"Ding!"
System prompt: Attention, the Snow Region Celestial Lake camp is about to be attacked. Attack countdown: 00:10:00!
...
As Lin Zhao was swinging his sword to kill monsters, a bell sound echoed in his ears, confirming his unease. As expected, another demon race was attacking the mountain. The last time it was an eighth-realm demon cultivator; this time, it should be even stronger!
He immediately reined in his horse and charged back, abandoning the monsters he was halfway through killing. He rushed all the way to the mountainside and, seeing Xiang Ji standing on a giant rock, gazing north, raised his sword and shouted, "Return to camp, prepare for battle!"
"En!"
Xiang Ji lifted his long sword, his feet stomping on the giant rock, and his body immediately rode the wind towards the mountaintop, moving even faster than Lin Zhao.
Snow Region Celestial Lake, the camp.
Xiang Ji was the first to step into the camp, standing on the city wall with his long sword in hand. Lin Zhao then leaped forward, triggering two bronze beast mechanisms, activating them. The two gates guarding the camp then sprang open. He leaped up and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xiang Ji, gazing at the distant scene. The countdown was less than three minutes; the next demon army would soon be ascending the mountain.
At this moment, another bell rang, and a dual-mission mode began—
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations on triggering the main quest [Guard the Camp 2] (SS-rank)!
Quest objectives: Resist the demon race and hold onto the hard-won stronghold. Condition one: The blacksmith, merchant, and physician must survive. Condition two: You must survive. Condition three: Xiang Ji must survive. Upon completion, you will receive extremely generous rewards.
...
This time it was SS-rank!
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and stared intently into the distance. Although this time they had the Demon Suppressing Crossbows and bronze beasts to assist, the attacking demon army would certainly be stronger. He couldn't afford to be careless. He glanced at Xiang Ji beside him and said earnestly, "Lord Xiang Ji, I have something to say, though I don't know if I should."
Xiang Ji was startled: "Young hero, please speak freely. You and I fight demons side by side, like brothers. You can say anything!"
"En."
Lin Zhao nodded and said, "Lord Xiang Ji, your fist intent and boxing techniques are not weak, but I feel you focus too much on offense and killing in one blow. You only focus on releasing, not retracting. Such boxing principles always have slight flaws. Being able to retract and release freely is the only way to truly stand in an invincible position."
"I know that too..."
Xiang Ji frowned. "Actually, I, Xiang Ji, am not a fool. After so many years, I naturally know the shortcomings of my cultivation. However, once I go into battle to kill demons, the heroic spirits of my fifty thousand brothers seem to accompany my every strike. I truly cannot hold back my fists."
"Then from this moment on, learn to hold back your strength."
Lin Zhao looked ahead and said, "For a demon soldier that can be killed with two parts of your strength, using three parts is equivalent to wasting one part. This wasted true energy might become the key to victory. Unless you are in the middle five realms, there's no need for you to attack with full force. Try to hold back your strength slowly yourself, and then feel the changes in your boxing principles. Perhaps you will gain some insight."
"Oh?"
Xiang Ji blinked, looking at Lin Zhao with some surprise. Wasn't this young man a sword cultivator in the lower five realms? Why did he seem to have a good understanding of boxing principles and techniques, speaking so coherently? Although his words were simple, they were like lighting a lamp that should have been lit in Xiang Ji's heart.
Xiang Ji frowned. Then he would try it his way first. Perhaps he would truly benefit greatly. Even if he didn't, he wouldn't lose anything. It didn't matter.
In the cold wind, besides the rustling sound of snowflakes falling and the whistling of the wind through the torches, there were rustling footsteps from the depths of the Snow Region Celestial Lake. In the snowy night, pairs of azure blue eyes appeared in the darkness.
"En?"
Xiang Ji's heart trembled slightly as he sensed dense, potent demonic energy.
Lin Zhao felt the same. The sword-sheathing lake of his sword cultivator also hummed softly, and he clearly felt many demonic energies approaching. He immediately picked up a torch and "swished" it into the distant snowy night. Instantly, a whole group of demons was illuminated—they were a horde of women wearing light gauze dresses, with graceful figures, their chests heaving, their long hair flowing, and their eyes filled with immense venom.
He was too familiar with this—Snow Women!
Back then, the first time he went down North Mountain, he almost died at the hands of these Snow Women. This time, he encountered them again, and in countless numbers. Each of them curled their lips into a sinister smile, looking at his extremely simple camp.
"Rustle..."
A graceful figure stepped through the snow. She was even more beautiful and enchanting than the other Snow Women. It was the ninth-realm Nascent Soul demon cultivator, Long Xue. She had a slender figure, a delicate and flawless face, her chest almost bursting from her clothing, her waist as slender as a bind, and her legs were well-proportioned and long. She was significantly more beautiful than the other Snow Women. On her forehead was a golden dragon horn, perhaps proof of her enlightenment. Her beautiful eyes looked at Lin Zhao and Xiang Ji. Xiang Ji knew her; they had met once but never fought. The other young sword cultivator was a stranger, looking quite good, full of heroic spirit. It would be a shame to kill him, but Lord Bai Ye's orders had to be followed. What a pity!
"You two ignorant fools."
Long Xue proudly raised her head, her long neck incredibly alluring. She said with a delicate, sweet laugh, "You've forced your way into hell when there was no door. The Snow Region Celestial Lake has long been forbidden territory, it is our demon race's territory. You lowly humans still dream of reclaiming lost land? This is merely a pipe dream. Sisters, attack them, tear them to shreds!"
"Roar~~~"
A group of Snow Women opened their mouths and let out ferocious roars. The wind and snow in the sky and earth instantly froze for a few seconds. After the roars passed, the flying snow continued to fall.
"It's starting!"
Lin Zhao frowned and swung his sword. A sword qi cage immediately intercepted dozens of Snow Women. But more Snow Women came from all directions. Lin Zhao stood on the city wall as groups of Snow Women below leaped up. He swung his Thunderclap Sword, unleashing various skills amidst the crowd. This time, he showed no mercy in killing the Snow Women.
Beside him, Xiang Ji took a deep breath, his body flowing with potent fist intent. This time, he truly heeded Lin Zhao's advice and began to hold back his strength when punching. He unleashed a fist aura with two parts of his strength towards a group of second-realm Snow Women. Instantly, five Snow Women cried out in agony and stumbled back. When they fell to the ground, they were nothing more than piles of snow. Dust to dust, earth to earth.
At the same time, the Demon Suppressing Crossbows mounted high on the camp continuously shot out "chi chi chi" sounds. The several-meter-long, tempered crossbow bolts were extremely sharp and could instantly kill monsters. Any Snow Woman hit cried out in pain and was shot dead. Their attack speed was extremely fast, which made Lin Zhao a little worried. While it could defend the camp, it shot too fast, leaving him no time to draw his arrows!
At the front gate of the camp, a group of Snow Women rushed towards the bronze beasts. Some of them even pulled open their chest openings, their alluring eyes fixed on the bronze beasts, attempting to bewitch them. However, the bronze beasts, without a word, stepped forward and swiped their claws, smashing a group of Snow Women into pieces. They roared and bit into the waists of a Snow Woman, shaking their heads with force, directly tearing her in half.
They did not recognize human beauty; they were emotionless machines that only knew how to kill.
"Impressive!"
After Xiang Ji dispersed a few Snow Women in front of him with a punch, he looked at the Demon Suppressing Crossbows and the bronze beasts and exclaimed, "Impressive!" His impression of Lin Zhao deepened. Although he was young and his realm was low, a mere lower five-realm sword cultivator, seemingly not even a third-realm sword cultivator, his combat prowess in killing demons was commendable, and he used his brain. With such a person in the Snow Region Celestial Lake, these demons would have a tough time.
Not far away, Long Xue, the Nascent Soul realm Snow Woman, watched the battle in the camp with a frown. The strength of those two did not seem weak, especially Xiang Ji. The foundation of a ninth-realm martial artist was not to be underestimated. He struck without hesitation to kill. If she attacked now, she would definitely not have the upper hand. She frowned and decided to wait. Let those resentful sisters weaken them further. When these two men were exhausted, she would step forward to deal with them. It would be as easy as turning her hand.
...
While Lin Zhao was fighting fiercely in the Snow Region Celestial Lake, within a map in Tianji City, Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, and Mo Chenxue were teaming up to level up. Shen Xingchen was the main damage dealer, Chen Xue was balanced in offense and defense, and Mo Chenxue was an all-in-one damage dealer, healer, and controller. They leveled up with extreme ease, especially Mo Chenxue's "Shepherd God" skill, which was an absolute divine skill. After Chen Xue drew the aggro of the monsters, Mo Chenxue would cast Shepherd God, confusing a horde of monsters, and Shen Xingchen would directly rain fire or hail to harvest them. It was quite effortless.
"Xiao Xue."
Chen Xue charged forward, intercepting a monster that was trying to attack Mo Chenxue, and frowned. "Where are you living now? Lin Zhao, Xingchen, and I are all very worried about you. After all, people like Ghost King... are capable of anything."
"It's fine."
Mo Chenxue smiled. "Really, don't worry about me. I'm living in an apartment building now. There are security guards downstairs, so it will be fine. The security guards patrol several times every day. They can't do anything to me."
"En, that's good."
...
Meanwhile, on a dimly lit street, a supercar was parked on the roadside.
Ghost King looked up at the densely packed lights on the apartment building opposite and frowned. He said into his earphone, "Mo Chenxue lives on the 7th floor, apartment 712. Can the security guards downstairs handle it?"
"No problem."
Chen Hai's voice came from the earphone, and he chuckled. "Don't worry, President Jiang. The security guard on duty tonight is a little brother I used to play with. Before we make our move, I'll ask him to step out for a smoke behind the building. By the time he comes back, we'll be almost done."
"Is anyone watching the elevator? Don't let anything go wrong."
"Don't worry, we have enough personnel and vehicles ready, and we even have a decoy prepared. President Jiang, just go back to your villa. Within an hour, we'll deliver Lin Xueqiong to your bed, completely naked."
"Damn it... Can't I undress myself? You guys be careful, don't touch her randomly. She's your future sister-in-law."
"Hahaha, yes, yes, we'll be careful."
"Be quick and clean. The patrol police... avoid them, don't cause trouble."
"Okay!"