Far in the distance, the piled-up remains of the Tianchi Army at Jiuzhangyuan were stacked together, some still clad in armor and bearing weapons. Not far away, the Ghost cultivator Yinghuo, a fifth-realm expert, stood with a sinister smile. His cultivation was profound, allowing him to discern if the remains still held any connection to their souls upon excavation. Of the over 7000 Tianchi Army skeletons, more than eighty percent still retained their souls, many of which had transformed into heroic spirits in some corner of the Northern Territory.
"Excellent, excellent..."
He smiled. Building a *jingguan* was one thing, but in return, he intended to claim at least half of the souls from these remains. Refining them into ghost slaves would truly create an army of thousands.
Shi Jungang, fully aware of his thoughts, stood beside Yinghuo and chuckled, "As long as the *jingguan* can be erected, you may take whatever you desire, Lord Yinghuo. We demons are not stingy."
Yinghuo beamed, "Then I thank you in advance, my lord!"
...
Above Snow Domain Tianchi.
Xu Shuo had decided to set up a "Stealing the Heavens and Exchanging the Sun" grand formation and was already busy. He pulled more items from a wooden box: various formation talismans, spirit stones, spiritual brushes for inscription, and silk brocades etched with runes. He glanced at the sky, then turned south and said, "Lord Su Shan, could you help to mask the heavenly and earthly energies above Snow Domain Tianchi?"
"A trivial matter."
Su Shan Jun, basking in the sun before his shrine, casually conjured a thin veil of energy. While it wouldn't stop a major demon, it was more than enough to prevent the demons from peering into their situation.
Xu Shuo drew his sword and cleaved a massive boulder into a flat surface. He then began inscribing formation patterns onto the rock. As he worked, he repeatedly used his thumb to measure the distance to the *jingguan* at Jiuzhangyuan. Soon, a deep blue formation appeared before their eyes. At that moment, Xu Shuo frowned, leaped into the air, and appeared above the clouds.
"Where is the Rain Master?"
He commanded with a pointed finger.
Instantly, the Rain Master, Yue Ling, clad in green robes, appeared before him. Facing a twelfth-realm Sword Immortal, his demeanor was exceedingly respectful. He cupped his fists and said, "Yue Ling greets the Ink Master Xu Sword Immortal!"
Xu Shuo glanced at him. "I need to set up a 'Stealing the Heavens and Exchanging the Sun' formation that requires the concealment of atmospheric conditions. Immediately conjure clouds and snow. I need a snowfall so heavy that one cannot see five meters ahead. Can you do it?"
"No problem."
Yue Ling nodded and smiled, "Sword Immortal Xu, just command it whenever you need. Do you require wind as well? I can summon the Wind Master too."
"No need for wind."
Xu Shuo shook his head. "Just proceed with conjuring clouds and snow."
"Yes!"
In a flash, the sky turned overcast. Under the imposing presence of the Ink Master's twelfth-realm Sword Immortal, Yue Ling disregarded all protocol. After Han Buyu had conjured the dark clouds, Yue Ling lightly flicked his sleeve, and the heavy snow began to fall again over Snow Domain Tianchi. Fortunately, it snowed year-round near Snow Domain Tianchi, so this weather change went unnoticed.
At precisely five in the evening.
Xu Shuo had finished setting up the formation. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Lin Zhao, looking into the distance. He frowned, "This 'Stealing the Heavens and Exchanging the Sun' formation can be activated at any moment. It will instantly transfer that pile of remains to Snow Domain Tianchi. Those standing within the formation here will appear at Jiuzhangyuan. I must clarify, the formation can only be used once. It can send you there but not bring you back."
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao furrowed his brow. "I have Changzhi!"
"Mm!"
Changzhi looked directly at Lin Zhao with her beautiful eyes, nodding vigorously, her delicate face flushing slightly.
Xu Shuo saw this and his handsome face turned pale. "Damn it, all my hard work was for naught..."
...
"Beep!"
A message arrived from Chen Xue: "Sister Orange has started cooking. It'll be ready soon, and she's even making your favorite braised wild mandarin fish!"
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao blinked. "Damn it, this is bad... I'm in the middle of a plotline right now, and I probably can't log off for dinner. Ask Sister Orange to save me half a mandarin fish after she's done. Leave it in the kitchen, don't put it on the table, or those scoundrels Lawyer Ding and Da Jun will eat it all. And save me some soup, I'll eat it later."
Chen Xue couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, alright, whatever you say, boss! By the way, how's the plot progression at Snow Domain Tianchi? Going smoothly?"
"Not entirely smoothly, but I'm quite happy."
Lin Zhao grinned. "Speaking of which... playing the plot is thrilling, more exciting than usual PK. When we open Baidi City later, I'll take you to Snow Domain Tianchi!"
"Okay, okay!"
Chen Xue giggled. "Then I'll be waiting for the big shot to help me soar in Snow Domain Tianchi!"
He closed the communication.
Within seconds, Mo Chenxue's communication came through: "Brother, I've thought about this over and over, and I feel I need to tell you something."
"Mm, go ahead."
"Just this afternoon, the vice-leader of the Seek Immortal guild... Xianlin, sent me a message. I don't know how to explain it... he inexplicably said he liked me and wanted to date me, but I rejected him. I can't understand it, so I wanted to ask you, brother, what does he mean? Does he have an ulterior motive?"
"This..."
Lin Zhao frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Little Xue, you're so beautiful, so it's normal for many people to like you. However, the timing Xianlin chose is unusual. You've been in Tianji City for a while. If he admired your beauty, he could have confessed earlier. He didn't have to wait until after our Crimson Moon Knights and Seek Immortal had a fight to say it. Therefore, his approach is highly likely to have a strong motive, which is to lure you away from the Crimson Moon Knights and join Seek Immortal. It's very likely he wants to turn you, the only 'Shepherd' in the national server, into someone from Seek Immortal."
He thought for a moment and added, "Of course, it's possible I'm being overly suspicious. Another possibility is that Xianlin genuinely likes you and only wants to get closer to you to be with you. But that probability is very low. You should know Xianlin's identity – he's the young master of the Xie family group in Luocheng, handsome, and wealthy. By rights, he shouldn't lack attractive women around him. So, as I said, it's most likely a motive, with a small chance of sincerity. You decide for yourself."
"Brother!"
Mo Chenxue's delicate willow eyebrows furrowed, a hint of unhappiness in her voice. "I'm asking you, brother, because I want you to make this decision for me. Don't just pass the ball back to me. You can tell me directly, tell me not to contact other men. Just one word from you, and I'll obey."
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao was taken aback. "There's no need for that! You'll get married someday!"
He raised his eyebrows and rambled on, "Little Xue, you're still young, and it's indeed too early to consider marriage. However, for a girl, especially a young and beautiful girl like you, it's normal to have a caring and considerate boy around who checks in on you. We came into this world for cultivation, to experience the joys and sorrows of life. For you, love is sweet, and you shouldn't miss it. Besides, in the future, I hope you find someone who truly cares for you, and I wish you happiness and joy your whole life. How can you avoid interacting with the opposite sex just because of my words? That's not a good way to think. Young people, remember this, remember it well!"
Mo Chenxue pursed her red lips and glared at Lin Zhao in the chat box, her delicate shoulders trembling with anger. How could her brother be so obtuse? She looked at Lin Zhao indignantly and said, "Brother, according to Ding Chi and Sister Chen Xue, when Sword Cultivators reach the peak in the game, they automatically gain the title of Sword Immortal. And among them, the strongest group of Sword Immortals have titles."
"Mm!"
Lin Zhao's eyes were filled with anticipation. "Yes, yes, that's my ultimate dream, to become a titled Sword Immortal. Little Xue, why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
Mo Chenxue grinned mischievously. "Brother, if you become a titled Sword Immortal in the future, your title should be 'Waffling Sword Immortal'!"
"..."
Lin Zhao rolled his eyes. This little girl had learned bad habits from spending time with Chen Xue and Luo Man!
"Go eat your meal!"
Lin Zhao decided to correct his mistakes and not be so waffling anymore. He resolved to keep his sentences to five words or less. "I'm doing a quest."
"Brother, aren't you eating?"
"No."
"What if you get hungry?"
"I'll bear it."
"Oh..."
Mo Chenxue pursed her red lips and logged off dejectedly, feeling disheartened. After talking for so long, she hadn't gotten the answer she wanted. If only he had said something domineering like, "What boyfriend? Stay by my side forever. If I can't support you, then what?" Even if she never married and stayed by his side forever, that would have been wonderful.
Alas, my brother is too waffling.
...
Jiuzhangyuan.
The remains of over 7000 Tianchi Army soldiers were piled high, even the corpses of their warhorses were dug up and added to the heap. At this moment, Yinghuo, the fifth-realm Ghost cultivator, ascended step by step, treading on blood-red stairs in the air towards the peak of the bone mountain. A smile played on his lips as he said, "A mere *jingguan*, what difficulty is there? Lord Shi Jungang, watch closely!"
"Mm!"
Shi Jungang smiled and nodded, his mind already racing with future possibilities. Once this *jingguan* was erected and began to obliterate the heroic spirits of those human soldiers, the brats of the Great Chen Dynasty at Snow Domain Tianchi would surely not stand idly by. When they attacked the mountain again, the formation barriers, traps, ambushes, and river diversions he had set up around Jiuzhangyuan would come into play. They would function like a constantly operating furnace, killing any who dared to come. The brilliance of this arrangement, like Lin Baiyi's strategy at Snow Domain Tianchi, was the 'Heavenly Furnace' strategy.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Shi Jungang's smile grew sweeter. When he returned to Ancestral Mountain with the heads of Changzhi, Mu Gua, and Chu Yu, his master would surely praise him highly.
"It begins!"
Yinghuo let out a low cry, and a deathly aura flowed from his body downwards. Instantly, the entire bone mountain began to contract and meld. When it reached its peak density and was completely sealed, it would become a *jingguan*.
"Hmph..."
Shi Jungang let out a soft chuckle. One step away from success.
...
But just then, a rumbling sound echoed from deep within the earth. Immediately, the entire *jingguan* in front and the fifth-realm Ghost cultivator Yinghuo atop it vanished. In their place appeared a one-armed female Sword Immortal, flying in with a single sword strike!
"Ah?"
Shi Jungang was instantly so shocked that his soul nearly departed his body.
...
Above Snow Domain Tianchi.
With a "swish," the entire bone mountain descended. And sitting atop the mountain was the fifth-realm Ghost cultivator Yinghuo, who was in the process of constructing the *jingguan*. He blinked in confusion, realizing his location had been moved. Before him stood a wandering Ink Master swordsman.
"Ah!?"
Yinghuo was horrified.
Xu Shuo, who had originally had both arms crossed, was also flustered. "Ah?!"