"Shuò Zhī has reached the Twelve Realms..."
In the distance, Cao Ying, who was nestled in a ray of starlight, frowned. Sword cultivators at the Twelve Realms in the human world were few and far between. As for herself, her ranking among the Twelve Realms would not be too high, nor too low. However, the moment Shuò Zhī stepped into the Twelve Realms, Cao Ying knew her ranking was destined to drop by one. There was no helping it. Shuò Zhī had been the strongest among the Eleven Realms when she was at the Eleventh Realm. How could she be far off now that she had reached the Twelve Realms?
In a while, if a direct confrontation were to occur, Cao Ying's opponent would undoubtedly be this left-handed sword immortal, Shuò Zhī!
...
"Lin Zhao!"
A figure ascended rapidly, standing above the Conferred Altar. Dressed in a first-rank official robe, it was Lin Yan, a giant figure of the Twelve Realms. He frowned and said, "Today is the day our Great Shang Dynasty confers divinity upon the foremost great river within its borders. I hope you will not cause trouble. If you have any grievances, please address them later. What do you think?"
Lin Zhao cupped his fists gently, then drew his sword, Li Quan, from behind his back. He pointed the blade at Lin Yan and said in a deep voice, "I pay respects because you are an elder of my Lin family, and an elder to me, Lin Zhao. I draw my sword because you, Lin Yan, are too selfish and wish to confer divinity upon your own teacher as the new river god of Xi Jian River!"
As he spoke, he looked down with a haughty gaze at the shadowy figure on the Conferred Altar and reprimanded sternly, "I dare to ask, Chu Jun, who do you think you are? With just you, you dare to contend for Xi Jian River with Lin Xing Chu!?"
"..."
Chu Jun's legs turned to jelly. Lin Zhao's aura of martial intent was palpable. Moreover, Chu Jun immediately recognized the young Nascent Soul sword cultivator before him as Lin Zhao from years past. When Lin Zhao had commanded troops at the Snow Domain Celestial Lake, Chu Jun, as an official responsible for transporting military rations, had seen him from afar. Now, with Lin Zhao's sword pointed at him, his heart trembled. He couldn't help but kneel before Lin Zhao, his voice trembling, "Marshal Lin... I... I..."
He could no longer speak.
"Bold!"
Lin Yan frowned. "Anyone who dares to disrupt the consecration ceremony today is an enemy of the Great Shang Dynasty and a sinner of the human world. All cultivators, move forward and intercept them!"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Cultivators of the Mountain Peak Villa, clear the way for me!"
With that, he steered his flying sword and moved slowly forward.
Shuò Zhī swung her sword, stepping on sword light as she clashed with Cao Ying, who was hidden in the shadows. Immediately, the air was filled with dense, intricate sword energy, while on the ground, numerous palace cultivators, along with Zhao Shutong, drew their swords and ascended the Conferred Altar to protect Emperor Zhao Jingheng.
A group of Great Shang cultivators charged towards Lin Zhao.
Just then, a figure streaked forward and blocked Lin Zhao's path. It was a female martial artist clad in armor, Chu Yu. Her eyes glowed with golden intent, and she had just broken through, entering the realm of Heaven Yuan Martial Artist. The vast martial dao destiny enveloped her. Simultaneously, her sword cultivator realm also surged to the Golden Core stage. For a moment, the destinies of both sword and martial dao revolved around her. With a single punch, she sent over a dozen Great Shang cultivators stumbling.
"Who dares to block my lord!?"
Chu Yu, having just entered the Heaven Yuan realm, was invincible. Her fist qi shook the heavens, leaving the group of Great Shang cultivators with no power to resist. Even an Eleventh Realm sword cultivator could not defeat her!
"Mu Cuó has arrived!"
In the wind, another figure appeared. It was the ordinary-looking Heaven Yuan realm martial artist Mu Cuó. He directly sought out an opponent and punched towards Huang Qingning's forehead. "I just don't like you!"
Huang Qingning was shocked. "I didn't provoke you. Why are you, an Eleventh Realm cultivator, provoking me!?"
However, when Huang Qingning counterattacked with his techniques, he realized it was not so simple. Mu Cuó's fist intent as a Heaven Yuan Martial Artist was too profound. After all, he had died once. Although Mu Cuó might not be Huang Qingning's match in a direct clash, in a battle of speed, Huang Qingning could not suppress Mu Cuó in a short period.
"They've all gone mad!"
Lin Yan, as the most senior minister in the Great Shang court, had initially not intended to act. His appearance in the air was merely to protect the emperor. He never expected that the people from the Snow Domain Celestial Lake would truly dare to take such drastic action!
"Chen Xi, Lin Ruo!"
Lin Yan roared towards the distant forest, his voice like a thunderclap. "The people of the Snow Domain Celestial Lake are disrupting the consecration ceremony. If you still have even a shred of patriotism, you should not pretend to be deaf and mute!"
In the forest.
A group of Cang Nan Iron Cavalry simultaneously drew their weapons, especially several Wanfu Commanders at the Ascending Sea Realm. Their expressions were stern as they watched Lin Zhao, Chu Yu, Shuò Zhī, and others in the air, ready to charge into battle. Yet, the deep blue figure standing in the wind remained motionless. Chen Xi had been standing there all along, refusing to give orders.
"Commander!"
A Wanfu Commander frowned. "His Majesty is in danger. Shouldn't we rush to his rescue?"
"Hmm???"
Chen Xi looked back at the eager Wanfu Commanders and frowned. "Are you the commander of the Cang Nan Iron Cavalry, or am I? Without my order, who dares to act? I know Lin Zhao's temperament well; he will not act against His Majesty."
"Yes, subordinate understands!"
The Wanfu Commanders, having experienced many battles under Chen Xi, naturally believed his words implicitly.
On the other side, within the Stony Army, many middle-tier cultivators also drew their long sabers, their gazes fixed on the sky.
"Everyone, calm down."
Lin Ruo stood in the wind with his arms crossed, looking back at the crowd. "Can you bastards have some conscience? When we were stationed at the Snow Domain Celestial Lake, did the Snow Domain Celestial Lake ever treat us poorly? They hosted us with food and drink. When we fought the demons, didn't the Snow Domain cavalry descend the mountain and fight alongside us?"
"But..."
A Wanfu Commander frowned. "Commander, your father is giving orders, telling us to rush to his rescue..."
"Your father's order is a load of crap; ignore it," Lin Ruo said with a smile. "As for His Majesty, the Eleventh Realm Princess is escorting him. Is it up to you, mere middle-tier cultivators, to save him?"
For a moment, the Wanfu Commanders scratched their heads. "It does make some sense..."
Lin Ruo smiled and looked into the distance again. Back then, when he took over the banner of the Stony Army from the descendants of the old marshal Li Conghai, Lin Ruo had promised that the weapons of the Stony Army would only point north, and the lives of these young soldiers would never be wasted in the internal power struggles of the human race, nor would they become sacrifices.
Besides, Lin Zhao was his kinsman. Lin Ruo was already not helping Lin Zhao beat up his father, so how could he expect him to help? Dream on!
...
In the air, Lin Yan was infuriated. He was running out of subordinates, and Lin Zhao had already flown to the center of the river on his sword. At that moment, Lin Yan gritted his teeth and took action himself!
He suddenly raised his palm, and a colossal golden palm manifestation descended from the sky, intending to crush Lin Zhao in mid-air. But in the next second, a figure in a grey long robe appeared beside Lin Zhao. He was a very young scholar, exuding an aura of scholarly learning, but his cultivation was exceedingly high. He was actually a deeply profound Confucian at the Twelve Realms!
"Little Uncle-Master."
Gu Lingyu detached a bamboo slip from the wooden tablet in his hand and said with a smile, "Ling Yu will escort you. Junior Brother, just do what you need to do; no one can stop you."
The green bamboo slip instantly transformed into a small boat beneath Lin Zhao's feet. Below it was a shimmering scene of golden waves, reminiscent of the idiom "The sea of learning is boundless, and one must toil to cross it." However, this small boat manifested by Gu Lingyu's profound Confucian techniques was incredibly powerful. It instantly shattered Lin Yan's descending palm manifestation and slowly moved forward.
"Audacious!"
Two more Eleventh Realm cultivators charged towards Lin Zhao.
Gu Lingyu glanced over, and with a wave of his wide sleeve, intricate and dense Confucian characters manifested, surging like a torrent and sweeping the two Eleventh Realm cultivators away in a disheveled manner.
Lin Zhao was slightly surprised. Gu Lingyu was indeed formidable, much stronger than ordinary Twelve Realm cultivators! But he didn't know that Gu Lingyu's learning and cultivation were far beyond those of ordinary Twelve Realm cultivators. In the Confucian Academy, Gu Lingyu had always been invincible among his peers!
...
That should be enough.
After crossing the river, Lin Zhao flicked his palm, and six golden talismans appeared in his palm. These were the Heavenly Thunder Talismans he had saved up these days. Using one Heavenly Thunder Talisman would consume 30 points of stamina, which was just right. He decided to expend all his stamina in one go.
"Lin Zhao!"
Not far away, Lin Yan's methods were endless, but all of them were suppressed by Gu Lingyu. For a moment, Lin Yan showed extreme anger. "What exactly do you want to do? Are you truly going against the heavens!?"
Lin Zhao stood on his flying sword, twisted his neck, and looked at him. He asked, "Are you heaven?"
This sentence left Lin Yan stunned.
"Everyone leave the River God Shrine!"
Lin Zhao shouted. The artisans, stewards, servants, and others within the River God Shrine quickly withdrew. As soon as the entire River God Shrine was empty, Lin Zhao instantly ignited all six Heavenly Thunder Talismans. The next moment, dark clouds rolled in the sky, and countless golden heavenly thunders descended, as magnificent and shocking as a Thirteen Realm cultivator undergoing ascension tribulation. With the sound of his hands waving, countless golden lightning bolts poured down like a waterfall into the newly constructed River God Shrine. For a moment, all the roofs shattered, and even the foundation of the River God Shrine was pierced.
...
The moment Lin Zhao destroyed the River God Shrine, a hundred-man commander from the Imperial Guard escorting the emperor suddenly stepped out of the crowd. The next moment, he leaped into the air, and a sword strike of brilliant radiance slashed directly towards Lin Zhao's head. The sword intent was profound, and the sword energy was sharp. This was a strike from a Twelve Realm great demon. No one had expected that a Twelve Realm demon sword cultivator was hiding among the crowd!
He had finally waited for this heaven-sent opportunity!
Lin Zhao's gaze was sharp, but he wasn't particularly afraid. At most, he would lose a level upon death, and he still had the miraculous divine ability of his flying sword, Hao Ran, so he wouldn't die.
But at this moment, the river water below churned. In the sight of Lin Zhao and the Twelve Realm demon sword cultivator, a terrifying Flood Dragon head emerged from the water. It possessed a pair of golden eyes. It originally had a pair of golden dragon horns on its forehead, but for some reason, only one remained. The moment this Thirteen Realm Flood Dragon-like creature emerged, it swatted away the demon sword cultivator's long sword with one claw, then opened its bloody maw and lunged towards the opponent.
"Hmm!?"
The Twelve Realm demon sword cultivator was instantly stunned. With such powerful demonic energy, wasn't this one of them?
Eighth chapter finished, brothers, recommendation tickets!!!