Nan Qingfeng, clad in a white dress, lay askew on a rock, her attire draping to accentuate her graceful form and lines. Her pretty face was flushed. Seeing Gu Yanshu looking at her, she immediately leaned closer, resting in the crook of his arm, her cheek rubbing gently against his. "Are you awake?" she murmured softly.
"Mmm," he replied.
Gu Yanshu continued to gaze at her, maintaining his vigilance. "The demon race?"
"Yes."
She sighed softly, "The demon race, Nan Qingfeng."
"You are the most beautiful woman in Ancestral Mountain? Nan Qingfeng of the Thirteenth Realm?"
Gu Yanshu grew even more wary, his sword intent flowing, ready to snap the neck of the beauty in his arms at any moment.
"Yanshu…"
Disappointment flickered across Nan Qingfeng's pretty face. "Does it matter if I am human or demon? Should it not be… if you like me and I like you, then nothing in the world can keep us apart? Is that not so? If you regret it, Yanshu, I will not pester you. I will leave now."
"You…"
Gu Yanshu had grown up in the mountains, meeting few people, and even fewer beautiful women. At twenty, he was in his prime, his blood surging with youthful passion. How could he withstand such an encounter, especially from an unparalleled beauty like Nan Qingfeng? For a moment, his guard significantly lowered. He frowned, "Do you truly like me?"
"What do you think?"
Nan Qingfeng's eyes reddened slightly. "I gave myself to you. Do you truly think I, Nan Qingfeng, am such a frivolous woman, one who does not cherish her chastity? Though I am of the demon race, Nan Qingfeng has always sought the Heavenly Dao, never placing personal romance above it. In this life, I have never had a Dao companion. My only man in this life ends with you. And yet, you still doubt Qingfeng's feelings?"
"I… I didn't…"
Seeing Nan Qingfeng on the verge of tears, Gu Yanshu could no longer bear it. He quickly pulled the beauty into his embrace and gently kissed her forehead. "Alright, alright, it's my fault. I am too suspicious. You know, I, Gu Yanshu, have been alone and dependent since childhood, with only a remnant soul of my master and the Deer-Seeking Sword for company. I am wary of everyone. But from today onwards, Nan Qingfeng is Gu Yanshu's Dao companion, my wife, and the one person I will trust with all my heart."
Nan Qingfeng cupped his face and said softly, "Yanshu, I like your heroic spirit of daring to defy the world with just you and your sword. I like the words you spoke, 'The world wrongs the Deer-Seeking Sword.' Elder Sword Saint Lin Shenghan raised you with great care, like a father and teacher. You should indeed use the Deer-Seeking Sword to demand justice from the human world for Lord Lin Shenghan. Whoever dares to block you, kill them. Rest assured, from now on, you will not be alone. Qingfeng's sword will be with you. It will accompany you in slaying those peak human cultivators. Those who wrong the Deer-Seeking Sword, those who wrong Gu Yanshu, are the ones Qingfeng will kill."
"Qingfeng…"
Gu Yanshu was overwhelmed with emotion.
…
Lingxiao Mountain.
A verdant peak, extremely close to Lingque Lake, enjoyed countless vistas. At this moment, starlight dotted Lingxiao Mountain. A young man dressed as a scholar walked back and forth countless times, finally setting up an array on Lingxiao Mountain.
The Star Shifting Array, one of Liu Xingshu's supreme astrological skills, could, with its aid, draw upon the power of heaven and earth to nourish the luck of Lingque Lake, thereby creating a situation of "heaven and earth as one" for the Mohist school.
In fact, the array set up by Xu Shuo was the main array, while the array Liu Xingshu set up was the "auxiliary array." Without the main array, it would be impossible, but without the auxiliary array, the main array would easily encounter many unforeseen changes.
"Hoo…"
The moment the array was completed, Liu Xingshu was drenched in sweat. He sat down on the edge of the cliff, gazing at Lingque Lake in the distance. Now, all that remained was to wait for Xu Shuo to complete his formation. As for what Liu Xingshu could do, he had done it. If he could contribute to the Confucian school's grand strategy, he would not have failed his sect's trust.
To protect the land of Xishu, Liu Xingshu would not shy away from death.
Moreover, his junior brother Xiao Cong had accompanied him eastward. Now that Xiao Cong had sacrificed himself, Liu Xingshu was alone, which was truly quite lonely.
…
Deep within Qin Chuan, Shuzhou, a vast lake stretched for over a thousand miles, the largest lake in the depths of the Qinling Mountains. Its water transport was abundant, forming a symbiotic relationship with the Qinling Mountains, a mountain and water intertwined. However, with the East Peak now shattered by the great demon Xu Changyou, only the water transport of Lingque Lake was desperately supporting the continuously declining luck of the mountains and rivers.
"Activate the array!"
Xu Shuo, a Mohist cultivator of the Twelfth Realm clad in a blue robe, walked through the heart of Lingque Lake. At his command, Mohist cultivators within a radius of hundreds of miles activated the arrays they had set up around Lingque Lake. Instantly, the entire Lingque Lake vibrated, countless ripples appearing on its surface as all its water transport was mobilized.
Xu Shuo took a deep breath. This moment had finally arrived. The combined efforts of the Confucian school's literary circle, the Daoist ancestral court, and the Mohist ancestral court were about to be revealed. Now, he, Xu Shuo, a mere Twelfth Realm sword cultivator, had become the most crucial figure in this world. The more critical the juncture, the more he could not afford any mistakes.
He lightly raised his hand and took out a long object wrapped in cloth from behind him. He skillfully unwrapped it and discarded the cloth, revealing a staff brimming with spiritual energy. It was the Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff, snatched from the demon realm by Lin Wanhua and Jing Chu together – the weapon of the demon king Manyuan!
"Rise!"
Xu Shuo let out a low roar, and a golden Dharma form of a Twelfth Realm sword cultivator rose from the lake behind him, reaching thousands of feet high. He held the Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff with both hands. In the next moment, the highly spiritual staff continuously extended and lengthened, reaching a height of thousands of feet. With a deep roar from Xu Shuo's Dharma form, the tip of the Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff was forcefully driven into the center of Lingque Lake. Water splashed everywhere, and the staff sank deep into the earth, sealing and consolidating the water transport of this region.
Across the mountains and rivers, a continuous roar echoed. The roots of the mountains and the water transport began to re-solidify. The Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff transformed into a treasure to guard the water transport of the eastern human realm. Even in the East Sea, under the escort of the East Sea clan led by Jiao Chen, the countless tides surging towards the land were forcefully restrained. The sinking trend of Xishu was abruptly halted!
The mountains and rivers would forever be solidified. Using a single Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff and a Sea-Calming Array, the luck of the mountains and rivers of Xishu was reforged. This was the grand strategy that the old scholars of the Confucian school's literary circle had meticulously planned for over several months!
"It's not enough."
Xu Shuo's voice was low. His colossal Dharma form, enveloped in dense sword intent, ascended into the air. He struck the butt of the Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff with punch after punch, intending to drive the entire staff into Lingque Lake. Only then would it be truly stable. Of course, this process was far from easy; on the contrary, there would inevitably be considerable obstruction.
"Sword Immortal Xu, your punches are too soft."
Long Dongjun arrived, his hands behind his back, his movements carried by the wind. He chuckled, "Step aside. This kind of rough work is more suited for a martial brute like me, Long Dongjun."
Xu Shuo smiled slightly, turned, and retracted his Dharma form. He bowed respectfully and said, "Sect Master Long, then I shall trouble you!"
"A small matter!"
The moment Long Dongjun raised his fist, a towering, surging fist intent erupted. A golden martial cultivator's figure appeared behind him. With a fierce punch, the Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff trembled, sinking several more meters into the earth at the lake's depths. With punch after punch like this, it would not take long to drive the entire Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff halfway into the lake.
…
East Peak.
With resounding echoes, the situation of stable mountains and rivers grew clearer.
"…"
Yu Zhi, dressed in a red skirt, stood on the mountaintop, gazing in the direction of Lingque Lake. After a moment, she smiled, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is… Those old fellows from the Confucian school's literary circle actually intend to turn the Sun-Moon Water-Fire Staff into a sea-calming needle. No wonder they planned so much beforehand. Since that is the case, our demon race cannot stand idly by."
She waved her sleeve, saying, "Leave a small contingent to guard East Peak. The rest will follow me to Lingque Lake. Lord Fu Sheng, you will lead the charge. Eliminate the one who most deserves to be eliminated, and secure an advantage for our demon race first."
"Yes, Lord Yu Zhi!"
A group of great demons moved southwest in unison.
…
East Sea.
The sea tide surged, and on its crest stood a group of great demons in human form.
Jiao Chen, now a Thirteenth Realm cultivator, maintained his demeanor as the old ancestor of the East Sea. He held a green bamboo pole, his eyes filled with a chilling glint. "The trend of the East Sea surging inland is gradually being curbed. The human realm indeed has many talented individuals. They intend to use the consolidated water transport of the world to stabilize the mountain and river situation. The critical point is now at Lingque Lake."
"Ancestor."
An eleventh-realm young dragon frowned. "What should our dragon clan do? Should we converge with the demons of Lingque Lake and Ancestral Mountain, or…?"
"We must go, but…"
Jiao Chen frowned. "Su Qingjiu, Wei Huarou, Huang Tingyu, Wu Zhi, and also Long Dongjun, Xie Yiying, and others will undoubtedly be at Lingque Lake. Although our East Sea dragon clan is numerous, are we truly enough for them to slaughter? In my opinion, we must go to Lingque Lake, but the time it takes us to get there is something we can control. Issue an order: the entire East Sea clan will head west, maintaining a marching speed of a thousand li per day. This is our limit."
"Yes, your foresight is brilliant, Ancestor!"
…
Mountain Forest.
Amidst a violent tremor, the water transport between heaven and earth suddenly became incredibly abundant. Lin Zhao took another bite of his flatbread and poured away the half-finished white fish soup in his bowl. He frowned, "There's no time. The array at Lingque Lake has already begun. Let's head there now."
Su Qingjiu held his soup bowl and took another sip before regretfully pouring it away.
Huang Tingyu raised an eyebrow. "Let's go. Let's have a fierce battle. It's time to put an end to the chaos in Xishu."
Wu Zhi nodded.
In a flash, four streaks of sword light rose, heading directly for Lingque Lake.