Deep beneath the sea, in the Dragon Palace.
Suddenly, the entire Dragon Palace began to tremble violently. The sea creatures looked on in terror, while Elder Jiao Chen gritted his teeth, inwardly lamenting his misfortune. Clearly, the East Sea Jiaozu had sided with the demon race in the Shuzhou scheme. Though he had already returned with his kin to the East Sea, the inevitable reckoning from the human race had arrived. He wondered which ancestor had stirred up such a storm.
"Follow me to meet them!"
Not long after, Jiao Chen, leading thousands of flood dragons, surfaced. He gazed at the scene of the opponent cleaving the sea with a single sword and had already guessed who it was. He immediately cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Esteemed Sword Immortal Lin, your presence graces us. May I ask… what brings you here?!"
Lin Wanhua's sword tip pointed directly at Jiao Chen. "Old Flood Dragon, stand still and let me have a sword strike. Then we'll talk."
"..."
Jiao Chen gritted his teeth. This was truly too much bullying.
But he truly stood still.
Lin Wanhua lightly swung her sword, aimed directly at Jiao Chen. This strike, seemingly effortless, hid a deadly intent. The first strike was merely a prelude; the follow-up was the true killing blow. It depended on whether this Jiao Chen knew his place. As Lin Wanhua's sword descended, a group of flood dragons cried out, "Ancestor, quickly dodge!"
Even as they spoke, several eleventh-stage flood dragons rushed forward, intending to shield their ancestor from the strike!
"All of you, move aside!"
Jiao Chen let out a soft roar, scattering his kin. He understood perfectly that Lin Wanhua's peak thirteenth-stage cultivation was different from ordinary thirteenth-stage practitioners. Her innate talent was simply too exceptional. If he hadn't fallen from his previous realm, he might have been able to contend with Lin Wanhua. But now, as a mere thirteenth-stage cultivator, what could he do if Lin Wanhua truly unleashed her fury and annihilated the entire East Sea Jiaozu?
Years ago, the God of War Ding Muchan had wanted to do just that, only to be stopped by Qin Suihan. Qin Suihan, a scholar, upheld Confucian principles of propriety and measure. The crimes of the Jiaozu had not reached the point of extermination. But today, there was no Confucian Sage to intervene. If Lin Wanhua became resolute, she could very well risk injury to eradicate the entire East Sea Jiaozu.
Therefore, Jiao Chen stood upon the sea tide, his body almost completely still. Perhaps remaining motionless would lead to a better outcome than moving.
As it turned out, Lin Wanhua's sword was initially aimed at the top of his head. Seeing the old flood dragon's seemingly contrite attitude, she flicked her wrist slightly, altering the trajectory. The sword struck Jiao Chen's shoulder instead, shattering dragon scales and tearing open flesh. The old flood dragon staggered back several steps, his face extremely grim. He also inwardly gasped, realizing that after taking the first strike, Lin Wanhua's sword still contained a hidden second strike, which was truly lethal. Fortunately, he hadn't dodged or retaliated, allowing Lin Wanhua to dissipate the second strike. Otherwise, enduring that second blow... might have caused him to fall in cultivation.
"Ancestor!"
From the water, many flood dragons emerged, their faces filled with indignation. Even many younger members of the demon race glared at Lin Wanhua with hatred. Here, on their East Sea territory, a human sword immortal was wreaking such havoc. Did they truly believe the East Sea Jiaozu had no one left?
"Enough."
Lin Wanhua pointed her sword at Jiao Chen and said, "You, don't speak. Let me do the talking."
"Yes."
Jiao Chen cupped his hands, falling into a complete silence.
Lin Wanhua strode through the air, each step leaving behind an imprint of sword dao's vital energy. She descended into the East Sea, causing the entire ocean to churn. Her eyes fixed on the flood dragons before her, she sneered, "I know many of you are not convinced. That's fine. If you're not convinced, come forth and fight. I, Lin Wanhua, will accept all challengers."
At once, a young eleventh-stage flood dragon leaped into the air, transforming into the appearance of a youth. He roared, "This person bullies our Jiaozu, thinking we are weak! Everyone, attack together! I refuse to believe the entire Jiaozu cannot defeat her! If we let her leave safely today, the East Sea Jiaozu will surely be shamed by all cultivators in the world!"
For a moment, many flood dragons surged forward.
The old ancestor Jiao Chen, his gaze shifting, inwardly groaned. You foolish children, are you truly seeking death like this?
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of flood dragons broke from the crowd, surrounding Lin Wanhua.
"Is that all?"
Lin Wanhua smiled faintly.
When the flood dragons in the distance, who had not acted rashly, saw her smile, they felt a chill run down their spines. Though this woman was as beautiful as a flower, her cultivation was unfathomably profound.
The next moment, as the group of flood dragons watched from afar, they saw Lin Wanhua step out, creating a small world of a thirteenth-stage sword cultivator. Immediately, pillars of water, brimming with sword energy, surged from the sea, resembling mythical waterspouts. However, within these swirling columns were sword energies. In an instant, a vast expanse of seawater was dyed crimson with blood.
As the sword energy storms subsided, the corpses of over 500 young flood dragons floated to the surface. Many were dismembered, a gruesome sight. Lin Wanhua stood amidst the aftermath, sword in hand, her expression serene. In truth, Lin Wanhua was not inherently bloodthirsty, but today, it was necessary. If she did not kill all those in the East Sea Jiaozu who harbored defiance, it was likely that before long, the East Sea Jiaozu would once again harbor dissent and fully align themselves with the demon race.
These demons would not understand fear until it struck them to the bone.
...
"Alright."
Lin Wanhua pursed her red lips. "The matter of punishing the petty ones ends here. Next, we must settle the account for the East Sea Jiaozu's collusion with the demon race. Esteemed Elder Jiao Chen, I believe the water transport of the East Sea is already sufficiently prosperous. The Water Cloud Stones nurtured within the Dragon Palace... you likely do not need so many. How about you gift some to Lin Wanhua? I can use them to nourish the water transport of the human world. What do you say?"
Jiao Chen lowered his gaze submissively. "If Sword Immortal Lin desires them, please take them freely."
"Good."
Lin Wanhua drew her sword again, cleaving through the seawater and heading directly for the Dragon Palace. Her sword intent enveloped the Dragon Palace. Lin Wanhua then retrieved a storage pouch from her waist. With a flick of her fingers, numerous lustrous stones, hidden deep within the Dragon Palace, rose into the air and were collected by Lin Wanhua. These stones were called Water Cloud Stones, treasures formed from condensed water transport. They came in gold and silver. Gold Water Cloud Stones contained immensely powerful water transport, and silver ones were also excellent. In short, a single Water Cloud Stone could ensure abundant water transport for a river and bring favorable weather to a region. For the mortal world, Water Cloud Stones were always treasured artifacts.
Lin Wanhua's storage pouch was initially empty. After filling it with many Water Cloud Stones, she tied it back to her waist, smiling. "I'll only take this much. I must leave some possessions for Elder Jiao Chen."
Jiao Chen's lips twitched. In truth, not much was left. Less than thirty percent of the Water Cloud Stones remained in the Dragon Palace. The lord of Fusang Great Wall truly had a black heart. From now on, it would take countless years for the entire East Sea to nurture such an abundance of Water Cloud Stones again. In short, Jiao Chen's scheme in the Lu Chen gambit had been a complete failure, resulting in immense losses.
"I'm leaving."
Lin Wanhua glanced at the flood dragons of the East Sea, then transformed into a beam of sword light, heading straight away. As for the flood dragon corpses on the sea surface and the ravaged Dragon Palace, they were left for them to clean up. It had nothing to do with the human world.
...
Ling Que Lake.
Lin Wanhua descended gracefully.
"Miss Lin!"
Lin Zhao exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and joy. "You've come too?"
"Mm."
Lin Wanhua untied the storage pouch from her waist and handed it to Lin Zhao, smiling. "These are Water Cloud Stones gifted to me by the East Sea Jiaozu not long ago. They are extremely rare and can nourish the water transport of a region. They are treasures of the world. I don't have many friends in the human realm's rivers and mountains, so I'm entrusting them to you. Whichever lakes or rivers you feel need water transport, feel free to gift them to the local River Gods or Lake Lords."
"Alright."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile. "Thank you!"
He did need these things. His aunt's Xi Jian River, Shang Xuli's Dongting Lake, Han Yurou's Copper Mirror Lake, and Bai Yu Stream... all of them required Water Cloud Stones. These were treasures, so he would keep them.
"Oh, and there are some other things for you."
Lin Wanhua opened her palm, revealing quite a few demon cores. She pursed her red lips and said, "This one is the demon core of the thirteenth-stage great demon Xu Changyou. These three are the demon cores of the twelfth-stage great demons Fan Ling, Chi Chu, and Qi Yu. The rest are eleventh-stage great demon demon cores. The total amount is considerable, enough for Wu Zhi to reforge about five Demon Soul Swords, with perhaps a little left over."
Lin Zhao was stunned. "Xu Changyou is dead?"
"Mm."
Lin Wanhua replied, "I went to Dongyue and found Xu Changyou's trace, so I took the opportunity to kill him. As for the Jin Zizhi money and Jin Xia Lantern I obtained, I won't give them to you. Fusang Great Wall is also poor, and as its lord, I cannot always favor outsiders."
She blushed slightly as she spoke.
"That's certainly..."
Lin Zhao nodded repeatedly. "Having the demon cores is good enough. Having the demon cores is a tremendous fortune for Wu Zhi."
Beside him, Wu Zhi smiled and nodded.
Further away, Wei Huarou narrowed her beautiful eyes, observing the strongest sword cultivator of the human world. Hmph, she found this thirteenth-stage sword immortal's relationship with Lin Zhao rather intriguing.
...
Baidi City, Xiu Yi Xuan.
Su Xinghe, holding a long sword, sat on a pavilion, nurturing his sword intent. Soon after, a fragrant breeze drifted in. His master, Cao Ying, arrived and stood on a rockery not far from him. Looking at her disciple, Cao Ying couldn't help but smile. "You cultivate so diligently. What is it all for?"
"Breaking through."
Su Xinghe frowned. "I cannot be content with merely being at the eighth stage."
"Good. Having this ambition is the best thing."
Cao Ying narrowed her beautiful eyes and smiled. "But mere ambition is not enough. You must also know how you can reach that stage. Su Xinghe, your Dao heart and innate talent are not particularly high. If you rely on tempering your state of mind to break through, it will be too difficult for you. You do not possess Lin Zhao's mental fortitude. Since that is the case, you should forge your own path."
Su Xinghe hurriedly rose. "Please, Master, enlighten me!"
"Practice the sword techniques I taught you more."
Cao Ying turned to leave, smiling. "Practice them ten thousand times first, and see if you can break through."
"Yes, Master."
Su Xinghe looked up, his face filled with joy. At this moment, the possibility of breaking through finally seemed within reach.