Not long after, Lin Zhao emerged from the Mo family's shop, his hands full. With five monster-suppressing crossbows, five bronze beasts, and 5,000 crossbow bolts, he felt truly invincible. This armament alone was enough to repel a small demon army. Coupled with his and Xiang Ji's strength, the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake camp's power had reached a new level. It was just a shame they still couldn't take on Star River realm demons.
While he had indeed fought Star River realm bosses with Shen Xingchen and Qing Ning before, it had been a long time ago. With version updates, the monsters' strength had increased accordingly. It would be difficult to defeat a Star River realm demon now.
...
Within the city, he decided to wander around. He couldn't completely detach himself from the main city; he wanted to see if there were any other treasures to be found, especially since traveling between Heavenly Ji City and Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was no easy feat.
As he was browsing through the stalls, Shen Xingchen's voice came through their three-person channel in the Scarlet Moon Knights: "Lin Zhao, Chen Xue and I want to apply to declare war on Prosperous Peony. If you agree, please handle the declaration."
"What's wrong?"
Lin Zhao was slightly taken aback. "What happened?"
"There's always something," Chen Xue replied. "Ever since Xiao Xue joined our Scarlet Moon Knights, the people from Prosperous Peony have been constantly provoking us. Many of them speak obscenely. I won't go into the details of all the nasty things they've said. Just half an hour ago, Ghost King, with Flying Dragon in the Sky, wiped out one of our 20-person leveling teams in a map south of the city. After the wipe, Ghost King sent a message saying it was a misunderstanding, effectively taking advantage of us both in terms of face and profit."
"That's quite something?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Is Ghost King finally resorting to underhanded tactics?"
"Mm."
Shen Xingchen smiled. "Someone must have advised Ghost King, or perhaps they're using Ghost King as a pawn to instigate the first guild war in Heavenly Ji City."
"Xingchen, what do you think?"
Lin Zhao asked. "Do you think this battle can be fought?"
"It can be fought."
Shen Xingchen's lips curled into a smile. "Our Scarlet Moon Knights are no longer what we used to be. Is taking down Prosperous Peony a big deal? Besides, we can test the waters by fighting Prosperous Peony and see who the manipulator behind them is."
"Who do you think it might be?"
"Currently, in Heavenly Ji City, only our Scarlet Moon Knights and Seeking Immortals guilds have developed the most smoothly. Who do you think wants to use Prosperous Peony the most to slow down our development and snatch our leveling resources?"
"Then it's most likely Seeking Immortals."
Lin Zhao frowned. "It's just that Xian Bai definitely won't admit to this. At least, he's still a man of integrity for now. If things truly escalate later, it's hard to say."
"Mm, indeed."
Shen Xingchen smiled slightly. "So, what do we do? Declare war or not?"
"Declare war."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "Let's fight for 24 hours!"
"Okay!"
The next moment, a bell sound echoed through the skies of Heavenly Ji City, lingering long in the air—
"Ding!"
System Notification: Players, please pay attention. The guild [Scarlet Moon Knights] has officially declared war on the guild [Prosperous Peony]. The war will last for 24 hours. During this period, killing each other will not increase sin points!
...
"Alright."
Lin Zhao smiled. "I don't need to personally participate, right?"
"No."
"Then I'll head back to the Northern Territory to level up."
"Mhm, mhm."
Storms were brewing in Heavenly Ji City. The Scarlet Moon Knights finally couldn't hold back and declared war first. Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Lu Han, Ding Chi, and others led the charge, hunting down Prosperous Peony members in various leveling maps. Meanwhile, Lin Zhao teleported to Shanhai Pass and headed north again. As he rode his warhorse, with twin swords on his back, passing through Shanhai Pass, the golden decree of the pass glowed, indicating that he could dispatch up to 500 cavalry to accompany him, even bringing them to Snow Domain Heavenly Lake to await orders.
However, Lin Zhao was hesitant. Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was extremely perilous. If these 500 cavalry were wiped out, how would he face Han Yetang and repay his good intentions? The thought immediately made him abandon the idea of borrowing troops from Shanhai Pass. For the entire world, Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was a hot potato. Who dared to go there? Going there was courting death!
He ambled out of Shanhai Pass and galloped through the wilderness. Not long after, he reached Fusu Great Wall. He took out his bamboo hat, pulled it down low, and sped out of the city on his horse. Fortunately, Qin Ran wasn't around this time; he was probably at home refining swords and hadn't come out. Otherwise, he would have been dragged into another drinking session, which was a terrible waste of time.
After a midday meal, it was already three in the afternoon when he arrived at Snow Domain Heavenly Lake.
From afar, the entire Snow Domain Heavenly Lake seemed to connect heaven and earth, a magnificent sight. As Lin Zhao rode, he looked up. Today, Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was unusually clear, with a vast blue sky. Only above Snow Domain Heavenly Lake floated a pure white cloud like a cotton candy. The weather was truly beautiful and exhilarating.
He spurred his horse up the mountain. Passing by the dilapidated Mountain Lord Shrine, he noticed that no one was sunbathing today. A different lounge chair was placed beside it, occupied by a lazy-looking old man in a green robe, his legs crossed, chatting with the Mountain Lord.
"Hmm?"
Lin Zhao found him somewhat familiar, so he reined in his horse and rode closer. From dozens of meters away, he dismounted, cupped his fists, and said, "Lin Zhao greets Mountain Lord Su, and greets this elder."
Mountain Lord Su stood up and smiled. "Lin Zhao, take a look at this elder. You should recognize him."
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao stepped forward and stared at the old man in the green robe. His heart was immediately struck with shock. This face was too familiar. It was none other than the "Gourmet," the old Sword Immortal Han Buyu, who had died in Snow Domain Heavenly Lake years ago. However, at this moment, he was no longer a Sword Immortal. A faint golden glow emanated from him, and he had already become a deity of mountains and rivers.
"Old Sword Immortal Han?"
Lin Zhao looked at him in disbelief.
"That's right~~~"
Han Buyu stood up, straightened his robes, and cupped his fists to Lin Zhao. "Han Buyu, greets Third Shopkeeper!"
Reuniting with an old acquaintance, Lin Zhao was overjoyed. "That's great... I never expected to see Old Sword Immortal Han again in this lifetime."
"Han Buyu never thought he would see Snow Domain Heavenly Lake's Lin Baiyi again either..."
Han Buyu looked at Lin Zhao, his eyes filled with respect.
"Old Sword Immortal, you are now..."
Lin Zhao was filled with suspicion. The reappearance of someone who had died years ago was quite bizarre.
"I am no longer human~~~"
Han Buyu smiled slightly and waved his long sleeve. The white cloud in the sky dispersed. He cupped his fists again. "When I died in battle years ago, I was fortunate enough to be favored by heaven and earth, and was conferred the title of Cloud Master. My rank is not high, no better than that old woman in Baiyuxi. However, my cultivation has remained somewhat, and I am still in the Star River realm."
"Cloud Master..."
Lin Zhao's lips curved into a smile. "It's good that you're still here. Whether you're human or ghost, in my eyes, you are still Old Sword Immortal Han."
"You flatter this old man..."
Han Buyu cupped his fists again. "On behalf of everyone in the world, I thank Marshal Lin for his life-risking battle a hundred years ago. Without Marshal Lin, the master of this world would likely have changed long ago."
"Alright, alright~~~"
Mountain Lord Su pinched his nose with a look of disdain. "You two are just flattering each other endlessly. Lin Zhao, go attend to your business. Old Sword Immortal Han is now a Cloud Master, responsible for cloud and rain affairs in the entire Snow Domain Heavenly Lake region. You'll see each other often, so there will be plenty of opportunities to chat later. Go on, don't disturb me and the old Sword Immortal's sunbathing."
"Roger that!"
Lin Zhao smiled, clasped his fists, and galloped away on his horse.
"Then he was a youth, and now he is..."
Han Buyu watched Lin Zhao's retreating figure, unsure how to complete the sentence.
Mountain Lord Su laughed. "Now he's in his prime!"
"Exactly, in his prime! Hahahaha~~~"
Han Buyu chuckled and sat back down, accompanying Mountain Lord Su in sunbathing. After all, the ground in the area where he managed cloud and rain was under this Mountain Lord's jurisdiction. It was important to maintain a good relationship. Otherwise, if trouble arose one day and Mountain Lord Su packed up and left, it wouldn't be good.
...
Snow Domain Heavenly Lake.
Lin Zhao returned to the camp. His mood was exceptionally good today. He hadn't expected a wisp of Old Sword Immortal Han's soul to remain. Now he had even molded a golden body and become a Cloud Master. Although this Cloud Master's rank was not high and his strength was likely not formidable, seeing Old Sword Immortal Han himself was something worth celebrating.
Moreover, Mountain Lord Su was no longer lonely. With Old Sword Immortal Han accompanying him to sunbathe, he could scold him a few times when he was in a bad mood. Old Sword Immortal Han's foundation in the Great Dao was far inferior to Mountain Lord Su's, and he likely wouldn't dare retort. After all, Mountain Lord Su's peak realm was the Thirteenth Realm, comparable to the Fourteenth Realm in Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. He was someone who dared to draw his sword against the immortals in the Sea of Heavens. Such transcendent strength was something Han Buyu could never have dreamed of in his life.
Lin Zhao began to get busy.
He expanded the camp slightly, erected five high platforms, and placed all five monster-suppressing crossbows on them. The bronze beasts would block the entrance, and outside the camp, he used his Thunderbolt Sword to dig a moat. As for the water in the moat... for now, there was none. He would have to make a trip to Baiyuxi later and see if Madam Xu, the River Mother, could help.
He wondered if she was still there. She had been a great help in preserving Shaoshi Yu's corpse back then.
...
Night, the top floor of Ning City's center.
In the hotel apartment, Leng Yan was stealing some time to catch up on a drama. Watching the tearful protagonists, she was moved to tears herself. When would she find her own sweet love? But Lin Zhao only saw her as a friend. What should she do? After all, her heart only had Lin Zhao in it. No matter how good other men were, their love wouldn't feel sweet.
"Beep beep~~~"
Beside her, her phone rang, indicating an incoming call. She glanced at it; it was an unfamiliar number.
"Hello?"
Leng Yan answered. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Xian Bai."
Xian Bai's voice held a hint of sorrow. "Leng Yan, you still haven't saved me in your contacts..."
"Oh, I forgot."
Leng Yan said lightly, then smiled. "Heavenly Ji City has been quite lively lately. Prosperous Peony knows they can't win, yet they keep provoking Scarlet Moon Knights, ultimately trapping Scarlet Moon Knights in a guild war. You wouldn't have had any hand in this, would you, Seeking Immortals?"
"How could that be?"
Xian Bai's voice trembled. "Could I be that kind of person?"
"Xian Bai, listen carefully."
Leng Yan spoke word by word, smiling. "My heart has only one person, and only one. Any means you use to try and ruin my relationship with him will only make me look down on you more. We are still friends for now. Whether you like me or not is none of my concern; that's your business. But if you try to influence me with yourself, don't blame me if Sheng Tian decides to make a move against Seeking Immortals one day."
"I understand."
...
After hanging up the phone.
Xian Bai slowly put down his phone, took a deep breath, and looked dejected. Leng Yan had always been clear about her likes and dislikes. However, it was precisely because of this that Xian Bai liked her so much. He frowned, composed himself, and decided to take things slow. It was the same for Scarlet Moon Knights and for Leng Yan. Like boiling a frog in warm water, he would wait for things to naturally fall into place.
The eighth update is complete, brothers, recommend votes!!!