In the morning, the Flood Dragon Boat traveled between the clouds, heading south.
At the forefront of the Flood Dragon Boat, Lin Zhao controlled his flying sword, Hong Ye, with his arms crossed, walking at the very front. To his left and right were Su Qing Jiu and Wu Zhi, two Twelve Realm Grand Sword Immortals. Behind them, a line of people followed in succession: Gu Ling Yu, a Twelve Realm Confucian cultivator, Chen Ben, a Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator, Mu Gua, a Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator, and Chu Yu, a Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator. Though few in number, they were enough to sway half the power of the Northern Region's human realm.
...
Under the morning sun, Qingliang Mountain was as peaceful as ever. At the foot of the main mountain, at least ten thousand players were gathered. Li Canghai, leading the members of the Azure Knights, had begun to assemble and defend the mountain. The moment Su Qing Jiu and Chen Ben returned to Xue Yu Tian Chi, the Qingliang Sect had already realized disaster was imminent. They had now activated their mountain protection formation and gathered their disciples to defend it together.
Lin Zhao looked down from above.
"Sect Leader Bai Yi, is this really necessary?"
Li Canghai rode his horse forward, maintaining his imposing demeanor. He chuckled, "Isn't it just because my master broke Sword Immortal Wu Zhi's sword heart back then? This... I can apologize and compensate on behalf of my master. There's no need to make such a big show of attacking the mountain, right?"
"It is very necessary."
Lin Zhao looked down at the members of the Azure Knights and said calmly, "Sect Leader Li Canghai, before you joined the Qingliang Sect, I already warned you that there would inevitably be a war between Xue Yu Tian Chi and the Qingliang Sect. Your sect was bound to be destroyed sooner or later. It's a pity you didn't heed my advice and insisted on becoming a disciple of Zhao Jing Yu. Now, you've seen what Zhao Jing Yu has done, openly colluding with the four northern tribes. This alone is enough to warrant ten thousand deaths."
Li Canghai gritted his teeth. "Is there no room for negotiation?"
Lin Zhao shook his head.
Just then, a Seventh Realm Swordsman from the crowd rode out, clad in exquisite armor. It was Xi He Da Guo Kui. He pointed his sword at Lin Zhao and roared, "Bai Yi, don't be too arrogant! So what if you have more people? Don't forget, realms are paramount. What's the point of bringing a bunch of Twelve Realm NPCs? Our Ancestor is at the Thirteenth Realm. Is there a problem with him defeating your group of Twelve Realm cultivators?"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but laugh, amused. "Guo Kui, you always know how to speak."
The Vice Sect Leader, the assassin Jiu You Huang Quan, emerged from the crowd, his brow furrowed. "Sect Leader Bai Yi, if I understand you correctly, you insist on crossing swords with our Azure Knights?"
"No."
Lin Zhao shook his head. "It is your Azure Knights who insist on standing in my way."
"Then what do you want?!"
Jiu You Huang Quan suddenly became agitated, veins bulging on his face. He roared, "Does the entire world have to give way to you? Just for your revenge, the sect system of over ten thousand brothers in our Azure Knights is all for naught? Is all our previous effort meaningless?"
Lin Zhao looked at them. "I warned you. I told you I would destroy the Qingliang Sect one day. You insisted on going your own way. You have no one to blame but yourselves."
"Lin Zhao!"
Just then, hurried hoofbeats echoed from below the mountain. A swarm of people appeared at the foot of Qingliang Mountain in an instant. Leading them was Leng Yan, clad in armor. Behind her, she had brought at least 30,000 elite members of the Sheng Tian Guild. While Lin Zhao was summoning Su Qing Jiu, Lin Wan Hua, and Lin Xing Chu, Leng Yan had also mobilized her troops overnight, bringing the Sheng Tian members to raze the Qingliang Sect. After all, she was the most direct victim.
Leng Yan looked up at Lin Zhao in the air and said, "Leave the Azure Knights to us Sheng Tian. You go deal with Zhao Jing Yu. Oh, and especially that Eleventh Realm cultivator, Zhao Yi Chuan. That person must die."
"Don't worry."
Lin Zhao nodded.
Leng Yan pointed her sword forward, her gaze icy. "Li Canghai, step aside with your people, or we won't be polite."
"On what grounds?!"
Li Canghai gritted his teeth. "Leng Yan, are you Sheng Tian bullying us with your superior numbers openly?"
"Three! Two! One!"
Leng Yan directly began the countdown. When she reached "one," she pointed her sword forward and said indifferently, "Attack the mountain!"
Instantly, thirty thousand Sheng Tian elites charged forward. However, behind Li Canghai, there were only a little over ten thousand members of the Azure Knights. In fact, the power difference between the two guilds was already significant, and now with the numerical disadvantage, the outcome was obvious. In less than five minutes, Leng Yan led the charge, breaking through the power defending the mountain gate of the Azure Knights.
...
The Flood Dragon Boat slowly moved forward.
On the deck of the Flood Dragon Boat, Tong Yu carried the long sword gifted by her master. Her beautiful eyes looked towards Qingliang Mountain. After understanding the cause and effect, she naturally harbored deep hatred for this Qingliang Sect. After all, she was now part of the Mountain Summit Villa, and the demon immortal named Old Huang was said to be a very amiable elder, not fond of wine or lust, and treated people with warmth.
Zhang Luo Bai, carrying the wooden sword Liu Cheng made by his master, stood by the ship's railing, looking down at Qingliang Mountain. He gritted his teeth. The scale of this operation was truly immense. He wasn't a Sword Immortal yet. If there was any stray fire, he'd be done for. Thus, he quietly moved closer to his senior sister, Tong Yu. When the real fighting began, senior sister would go first, and he, Zhang Luo Bai, would be responsible for shouting encouragement!
As for Zhuang Yi Rong, she had been practicing punches with Chu Yu for some time. Although she hadn't entered the martial path yet, her petite body had become much stronger. As she stood firm, a faint trace of fist intent flowed through her. Being noticed by Chu Yu indicated that her aptitude for practicing punches was indeed quite good.
"Buzz buzz buzz—"
Ahead of the Flood Dragon Boat, a fiery red mountain protection formation rose into the air. It was a mountain protection array of the Qingliang Sect, named Hong Luo. It was said to be a magic artifact obtained by Zhao Jing Yu during his travels in the East Sea. Once activated, its defensive power was astonishing.
"Little Jiu'er."
Lin Zhao glanced over and said, "Break the mountain protection formation."
"En!"
The moment Su Qing Jiu drew her sword, a surging sword intent erupted into the sky. In the next instant, her sword, Ling Xi, transformed into a brilliant beam of light that shot straight down from the sky. The mountain protection array named Hong Luo cracked down the middle and quickly fell apart. Although it was a top-tier formation that mountain cultivators dreamed of, in the face of a peak Twelve Realm Sword Immortal, it couldn't even withstand a single strike.
Lin Zhao drew his sword, Li Quan, and led the group, guiding the Flood Dragon Boat towards the mountain.
On the mountainside, at the Cheng Lu Platform, a group of Qingliang Sect disciples stood proudly, glaring fiercely. A disciple shouted, "Who dares to trespass upon my Qingliang Sect!"
He leaped up, but in mid-air, a golden palm dharma image pushed him back to the ground. The attacker was Chu Yu, an Eleventh Realm martial artist. However, Chu Yu did not strike with lethal force, otherwise, this Sixth Realm inner disciple of the Qingliang Sect would already be a corpse.
"Lin Zhao!"
From the crowd, a handsome man in yellow robes floated out, holding a long sword, his body exuding a powerful aura. It was Zhao Yi Chuan, an Eleventh Realm cultivator. His eyes fixed on Lin Zhao. "Your Xue Yu Tian Chi is incredibly audacious to disregard the laws of our Qingliang Sect and storm our mountain. Don't you forget, our Qingliang Sect is the number one sect on the first page of the Shan Hai Book of the Human Dynasty's Great Shang Dynasty. Do you, Xue Yu Tian Chi, dare to attack us without fear of being reprimanded by the Great Shang Dynasty, and without fear of being scorned by the entire human race?"
"Well said."
Lin Zhao looked down at Zhao Yi Chuan and chuckled. "Your Qingliang Sect still knows it's a human sect? Gui Yuan Sword Sect just annihilated the Human Xuan Huang Sect, and you followed right behind to congratulate them? When your dog-like master, Zhao Jing Yu, went to Gui Yuan Sword Sect to curry favor with the demons and spirits, did he ever consider that he was from the prestigious sect on the first page of the Great Shang Dynasty's Shan Hai Book?"
"You... you..."
Zhao Yi Chuan gritted his teeth. "You're spewing nonsense and slandering me!"
"Fine."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Even if what I just said was slander, then what about you, Zhao Yi Chuan? You, relying on your superior realm, went to Dong Quan Sword Sect's territory and injured Sect Leader Lu Gui Yi, and prevented Dong Quan Sword Sect from establishing itself. That incident, which happened just last night, is undeniable, isn't it?"
"You..."
Zhao Yi Chuan's expression grew even more ferocious. "Lin Zhao, do you truly intend to destroy my Qingliang Sect with your own hands? Don't forget, Lin Bai Yi of Xue Yu Tian Chi, who doesn't the world know? Are you willing to discard the reputation you earned a hundred years ago with your life? After destroying my Qingliang Sect, how will the world view you, Lin Zhao?"
"Does it matter how the world views me?"
Lin Zhao said calmly, "When I do things, I only seek a clear conscience. Do I need to care about whether the world views me or not?"
Saying this, he glanced over. "Wu Zhi, Zhao Yi Chuan can be spared."
"Yes!"
Wu Zhi smiled faintly. The next moment, she raised her sword, Cheng Xin. Sword lights flickered around her, transforming into ten radiant and strange demon soul swords. She said with a smile, "Zhao Yi Chuan must die. Anyone who dares to block the way will die with him!"
With that, Wu Zhi charged forward with a sky full of sword light.
"Be careful!"
A Star River Realm elder rushed out, but before he could even block, a demon soul sword pierced through his body, instantly turning him into a rain of blood. Zhao Yi Chuan's heart was filled with dread. In his life, he had never faced an attack from a Twelve Realm Sword Immortal, and this one was particularly troublesome among the Twelve Realm Sword Immortals. In an instant, Zhao Yi Chuan shattered three of his natal items to defend himself. An Eleventh Realm Spirit Cultivator should be able to withstand a Twelve Realm Sword Cultivator for a moment, right? Even for a brief moment, it would be enough for him to escape.
Wu Zhi brought her sword down. The tip of her sword, Cheng Xin, pressed against the spiritual energy storm formed by the opponent's three natal items, slowly piercing into it. However, Wu Zhi had no intention of killing him with Cheng Xin. In the next second, a natal flying sword transformed into a rain of light and circled around to Zhao Yi Chuan's left side, sweeping past him at an unimaginable speed.
"Ah?!"
At the brink of death, Zhao Yi Chuan's mind went blank. It was too late; even a god couldn't save him.
"Pfft!"
A shower of blood splattered everywhere. The dignified Eleventh Realm cultivator, Zhao Yi Chuan, was directly turned into a rain of blood after taking Wu Zhi's strike, with no room for resistance at all.
"Yi Chuan!"
From the mountain, a figure shrouded in thick azure aura flew down. It was the Sect Leader, Zhao Sui Guang. He looked at the pool of blood, unable to suppress his grief. In fact, Zhao Yi Chuan's cultivation had always been guided by him, the Sect Leader. Although Zhao Yi Chuan's disposition was extremely poor and his personality had taken an extreme turn, he had watched him grow into an Eleventh Realm cultivator, and he was the only Eleventh Realm cultivator among the younger generation of the Qingliang Sect. Therefore, Zhao Sui Guang felt considerable heartache.
...
"This Zhao Sui Guang..."
Su Qing Jiu looked at Lin Zhao. "Shall I handle him? Spare his life, or not?"