Within the Feijian Haoran, a miniature world.
Lin Zhao, enveloped in the aura of a Divine Speed Talisman, simultaneously activated the Enlightenment skill of Feijian Haoran. His survivability surged, allowing him to withstand two strikes from an eleventh-realm sword cultivator in mid-air and still remain alive. He even managed to retaliate by flinging a ferocious bronze beast towards his opponent.
"Is that all you've got?"
The great demon sword cultivator roared, his longsword splitting the air and bisecting the bronze beast. He then charged at Lin Zhao again. However, before he could advance far, he was met with a swarm of mechanical birds flapping their wings, spitting crossbow bolts from their mouths and streams of fire from their bellies. Every great demon was targeted.
A chorus of roars erupted as the great demons unleashed their divine abilities, felling the mechanical birds one by one.
Lin Zhao watched the mechanical birds plummet from the sky, his expression grave. He was at his limit. To hold off these seven great demons, he had exhausted all his strategies. Moreover, the thirty-second duration of Feijian Haoran's miniature world was about to expire. Now, Lin Zhao could only hope for a shift in the battle outside, that his aunt or Miss Lin had gained the upper hand!
...
The next moment, the seven great demons unleashed a coordinated assault, their spells, fist energy, and sword qi crushing down from the sky. Lin Zhao's stamina was nearly depleted, rendering him unable to use any more talismans. With a wave of his hand, he activated his ultimate defensive skill, the Illusory Jade Armor from the Ephemeral Flower Ring, granting him five seconds of invincibility. Just as the Feijian Haoran's miniature world vanished, the spells, fists, and swords of the seven great demons struck Lin Zhao. He was instantly at zero health, but alive. Lin Zhao tightly gripped the blades and fists hitting him, his brows furrowed as he stared defiantly at the great demons in the sky.
"Whoosh!"
A sword light flashed. It was Lin Xuanzhi. Upon arriving at Mount Luoyan, Lin Xuanzhi immediately spotted a single fifth-realm human white-robed sword cultivator being besieged by seven above-fifth-realm great demons. He was shocked; how formidable was this person to fight seven eleventh-realm great demons while being in the lower realms? Lin Xuanzhi was filled with admiration.
The next second, Lin Xuanzhi drew his sword and swung it at the back of Lu Xiuyuan, a twelfth-realm great demon. Simultaneously, his innate flying sword pierced through Lu Xiuyuan's left arm with a "chink." Amidst the splattering blood, Lu Xiuyuan let out a pained cry. Immediately after, his chest took a blow from a sword wielded by Chi Zhi, who attacked with Cheng Xin. No one had anticipated that the balance of power on Mount Luoyan would shift due to Lin Xuanzhi's surprise attack!
"Slay Lu Xiuyuan!"
From afar, Lin Xingchu let out a low cry, her sword repelling Nan Qingfeng's pervasive spells. She raised her hand and sent a sword strike towards Mount Luoyan. That strike descended like a trickle from the sky. Just as Lin Zhao's invincibility was about to end, the sword qi transformed into seven crystal-clear bubbles, engulfing the seven eleventh-realm great demons!
This was the work of a thirteenth-realm Jiang Shen, who had condensed a wisp of water elemental sword intent into a cage, enough to keep the seven eleventh-realm great demons struggling for a while.
"Thank you, Aunt!"
Lin Zhao did not look back. While consuming a blood replenishment pill, he fled towards a safe area. He had slipped away.
...
On the mountain, the fierce battle continued.
Chi Zhi was initially stunned, wondering where such a powerful eleventh-realm human sword immortal had suddenly appeared. However, she quickly began to suppress him with an even more potent sword intent. Ten demon soul swords transformed into a rain of blades, continuously piercing through the defensive spells conjured by Lu Xiuyuan. Lin Xuanzhi, too, pressed his attack relentlessly, his sword movements swift.
In the direction of Mount Ji Zi.
Lin Wanhua's sword struck like lightning, filling the sky above half of Mount Ji Zi with dense sword intent. After half a minute, she began to familiarize herself with the sword techniques used by Long Zheng. The initial oppressive feeling from the dragon's aura gradually subsided, and she even began to gain a slight advantage. Thus, in the instant she delivered three consecutive parrying blows to momentarily suppress Long Zheng's advance, Lin Wanhua sent a sword strike towards Mount Luoyan.
"Chi Zhi, duck!"
Within Chi Zhi's heart lake, amidst the intense battle, Lin Wanhua's voice echoed. Without hesitation, she abruptly ducked. A sword light flew straight past, slicing off a strand of Chi Zhi's hair and heading directly for Lu Xiuyuan's throat.
"Huh?!"
Lu Xiuyuan was terrified.
"Slash!"
The next moment, a surge of Lin Wanhua's formidable sword qi swept across, and Lu Xiuyuan's head rolled from his shoulders. In truth, Chi Zhi and Lin Xuanzhi, combined, could have killed the already heavily wounded twelfth-realm Lu Xiuyuan, but it would have required time, slowly exhausting his reserves. Lin Wanhua, however, was different. She remained at her peak. Her ultimate strike was the strongest sword strike of a twelfth-realm human sword cultivator. This sword, flying from Mount Ji Zi, directly severed Lu Xiuyuan's head!
"Beautiful!"
Lin Xuanzhi couldn't help but admire her. Lin Wanhua was indeed Lin Wanhua; the capabilities of the Lord of Fusu Great Wall were beyond doubt.
However, Lu Xiuyuan, whose head had been severed, still trembled, appearing in great pain. His cultivation level plummeted from the twelfth realm to the eleventh realm, yet he did not die immediately. His wobbly body seemed to want to fight again, which was quite astonishing. After all, even the most powerful cultivators would die from decapitation. Was Lu Xiuyuan an exception?
His headless body continued to brandish its arms, unleashing streams of innate spells that forced back Chi Zhi and Lin Xuanzhi. Meanwhile, the seven eleventh-realm sword cultivators on Mount Luoyan simultaneously ascended, engaging Chi Zhi and Lin Xuanzhi.
...
"This is not good."
Nan Qingfeng, who was in a fierce battle with Lin Xingchu and unable to gain the upper hand, her pretty face had turned slightly pale. She frowned and transmitted a message to all the demon cultivators present: "Lord Lu Xiuyuan has been severely injured in his cultivation foundation. We cannot win today. The seven eleventh-realm cultivators will protect Lu Xiuyuan and escort him in retreating. The rest will withdraw from the battlefield one by one. I will cover the rear!"
"Yes!"
In the sky, flesh and blood writhed at the severed neck of Lu Xiuyuan. In a blink of an eye, a head shrouded in blood qi burst from his neck with a "poof." It was a second head, much smaller than the previous one, and his overall aura had significantly diminished, dropping straight to the eleventh realm.
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao stood at the summit of the mountain, a demon-binding rope slung over his shoulder, utterly dumbfounded.
"Little Zhao."
Lin Xingchu's transmission rippled across his heart lake: "Lu Xiuyuan's true form is a two-headed parrot. He naturally has two lives. Cutting off one life today is already a great gain. Tell everyone not to pursue. If the demons retreat, let them retreat. With their retreat, Mount Luoyan officially belongs to you, and the demon race will not dare to return for a long time."
"Understood!"
Lin Zhao nodded and watched the numerous above-fifth-realm demons shuttle away in the sky. He said in a deep voice, "Chi Zhi, Mu Luo, Chu Yu, everyone, stop pursuing. If the demons leave, let them go. Do not pursue a cornered enemy!"
Everyone stood in the wind, one by one.
In the direction of Mount Ji Zi, Lin Wanhua ceased her pursuit after delivering a sword strike, watching Long Zheng depart. The moment Long Zheng, Nan Qingfeng, Lu Xiuyuan, Bai Ye, and others rendezvoused, Lin Xingchu suddenly flicked her golden sleeve. The water elemental aura behind her intensified, blanketing the entire area. She pointed her sword blade upwards, drawing the water elemental energy of the Xi Jian River from the sky to unleash a torrential downpour, each raindrop a wisp of sword qi, enveloping the entire group of demons!
"Ah?!"
Nan Qingfeng was horrified.
Lin Xingchu had proposed not to pursue a cornered enemy, yet she was the one who truly harbored killing intent and sought to pursue the demons. The reason she ordered Lin Zhao to instruct everyone to cease pursuit was merely to prevent friendly fire.
"Lin Xingchu has gone mad!"
Shi Jungang's expression was one of shock. "Is she going to unleash the fate of the entire Xi Jian River to kill us?"
Two eleventh-realm demon cultivators swayed, their bodies pierced by countless raindrops, perishing amidst the howling wind and rain. Bai Ye, Shi Jungang, and others also found it incredibly difficult to resist. Shi Jungang could only deploy a magical artifact to defend against Lin Xingchu's assault.
Nan Qingfeng gritted her teeth. There was no other choice. She raised her hand and plucked one of her innate true feathers. This feather was pure white, representing Nan Qingfeng's current highest magical power. With a wave of her sleeve, the innate true feather enveloped the sky, shielding everyone from Lin Xingchu's extremely lethal rainfall. The rain pattered, and in a flash, Nan Qingfeng's face turned ashen. The innate true feather began to crack and shatter.
Fortunately, Lin Xingchu's sword strike was also nearing its end. This strike was comparable to the fourteenth realm!
"Go!"
Nan Qingfeng gritted her teeth and, enveloping everyone, fled Mount Luoyan at the fastest possible speed.
...
At Xue Yu Tian Chi, two old friends had been locked in a fierce battle for a long time.
Both were somewhat bloodthirsty. Tang Guangjun had promised to let Feng Quan have fifty sword strikes, and Feng Quan had indeed attacked aggressively fifty times, each strike sharp and incisive, inflicting seven or eight sword wounds on Tang Guangjun's arms and legs. Afterward, it was Tang Guangjun's turn to attack fiercely, inflicting over twenty sword wounds on Feng Quan, nearly damaging Feng Quan's cultivation foundation.
At this moment, the battle in the south ended, and the demon race retreated.
"Alright!"
Tang Guangjun suddenly withdrew his sword, his body enveloped in sword qi. "Let's stop here. If we continue, I'm afraid I might lose control and actually kill you. Who will drink with me, Tang Guangjun, in the future then!"
"Agreed!"
Feng Quan smiled heartily and turned to leave, transforming into a gray sword light that entered the two military tents of Mount Pan Yun to treat his injuries. In fact, Feng Quan's greatest desire was to lead an army to attack the mountain and level Xue Yu Tian Chi honorably. He would be the first to charge, and would die without regret. As for sneak attacks in the south from time to time, he truly disliked such actions.
...
Mount Luoyan.
The Xue Yu cavalry lit bonfires one after another. Lin Zhao also lit a fire and was roasting a deer leg. Lin Wanhua and Lin Xingchu had already departed, leaving only Chi Zhi, Mu Luo, Chu Yu, and others by his side. In addition, there was Lin Xuanzhi, whose expression was somewhat awkward. He was the Shan Hai Ling of Bai Di City's Shan Hai Division, holding a third-rank official title.
"I haven't asked your name yet?"
Lin Zhao looked at him.
"Oh..."
Lin Xuanzhi looked at Lin Zhao, knowing that this was the formidable individual who had single-handedly fought seven above-fifth-realm experts. Despite his lower cultivation realm, his courage was immense, filling Lin Xuanzhi with admiration. He cupped his fists and said, "Shan Hai Division of the Great Shang Dynasty, third-rank Shan Hai Ling, Lin Xuanzhi."
"Oh..."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I've met a sixth-rank Shao Fu Ling from the Shan Hai Division before. That person was incredibly wicked."
Lin Xuanzhi scratched his head, a look of embarrassment on his face. "There might be wicked Shao Fu Lings, but Shan Hai Lings... are basically all good people..."