In the blink of an eye, under the silent, mosquito-like attacks of the Ephemeral Flying Swords, everyone fell. The first to die were the mages and archers, followed by the assassins. Jiuyou Huangquan had hidden himself extremely well, yet the Ephemeral Flying Swords seemed to “smell” players’ presence. They swept over like a gentle breeze and refreshing rain, and Jiuyou Huangquan’s health bar plummeted without him even managing to activate invincibility.
Subsequently, Xihe Dagui Kui, Ben Moruo, and others also fell. In the end, only Guoke Wuming, Ding Chunqiu, Li Canghai, and Chang Ye Yu Huo remained. These four were all the elites and representatives of the Northern Four Clans of the national server, and each of them gritted their teeth in frustration.
Finally, Chang Ye Yu Huo dragged a trail of light with his sword, finally locating Lin Zhao. However, he dared not act rashly alone. He quickly spun around, creating distance, and shouted, "The white-clothed one is this way!"
Guoke Wuming, Ding Chunqiu, and Li Canghai rushed over.
It was time.
Lin Zhao’s figure flickered, and he charged out from behind the stone pillar, stepping on a flying sword, Red Leaf. With a thought, the flying sword Xin Huo from the third Sword Infusion Lake arrived, shrouded in a ball of flame, and shot straight for Guoke Wuming’s throat!
"Ah?!"
Guoke Wuming’s heart was filled with dread. He had suffered at the hands of Xin Huo before; this ball of flame had left a shadow in his heart, almost becoming a demon. Xin Huo had cut off nearly 500,000 health points, so Guoke Wuming was naturally terrified. Thus, in an instant, Guoke Wuming displayed his extraordinary reaction speed and activated invincibility. But the moment Guoke Wuming activated invincibility and charged towards Lin Zhao, Lin Zhao gently waved his hand. A vast, ethereal world materialized before them, enveloping Guoke Wuming’s body and making him disappear from sight. Since he was invincible, Lin Zhao decided to lock him away for a while, and it wouldn’t be too late to kill him after his invincibility wore off.
The next moment, Lin Zhao ignited a Speed Talisman. With a “peng,” a boundless martial intent exploded, and milky white whirlwinds coiled around his body. The surrounding area’s time instantly froze. Lin Zhao’s body sank, and with the agile movement technique of a single reed crossing a river, he flashed forward to appear in front of Ding Chunqiu. He lightly threw a punch, sending Ding Chunqiu’s body flying backward. The punch dealt over 20,000 damage, which was acceptable. The instant he threw the punch, the blade in Lin Zhao’s hand pointed forward, and the Sword Break Art “crackled” as it shot towards Ding Chunqiu’s body. Furthermore, the flying sword Ming Yue, carrying a chilling divine ability, coupled with the attacks of the five refined immortal swords, instantly shredded the Ghost Emperor’s chief disciple’s body into tattered rags in the wind.
“This…”
Li Canghai ferociously swung his sword, Qian Kun Yi Zhi, from behind towards Lin Zhao’s shoulder. While watching Ding Chunqiu being instantly annihilated, he couldn’t help but be shocked by the sheer output!
But before his sword could land, he saw Lin Zhao’s figure rapidly retreat, stepping on his flying sword. With a “peng,” he slammed his shoulder into Li Canghai’s abdomen. Turning, he twisted his body and delivered a punch like a bamboo shoot emerging from dry land into Li Canghai’s abdomen. The Three Punches of the Farmer, honed to perfection by Lin Zhao, left Li Canghai utterly unprepared. How could he have imagined that a player could execute combat mechanics to such a degree in a game?
“Screech!”
The flying sword Xin Huo, wrapped in the “Ghost Cry” radiance, swept past, piercing directly through Li Canghai’s chest and dealing over 280,000 damage, completing an instant kill and leaving him no chance to escape.
“Damn!”
Chang Ye Yu Huo swung his sword, and a circular sword domain appeared behind him. Following that, sword lights shot out from the domain, launching a fierce barrage of attacks towards Lin Zhao. This was the swordsman’s signature skill, Sword Break Art. However, a golden immortal robe Dharma form materialized around Lin Zhao’s body, mitigating most of the damage. He raised his palm, and the dense Ephemeral Flying Swords in the wind swept across with the Thirty-Six Horizons technique. Instantly, Chang Ye Yu Huo’s health bar plummeted.
“Not good!”
Chang Ye Yu Huo was horrified and directly activated his invincibility skill. But at this moment, his mind felt like mush. After all, Guoke Wuming was still imprisoned within Lin Zhao’s flying sword domain. If Chang Ye Yu Huo escaped now, how would Guoke Wuming, Ding Chunqiu, and the others vent their anger later? They were all dead, and he would just be invincible and return to town?
Thus, Chang Ye Yu Huo’s hesitation made him miss the optimal time to return to town. When he decided to return and crushed a town scroll, it was already too late. During the final second of the town return countdown, Lin Zhao’s Sword Departure Art descended from the heavens, accompanied by the twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords sweeping across with the crisscrossing Ephemeral Flying Swords. Chang Ye Yu Huo grunted, his health bar disappearing almost instantly. After dropping a chestplate, he returned to town to revive.
“Hoo…”
Lin Zhao gently waved his hand, and the vast, ethereal world was released in front of them. Guoke Wuming, whose invincibility skill had been depleted, stood dumbfounded before him, sword in hand, looking at the leisurely Lin Zhao. At this moment, Guoke Wuming’s mentality was shattered. Without invincibility, how could he possibly kill this guy wearing an immortal robe and magical artifact?
Lin Zhao didn’t make it too difficult for him. He raised his hand and flicked, and Xin Huo once again unleashed “Ghost Cry,” transforming into a streak of bloody flame radiance that shot towards Guoke Wuming!
“You!”
Guoke Wuming hastily rode his sword and spun around, activating charge and other skills to evade. But how could he dodge? Xin Huo’s speed far surpassed a player’s sword riding speed. It was like a high-speed missile, fast, precisely locked on, and attacking at close range. Therefore, Guoke Wuming was currently within Xin Huo’s “inescapable range.” No matter what he did, even if he threw his own flying sword as a decoy, it would be useless.
“Thwack!”
“526758!”
Another critical hit with high damage. Guoke Wuming’s body flipped off his speeding sword and fell, disappearing into the wind as wisps of white light, the scene resembling a plane crash.
Unfortunately, Guoke Wuming didn’t drop any equipment this time.
However, the others had dropped several pieces of equipment, all of which Lin Zhao collected and listed on the White Emperor City auction house to sell slowly. The money earned was largely invested in Scarlet Moon Transportation, which was now Lin Zhao’s “enterprise” in reality, the foundation of a man’s livelihood, so he naturally paid close attention to it. Of course, he also remembered that the source of this foundation still came from this game, which claimed to be the second world’s metaverse. Therefore, it was only natural for Lin Zhao to invest even more effort into “Tian Xia.”
…
Amidst the sound of hooves, Chen Xue and Ding Chi appeared in sight, followed by a group of Scarlet Moon Knights, their players staring dumbfounded at Lin Zhao standing on the branches of the forest.
“It’s over?” Chen Xue asked in surprise.
“Mm.”
Lin Zhao nodded. “The Brotherhood Alliance has been completely wiped out.”
“Holy crap…”
A young knight scratched his head. “Did the boss solve it by himself?”
“Yeah, by sneak attacking,” Lin Zhao said humbly. “If it were a head-on confrontation with these ten people, it would be hard to say. We might have been counter-killed.”
Chen Xue smiled faintly, her dimples showing. She knew Lin Zhao was being modest, as she was aware of his profound foundation. He possessed a large number of immortal-grade magical artifacts, golden immortal robes, an orange gourd, and thirty-six Ephemeral Flying Swords. Moreover, his own natal flying swords were extremely powerful. Combined, these made Lin Zhao virtually invincible to current players, and he would remain so for a long time. After all, treasures like Haoran, Xin Huo, the orange gourd, and the Ephemeral Flying Swords were irreplaceable. No matter how well other players developed or how smoothly they progressed later, they would likely be unable to compare to Lin Zhao’s foundation.
“Alright,” Chen Xue said. “Then our two guilds will level up here on the spot. Lin Zhao, you can continue with your business; don’t worry about us.”
“Will do~~~”
Lin Zhao departed with joy. He was indeed suited for solo training. Firstly, he gained more experience points. Secondly, with the Ephemeral Flying Swords attacking, he could kill monsters and gain proficiency, leveling up the Thirty-Six Horizons technique earlier to maximize his combat capabilities. These were the things Lin Zhao had to do, as he never knew when these Ephemeral Flying Swords would be useful for killing demons.
However, after being “cleared” by Lin Zhao twice, Guoke Wuming, Ding Chunqiu, and the others should consider whether to change their location or tactics. The loss of levels due to death was irrelevant; they could make it back by killing other human players. But the loss of top-tier equipment was different. Their equipment was all first-class in the current national server. After dropping it, they would have to spend a fortune to reacquire it.
…
Afternoon.
As Lin Zhao was happily grinding monsters in Linghu Valley, a sword light descended from the sky, transforming into the figure of Huang Tingyu. The Great Demon Immortal Huang, clad in a military cloak and cape, with his arms crossed and a sword on his back, exuded an air of a sword immortal. He squinted at Lin Zhao as he operated the Thirty-Six Horizons technique to grind monsters and chuckled, “The Mountain Lord’s swordsmanship is truly remarkable. Old Huang here admits defeat.”
“Alright, alright,” Lin Zhao had enough self-awareness not to discuss swordsmanship or sword intent with a twelfth-realm sword cultivator like Huang Tingyu; they were far apart. He chuckled, “Old Huang, did you come to find me for something?”
“Mm,” Huang Tingyu nodded. “Just now, a group of people came up the mountain. One of the young ladies is exceptionally beautiful and possesses a distinguished aura, exuding nobility. Old Huang would like to ask the Mountain Lord for permission. May I forcibly keep her at the Peak Villa and make her my bed companion? After all, we seem to be a perfect match, and our affections are mutual.”
“???”
Lin Zhao’s face was full of question marks.
Huang Tingyu covered his face. “Fine, she said her name is Zhao Shutong and wishes to see the Mountain Lord.”
“Hmph…”
Lin Zhao chuckled. “You even dare to set your sights on Princess Zhao Shutong of the Great Shang Dynasty, Old Huang? You’ve become incredibly bold lately!”
Huang Tingyu grinned. “Destiny knows no rank or status. She traveled thousands of miles to the Snow Region Heavenly Pool and met me, and I admire her beauty. Isn’t this what is called a mutual pursuit?”
“Shameless.”
Lin Zhao pinched his nose and chuckled. “Let’s go back to the Peak Villa and see what Zhao Shutong has to say. You go back first and have Dongcang prepare tea for guests in the Natural Residence’s living room. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes!”