A sword formation prohibition rose, instantly shrouding the entire Green Lake. The next moment, three sword lights from Su Qingjiu, Huang Tingyu, and Wu Zhi simultaneously slashed towards Lin Zhujie. In addition, Su Qingjiu's natal flying sword, White Fish, hovered in the air, unreleased, blocking Lin Zhujie's escape route above. Wu Zhi's ten demon soul swords burrowed into the lake, severing Lin Zhujie's path downwards as well.
Huang Tingyu let out a roar, and behind him, a colossal Dharma image, resembling a heavenly dog, materialized. The radiance of his sword strike intensified even further.
A single, concerted strike from three peak twelfth-realm Sword Immortals was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
Lin Zhujie considered his own twelfth-realm cultivation to be quite robust. However, fighting Huang Tingyu and Wu Zhi one-on-one might give him a fifty-fifty chance, while facing Su Qingjiu alone would yield an even lower probability. Against the combined might of these three, his chances of victory were practically zero. In that instant, Lin Zhujie made a decisive move. He shattered a natal bamboo segment from his sleeve, creating a nearly invisible fissure at the edge of Su Qingjiu's sword formation prohibition. In that fleeting moment, Lin Zhujie transformed into a faint light and slipped out, quickly merging with the surrounding forest.
"???"
Lin Zhao exclaimed in astonishment, "He ran?"
"He ran," Huang Tingyu replied, his brow furrowed. "That scoundrel was Lin Zhujie. His fighting skills are average, but his ability to escape is unparalleled in Ancestral Mountain. Once he merges with the forest, even gods would have trouble finding him."
Su Qingjiu knitted her delicate brows. "He sacrificed a natal bamboo segment to escape. There was nothing I could do. To force a kill would have cost me a significant portion of my cultivation."
"Understood." Lin Zhao nodded. Just then, a voice echoed in his sea of consciousness, belonging to Lin Zhujie: "Fellow Daoist Lin Zhao, why did you attack without a word? Did I reveal some flaw?"
"Too many flaws, they were everywhere," Lin Zhao replied with a smile. "Firstly, Yun Province does not produce stirrups. Its iron ore is scarce. Historically, the stirrups and horseshoes of Yun Province's cavalry were forged and sent by Ning Province. Secondly, White Emperor City has no renowned rice cakes; the best-selling ones in White Emperor City come from Furong Province's Furong Cake. Local rice cakes are not popular. Lastly, the most beautiful woman in White Emperor City is not called Luo Man, but Cao Ying, the Pavilion Mistress of the Embroidered Guard."
"..."
Lin Zhujie was utterly dumbfounded. While fleeing through the bamboo forest, he couldn't help but lament how deep the martial world ran. He chuckled softly, "I am thoroughly convinced. However, Lin Zhujie harbored no ill will towards Fellow Daoist Lin Zhao. Please be more lenient next time."
"Whether you harbor ill will or not, this is human territory," Lin Zhao stated, his brow furrowed. "In my eyes, the moment a demon enters human territory, it can be killed. After all, there are not many demons with good intentions. Lin Zhujie, take care."
"Alright," Lin Zhujie replied. "Farewell until we meet again!"
With that, a wisp of Lin Zhujie's spiritual consciousness vanished from Lin Zhao's sea of consciousness, and silence ensued. Lin Zhao, however, frowned. This Lin Zhujie seemed genuinely different from other great demons. There were Confucian great demons, like Fu Sheng, but Fu Sheng merely sought to understand the principles and methods of Confucianism, not to truly reason. On the contrary, Fu Sheng was cruel and capricious, by no means benevolent. As for Lin Zhujie... perhaps it was his adeptness at concealment; Lin Zhao sensed no strong killing intent from him, or perhaps none at all.
Regardless, caution was still necessary.
The human heart is unfathomable, and the heart of a demon is even more so.
...
In the depths of the mountains.
Lin Zhujie, transformed into a bamboo beetle no larger than a mayfly, flitted through the air with buzzing wings, a hint of frustration in his heart. He had always been rather self-assured, believing himself to be the demon on Ancestral Mountain who understood humans best. Yet, this verbal exchange with Lin Baiyi had left him with a profound sense of defeat. He had considered himself quite clever, only to encounter true brilliance and realize his own relative foolishness.
He sighed. The legendary Lin Baiyi, indeed formidable. Every word he spoke was a trap; not a single one could be trusted. Furthermore, Lin Baiyi harbored deep killing intent towards demons, an animosity that could not be resolved in a short time.
He frowned. Perhaps it was not entirely his fault.
Lin Baiyi's father died at the hands of the great demon Bai Lan, and his mother's death was inextricably linked to his father's. Subsequently, Lin Baiyi's friends, such as Guo Dongyang and Zhang Liucheng, perished at the hands of demons. Those he respected, like Wen Liang and Gu Zixi, also met their end at the hands of demons. This national and familial hatred, this sea of blood and vengeance, had become ingrained in his very being. How could Lin Baiyi not hate demons?
Lin Zhujie alighted softly on a bamboo leaf, his brow furrowed, a sense of helplessness washing over him. Could humans and demons truly not coexist peacefully? Despite being a demon, he genuinely loved humanity and human lands. People like Lin Baiyi, for instance, were individuals Lin Zhujie wished he could have as friends. Conversely, the rabble on Ancestral Mountain, like Fu Sheng, Lu Hai, and Long Zheng, were beneath Lin Zhujie's notice. What kind of beings were they?
...
As dusk descended, the night curtain fell.
Under the moonlight, the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoed as a troop of Western Shu cavalry appeared within the dense forests of the Qinling Mountains. Li Chuyun, clad in armor, had not heeded Li Chunyun of the Eighteen Li Sword Shop's advice to return to Zitong Commandery. Instead, he had ordered his second-in-command to lead the majority of his men back, while he himself, with 500 cavalry, continued to patrol the mountains in search of the Deer Seeking Sword.
"Dismount, prepare to make camp!"
Li Chuyun dismounted, leading his warhorse and a group of cavalrymen to a stream's edge to water their steeds. He surveyed the surrounding terrain and declared, "We'll set up camp beneath the trees. Send out scouts to patrol the perimeter, guarding against wild beast attacks."
"Yes, Commander!"
The cavalrymen busied themselves. Their luggage was minimal, and only with the aid of accompanying cultivators could they retrieve camping supplies from their storage bags to erect rudimentary tents for shelter. Soon, bonfires blazed, and the cooks began to prepare broth and roast provisions.
Moments later, Li Chuyun, holding a bowl of meat broth and gnawing on a flatbread, ravenously replenished his energy. Suddenly, his gaze flickered, and he saw water droplets in the stream rising upwards, as if drawn by some unseen force. The next instant, Li Chuyun threw down his bowl, sprang to his feet, and roared, "All stand ready, quickly!"
The cavalrymen donned their armor and drew their weapons, mounting their horses.
From the depths of the stream in the distance, a figure emerged, dressed in a deep violet robe. He was remarkably young and handsome, with a white cloth bandage wrapped around his arm, suggesting an injury. His sword intent was exceptionally potent, and wherever he passed, the stream water was drawn by it, causing water droplets to hang suspended. This technique was actually learned from Lin Zhujie. Gu Yanshu, born of thunder and lightning, possessed extraordinary talent in swordsmanship. Moreover, he was at the eleventh realm, making the acquisition of such a skill seemingly effortless.
"Who goes there?!" Li Chuyun's fist intent surged as he menacingly addressed the person nearby.
"Gu Yanshu," the young sword cultivator replied, holding his long sword. In the moonlight, the blade gleamed with a cold light, stained with blood. He smiled faintly, "You desire the Deer Seeking Sword, do you not? This is it. Kill me, and you shall have it."
"You..." Li Chuyun's heart grew cold. The legendary Gu Yanshu was said to be only twenty years old. This person before him... was clearly an eleventh-realm sword cultivator. A twenty-year-old eleventh-realm sword cultivator? What kind of prodigy was this?
However, this individual clearly intended no good. Li Chuyun's expression hardened, and he stated calmly, "Prepare for a desperate battle. No one shall retreat! Unleash all your skills!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Several accompanying formation masters leaped into the stream, transforming in an instant as if becoming fish within the current. An underwater formation began to take shape. The cavalrymen mounted their horses, lances in hand, preparing to charge. Additionally, a group of accompanying cultivators, holding talismans and sonic arrows, fixed their cold gazes on the figure in the water.
"Your sword?" Gu Yanshu observed the sword hanging from Li Chuyun's waist. "What grade is it?"
"Heaven grade," Li Chuyun replied, raising an eyebrow and sneering, "My sword is named Cold Blood. Come and take it if you dare!"
"As you wish." Gu Yanshu floated upwards, his entire being brimming with sword intent. He stomped his foot violently into the stream, instantly condensing a sword tip of indigo color in the air that plunged into the water. At once, the formation masters hidden within the water let out screams, all of them killed. The stream water was quickly dyed red. Gu Yanshu raised his left hand, formed a sword seal, and casually pointed towards the bank. The suspended water droplets coalesced into invisible sword tips, which then "pfft pfft pfft"-ed into the ranks of the cavalrymen. The riders had no chance to dodge, and were shot dead on the spot.
The next second, Gu Yanshu raised the Deer Seeking Sword in his hand and smiled at Li Chuyun, "Since you are so fond of the Deer Seeking Sword, then die by its blade. I shall grant your wish."
With that, he moved with a swift blur, the blade thrusting directly towards Li Chuyun's chest without any flourish.
"Ah?!" Li Chuyun's body felt as if it had stiffened. The surrounding heaven and earth were completely filled with Gu Yanshu's sword prohibition. Although Li Chuyun was also an Upper Fifth Realm cultivator, his vital energy was unable to sustain a field of martial artist's fist intent as it normally would. His entire fist intent seemed to be suppressed by the opponent, rendering him powerless.
"You..." Li Chuyun gritted his teeth, his fist intent gradually increasing, but it was to no avail. He could not break through the opponent's sword prohibition.
By the time the tip of the Deer Seeking Sword pierced Li Chuyun's chest armor and penetrated his flesh, Li Chuyun remained frozen in place. Despair filled his eyes, and tears even began to stream down. Li Chuyun, who had considered himself a hero of his time, standing at the apex of Shu Province, could never have imagined such a humiliating death, with not even a sliver of room for resistance.
"Truly a waste." Gu Yanshu, with a sword through the heart, chuckled, "Then I shall leave you a whole corpse as a reward."
The next moment, Li Chuyun's body fell straight down, his eyes vacant and bewildered. Life had already extinguished the instant he hit the ground, blood flowing from his seven orifices. While the corpse was whole, his internal meridians, organs, and the like had long since been utterly mangled by Gu Yanshu's sword qi.
"Commander!" A group of cavalrymen cried out in alarm.
"Don't rush," Gu Yanshu said, picking up Li Chuyun's sword, Cold Blood, and hanging it behind him. He looked up and smiled, "I'll send you on your way shortly. Everyone will get a turn."