"Sit and talk," Lin Zhao said, leading Fu Zhi and Xiang Ji back to the camp. He lit a campfire, and a sense of warmth enveloped them. He looked at Fu Zhi and asked, "Tell me first, how did you survive?"
Fu Zhi pursed her red lips and said, "In that battle at the Death Defiance Camp, my right arm was severed by a great demon of the Upper Five Realms, and my natal flying sword was shattered. I fell unconscious, hence entering a state of severed vital energy. After Lord perished, there was no one to tend to the corpses of the soldiers from the Death Defiance Camp. Some were buried by the demon race, and a small portion were sent to the ghost race as nourishment. My body and the bodies of a group of soldiers were packed into a ox cart and escorted to the ghost camp by a few minor demons. I woke up halfway, killed the minor demons, and buried those soldiers. Afterward, I hid in the dense forests of the Northern Territory for a few days. By the time I returned to the South, I had already learned of Lord's demise..."
As she spoke, her eyes turned red, and tears welled up. "I cried for many days upon hearing the news of your death... By then, the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool had already fallen, and humans were in a bloody war with demons, ghosts, and devils. My cultivation had been damaged, so I did not rejoin the battle. I hid in the forests of the Western Territory to cultivate, vowing to one day step into the Upper Five Realms and kill more demons to avenge Lord."
"You've suffered..." Lin Zhao frowned.
Fu Zhi smiled and shook her head. "It wasn't suffering. Today, I've finally seen the light. Lord is still here, Fu Zhi is still here, and the grand banner of our Death Defiance Camp is still here, right?"
"Yes, right! What happened afterward? How did you cultivate to your current realm?" Lin Zhao continued to ask.
Xiang Ji hugged his knees, listening like a well-behaved child to this legendary story that had yet to spread through the world.
"Afterward..." Fu Zhi pursed her red lips and said, "After losing my right arm, I had to begin practicing swordplay with my left hand. It was extremely difficult at first, but I gritted my teeth and persevered. Eventually, it became a natural progression to master the left-handed sword. After that, I began to travel the world, searching for ten renowned swords scattered throughout the land. Then, I continuously killed demons in the Northern Border, refining swords with demon cores and souls. I buried these swords deep in the Northern Territory, and as long as I was in the Northern Territory, I could summon them at any time. With ten swords unsheathed together, I could contend with sword cultivators of the Twelve Realms!"
"Excellent!" Lin Zhao smiled and nodded.
"Lord..." Fu Zhi murmured, "Actually, it was a single sentence from Lord that constantly spurred me forward, making me a more resolute sword cultivator."
"Which sentence?" Lin Zhao asked.
Fu Zhi looked up at him, her beautiful eyes full of emotion. "After Lord returned from traveling the Fusang Great Wall, he told me not to be arrogant or complacent. While a Seven Realms sword cultivator at 19 years old might be considered outstanding in the Great Chen Dynasty, it's not the same when you look at the entire world. On that Fusang Great Wall, Lord met a woman named Lin Wanhua. She was 18 years old, a Golden Core sword cultivator of the Eighth Realm, with superb swordsmanship and unparalleled sword intent..."
She bit her red lip. "Therefore, my sword refinement over the years has always been aimed at surpassing Lin Wanhua. I truly hope that one day Lord can see me surpass Lin Wanhua and hear Lord's approval of me, Fu Zhi..."
"You are already very powerful." Lin Zhao said, "Truly, Fu Zhi, you have not disappointed me. In fact, I am proud of you. Among the younger generation of our Great Chen Dynasty, you are undoubtedly the foremost sword cultivator. If Marshal Chu were still alive, seeing you, an Eleven Realms Left-Handed Sword Great Immortal, he would surely be very gratified..."
Fu Zhi's eyes were misty. "Thank you, Lord..."
Lin Zhao nodded and said, "But don't be arrogant or complacent. You must keep moving forward, after all, that Lin Wanhua is now a peak Twelve Realms Sword Immortal. You, a peak Eleven Realms Sword Immortal, must work harder!"
"En!" Fu Zhi pursed her lips, still thinking. There were many times she passed by the Fusang Great Wall and wanted to challenge Lin Wanhua to a duel, but she never truly made up her mind. Although she was only at the Eleventh Realm, she had challenged some Twelve Realm sword immortals over the years. She had only suffered minor disadvantages but had never been defeated. She had the confidence to fight Twelve Realm sword immortals, but against Lin Wanhua, that confidence was slightly weaker. Lin Wanhua was too strong, a true prodigy of the human world. Her Twelve Realms were not the same as others; they were significantly stronger.
However, it didn't matter. With Lord here now, by his side, her heart was settled, and her future sword cultivation would inevitably be higher. She still had a chance to defeat Lin Wanhua in her lifetime.
"Lord." She looked at Lin Zhao. "What about you? How have you spent these years?"
"A grand dream." Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "Fu Zhi, do you believe me? Actually, Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool was no more than a grand dream to me. When I died, I already woke up. It's a bit like the reincarnation described by Xiang Ji, except I perfectly preserved all my memories from my past life and have entered this world with a different identity."
"What kind of identity?"
"I possess the Mark of Rebirth, and I will not die from now on," Lin Zhao smiled slightly.
Fu Zhi also smiled sweetly. "That's good, that's good."
"Alright." Lin Zhao took a deep breath and said, "Let's deal with the remains of the Catfish Fiend?"
"Mmm~~~" Fu Zhi raised her hand slightly and drew out a shimmering demon core from the mouth of the large catfish. She held it in her hand and handed it to Lin Zhao. "An Eleventh Realm demon core, quite valuable."
"I don't want it. Use it to refine your sword. Aren't you cultivating ten demon soul swords?" Lin Zhao smiled. "Your demon soul swords are so powerful, so don't slack off. Keep practicing. I'll still rely on your ten demon soul swords to guard the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool in the future."
"Alright, thank you, Lord!" Fu Zhi obediently put away the demon core and stood gently beside Lin Zhao. "This remains contains the spiritual essence of an Eleventh Realm great demon. It's a treasure for demons, and it's very nutritious for humans. How do you plan to deal with it?"
"Eat it." Lin Zhao began to set up a pot. "We'll make a big pot of fish head soup, some braised, and some grilled. We'll eat the whole fish today."
Fu Zhi smiled and nodded.
"Old Fan!" Lin Zhao looked up at the few trembling NPCs not far away. When the Eleventh Realm great demon arrived, Xiao Ou, Hua Zi, and Old Fan had all been scared to the point of soiling themselves. Lin Zhao called out, "Do you have any wine to sell?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Old Fan, seeing that there was business to be done, was no longer afraid and stepped forward respectfully. "We have all kinds of fine wines from Tianji City. Please feel free to choose, Master."
"Got it." Lin Zhao was quite frugal and only bought wine that was 10 grams per pot. It was good enough to drink. He bought 20 pots at once and put them all in his bag, then started busy. He cooked the fish head soup himself, and Lin Zhao used another pot to braise it. "Fu Zhi, go pick some wild green garlic and cilantro. Come back quickly."
"Yes, Lord!" Fu Zhi flew away on her sword.
Xiang Ji watched in a daze. Ordering a peak Eleven Realms sword immortal to pick green garlic and cilantro was something only this person in front of him could do. As he was thinking, Lin Zhao also began to instruct him. "Xiang Ji, go find some dry wood. The firewood is running out."
"Alright, wait a moment!" Xiang Ji flew away. At this moment, facing Lin Zhao and Fu Zhi, he no longer had any of the arrogance of a human legion commander. Compared to these two legendary figures, his position as the commander of the Purple Thunder Legion was nothing. His cultivation realm was inferior, his strategy was inferior, and his command was inferior. If he didn't obediently help out now, when would he?
...
Shortly after, fish head soup, braised catfish tail, and grilled catfish meat – a series of delicious dishes were ready. Lin Zhao stood up and called out, "Lord Su Shan, Old Sword Immortal Han, it's time to eat!"
"Coming, coming!" From a distance, two mountain and water deities appeared in a flash and sat down around the campfire with Lin Zhao, Fu Zhi, and Xiang Ji. Lin Zhao gave each of them two pots of wine, and then they began to eat. Drinking the fish head soup and eating the braised catfish, the taste was extraordinarily good. A mouthful of fish, a mouthful of wine, Han Buyu was delighted, almost bursting into laughter. "I haven't lived like this for a long time."
"Things will get better and better." Lin Zhao smiled. "The days in Heavenly Pool Town will surely return. Believe me."
"En." Su Shan took a bite of the catfish and smiled. "Tsk, tsk, I didn't expect Lord Catfish Fiend to taste so good when braised. If I had known, I would have been more polite when I spoke to him back then." He then glanced at Lin Zhao. "You've already done it, killing an Upper Five Realm demon. What are your plans for dealing with it afterward? The demon race will surely not let this go."
"We'll take it one step at a time." Lin Zhao said, "Fu Zhi, Xiang Ji, for the next period, we must focus on recruiting soldiers and horses. We need to gather as many human cultivators traveling in the Northern Territory, sects established in the Northern Territory, and so on, as possible. We need to quickly increase our strength on the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Before the demon race launches its next attack, we must be fully prepared."
"Next time, it might be a Thirteenth Realm who comes," Lord Su Shan chuckled. "What kind of preparations can withstand a Thirteenth Realm?"
"If we can't withstand it, we'll run." Lin Zhao smiled. "In any case, we won't just die here."
Fu Zhi smiled and nodded. The confidence in this young man's expression was exactly the same as it was back then, only he had become more mature and steady. In fact, he had become even better. Thinking of this, Fu Zhi smiled even more happily. This was the first time in a hundred years that she had begun to look forward to the future so eagerly.
...
Lin Zhao began to eat the meat. The first bite of braised catfish meat entered his mouth, and its taste was extraordinary, as was its effect.
"Ding!" System prompt: You have consumed the meat of an Eleventh Realm [Catfish Spirit] and gained 2% experience points for your current level. The maximum experience points you can gain from meat of this quality per day is 50% of your current level!
Eating meat grants experience?! Lin Zhao was dumbfounded. He was still in the mid-game. If players could gain 2% more experience than others every day, what kind of concept was that? Especially for Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Mo Chenxue, Ding Chi, and the others. If their levels could maintain an advantage, the Scarlet Moon Knights would have the confidence to fight against a larger force with fewer people!
"Cough, cough..." He quickly put the remaining half of the catfish into his bag and said, "Lord Catfish Fiend, you are so pitiful. You've died, and you have to burn yourself to light the way for others!"
Lord Su Shan narrowed his eyes, realizing that this brat intended to pocket the remaining fish. He immediately moved his chopsticks like lightning. The more he could eat, the better. Otherwise, it would be a great loss. That kick was quite heavy, and he would be at a disadvantage if he didn't eat more. Old Sword Immortal Han said nothing and kept scooping food and drinking wine, gulping down with "poof poof, gulp gulp." He hadn't been this happy in a hundred years.