Yu Wanling stood above the stream, her aura immense, as if she had once again become the almost invincible female war god of the ancient Shu Kingdom in the land of a hundred flowers. Her body was filled with profound fist intent, her martial arts skills wide-ranging and fierce. She repelled He Shufan and the others continuously. Even when facing He Wei, a great cultivator of the Twelve Realms, she did not show half a bit of weakness. She threw punch after punch, crushing all of He Wei's techniques. However, she was ultimately outnumbered, and coupled with the combined assault of over a hundred other cultivators, Yu Wanling's body was constantly wounded. She could fight no longer.
With a sudden twist, she stepped onto the water and pushed her "A Reed Crossing the River" movement technique to its extreme. Her entire being transformed into a wisp of smoke above the stream, and in an instant, she appeared in a lake far away.
"Forget it, Young Master."
He Wei frowned. If they were to pursue her relentlessly, they might not have a clear advantage. That woman was truly monstrous. She could fight against so many alone and still make him feel flustered. If they were to force a kill, at least one of them, himself or the Young Master, would have to pay with their life. If the Young Master died, he wouldn't be able to explain it back home. If he died, it didn't seem worth it. Was it for an immortal sword that he would risk his Twelve Realms?
"Hmph!"
He Shufan gasped for breath, frowning as he looked in the direction Yu Wanling had disappeared. His heart was filled with indignation. He felt as if he had been just a little bit closer to keeping that woman, but in reality, he was still far off.
...
"Clap, clap, clap..."
Someone applauded from a distance. It was a young sword cultivator dressed in a dark purple long gown, carrying three swords on his back. One of the swords had a mottled bloodstain, but the aura flowing from its blade was exceptionally vigorous, drawing attention. It was far more potent than the other two swords. Furthermore, this person was also injured.
"Who is it?"
He Shufan frowned, turned around, and held his sword horizontally across his chest, saying with a smile, "Friend, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing in particular."
Gu Yanshu cupped his fists and smiled. "I am a cultivator from the mountains. I just saw you draw your sword, displaying the demeanor of a sword immortal. May I ask, from which sect do you hail?"
"It's nothing,"
He Shufan said indifferently. "The He Clan of Shuzhou, Young Master He Shufan, realm of the Eleventh Realm, a sword cultivator."
"Oh~~~"
Gu Yanshu nodded and smiled. "Since you are a distinguished scholar from the renowned families of Western Shu, you must possess extraordinary means. I am Gu Yanshu, and I shall now seek a duel with you, Young Master!"
Saying this, Gu Yanshu's aura instantly changed, transforming from that of a lazy young sword cultivator to a bloodthirsty sword immortal. The moment he drew his Xunlu Sword, he advanced with a swift step. The blade, carrying a murderous chill, swept out. The speed and suddenness of his attack were so great that He Shufan had no time to anticipate such an abrupt challenge. Furthermore, Gu Yanshu's Eleventh Realm aura was extremely potent, far surpassing that of an ordinary Eleventh Realm sword cultivator. In an instant, He Shufan felt a coolness at his waist. The next moment, his body was cleaved in two by Gu Yanshu's sword!
"Argh..."
He Shufan let out a pained cry. Half of his body fell from his legs, his innards and blood flowing onto the ground. His entire body trembled, and the pain was so intense that he was on the verge of losing consciousness.
"So easily defeated?"
Gu Yanshu's face showed a hint of apology as he said with a smile, "If I had known this, I should have held back a little, lest Young Master He Shufan be so humiliated."
"Young Master!"
A group of retainers and cultivators from the He Clan of Shuzhou stared in disbelief. Who would have thought that their Young Master, a dignified Eleventh Realm cultivator, couldn't even withstand a single sword strike from this person?
"Scoundrel!"
A martial artist took to the air. "You ambushed and killed our Young Master while he was unprepared! Gu Yanshu, you beast, I'll fight you to the death!"
"What are you going to fight with?"
Gu Yanshu looked up, and a flash of sword light cut through the air. Instantly, that Eighth Realm martial artist turned into a bloody mist in the wind, completely vaporized by the blazing sword energy of the Xunlu Sword. Having killed two people in succession, the Xunlu Sword's blade glowed increasingly red, beginning to drink blood and feed its owner's cultivation. Gu Yanshu looked at the crowd. With a stomp of his foot, a sword formation instantly erupted, engulfing them all. He said with a smile, "No rush, no rush. No one gets to leave. You will all die!"
"You..."
He Wei's eyes were sinister. As a dignified Twelve Realm great cultivator, could he still be intimidated by this Eleventh Realm sword cultivator? Moreover, with He Shufan dead, even if he, He Wei, returned to the He family, he would be met with indifference. The thought of this made He Wei flick his sleeve and say in a deep voice, "Attack together! We have five hundred men, why should we fear a mere Gu Yanshu?!"
As he spoke, He Wei raised his sleeve, and the magically refined robe poured down, engulfing Gu Yanshu. Blazing spiritual energy flames poured out, beginning to scorch Gu Yanshu, who was trapped within. At the same time, He Wei also unleashed his own Twelve Realm Small World, intending to replace Gu Yanshu's formation. However, he discovered that Gu Yanshu's sword formation was exceptionally stable. In a short period, his Small World could not break through the opponent's formation.
"Just with you lot?!"
From within the sleeve, Gu Yanshu let out a low roar. Sword light raged, shredding the sleeve robe to pieces. Simultaneously, his arm was left with several shocking sword wounds, a whole chunk of flesh and skin even being sliced off. Gu Yanshu's assault was brutal and savage, showing no mercy whatsoever.
"Up!"
He Wei hastily retreated, summoning another natal artifact, a inkstone, which he hurled fiercely at Gu Yanshu. Gu Yanshu, in turn, summoned a natal flying sword. The two artifacts quickly became entangled. Gu Yanshu seized the opportunity to strike with his sword. As sword light erupted, the bodies of over ten He clan retainers turned into bloody mist. The Xunlu Sword once again drank its fill of blood.
"Beast, kill him!"
A young Star River sword cultivator gritted his teeth, his sword sweeping out as he roared, "Avenge the Young Master!"
However, before this sword could land, it was severed by Gu Yanshu's charge. Following that, a flash of sword light descended, and the Star River sword cultivator's head rolled from his shoulders. Behind him, the fists of three cultivators of the Middle Five Realms descended from the air. Gu Yanshu turned and swung his sword, instantly severing the arms of all three. Then, a flying sword shot out, bisecting all three, leaving them with the same fate as Young Master He Shufan.
At this moment, Gu Yanshu was like a god of slaughter from hell, wielding his Xunlu Sword and killing wantonly, forcing the Twelve Realm great cultivator He Wei to not dare to approach. Every sword strike delivered undoubtedly resulted in someone's death. The retainers and cultivators of the He Clan of Shuzhou fell in droves, their numbers rapidly dwindling from five hundred. First, they were reduced to four hundred. The remaining people still felt that their numbers gave them an advantage and a chance of victory. But when they were reduced to three hundred, many hearts began to falter. Then, when they were reduced to two hundred, many hearts had already turned to ash. Finally, when they were reduced to less than a hundred, the remaining people scattered and fled. This person seemed impossible to defeat.
...
In the distance, among the reeds.
Yu Wanling, with her Xunyue Sword on her back, watched the stream from afar. The area was enveloped by Gu Yanshu's sword formation Small World. There was no one there, only a patch of forest. But Yu Wanling could clearly see trees being severed by sword energy, could see sword marks appearing on the ground, could see the ground stained red with blood. At the same time, she could clearly feel countless energies disappearing. That person named Gu Yanshu was carrying out a slaughter. The He Clan of Shuzhou was utterly incapable of fighting back.
She frowned. Her Soldier God's Gallbladder suddenly fell silent. Facing Gu Yanshu's intense killing intent, she, an Eleventh Realm martial artist who dared to challenge the heavens with her fist, felt fear.
At this moment, Yu Wanling felt deeply ashamed. She shouldn't be like this, but she was. Facing that demon Gu Yanshu, this Yu Wanling didn't even have the courage to throw a punch. She looked down on herself. When she reunited with the Mountain Lord Lin Zhao in the future, would Lin Zhao look down on this Yu Wanling?
Did this Yu Wanling still deserve a place in the Mountain Peak Villa?
She bit her red lips until they bled, but in the end, she still did not choose to act. She activated her "A Reed Crossing the River" technique and, riding the wind across the great lake, disappeared in an instant, traveling far away. Although she felt this was humiliating, she still thought that rushing forward to die was foolish.
...
"Boom!"
With a loud noise, the Twelve Realm great cultivator He Wei, using a natal artifact, blasted open a corner of the sword formation erected by Gu Yanshu. The moment he saw the daylight outside, He Wei felt a sense of escaping a desperate situation. He glanced at He Shufan, who was still trembling on the ground awaiting death, and gritted his teeth. "Young Master, I am sorry..."
Saying this, the Twelve Realm great cultivator fled into the wind, vanishing without a trace.
After all, the Patriarch had said a very heartwarming sentence to He Wei before: "When in doubt, prioritize self-preservation." And in fact, He Wei also believed this. Currently, He Wei was the only Twelve Realm cultivator in the He Clan of Shuzhou. Protecting this Twelve Realm cultivator was the top priority for the He Clan of Shuzhou. As for the Young Master... one He Shufan was dead, but thousands upon thousands of He Shufans would be born. The Patriarch and Madam were certainly capable of that.
Thus, He Wei flew faster and faster, escaping as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
...
On the ground, it was filled with dismembered limbs and bloodstains. He Shufan lay on the ground, his face etched with pain. The vitality of an Eleventh Realm sword cultivator was extremely tenacious, but his injuries were too severe. He was not a demon. Demons might be able to regenerate flesh and blood after being cut in half and still survive, but humans, unless they were a martial artist of the Rebirth Realm, would certainly die from such severe injuries.
Watching the retainers of the He Clan of Shuzhou being slaughtered one by one, like livestock being butchered, without the slightest chance to retaliate under Gu Yanshu's sword, He Shufan shed tears of humiliation. He could do nothing before he died. The only thing he could do for everyone was to crush the "Emergency Token." Once the Emergency Token shattered, those nearby holding Emergency Tokens would feel a resonance and be able to find this place. And nearby, the only person holding an Emergency Token was Lin Baiyi.
Now, he placed all his hope on Lin Baiyi of the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, to save the bloodline of the He Clan of Western Shu.