As the Dharma form collapsed, Qin Suihan's true body slowly dissipated in the wind, his life extinguished.
...
In the north, a great battle finally ceased.
Chen Wanli slowly cleaved through the demon soldiers, a bloody head in his hand as he ascended the mountain. The head belonged to a thirteenth-realm great cultivator of the demon race. Chen Wanli, a twelfth-realm Rebirth realm martial artist, carried it by its hair, its eyes seemingly wide in disbelief. His own breath was ragged until he reached Wen Shuyang, where he finally exhaled a sigh of martial artist's qi.
"Marquis Wen, how have you been?" the old marshal asked with a smile.
Wen Shuyang's eyes welled with tears. "Seeing you off... Old Marshal..."
The head of the thirteenth-realm demon great cultivator rolled to the ground. Chen Wanli's body began to turn to dust. A single breath of martial artist's qi had supported him back to the Snow Domain Celestial Pool, pushing him to his absolute limit. That a twelfth-realm martial artist could behead a thirteenth-realm demon great cultivator was an unprecedented feat.
"Old Marshal Chen!"
Shao Shiyu, Lü Fengxian, Qin Yushan, and others knelt on one knee before the army.
...
Deep in the snow-covered forest, an old sword immortal sat on a fallen log, an old, chipped sword in his arms, a gentle smile on his face. He opened his eyes, looking at the two corpses lying on the ground in the distance. He couldn't help but chuckle softly. Two great human powers had fought against seven thirteenth-realm demons, slaying three and wounding two. Such an achievement was more than enough to uphold his title as the foremost sword immortal of the Fusu Great Wall.
The old sword immortal swayed and took a drink from a wine gourd at his waist. He tilted his head back and laughed, "Worth it, worth it... With so many thirteenth-realm demons dead or wounded, they shouldn't dare to crush humanity with their upper five realms anymore, right?"
He narrowed his eyes and looked towards the southeast, murmuring, "Fusu Great Wall... my homeland, I can never return... Wan Hua, you little girl, you must lead Fusu Great Wall towards hope. Even if we can't reclaim our nation, we must at least ensure our Xia clan descendants are no longer looked down upon. We... were once the lords of this world..."
Saying this, the old sword immortal rose, tied the wine gourd to his waist, slung the old sword over his shoulder, and smiled, "It's time to go."
With a step, his body flickered and vanished into the wind.
Humanity had lost another upper five realm cultivator, a thirteenth-realm sword immortal!
...
In the afternoon, the demon race attacked the Snow Domain Celestial Pool.
A group of middle five realm demon cultivators cleared the path. The human soldiers guarding the foot of the mountain couldn't stop them. In an instant, the demon race charged through, leaving behind tens of thousands of human soldiers dead and scattered. The human defenders on the slope offered little resistance as the demon army pressed on. It was only at the northern edge of the small town that they finally encountered organized human resistance: one hundred thousand armored soldiers from Furong State in the southern border of the human realm.
At the northern pass, a forest of spears and gleaming armor formed multiple phalanxes, resisting the demon invasion. Wen Shuyang, with a group of generals, had already evacuated the Snow Domain Celestial Pool. This place could not and would not be held. The hundred thousand armored soldiers from Furong State could only delay the enemy; they could not possibly defeat the main demon force.
Thus, only a mere hundred thousand human armored soldiers remained at the Snow Domain Celestial Pool, with the rest being human cultivators from all corners of the realm defending it. Coincidentally, the demon race had also dispatched thousands of cultivators to assault Tianchi Town.
At the town's entrance, an old sword immortal stood proudly, his sword held ready.
Han Buyu, a Star River realm sword immortal, known as the gourmand of Tianchi Town.
"Who dares to enter my formation?"
Han Buyu's sword intent was awe-inspiring. The moment a ninth-realm demon Nascent Soul flew past the northern entrance of the town, the old sword immortal's sword qi shot upwards. This was followed by his life-bound flying sword, which instantly beheaded the Nascent Soul demon. He then pointed his blade, conjuring countless sword qi that bombarded the north, shredding the bodies of two seventh-realm demons into bloody messes.
"Old Sword Immortal Han, impressive!"
A ninth-realm human martial artist laughed heartily. This middle-aged martial artist had a ferocious appearance, yet spoke with a surprisingly gentle tone and had a particular fondness for hot pot. Since his surname was Chen, he was affectionately nicknamed "Hot Pot Chen" by others. Both Han Buyu and Hot Pot Chen were regulars at the Hundred Flavors Pavilion, often sharing tables, a testament to their mutual respect as heroes. Now that the demon race had reached their doorstep, these two regulars from the Hundred Flavors Pavilion naturally joined forces to fight the enemy.
"Be careful!"
Han Buyu laughed heartily. "Every extra demon killed is a gain. We old friends of Tianchi Town can't afford to suffer losses!"
"That's for sure!"
Hot Pot Chen punched the body of a seventh-realm demon cultivator who had charged into the town, scattering it into a bloody rain. He laughed heartily, "Our Third Manager Lin Zhao died in the northern frontier, but his achievements were magnificent! He led over four thousand armored soldiers to slaughter one hundred thousand demons, and before he died, he even beheaded a thirteenth-realm demon sword immortal with a single sword strike for amusement. Hahaha, we who have eaten Third Manager's hot pot and sour fish dare not dishonor Third Manager's name!"
"Indeed, indeed..."
Han Buyu's sword light flashed, and another eighth-realm demon's head rolled to the ground.
Just then, the sounds of wind and thunder erupted. A Star River realm demon cultivator descended from the sky, holding a talisman and fiercely smashing it towards Hot Pot Chen's head, roaring, "Do you, a mere brute, think you can halt the advance of the demon army?"
Han Buyu immediately grunted, "You hold him off, I'll kill him!"
"Understood!"
Hot Pot Chen let out a low roar, his martial artist qi solidifying into a powerful fist aura, clearly intending to resist the talisman attack with his physical body. The next moment, Hot Pot Chen spat out a mouthful of blood. This Star River realm demon cultivator's cultivation was formidable; the attack had already severely injured the Cloud Roaming realm martial artist. But in the next instant, Han Buyu's flying sword pierced into the Star River realm demon's back.
"Scoundrel!"
The Star River realm demon cultivator roared, and tendril-like vines suddenly sprouted from his back, striking Han Buyu. He then delivered a heavy palm strike to Hot Pot Chen's head.
The demon cultivator was too strong!
For a moment, Hot Pot Chen's head cracked, his face covered in blood. However, his martial artist's fighting spirit did not diminish. He spread his hands, grabbed one of the opponent's arms, and slammed him heavily to the ground, snarling, "Do you think I'll let you kill me for nothing?!"
With that, Hot Pot Chen landed a heavy punch on the opponent's cheek.
"Dodge!"
Han Buyu grunted and, piloting his flying sword, unleashed a swift strike the moment Hot Pot Chen moved, severing the Star River realm demon cultivator's head.
"We're done for, we're done for..."
Hot Pot Chen slumped to the ground, cradling his head, and said with a wry smile, "This head probably won't be able to eat hot pot anymore..."
"Then we'll eat in the next life!"
A cold voice sliced through the air. It was a twelfth-realm great demon. Its claws swept out, and Hot Pot Chen's head rolled to the ground as his body collapsed. After killing Hot Pot Chen, the great demon turned, spread its palm, and seized Han Buyu by the neck, sneering, "A mere Star River realm sword cultivator, what are you trying to be a hero for?"
Han Buyu said nothing. He raised his sword and stabbed at the great demon's neck. However, the opponent's protective aura was too dense, and the sword could not penetrate it.
"Useless thing, you deserve to die!"
The great demon twisted its palm gently, wrenching Han Buyu's head from his neck. It tossed it aside casually. As it stood up, its ferocious expression was eerily familiar. It was Lu Hai, the twelfth-realm demon who had killed Gu Zixi in the fifth confrontation!
...
The wind howled through the world. Lin Zhao's soul power was too weak, and it was instantly blown to the west of the Snow Domain Celestial Pool. There lay a battlefield, with corpses strewn across the mountains. A small portion were demon cavalry, but the majority were human corpses, not of soldiers, but of reserve forces and logistical personnel, many of whom were merely stone masons, stable hands, and blacksmiths.
Lin Zhao frowned, silent. He saw a corpse.
Guo Dongyang.
He lay beneath a grey rock, his chest pierced by a long spear. The sword in his hand was stained with the purple blood of demons, indicating that Guo Dongyang had indeed killed demon cavalry before his death. However, the enemy was too elite. Pure demon cavalry had ascended the mountain, and even elite human legions could not stop them, let alone this reserve force.
Lin Zhao slowly sat beside him, looking up at the sky in silence.
Since childhood, Guo Dongyang had looked after Lin Zhao like an older brother. Even when Lin Zhao was on the brink of starvation, Guo Dongyang would often share his meager food. In reality, Guo Dongyang, an orphan himself, had a difficult life, but he was a few years older than Lin Zhao and more nimble.
To Lin Zhao, Guo Dongyang in his childhood was like a sky, caring for him like a real brother.
Yet, the person who was greater than the sky to Lin Zhao had become as insignificant as a speck of dust in this war. He had died here, perhaps without a single record. In an era of overwhelming forces, how many people would remember such a minor figure?
...
In the small town, the northern pass had fallen. Countless demons poured into the town, beginning their brutal slaughter.
"Wife!"
The Hundred Flavors Pavilion was closed today, and it would never open again.
Jia Zhong, the owner, supported his plump, bloated wife as they fled. But how could they outrun the swift demon soldiers? In an instant, a first-realm demon caught up. This demon was a rat demon with a giant rat head. It squeaked loudly and leaped up, thrusting the long spear in its hand at Qing'er's wife.
"Wife!"
Jia Zhong quickly turned, using his body to shield the spear.
"Pfft—"
With a light sound, Jia Zhong's body was pierced by the spear. The spear then pierced Qing'er's wife's body, pinning them together like two ridiculous candied hawthorn skewers.
"Idiot... idiot..."
Qing'er's wife bled profusely. "I told you to run alone long ago, why didn't you?"
"The sword immortals are fighting on the front lines, shouldn't they have something hot to eat?"
Jia Zhong twisted his face, looking at Qing'er's wife, and smiled, "Wife... my lady... my spouse, wait for me in the next life. Don't get married early, you have to wait for me..."
Qing'er's wife's tears streamed down her face.
The rat demon found it disgusting. It violently pulled out the spear and pierced them repeatedly again until they could no longer utter their disgusting words, then it stopped.