"You're telling me now!?"
A million Grassy Mud Horses were stampeding through Lin Zhao's mind, performing war charges. His flying sword, Bright Moon, was already trapped. It was too late to say anything, and besides, a sword cultivator couldn't fight without their flying sword.
The next moment, Lin Zhao took a kick to the abdomen and was sent flying. In the wind, Zhao Qian stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an almost immortal aura. He stepped on the breeze and sent a palm strike towards Lin Zhao's head. If that strike had landed true, Lin Zhao's HP would have been severely depleted. Thus, he ignited his second Swiftness Talisman.
"Whoosh!"
His body vanished almost instantly. Combined with the speed boost from the Formation of the Charging Horse and the Windmill style, he appeared behind Zhao Qian's head in the blink of an eye. Li Quan, imbued with the radiance of "Sweep the Army" and "Throwing the Universe," struck Zhao Qian on the back of the head. Immediately after, five Great Desolate Ancient Swords hissed and slashed towards Zhao Qian's back. He couldn't care about anything else; he just needed to deal enough damage first.
Lin Zhao understood that when Lu Huaining returned to Ning'an City, a storm was already brewing in the capital. The Emperor had tested Lu Huaining's stance. If Lu Huaining, as a representative of the court's upright officials, was willing to endure and allow the southern two prefectures to change their grain for rice, perhaps nothing would have happened. But if Lu Huaining insisted on his views, the Emperor Xu Chen would no longer tolerate this Grand Scholar. Once Lu Huaining was no longer a Grand Scholar and a Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhao Qian, his political rival, would naturally want him eliminated.
Now, this storm in the capital had descended. Lin Zhao, Lu Huaining, Chi Zhongyu, Zhao Qian, and Chu Ruoshui – each side had no room to retreat. It could be said that if Lin Zhao couldn't kill Zhao Qian in Ning'an City today, he wouldn't be able to survive in the Hundred Flowers Realm afterward and would be hunted by everyone from the mountains to the plains.
In an instant, a golden light flashed. Zhao Qian, being in the Star River realm, although unable to condense a small heaven and earth, seemed to have touched upon some of the fur of the upper five realms. His reaction speed was extremely fast. His lifebound artifact, the Sword Suppressing Spirit Mirror, instantly appeared before him. Two of the five immortal swords were immediately absorbed into the Spirit Mirror. The remaining three left three bloody marks on Zhao Qian's shoulders.
"You still dare to draw your sword?!"
Zhao Qian's face was already splattered with his own blood. He grinned and said, "Come at me. I'll take all the immortal swords you have. Let's see how much of a foundation you, a banished immortal, possess. Can you withstand my lightning arts?!"
The next moment, lightning flickered in Zhao Qian's palm. He directly unleashed a forbidden lightning technique, "Five Thunder Prohibition." As he thrust his palm forward fiercely, Lin Zhao, even with his Phantom Beast Armor and Sword Qi Bodyguard activated, still lost HP rapidly. In a flash, only 35% of his health remained. After chugging a potion, lightning raged around him, and his health continued to drop. He had to deal damage to absorb health, or he would only die.
"Young Master!"
From behind, Liu Liying unfolded her folding fan and with a "swish," fanned out waves of peach blossoms. These peach blossoms completely enveloped Lin Zhao, as if adorning him with a peach blossom armor, greatly reducing the damage. Moreover, all this damage was transferred to Liu Liying, and in a mere moment, she began to spit blood.
"Liying!"
Lin Zhao raised his five fingers. A Swiftness Talisman went first, followed by three Heavenly Lightning Talismans. As he vanished into the night sky like a white streak of light, the three Heavenly Lightning Talismans were all ignited. Accompanied by his "Uprooting from Dry Land" style, he fiercely slammed into Zhao Qian's abdomen. Immediately, Zhao Qian was sent flying by the powerful punch. As his body hovered in the air, he was struck by streaks of heavenly lightning, spitting blood. His HP had already dropped below 60%.
Zhao Qian was clearly at an advantage in this battle, yet he was the one who looked the most disheveled. For this Imperial Preceptor and Prime Minister of the Xu Dynasty, this was undoubtedly a great humiliation.
In the air, flying swords attacked. Twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords, plus three Immortal Swords and one flying sword, Haoran. There wasn't much Lin Zhao could do; he could only fight desperately!!
"You still dare to come?!"
Zhao Qian roared, biting his finger and smearing a drop of blood onto his lifebound artifact. Instantly, the Sword Suppressing Spirit Mirror emitted a dazzling divine light. "Swish, swish, swish," it continuously absorbed and restrained a total of fourteen of Lin Zhao's swords. All twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords were restrained. Of the five Immortal Swords, only one, "Passerby," remained. However, the flying sword Haoran directly pierced through the Sword Suppressing Spirit Mirror, "poof," leaving a terrifying wound on Zhao Qian's chest.
At this moment, Zhao Qian, a Star River realm spirit cultivator, was actually in a difficult position. It was true that he had restrained Lin Zhao's seventeen flying swords with one lifebound artifact, but the owner of these seventeen flying swords was still Lin Zhao. Inside the Spirit Mirror, they were constantly charging and ramming, draining Zhao Qian's spiritual energy. But he had no choice. Zhao Qian actually felt a chill in his heart. This young swordsman was the legendary banished immortal. He had no idea where Lin Zhao came from. But this kid's foundation in flying swords was truly profound. The two flying swords in the Sword Pond were both extremely high-grade immortal swords. The five swords refined in the middle were also immortal swords. Even the twelve swords refined in the small stage were all legendary upper-tier heavenly grade sword embryos, and they faintly possessed the aura of the Great Desolate. Where did such a monstrous talent emerge from?
The Hundred Flowers Realm also had many sword immortals, but the foundations of all their sword immortal embryos combined probably couldn't match this kid!
...
At the Mountain Peak Villa, in front of Natural Residence.
A group of people gathered around a water vat, watching the old gentleman deduce everything happening in the capital of the Xu Dynasty in the Hundred Flowers Realm. Little Jiu'er and Chen Ben, in particular, were clenching their fists, wishing they could rush in and wreak havoc. Lin Xingchu, Lin Wanhua, Huang Tingyu, Gu Lingyu, and others also had their hearts in their throats.
"That old bastard Zhao Qian!"
Tang Guangjun gritted his teeth. "Old sir, is there any way to let people in? Tang Guangjun is willing to take a trip to the Hundred Flowers Realm and chop that old bastard Zhao Qian into eighteen pieces!"
The old gentleman glanced at him and smiled, "Even if you were to go, would it be your turn?"
Tang Guangjun pouted dejectedly.
Su Qingjiu then said, "Old sir, Lin Zhao's older brother's flying swords are almost all being collected by that Sword Suppressing Spirit Mirror. What can we do? What should a sword cultivator do without their flying swords?"
The old gentleman frowned. "This time, Xiao Zhao's trouble is indeed quite significant. And we only have the last lotus seed left. It can only open a rift in heaven and earth for an instant. Zhao Qian, Chu Ruoshui, Chu Fenglan, plus that one who is about to enter the forbidden zone. Who among you can kill them with a single sword strike?"
"I'll do it."
Lin Wanhua, dressed in snow-white, stepped forward, holding her sword Jinghua. She said softly, "Old sir, I haven't been able to help much. Since I can only deliver one strike, among the sword cultivators here, Huang Tingyu and Tang Guangjun are not good enough. Even if they reach the thirteenth realm, they are certainly no match for me. Su Jianxian and Shu Zhi Jianxian are currently in the twelfth realm, so their sword qi is naturally inferior to mine. Only I am the most suitable to deliver this strike."
Huang Tingyu picked his nose, looking at Lin Wanhua with a displeased expression, but he could only be displeased. Even though he was a twelfth-realm Great Sword Immortal of the demon race, he had no choice but to bow down to a transcendent thirteenth-realm human like Lin Wanhua. As for Tang Guangjun, he was genuinely convinced by Lin Wanhua. He couldn't win, so he couldn't win. A military sword cultivator wasn't someone who couldn't afford to lose.
Su Qingjiu and Shu Zhi's wide eyes were both opened. They were also among those most concerned about Lin Zhao's safety. Therefore, at this moment, it was pointless to argue about whose swordsmanship was stronger or whose sword intent was more profound. They had no intention of competing with Lin Wanhua. On the contrary, they were deeply grateful to Lin Wanhua for being willing to deliver a strike to help Lin Zhao resolve the crisis. Although the lord of Fusu Great Wall had a peculiar personality, she was actually a very good person, and the more they interacted, the more they liked her.
"Alright."
The old gentleman frowned. "Lin Wanhua, there's one thing that must be said upfront. This strike of yours is not simple. It must be a decisive blow. In other words, you need to split your sword qi into four streams. Three streams of sword qi will kill Zhao Qian, Chu Ruoshui, and Chu Fenglan. The fourth stream of sword qi must be used to strike that painter, Wu Yuanzi. But remember, the first three streams of sword qi can only take away thirty percent of your sword intent. You must reserve the strongest seventy percent of your sword intent entirely for Wu Yuanzi, striving to heavily wound this bastard with a single strike."
"Ah?!"
Lin Wanhua's delicate mouth parted slightly, her expression filled with astonishment. Even the Venerable Re-Sage old gentleman was cursing. Who exactly was Wu Yuanzi to make the old gentleman act like this?
"Old sir, what is special about Wu Yuanzi?"
"Just do your best to strike,"
The old gentleman said, "This strike can not only save Lin Zhao but perhaps also save the entire Hundred Flowers Realm. To put it bluntly, your seventy percent sword qi will certainly not kill Wu Yuanzi, but it must at least heavily wound his foundation and prepare for what Xiao Zhao will do next. In fact, Xiao Zhao's journey to the Hundred Flowers Realm, while seemingly romantic, is also fraught with danger. The harder you can strike, the better. If you can't kill him, at least wound him. The rest will depend on Xiao Zhao's destiny."
He looked at the ancient sword behind Lin Zhao, which was wrapped in tattered cloth and looked unremarkable.
"Understood."
Lin Wanhua nodded and said, "For this strike... should I shatter a lifebound flying sword to strike? With my current cultivation, losing a lifebound flying sword will absolutely not cause my realm to drop."
"Sigh..."
The old gentleman held his forehead. What kind of destiny does my Xiao Zhao have? All of his confidantes are not only heaven-defying in talent but also care so much about his life and death. For a moment, the old gentleman was secretly pleased. "No need, no need. If you, Great Sword Immortal Lin, truly shatter a lifebound flying sword to strike, I fear the entire Hundred Flowers Realm will be wiped out by your sword."
"Oh."
Lin Wanhua nodded. "Then I'll deliver an ordinary peak strike."
...
Hundred Flowers Realm, Ning'an City, Minister's Mansion.
Lin Zhao, Chi Zhongyu, Chi Yuran, Liu Liying, and others were all injured and extremely disheveled. Lin Zhao was the most miserable, with only one flying sword, Haoran, still able to attack. His other flying swords were all restrained, while the flying sword Haoran ignored this restraint and moved freely. Meanwhile, Zhao Qian, Chu Ruoshui, and others fought more ferociously, and the situation was precarious.
Just then, a painter holding an umbrella arrived in front of the heavenly forbidden zone opened by Zhao Qian using a Celestial Talisman. He gently pointed his hand, and a corner of the forbidden zone was broken. What celestial forbidden zone? It was nothing.
The painter, holding his umbrella, walked slowly. When the ongoing battle came into view, he couldn't help but laugh, "I wonder what year it is today, what season it is today. The fate of the world is to be decided in this battle!"
At that very moment, a golden celestial light descended from the night sky above the capital. It was as if the gates of heaven had been opened. Immediately after, a vast sword qi descended from the sky. The sword light split into four in the air!
"Oh?!"
Wu Yuanzi looked up at the sky and couldn't help but grit his teeth and roar, "Do you really think you can do whatever you want in the Hundred Flowers Realm?!"