In the Nine Nether Dragon Court, battles raged in the early morning. Feng Ting, a martial artist in the Rebirth Realm, led a hundred thousand Yin soldiers to defend the court against Tan Xin's army of five hundred thousand from the Ghost Realm. Neither side could gain an advantage in a short time. Tan Xin, Qi Lian Dao, and others were in no hurry to make their move, waiting for stronger opponents to arrive. Feng Ting alone was not enough to be a concern.
Suddenly, a strand of sword energy pierced through the morning mist, instantly vaporizing a group of monstrous ghost soldiers into a bloody rain. The wielder was clad in a green robe, his figure swaying. He looked incredibly old, and none other than Qin Hong, the foremost of the three commanders under the True Dragon's Reflection in his prime, a sword cultivator of the Thirteenth Realm.
"So you've finally arrived!"
Qi Lian Dao narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Xin'er, this Qin Hong is a Thirteenth Realm sword cultivator, incredibly powerful. Only you can stand against him."
"Got it."
Tan Xin rose from the Ghost Emperor's throne, her slender feet lightly stepping into the void. Her long, jade-like legs were captivating. She raised her palm, and a massive blood-colored Dharma manifestation descended from the sky, aimed directly at Qin Hong's head.
"Scoundrel!"
As a Thirteenth Realm sword cultivator, Qin Hong could not tolerate such an insult. How dare a mere Twelfth Realm ghost cultivator be so confident in dealing with him? This female Ghost Emperor must have lost her mind.
However, in the next moment, after Tan Xin's blood-colored palm print was obliterated by his sword energy, she retreated rapidly. She patted the coffin behind her, and the Dharma manifestation of a Twelfth Realm vengeful spirit appeared – a female ghost in a red robe, with a ferocious expression and wisps of green aura surrounding her. She sneered, "Old cur, die!"
"Come!"
Tan Xin's lips curved upward as she gestured towards the female ghost. The ghost's form instantly disintegrated, transforming into wisps of soul power that seeped into Tan Xin's body. In an instant, Tan Xin's strength surged, her aura reaching the Thirteenth Realm level, and even surpassing it. Wisps of ghost dao edicts appeared around her, showing signs of her ability to invoke celestial phenomena of the ghost dao.
"Hmm?"
Qin Hong frowned. His vast experience suggested he knew the secret. "You actually know the Green Soul Merging Technique?!"
Tan Xin sneered, "I am a Twelfth Realm Coffin Bearer. Isn't it reasonable for me to know such forbidden ghost dao secret arts? Old cur, can you die in peace now?"
Qin Hong's face contorted with rage. He let out a thunderous roar and charged at Tan Xin with his sword. At the same time, Feng Ting, the Rebirth Realm martial artist on the ground who was slaughtering ghost armies with his fists, roared, "Old man, don't just throw your life away. Their goal is Master's remains. If we die, everything is over!"
"I know!"
As Qin Hong unleashed his sword energy towards Tan Xin, he said in a deep voice, "The Nine Nether Dragon Court is about to fall. Where is Shu Fan?"
Feng Ting frowned but remained silent. How would he know?
Qi Lian Dao smiled and gently patted his sleeve, saying to the female sword immortal within, "Don't rush, don't rush. You'll be reunited with your two old friends soon."
...
Dozens of miles east of the Nine Nether Dragon Court, a large number of players from the Huaxia district gathered. Hundreds of thousands of players from guilds such as Scarlet Moon Knights, Victory Heaven, Star River, Azure Dragon, and Seeking Immortals had finally arrived after a long journey. Many players who could only walk were exhausted, their stamina dropping below 40 points. Those with mounts or flying magical treasures were much more relaxed, especially those who flew on magical treasures, most of whom still had full stamina.
"Boom!"
A thunderous sound echoed from afar. Above the Nine Nether Dragon Court, a blood-colored sword light shot up into the sky. It was the Thirteenth Realm Qin Hong's strike, shaking the very earth. However, despite its formidable power, the strike was still suppressed by Tan Xin. The vast ghost energy shrouded the sky of the Ghost Realm, omnipresent.
At this moment, more than half of the destiny of the Ghost Realm was almost in Tan Xin's grasp.
"This is bad. They've already started fighting."
Yi Shi Cang Liang frowned. He rode a flying sword to the front of the Scarlet Moon Knights' formation and said, "Lin Zhao, it will take us at least another hour to walk there slowly. We need to make a decision. Let everyone who can fly on swords or ride battle mounts go first. Let's go and stabilize the situation, otherwise, it will be trouble."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Let's have the major guilds select their members. Those who can go should go early, otherwise, we might truly be too late for anything."
Instantly, figures soared into the sky. All Golden Core sword cultivators, spirit cultivators, and other players ascended on their magical treasures. Mounted players on the ground also gathered. Finally, under the command of the various alliance leaders, they rapidly headed west.
...
Nine Nether Dragon Court.
Atop a mountain peak, a mountain was cleaved into three by Qin Hong's sword. Amidst shimmering light, figures landed on one of the mountain tops. The people from Nishang Tianxia had arrived, led by the Thirteenth Realm Ran Qing and the Twelfth Realm Cao Yan, along with over 20 elite cultivators of the Upper Five Realms from Nishang Tianxia, making them the cream of the crop beneath the Demon Emperor.
On the other side, a group of cultivators from the Human Realm also descended onto an opposite, broken mountain. The first to land were scholars from the Confucian Academy, led by the Thirteenth Realm sword cultivator Jing Chu. Gu Lingyu and other Twelfth and Eleventh Realm scholars appeared. Furthermore, the ancestral court of the Mohist school had also sent people: the Twelfth Realm sword cultivator Xu Shuo, along with over ten Mohist wandering disciples of considerable strength. From the south, several figures arrived, one of whom exuded a potent fist intent – it was the Rebirth Realm martial artist Long Dongjun. Beside him were Xie Yiying of the Lingyan Sword Sect and her disciple Chen Mengjun.
"Mr. Jing Chu, Young Master Gu, Sword Immortal Xu!" Long Dongjun greeted them with cupped fists.
Jing Chu, Gu Lingyu, and Xu Shuo all nodded in unison.
Xie Yiying also clasped her fists in greeting. As Jing Chu and the scholars were exchanging greetings, the sound of breaking wind surged from the north. A group of Upper Five Realm demons also arrived, led by the Thirteenth Realm Ning Yuan Sheng, Fu Sheng, and Nan Qingfeng, totaling over 20 powerful great demons. They were indeed the strongest of the three factions.
As the demons arrived, everyone's gaze sharpened.
Since ancient times, humans and demons had been in constant conflict. Not only did their armies wage war below the mountains, but the cultivators above also hunted each other. This process had never ceased. If not for the situation at the Nine Nether Dragon Court below, the encounter of these three powerful factions on the mountain would have likely erupted into a world-shattering battle.
Ning Yuan Sheng narrowed his eyes and looked at the Thirteenth Realm sword cultivator Jing Chu in the distance. They had met a few times before, but only in passing, and had never been able to determine a victor. He still felt a sense of regret. Fu Sheng, dressed in scholarly robes, held a scroll of green bamboo. His eyes, as he looked at Jing Chu and Gu Lingyu, regarded them as peers. Fu Sheng was the only scholar from the Demon Realm's ancestral mountain, practicing Confucian techniques. However, in the eyes of humans, he was merely a monkey in a scholar's hat, not orthodox.
"Everyone."
Nan Qingfeng looked down at the unfolding battle in the Nine Nether Dragon Court and said, "Let's set aside past grievances for now. Qi Lian Dao and Tan Xin have begun attacking the Nine Nether Dragon Court. Shall we descend?"
"Mm."
Jing Chu nodded. "Since we are to act, we cultivators of the Human Realm should take the lead!"
With that, the imposing Thirteenth Realm scholar drew his sword and plunged towards the Nine Nether Dragon Court. Sword energy poured down like a torrent, as if this single strike would end the great battle within the Nine Nether Dragon Court. Immediately after, Gu Lingyu, riding a scroll, followed his second uncle down. Then, a group of scholars, along with Mohist disciples and the people from Lingyan Sword Sect, charged down together. Only Long Dongjun stood with his arms crossed, his figure gracefully drifting down only after everyone else had gone.
Long Dongjun acted with caution, willing to stay behind to cover their retreat, lest the Upper Five Realms of the demon or devil factions launch a surprise attack.
"Humph..."
Ning Yuan Sheng smiled slightly and said, "Everyone, the cultivators of my Demon Realm's mountains should not lag too far behind. Follow me, break the True Dragon's reincarnation formation, and it's time to earn merit for the ancestral mountain!"
A swarm of great demons, like a starry rain, poured into the Nine Nether Dragon Court.
"Let's go."
Ran Qing, a Thirteenth Realm great cultivator from Nishang Tianxia, let out a low cry and led her followers.
...
Inside the Nine Nether Dragon Court.
Seeing that the Upper Five Realms of the three races had all descended, Qi Lian Dao narrowed his eyes. He had been waiting for a long time. Just as they were about to fall into the valley of the Nine Nether Dragon Court, he rapidly ignited one talisman after another in his hand. Instantly, talismans hidden in the wind appeared, transforming into streams of ghost dao aura that erupted and surged upwards.
"Be careful!"
Jing Chu raised his hand and swung his sword, carving a path for the cultivators of the Human Realm.
Ning Yuan Sheng raised his palm and brought it down, shattering countless talismans.
Ran Qing waved her sleeve and actually collected several of the talismans. Inside her sleeve, a series of explosions occurred, but they caused no casualties to Nishang Tianxia.
"Alas..."
Qi Lian Dao looked up at the scene in the sky and sighed helplessly. "Ultimately, my realm is too low. Otherwise, my Qiankun Chain Talisman set would surely let you know its power!"
With that, he looked into the distance and smiled, "Xin'er, it's about time. Reel in the net!"
The next moment, under the gaze of the Upper Five Realms cultivators of the three races, Tan Xin suddenly leaped backward, her body merging into the Twelfth Realm wandering corpse. Instantly, the corpse's combat power surged, surpassing the Thirteenth Realm in an instant. It lunged forward, its pointed fingertip piercing Qin Hong's protective sword aura with a "chi" sound, then piercing through his body. Qin Hong's eyes widened, his pupils trembling violently. He had thought he would die of old age, but he never expected to perish at this final moment!
"Pfft!"
Tan Xin, possessing the wandering corpse, directly tore out the old sword immortal's heart and swallowed it. Then, with her fingers splayed, she dragged Qin Hong's soul from his body. Her form became a bolt of lightning, diving towards Feng Ting, the Rebirth Realm martial artist on the ground who was battling a ghost king with his fists, and sneered, "Feng Ting, give up your life!"
Feng Ting turned, his eyes filled with despair. He, a proud Rebirth Realm warrior, whose fists were invincible, whose Soldier God's Core had resonated since ancient times, now, faced with Tan Xin, who had reached the Fourteenth Realm through the Green Soul Merging Technique and the Possession of Wandering Corpses secret method, his Soldier God's Core dulled and began to fear.