The Ancestral Mountain of the Demon Race, the Hall of Deliberation.
…
A group of great demons, all at the Thirteenth, Twelfth, and Eleventh Realms, were gathered. Not long ago, with Bai Ye's return, a shocking piece of news had spread across the Ancestral Mountain: Shi Jun Gang had actually died. This was something no one had anticipated. Thus, the great demon Yu Zhi had convened this meeting, summoning all the great demons stationed at the Ancestral Mountain.
Around the stone table in the Hall of Deliberation, a group of great demons remained silent, none daring to speak out of turn.
Suddenly, space warped, and a spectral figure appeared in the northernmost seat – it was the Demon Ancestor!
Years ago, after taking a sword from the God of War, Ding Mu Chen, the Demon Ancestor had fallen to the Thirteenth Realm. After a hundred years of cultivation, he had finally returned to the pinnacle of the Fourteenth Realm, consolidating the fortunes of the Ancestral Mountain. Though he was still in seclusion, a wisp of his spiritual body had appeared in the Hall of Deliberation.
"Greetings, Demon Ancestor!"
Led by Yu Zhi, the group of great demons bowed in unison.
"Rise."
The Demon Ancestor's voice was extremely deep. He asked indifferently, "Bai Ye, what explanation do you have for Shi Jun Gang's death?!"
In an instant, Bai Ye felt as if he were standing on the edge of an abyss, trembling all over.
"You useless wretch!"
Yu Zhi stepped forward and delivered a kick, sending Bai Ye staggering backward to collide with a stone mountain. Following this, she unleashed several slaps, leaving Bai Ye's face red and swollen. It was no joke; the slaps from a Thirteenth Realm great demon were not easily endured. The next moment, Yu Zhi stepped forward, her jade-like fingers splayed open as she gripped Bai Ye's neck, lifting him into the air. She sneered, "Elder Sister Shi once followed the Demon Ancestor in cultivation for a period, and she died in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond because of your foolishness. You waste, how can I have a brother like you?"
As she spoke, she violently slammed Bai Ye to the ground. Bai Ye cried out in pain, revealing his true form – six white fox tails swaying behind him. Yu Zhi then placed a foot on one of the fox tails and ground it down fiercely, a continuous sound of cracking tailbones filling the air. Bai Ye trembled with pain but dared not make a sound, his face pale.
"Enough."
The Demon Ancestor raised his hand slightly and said, "Yu Zhi, there's no need to be too harsh on Bai Ye. He is, after all, too young and inexperienced. Even you were defeated by that person back then. It's understandable that Shi Jun Gang suffered such a great loss."
"Ah?!"
Yu Zhi stiffened slightly. "Demon Ancestor, are you saying it was that person…?"
"Don't you understand yet?"
The Demon Ancestor said lightly, "The one who killed the Thirteenth Realm Bai Lan with a single sword and set up the Heavenly Furnace strategy to defeat my demon race back then has now undergone a tribulation and reincarnated… Otherwise, who among the human race could have caused Shi Jun Gang to not only suffer a loss but also lose his life?"
"How is that possible…"
Yu Zhi clenched her fists, gritting her silver teeth. "He's still alive… he's still alive?"
In fact, Yu Zhi had already suspected this. The sword cultivator from the lower five realms had displayed an exceptional sharpness in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond. Furthermore, he had managed to make the Eleventh Realm generals of the Heavenly Pond Army, Xu Zhi and Mu Zha, obey him implicitly. This was highly suspicious. Who was Xu Zhi? The strongest Eleventh Realm cultivator in the human world, naturally proud. Such a person obeying someone from the lower five realms? If it wasn't that person, who else could it be? Perhaps, even if Chu Huai Xi were revived, the Eleventh Realm Xu Zhi would not have been so respectful.
However, Yu Zhi still pretended to be unaware of this matter. Only by doing so could she completely shift the blame for Shi Jun Gang's death onto Lin Bai Yi and ensure her brother Bai Ye escaped unscathed. The way she stomped on Bai Ye's tail, the force she exerted, was perfectly judged. It caused him extreme pain and damaged his cultivation, but not enough to cause him to fall from the Upper Five Realms.
The Demon Ancestor saw all this, but the demon race was always protective of its own, and he tacitly approved of Yu Zhi's actions.
…
"Shi Jun Gang is dead."
The Demon Ancestor said calmly, "That Lin Zhao has returned to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond, bringing several lackeys with him. Shi Jun Gang was killed, and his master, the True Monarch Nine Spirits, is currently in seclusion and cannot travel south in a short period. So, who is willing to make a trip to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond to bring back Lin Zhao's head? I mean, let the Thirteenth and Twelfth Realms not get involved. You might not be able to defeat that Eleventh Realm sword cultivator and the Heaven Origin Realm martial artist."
From the crowd, a figure stood up. Clad in a blue robe, he was the Thirteenth Realm great demon Lu Hai. He was the one who had killed the Twelfth Realm human Gu Zi Xi during the battle of five, and also the one who had killed Zhang Liu Cheng with a palm strike on the stone bridge.
"Demon Ancestor."
Lu Hai clasped his fists. "As one of the four protectors of the Ancestral Mountain, I am willing to make this journey."
"Who else?"
The Demon Ancestor's gaze swept across the demons, clearly implying that Lu Hai alone was not enough. It was not that Lu Hai was not strong enough; on the contrary, Lu Hai had cultivated diligently in the Ancestral Mountain for many years, and his Thirteenth Realm cultivation was already extremely stable. Few people in the world could defeat him. However, the Demon Ancestor still had reservations. The reservation was not about how strong Lin Zhao was; a mere cultivator from the lower five realms could be crushed with a single finger. What the Demon Ancestor feared was the sword carried by Lin Zhao, and whether the person within the sword had awakened. This was the true concern of the Demon Ancestor.
Back then, she had supported Lin Zhao, an Eighth Realm martial artist, to slay the peak Thirteenth Realm Sword Immortal Bai Lan. If her spiritual energy had recovered now, she could kill the Thirteenth Realm Lu Hai even more easily.
As for the Demon Ancestor himself, he had not considered going. Firstly, his true body was in seclusion, seeking to achieve a more perfect Fourteenth Realm. Secondly, the Demon Ancestor had concerns. If he dispatched an ordinary Thirteenth Realm great demon, the one overlooking the lower realm from above might not be willing to incur a great cost to descend. But if the Demon Ancestor himself went, who knew if that person would descend again and shout, "Sword, come!"?
If he shouted again, wouldn't everything be lost?
There was a balance here that the Demon Ancestor had to maintain.
"Demon Ancestor, I am willing to make this trip."
Another Thirteenth Realm great demon stood up. He wore a gray-white robe and had a refined appearance, resembling a scholar. His name was Fu Sheng. He was the one who had broken the sword heart of Yan Bei Chen, the top sword cultivator of the human race, during the battle of five by breaking through his cultivation realm mid-battle. Now, after a hundred years, Fu Sheng's Thirteenth Realm cultivation had become even more stable, approaching the peak of the Thirteenth Realm.
Fu Sheng cupped his hands. "Fu Sheng is willing to accompany Lord Lu Hai on this journey to ensure complete success."
"Excellent."
The Demon Ancestor's figure slowly dispersed. "I shall await your good news at the Ancestral Mountain!"
"Yes!"
…
Around nine in the evening.
In the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond, inside the command tent, Lin Zhao was still guarding the camp. Shi Jun Gang's death was not the end of the matter; it had stirred up a hornet's nest. The demon race would certainly not let it go. Therefore, Lin Zhao had even stopped going down the mountain to level up and was staying in the camp as much as possible to deal with any unforeseen events. After all, he thought more carefully than Xu Zhi and Mu Zha.
"Xu Zhi."
He summoned Xu Zhi into the tent and handed her the Ju Que Sword. "From now on, you will be in charge of the Ju Que Umbrella formation. As a sword cultivator, you should be more adept at controlling a sword formation."
"But Sir…"
Xu Zhi pursed her red lips. "Xu Shuo clearly entrusted the Ju Que Umbrella to you to manage."
Lin Zhao glanced at her. "Even I can tell that Xu Shuo likes you. Wouldn't you know? He originally wanted to give the Ju Que Sword to you, but since I am the commander of the three armies, he had no choice but to give it to me. He's just too thin-skinned."
Xu Zhi pursed her red lips. "Sir, do you really need to say it?"
"I let it slip."
Xu Zhi looked at him, somewhat helpless. He could see that Xu Shuo liked her, but why couldn't he see that she liked him? Was it truly like seeing Mount Lu from afar, only because one is within its bounds?
She accepted the Ju Que Umbrella.
"From now on, you will guard the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond. You cannot leave without my command," Lin Zhao instructed.
Xu Zhi slung the sword box over her shoulder and nodded with a smile. "Sir, rest assured!"
I'm a little hungry.
Lin Zhao frowned. He was also missing Miss Leng a little. So, he sent a message to Leng Yan: "Miss Leng, want to eat hotpot? I'm a bit hungry. Bring Xing Chen, the three of us can go eat hotpot? My treat!"
"Okay!"
Leng Yan replied instantly. "Do you guys come over, or do I go there?"
"I'm sorry to trouble you to run around every time, Miss Leng. Shall we go over?"
"Mhm, I'll book a table!"
After informing Shen Xing Chen, Lin Zhao logged off and took Shen Xing Chen on Shen family's private jet, heading straight for Ning City.
…
Changle City.
In a jungle shrouded in light rain, Leng Yan pulled her sword out from a high-level monster, gently shook the blood off the blade, and sheathed it. "I'm going offline to eat hotpot."
"Hotpot!?"
Beside her, Duan Xian Feng Zheng, wielding a flowing golden war bow, looked horrified. "Didn't you say that quickly seizing the leveling rights of this jungle from Xing He is the top priority for our Sheng Tian tonight? Didn't you say that Leng Yan would definitely take down the leveling rights of this area tonight, even if it meant staying up all night and jumping off the tallest building in Ning City?"
"Yes."
Leng Yan pursed her red lips, her beautiful eyes looking at her vice-guild leader. "I did say that, and I meant it. Currently, our Sheng Tian can only obtain one A-grade mineral deposit in the Goblin Treasury. Overall, we are suppressed by Xing He. Taking over this top-tier leveling area in Changle City is naturally the top priority. But, I have no choice, Lin Zhao invited me to hotpot…"
She pursed her red lips and looked at her vice-guild leader pitifully. "Lin Zhao rarely initiates an invitation, so this is a rare opportunity. Therefore, in my heart, is fighting for leveling rights as important as accompanying Lin Zhao for hotpot? I'm leaving now. I'll leave this place to you and Wu Di. If you're short on manpower, call Xu Ran to help. Anyway, I'm going for hotpot."
"You're just throwing in the towel without rhyme or reason…" Duan Xian Feng Zheng placed her hands on her hips and laughed.
"Mhm!"
Leng Yan nodded very seriously. "In my heart, the Sheng Tian guild can be less than T1, but I absolutely cannot refuse Lin Zhao's invitation, not even once."
Duan Xian Feng Zheng waved her hand. "Alright, alright, go on your date. I'll clean up the mess… Oh, right…"
She smiled and stepped forward, hooking her arm around Leng Yan's shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "Since you're going on a date with Lin Zhao today, have you prepared the tools? At least… you should buy a box, right?"
Leng Yan's pretty face turned red, and she hurriedly logged off. After logging off, she took several deep breaths. Her cheeks flushed, and her heart was in a turmoil. Was she really going to do this? It seemed… too forward? Girls should still appear dignified, and besides, she had never bought such things before. How embarrassing! For a moment, her face was flushed, and she covered it with her hands.
A short while later, she took another deep breath and began changing clothes in front of the mirror. She wanted to wear her most beautiful outfit to meet Lin Zhao, and she had to suppress Shen Xing Chen in terms of appearance…