"Swish!"
A white light flashed, and the scene before him was already the new main city. Players were constantly spawning in the square. Lin Zhao hurriedly urged his horse into the city avenue, trying his best to avoid the crowds. As he rode along the city avenue, he began to seriously examine this first majestic city in the north of the human race.
Tianji City, a city built by a Mohist sage, its two city walls, including the barbican, were built with massive blue rocks. These blue rocks were full of mechanisms. Rows of fiery red dragon-shaped flame spouts protruded slightly from the outer walls, and the battlements were densely packed with mechanisms with sharp blades. Beneath the entire city was a Mohist Heavenly Mechanism Array. It was said that this array was set up by five top-tier Mohists. During the Great Shang Dynasty's northern expedition, the Xia tribe only stationed ten thousand soldiers in Tianji City, yet they managed to hold back the Great Shang Dynasty's million-strong army for three months. It was only when the city ran out of food that it was eventually difficult to capture.
Inside the city walls, tall towers and arrow towers stood erect. Bronze figures guarded the arrow towers. These bronze figures were skilled at projecting iron spears and shooting arrows with great force.
In the center of the city, a tall tower rose from the ground. It was so high that it almost touched the clouds. The entire tower was enveloped in a chilling killing aura.
The Immortal Slaying Tower, the foremost tower in Yunzhou, was also built by a Mohist sage. It could gather the spiritual energy of the surrounding mountains and rivers. On the top floor of the Immortal Slaying Tower, the Xuanyuan Bow, known as a "divine weapon," was placed. It was said that only cultivators of the top five realms could mobilize the heavens and earth to draw this bow. This bow gathered the luck of the entire Yunzhou, and once shot, those below the twelfth realm had no chance of escaping being killed.
For many years, the human cultivators guarding the Immortal Slaying Tower had used the Xuanyuan Bow to kill more than a handful of the top five realm cultivators of the four northern tribes, which is why this tower was called the Immortal Slaying Tower.
Over the years, Tianji City and the Immortal Slaying Tower have been considered forbidden grounds by human cultivators, not to be trespassed upon.
...
Lin Zhao was not in a hurry to go out and level up, nor was he in a hurry to go to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. He decided to explore Tianji City first. After all, he would be stationed in Tianji City frequently in the future, so it was good to understand it more. Thus, he rode his Snow Rock warhorse, carrying two swords, and leisurely strolled along the city avenue, appearing quite carefree.
"Dudududu~~~"
Suddenly, hurried hoofbeats sounded from afar, and then a column of iron cavalry dressed in dark green armor appeared before him. Their warhorses were very powerful, and their armor and weapons seemed to be standard issue. As Lin Zhao squinted to look, he couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock.
It was the Cangnan Iron Cavalry.
The Cangnan Iron Cavalry, once led by Chen Wanli, numbering two hundred thousand!
Before him, hundreds of Cangnan Iron Cavalry galloped past like a fierce wind, leaving Lin Zhao deeply shaken. No wonder everyone said the Cangnan Iron Cavalry was unparalleled in the world. Indeed, compared to the Cangnan Iron Cavalry, the Vermillion Bird Camp's cavalry lacked a certain virility, while the armor and weapons of the Western Shu Iron Cavalry and the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry were inferior!
Under the escort of the Cangnan Iron Cavalry, a female general dressed in exquisite dark green armor rode forward, her cloak fluttering behind her. Her beautiful face was etched with a murderous aura, and her hair was adorned with no ornaments, yet she exuded heroism. Most importantly, Lin Zhao could feel that this woman's cultivation was extremely high!
As she rode closer, a detailed introduction could be seen—
[Chen Xi] (Heavenly Origin Realm Martial Artist)
Level: ???
Introduction: Lord of Tianji City, guardian of Yunzhou, commander of the two hundred thousand Cangnan Iron Cavalry, one of the six Grand Marshals of the Great Shang Dynasty, granddaughter of Chen Wanli. After taking command of the Cangnan Iron Cavalry, she repelled numerous barbarian attacks with remarkable achievements.
...
"Hm?"
Chen Xi's beautiful eyes swept over Lin Zhao, revealing a hint of confusion. She murmured to herself, "Have those adventurers who broke through the barriers already arrived at Tianji City?"
Lin Zhao looked at the Heavenly Origin Realm beauty before him, and his heart churned. She was the granddaughter of the old Marshal Chen Wanli, and there was a slight connection between them!
Therefore, Lin Zhao cupped his fists and performed a martial artist's salute.
Chen Xi, being a martial artist herself, naturally returned the martial artist's salute. She then pulled on the reins and turned her horse to follow the Cangnan Iron Cavalry ahead. Behind her were five Myriad-Rider Commanders, indicating her high status in Yunzhou.
Yunzhou was full of talents; Chen Xi must be one of them.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, remembering Han Yetang, and then looked at Chen Xi in the distance, feeling quite emotional. The six Grand Marshals of this generation seemed a bit different, younger in age yet higher in cultivation.
Approximately half an hour later.
After completing a circuit, Lin Zhao had a general understanding of Tianji City. The next step was to consider the matter of going to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool.
After repairing his equipment and replenishing his potions, everything was ready by just before ten in the morning.
He messaged Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue in their small group: "Alright, I'm going on a long journey to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. I'll leave guild matters to you for now. Message me directly if anything comes up. I've brought a lot of return scrolls."
"Mhm, go ahead."
Neither of them objected to Lin Zhao returning to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Moreover, guild matters were already being arranged. With Shen Xingchen handling external affairs and Chen Xue handling internal affairs, it was basically impossible for any major issues to arise. To put it bluntly, if this were a Three Kingdoms card battle game, Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue would be two SSS-tier cards, one Zhuge Liang and one Xun Yu. Coupled with Ding Chi, Lu Han, Luo Man, and other SS-tier cards, defending a city would not be a problem.
...
With all preparations complete, Lin Zhao went to the teleportation array and was directly teleported to below Shanhaiguan Pass. He immediately received a notification that players wishing to pass through Shanhaiguan Pass had to complete a secret realm mission. After completing the secret realm mission, they could stay in the northern territories for 24 hours. Once the time was up, they would be automatically sent back to the main city. As for Lin Zhao, with the Shanhaiguan Golden Token, it was unknown how the situation would be.
He rode his horse through the pass, and his token didn't even need to be shown. The guards of Shanhaiguan Pass did not stop him at all. Some even saluted him with clasped fists, showing their utmost respect to this traveling sword cultivator.
After passing through Shanhaiguan Pass, there was no 24-hour countdown.
For a moment, Lin Zhao secretly rejoiced. The development of events was very smooth. This Shanhaiguan Golden Token was simply an invaluable treasure for him to roam the northern region. He was truly grateful to Han Yetang. Thinking about it now, Han Yetang didn't seem so fierce anymore.
After passing through Shanhaiguan Pass, he rode through hundreds of miles of fertile land, heading straight for the Fusu Great Wall. However, this time Lin Zhao moved much faster, as he had a mount, and his agility points and equipment bonuses were also high. His travel speed was far from comparable to when he first came here at level 1.
Dusk, the sun setting in the west.
Lin Zhao rode his warhorse, a lone figure galloping across the wilderness.
...
At the same time, Snow Domain Heavenly Pool.
"Swish!"
A beam of colorful light suddenly appeared in the sky, as if the heavens had been split open. Immediately after, a young Taoist priest descended from the light, riding the wind. He landed gracefully on the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, frowning as he looked at the entire expanse of snowy wilderness, which was devoid of any signs of life. Only a dilapidated temple on the mountainside had a mountain spirit sunbathing and scratching its head from time to time.
"Hm?"
Su Shanjun finally detected the majestic aura of the Great Dao on the Heavenly Pool and smiled slightly. "Finally, you're here!"
Saying that, he stood up, and a not-too-high ethereal Dharma form rose up, bowing to the young Taoist priest on the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. He smiled and said, "Lin Su, greetings, Dao Saint!"
"Su Shanjun, no need for formalities."
The young Taoist priest, who had been conferred the title of "Dao Saint" by the heavens, waved his hand. In the upper realm, he had already learned about this person from the God of War. He smiled and said, "Go about your business. I don't need any help here."
"Alright."
Su Shanjun's Dharma form retracted into his body in an instant, and he continued to sit there basking in the sun, feeling bored.
The young Taoist priest, carrying a sword on his back and holding a golden whisk in his hand, slowly walked through the small town, passing through the ruins of the back street that had been leveled, and came to the front street outside the bookstore. At this time, the bookstore was nothing but a barren expanse of snow, and the white tree was gone.
"Alas..."
He sighed, "Do you really want me to go upstream against the current?"
Saying that, he gently waved his whisk, and it was as if time reversed. The snow rapidly retreated towards the sky, and the bookstore buildings destroyed by the demon race reappeared. Beneath the white tree, a water vat was rippling with emerald waves. Within the water vat, two yin and yang fish, one black and one white, were swimming happily. He had come this time to find them.
"Creak~~~"
South of the white tree, the door of the main hall of the bookstore slowly opened, and a scholar dressed in a gray and white long robe straightened his clothes and walked out.
"Mr. Qin."
Dao Saint's face was filled with guilt. He performed a Taoist salute and said, "Did Mr. Qin foresee that I would come here in a hundred years?"
Qin Suihan cupped his fists and smiled. "The fate and birthdate of Shao Shiyu are indeed very suitable for inheriting the Holy Seal. I only calculated that someone would come to absorb this wisp of soul in a hundred years, but I didn't expect it to be the Dao Saint himself."
"I am ashamed."
Dao Saint smiled slightly. " Mr. Qin fought in the battle of martyrdom. I was unable to assist... This time, I am here at the behest of Mingyue Chi to help her take a disciple."
"Mhm."
Qin Suihan nodded. "Dao Saint, please feel free. You don't need to mind me."
"Mr. Qin..."
Dao Saint's face showed a look of unbearable compassion. "Can this art of reversing time... reforge your destiny? If so... I am willing to take a risk and try!"
"No need."
Qin Suihan shook his head and smiled. "My soul has not yet dispersed; it is merely a lingering attachment to the human world."
"If that is the case, I shall depart."
...
A few breaths later, the bookstore and Qin Suihan's body simultaneously vanished from the mortal world.
The young Taoist priest spread his five fingers and drew a soul from the mouths of the two fish, hiding it in his sleeve. He then floated away and landed in the center of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. He sat cross-legged on the ice, and snowflakes fell on his hair and clothes. He seemed very cold, looking miserable, and sat there for a long time. He looked up at the sky but dared not complain in the slightest, still waiting for the heavenly will here.
Soon after, a "crackling" sound came from the depths of the ice, and then a crack appeared. A surge of vigorous life force rose from the ground. It was actually a golden tender sprout. Within seconds, the sprout rapidly grew into a silver snow lotus. Beneath the snow lotus, there were imprints of silver divine dragons rotating, and even dragon roars echoed.
"It is indeed here."
The young Taoist priest flicked his sleeve, and in an instant, the soul in his sleeve flew out. The silver lotus then bloomed even more brilliantly. Shortly after, the flower pistil bore fruit, and a female infant was born, crying out.
"There, there, don't cry, don't cry~~~"
The young Taoist priest stepped forward and picked up the infant. However, he didn't know how to coax her. With a distressed expression, he carried the infant into the sky and, in a flash, ascended to the upper realm through the heavenly gate.