On a green mountain peak at Jiuzhangyuan, a ethereal figure sat. Though in-game, she wore a JK skirt, exuding youthful vitality, her face exquisitely beautiful, as if eternally ageless. Few players in "Tian Xia" could move so unseen, so unbound by rules.
Fei Er, a renowned official reporter for "Tian Xia," described herself as a true war correspondent.
At this moment, Fei Er was broadcasting a live stream watched by over 40 million people, featuring the Northern Expeditionary Army's campaign. Two hours prior, she had enthusiastically detailed the scientific and logical troop deployments of guilds like Xinghe and Canglong. But now... she had no more commentary. In the sky, colossal demonic figures intertwined, unleashing spells like nuclear bombs upon the player ranks, shattering them to pieces.
"Dear viewers."
Fei Er twitched her lips and said, "Fu Sheng, a expert from the Demon Race's Thirteen Realms, has summoned a forbidden barrier, trapping our 200,000-strong Expeditionary Army north of Jiuzhangyuan. Well... Su Xinghe was slain by Nan Qingfeng, a Thirteen Realm great demon. He even dropped a necklace, a pity. Jian Huang was killed by Long Zheng, a Twelve Realm great demon. Long Zheng's outfit is truly beautiful, by the way. If anyone has a link, please message me privately. Wow... Yan Yuhan, the leader of Hancheng Alliance, was besieged by two Twelve Realm experts and instantly killed! What a shame..."
She pouted. "Dear viewers, if things continue as they are, I fear our Expeditionary Army has already failed. How about I sing you a song next? I'm going to sing! Stop asking, if you want an answer, go and see. Those lonely souls, do they still go home at night? Those souls with nowhere to rest, wandering to the ends of the earth..."
After singing for a while, she began to showcase her talents on the mountain peak, dancing and the like.
Regardless, the battlefield of the Expeditionary Army was truly unbearable, a complete massacre.
...
Countless players were slaughtered within towering golden bamboo slips, denied even the chance to return to the city. This was because, after Fu Sheng unleashed the bamboo slip restriction, all player return scrolls displayed a large "forbidden" symbol, rendered useless. It was precisely for this reason that Yi Shi Cang Liang was also cut down by Nan Qingfeng's sword. He hadn't even activated his invincibility; using it would have only drawn another blow. Yi Shi Cang Liang understood this simple calculation.
From the start of the battle to its end, it lasted a full three hours.
Lin Zhao had also sat on the cliff of Beishan, watching for three hours. Although far away, he could dimly see how the player army was devoured piece by piece.
In the wind, Fu Sheng smiled faintly, raising a hand to collect a natal bamboo slip into his sleeve. The outcome of this battle pleased him greatly; this was the kind of achievement the Demon Race should have. The moment he put away the bamboo slip, hundreds of remaining Expeditionary Army players on the map, between the cracks, galloped south, fleeing for their lives.
Despite his scholar's robe and scholarly aura, Fu Sheng's killing intent was palpable. He strode forward, each step crushing multiple players into wisps of white light that scattered. In a few steps, Fu Sheng had crossed Jiuzhangyuan, confirming that the 200,000+ Expeditionary Army players had truly all been killed, not a single one remaining.
His gaze fell upon Xue Yu Tian Chi.
"Swish!"
Lin Zhao straightened up, drew the Benlei Sword, and looked in Fu Sheng's direction, his brow furrowed.
He was provoking him.
Fu Sheng smiled faintly. He had suffered a great loss last time; would he so easily step into Xue Yu Tian Chi again? After all, it only took a few breaths for Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua to fly from Xi Jian Jiang and Fusu Great Wall to Xue Yu Tian Chi. It wouldn't take much effort. And the one Fu Sheng feared most was naturally Lin Zhao. His dare to provoke him indicated he had confidence. As for what that confidence entailed, it was hard to say. Fu Sheng had read all the human Sages' books, intending to learn the principles of being human, not to learn the boy's mind full of schemes and tricks.
"Hmph~~"
Fu Sheng smiled faintly and turned to leave.
In the wind, great demons from the Demon Race's two encampments appeared one after another in the sky. Nan Qingfeng, Long Zheng, Feng Quan, Wu Li, Lu Xiuyuan, and other top-tier great demons were all present, their gazes sharp as they looked towards Xue Yu Tian Chi. Each harbored a desire to raze Xue Yu Tian Chi immediately, yet they also feared the people behind that boy.
Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua were the paper-strong reinforcements for Xue Yu Tian Chi. But what truly made the great demons wary were two other taboo-level existences. One was Lin Zhao's third senior brother, the Military Sage Ding Muchen. Even in the Demon Race's martial world, there were circulating prophecies about the Military Sage Ding Muchen: "Half a lifetime adrift, unfulfilled; a celestial sword entrusted to the mortal realm." After the Demon Ancestor was forced to retreat by a single sword, all cultivators in the Demon Race knew how powerful that Military Sage was. "A celestial sword entrusted to the mortal realm" sounded beautiful and romantic, but the feeling of that celestial sword striking one's own forehead might not be so pleasant.
The other taboo was the white-clothed woman who helped Lin Zhao kill the peak Thirteen Realm sword cultivator Bai Lan with a single sword. According to intelligence from the Demon Race's Ancestral Mountain, the woman's origins were extremely mysterious, beyond even the Demon Ancestor's full comprehension. To say she was a white dragon sword spirit sealed within the Zhanlong Sword, yet she didn't seem like it at all. For the Demon Ancestor felt no strong dragon aura from her. To say it was something else, to unleash a blow superior to a Fifteen Realm with the strength of a mere remnant soul was too exaggerated. In short, from the perspective of the Demon Race's Ancestral Mountain, it was best if this woman had exhausted her soul power and was completely dead. Otherwise, she remained a great problem.
What made the Demon Race grit their teeth in hatred the most was that after the boy's soul re-embodiment and reincarnation, he immediately carried an ancient sword wrapped in cloth. No one knew if it was the true Zhanlong Sword, nor if that white sister still resided within the Zhanlong Sword. But as long as Lin Zhao carried this sword, the Demon Race had to be wary.
With a mere Lower Five Realms sword cultivator standing in Xue Yu Tian Chi, it was enough to make a group of Upper Five Realm demon experts hesitate and retreat. After all, even Bai Lan had died back then, and thoroughly so. He was the top expert of the Demon Race below the Demon Ancestor! Who among the current Thirteen Realms dared to claim parity with Bai Lan? Fu Sheng, Nan Qingfeng, Ning Shengyuan, these individuals likely lacked that confidence.
...
The group of great demons turned and returned to Panyun Mountain.
Lin Zhao also returned to the encampment with Zhu Zhi and Mu Zha. It was time for breakfast.
First, he would draw talismans, and after exhausting his stamina, he would log off.
Eight-thirty in the morning.
Upstairs, Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Luoman, and Mo Chenxue, four beauties, descended one after another. Ding Chi and Zhang Jun had played ping pong in the activity room for a while. Lin Zhao, due to lack of sleep, did not participate and joined everyone for breakfast. Half of the breakfast was homemade, half was bought. The Scarlet Moon Knight Order now guarded an S-class gem vein, generating constant revenue. After deducting expansion, recruitment, and signing fees, there was still a considerable surplus; they were truly no longer short of money.
As they began to eat, Lin Zhao was savoring his favorite breakfast: a bowl of hulutang, two fried dough sticks, and a sesame-covered flatbread. While he was enjoying his meal, Shen Xingchen had already projected a holographic recording of the battle scene north of Jiuzhangyuan from her phone. "I didn't expect the situation to change so drastically overnight."
Chen Xue asked, "I haven't checked yet. What was the result of the Expeditionary Army? Did they destroy the two encampments?"
"No."
Lin Zhao knew it best. "They fell into the Demon Race's ambush; the entire army was annihilated."
"..."
Chen Xue was somewhat speechless.
Shen Xingchen remarked, "The Demon Race invested too much this time. Two Thirteen Realms, four Twelve Realms, plus ten Eleven Realms, a total of 16 Upper Five Realm experts hidden in the two encampments. What does that concept represent?"
Lin Zhao replied, "Approximately... nearly half the strength of the Demon Race's Ancestral Mountain was deployed."
"Tsk tsk."
Ding Chi said, "Then I truly feel sorry for Su Xinghe."
Shen Xingchen glanced at Lin Zhao. "You watched the entire process?"
"More or less."
Lin Zhao smiled. "I watched from Xue Yu Tian Chi, not very clearly, but the battlefield situation was crystal clear. Actually, the Demon Race's plan was designed for me. After they suffered losses last time, they were certainly resentful and wanted to regain face. Hence, they stationed troops at Panyun Mountain, leaving 100,000 troops at the foot of the mountain as bait. Unfortunately, such an obvious setup, how could I fall for it? Instead, the Expeditionary Army plunged right in."
"Too tragic..."
Shen Xingchen smiled, her dimples showing. "The final battle report stated that the 200,000-strong Expeditionary Army was completely wiped out, while the Demon Race lost less than 50,000 troops. Tsk tsk, this battle record is even inferior to that of Marquis Yue Hao."
Chen Xue chuckled. "Xingchen, after you left Xinghe, Su Xinghe seemed to have lost his composure."
"He was too eager for quick success," Shen Xingchen said. "After 'Tian Xia' launched, Xinghe's early development was too smooth. During the novice village and county city stages, they defeated many small and medium guilds, draining their elites. By the time the provincial city opened, Xinghe's total number of members exceeded 40,000, and their overall combat power ranked first in the national server. Su Xinghe also had great ambitions. Imagine, if everything had gone smoothly? With a 200,000-strong Expeditionary Army destroying the troop strength of two demon encampments, Xinghe would truly have been at its zenith in the national server. Which other guild in the Huaxia region would dare to stand as an equal to Xinghe?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded, deeply agreeing.
...
After eating their fill, they logged in.
It was afternoon in the game. Lin Zhao, carrying his long sword, rode his horse out of the encampment. He glanced in the direction of the northern region. It seemed he really couldn't remain idle any longer. He would go down the mountain to level up, aiming for the 100-level milestone. Reaching level 100 would allow him to undergo the Sword Hero's second advancement and awaken the sword tip of the Han Niu Sword gifted by Mr. Qin. For Lin Zhao, these were currently the most important matters.
Xiang Ji was training troops. Missions were no longer issued; there was no other way, these last two levels had to be grinded out the hard way.
...
South of Jiuzhangyuan, a middle-aged man in a black robe arrived. He was a ghost cultivator, known as Mu Guiren, followed by swarms of ghoul dogs, ground fire ghost soldiers, giant mouth ghost soldiers, and the like.