Shi Luo Ye

Chapter 985 Severing the Demon Race's Spine with a Single Sword

Wuwang Mountain was bathed in a blazing red hue.

Beneath the mountain's base, countless great demons had gathered, all staring in dumbfounded silence at the young eleventh-realm sword cultivator drawing his sword in the distance. The eleventh-realm sword cultivator himself wasn't the terrifying part; it was the divine sword in his hand.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

The Kunpeng Demon Ancestor's gaze was icy as he let out a low roar, "Stop him!"

Instantly, a horde of great demons unleashed their magical artifacts and techniques, charging forward. Among them, a thirteenth-realm Demon King, enveloped entirely in flames, was the most aggressive. He wielded a fiery longsword, and behind him materialized a towering Dharma image, his demonic energy incredibly potent!

Jin Cheng, another direct disciple of the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor besides Chen Feng, a thirteenth-realm Demon King and sword cultivator. In terms of combat power, Jin Cheng, whose Great Dao was close to fire, was on par with Chen Feng, who had refined the winds of the Three Realms. Together, they were known as the Twin Pillars of the Ancestral Mountain in the Upper Realm!

Now, with a single command from the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor, Jin Cheng took the lead, raising his sword and unleashing a scorching, ten-thousand-zhang sea of fire. This inferno, imbued with potent demonic energy, cleaved towards Lin Zhao.

"Xiao Zhao."

Within Lin Zhao's heart lake, the White Dragon Goddess spoke softly, "Your current realm can only support fifty percent of the Dragon Slaying Sword's power for a single strike. Therefore, we only have one chance to swing this sword. This strike must be made with all your might. Whatever outcome it yields rests entirely on you."

"Don't worry!"

Lin Zhao's eyes blazed with madness as he looked at the throng of great demons, a smile curling at his lips. "This one strike, I'll shed one of my lives for it without hesitation!"

The fiercer this sword, the more people would survive in the mountain villa.

And so, in the next instant, Lin Zhao unleashed all the sword intent he had honed through the Eternal Sword Scripture. He was enveloped in a terrifyingly dense sword intent. Then, a surge of boundless true qi erupted from his body, channeled into the Dragon Slaying Sword under the guidance of the Fire Dragon Seal within him. This alone caused the sword intent surrounding the Dragon Slaying Sword to strengthen by another third.

"Hong~~~"

The Dragon Slaying Sword blazed fiercely, its divine light soaring.

At this moment, the divine sword's power was already more than half unleashed. Under the backlash of its strength, Lin Zhao's physical body felt as if it were being pierced by a thousand arrows. His body was immersed in a sea of fire, experiencing searing pain everywhere. Before the sword was even swung, Lin Zhao's body was already wounded.

Fortunately, a War God's Gall in his chest hummed in resonance, and coupled with the resilience of his Heavenly Origin Realm martial body, Lin Zhao was able to barely maintain his grip on the Dragon Slaying Sword.

"Come!"

His eyes flowed with an intense golden radiance, his rage burning. With a roar, he declared, "This sword, I shall use to sever your treacherous schemes, your selfishness and your petty machinations, and indeed, the very backbone of your demon race!"

"Shua—"

The moment the Dragon Slaying Sword was swung, there were no specific sword moves, no intricate sword techniques. It was a pure strike condensed from sword intent. The instant the sword intent erupted from the blade, it transformed into a golden sword light that poured across the heavens and earth, fiercely cleaving towards Wuwang Mountain.

"Ah?!"

The thirteenth-realm Demon King Jin Cheng bore the brunt of it, his eyes widening in disbelief. It was as if a resplendent, blazing sun was bearing down upon him. It contained immeasurably vast Dao power, yet it was wielded with supreme simplicity. This sword, struck by an eleventh-realm sword cultivator, possessed the aura of a fourteenth-realm sword cultivator!

"This is bad!"

Jin Cheng hastily summoned his three natal flying swords to meet the Dragon Slaying Sword, an overwhelming will to survive engulfing his heart.

However, it was too late. Under the Dao pressure of the Dragon Slaying Sword, all three natal flying swords shattered with a series of "clang, clang, clang." Immediately after, Jin Cheng's body was annihilated by the sword light. Though his thirteenth-realm sword cultivator's body was robust, it instantly turned to ash.

Following close behind, over ten more great demons of the Upper Five Realms let out agonizing screams as they were all consumed by this sword light.

For a time, no great demon on Wuwang Mountain dared to meet Lin Zhao's sword head-on!

"Peng—"

With a thunderous roar, the long sword light slashed forward, striking the southern flank of Wuwang Mountain. The sword light tore through the mountain's dense restrictions and barriers, cleaving down with the force of splitting a mountain. Even the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor was left utterly helpless.

"Lin Zhao, you!"

The Kunpeng Demon Ancestor roared with fury but could do nothing.

The fourteenth-realm great demons Ji An, Lian Ban, and Cang Lan had all evaded this sword from afar. This sword could easily kill Jin Cheng; if they were to take a hit, they might not die, but at least half of their Dao foundations would be shattered!

"Lin Zhao!"

The Kunpeng Demon Ancestor unleashed his ten-thousand-zhang Dharma form, spanning the chasm between Wuwang Mountain and the lower realm, roaring, "Do you intend to cleave Wuwang Mountain in two? You arrogant, chaotic madman!"

Lin Zhao's face was contorted with indignation. Although bearing fifty percent of the Dragon Slaying Sword's power had caused his body to crack and bleed incessantly, leaving him in a battered state, he still clenched the sword hilt with both hands, bending the sword light. Spitting blood, he was determined to split Wuwang Mountain in two!

This was also one of the secret plans he and Sister Bai had devised. The Dragon Slaying Sword had already warmed up half its power. By rights, combined with Lin Zhao's eleventh-realm sword cultivation, his War God's Gall, and the Eternal Sword Scripture, there was a chance to split that divine mountain in two. The plan didn't end there; the lingering power of this sword would be used to send half of Wuwang Mountain back to the Upper Realm!

In this way, half the great demons and half the umbrella-wielding heart demons on Wuwang Mountain would be sent back to the Upper Realm, to be dealt with by the Four Great Ancestral Courts. The lower realm would be spared a catastrophic disaster!

The Kunpeng Demon Ancestor's fury was understandable.

To the demon race, Lin Zhao was truly a madman who brought chaos.

But to the human race, Lin Zhao was a peerless hero, the backbone of humanity.

"Peng peng peng!"

The resounding booms continued incessantly as the Dragon Slaying Sword relentlessly severed the roots of Wuwang Mountain. As Lin Zhao was covered in blood, the Dragon Slaying Sword had already split the mountain's core. Many umbrella-wielding heart demons directly struck by the sword instantly vanished into mist.

Within a single breath, the sword light cleaved through the mountain's core, killing at least ten thousand of the millions of heart demons. Lin Zhao's sword continued its unstoppable momentum, extending downwards and splitting the entire Wuwang Mountain in two.

Just then, behind Lin Zhao, the sword of the white-robed female immortal also slashed out, transforming into a white dragon shadow that slammed heavily onto one half of the now-separated Wuwang Mountain.

"Buzz buzz buzz~~~"

The sounds of the Great Dao roared continuously. The White Dragon Goddess's strike was no less powerful than Lin Zhao's. A ball of white radiance enveloped half of Wuwang Mountain, and with a forceful thrust, it was hurled back to the Upper Realm, transforming into a retreating meteor, creating a spectacle rarely seen in ages.

"Pfft!"

Lin Zhao spat out another mouthful of blood.

The Dragon Slaying Sword drooped, his arms holding it burned black by the Dao backlash. His health bar had dropped to critical levels, and he was on his last legs. Worse still, a "Severe Injury" notification pulsed above his health bar. At this moment, Lin Zhao had lost the ability to move independently.

"Little beast, you brought this upon yourself!"

A figure drifted in the wind, followed by a surge of immense water energy that descended, directly immobilizing Lin Zhao in mid-air. This was a water energy technique from Ji An, a fourteenth-realm great demon. His eyes were filled with darkness. "Since you wish to die, then accept your death. Wuwang Mountain's collision with the lower realm needs a sacrifice, and you shall be it!"

Saying this, the great demon Ji An brandished his green steel fork, unleashing a wisp of water energy that firmly bound Lin Zhao to the base of Wuwang Mountain.

"Impact imminent, everyone clear out! Head to the mountain!"

The great demon Ji An roared, and instantly, countless great demons fled. Lin Zhao, covered in blood, was trapped at the foot of Wuwang Mountain. More terrifyingly, wisps of umbrella-wielding heart demons flickered around him, beginning to devour his physical body.

Lin Zhao was filled with despair. The restrictions around Wuwang Mountain condensed again, trapping him completely. Sister Bai's aura had also vanished once more after her strike. At this moment, Lin Zhao had no means of self-defense; even his invincibility skill's radiance had dimmed, rendering it impossible to activate.

Was he truly going to die?

He looked at the approaching earth and couldn't help but smile with acceptance.

The next moment, half of Wuwang Mountain, its speed drastically reduced, collided with the lower realm!

"Boom—"

The entire human realm trembled incessantly. The impact of Wuwang Mountain unleashed an immensely powerful shockwave that ravaged the entire Northern Region. The entire Panyun Mountain was instantly leveled, pulverized into dust by half of Wuwang Mountain. Dust and flames surged towards the Snow Region Heavenly Pond, causing the outer Ten Directions Grand Array to hum and tremble, bearing the impact with a combination of regional fortune and the might of a white city.

After a while, the dust settled.

"Brother Lin Zhao..."

In the sky above the Snow Region Heavenly Pond, Su Qingjiu held the Deer Seeking Sword. The speed of the impact was too great, and the restrictions of half of Wuwang Mountain were also incredibly dense. Despite Su Qingjiu's high cultivation, she had no opportunity to ascend the mountain to save Lin Zhao. However, she knew he was trapped at the foot of Wuwang Mountain, buried beneath half of the mountain.

The instant Wuwang Mountain collided with the lower realm, Lin Zhao's life force completely vanished. His presence could no longer be sensed in the heavens and earth.

In an instant, Su Qingjiu's tears flowed, and the Deer Seeking Sword in her hand trembled slightly.

"Lin Zhao ah..."

Huang Tingyu stood dazed on an old banyan tree within the city, gazing towards the north. He understood now. Lin Zhao had fallen in battle, becoming the sole sacrificial offering for the collision of half of Wuwang Mountain with the lower realm.

For a moment, the old marshal's voice trembled, and tears streamed from his eyes. He leaned against the tree trunk, fists clenched, weeping as he looked at the sky. "Commander Chu... I, Old Huang, am useless. I could only watch this child..."

In the wind, Wu Zhi, dressed in a white gown, stood dazed. Her body remained motionless. She uttered not a word, only weeping profusely, her tears falling like pear blossoms.

On the city wall, the disheveled thirteen-realm sword cultivator of the Military School, a scruffy man, sat down on the ground, sobbing heartbrokenly. "Mountain Master... how could you be so foolish? So many people in this world could have died, why did you have to step forward..."

Yu Wanning stood atop a watchtower, her beautiful eyes clouded with mist. Finally, she couldn't hold back, tears streaming down her face. She could never understand why Lin Zhao's plan had made her its first pawn.

Before a unit of Snow Region cavalry, two generals led their troops.

Chu Yu sobbed continuously, wiping away tears with her sleeve.

Mu Gua removed his helmet, tears and snot streaming down his face as he cried.

Initially, the children sitting on the courtyard wall didn't know what had happened to Lin Zhao.

But when Tong Yu rose and looked north, tears streaming down his face, Zhang Luobai and Zhuang Yirong immediately understood what had occurred.

"Master..."

Zhang Luobai froze for a moment, then sat down on the wall, wailing. From this day forward, there would be no more Master.

Zhuang Yirong's nose twitched, and she began to cry along with Zhang Luobai.

That Mountain Master would never return.

In the court of the Great Shang dynasty.

Within the Water Moon Observing Heaven screen, the collision of half of Wuwang Mountain with the lower realm was displayed. Lin Zhao at the mountain's base vanished into thin air almost instantly. At this, all the officials were shocked.

Only Zhao Shutong stood there blankly. After a long while, her slender shoulders trembled, and she burst into tears for no apparent reason.

The young Human Emperor Zhao Jingheng, seeing his sister cry, could no longer hold back. He sat on the golden steps, covering his face and weeping uncontrollably, tears flowing through his fingers.

Shanhai Pass.

A group of Upper Five Realms cultivators watched the scene in the Water Moon Observing Heaven screen, witnessing Lin Zhao's sacrifice to the world. Many fell silent.

Long Dongjun, who had been holding his arms crossed, turned his face away, his nose stinging, tears welling up.

Old Master Sun Qinghe's eyes were red, his fists clenched tightly.

Chen Mengjun, a twelfth-realm Great Sword Immortal, stumbled and knelt to the ground, her sword intent in disarray. She wept like a storm of pear blossoms. The man who had repeatedly whispered "Mengjun ah" in her ear was truly gone.

Mountain Peak Villa.

The impact of half of Wuwang Mountain on the lower realm caused significant disruption to the Mountain Peak Villa. Even the bamboo trays drying on the second floor were blown away. Dong Zang glanced in the direction of Wuwang Mountain with a look of surprise.

Immediately, she skillfully walked over, knelt on the ground, and began tidying the bamboo trays, gathering the dried cured meat and bamboo shoots back onto them. She pursed her red lips and said softly, "Young Master loves the bamboo shoots and meat I cook the most, I can't lose them..."

She stood up, looked at the lotus pond, and began rolling up her pant legs, preparing to enter the water. She smiled and said, "Tonight, I'll make him stir-fried lotus root slices."

Just as she was about to enter the water, Dong Zang stumbled and fell into the water. Ignoring the water that reached her nose, she lay in the water, weeping like a storm of pear blossoms.

On a tender bamboo shoot, Liu Liying, dressed in a red skirt, lay on the bamboo, her face already tear-streaked. Tears transformed into golden Dao light, dissipating in the bamboo forest.

"Young Master, if you leave, what will Liying do from now on?"