"..."
Fu Sheng frowned. A thirteenth-realm Confucian saint descended with over ten thousand Confucian cultivators. Among them were ten eleventh-realm cultivators, and the majority were in the middle five realms. Since ancient times, the Confucian school had been the strongest in terms of combat power among the various factions of human cultivators. Facing these over ten thousand Confucian cultivators, even if the demon race sacrificed all their top five realm experts and their 700,000+ demon soldiers, they would still not be a match for their opponents.
"Retreat!"
From within the demon ranks, Shi Jun Gang frowned and gave the order. She was still the commander of the vanguard, and even Fu Sheng had to obey her. Shi Jun Gang's order at this moment made Fu Sheng feel very secure; if they didn't retreat now, they would suffer a great loss.
Thus, the demon race's army of over 700,000 surged forward like a tide, and retreated just like a tide.
The more than 10,000 Confucian cultivators who had fallen onto the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool landed in unison. They cupped their fists and bowed towards Lin Zhao from all directions before dispersing with their weapons. Most headed south, while a smaller portion headed north, scattering across the human realm.
"..."
In the wind, the young Confucian saint looked back.
Instantly, on the Washing Sword River, the great demon Ning Yuan Sheng abruptly retracted his sleeves and sneered, "The ancestral court of the Confucian school has officially declared war on the demon race? Interesting... Lin Xing Chu, you're lucky today. It doesn't matter, we'll have more opportunities to meet in the future!"
Lin Xing Chu's beautiful eyes were like water. "Scram!"
Ning Yuan Sheng, enveloped in monstrous energy, fled north.
True Monarch Bei Xuan, whose true form was a fiery maple tree, waved his sleeves and retracted his fiery aura. After taking a sword strike to his backside from Lin Xing Chu, he also fled.
In the Deer Forest.
Lin Wan Hua, holding a long sword, had fought over a hundred rounds with Long Zheng and Lu Hai, two twelfth-realm demon cultivators. However, her sword intent grew more potent, her swordsmanship remained unbroken, and her brilliant sword heart became increasingly clear and translucent. She seemed to be getting closer and closer to the peak of the twelfth realm. Although she was sweating profusely from the intense battle, she had still gained a great deal.
"Something big has happened!"
Long Zheng said, drawing his sword, "Let's go!"
"Go!"
At the cost of sacrificing a magical artifact, Lu Hai blocked Lin Wan Hua's pursuit and, along with Long Zheng, transformed into two streams of dense demonic energy heading northwest.
Lin Wan Hua looked towards the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly. She could sense the arrival of a thirteenth-realm Confucian great cultivator. It was one of their own, likely sent by the Confucian Saint. With a thirteenth-realm Confucian cultivator stationed at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, Lin Zhao was already out of danger. Thus, Lin Wan Hua sheathed her sword and turned to fly towards the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to go home and take a bath.
...
Watching the demon army retreat like a tide, Lin Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, a system notification sounded in his ear. Even though he hadn't done anything, he had gained experience and various rewards by simply sitting there.
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations on completing the quest [Shi Jun Gang's Revenge]. You have received quest compensation rewards: Current Level Experience +105%, Charm +1, Gold Coins +10000, Reputation +6000!
...
A shower of golden light descended from the sky, and he leveled up to 115.
But Lin Zhao paid it no mind. To him, game data was not always the most important thing. He strode to the edge of the northern mountain to welcome the Confucian saint who had repelled the demon army with a single spear. The Confucian saint also descended, carrying a bright silver spear, and landed a few meters away from Lin Zhao. He was exceptionally young, with a handsome face and an unconcealable heroic aura.
"Lin Zhao?"
The other party asked with a smile.
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "And you are?"
"A friend of your senior brother."
The young Confucian saint smiled. "In the ancestral court of the Confucian school, those Confucian cultivators call me Lord Piaoyao. But I'm a friend of Ding Muchen, so you can be more casual."
"A friend of senior brother, then..."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly, cupped his fists, and bowed. "Lin Zhao greets Lord Piaoyao!"
"Alright."
The young Confucian saint, clad in white robes and silver armor, was very similar to Lin Zhao. He looked Lin Zhao in the eye with a smile. In fact, a hundred years ago, when Lin Zhao was making arrangements at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, he had watched for a long time through the Water Moon Observation Technique. Now that he met him in person, and knowing he was the sect leader's junior brother, he felt a sense of familiarity.
"Lin Zhao."
He smiled. "I'd like to stay at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool for a while. Can you find me a place to stay? I think... I'll stay at your old ancestral home. It seems a house has been built there now."
"Okay."
Lin Zhao readily agreed. "No one is living in that house yet, so it's perfect. I'll go tidy it up right away."
"Alright, I'll come with you then."
...
The site of the old Lin family ancestral home had now been rebuilt with several houses, still following the layout of the past. However, because this place was so special, Mu Zha, Chu Yu, and the others had not touched it when allocating houses to the refugees. Even the furnishings were similar to those of the past. A jujube tree was even planted in the courtyard, but for this new jujube tree to grow to its former stature would take many years.
Lin Zhao personally cleaned the courtyard, while Dong Cang brought bedding and other items. He and Tong Yu helped prepare the room for this "Lord Piaoyao." Wang Yue and Chu Yu cleaned the stove area so that Lord Piaoyao could cook for himself. Of course, if he didn't want to cook, that was fine too; the Mountain Summit Villa had no shortage of food.
Beneath the jujube tree, the young Confucian saint looked up at the new, tender jujube tree, only two people high, and couldn't help but smile. "Lin Zhao, stop what you're doing and come play a game of chess with me?"
"Okay."
Lin Zhao sat down by the tree stump. "But my chess skills aren't good, I'm afraid you won't be able to play to your heart's content."
"It's fine, Chinese chess."
"Haha, great!"
The two sat facing each other, like old friends. Externally, they appeared to be of similar age, but Lin Zhao was in the lower five realms while the other was in the thirteenth. Zhi, Chu Yu, Dong Cang, and the others dared not disturb them and were tidying up the room not far away, while also bringing some food and vegetables from the army. Chen Ben, with a group of Snow Domain cavalry, looked on from outside, not daring to enter.
Lord Piaoyao glanced and saw Chen Ben outside, as well as the War God's Gallbladder he possessed.
"Lin Zhao."
He said softly, "Actually, Chen Ben was poisoned and on the verge of death when he condensed the fortune of a War God's Gallbladder. But the dying Chen Ben was merely a catalyst. This War God's Gallbladder was actually meant for you. Why did you refuse it and instead give such a precious War God's Gallbladder to Chen Ben? You know, since ancient times, there have been very few War God's Gallbladders. Even in our ancestral court, the number of saints possessing a War God's Gallbladder can be counted on one hand."
Lin Zhao scratched his head. "Of course, I wanted it. But I felt Chen Ben needed it more. That War God's Gallbladder could save his life. If I had accepted the War God's Gallbladder for my own selfish reasons, and Chen Ben died, I would have a War God's Gallbladder but would have to face a lifetime of self-reproach and guilt. I think living like that is too tiring. It's better to be open and honest. Besides, Chen Ben has a very good foundation as a martial artist. A War God's Gallbladder might allow him to become the first Rebirth Realm cultivator under me. Since he's one of our own, who it goes to doesn't really matter?"
"Hahaha~~~"
The young Confucian saint couldn't help but laugh. "To be able to say these words directly, your state of mind is indeed open and honest. No wonder the sect leader thinks so highly of you, believing your future achievements might not be inferior to his."
"How could that be?"
Lin Zhao felt a little uneasy and chuckled. "Third senior brother is a fourteenth-realm Sword Immortal. I can't possibly catch up to him in this lifetime. To put it bluntly, although I deeply desire to become a top five realm Sword Immortal, my ambition is truly not that great. To reach the realm of a thirteenth-realm Sword Cultivator in this lifetime would be the peak of my life. If not, twelfth realm would be fine too. At the very least, eleventh realm would leave me quite satisfied."
Lord Piaoyao laughed heartily again. "Hmm, this mindset is not wrong. Too strong an ambition often leads one astray. However, your requirements are indeed a bit low. As Ding Muchen's junior brother, and a disciple of the Confucian Saint Qin Suihan and the one who rules the Eternal Secret Realm... your requirements are too low. Your sect is full of fourteenth-realm cultivators. Your minimum requirement for yourself should at least be fourteenth realm. Even if you have the chance to surpass your predecessors, I think a single fifteenth-realm cultivator in the human world is also something you could consider..."
Lin Zhao scratched his head. "Let's take it step by step, and focus on each step as it comes."
"Mm."
The young Confucian saint looked deeply at Lin Zhao, as if seeing something in the depths of his state of mind. Lord Piaoyao frowned, unsure whether it was good or bad. However, this seemed to be beyond his purview. He wouldn't worry about it. Someone would eventually enlighten him, but it wouldn't be an outsider like himself.
...
At noon, Lin Zhao and Dong Cang cooked a few dishes together: braised rabbit, sweet and sour carp, and white fish soup, along with several stir-fried seasonal vegetables, all served with a jar of peach wine. This made the Confucian saint eat and drink to his heart's content. At this moment, he began to understand why the sect leader spoke the way he did. The warmth of human life was indeed more interesting than the constant cultivation in the ancestral court of the Confucian school.
After eating and drinking his fill, the young Confucian saint told Lin Zhao not to worry about him and to go about his own business. He would stay at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool for a while and explore on his own.
Thus, Lin Zhao and Zhi, among others, returned to the Mountain Summit Villa to attend to their own tasks.
As Lord Piaoyao stood up, he saw a disheveled man with a long sword on his back push open the door and say with an embarrassed smile, "I originally wanted to come and visit you earlier, but I was afraid of overstepping my bounds, so I could only wait until Lin Zhao and the others left before daring to come."
"Oh?"
Lord Piaoyao smiled slightly. "The wine and food haven't been cleared yet, would you like some?"
"Sure!"
Tang Guang Jun sat down opposite him. He took a sip of the fish soup. Although it was cold, the white fish soup Lin Zhao cooked was truly exquisite. He praised it enthusiastically, "Junior brother's cooking skills are truly honed."
"Indeed."
Lord Piaoyao took a sip of wine and smiled. "Back then, Lin Zhao had nothing to eat. There were many white fish in the White Fish Stream. When they couldn't be sold, he could only make fish soup for himself. It was bland and didn't have much flavor, so he had to ponder how to make it tastier. And so, he developed a skill that's unparalleled in the world."
Tang Guang Jun slurped a piece of rabbit meat and laughed, "Are you here from the ancestral court of the Confucian school this time?"
"It has nothing to do with you, so mind your own business."
The young Confucian saint smiled slightly. "Don't forget, you were banished here by the sect leader."
Tang Guang Jun pinched his nose. "Sorry, sorry, I overstepped."
Saying this, he lowered his head and began to eat meat and drink wine heartily, no longer bothering with the seventy-two generals of the Confucian martial temple in front of him.
...
Damn it, if it weren't for that old man blocking the way for so many years, he, Tang Guang Jun, would also be one of the seventy-two generals of the martial temple, and should have been on equal footing with this thirteenth-realm saint.