"Bang!"
With a deafening sound, Lin Wanhua's natal flying sword, Feihua, forcefully pierced through Lu Hai's back of the head, leaving a spray of golden blood behind. Following that, Lin Wanhua's two receding sword energies left two intersecting, deep cuts on Lu Hai's abdomen, so profound that his internal organs were faintly visible. Blood continuously flowed, creating a grim scene.
"Lin Wanhua, you damned..."
Lu Hai retreated, his expression drastically changing. Fighting Lin Xingchu alone, he could still manage; while not effortless, he wouldn't have sustained such injuries. But with the sudden appearance of Lin Wanhua, the situation shifted instantly. The sword to his crown, the sword piercing his back of the head, and the two on his abdomen were all substantial blows. Even with the robust physique of a Great Demon of the Thirteenth Realm, Lu Hai coughed up blood repeatedly.
After all, Lin Wanhua was no ordinary Twelfth Realm cultivator; she was a peak Twelfth Realm Sword Immortal, perhaps the strongest in the world. Her sword could contend with a weakened Thirteenth Realm Great Demon. This was no exaggeration. And at Fusang Great Wall, Lin Wanhua had gained the Great Wall's recognition, her strength comparable to a peak Thirteenth Realm Sword Immortal. What level was that? A peak Thirteenth Realm Sword Immortal of the Human Race would warrant some caution even from the Demon Ancestor himself.
"Damn it!"
Fu Sheng's sleeves fluttered. His strength completely crushed Zhu Zhi and Mu Zha, but seeing Lu Hai's miserable state, the scholar among the demon race couldn't help but utter an expletive. He sent his fists forward, and intense fist force sent Zhu Zhi and Mu Zha flying apart. With his left hand, he lightly pinched the air, and said in a deep voice, "Lu Hai, I'll protect you, find an opportunity to leave!"
As he spoke, Fu Sheng's natal object, a shining emerald green bamboo slip, reappeared. Instantly, Fu Sheng dismantled the slip and flicked out a single piece. The piece, as if imbued with life, wrapped in golden light, surged into Lin Xingchu's sword dao water flow. With a "swish," it covered Lu Hai's body like an outer garment. Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua's rapid sword strikes all landed on the bamboo slip, which began to shatter inch by inch.
"Lu Hai, hurry!"
Fu Sheng roared.
"Thanks!"
Lu Hai's body writhed. He had already revealed half of his true form – half human, half the coiling, twisting body of a deep-sea demon dragon. Golden blood splattered, and he was covered in wounds, but under Fu Sheng's bamboo slip, he gradually broke free from the restraint of Lin Xingchu's sword qi water flow.
"Stomp, stomp, stomp~~~"
Just then, a person sped across the snow, chasing to the ground below Lu Hai. He carried a giant crossbow, disproportionate to his size. Looking at Lu Hai in the air, he seemed to have bristled, his eyes filled with killing intent. As he sprinted, he aimed at Lu Hai's figure in the sky.
"Bang!"
The Demon Binding Rope suddenly shot out, its sharp edges spinning rapidly in the air, opening a huge net. However, it seemed to have overshot, and the large net of the Demon Binding Rope grazed past Lu Hai.
"Huh?"
Lu Hai suddenly lowered his head and saw Lin Zhao's figure. He immediately recalled someone from a century ago, and a sneer appeared on his lips. "Little beast, you haven't avenged Lord Bai Lan's death, and you dare to cause trouble again?!"
Lin Zhao didn't even look at him, turned, and walked away, heading back to camp to retrieve the second Demon Binding Rope.
"Still wasting time?!"
Fu Sheng was entangled by the Nine Demon Soul Swords again. He punched them away and said in a deep voice, "If you don't leave now, don't blame me for abandoning you!"
"Alright!"
Lu Hai's body surged with the aura of a ferocious dragon. He struggled to break free from the restraint of Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua.
Fu Sheng gritted his teeth, his figure flashed, and he unleashed two punches, one at Lin Xingchu and one at Lin Wanhua. In fact, the moment Lin Wanhua appeared, Fu Sheng knew the situation was dire. One Lin Xingchu was manageable; he was only half a Fourteenth Realm cultivator, and the Thirteenth Realm of the demon race could contend with him. But with Lin Wanhua's appearance, she was a genuine peak Twelfth Realm Sword Cultivator, extremely difficult to kill. He, Fu Sheng, didn't want to die on this barren land. Yet, he couldn't leave. If two came and only one returned, the Demon Ancestor's profound cultivation would surely perceive everything that happened at Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Lu Hai had also absorbed a great deal of luck from across the demon race to reach this Thirteenth Realm. If he abandoned Lu Hai and fled, he would face severe punishment upon returning to the Ancestral Mountain, perhaps even losing his title as the Guardian of the Ancestral Mountain. This was a price Fu Sheng could not afford.
On the ground.
A person stomped forward. Lin Zhao, as if tireless, arrived with the second Demon Binding Rope, his eyes filled with intense killing intent. This battle was an excellent opportunity. If he could kill Lu Hai, then Gu Zixi, Zhang Liucheng, and the souls of countless Human Race heroes would finally find peace. For this battle, Lin Zhao wanted no rewards; he just wanted to kill Lu Hai!
"Bang!"
The second Demon Binding Rope was fired. This time, Lin Zhao calmed his mind and fired only after perfectly calibrating it. The octagonal rope spun rapidly in the air. Although Lu Hai twisted his body with all his might, he was still tightly bound by the Demon Binding Rope and plummeted rapidly towards the ground.
"Aunt!"
Lin Zhao shouted. This was a heaven-sent opportunity to kill Lu Hai.
Lin Xingchu, without hesitation, unleashed a sword strike from the heavens. Countless water droplets condensed in the wind, converging into a sharp sword tip, which "bang" pierced through Lu Hai's chest, splashing golden blood and instantly shattering an unknown number of his ribs. Simultaneously, Lin Wanhua raised her hand and pointed. Her second natal flying sword transformed into a ray of pure white light and pierced through Lu Hai's brow!
"Chii!"
Lu Hai let out a miserable howl. His Spiritual Sea instantly turned blank, his Heart Lake churned, and his cultivation began to plummet. He fell directly to the Twelfth Realm. Coupled with his injuries, his mental state collapsed, and his cultivation continued to drop, plunging all the way to the Eleventh Realm True Return.
Lin Wanhua's second natal flying sword was named Heart Flower, and its divine ability was to shatter the enemy's mental state – a remarkably rare ability, and one of the reasons for Lin Wanhua's standing at the pinnacle of the Twelfth Realm.
"Ah!?"
Fu Sheng turned pale with shock. If he dropped any further, Lu Hai would truly become a mere subordinate upon returning to the Ancestral Mountain. Thus, Fu Sheng disregarded everything else. He dismantled another bamboo slip and flicked it out, engulfing Lu Hai's body. At the same time, Fu Sheng traced a finger through the air. His fingertip transformed into sharp claws, and he forcefully tore open the spirit net of the Demon Binding Rope. Then, Fu Sheng took out a carving knife from his sleeve. This knife was used for inscribing text on bamboo slips, but as Fu Sheng swung his arm, the carving knife transformed into a golden war blade, three meters long. With a sweeping strike, he pushed Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua back ten meters.
"Still not leaving?!"
Fu Sheng roared.
"Thanks! Fu Sheng, you are a true brother! I'll treat you to drinks when we get back to the Ancestral Mountain!"
Lu Hai staggered to his feet. One of his arms had been severed by Lin Wanhua, transforming into a dragon claw that fell to the ground. He grudgingly ascended, transforming into a streak of dark indigo light heading north. Before leaving, he cast a vicious glare at Lin Zhao. He was filled with hatred. A mere human of the lower five realms, even if Lin Zhao had reincarnated, he would surely tear off his head and make soup next time! And Lin Xingchu, Lin Wanhua – they would all die!
Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua split into two paths, flanking Fu Sheng. In an instant, Fu Sheng's arms were covered in sword qi wounds. Lin Wanhua, the Sword Cultivator, was too formidable, and Lin Xingchu, the half-Fourteenth Realm cultivator, was like a Sword Cultivator despite not being one. Although Fu Sheng was powerful, he still couldn't withstand the fierce assault of these two. More importantly, the consecutive loss of two natal bamboo slips had severely damaged Fu Sheng's cultivation. Now, using his natal carving knife to defend against the two opponents, he was stretched thin. If the carving knife were also damaged, his cultivation might drop to the Twelfth Realm.
If this were to happen, the expedition from the Demon Race Ancestral Mountain would be a complete and utter failure.
Even more critically, that brat had disappeared again!
Damn it, he had gone to carry the third Demon Binding Rope!
Fu Sheng cried out in misery. He absolutely could not hesitate any longer. Further hesitation meant certain death. Behind him, Zhu Zhi and Mu Zha, the two Eleventh Realm cultivators, were also arriving. If he didn't leave now, he would truly die!
He took a deep breath and made a decisive move!
"Swish!"
Fu Sheng sacrificed the third bamboo slip. Instantly, wisps of golden text swirled around him. He roared and leaped up. At this moment, no one could stop his escape. Neither Lin Xingchu's nor Lin Wanhua's swords were sufficient. As for Zhu Zhi and Mu Zha, they were far behind. Fu Sheng's natal bamboo slips originally consisted of ten slips. Now that three were lost, it would be too much of a failure if he couldn't escape. After all, those were the culmination of Fu Sheng's millenniums of effort!
In an instant, Lin Xingchu's water flow longsword was repelled, Lin Wanhua's sword and two natal flying swords were all knocked away. Zhu Zhi's Nine Demon Soul Swords couldn't stop him, and Mu Zha directly withdrew his fist to evade the锋芒. The next second, Fu Sheng transformed into a streak of grayish-white light and headed north, straight for the Ancestral Mountain. The scenery behind him rapidly receded. Fu Sheng, while fleeing at full speed, frowned. Lin Xingchu, Lin Wanhua, and Lin Zhao – these three with the surname Lin had caused today's outcome. He utterly detested everyone with the surname Lin in the world.
With Fu Sheng's departure, the situation was decided.
This battle, Snow Domain Heavenly Pool had won!
...
When Lin Zhao arrived with the Demon Binding Rope, he found that Fu Sheng had already vanished without a trace. He frowned and looked at Lin Xingchu, Lin Wanhua, and Zhu Zhi in the air.
Lin Xingchu smiled slightly, finding Lin Zhao's methods to be endlessly surprising.
Lin Wanhua looked at him calmly, finding him particularly amusing. Most human cultivators of the lower five realms would have fled long ago upon seeing a Thirteenth Realm Great Demon. But he, instead, carried a Demon Binding Rope and shot at Great Demons everywhere!
Zhu Zhi's beautiful eyes fell on Lin Zhao, and the corner of her lips curled up. My lord is indeed wise and mighty! He almost killed Lu Hai!
...
"Aunt."
Lin Zhao cupped his fists in the air and smiled, "Thank you, Aunt, for your assistance!"
"A trivial matter," Lin Xingchu replied with a slight smile.
Lin Zhao's gaze shifted to Lin Wanhua, but he dared not look into her alluring eyes. He immediately lowered his head slightly and cupped his fists, "Thank you, Miss Lin of Fusang Great Wall..."
Lin Wanhua's red lips parted slightly. She had finally spoken to him, but didn't know what to say. For a moment, her heart was in turmoil.