it came to who was the master of Shu Prefecture, it was naturally the Li clan. Now, this young female martial artist dared to kill West Shu Iron Cavalry within the borders of Shu Prefecture. If he didn't eliminate her today, Li Chuyun's prestige in the army would undoubtedly be damaged.
"How dare you!"
Li Chuyun roared, and his figure, enveloped in dense fist intent, charged out again. For a time, the two clashed continuously in the forest. Waves of powerful fist energy exploded, crushing the nearby woods into piles of debris. As an eleventh-realm martial artist, Li Chuyun had grasped some of the mysteries of the Upper Five Realms, and naturally possessed an absolute advantage. Although Yu Wanling was in the tenth realm, her tenth realm was already at its peak of perfection. Her fist intent was incredibly refined and dense. In terms of foundation, Yu Wanling surpassed the opponent.
Thus, punch after punch, in the blink of an eye, Yu Wanling's fists were already bloody and mangled, her wounds deep enough to see bone. But she didn't hesitate. Relying on the tempering of her martial artist's foundation, she still threw punches at the eleventh-realm martial artist. Instead, Li Chuyun grew more disheartened with each exchange, vaguely feeling that he could no longer suppress Yu Wanling.
In fact, among all martial artists, those in the tenth realm who could defeat an eleventh-realm martial artist were extremely few. Yet, Yu Wanling was one of those exceptions. After all, Yu Wanling and Chi Zhongyu were handpicked by Lin Zhao from the Hundred Flower Realm. Yu Wanling was the top genius martial artist of the ancient Shu Kingdom, her talent and aptitude second to none. Chi Zhongyu was the top sword cultivator of the Xu Dynasty in the Hundred Flower Realm. Their aptitude and talent were top-tier in a whole realm, and in a certain sense, surpassed even Mu Zha, Xu Zhi, and Chu Yu. It was precisely because of this that Lin Zhao brought them to the Human Realm for tempering, making it even more meaningful.
"Sir!"
A captain of a thousand cavalrymen frowned, having already noticed that Li Chuyun's true qi was starting to falter. Just as the legends in the Shu Prefecture martial arts world said, Li Chuyun, the cousin of Li Chunyang, had a paper-thin Yuan Tian martial art. If not for Li Chunyang's personal tempering and the expenditure of vast amounts of natural treasures, Li Chuyun would never have entered the Upper Five Realms in his life. And even now, his eleventh realm was the lowest among all eleventh-realm martial artists in the entire realm.
Therefore, he knitted his brows, raised his spear, and said solemnly, "Brothers, we cannot fight for too long. We will assist the commander in killing this beast. This woman must not be allowed to live. Prepare the Sonic Arrow!"
A group of cavalrymen charged forward with their spears, attacking Yu Wanling from behind. Even more deadly were the dozens of accompanying cultivators who simultaneously raised their arms and unleashed a mid-grade artifact, the "Sonic Arrow." This was a military weapon specifically designed to kill mountain cultivators and was widely circulated among the West Shu Iron Cavalry. While Yu Wanling in her prime would not fear it, at this moment, Yu Wanling had just failed to catch her breath and was at her weakest.
She forcefully gathered a breath of true qi and delivered a palm strike, forcing Li Chuyun to retreat continuously. She then tapped the ground with her feet and gracefully drifted backward with the wind.
"Trying to escape?!"
Li Chuyun's face was arrogant. An eleventh-realm martial artist had a faster breathing rate. He unleashed a thunderous punch. Following closely, a group of cavalry soldiers cast their spears. In an instant, Yu Wanling, caught in the wind, could only turn to meet Li Chuyun's punch with her left hand, while her right hand swept out with fist energy, knocking away a volley of spears. However, at the same time, a splash of blood erupted from her shoulder. She had been struck by a Sonic Arrow, her shoulder directly pierced, even injuring her bones and tendons, bleeding profusely!
"Die!"
Li Chuyun's eyes were ferocious as he fiercely brought a palm down from the sky. This strike was aimed to kill, a must-have to eliminate this ungrateful female martial artist.
Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, Yu Wanling ignited a golden talisman. It was the Divine Speed Talisman that Lin Zhao had given her for protection and survival before she left. Instantly, a flash of lightning flickered around Yu Wanling. The entire world seemed to freeze, and she took the opportunity to flee with the wind. In the blink of an eye, she was tens of miles away. Her body plummeted downwards into the depths of the mountains and forests, concealing her aura as if she had vanished from the wilderness.
"Boundary Breaking Talisman?!"
Li Chuyun was enraged.
...
The Mountain Peak Villa, Tian Ran Ju.
Lin Zhao finally logged in. He had slept soundly after recovering his energy and overslept. By the time he woke up and logged in, it was already the second day of the Lunar New Year in the game. As it neared noon, Lin Xingchu took Wang Yue and Xiao Ke to visit her parents. Lin Zhao prepared a sumptuous feast to entertain his aunt. As for the wine, the Dongting Lake fine wine had run out, so he drank the peach blossom wine gifted by Han Yurou, which was also incredibly mellow.
After finishing the meal, Lin Xingchu drank tea by the lotus pond, while Lin Zhao practiced a set of fist techniques beside his aunt. Lin Xingchu nodded repeatedly, praising his movements, demeanor, and fist intent. After all, with the wisp of chaotic fist intent gifted by Mr. Bai, Lin Zhao's fist intent was absolutely second to none. It was only his realm that was lacking. If only he were in the Rebirth Realm.
Lin Xingchu narrowed her beautiful eyes, imagining what it would be like if her little Zhao stepped into the Rebirth Realm. It would surely be a fortunate event for the entire Human Realm!
Not long after, a sword light arrived from the east. Perhaps the matter was too urgent, so it did not pass through the Sword Unsheathing Stone but flew directly into the Mountain Peak Villa. Xu Zhi waved her hand, opening a gap in the Ju Que Umbrella formation, allowing the person to fly into Tian Ran Ju. Upon landing, it was clear: a person in a Mo family blue robe, with a long sword on his back, it was Xu Shuo.
"Second Brother Xu?"
Lin Zhao was startled and smiled, "Are you out to swindle wine on the second day of the Lunar New Year?"
Xu Shuo laughed heartily and said, "We'll talk about swindling wine later. Today, I've come to discuss something important."
Lin Xingchu narrowed her eyes, "Is it about the situation in Shu Prefecture?"
"Precisely."
Xu Shuo clasped his hands gently, "Your Majesty is also here."
"Yes."
Lin Xingchu stood up, leaning on the Jiang Shen Sword, and narrowed her eyes, smiling, "Is it about the matter of the Deer Seeking Sword?"
"Precisely!"
Xu Shuo said solemnly, "On New Year's Eve, three cultivators in the Upper Five Realms on Mount West Shu perceived the changes deep within the Qinling Mountains and detected the manifestation of the White Deer. If nothing unexpected happens, the Deer Seeking Sword will reappear. Furthermore, Shu Prefecture is undergoing a transformation. It's likely that not only the Deer Seeking Sword, but other troubles have also appeared."
Lin Zhao frowned, "Isn't the Deer Seeking Sword a divine sword ranked tenth among the Ten Great Swords of the world? Second Brother Xu, what's the reason you say the Deer Seeking Sword has appeared?"
"This is a long story."
Xu Shuo took a bowl of tea handed over by Dong Cang and drank it down in one gulp. As he wiped his mouth, his peripheral vision swept over Xu Zhi. She was still as beautiful as ever, but when he felt Xu Zhi glare at him with her beautiful eyes, he immediately reined in his thoughts and said solemnly, "There has always been a saying in the martial world, 'When the Divine Sword of Deer Seeking appears, the Lord of Shu Prefecture will emerge.' This Deer Seeking Sword is one of the Ten Great Swords of the world, renowned like the Dragon Slaying Sword, possessing extraordinary power. Its previous owner was Lin Shenghan, known as the Sword God of West Shu. Lin Shenghan was the only thirteenth-realm sword cultivator in Shu Prefecture since ancient times. His swordsmanship was divine and perfected, and he once held the position of Lord of Shu Prefecture. However, over two hundred years ago, he was jointly ambushed and killed by more than ten demon race Upper Five Realm cultivators, including Bai Lan, in the Qinling Mountains. In the end, Lin Shenghan's residual soul, along with his physical body, protected the Deer Seeking Sword and perished deep within the Qinling Mountains."
He paused, frowned, and continued, "Twenty years ago, Lin Shenghan's primordial spirit manifested and took a spirit embryo boy named 'Cloud Thunder Rebirth' as his disciple, naming him Gu Yanshu. To this day, Gu Yanshu is exactly twenty years old, having reached the age of adulthood. The grand dao manifestation of the Deer Seeking Sword might be greatly related to this Gu Yanshu. If nothing unexpected happens, Gu Yanshu has already emerged from the mountains with the Deer Seeking Sword. As for what he intends to do, the world is unaware. But one thing is certain: the Deer Seeking Sword is a sword of killing, an object of great malevolence. Gu Yanshu will surely stir up trouble in Shu Prefecture. But this is not the most important thing..."
Xu Shuo looked up at Lin Zhao and frowned, "The Spiritual Motion Instrument arranged by the Mo family ancestral court deep in the mountains and rivers has shown activity. Upper Five Realm demon cultivators have entered West Shu, their numbers unknown. Entrusted by the Mo family ancestral court, I have come to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to borrow troops. I request the mountain lord Lin Zhao, along with the sword immortals Su Qingjiu, Huang Tingyu, and Xu Zhi, to descend south together and preside over the grand situation in West Shu. Once the demons' plan succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable!"