A wisp of blood coalesced into a Mo Family inscribed rune hanging in the air. As Xu Zhan pushed out a heavy palm, the rune ignited, burning through Ning Yuan Sheng's miniature world's boundary. The rune then scattered, reducing the entire small world to ashes. In front of him, a figure, struck by Ning Yuan Sheng's palm, crashed onto the river's surface – it was Lin Wanhua.
Lin Wanhua had been the first to engage the enemy, thus sustaining the most severe injuries. The moment her body hit the water, a curved expanse of river water spread out behind her, and wisps of sword qi erupted, forcefully halting her momentum. It was at this very instant that Ning Yuan Sheng's small world was completely incinerated, and the oppressive force on their minds, like the weight of heaven and earth, vanished.
"Senior Xu Zhan!?"
Lin Wanhua started slightly.
"Defend!"
Xu Zhan descended gracefully, his entire being enveloped in potent sword qi, colliding with the body of a Great Demon of the twelfth realm. He swung his blade repeatedly, unleashing dozens of sword beams that shot into the sky, forcefully rescuing Su Qingjiu, who was being besieged by seven Great Demons including Ning Yuan Sheng. At this moment, Xu Zhan's face was ashen. With every sword strike, a sword qi separated and fell into the river. Instantly, the water beneath him began to churn, and wisps of golden light rose, as a Mo Family formation had been silently erected.
"Su Qingjiu, Lin Wanhua!"
Xu Zhan conveyed his thoughts to the two of them: "I will tie them down. You two find an opportunity to escape. Once you are out, head east immediately to rendezvous with Xu Shuo. The three of you must return alive!"
"Senior!"
Su Qingjiu's beautiful eyes were filled with a faint golden aura. The power of her Sword Heart reaching divinity was almost completely depleted. She furrowed her brows and said, "We can't escape. Ning Yuan Sheng has already sealed off the vital energy within several hundred miles."
"How will we know if we don't try?"
As Xu Zhan continuously struck with his sword under the cover of Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua, a thread of golden light within his chest seemed to ignite. Instantly, it granted this Mo Family twelfth realm Sword Immortal even stronger sword intent and qi than Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua. At this moment, Xu Zhan was burning his own heart and veins to resist the demons.
"Senior Xu Zhan, why must you do this?"
Lin Wanhua murmured, "If Sword Immortal Su and I die, we die. Why do you have to?"
"You two, try your best not to die."
Xu Zhan continued to swing his sword, accumulating more wounds under the siege of the many Great Demons, yet his voice remained exceptionally hearty. He laughed, "The human world would be like a night without stars without Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua. But without me, Xu Zhan... it's really not much. The Mo Family's ancestral court has a new generation like Xu Shuo and the others. I, Xu Zhan, am not indispensable."
He looked towards the east and said, "Even our sect leader brother has descended to wield his sword. How can I, Xu Zhan, disgrace the Mo Family's ancestral court?"
He said with a laugh, "I have already used a Mo Family Heavenly Absolute Formation to seal off tens of miles around. This formation only has one life gate left. In a moment, when I activate the formation, use the willow leaf as a token. You two will follow the willow leaf and depart. I, Xu Zhan, will stay behind, and even if I die, I will drag a few more Great Demons down with me!"
"Senior..."
Su Qingjiu's delicate brows furrowed.
"Don't hesitate!"
Xu Zhan said solemnly, "If you two cannot leave, my death will be meaningless. I, Xu Zhan, am old and have no lingering regrets. However... could you please deliver a message to my daughter, Xu Qingyi?"
"Please speak, Senior!" Lin Wanhua said.
Xu Zhan swept his long sword, simultaneously summoning three natal flying swords to fiercely attack the demons. But his eyes were filled with tenderness as he said softly, "Tell that girl, liking someone is a very important thing. But if liking someone doesn't make you a better person, then you should try not to like them."
"Noted..."
Lin Wanhua bit her red lips.
"Alright, prepare!"
Xu Zhan suddenly stomped on the void, and his body rapidly retreated. He raised his hand, bit his index finger, and reflected a drop of blood onto the sky. In an instant, the river water beneath his feet spun rapidly, and golden formation light rose everywhere within tens of miles. In the next second, a willow leaf flew out from Xu Zhan's sleeve. Instantly, Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua followed the willow leaf on their swords, rushing out of the formation along a winding path.
"Not good!"
Ning Yuan Sheng roared in anger, "They are trying to leave! Pursue them!"
"You don't need to pursue."
Xu Zhan stomped on the river surface, and the formation light of the Mo Family Heavenly Absolute Formation surged into the sky, forming countless golden cages that trapped Ning Yuan Sheng and the other Great Demons in place.
"Very good!"
Ning Yuan Sheng's face contorted in rage. He watched Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua fly away on their swords with a chilling gaze. He laughed, "Xu Zhan, your Mo Family's ancestral court truly meddles too much. Your head should be placed on the altar of your ancestral mountain, for all cultivators in the demon world to witness the style of a Mo Family twelfth realm Sword Cultivator of the human race!"
"Don't worry."
Xu Zhan smiled leisurely, "If I, Xu Zhan, am to die, I will not leave a single drop of oil for you beasts!"
Saying this, he pointed his sword, and a sword heart within him began to hum and resonate!
"Not good!"
Long Zheng exclaimed in shock, "He's going to self-destruct his sword heart!"
The self-destruction of a twelfth realm Great Sword Immortal's sword heart, how terrifying was that?
"Each man for himself!"
Ning Yuan Sheng no longer cared about anything else. He suddenly detached a rib from his Weeping Blood Fan and crushed it, transforming into golden armor to protect himself. Long Zheng and the others quickly condensed their sword qi, demon qi, and the like. All of them were trapped by Xu Zhan's Heavenly Absolute Formation, but the impact of Xu Zhan's close-range sword heart self-destruction was something they could not avoid.
The twelfth realm Mo Family Sword Cultivator, covered in wounds, appeared exceptionally carefree. He gently stroked the sword in his hand and chuckled, "Old friend, I never expected you to be buried with me in the end..."
Saying this, Xu Zhan looked towards the east and laughed heartily, "Sect Leader Brother, Xu Zhan is departing!"
...
"Boom—"
With a deafening roar, the entire Ghost Realm trembled. The power of Xu Zhan's sword heart self-destruction was terrifying, leveling nearly half of the Withered Pine River. The Great Demons in close proximity to Xu Zhan were like leaves in a sword qi storm. Even Ning Yuan Sheng, a thirteenth realm Great Demon, spat blood. Long Zheng had one arm and one leg blown to the bone, and the other Great Demons fared no better. Three twelfth realm Great Demons were directly blown into a bloody mist, becoming sacrifices to the Mo Family Sword Immortal Xu Zhan's martyrdom.
"Senior Xu Zhan..."
A hundred miles away, Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua looked back together, having understood everything. Tears welled up in their eyes.
"Let's go."
Lin Wanhua gritted her teeth, "We need to rendezvous with Xu Shuo!"
"Mhm!"
Not far from the two, a figure in a red dress appeared. It was Cao Ying, the Pavilion Master of the Embroidered Guard, followed by two twelfth realm Great Demons.
"Sword Immortal Su, Sword Immortal Lin, save me!"
Cao Ying gritted her teeth.
"Hmph!"
Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua simultaneously unleashed a sword strike, pushing the two Great Demons back tens of miles. Then, the three of them flew on their swords towards the upper reaches of the Withered Pine River. The waterway downstream had been severely damaged, and coupled with Xu Zhan's sword heart self-destruction, the monster deep in the riverbed's chances of reaching the fourteenth realm were naturally diminishing.
"Over there, what happened?"
Cao Ying asked as she flew.
Lin Wanhua frowned, "Senior Xu Zhan self-destructed his sword heart and martyred himself to save us."
"..."
Cao Ying pursed her red lips and looked in the direction of the explosion. Respect bloomed in her eyes. Sword Immortals of the human race were indeed heroes. Mo Family Sword Immortal Xu Zhan, self-destructing his sword heart to kill demons – how magnificent!
In contrast, compared to the treacherous currents within the Great Shang Dynasty's court, what breadth of mind and what freedom did Great Sword Immortals of the upper five realms like Mo Family's Xu Zhan possess?
Cao Ying's delicate brows furrowed, and she then gave a self-deprecating laugh. Why envy? Did she, Cao Ying, deserve to be compared to Xu Zhan? After following King Ji Nan for so many years, had she not committed enough dirty deeds? Do not envy the heroes of the human race's sword immortals; she, Cao Ying, was simply not worthy.
...
Snow Region Celestial Lake, hundreds of miles east.
"Sigh..."
The fourteen realm Mo Family Patriarch, covered in wounds, descended gracefully onto a mountaintop. Though he still possessed an immortal demeanor, he was somewhat disheveled. The Seven Treasures Sword Box behind him was twisted and deformed from the impact of the Sun Moon Water Fire Rod, and two flying swords were directly destroyed. This trip to the lower realm had been neither smooth nor favorable. In fact, had it not been for the arrival of this elder, Wen Lin, his life might have been in danger.
"Mo Family Patriarch."
The Patriarch stepped forward and respectfully said, "Greetings, Venerable Fu Sheng. Thank you for your assistance."
The elder smiled, "We are all working for the human realm, no need to be so formal."
Saying this, the elder looked towards the west and said softly, "Don't be too sad..."
"It's alright."
The Mo Family Patriarch's eyes turned slightly red. "My junior brother, he has always been unable to break through to the thirteenth realm, burdened by many inner demons, doted too much on his daughter, and had numerous flaws. But one good thing about him was that he was a bit like you scholars – he never shirked responsibility."
He looked towards the west, and his nose involuntarily stung. "Our Mo Family has never had a coward, let alone my junior brother Xu Zhan?"
The elder did not know how to console him, so he simply took down his wine gourd and offered it to the Mo Family Patriarch. "Have a drink? This is the wine brewed by my Suihan. Every sip is one less."
The Mo Family Patriarch accepted it without hesitation and took a drink. Seeing the pained expression on the elder's face, he promptly returned it and smiled, "Much better. It's time to return to the Mo Family's ancestral court. What about you, Elder?"
"I'm going to the Mountain Peak Villa to visit Suihan's disciples."
"Indeed."
...
Heavenly Mystery City, Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
The shopkeeper, dressed in a green dress, was a bit sleepy and had dozed off at her desk. In her dream, she returned to her childhood, her father carrying her on his shoulders to pick yellow apricots from the trees in the backyard of the Mo Family's ancestral court.
"Daddy, higher, higher!"
The little girl, reaching out wildly towards the tree.
Xu Zhan, holding his daughter, had a smile on his face and said gently, "Slowly, slowly."
After picking the apricots, Xu Zhan put down Xu Qingyi, dotingly rubbed her head, and smiled, "Daughter, Daddy is leaving now..."
...
"Ah?!"
Xu Qingyi suddenly woke up from her dream, her pretty face already tear-streaked.