"Clang~~~"
Within the battlefield, after deflecting a cold arrow with his sword, Lin Zhao turned his blade towards a group of snake-folk archers and shouted, "Turn right, charge and kill them!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Everyone turned with Lin Zhao, then galloped forward. The iron cavalry charged straight into the snake-folk archers. At such close range, the snake-folk had no chance to shoot. They hastily abandoned their bows and drew iron swords from their waists, but it was too late. The iron cavalry of Xue Yu Tian Chi flashed past, their sword lights glinting, severing snake heads and sending them rolling across the ground.
"Charge into the demon horde!"
Lin Zhao pulled on the reins and shouted, "Let them not dare to shoot carelessly!"
"Good!"
Everyone followed closely. At this moment, Lin Zhao was the only beacon of hope for Xue Yu Tian Chi.
However, despite the countless demon casualties inflicted by the iron cavalry's charge, their own losses became increasingly severe. Amidst the chaos, Hua Ping was struck from her horse by a vicious punch from a sixth-realm demon martial artist. She cried out and frantically activated her magic, but it was too late. In an instant, a demon sword cultivator pierced her heart with a sword, and then a horde of demon soldiers swarmed her, their various blades piercing the young girl's body.
"Hua Ping!"
Wu Zhi turned and looked, her delicate face ashen.
She was the first to fall among the ten from Shan Dian Bie Yuan, and the youngest and most adorable, Hua Ping.
"Keep charging forward!"
Hua Ping had fallen, and Lin Zhao was grieved, but he had no time for sorrow. He swung his sword and led the others to continue the charge. Since death was inevitable, they might as well kill more. The more demons the Xue Yu Tian Chi iron cavalry killed, the smoother the subsequent Tian Lu strategy would be.
Around them, demon cultivators grew in number, with many ninth and tenth-realm demon cultivators appearing, all lying in wait, eager to gain some merit before Lin Zhao and his companions met their end.
A ninth-realm demon sword cultivator soared into the air and unleashed a fierce sword strike.
Instantly, Dong Hu and Wu Lian, two seventh-realm cultivators, died on the spot. Their bodies were cut into pieces, and even their warhorses were cleaved apart.
"Bastard!"
Lin Zhao suddenly leaped from his horse, ignited a golden swiftness talisman, and his Battle God's Courage boomed. He delivered a fierce punch from the sky, directly knocking the ninth-realm sword cultivator from the air. Following that, a golden immobilization talisman and a golden hex-breaking talisman followed. He shouted, "Draw your swords together and slay him!"
Instantly, Wu Zhi, Luo Yang, and the others unleashed their flying swords. Lin Zhao's Ming Yue also flew out. The flying swords of everyone converged towards the ninth-realm sword cultivator's heart, and in almost an instant, his body was riddled with holes, and he perished.
However, Dong Hu and Wu Lian had also died.
As the ninth-realm sword cultivator fell, a cold glint streaked through the air. It was a demon martial artist wielding a spear. The spear's light flashed and vanished as its tip, incredibly sharp, pierced through the throat of Zhu Zhi, a seventh-realm martial artist. The speed was so great that Zhu Zhi had no time to react before being killed.
"Next!"
This spear-wielding martial artist was a Treading Sea realm cultivator. He spun his body, his spear tip like a venomous snake, and the next moment it plunged into the heart of Gu Luan, a seventh-realm martial artist.
"Bastard..."
Gu Luan endured the intense pain, tightly gripping the spearhead with both hands, and kicked towards the Treading Sea realm martial artist's throat with his legs.
"Still not dying fast enough?!"
The demon Treading Sea realm cultivator sneered and lightly shook his palm. The spear began to rotate, and bursts of martial artist's inner energy enveloped it, instantly shredding Gu Luan's body into pieces.
"Die!"
The moment he killed Gu Luan, a figure descended from the sky. Lin Zhao had ignited another swiftness talisman and delivered a fierce punch to the Treading Sea realm martial artist's face. The Battle God's Courage boomed, and the fire unicorn within him roared. An eighth-realm martial artist's punch was at least equivalent to half a tenth-realm strike. This punch instantly made the Treading Sea realm martial artist drop his spear.
"You bastard!"
The demon Treading Sea realm cultivator roared, and as he landed, his spear thrust out, aiming straight for Lin Zhao's heart.
However, before the spear was fully thrust out, his arm was struck by Chen Yu's punch, followed by Luo Yang and Wu Zhi each delivering a sword strike to his back. As he tried to turn, a seventh-realm spirit cultivator descended from the sky, bathed in fire. It was Zi Ye, a seventh-realm cultivator from Shan Dian Bie Yuan. Zi Ye fiercely sacrificed himself, slamming the opponent back to the ground, but his own chest took a punch, and he was sent flying through the air, instantly dismembered by a horde of demons.
Lin Zhao delivered another punch, and instantly a silver light shot out from Jian Hu, lightning-fast, piercing the demon martial artist's martial spirit. Then, a fierce sword swipe followed, decapitating him!
Shan Dian Bie Yuan, after sacrificing Zhu Zhi, Gu Luan, and Zi Ye, finally slew the Treading Sea realm demon martial artist!
...
"Keep charging!"
Lin Zhao remounted his horse and continued to lead the remaining few towards the enemy. Once entangled by the enemy's cultivators, they would die many and die quickly. Even so, very few people remained following Lin Zhao; mere dozens, less than a hundred riders.
"That's about enough..."
The great demon Yu Zhi stood amidst the crowd, her delicate brows furrowed. "All of you in the upper five realms, if you feel like earning some merit, or want to play around, go ahead. As for that Lin Zhao, leave him to Lord Bai Lan."
"Hmph!"
Bai Lan smiled faintly. "Does Senior Yu Zhi also know I wish to collect Lin Zhao's head?"
Yu Zhi smiled faintly and said nothing.
In fact, with Lin Zhao's strategy and courage, Yu Zhi would have recruited him a thousand or ten thousand times over, whether as her advisor or vanguard, he would undoubtedly have significantly boosted the demon race's combat power. Alas, different races have different hearts. Even if Yu Zhi wanted to recruit Lin Zhao, the entire demon race would not agree.
After all, under Lin Zhao's command, how many demons had the mere four thousand human soldiers of the Jue Si Battalion, Cheng Feng Battalion, Fen Wei Battalion, and Tie Bu Battalion killed? Almost half the strength of an army.
...
Twilight, dusk.
As night fell, the battlefield became even more perilous. With a scream from Lei Yue, a seventh-realm cultivator, a sword tip protruded from her chest. Behind her stood an eleventh-realm Gui Zhen realm demon sword cultivator!
"Bastard..."
Luo Yang watched, her heart tearing apart. She raised her long sword and unleashed a winding sword energy directly at the great demon's forehead.
"A bit interesting, but you'll die even faster!"
The Gui Zhen realm sword cultivator laughed and, severing Lei Yue's body in half with a sword strike, unleashed a sword strike towards Luo Yang.
"Careful!"
Wu Zhi drew her sword, transforming it into a curtain of sword light to cover Luo Yang's retreat, while her innate flying sword shot out.
"Showing off?!"
The Gui Zhen realm sword cultivator laughed heartily, raising his hand to deflect Wu Zhi's innate flying sword. With his left thumb and index finger, he lightly pinched the air, instantly capturing Wu Zhi's innate flying sword. With a slight twist, the flying sword emitted a clang of metal and was directly crushed. Following that, the great demon struck with his sword, and Wu Zhi's right arm was cleanly severed.
"Wu Zhi!"
Lin Zhao looked back, but it was too late. The opponent was in the upper five realms and had arrived too quickly and silently!
"Lin Zhao..."
Wu Zhi's innate flying sword destroyed and an arm severed, she spat blood and was sent flying by the opponent's sword energy, falling in the distance and being swallowed by the surging demon horde.
"Sister Wu Zhi!"
Luo Yang roared, her body filled with sword light as she charged towards the eleventh-realm great demon.
But the power gap was too vast. The Gui Zhen realm sword cultivator sneered and struck with his sword, instantly shattering the sword energy around Luo Yang. Her body was split in two, and she died on the spot!
"Damn it..."
Mu Duo hurled a punch towards the opponent's back.
"With you alone?!"
The great demon turned abruptly and struck with his sword, sending Mu Duo flying, bleeding from his bones. In the wind, a Heavenly Origin realm demon martial artist descended and delivered a fierce punch, smashing Mu Duo to the ground, his body sinking deep into the earth, causing the ground to tremble violently.
"Hmph?"
The Heavenly Origin realm great demon slowly pulled a bloody claw from Mu Duo's chest, licked it, and smiled, "This feels truly good... When we march south, the tender flesh of the humans will all be ours..."
...
Lin Zhao gritted his teeth. He lightly touched the hilt of the ancient sword behind him and said in his heart, "We've reached our limit. Can Sister Bai send Princess Yu back to Xue Yu Tian Chi? We must leave some bloodline for the royal family of the Great Shang Dynasty."
"Yes."
A stream of light swept like a gale, instantly enveloping Chen Yu's body and flying towards Xue Yu Tian Chi.
"No!!!"
Chen Yu roared and pleaded within the light. She did not wish to survive alone. Xue Yu Tian Chi had been annihilated. Chu Huai Xi was dead, everyone was dead. Even Lin Zhao would surely die next. What was the point of her living alone? What hope was there?
...
"Alright, it's our turn."
Suddenly, a sword intent descended from the sky. The great demon Bai Lan appeared, at the peak of the thirteenth realm. His intense sword intent was like a blazing sun, almost blinding one's eyes.
As Bai Lan appeared, the other upper five realm demon cultivators retreated, fearing to anger this taboo and face his sword, which was no different from killing a demon or a human.
"Bai Lan!"
Lin Zhao gently patted his horse's neck, letting it go. He then gracefully floated backward several dozen paces, standing on a small hill, gazing at the thirteenth-realm demon sword cultivator.
"Not bad, you even recognize this old man!"
Bai Lan crossed his arms and smiled. "By order of Lord Yu Zhi, I am here to take your head."
"You can try!"
Lin Zhao smiled faintly. "But only if you have the ability."
"Little thing!"
Bai Lan sneered, his demeanor full of arrogance. "What are you, to speak to me like that? Oh..."
He suddenly remembered something and smiled. "I recall you look remarkably like someone. Ten years ago, I was at the twelfth realm and challenged Tian Chi Mountain. I was blocked by a human martial artist. Tsk tsk, could this human martial artist named Lin Zheng Xi be your father? Hahaha, he died miserably. Every bone in his body was crushed by me. His head, the skin wrapped around the brain matter, tsk tsk tsk, like those soup dumplings your people love to eat..."
"Shut up!"
Lin Zhao felt every hair on his body stand on end. This rage almost made him lose his mind.
"Tsk tsk..."
The great demon Bai Lan smiled faintly and said, "The human Martial Lord Yue Hao, and your Xue Yu Tian Chi's Chu Huai Xi, were both killed by me. I have no other hobby in life but killing human generals or elites. Look here..."
He pointed to a sword mark scar on his forehead and smiled. "The strongest human I've ever met was that Wen Liang. This sword strike was his masterpiece. Unfortunately, Wen Liang was slowly worn down and killed by Feng Hu. He died a truly ugly death. As for Lin Zhao, you are the supreme commander of the human army. I'll grant you a quick death, one sword strike to turn you to ashes and send you to join your dead parents!"
...
Lin Zhao was filled with grief and indignation.
He slowly raised his hand, gripping the hilt of his ancient sword, and said softly, "Sister Bai, is it time?"
"Yes."
The White Dragon Goddess also replied softly, "Unsheathe it. With this sword, we will slay a peak thirteenth-realm cultivator."