Qingliang Sect's back mountain, Qianlong Abyss.
A young scholar in a gray robe drifted in. The moment he stepped into Qianlong Abyss, a small world of the Thirteenth Realm suddenly opened at the abyss's top, trapping Gu Lingyu within. He frowned slightly but showed no panic. He should have expected the demon race to interfere with Qingliang Sect's affairs. He just didn't expect the demon race to endure the great battle on the front mountain and not intervene at all, only to lay an ambush in the back mountain. Was it to kill him, a Confucian of the Twelfth Realm?!
"Hmph..."
From the shadows in the abyss emerged a beautiful demon woman in a red dress, the Thirteenth Realm Great Demon Yu Zhi. She spoke with a calm expression and a smile, "Originally, I hoped the person who came would be Lin Zhao, or Su Qingjiu. Killing either of them would greatly benefit our demon race. I didn't expect a meddling Confucian of the Twelfth Realm to show up. Gu Lingyu, why are you courting death here in the Northern Region instead of diligently teaching and spreading knowledge in White Emperor City? What's the point?"
"No point, no point."
Gu Lingyu stepped on strands of golden Confucian texts and said with a smile, "Following my junior uncle makes me feel at ease. It's unlike being the Grand Sacrificial Wine at the Imperial Academy in White Emperor City, where I felt like I was walking on cotton every day, which was actually quite uncomfortable."
Another figure emerged from the shadows. It was a demon sword cultivator in a white robe, carrying a long sword. He was the Twelfth Realm Sword Cultivator Feng Quan. With his arms crossed, he said with a faint smile, "Don't rush. Soon, you'll be comfortable enough. This Qianlong Abyss connects to the nine heavens and the nine springs. It's an excellent burial ground for you, Gu Lingyu."
"Perhaps not."
Gu Lingyu gently raised his sleeve and took out a delicate and exquisite small sword. With a flick, it transformed into a gentleman's sword at least a meter long. Although it couldn't compare to Mr. Qin's Han Niu Sword, Gu Lingyu's sword wouldn't be too bad either. It should be enough to hold off Yu Zhi and Feng Quan for a while. After his junior uncle dealt with Zhao Jingyu and Qing Nan, he should be coming over.
"Alas..."
Just then, a sigh echoed from the coiled dragon pillar in Qianlong Abyss. Huang Tingyu, a Twelfth Realm Demon Immortal imprisoned by heavy chains on the coiled dragon pillar, looked up at the young scholar and shook his head. "What a pity. Such a scholar shouldn't die here, and he's even the nephew of my brother Lin Zhao. It's truly a shame..."
"It's not a shame."
Gu Lingyu looked down at Huang Tingyu and said with a smile, "Old Sword Immortal Huang, there's no need to worry. Gu Lingyu may not have many other skills, but he's quite good at delaying. By the time my junior uncle arrives with Little Jiu'er, Wu Zhi, Chen Ben, and the others, both Yu Zhi and Feng Quan will die!"
"What a bold claim!"
Yu Zhi's beautiful eyes blazed with intense killing intent. "Lord Feng Quan, there's no need to wait. Attack with all your might and kill Gu Lingyu. It's time to let the Confucian scholars know what heartbreak is!"
Gu Lingyu's expression saddened. How could the old masters in the Confucian literary world not know heartbreak? A hundred years ago, after Mr. Qin died in battle, many old masters would shed tears whenever Qin Suihan's name was mentioned.
"Die!"
Feng Quan struck first, his sword piercing the void. Instantly, the entire Qianlong Abyss filled with sword light. This strike was truly powerful, brimming with killing intent. He hadn't even dared to use this move when fighting Tang Guangjun, fearing he might kill him with a single blow. But against Gu Lingyu, Feng Quan didn't care. This was a Confucian scholar, a Twelfth Realm expert. Any means of killing him would not be excessive.
Unexpectedly, although Gu Lingyu was not a sword cultivator, he raised his sword and unleashed strands of golden text and dharma, merging them with his sword intent. As the sword energies collided, Gu Lingyu held his ground, even suppressing Feng Quan in terms of sword intent! In other words, if Gu Lingyu were a genuine sword cultivator and not a Confucian, Feng Quan would be no match for him.
The air suddenly turned scorching hot. The Great Demon Yu Zhi descended, her dharma of a fiery fox trailing behind her. Golden claws descended from the sky, directly aimed at Gu Lingyu's head. Her expression twisted, and she sneered, "Lin Zhao sent you to protect Huang Tingyu, so he must trust and care for you, his nephew. Since that's the case, after killing you, it will be enough to shatter Lin Zhao's Dao heart!"
Gu Lingyu looked up, frowning, and waved his sleeve. Confucian scrolls appeared one after another, all of Gu Lingyu's low-grade refined items. The next moment, bamboo slips spread out in the air, and Yu Zhi's attacks continuously collided with Gu Lingyu's scrolls. The entire Qianlong Abyss was filled with the sound of explosions. Simultaneously, Feng Quan drew his sword and attacked, sword light raging.
Gu Lingyu faced both of them without any panic. While he continuously defended against Yu Zhi's attacks with Confucian techniques, he also wielded his sword against Feng Quan. Killing a Thirteenth Realm expert was impossible, but against Feng Quan, Gu Lingyu held nothing back. Strands of sword light raged towards Feng Quan, making the entire space hum.
"Hahahaha~~~~"
On the coiled dragon pillar, Huang Tingyu, his bones locked, couldn't help but laugh heartily. He looked up at the battle in the sky and shouted, "Yu Zhi, you little slut, can you see? This is what it means to be of the same lineage. Lin Zhao's nephew is truly formidable, fighting you two as a mere Twelfth Realm! Yu Zhi, just as the people on Mount Zu said, you, Yu Zhi, are no match for Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Celestial Pool in terms of strategy. As for realm and combat power, tsk tsk... The old Demon Ancestor must be pitiful, having spent so much golden bait money and so many demon race resources on you, only to raise you to the Thirteenth Realm. But the Demon Ancestor didn't expect you to be a paper-thin Thirteenth Realm, hahahaha, it's hilarious!"
"Huang Tingyu, shut up!"
Yu Zhi attacked fiercely, her pretty face flushed with anger. "You rebel of the demon race dare to spout such nonsense? Haven't you suffered enough from the torment of having your tendons and skin removed over the past century? As a Twelfth Realm expert of our demon race, you actually draw your sword to aid the human race. What right do you, a bastard with a rebellious bone in your neck, have to point fingers at me?"
"Tsk tsk..."
Huang Tingyu sneered, "The worse the strategy, the more they like to lead troops. The weaker the combat power, the more they like to show themselves. And you, Feng Quan, don't think I won't scold you just because you're straightforward!"
"Ah?!"
Feng Quan, mid-battle, shuddered and secretly pricked up his ears to listen to what Huang Tingyu was saying about him. If he had it, he would correct it; if not, he would take it to heart. For a moment, Feng Quan's attack on Gu Lingyu weakened slightly.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Huang Tingyu frowned, "Damn it, I'm not familiar with you, so I don't know what to scold you about."
Feng Quan staggered in mid-air, his Dao heart almost damaged.
"Feng Quan!"
Yu Zhi unleashed over a dozen more demonic arts, fiercely attacking Gu Lingyu, while frowning and saying sternly, "Don't be distracted by that old dog Huang. Concentrate on drawing your sword and kill Gu Lingyu first!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Feng Quan began to exert his full strength, while Yu Zhi's attacks became even more ferocious. She continuously used mid-grade refined magic treasures to attack, replacing Gu Lingyu's bamboo slips. After all, even low-grade and mid-grade bamboo slips required complete comprehension of the text on them to be refined successfully. In other words, Gu Lingyu's bamboo slips were not infinite; the amount he had was limited by his knowledge.
Furthermore, he was, after all, only a Twelfth Realm expert, while she was a genuine Thirteenth Realm expert. Although her combat power might not compare to Liu Bai, Fu Sheng, or Ning Yuansheng, she was at least in the middle tier among the Thirteenth Realm demons.
Therefore, Yu Zhi's intention was simple: attack with all her might, at all costs, and exhaust Gu Lingyu's resources!
...
However, although Gu Lingyu sustained continuous injuries, the combined assault of a Thirteenth Realm Great Demon and a Twelfth Realm Sword Cultivator was too sharp. It was impossible to remain completely unharmed, and his realm had no advantage. But Gu Lingyu always managed to cleverly neutralize the opponent's attacks to the minimum, thus enduring the least amount of damage. So, despite accumulating injuries, they were mostly minor.
He frowned, with no complaints in his heart. There was a Thirteenth Realm expert on the front mountain. Although his junior uncle and the others were numerous, their realms were suppressed, and it wouldn't be easy to kill Zhao Jingyu. Once they dealt with Zhao Jingyu, they would naturally come to the back mountain to resolve his predicament. Moreover, Gu Lingyu felt at peace. Even if he died here, what did it matter? It would be a worthy death. And even if he were to die, it wouldn't be in vain; he would at least take Yu Zhi with him. Yu Zhi was his junior uncle's sworn enemy, so killing her would be worth it.
Feng Quan relentlessly attacked, disregarding everything else.
Not far away, Huang Tingyu continuously mocked Feng Quan for being brainless, for charging blindly, always running into Gu Lingyu's sword energy, getting injured, and appearing disheveled, lacking the demeanor of a sword immortal. This made Feng Quan feel somewhat ashamed. Old Huang was indeed a demon sword immortal who had entered the Twelfth Realm years ago. His understanding of sword cultivation went beyond the superficial.
Yu Zhi, on the other hand, grew increasingly disheartened. She had already used all the demonic arts she knew and consumed most of her magic treasures, yet Gu Lingyu's bamboo slips from his sleeve seemed inexhaustible, still being thrown out in piles, and sometimes even more were thrown out, as if he didn't consider it a waste. Was his knowledge so vast?
Gu Lingyu frowned. What else could he do? He had encountered his strong suit. Since following his teacher and becoming a scholar, he had no particular fondness for women, no particular love for food, and no particular favorite hobbies. The only thing that allowed him to immerse himself was reading and studying. Yu Zhi's attacks were so fierce, and he had already consumed twenty percent of his refined bamboo slips. Would it be enough?
...
Front mountain.
Lin Zhao took Zhao Jingyu's storage bag from Little Jiu'er, but a sense of alarm suddenly arose in his heart. When he looked towards the back mountain, he found that he could no longer sense Huang Tingyu's aura, nor even Gu Lingyu's aura.
"Something has happened in the back mountain!"
He immediately drew his sword and rushed out. "Little Jiu'er, Wu Zhi, Chen Ben, follow me!"