The firelight cast a faint weariness on Lin Zhao's face. He had done his best with the defenses of Mount Luoyan, but he hadn't expected so many great demons to attack. They had almost been overwhelmed. He had to thank the young Mountain and Sea Commander before him; without his intervention to break the balance, it would not have been so easy for the humans to win.
He turned his head to see the faces of the cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Department of the Great Shang Dynasty. These people had arrived after the battle had already ended. Even now, some warriors from the Mountain and Sea Department were ascending the mountain, their chests heaving as if ready to fight to the death.
"Lin Xuanzhi, thank you..."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Thank you for injuring Lu Xiuyuan. Without you, the outcome might have been uncertain."
Lin Xuanzhi scratched his head, not daring to accept the praise.
Beside them, Wu Zhi and Mu Zha began slicing venison to reward everyone. Mu Zha handed a large piece of meat to Lin Xuanzhi, his eyes fixed on him, signaling him to take it.
"..."
Lin Xuanzhi looked up at Mu Zha's gaze, feeling a tremor of unease. The eyes of this Heavenly Yuan realm warrior were so imposing. He felt that if he didn't accept the meat, Mu Zha would unhesitatingly shove it into his own mouth. So, Lin Xuanzhi quickly accepted it, thanking him repeatedly. Mu Zha, being uneducated and lacking in manners, glanced at him and sat down. In fact, the people from the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool generally held unfavorable opinions of officials from the Great Shang Dynasty, especially considering the Mountain and Sea Commander before them was a high-ranking official of the third rank.
Lin Zhao glanced at Lin Xuanzhi, then at the group of cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Department sitting by the fire in the distance, and said, "Lin Xuanzhi, the great battle to the east, was that you?"
"Yes."
Lin Xuanzhi said gravely, "I was ordered to lead five hundred cultivators in a Flood Dragon Boat to the Northern Region to investigate the situation of this spirit stone mine, to see if we could purchase it from the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, or exchange it for other terms. Unexpectedly, we encountered Feng Quan, a great demon of the twelfth realm, halfway there. After a fierce battle, the Flood Dragon Boat crashed, and our men suffered heavy losses."
"I doubt it was as simple as buying it, was it?"
Chu Yu's lips curved upwards, her beautiful eyes fixed on Lin Xuanzhi. "Would your Great Shang Dynasty be so courteous as to negotiate with our Snow Domain Heavenly Pool? After all, the Nascent Soul realm assassins from the Embroidered Uniform Guard previously killed one hundred of our Snow Domain Heavenly Pool soldiers without a word. Are the Embroidered Uniform Guard and your Mountain and Sea Department not allies?"
"No, no..."
Lin Xuanzhi shook his head repeatedly. "Those people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard act without scruples and will resort to any means. I detest them too. The Mountain and Sea Department and they are like well water and river water, never interfering with each other."
"Lin Xuanzhi."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Although your battle with Feng Quan has nothing to do with our Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, in terms of karmic causality, you have indeed shielded us from a calamity. If Feng Quan had also arrived at the battlefield, we might have been completely suppressed. So, no matter what, we must thank you."
"Yes..."
Lin Xuanzhi nodded. "Thank you, Lord Baiyi."
Wu Zhi frowned. This Mountain and Sea Commander's intelligence seemed rather lacking. He didn't know Lin Zhao's true identity and kept addressing him as Lord Baiyi?
"A Flood Dragon Boat was destroyed. You bear great responsibility. What are your plans now?"
Lin Zhao smiled. "As far as I know, the great figures in White Emperor City are not benevolent. If you return to the Mountain and Sea Department, you might not even leave White Emperor City alive. Why not stay in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool and fight demons with us?"
"Ah?!"
Lin Xuanzhi's sword-like eyebrows knitted. He pondered for a long time. "If it were just me, Lin Xuanzhi, and my sword, then nothing would matter. Fighting demons in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool would be exhilarating. But my family is in White Emperor City, and the one I care about is also in White Emperor City. If I stayed in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, and I missed her, what would I do?"
"What a devoted soul!"
Mu Zha spat. "Hmph!"
Lin Zhao suppressed a smile and put his hand to his forehead.
"..."
Lin Xuanzhi looked innocent. Was it wrong to like someone? This Heavenly Yuan realm warrior was so unromantic and ugly; he deserved to be without a wife his entire life.
He pursed his lips and said softly, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Baiyi. I must return to White Emperor City. There are too many people and matters that concern me there. I truly cannot stay in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool."
"Aren't you afraid of punishment if you go back?"
Lin Zhao chuckled. "A Flood Dragon Boat is priceless. Even the Great Shang Dynasty can't produce many of them. You destroyed one. The crime of this might lead to your family's confiscation and your own execution upon return."
"I am aware of that."
Lin Xuanzhi said, "But what can be done? I can only go back. The Flood Dragon Boat being destroyed by Feng Quan is my own dereliction of duty. One must pay the price for their actions."
"Indeed."
Lin Zhao stood up and took a half-congealed head from Wu Zhi's hand, it was the head of Lu Xiuyuan, a great demon of the twelfth realm. He gave a meaningful look. "Don't you want the demon core?"
"Yes!"
Wu Zhi chuckled and raised her hand, extracting a twelfth realm demon core from between the brows of the head. As for the returned Lu Xiuyuan, he cultivated two demon cores; the other was an eleventh realm demon core. Unfortunately, his head was severed by Lin Wanhua's sword, a stroke of bad luck for him.
"Here!"
Lin Zhao held Lu Xiuyuan's head and presented it to Lin Xuanzhi. "You can take the head of Lu Xiuyuan, a twelfth realm demon, back to White Emperor City as an explanation. You can also take the heads of the two eleventh realm demon cultivators killed by my aunt in the north, provided you leave the demon cores for us. With this, one twelfth realm and two eleventh realm, these merits of war will all count towards your Mountain and Sea Department. At least it will save all of your lives, right?"
"Thank you!"
Lin Xuanzhi clasped his fists, bowing very low. Behind him, a group of cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Department bowed as well. "Thank you, Lord Baiyi!"
...
Late at night.
Lin Xuanzhi led a group of cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Department, carrying three heads of great demons from the upper five realms, back into the territory of the Great Shang Dynasty. Wu Zhi, on the other hand, happily acquired one twelfth realm demon core and two eleventh realm demon cores. This would further enhance the tempering of her ten demon soul swords.
"Can you break through now?"
Lin Zhao looked at Wu Zhi. The Snow Domain Heavenly Pool needed a sword immortal of the twelfth realm to preside over it. If Wu Zhi was of the twelfth realm, with Cheng Xin and Ju Que in her hands, along with the ten demon soul swords, would the demons dare to invade so repeatedly if she presided over the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool?
"Yes."
Wu Zhi said, "Refining one more twelfth realm demon core will be enough to break through. But there's no rush. Little Jiu'er said before she left that the sword dao luck of all the twelfth realm cultivators in the world has been mostly distributed. She told me not to rush my breakthrough. It's still time to break through after I've had my fill in the eleventh realm. Of course, you don't need to worry, Lord. I can break through at any time while presiding over the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. In fact, just now, if there had been a little more delay, I might have had to break through in the midst of battle."
"That's good."
Lin Zhao understood and smiled. "You've worked hard, Wu Zhi."
"It's not hard!"
Lin Zhao looked back at Mu Zha. Did he not notice? Wu Zhi was suppressing her realm as she cultivated. And you, Mu Zha, have you even touched the threshold of the Rebirth realm yet?
Mu Zha rubbed his nose, feeling somewhat ashamed. It wasn't his fault. How could a twelfth realm sword immortal compare to a twelfth realm warrior? A twelfth realm sword immortal might not be able to defeat a thirteenth realm cultivator, but the twelfth realm warrior Chen Wanli once tore apart a thirteenth realm demon with his bare hands! It could be said that the Rebirth realm is the ultimate realm for warriors in this world, equivalent to the thirteenth realm for spiritual cultivators.
Not long after, Lin Zhao personally penned a letter, inviting the Mo family's ancestral court to send people to inspect the spirit stone mine and sign a contract with the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. As the flying fish letter soared towards the Mo family's ancestral court, Lin Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. The matter of the spirit stone mine could essentially be put to rest. What remained was for him to figure out how to convert the unending stream of Jin Zizhi coins into the tangible strength of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. In the end, his desperate pursuit of wealth was all to counter the Northern Four Clans.
...
With everything settled, Lin Zhao looked towards the east and said, "Shall we go? Let's take a look at that crashed Flood Dragon Boat, broaden our horizons?"
"Yes, good!"
Wu Zhi took Lin Zhao, along with Mu Zha, Chu Yu, and others, and left Mount Luoyan. Soon after, they landed in Wild Pheasant Valley. In the distance, a colossal object lay sprawled on the ground – the Flood Dragon Boat. The 300-meter-long behemoth was indeed awe-inspiring. The furnishings on the Flood Dragon Boat were still intact, but the entire vessel was scorched, making it look utterly ruined.
"Swish~~~"
Lin Zhao leaped onto the deck and carefully examined the Flood Dragon Boat's equipment. The spirit crystal cannons were embedded within the hull, installed during its construction, and could not be moved. The internal structure of the Flood Dragon Boat was even more complex, filled with various inscriptions, formations, and mechanisms – the masterpiece of a great Mo family cultivator, extremely ingenious.
However, the bow deck of the Flood Dragon Boat had been pierced by a wolf-toothed hammer, severely damaging it.
"What a treasure..."
Lin Zhao touched the ship's railing, his mouth watering.
Wu Zhi's delicate brows furrowed. "Lord, you want to... keep this Flood Dragon Boat?"
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled. "Although this Flood Dragon Boat looks severely damaged, it would be good to drag it back to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool as a display piece for research. It's too much of a waste to let it rust in the wilderness."
"But..."
Chu Yu said, "This Flood Dragon Boat is too heavy. With our cultivation levels, we can't possibly move it."
"I'm also troubled by this,"
Lin Zhao frowned and said via telepathy, "Aunt, is there a way?"
"A minor matter."
Thirteenth realm River God Mother returned. Lin Xing Chu lightly waved her golden sleeve, and immediately, countless water currents surged from the Washing Sword River. The next moment, a torrential water stream rose from the Washing Sword River, like a rainbow spanning the heavens. In the air, a wide river tens of zhang across formed. This great river undulated in the air, like a crystalline silk ribbon, lifting the Flood Dragon Boat. The next moment, the Flood Dragon Boat floated on the water. A great river flowed from the Washing Sword River, carrying the Flood Dragon Boat all the way to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Lin Xing Chu's technique was truly effortless.
...
"..."
Wu Zhi, Mu Zha, and Chu Yu were stunned. It could be done like this?
The lord who loved picking up scraps happened to have an aunt who doted on him, and this matter was settled?
When the people from the Great Shang Dynasty's Mountain and Sea Department returned to look for the wreckage of the Flood Dragon Boat, one could only imagine their expressions.