"What???"
Guo Ke Wu Ming's eyes were filled with horror. The moment he saw the system prompt that his flying sword had been destroyed, his heart almost stopped. He had given his master a generous gift to obtain it. Among all the flying swords he could exchange for in the entire sect, this was the best one, with strong destructive power and divine abilities. How could it be destroyed?
In the next moment, the radiance of "Sheng Long Zhan" (Ascending Dragon Slash) rose again, lifting Guo Ke Wu Ming's body into mid-air. Following that, Lin Zhao unleashed his full power. Five mid-grade immortal swords and twelve small-grade Great Desolate Ancient Swords flew out of his Spirit Ruins, piercing Guo Ke Wu Ming's body like a sieve with a "噗噗噗" sound. The result was still the same: he was forcefully killed head-on!
However, this time, Guo Ke Wu Ming did not drop any more valuable items, only a shower of potions fell from the air.
"Beep!"
System prompt: Congratulations on killing player [Guo Ke Wu Ming]. Honor points +48!
...
Accidentally, he had gained a large chunk of honor points from someone else again.
Guo Ke Wu Ming turned into white light and respawned. Lin Zhao, on the other hand, turned and rushed into the forest. There was no need to linger with people like Guo Ke Wu Ming, as it would waste his time grinding for honor. Guo Ke Wu Ming truly had nothing to say. Two crushing defeats, plus the destruction of a flying sword, the loss was too great. He had planned to refine that flying sword into his natal object as a priority after entering the Nascent Soul realm, but plans could not keep up with changes, and everything turned into a mirage.
For nearly an hour, Lin Zhao shuttled back and forth in the forest. He barely needed to draw his "Li Quan" (Spring of Dew) sword. He directly used his nineteen flying swords to kill enemies along the way. As long as he saw a player with a blood-red ID, he would attack. Killing players in the chaotic battlefield did not increase sin points; only factional hostility did. Therefore, Lin Zhao attacked without any hesitation. The red names he saw were all players who had joined the four northern tribes. Regardless of whether they were traitors to the human race, although Lin Zhao had no stance on this group, he would kill them if he saw them. After all, the four northern tribes were mortal enemies, a deep-seated hatred that other players might not understand.
In less than half an hour, Lin Zhao had climbed to the top of the honor points. He continued to kill until after nine o'clock, and his honor points were far ahead of Guo Ke Wu Ming, who was in second place. Guo Ke Wu Ming was not idle either. After returning to his sect, he obtained a slightly inferior flying sword, but it was still an immortal sword. He roamed the battlefield, continuing to kill players of the human race. Both sides were in a chaotic free-for-all, and neither could truly suppress the other.
Around ten o'clock.
Lin Zhao's honor points were already more than double that of the second place. He was no longer in a hurry to grind. He soared into the sky and stood above the Autumn Wind Plains on his flying sword. Looking towards the north, a sword cultivator in the Nascent Soul realm could see farther. He saw the five military tents of the demon race standing tall, with banners fluttering. Further in the distance was the camp of the demon race's 300,000 cavalry. The demon race cavalry marched quickly. Although they were stationed far away, they could arrive in an instant once they attacked, so precautions had to be taken.
He turned around, flew his sword towards Gu Xiao Pass, and landed directly on the city wall.
On the city wall, a young general in a white robe had his hand on the hilt of his sword and nodded with a smile at him. He gestured to a small table behind him. On the table was a roasted duck, a plate of peanuts, and a pot of wine. It looked quite simple, but in a place like Gu Xiao Pass where resources were scarce, this was considered good.
"Have some together?" Lin Ruo asked with a smile.
"Mmm."
Lin Zhao sat down and took out a pot of bottled Dongting Red Bamboo Wine from his inventory, tossing it to Lin Ruo. "Drink mine. My wine is better. Try it."
"Alright."
Lin Ruo sat down, poured half a bowl of wine, and took a small sip. He immediately trembled all over and looked up with a smile, "Is this the wine from the Lord of Dongting Lake?"
"Impressive."
Lin Zhao gave him a thumbs-up and said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be a connoisseur of wine."
"Indeed."
Lin Ruo smiled. "Being in the military, enduring wind and frost for many years, and enduring the bitter cold of the northern regions, only a pot of wine can bring solace. As a martial artist of the human race, it's essential to understand wine."
Lin Zhao nodded and drank some wine with him, then ate a duck leg. He then looked at Lin Ruo and asked, "Did the court send you to guard Gu Xiao Pass?"
"Mmm."
Lin Ruo frowned and said, "The Military Ministry's order first went to Yangping Pass, and then an imperial edict was thrust upon me. I had no choice but to come."
"Do you know the danger of this mission?"
"I do."
Lin Ruo said helplessly, "What if I know? We soldiers who guard the frontier are essentially working for others. But since the armies of the demon and devil races are coming, I, Lin Ruo, am willing to fight."
"Be careful."
Lin Zhao looked at this brother of the same clan and said, "The demon race has five military tents with a million soldiers, and the devil race has 300,000 cavalry. That's 1.3 million in total. Logically, even with the advantage of the magnificent Gu Xiao Pass, it would take at least a million soldiers on the human side to have a chance of victory against these 1.3 million soldiers of the four northern tribes. The troop strength at Gu Xiao Pass is far from enough."
"It's indeed not enough."
Lin Ruo said, "My fifteen thousand brothers in the Rock Army are elites who can truly kill demons. I believe that even if the entire army is wiped out, with my ability, Lin Ruo, I can lead everyone to kill an equal number of demon soldiers. However, south of Gu Xiao Pass, the army responsible for reinforcing me is difficult to say. The combat power of the Ji Han Legion, hmph..."
"What's the origin of the Ji Han Legion?" Lin Zhao was not very familiar with it.
Lin Ruo sneered. "It's a legion claimed to be of A-grade, with a total strength of about 300,000. Most of its soldiers come from Ningzhou and Yanzhou. More than half are private troops sent by noble families from various prefectures and counties. Back then, to support their own influence, the Grand Commander Li Chunyang decided to form this Ji Han Legion, providing it with A-grade legion salaries and equipment. However, in reality, the Ji Han Legion has significant problems from top to bottom: embezzlement of military pay, using inferior goods for military rations and equipment, insufficient soldier training, and so on. The problems are too numerous. The commander, Wang Ling, is merely a glib talker, but because he is loyal to Li Chunyang, he is highly regarded. However, if they truly encounter the main forces of the demon race, the entire Ji Han Legion might not be able to withstand even a single demon tent."
"That makes it even more dangerous."
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "The Great Shang Dynasty sent you to guard Gu Xiao Pass, but they did not provide you with sufficient reinforcements. Once the demon and devil races fully attack Gu Xiao Pass, the Rock Army might suffer heavy losses."
"Mmm."
Lin Ruo nodded. "I don't have many good solutions now. I can only sit tight at Gu Xiao Pass and live one day at a time. If the demon and devil races retreat, that would be good. If not, we can only continue to endure."
Lin Zhao stood up and looked at the battlefield to the north. "Anything else can be discussed, but one thing is very important."
Lin Ruo also stood up and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him on the magnificent pass. "You say."
"Do not sally out for battle."
Lin Zhao said sternly, "Gu Xiao Pass is too narrow. If you lead a large army out of the pass to fight, your chances of victory will be very low. Moreover, once you are defeated, you will have no chance to escape back south. A large number of troops will be crowded in front of Gu Xiao Pass and unable to pass. The Yunzhou cavalry of the past is a lesson learned. You must be extremely cautious about this."
"Mmm."
Lin Ruo nodded heavily. "Lin Zhao, I will remember your words. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I will never lead troops out of the pass."
"Good."
Lin Zhao smiled. "I just came to see you. I'm leaving. I'll continue to kill enemies on the battlefield."
"Go ahead."
Lin Ruo watched him fly away on his sword, a hint of envy in his eyes. Indeed, Lin Ruo was about the same age as Lin Zhao and was one of the youngest Heavenly Origin realm martial artists of the human race. However, he could not act as freely and vengefully as Lin Zhao. After all, as the commander of the 150,000 Rock Army, the burden on his shoulders was too heavy.
...
Late at night, Lin Zhao, Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Ding Chi, and others logged back in after having a late-night snack. Tonight was a must for night battles. The honor rewards on the Autumn Wind Plains battlefield were very generous, and no one wanted to miss them. Besides, the members of the studio had recently been keeping regular hours, and fighting occasionally at night was not a problem. After all, they were all working for a living and were not pampered.
When Lin Zhao logged in, he ascended into the sky on his sword to survey the battlefield. What met his eyes was the rolling snow in the north, as if there was an avalanche on the plains. Countless mounted players were marching south on the rolling snow, and they were all sword cultivators from the "Sheng Shi Mu Dan" (Flourishing Peony) guild. Above everyone's heads, a figure stood proudly on his sword, it was Ghost King.
This pure sword cultivator cavalry numbered at least 30,000!
Lin Zhao frowned and followed the direction of the Sheng Shi Mu Dan's sword immortal cavalry. He saw a dense crowd arrayed on the map outside the Autumn Wind Plains to the south. It was the players from the "Lin Yuan Xian Yu" (Envious Fish in the Abyss) guild, with a total of over 50,000 people. Heavy armor in front, ranged attackers behind. The alliance leader, Sword Emperor, was also soaring in the sky, looking into the distance with a frown. A great battle was imminent between the two sides.
This was a scheduled battle between the two major guilds, Sheng Shi Mu Dan and Lin Yuan Xian Yu!
No matter.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. Ghost King and Sword Emperor were both hot-headed young players. They had been fighting on the national server map before. The two guilds did not have deep-seated hatred, but they could not stand each other. In the end, their fighting escalated into a deadly feud. Therefore, Lin Zhao did not need to concern himself with their grievances, nor did he bother to.
However, amidst the whistling wind and snow, the map to the west turned blood-red. The demon race's military tents had finally dispatched their troops. Countless demon soldiers marched south, heading straight for Gu Xiao Pass.
Lin Zhao looked back at Gu Xiao Pass. On the city wall, the young Heavenly Origin realm martial artist smiled and nodded at him, transmitting a message: "It's okay, Gu Xiao Pass is under my charge, there won't be any problems. If real problems arise... you decide for yourself whether to save me. Saving me would be brotherhood, but it's also okay if you don't, after all, I stepped into this predicament myself, and I can't drag you down with me."
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "Remember what I said. Defend the city. I believe in your ability. Even if it's unavoidable to send troops north, tell me in advance."
"Mmm, got it!"
...
Demon race military tents.
Shi Jun Gang, wearing a black long dress, now possessed Wang Yue's physical body. Young and beautiful, she narrowed her eyes and smiled, looking towards the south. "Fight, fight! The show is about to begin!"