In the dreamscape of the heart demon.
Xuan Zhi had already lost the Mountain Peak Villa and Lin Zhao. She thought she had nothing left to lose.
But who would have imagined, not far from the corpse cart she lay on, bodies were being nailed to stakes. The demon race had nailed the human commoners who refused to surrender to the roadside as a warning to the entire human world.
Among those corpses, Xuan Zhi saw several familiar figures. A middle-aged man, a woman, both pierced through the body by stakes, their deaths gruesome. They were Xuan Zhi's father and mother. Additionally, a five or six-year-old child was also hanged on a stake.
Three corpses, crawling with maggots and flies, reeked unbearably, yet Xuan Zhi recognized them instantly.
At this moment, Xuan Zhi's state of mind had completely collapsed. With this, there was truly nothing left in this world that she couldn't bear to lose.
Back then, when Xuan Zhi was selected as one of the ten from the Mountain Peak Villa, her family had been sent by Chu Huai Xi to their hometown in Yan Prefecture. Over a hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye. Her parents and younger brother were long gone, and Xuan Zhi had lost contact with her family long ago. Looking back now, not a single relative remained.
This was the ruthlessness of the Great Dao. When Xuan Zhi returned to her hometown a few years ago, no one recognized her. The oldest elder in the village was her brother's grandnephew, already over eighty years old and frail.
Naturally, no one recognized Xuan Zhi now. They only knew that this woman was a supreme fifth-realm Sword Immortal. All Xuan Zhi could do was leave some Qingshi money and Feiyu money, hoping her family could prosper in the village for a while longer.
Later, Xuan Zhi never returned, and news of her ceased. Each lived according to their fate.
However, when the corpses of her father, mother, and brother reappeared before her eyes, Xuan Zhi was still struck as if by lightning. Her entire state of mind collapsed, and she could no longer escape this feeling of losing everything.
...
Lin Zhao's eyes turned red with anxiety, but he was helpless.
Not far away, Tang Guangjun, Chen Ben, and Yu Wan Ning had all knelt to the ground. Each of their hearts had been breached by the undefeated heart demon. Especially Tang Guangjun, this disheveled man was weeping, his face full of self-reproach. A buzzing sound echoed within him, as if he was already intending to self-detonate his sword heart.
He was a peak twelfth-realm Sword Immortal. If Tang Guangjun were to self-detonate his sword heart, no one here would survive, and the entire Changming Mountain peak would likely be leveled.
"Mountain Lord Lin!"
Liu Chen Qing, the Sect Master of Qingtian Sect, gritted his teeth and desperately protected his natal item, trying to suppress Tang Guangjun's intent to self-detonate his sword heart. However, his cultivation was far inferior, and how could he suppress Tang Guangjun's violent and immense Military Qi? For a moment, his natal item showed faint cracks.
If something wasn't done soon, Liu Chen Qing would likely be the first to suffer a decline in cultivation.
Beside him, Yu Wan Ning knelt on the ground, full of self-reproach and guilt, tears of blood streaming down her face. She didn't know what she had seen in the dream, but she knelt on the ground and said softly, "Lin Zhao, I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Wan Ning has ultimately disappointed you..."
"Yu Wan Ning!"
Lin Zhao turned and threw a punch at her, but Yu Wan Ning didn't budge. How could an eleventh-realm martial artist be moved by Lin Zhao?
Several meters away, Chen Ben also knelt on the ground, trembling.
His eyes were lifeless, his heart dead. After his mother, Lin Zhao brother, and the group at Mountain Peak Villa had all died, Chen Ben felt there was no point in living. At this moment, Chen Ben's True Qi and martial cultivation were slowly dissipating.
...
This couldn't continue.
Lin Zhao slowly turned, looking at everyone. At this moment, inspiration struck him. He abruptly circulated his Flying Sword Haoran, his eyes looking towards the sky, and said softly, "Mr. Qin, I wonder if a scholar's Haoran Qi can bear so many heart demons? I want to try."
As he spoke, he suddenly pushed the sword power of Flying Sword Haoran to its limit. Instantly, the entire Changming Mountain trembled, and the entire world seemed to be bearing and accepting a surge of Confucian power descending.
In the next second, with a light "swish," Flying Sword Haoran radiated brilliant light, transforming into a Confucian divine sword that spanned across Changming Mountain. It was Haoran's true form, Qin Sui Han's treasured sword, the second-ranked among the ten divine swords in the world, the Han Niu Sword!
The name Han Niu Sword, meaning enough to make oxen sweat and fill the entire library, could contain everything.
In an instant, Lin Zhao stood on the hilt of the Han Niu Sword. He raised his hand and pointed, his sword intent as a Star River realm sword cultivator surging to its peak. The direction of his sword finger encompassed the heart demon flames covering Gu Lingyu, Xuan Zhi, Tang Guangjun, Chen Ben, and Yu Wan Ning, all of which were absorbed by the Han Niu Sword.
Then, with the Han Niu Sword as the carrier, these heart demon flames poured into Lin Zhao's body. Almost in an instant, Lin Zhao became a fiery figure, every organ, every vessel within him filled with rampaging heart demon flames.
There were many Confucian principles, and the one Lin Zhao understood most profoundly was Mr. Qin's principle of "taking responsibility without shirking" and "acting decisively." At this moment, he used his own body as a vessel, absorbing all the heart demon flames that the five grandmasters of Mountain Peak Villa were bearing into himself, embodying the saying of taking responsibility without shirking.
"Wuuu..."
He stumbled and directly fell from the manifestation of the Han Niu Sword, landing on the mountain peak with a "thump." He was engulfed in flames, and the surrounding mountains and forests were instantly incinerated.
"Mountain Lord Lin!"
Liu Chen Qing looked at the young sword cultivator, his heart filled with urgency, but he was utterly helpless. At this moment, Lin Zhao was carrying far too much heart demon flame; an ordinary person could not bear it.
In the distance, Gu Lingyu, Xuan Zhi, Tang Guangjun, Chen Ben, and Yu Wan Ning, though freed from the control of the heart demon's black vines, were all exhausted in spirit and strength and had all fainted. At this moment, it seemed no one could help Lin Zhao.
...
"Such recklessness, who else but you would die?"
The Ancestor of the Five Peaks stood proudly in the air, wisps of undefeated heart demon flames surging around him. A fragmented divine throne appeared beneath his feet. His eyes were condescending as he looked at Lin Zhao, who was kneeling on the ground, trembling, and had turned into a fiery figure. He sneered, "Do you really think you're a god?"
He gently raised his hand, and an immortal mountain transformed into a heart demon's black vine, forcefully pressing down on Lin Zhao's back, pinning him to the ground. He laughed, "Originally, I didn't intend to kill you. The so-called Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool is a joke. How do you compare to any fifth-realm expert?"
In the flames, Lin Zhao endured the agony of a thousand insects gnawing at his bones, yet he still supported himself on the ground with his fists, wanting to get up. He was a player. As long as his account wasn't deleted, it was fine. As for dying, how many times could he afford to die?
The only thing he feared was that his actions would disappoint his teacher, his senior brothers and sisters in the upper realm, and most importantly, himself. That was what he most wished to avoid.
"Hmph!"
The Ancestor of the Five Peaks narrowed his eyes and laughed, "From now on, there will be no more Lin Baiyi in this world!"
He raised his palm, and rolling purple thunder surged within the clouds.
...
Late at night, on the ancient road of the Southern Wilderness.
Countless cavalry from Furong Prefecture and the border army gathered. In the dead of night, the neighing of warhorses formed a continuous sound. Ahead lay a secret mountain pass, which, after traversing a ten-mile winding valley, would lead directly into the Southern Wilderness, reaching the rear of the barbarian army.
"Grand Minister!"
General Li Yu said with joy, "I just received a Feiyu dispatch. The Cangnan cavalry are still engaged in fierce battle with the Southern Wilderness cavalry ten miles south of Yumenguan. We only need half an hour to strike directly behind the Barbarian King Meng Rong and capture him!"
"Look at everyone."
Wen Hao frowned, pointed to the Furong Prefecture cavalry behind him, and said, "Everyone is tired. Even if the men are not tired, the horses are. If we travel dozens of miles further, by the time we reach the rear of the Southern Wilderness army, we ourselves will be a fatigued force, and we might be ambushed by the barbarian soldiers!"
"But..."
Li Yu gritted his teeth, "The one hundred thousand Cangnan cavalry and the four hundred thousand Southern Barbarian army have been fighting for half a day. We are a fatigued force, but are they not? Fighting a fatigued force with a fatigued force, we are a surprise attack from heaven. What do we have to fear from the barbarian soldiers?"
"Is that so?"
Wen Hao looked at Li Yu, his gaze burning brightly, and said, "Where are the guides? This ancient road of the Southern Wilderness was discovered by woodcutters and hunters from the mountains. We are new here and know nothing of the terrain. Without a suitable guide, we might get lost in the mountains."
He narrowed his eyes, "Li Yu, do you know how terrifying it is for two hundred thousand cavalry to get lost in the deep mountains? Immediately, go and find someone from the local area who knows the way to be a guide. Until the guide arrives, the army shall not advance!"
"Yes... Grand Commander..."
Li Yu waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to find a guide. He turned to look in the direction of Yumenguan and Changming Mountain, feeling a heavy weight in his heart. Even if they won this battle, it felt stifling.
He glanced at Wen Hao, filled with incomprehension. Wen Hou Wen Shuo Yang had always been unpredictable and decisive in his tactics. As Wen Shuo Yang's favored disciple, why was Grand Minister Wen Hao so cautious and hesitant in his military strategy?
...
Yumenguan.
Shi Han Yin, holding a pipa, stood in the cold wind and looked south. She saw that the golden sea of books formation on Changming Mountain suddenly dimmed. Then, a surge of fierce heart demon flames shot into the sky, and the atmosphere of the entire world seemed to change.
Although Shi Han Yin had no cultivation and was only a mortal, she knew that the human world was about to undergo a drastic change.
"What's happening?"
She gritted her silver teeth and looked into the distance, "Hall Commander, what happened to Changming Mountain?"
"This is not good."
Bei Ming Hai gritted his teeth, "Marshal Lin is in danger!"
"Ah?!"
Shi Han Yin's beautiful eyes instantly welled up with tears. Looking at Changming Mountain again, her heart was in turmoil.
...
Late at night, Changming Mountain.
The Ancestor of the Five Peaks dragged strands of heart demon's black vines, enveloped in the remnants of divine power, and fueled by intense heart demon flames, intending to burn Lin Zhao and Changming Mountain to ashes.
He looked down at the earth and laughed wildly, "From now on, there will be no more Lin Baiyi in this world. Moreover, Changming Mountain will cease to exist. Without Lin Baiyi's planning, this human world will soon become fish on a chopping block. How laughable, how laughable, Hahahaha~~~"
On Changming Mountain.
Lin Zhao, Gu Lingyu, Xuan Zhi, Tang Guangjun, Liu Chen Qing, and others were almost all covered in heart demon flames. Especially Lin Zhao, who was burning intensely, almost completely scorched, with not a trace of breath.
The human race would ultimately be defeated.
Liu Chen Qing knelt on the ground, his face full of unwillingness. The human world had so many heroes; it shouldn't have ended like this!
But at this moment, a golden ripple suddenly appeared in the air.
Then, a figure broke through the realm and arrived. She was a peerlessly beautiful woman, stepping on frost, her white clothes as pure as snow.
...
"Ah?"
When Liu Chen Qing looked at the figure, he felt the great Dao light engulfing her, almost blinding him. He couldn't discern her appearance at all.