The border between the human and demon races' battlefields was bustling today at Xishan. A small-scale ambush and assassination attempt occurred in the valley. As the battle commenced, clouds of smoke swirled, and streaks of golden, deep blue, earth yellow, and silver-white sword energy shot into the sky, while lightning spells descended from above. The ground was covered in a flame spell known as "scorched spots," instantly melting and vaporizing vast swathes of snow. Accompanying this were the sounds of cavalry charging, steel swords clashing, and women's sharp cries. The entire assassination battle lasted for about five minutes.
Finally, the demon commander, the eleventh-realm Great Demon Yu Zhi, emerged from the valley covered in blood. Directly in front of her, the thirteenth-realm demon sword cultivator Bai Lan was cleaving through a golden barrier formation with a broadsword.
"How is it?"
Bai Lan's brows furrowed. Looking at Yu Zhi's state, a chill ran down his spine. Those human cultivators, whose auras were not particularly powerful, possessed such means that they could make Yu Zhi so disheveled?
"Don't ask."
Yu Zhi stumbled, nearly losing her balance. These people were too ruthless. The handsome sword cultivator launched a fierce assault, even piercing Yu Zhi's shoulder with his sword, inflicting a serious wound. However, Yu Zhi then snapped his neck. Another sword cultivator, a middle-aged man with a rugged appearance, possessed a sturdy physique, requiring Yu Zhi to cast three spells to burn him to ashes.
The remaining few were also exceptionally strong. A sword cultivator, a woman with slender legs, attacked with a ferocity as if they shared a deep vendetta, utterly disregarding her own safety. As a result, Yu Zhi sustained a sword wound on her neck, the gash so deep it severed a major artery. Fortunately, her cultivation at the True Return realm allowed her to staunch the bleeding. The woman, however, was killed by Yu Zhi's consecutive two dispelling spells.
The others had also left their "marks" on Yu Zhi to varying degrees. But what angered Yu Zhi the most was the beautiful female cultivator who had lured her out of the camp. This was undoubtedly her scheme. The moment Yu Zhi entered the battlefield, she crushed a mysterious golden scroll, activating a heaven and earth formation that blocked the Great Demon Bai Lan for a considerable time. The group also employed a continuous barrage of insidious spells, causing Yu Zhi to feel drowsy at times and weak at others. In short, Yu Zhi had exhausted all her skills to fight and kill these ten individuals.
Even so, she was heavily wounded. Had the enemy been slightly luckier, Yu Zhi might have truly been assassinated.
"Lord Bai Lan."
Yu Zhi walked forward slowly, leaving a trail of blood on the snow. She frowned and said, "Help me investigate who these people are and why they know everything about me. They even knew what I most desperately wanted. These people are definitely not simple. Once you find out, take care of the mastermind for me."
"Yes, Lord Yu Zhi!"
After saluting with his sword, Bai Lan furrowed his brows and said, "Actually, it's quite easy to guess. Han Xin's Battle Immortal's Array is rapidly burning spiritual energy. As long as we can endure, this great array will become a废阵. At this moment, the human race desperately wants my demon race to attack, but Lord Yu Zhi has always been holding back. So, who hates Lord Yu Zhi the most? Clearly, it's the human schemer. Therefore, it doesn't matter who sent these people. There are only two possibilities for the person who most wants Lord Yu Zhi dead: one is Wen Shuo Yang, who is stationed at White Emperor City, and the other is that young fellow at Snow Region Heavenly Pond."
Yu Zhi nodded. "Lord Bai Lan is straightforward and only seeks swift revenge. I've always thought Lord Bai Lan wasn't very intelligent. Now it seems Lord Bai Lan's swordsmanship is simply too high, and he doesn't want to use his brain."
Bai Lan's lips curved upwards. "I'll take that as a compliment from Lord Yu Zhi."
He raised an eyebrow. "Will you return to camp yourself, or shall I escort you back with a wisp of my sword intent?"
"My injuries are severe."
Yu Zhi's delicate brows furrowed. "I'll trouble Lord Bai Lan then."
"A mere trifle!"
With a flash of sword light, Bai Lan carried Yu Zhi back to the demon army's encampment.
...
Above Snow Region Heavenly Pond, a conversation filled with vexation was taking place.
The group that had just failed in their assassination attempt at Xishan had all resurrected at the respawn point in Snow Region Heavenly Pond. Shen Xingchen's delicate brows were tightly knitted, still pondering the details of the attack, wondering where else they could have improved to truly kill Yu Zhi. For some reason, although they had gone to assassinate Yu Zhi because Xu Yan had summoned them, Shen Xingchen harbored a deep desire for the assassination to succeed, a desire for Yu Zhi to die.
It was simple: if Yu Zhi died, perhaps that person wouldn't have to.
Shen Xingchen glanced at Leng Yan beside her, unsure if her murderous intent was for her good sister Xu Yan or for that young human commander in white robes.
In truth, from the bottom of her heart, Shen Xingchen also felt that such a person shouldn't die; it would be a pity.
"Just a little bit more..."
Yi Shi Cang Liang was filled with remorse, clutching his blood-stained longsword. "Damn it, 8% HP left, it's infuriating! I'm not saying this to blame you, Yan Yu Han, the leader of Holy Church Knights, but if you could have held on for just a little longer, even ten seconds, we could have truly killed Yu Zhi after our skills CD was up!"
Yan Yu Han, riding a blood-red warhorse, frowned. "Damn it, you want to blame me? An eleventh-realm Great Demon was pressuring me, what could I do? I'm just a humble level 78 knight... Besides, I'm the only tank in our entire team, and I held on for a full two minutes. I really did my best..."
"Mm."
Shen Xingchen nodded. "Indeed, it's not Lord Yan Yu Han's fault. If our ten-person team had a healer, a nomad, this assassination would have succeeded. Unfortunately, we're all DPS or tanks, with no recovery abilities."
Su Xinghe said, "Still want to kill? If you want to kill again, I'll prepare more materials."
"We can't kill her anymore..."
Shen Xingchen shook her head, her delicate brows furrowed. "We've used our only SS-rank isolated formation scroll, which was the sole reward from the main quest. Moreover, the poison, talismans, and hidden weapons that everyone had accumulated are all expended. If we were to attempt the same assassination again, we would only fall earlier. More importantly, Yu Zhi is now wary, and it will be almost impossible to trick her out of the camp again."
"Then it's really hopeless."
Leng Yan pursed her red lips, turned to look at everyone, and smiled, "In any case, thank you all!"
"It's nothing."
Su Xinghe smiled. "To be honest, this assassination was quite exhilarating. It was probably the most satisfying battle we've had in the closed beta! Although the assassination ultimately failed, we managed to reduce an eleventh-realm Great Demon to low health. I believe the answer sheet we submitted for the closed beta is definitely a high score."
"Indeed!"
Yi Shi Cang Liang laughed. "Just as Su Xinghe said, this battle was the most satisfying I've had since stepping into 'Tian Xia'."
Yan Yu Han chuckled. "I concur."
Jian Yue, Tian Ren, and Shu Mei Jian Qing Feng also nodded and smiled. "Concur, concur, it was very satisfying, even though we were all slaughtered by Yu Zhi."
"Alright."
Shen Xingchen's lips curved upwards in a smile. "For the next few days, our closed beta missions will be over. Everyone should take some rest and wait for the official server launch."
"Okay!"
As everyone nodded, Leng Yan had already ridden her snow dragon horse down the mountain, heading straight for the human front lines.
...
In the Marshal's tent of the Deathly Battle Camp.
"I'm sorry..."
Leng Yan said with a pained expression, "I did go for the assassination, but it wasn't successful. Yu Zhi escaped with very little health..."
Lin Zhao inexplicably understood and chuckled, rubbing his forehead. "Escaped with very little health, it's fine. I'm already very grateful that Miss Leng was willing to act. In any case, please watch now. Yu Zhi is cautious by nature, but I will definitely make her willingly fall into my trap."
"Mm!"
Leng Yan smiled and nodded. "Lin Zhao, I will watch you achieve great things from afar."
"Is that so..."
Lin Zhao showed a hint of awkwardness but didn't elaborate.
...
That night, war drums suddenly sounded from the north.
"What's happening?"
Everyone emerged from their tents and gazed towards the northern border.
Lu Xinghe, an old sword immortal from Fusu Great Wall, was stationed above the camp, enveloped in a sword intent akin to a cage. As he opened his eyes, his heart trembled.
In the distance, a majestic structure rose from the ground like a high platform, but it was no ordinary platform. It was a Jingguan built from countless corpses, and a dense, palpable aura of death flowed around it, still emanating from the bloody streams. Seated atop the towering Jingguan was a twelfth-realm Ghost King, clad in blood-red armor, holding a long saber, and a sinister grin on his lips as he looked south, as if at a flock of lambs ready for slaughter.
The old sword immortal felt oppressed, his heart heavy with aversion to the potent death aura. He was all too familiar with the name of this Jingguan, having witnessed it centuries ago.
A Blood-Weeping Jingguan, guarded by a Ghost King!
Immediately after, a second Blood-Weeping Jingguan rose from the ground, also with a Great Cultivator of the Upper Five Realms of the Ghost race seated upon it.
Amidst the rumbling sounds, more and more Blood-Weeping Jingguans appeared. In total, ten of them arose, forming a terrifying, deathly aura of their own. These ten Blood-Weeping Jingguans loomed over the human Snow Region Heavenly Pond, giving the impression of dark clouds pressing down on a city on the verge of collapse.
...
"Hahahaha~~~"
The foremost Ghost King brandished his saber and roared, "Your human race has occupied the southern territory for far too long. It's time for the south to have new owners. Such is the will of heaven; why struggle so futilely?"
A figure ascended into the air: Chen Wanli, a twelfth-realm Rebirth Realm martial artist.
The old marshal stood with his arms crossed, a smile on his face. "What's this? The demon race hasn't even made a move, and your ghost race is already itching to start? Eager to die?"
"Oh, Old Marshal Chen!"
The Ghost King laughed heartily, gently patting the countless skeletal remains beneath him. "Old Marshal Chen is a wise man and naturally knows the power of the Blood-Weeping Jingguan. So, I must ask, does the Old Marshal know whose bones these Jingguans are made of?"
Chen Wanli's brows furrowed, and he remained silent.
The Ghost King's lips curled into a sinister grin. "They are the most elite army of your human race, the Cloud State Iron Cavalry, numbering five hundred thousand..."
Chen Wanli stood in the wind, tilting his head slightly, a wave of inexplicable grief washing over him.