"You..."
The Catfish Demon was terrified, looking at the flawless, exquisite face bathed in moonlight. This woman was incredibly beautiful, but her eyes harbored an intense killing intent. Her entire being was brimming with potent sword intent. Her cultivation realm was eleventh, yet the sheer depth of her sword intent and the ferocity of her killing aura were things the Catfish Demon had never encountered in an eleventh-realm sword cultivator. He felt a tremor of unease the moment she appeared.
In a same-level confrontation, demon races generally had the upper hand against humans due to their powerful physiques and their innate connection to the primal Dao through their bloodlines. Typically, an eleventh-realm demon cultivator could easily defeat an eleventh-realm human. Battles between same-level opponents were numerous, and even when facing an eleventh-realm human Sword Immortal, an eleventh-realm demon would usually not be defeated due to their formidable physical bodies. Even if their cultivation foundation was insufficient and they couldn't win, they could always escape with ease.
However, as the Catfish Demon gazed at the woman wielding her sword with her left hand, he suddenly felt as though escape was impossible. Her beautiful eyes locked onto him, and he felt trapped in a net woven from sword energy.
"You... seek death?!"
The Catfish Demon, unwilling to yield, let out a low growl. His spearhead twitched, and he fiercely jabbed the sharp point of his spear towards the woman Sword Immortal's left arm. If he could cripple her left arm, even the most powerful eleventh-realm Sword Immortal would perish, as wielding a sword required hands!
Alas, the woman offered a slight smile. With a flick of her will, a flying sword intercepted the Catfish Demon's spear.
"You!"
The Catfish Demon's heart grew cold. A faint glow emanated from the heart-protecting mirror on his chest, his most potent artifact after centuries of navigating the demon world, a mirror imbued with the might of the Great Dao. Today, he realized he had to abandon it. Trading an artifact for his life was a worthy exchange.
"Any other tricks?"
The woman Sword Immortal chuckled, "Bring them all out. I'll face them."
"Ah?"
Hearing that voice, Lin Zhao shivered. The voice... it sounded so familiar. Even the woman's back seemed familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere before. Yet, he couldn't be certain, for that person... had long since fallen in the chaos of battle.
"Little girl, truly arrogant. Then I, your granddad, shall play with you?!"
The Catfish Demon laughed heartily, his chest thrusting forward. The heart-protecting mirror exploded, erupting like a blazing sun, illuminating the entire Snow Domain Heavenly Lake as if it were daytime.
The woman Sword Immortal, holding her sword in her left hand, unleashed over ten strikes. Wherever her sword light passed, the brilliance of the heart-protecting mirror was extinguished. Just as she finished dispelling the residual power of the explosion, the Catfish Demon was already hundreds of meters away, his three-bladed spear held high. He roared with laughter, "Your granddad isn't playing with you today. Another time, when I've ascended to the twelfth realm as a demon immortal, I'll return to take your pretty head!"
"You think you can escape?"
The woman Sword Immortal stepped into the air and gave chase. As the Catfish Demon rapidly retreated north, the woman Sword Immortal gently raised her left-hand sword and calmly declared, "Rise, all of you!"
Instantly, the northern land trembled, and scattered points of light began to emerge. These were the faint glows Lin Zhao had observed earlier, ten in total. At this moment, ten points of luminescence flared brilliantly, and ten treasured swords, infused with demon souls, erupted from the earth. They soared into the sky, forming pillars of sword energy that hemmed in the Catfish Demon's path like towering walls.
"You..."
The Catfish Demon roared madly, "If you kill me, the demon army will surely return, and you will die as well!"
"Are you threatening me?"
The woman Sword Immortal swung her sword. Immediately, the ten demon soul swords, nurtured in the northern reaches of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, drew their blades in unison. The next moment, the Catfish Demon's body was crisscrossed with countless sword wounds. An upper fifth-realm great demon perished thus, facing an eleventh-realm woman Sword Immortal, he had almost no room to fight back.
This woman, wielding a left-handed sword, cultivated her demon souls and nurtured ten demon soul swords.
Above and below, the strongest eleventh-realm in the world!
...
She turned and returned, standing before Lin Zhao. She looked at him, at his pure white armor, at the Dragon Slaying Sword strapped to his back, at the aura radiating from him, at his face that was both familiar and unfamiliar. Her heart was in turmoil. She couldn't be sure if it was him. A million hopes whispered that it was him, but she feared that hope would shatter in an instant, turning into a mere reflection in the water.
Lin Zhao also looked at her. That beautiful face was as it had been, but now it held a greater resilience and determination. She must have endured much hardship over the years. Her right arm had been severed by an eleventh-realm great demon's sword during the battle of the Deathly Expendables. Now, a hundred years later, she could slay an eleventh-realm demon. What strength had sustained her to reach this point?
"Is it you?"
The woman Sword Immortal looked at him, her eyes welling up with tears. The look in his eyes already told her that it was likely him.
"Have you been well these past years?"
Lin Zhao stared at her blankly, "Shu Zhi..."
The foremost among the ten on the Summit of the Mountain Villa, Shu Zhi, was now the strongest eleventh-realm in the human world.
"It really is you..."
At this moment, Shu Zhi finally lost emotional control. Her sword clattered to the ground. She rushed forward and threw herself into Lin Zhao's embrace, weeping uncontrollably, "I missed you... I missed you so much all these years... Everyone is dead. I wandered the world for a hundred years, and I have been alone for a hundred years. I had no friends by my side, only this sword. Master, you are still here... This is simply wonderful..."
"..."
Lin Zhao's heart was filled with a thousand emotions. He had only been gone for three days, but for Shu Zhi, these hundred years had been unbearably long. Moreover, she had been alone throughout. He reached out and gently stroked Shu Zhi's hair, saying, "Shu Zhi, don't cry. I'm back. You will never be alone again..."
"Yes... Yes!"
Shu Zhi seemed to realize her impropriety. She slowly pulled away from Lin Zhao's embrace, though she did not want to leave at all. She felt that Lin Zhao was her master, and she was his subordinate, and this was a transgression. She raised her hand, wiping away her tears, and forced a smile. "Master, you've seen my foolishness. I'm sorry... truly sorry..."
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao nodded. "It's good that you're still here."
"Yes!"
Just then, Su Shanjun shook his fan, "It seems all is well. Let's go."
"Thank you, Lord Su Shanjun, for your assistance!"
Lin Zhao cupped his fists and smiled.
Su Shanjun rolled his eyes and said dejectedly, "If I had known she was here, I wouldn't have intervened. I didn't even fight well and took a swipe from that Catfish Demon's tail. A bit embarrassing..."
Shu Zhi's tears subsided into a smile. She bowed with Lin Zhao, but she couldn't cup her fists. She could only bow her head in respect, "Thank you, Lord Su Shanjun!"
"No need, no need~~~"
Su Shanjun could hardly accept such a deep bow from Shu Zhi. He quickly transformed into a stream of mountain and river spiritual energy and returned to the Mountain Lord's Shrine.
Lin Zhao turned again and cupped his fists towards Master Yun, the old Sword Immortal Han. "Thank you, Old Sword Immortal Han, for your righteous assistance. Lin Zhao pays his respects!"
"It's nothing."
Han Buyu also said glumly, "I didn't help much and was beaten so badly I almost couldn't breathe. Third Shopkeeper, that Catfish Demon, such an ancient catfish, let's not waste it, shall we?"
"Understood. We'll have a feast at the camp later. Old Sword Immortal and Lord Su Shanjun are welcome to join."
"Good, good, good. We'll be waiting for your invitation, Third Shopkeeper."
...
Han Buyu also departed.
Lin Zhao said, "Shu Zhi, don't waste the Catfish Demon's remains. Bring them back, boil them for soup... An upper fifth-realm should be quite nourishing. It will help you recover, and you can ascend to the twelfth realm as a Sword Immortal in the future."
Shu Zhi's face turned crimson. "Master! What body do I need to nourish..."
With that, she waved her hand gently, sword energy flowing. She brought back the Catfish Demon's corpse from the foot of the mountain. Having died an upper fifth-realm, he had transformed into his true form, a giant catfish. His body was covered in crisscrossing sword marks, and he was easily three meters long. Lin Zhao chuckled at the sight. The sword marks were so perfectly placed that no further cutting would be needed for cooking.
Xiang Ji looked on in astonishment. This woman Sword Immortal, this eleventh-realm cultivator, was simply too formidable. Despite wielding a left-handed sword, she was almost peerless. How had she achieved this? Who was she, and why did she know the young hero in white?
"Brother in white."
Xiang Ji, bewildered, asked, "Forgive my intrusion, but who is this?"
"Ah, let me introduce you."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Her name is Shu Zhi. A hundred years ago, she was ranked first among the ten young prodigies on the Summit of the Mountain Villa of the Great Chen Dynasty in the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. She was my subordinate. When I led the Deathly Expendables in a decisive battle against the great demon Yu Zhi, Shu Zhi had her arm severed by a True Origin realm great demon. She was lost in the chaos of battle, and I thought she must have died in battle. I never expected... she is still alive... Shu Zhi, this is Xiang Ji, commander of the Purple Thunder Legion. He has fought alongside me in the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake these past few days. He is a decent person."
"I know."
Shu Zhi's voice was somewhat flat. "I recognized him a hundred years ago. I had already entered the Star River realm a few years after the Purple Thunder Legion's great defeat. At that time, I wanted to kill this defeated general with a single sword. But seeing as he later also fought demons with his fists, I let the matter drop."
Xiang Ji broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't sensed this Sword Immortal's presence at all, yet she had once wanted to kill him. This was too terrifying. Because of this, Xiang Ji filtered out all of Shu Zhi's less-than-pleasant words, feeling only grateful to be alive. However, he was still confused. He looked at Lin Zhao, "The commander of the Deathly Expendables back then was Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Brother Baiyi, you say you commanded the Deathly Expendables... This... this doesn't quite add up. Wasn't Lin Baiyi martyred long ago?"
Shu Zhi shot him a glare. "You yourself said that my Master calls himself 'Baiyi' in front of you, which directly corresponds to Lin Baiyi's 'Baiyi' from the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Do you think he is anyone other than Lin Zhao?"
"You are..."
Xiang Ji trembled all over. He immediately knelt on one knee, unable to rise. He had never imagined that he would be fighting alongside Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake for so many days. Others might have told him, and he wouldn't have believed it, but this woman Sword Immortal said it, so it must be true. There were few upper fifth-realm cultivators in the human race, and even fewer Sword Immortals. She had no reason to lie.
...
"Then... then why do you call yourself Baiyi?" Xiang Ji asked.
"Lin Zhao of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was my previous life."
"Ah?!"
Xiang Ji was horrified. "A soul severance and reincarnation?"