Chapter 3 The Third Day, Noon
Lin Zhao summoned the ten people from the Mountain Peak Villa.
...
He rustled and took out a pile of Zhao Jian Talismans, a total of 50. Writing these 50 Zhao Jian Talismans made him feel utterly drained.
Seeing so many Zhao Jian Talismans, Nu Zhi recognized them and couldn't help but look a little pale. "Martial talismans, Zhao Jian Talismans?"
"Mhm."
"How do you have these?"
Nu Zhi knew how precious these talismans were. The requirements were too high. First, one had to be from the martial path, and second, a sword cultivator. Otherwise, they couldn't be written. Moreover, there were too many versions of Zhao Jian Talismans circulating in the martial world, most of them erroneous and difficult to write. Even if written, they wouldn't be very powerful. Therefore, these talismans were actually rarely seen in the martial world.
Lin Zhao honestly replied, "I wrote them myself."
"Wrote them yourself?"
Nu Zhi was momentarily stunned.
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao said, "Nu Zhi, take thirty Zhao Jian Talismans. Luo Yang, take 20 Zhao Jian Talismans. Both of you must infuse a strand of sword energy into all fifty Zhao Jian Talismans before nightfall."
As he spoke, he continued to take out talisman paper, this time Shen Su Talismans, a total of 55. "These are Shen Su Talismans. Light them with true qi or spiritual energy. Once lit, your speed will greatly increase. You can use them to attack or to escape. My principle is only one thing: talismans can be wasted, but you absolutely cannot die. No one can. All eleven of you must return alive!"
"Mhm!"
Hua Ping, Lei Yue, and the others nodded seriously. Looking at Lin Zhao, they all felt that this captain was too good to them.
Immediately after, Lin Zhao took out another stack of talismans and said, "These are Ding Shen Talismans. Same principle: light them with true qi or spiritual energy, lock onto that Nascent Soul cultivator with your own aura, and then throw the Ding Shen Talismans to stick to him. Once they stick..."
He frowned. "Actually, I don't know if they'll work, but what if they do? So, each person gets three Ding Shen Talismans. Just throw them out when the time comes. Whether they work or not depends on fate."
Everyone took their talismans one by one. By this time, even the sword cultivators Nu Zhi and Luo Yang looked at Lin Zhao with a bit more respect. Who would have thought that this fellow had already planned so much when he readily agreed to Huang Tingyu's request?
...
The entire afternoon, Nu Zhi and Luo Yang were busy infusing sword energy into the Zhao Jian Talismans. After dinner, both sword cultivators looked much more haggard. Even Nu Zhi, a peak sixth-realm sword cultivator, was exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. But that fellow still didn't let them off and ordered everyone to gather in the main hall after dinner.
At night, the main hall was brightly lit by candlelight.
Lin Zhao spread a piece of white paper on the large table. On it were drawn circles, with a black circle in the center representing the demon Nascent Soul, and three smaller circles representing the three teams on their side.
"To kill a Nascent Soul cultivator, a head-on assault has no chance," Lin Zhao said. "A single spell from a Nascent Soul realm expert could kill a lot of us. So my plan is to divide into three teams. The first team, with me as the arrowhead, followed by Nu Zhi and Dong Hu. The second team, with Mu Zha as the arrowhead, followed by Luo Yang, Hua Ping, and Wu Lian. The third team, with Zhu Zhi as the arrowhead, followed by Lei Yue, Zi Ye, and Gu Luan."
Nu Zhi furrowed her delicate brows. "What's the point of this grouping?"
"It has a point," Lin Zhao said. "Sixth-realm martial warriors, after going through Body Refining and Bone Quenching, have much sturdier physiques than sixth-realm cultivators. Sixth-realm martial warriors who ignite Shen Su Talismans will be faster and are most likely to withstand a blow from a Nascent Soul realm expert. Having sixth-realm martial warriors charge forward is to attract the Nascent Soul realm's first wave of magical attacks. The sword cultivators and spirit cultivators following behind just need to throw sword energy, spells, and talismans. The three teams will form a triangle around the Nascent Soul cultivator. If any team is attacked, the other two teams should advance and attack fiercely."
Mu Zha took a deep breath, his eyes full of meaning. "It seems... there's something to it."
Even Luo Yang frowned. "And then? Are there any other key points?"
"Yes." Lin Zhao said, "The ignition sequence of the talismans must be remembered. When the martial warriors attack, they ignite one Shen Su Talisman and then react to the situation. When the sword cultivators and spirit cultivators attack, they ignite Ding Shen Talismans in sequence, and then use their own spells and sword energy. As for Shen Su Talismans, if the Nascent Soul cultivator comes to kill you, use Shen Su Talismans to escape, create distance, and the others will follow up with attacks."
"Okay..." Nu Zhi furrowed her brows. She was also beginning to feel that Lin Zhao's arrangements had some merit.
"Alright," Lin Zhao stood up and said, "The tactical deployment is arranged. Tomorrow, we will attack according to the tactics. I will go first, Mu Zha second, and Zhu Zhi third. Everyone get a good night's sleep tonight. Don't overthink things. After resting well, tomorrow's battle will bring fame to our Mountain Peak Villa in the army!"
"Mhm!"
Everyone stood up together and returned to their rooms to rest early.
...
In the early morning, Huang Tingyu arrived alone.
Lin Zhao led the ten people from the Mountain Peak Villa to greet him. Huang Tingyu then enveloped them all with a strand of sword intent and ascended, heading straight for the northern mountains. Not long after, they stepped into the former demon territory. Wrapped tightly by a strand of sword energy, none of their auras leaked. As they reached a gingko forest covered in snow, Huang Tingyu's sword blade flickered, and the eleven of them descended to the ground.
"Hmph!"
Huang Tingyu looked into the distance. A Nascent Soul realm demon cultivator was meditating in the snow. It was an old muntjac, which had long since taken human form, resembling an old man. So, Huang Tingyu split off a wisp of sword intent and silently erected a world of swords around the old muntjac, isolating it from the world. As a result, the old muntjac noticed nothing.
...
The old muntjac was named Zhang Ganshan. He chose this name in the hope that one day he could step into the upper five realms, his bloodline would return to its ancestral state, and he would become the legendary mountain-moving muntjac, capable of moving mountains and seas, omnipotent. To this end, he had already devoured the fresh flesh and blood of more than ten humans in one month. Cultivating with human flesh and blood allowed him to get closer to the Great Dao, or so he believed.
On this day, Zhang Ganshan sat in the snow, feeling the spiritual energy surging within him and the demonic energy descending. It was a sign of great fortune.
He curved his lips, feeling that he was getting closer and closer to the Star River Realm. Once he entered the Star River Realm, that Madam Yu Zhi would surely grant him a position in the military tent. After killing more human soldiers and accumulating enough military merits, he might receive abundant resources, and even the qualification to build a bloody mountain of heads. At that time, who among the northern four tribes would dare not look at him with respect?
However, just as the old muntjac was filled with ambition, the scenery around him suddenly changed. The forest, which had been silent moments ago, was now filled with chaotic auras. In an instant, the auras of eleven human experts appeared around him, all of them sixth-realm!
"Sixth-realm, courting death!?"
The old muntjac suddenly stood up, his entire body brimming with powerful spiritual energy.
But before he could even steady himself, a figure streaked towards him. Immediately after, Zhang Ganshan's forehead was struck by a heavy punch. It was a young human wearing a gray and white short shirt, agile and nimble. As the punch landed, he also ignited a talisman and stuck it on him.
"What is this?"
The old muntjac was somewhat enraged. He split his palm, directly shattering the Ding Shen Talisman with a punch. At the same time, his Nascent Soul realm power instantly surged. He turned to block more than ten strands of sword energy unleashed by a human girl and a fiery spell cast by a human boy. But before he could retaliate, he was struck on the forehead again by the same kid in the gray and white attire!
"This is infuriating!"
The old muntjac roared, his demonic nature fully revealed. His sharp claws swept out, and a blood-red wave of energy wrapped in spell energy heavily blasted Lin Zhao away. While in mid-air, Lin Zhao's protective fist qi all shattered, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. Spreading his five fingers, he ignited two Zhao Jian Talismans, which transformed into two fierce sword energies from Nu Zhi, landing on the old muntjac's back.
"Second team, go!"
Mu Zha roared. With Shen Su Talisman boosting him, he instantly launched his attack, landing a heavy punch on the old muntjac's shoulder, making him stagger. Before he could even turn, two more Ding Shen Talismans were ignited, turning into a green radiance filled with martial killing intent that stuck to him. This greatly angered the old muntjac. These two talismans made him feel disgusted; they were definitely not simple. Once stuck, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Courting death!"
The old muntjac roared, using his spatial acceleration technique to instantly appear before Mu Zha. He grabbed Mu Zha's neck with his sharp claws, crushing his protective fist qi inch by inch, and sneered, "With you ants, you still want to kill a demon Nascent Soul cultivator? You're dreaming too big!"
As a result, before his words could even fall, he took a heavy punch to the back of his head. It was a punch delivered by Lin Zhao, still bleeding, with a powerful force capable of splitting mountains. However, the back of the old muntjac's head was clearly harder than a mountain. Blood splattered, but he was not critically wounded.
"Nu Zhi!"
Lin Zhao retreated rapidly, raising his hand to ignite another Zhao Jian Talisman.
From the side, Nu Zhi unleashed a strand of sword energy and simultaneously ignited three Zhao Jian Talismans. Coupled with the Zhao Jian Talismans unleashed and ignited by Luo Yang, Dong Hu, and others, dozens of sword energies instantly slashed down fiercely on the old muntjac's back, cutting through his magic robe and leaving crisscrossing wounds on his back.
"Third team, follow me!"
Zhu Zhi gave a low shout. With Shen Su Talisman boosting him, he landed a heavy punch on the old muntjac's abdomen. Gu Luan attacked from the side with a punch to the old muntjac's forehead. The girl's punch was heavy, making the opponent's head buzz. Finally, even a Nascent Soul realm cultivator had to release Mu Zha's neck, spitting blood and retreating.
"Attack again, entangle him!"
Lin Zhao ignited his second Shen Su Talisman. Ignoring his injuries, he appeared on the old muntjac's right side like a ghost. "Pa pa," he first stuck two Ding Shen Talismans, then delivered a set of "Farmer's Three Punches" onto the old muntjac. As a result, the old muntjac's breath was immediately disrupted as soon as he tried to steady himself. Just as he was about to activate a bracelet-like artifact on his wrist, he found his mind suddenly suffocated. It was the effect of the Ding Shen Talisman. When he tried to activate the artifact for the second time, he was hit by two more swords from the two hateful sword cultivators behind him, his skin already torn and bleeding.
Lin Zhao's assassination tactic was simple: use talismans to hinder the opponent, fully leverage the advantage of having more people, and exchange each talisman for injuries to the opponent. The more injuries the old muntjac accumulated, the more the demon's physical body, no matter how strong, would eventually lead to death.
...
In the sky, Huang Tingyu stroked his beard and watched the battle in the snow forest. He couldn't help but worry, "These brats, give them another few hundred years to grow, and they'll be able to march to the northern mountains and slaughter the Demon Ancestor..."