Snow Domain Heavenly Pond.
The great demons Nan Qingfeng, Fu Sheng, and Feng Quan had already returned to the ancestral mountain of the demon race, but the armies of the demon and devil races still pressed on. On the human side, after losing a Confucian Saint of the thirteenth realm, they managed to hold the Snow Ridge defense line with the remaining nine Sword Suppression Towers, vast armies, and players, ultimately preventing the demon and devil races from advancing south.
North Mountain.
Lin Zhao sat on a precipice, with Leng Yan beside him. Leng Yan had not gone down the mountain to hunt monsters and level up, wanting to spend more time with him. Lin Zhao's emotions were incredibly complex. Huo Piaoyao being critically wounded and near death was something he could not shirk responsibility for. If he had been less vigilant, the demon king Man Yuan would not have infiltrated the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond, and Huo Piaoyao's spear was aimed northward. He could never have imagined that the fatal blow would come from behind.
"Don't be too sad, she'll be alright."
Leng Yan frowned and said, "Huo Piaoyao is a Confucian Saint of the thirteenth realm with profound cultivation. After being sent back to the Confucian ancestral court, she will surely recover from her injuries. Besides, worrying won't help!"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I'm fine."
He turned to ask Wu Zhi, "How is the Dragon Boat?"
"Over a hundred injured, more than sixty dead."
Wu Zhi's delicate brows furrowed. "And Xiang Ji... The demonic energy when he was killed was too dense, so... not even a bone was left. He was completely vaporized into blood mist."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "Let's build a tomb of clothing and belongings for Xiang Ji, to be buried in the back mountain."
"Mm."
Wu Zhi looked west, and Lin Zhao also looked west. Earlier, Lin Zhao had sensed a surge of sword dao fortune in the west, and even felt the sword dao fortune in that direction suddenly become much denser. A Sword Immortal of the twelfth realm had died in the Underworld, and his entire sword dao fortune had dispersed throughout the Underworld.
"What happened over there?" Lin Zhao asked.
"A Sword Immortal died."
Wu Zhi said softly, "It was Senior Xu Zhan. His aura has completely vanished, and the fluctuations of his sword dao fortune before his death were intense. If nothing unexpected happened, he must have self-detonated his sword heart to protect the realm. After Senior Xu Zhan fell, the auras of three great demons of the twelfth realm also disappeared along with him."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao frowned, deflated like a frost-beaten eggplant, feeling deeply disheartened. When he closed his eyes, he could picture Xu Zhan holding a wine gourd, his face flushed red. This Mohist Sword Immortal was incredibly carefree, and he had departed just as freely. It could be said that the Mohist ancestral court had paid a heavy price in this war.
Man Yuan had gone west, which made him even more worried about Xiao Jiu'er and Miss Lin.
...
Not long after, an old gentleman in a gray-white long gown appeared outside North Mountain, leaning on a cane and with a wine gourd hanging from his waist. Though his face was aged, it was ruddy. Lin Zhao suddenly stood up, his eyes lighting up with surprise and joy. "Teacher's teacher?"
"Lin Zhao."
The old gentleman greeted him and ambled up the mountain.
"We have a guest?"
Leng Yan chuckled. "Then you entertain him. I'll go level up?"
"Mm!"
Lin Zhao nodded.
Leng Yan descended the mountain with her long sword, brushing past the old gentleman and smiling slightly at him. "Greetings, old sir. My name is Leng Yan. I'm heading down the mountain now."
"Ah?"
The old gentleman was bewildered, and then he watched the graceful seventh realm Sword Cultivator descend. He then walked up and smiled, "Little Zhao, is this... your confidante?"
Lin Zhao scratched his head. "You could say that..."
The old gentleman immediately gave him a thumbs-up. "Little Zhao's taste is truly excellent!"
Lin Zhao felt even more awkward.
Beside him, Wu Zhi could not discern the old gentleman's cultivation level, but since he was Qin Suihan's teacher, he was clearly a fourteenth realm expert. She bowed respectfully and said, "Sir, would you like me to show you around the Mountain Peak Villa?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Teacher's teacher is finally here to visit the Mountain Peak Villa. I must entertain him properly at noon, with our villa's finest wine and freshest fish soup."
The old gentleman's face was full of smiles. "Good, good, good~~~"
And so, they walked up the mountain side-by-side.
On the mountain path, Tong Yu stood on a boulder, practicing sword stances. Upon seeing them, she immediately retracted her hands and cupped her fists in a salute to the old gentleman. "Mountain Peak Villa, Tong Yu. Greetings, old sir!"
Though she didn't recognize him, anyone who could walk alongside Brother Lin Zhao was surely one of them.
The old gentleman smiled and nodded, signaling Tong Yu to continue and not mind him.
On the way, Wang Yue walked down the mountain with his hands behind his back, practicing fist stances. When he saw Lin Zhao and the old gentleman, his reaction was almost identical to Tong Yu's. He straightened his posture, performed a perfect martial artist's salute, and said, "Mountain Peak Villa, Wang Yue. Greetings, old sir!"
The old gentleman smiled and nodded. However, as he looked at Wang Yue's fate, his heart ached slightly. But the karma was already set, and even if he could see it, he couldn't change anything.
In front of the Natural Dwelling, Lin Zhao raised his hand to call out, "Dong Cang, please prepare a few extra dishes for lunch. I need to entertain Teacher's teacher."
From within the apricot grove, a figure in an apricot-yellow dress floated down. It was Dong Cang, her face wreathed in a smile. She performed a deep curtsey to the old gentleman. "Dong Cang greets the old sir."
The old gentleman's eyes twinkled. "Even apricot maidens are here? Little Zhao's Mountain Peak Villa is truly all-encompassing. Excellent, excellent. It's completely different from ordinary sects, with a unique charm!"
...
Dong Cang began preparing lunch. Lin Zhao, meanwhile, took a fishing rod and started fishing on the spot. The freshly caught fish would be the most delicious. To entertain Teacher's teacher, he couldn't use second-rate ingredients. However, as he fished, the old gentleman could tell that Lin Zhao was distracted, and that he kept glancing westward with worry in his eyes.
"It's alright."
The old gentleman smiled. "Su Qingjiu and Lin Wanhua have very strong fates. As long as they don't court death, no one can kill them. They have a long road ahead of them."
"Really?"
Lin Zhao was surprised and overjoyed.
"Mm."
The old gentleman smiled faintly, his gaze penetrating Lin Zhao's Lake of Sword Essence. He noticed the crack on the tip of the Vast Sword within the lake, and also saw that the Confucian essence contained within the Vast Sword had actually dispersed somewhat. He smiled and said, "All things have causes and effects, birth and death. Little Zhao, you have already done many things, and the threads you have laid will naturally intertwine. There is no need to trouble yourself."
"Yes."
Lin Zhao nodded, accepting the advice.
Soon after, the Natural Dwelling began cooking. Wang Yue and Tong Yu came to help. Lin Zhao caught a large white fish and personally began to simmer a soup for Teacher's teacher. Not long after, they sat down to eat. After the old gentleman sat down in the living room, he looked at the table. The wood used for the table was from a twelfth realm Blazing Maple, and the chairs were made from eleventh realm Water Willow wood. He mused, "Truly worthy of Suihan's disciple, such attention to detail!"
Lin Zhao first served a bowl of fish soup to the old gentleman. After tasting it, the old gentleman was astonished. He stroked his beard and chuckled, "Little Zhao, our lineage has produced many thirteenth and fourteenth realm experts, top scholars from imperial examinations, and many Confucian Sages. But I must say, among the disciples of our branch, none have ever had your culinary skills. If culinary arts had realms, the realm of this white fish soup of yours would start at the fifteenth!"
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao scratched his head and laughed heartily, "Really?"
"Truly!"
"Teacher's teacher, please also taste Dong Cang's cooking. The dishes she makes are delicious."
"Mm, mm!"
The old gentleman ate with gusto. Lin Zhao then brought out a jar of Peach Blossom Wine, brewed by Han Yurou, a Peach Blossom Demon from Mirror Lake. The moment the seal was broken, the old gentleman was already sniffing frantically, almost burying his head in the opening of the jar, his eyes wide. "What kind of wine is this? Such a rich aroma, truly remarkable, remarkable..."
Lin Zhao smiled. "From Mirror Lake, I have a friend whose natural form is a Peach Blossom Demon. This is the peach blossom wine she brewed. If you like it, Teacher's teacher, please drink more."
"Mm!"
The old gentleman was not shy at all, drinking bowl after bowl. His face became even more ruddy, and he chuckled, "The taste of this wine is comparable to Suihan's wine. Truly excellent, truly excellent..."
Lin Zhao smiled. "In that case, I'll give Teacher's teacher two more jars of peach blossom wine. No... five jars!"
"Good!"
The old gentleman's eyes crinkled with delight. Suihan's wine was almost finished, and now the wine from the next generation had managed to replenish it. This trip was truly worthwhile.
...
Kusong River, upstream.
Under three beams of sword light, Su Qingjiu, Lin Wanhua, and Cao Ying, three twelfth realm Sword Cultivators, descended upon this area almost simultaneously. On the river upstream, Xu Shuo, clad in a green robe, stood on the water's surface.
"You're back?"
Xu Shuo asked.
"Mm."
Su Qingjiu nodded, not mentioning Xu Zhan's sacrifice. But she assumed Xu Shuo must have already guessed.
"Still not enough."
Xu Shuo looked at the river and said, "The river transport upstream is still too dense. If that monster truly awakens, it might be able to consume all the fortune of the Underworld in one gulp and support a fourteenth realm cultivation."
"Then what do we do?"
Lin Wanhua frowned and asked.
Xu Shuo gave a wry smile. "To seal this water-aligned demon king of the Great Dao, Senior Uncle Xu Zhan didn't even spare his life. What is there for me, Xu Shuo, to hold dear? Please guard me, and I, Xu Shuo, am willing to use a level of my cultivation to disperse the river transport at the source of the Kusong River."
"Is it really necessary?" Su Qingjiu asked.
"It is necessary."
"Wait!"
Lin Wanhua suddenly turned around, seeing a ball of fire breaking through from the human world. She immediately frowned. "He's here!"
Su Qingjiu gently raised her sword, Lingxi.
Within that ball of fire, demonic energy raged intensely. The demon king Man Yuan, enveloped in flames, swept his Sun-Moon Water-Fire Cudgel forward, his eyes filled with untamed arrogance. He roared with laughter, "Come, come, let me give you a quick end!"
"You!"
Cao Ying bore the brunt of it. Though she didn't want to fight, she had no choice. She drew her sword, and instantly, myriad sword intents appeared around her blade. She concentrated almost all her cultivation into this single strike. However, the moment the sword light touched the Sun-Moon Water-Fire Cudgel, it was instantly extinguished. Then, with a loud "Peng" sound, Cao Ying bled across the sky, nearly half of her body shattered by a single blow.