Su Yi and his generals sat down again after Shi Jun Gang and the others left. Looking at the demon generals under his command, he raised his hand and conjured a small world to envelop the entire command tent. Frowning, he said, "The demon race wants us to be a whetstone, doesn't it? What do you all think we should do?"
"Marshal Su!"
A demon general at the Nascent Soul stage clasped his fists and said, "That thirteen-realm Confucian Saint is one of the seventy-two generals of the Confucian military temple. His strength is incredibly formidable. If he is truly here, it doesn't matter how many troops we send; it will only lead to death."
"But if we don't send troops to attack, that might not be acceptable either."
Another demon general frowned deeply and said, "There are too many intertwined interests between our divine race and the demon race. The demon race holds many of our weaknesses in their hands. Furthermore, the demon race has far too many cultivators in the upper five realms. If the demon race were to attack, we might not be able to withstand it. I believe that since we must attack the mountain, we must minimize our losses. I propose we gather the old and weak soldiers from our two hundred thousand strong army and form a force of fifty thousand to attack the mountain. If we win, we win. If we lose, it won't cripple our foundation, and it will also appease the demon race."
"That's right!"
A female officer smiled, her lips curling, and said, "Even the old and weak cavalry among our divine race army are quite formidable, capable of sweeping through ordinary human armies without any problem."
"Understood."
Su Yi nodded. "Proceed as planned. We attack the mountain before nightfall!"
"Yes!"
...
Snowflakes began to fall on Snow Ridge.
Lin Zhao did not return to the Snow Region Heavenly Pool. Instead, he sat down by a broken cliff not far to the left of the first Sword-Guarding Tower's construction site. Wu Zhi knelt on the ground, guarding by his side. Lin Zhao was worried that this Sword-Guarding Tower might be attacked, and he wanted to help in any way he could. Wu Zhi, on the other hand, was worried that Lin Zhao might be in mortal danger, as this place had become a dangerous territory.
In the distance, artisans from the Mohist school were clanging and hammering. Bricks, tiles, spirit stones, and runes were continuously transported from the giant tortoise immortal ship. Soon, the foundation was completed, and a Sword-Guarding Tower began to rise at a visible speed. Intricate and dense Mohist inscriptions sealed every layer of brick and tile. Glimmers of golden light flickered and vanished. The Mohist ancestral court sent Xu Zhan to oversee the construction of this Sword-Guarding Tower, demonstrating its immense importance.
"My lord."
Beside him, Wu Zhi said softly, "Let's return to the Snow Region Heavenly Pool. It's freezing here, and Lord Piaoyao is guarding it. There's no point in us staying here..."
"I'm not going back."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly. "It's fine. I have nothing else to do in the Snow Region Heavenly Pool anyway. Passing the time here is the same."
In truth, his thoughts were elsewhere. Lord Piaoyao was a thirteen-realm Confucian Saint, indeed one of the top existences in the world. However, even the most powerful individuals had their limits. In the past, Mr. Qin died in battle, Zhang Liucheng and Guo Dongyang met their demise, and Han Buyu and Jia Chong perished. These people who were very important to him were all gone, and he could only watch powerlessly.
Now, as a player, he possessed certain abilities that could break through the limitations of this world, such as being invincible and thus guaranteed not to die, or being able to revive in the city after death. Therefore, with these advantages, he wanted to do more. He would stay here and guard, just in case Brother Huo needed his meager strength. He thought it was worth doing whatever he could.
Just then, faint, low hoofbeats could be heard in the distance.
"Hmm?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Are those the hoofbeats of the demon cavalry?"
"..."
Wu Zhi knitted her delicate brows and listened carefully. She couldn't help but gasp. She, who was in the upper five realms, had almost failed to notice this sound, yet Lin Zhao, a sword cultivator in the lower five realms, had detected it early. This made Wu Zhi feel a sense of daze. Were some people truly born for war? Lin Zhao, for instance, was such a person, possessing an extremely keen perception of the battlefield and accurate judgment. Such individuals were one in ten thousand!
"There are hoofbeats, very heavy."
Wu Zhi said, "If nothing unexpected happens, it is indeed the demon cavalry."
"Over there."
Lin Zhao stood up and pointed to the northeast. "They are coming from that direction."
"Mm!"
At this moment, a figure flew over, carrying a bright silver spear. Clad in a white robe and silver armor that fluttered in the wind, it was Lord Piaoyao. He glanced back at Lin Zhao and Wu Zhi with a smile, waving his hand to signal them not to interfere, as he could handle it alone. Then, he flew north of Snow Ridge, brandishing his long spear, and said sternly to the thousand Confucian cultivators standing below in the wind and snow, "I will take the first formation. If I fall, you shall array yourselves to meet the enemy!"
"Yes, my lord!"
A group of Confucian cultivators responded in unison.
...
In the snow curtain, formations of demon cavalry appeared on the snowfield, dense and numerous. Many of them, upon seeing the figure in the air, swiftly took out short crossbows from the sides of their horses. This made Lin Zhao slightly stunned. Previously, the demon cavalry had not been equipped with crossbows. Had they started improving their tactics after being so thoroughly defeated by him last time?
"Halt!"
Lord Piaoyao held his long spear and said with a smile, "Those who cross the boundary - die!"
"Clang!"
A demon general drew his sword and pointed it at the enemy, shouting, "Divine race cavalry, charge and meet the enemy!"
Instantly, countless demon cavalry charged forward like a torrent. Accompanied by the whistling sound of "chichichichi," volleys of crossbow bolts shot towards the figure in the air. But what awaited them was a sweeping spear thrust from above, deflecting all the arrows. Then, Lord Piaoyao descended from the sky and struck into the crowd, unleashing a storm of golden spear energy. Hundreds of demon cavalry were immediately sent flying in all directions.
"Kill!"
Someone shouted. The Cloud Dawn warhorses behind them leaped up, galloping over the fallen demon cavalry. Then, long spears pierced their opponents like dense needles. Amidst the chaos, the figure in white robe and silver armor suddenly surged forward, his spear dancing like a dragon. He instantly cleaved a large area of demon cavalry apart, followed by another storm erupting into the sky.
The demon cavalry, seeing their comrades fall, did not retreat but became enraged. They surrounded the figure, crashing towards him from all directions. Countless steel spears, nearly three meters long, thrust out with "pupu pu" sounds. Thousands of cavalrymen were like a swirling tide, attempting to engulf the young Confucian Saint in the center in an instant.
"..."
On the broken cliff, Lin Zhao watched in disbelief. He had never seen the demon cavalry use such an attack method against a single person. Under the impact of the demon cavalry, the figure in white robe and silver armor was like a god of war. As his spear thrust out, a blue dragon-shaped manifestation rose from the ground, flinging the bodies of hundreds of demon cavalry into the air.
One man breaking through a thousand armors? No, it was more than that; it was one man breaking through ten thousand armors!
"Charge!"
After the previous demon general was pierced through the chest by a spear and vaporized into a rain of blood, the second general had already followed up, raising his long sword and roaring, "Even if he is in the Ascension realm, he needs time to recover his breath. Kill him during his recovery time! Crossbow bolts, javelins, never stop until you turn him into a corpse!"
The hoofbeats echoed, and the demon cavalry seemed endless, continuously emerging from the snow curtain. In formations of 200 to 400, they repeatedly charged the Confucian Saint from all directions. However, every time their iron cavalry bodies engulfed him, a bright silver spear would emerge, carrying a silver dragon storm, decisively shattering the formations of the charging demons.
Lin Zhao stood on the cliff, almost suffocating from watching.
On Snow Ridge, the Mohist artisans were also stunned. How could there be such a person in the world, capable of single-handedly confronting tens of thousands of demon cavalry? What a display of spirit!
Xu Zhan frowned. In terms of combat power, the Confucian school was indeed second to none in the human world. This Lord Piaoyao was a thirteen-realm Confucian cultivator, but he was no less than a thirteen-realm sword cultivator of the human race, and his combat power might even be slightly superior. It was hard to imagine how strong a thirteen-realm sword cultivator of the Confucian school would be. What was even more unbearable was the person who presided over the Confucian ancestral court. He was not only of the Confucian school but also the sole fourteen-realm sword cultivator. Who could reason with that? However, it was thanks to the existence of such individuals that humanity might still be the ruler of this world.
...
The entire northern battlefield was in turmoil.
The young Confucian Saint in white, wielding a bright silver spear, single-handedly blocked the charge of tens of thousands of demon cavalry. After his spear swept through, a large number of demon cavalry turned into corpses. Around him, the battlefield within a radius of ten li seemed to be enveloped by his intense killing aura. Despite being in the midst of flying arrows and javelins, he was at ease. Every thrust of his spear was methodical, and he was enveloped in a dense aura of military armor, preventing the demon cavalry from breaching his defense.
After a while, after suffering the loss of three demon generals, the remaining cavalrymen dared not charge forward and could only watch the Confucian Saint from a distance.
At this moment, his white robe was stained with a significant amount of blood, his spear hanging low. Drops of blood dripped from the tip of his spear. He faced north, his back to his southern homeland, and couldn't help but smile with disdain in his eyes as he looked towards the north.
It was the same in the past, and it was the same today. They were nothing more than this!
This demeanor left Lin Zhao, Xu Zhan, and the others mesmerized.
A white robe like snow, a silver spear like a dragon. What a glorious victory, like the Conqueror of the Xiongnu! What a peerless Marquis of Champion in the human world!
...
Panyun Mountain.
On the mountaintop stood two thirteen-realm cultivators. One was the thirteen-realm deer demon Fu Sheng, dressed as a scholar. The other was the thirteen-realm peacock demon Nan Qingfeng, wearing a white dress.
"It's over."
Fu Sheng sighed. "The iron hooves of the demon race cannot trouble a thirteen-realm Confucian cultivator."
"..."
Nan Qingfeng frowned. "Do you think... if you and I joined forces, we could kill this person?"
"Difficult!"
Fu Sheng replied, "Even if we could kill him, we would certainly have to pay with our lives, or even both of us would die. This Marquis of Champion's killing intent is too heavy. It seems Shi Jun Gang's plan to pit tiger against wolf has failed again. Hmph, how could the combined plan of the Confucian ancestral court and the Mohist ancestral court be so easy?"
Nan Qingfeng said calmly, "It seems we don't need to make a move."
"Yes."
Fu Sheng's lips curled. "Someone like Huo Piaoyao should be dealt with by the one in the Abyss of Demon Spirits. A thirteen-realm peak fighting a thirteen-realm peak should be quite a spectacle."
Nan Qingfeng also revealed a smile.