Qingliang Sect.
A figure knelt on one knee outside the main hall, clad in armor, his face full of the spirit of a warlord. It was Li Canghai of the Azure Knights, and he had been kneeling outside the hall for three days. However, Zhao Suiguang refused to budge. After Qingliang Sect was flattened by the Mountain Peak Villa, the sects of Li Canghai, Xihe Daguo Kui, Jiuyou Huangquan, and others had vanished.
With Zhao Jingyu's death, Li Canghai's master was gone. Due to Zhao Suiguang's confinement, the master-disciple relationship with Xihe Daguo Kui, Jiuyou Huangquan, and others also disappeared during that period. As a result, a large group of the Azure Knights were passively removed from Qingliang Sect's disciples, becoming players without a sect.
"Boss, is it worth it?"
Xihe Daguo Kui walked behind Li Canghai and said in the team channel, "At most, we can join another sect. Why hang ourselves on this one tree, Qingliang Sect?"
"Yeah!"
Jiuyou Huangquan frowned. "To put it bluntly, after Qingliang Sect was destroyed by Xueyu Tianchi, Zhao Suiguang has been a stray dog. Lin Zhao has already crushed his spirit. What's the point of joining his sect? We would be Zhao Suiguang's dogs, and Zhao Suiguang would be Lin Zhao's dog? Going in circles, aren't we just being Lin Zhao's dogs?"
"Shut up!"
Li Canghai's face showed a hint of anger. "How much Jinzi Qian did we spend to join Qingliang Sect? Do you think this Jinzi Qian came from nowhere? We pooled it from all the directors of the Cangnan Group. Now this money is gone down the drain. It's not like you're the ones being interrogated by those bastards in the board meeting, is it? I'm telling you, the money allocated by the Cangnan Group to 'Tianxia' is limited. We can't afford to keep messing around anymore. Staying under Zhao Suiguang's tutelage, honestly learning skills and exchanging magic treasures, is our best course of action. As for being Lin Zhao's dogs? Is there such a thing? We are free players. We can go wherever we want outside of our sect. Why should we listen to Lin Zhao?"
"Understood!"
Xihe Daguo Kui plopped down and knelt beside Li Canghai.
Jiuyou Huangquan frowned and also knelt down.
"Sect Master!"
Li Canghai gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Qingliang Sect cannot just abandon us. We are people of Qingliang Sect for one day, and we are people of Qingliang Sect for life. Please, Sect Master, make it clear!"
Inside the main hall, a personal disciple of Zhao Suiguang walked out. He was a young man in a green robe. He frowned and said, "Li Canghai, Master said that you people entered Zhao Jingyu's tutelage with impure intentions back then. You, Li Canghai, even planned with the demon race to flatten Xueyu Tianchi together. Therefore, Qingliang Sect definitely cannot keep you. Find your own way. Kneeling here is useless. It won't help even if your knees shatter."
"Is that so?"
Li Canghai roared, "Tell the Sect Master to say these words to me. I don't listen to a nobody like you!"
Just then, suddenly, everything around them seemed to freeze. Li Canghai, Xihe Daguo Kui, and Jiuyou Huangquan could not move. They were trapped by a vast, small world. Inside the main hall, a figure with a profound immortal aura slowly walked out. It was Zhao Suiguang, clad in a gray robe, with one hand behind his back. Although Zhao Suiguang could not fully control Qingliang Mountain now, he could certainly control the side peaks. Lin Zhao did not interfere in specific matters, and Zhao Suiguang's twelfth realm was not fake. Looking at the group, he said calmly, "Li Canghai, lead your people to leave quickly, lest you bring about your own ruin!"
"You..."
Li Canghai gritted his teeth. "When we joined, all those apprenticeship gifts we gave, were they all for nothing?"
"You want apprenticeship gifts, do you?"
Zhao Suiguang flicked his sleeve lightly, and a pile of treasures flew out from his sleeve. However, they were all inferior magic treasures. A pile of spiritual artifacts fell before Li Canghai. Zhao Suiguang's gaze was filled with deep disappointment. "You joined the sect with ulterior motives back then. Those apprenticeship gifts have long since vanished with the destruction of Qingliang Sect. Now Qingliang Sect's treasury is empty, and this is all the remaining foundation we have. If you want to take it, then take it. Zhao Suiguang and Qingliang Sect have nothing to do with you anymore."
"..."
Li Canghai's expression was solemn. If he really took them, would Zhao Suiguang take the opportunity to kill them all? After all, there were too many examples of cultivators killing players on the forum. But if he didn't take them, wouldn't that be a loss? Although these magic treasures were of low quality, they could still recover thirty to forty percent of the investment.
For a moment, Li Canghai, with his high skill and bold heart, slowly put all the magic treasures into his package.
Zhao Suiguang just watched calmly, and the more he watched, the more disgusted he felt. The person before him was so similar to his own father, Zhao Jingyu, in character: greedy, selfish, always thinking only of himself, never of the sect or the world.
"Hmph!"
Zhao Suiguang flicked his sleeve and left. "You should not set foot on Qingliang Mountain again in the future."
Li Canghai, Xihe Daguo Kui, and Jiuyou Huangquan stood up, frowned, and also left.
...
Ghost Realm.
On a pile of dark stone peaks, Tan Xin, in a qipao, placed a coffin horizontally on the peak and sat on it. Beside her stood her twelfth realm wandering corpse. The corpse's face was dark and it had two fangs, looking fierce and terrifying. On the other side stood two elders and the newly recruited strategist Qi Liandao.
"Military Advisor."
The more Tan Xin looked at Qi Liandao, the more pleasing he seemed to her, and she even started to like him. However, Tan Xin had been cultivating under her master since childhood, with only heavenly treasures and grand dao opportunities in her eyes. Romantic love was worthless to her. Therefore, even though she felt she was starting to like him, she still deeply believed that liking him was liking him, and the most important thing was how to utilize this person she liked.
She looked at Qi Liandao and smiled, "Tell me in detail how to break this life-and-death tribulation. If you break it, you will be richly rewarded."
"Yes!"
Qi Liandao's demeanor was respectful. He lightly patted a Qiankun bag at his waist. Inside the bag, the green-clothed woman Shu Fan frowned slightly, completely imprisoned in a dark space. Only when she heard Qi Liandao's thoughts did she reply, "Behave yourself, or I'll hand you over to the coffin carrier to be refined into a zombie. A twelfth realm beauty refined into a zombie, I suppose it would have a special charm."
At that moment, Shu Fan was so terrified that her face lost all color, and she dared not say another word.
Qi Liandao then looked at Tan Xin and respectfully said, "Old Ancestor, the Heavenly Oppression force of the life-and-death tribulation limit is extraordinary. Even your eleventh realm peak might not be able to withstand it, so we can only find another way. I plan to set up a 'Stealing Heaven and Replacing Sun Great Array' to transfer your life-and-death tribulation to the entire Ghost Realm. At that time, Old Ancestor will break through the profound mystery and enter the twelfth realm without any obstacles."
"Good, very good!"
Tan Xin chuckled. "Tell me, what do you need? I'll send people to prepare it right away."
"Good."
Qi Liandao took out a list. "The materials needed to set up the great array are all here. Old Ancestor can order people to purchase them everywhere. Once the items are gathered, I am willing to personally serve as the array master and guard Old Ancestor through the great tribulation!"
"Mm."
Tan Xin accepted the list, glanced at it, and smiled. "Qi Liandao, I will not treat you unfairly."
"Thank you, Old Ancestor!"
...
Xueyu Tianchi.
Lin Zhao returned to Mountain Peak Villa. He had already reached an agreement with Chen Xi. Mountain Peak Villa would pay Yunzhou ten Jinzi Qian each month, and in return, Yunzhou would send a large convoy north each month, transporting bundled grass fodder to Xueyu Tianchi. The total amount transported each month would be enough for the usage of over fifty thousand Cloud Xi warhorses. Currently, Xueyu Tianchi had less than seventy thousand warhorses, and the remaining usage could be solved by themselves. After all, Xueyu Tianchi also had reclamation areas in the south, and the stalks and leaves of rice, wheat, and corn could be used as fodder.
In the afternoon, Chu Yu and Xu Sheng returned to the mountain.
The two of them ascended to Mountain Peak Villa together, their expressions looking quite grim.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Did it fail?"
"Mm."
Chu Yu said in a deep voice, "We met the King of the Snow Dragon Dynasty. Although they agreed verbally to foster good relations with Xueyu Tianchi, they were clearly very hesitant, fearing that it would anger the Four Northern Tribes. Therefore, they rejected our request to borrow troops. Please forgive us, Your Lord, we are incompetent."
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao waved his hand lightly. "It has nothing to do with you. I'll think of another way. You may go down."
"Yes!"
After Chu Yu and Xu Sheng left, Wu Zhi said softly, "The Four Northern Tribes have been imposing their might for too long. All the secular dynasties of the human race scattered throughout the world are extremely fearful. It is understandable that they are unwilling to lend their troops. After all, we Xueyu Tianchi and the Snow Dragon Dynasty have no historical ties or connections. Even when the Great Shang Dynasty sent its Left Prime Minister to the Snow Dragon Dynasty, it did not yield any results, let alone us at Xueyu Tianchi."
"I understand."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, stretched his arms, and smiled. "Since it's a free afternoon, why don't we... take a trip to the Snow Dragon Dynasty? Even if we can't borrow troops, it would be nice to see this Snow Dragon Dynasty that can still exist in the Northern Region."
"Yes!"
Wu Zhi smiled and nodded, summoned a flying sword, and took Lin Zhao to the Snow Dragon Dynasty.
...
The speed of a twelfth realm Sword Immortal is extraordinary.
In a blink of an eye, they were already a thousand miles away, heading towards a mottled land where snow and grass met. In the snowfield, small cities appeared. These were the border cities of the Snow Dragon Dynasty. As Lin Zhao and Wu Zhi passed over the mountain peaks, they heard the dense and heavy sound of hooves from a distance. A large group of cavalry appeared at the foot of a distant mountain, flying the banners of the Snow Dragon Dynasty.
However... Lin Zhao could tell at a glance that the swords carried by those cavalry soldiers were of the same style as the swords carried by the Yunzhou cavalry from years ago!
"Hmm?"
He frowned. Could the Snow Dragon Dynasty have some connection with the Yunzhou cavalry?