"Enough, Wu Zhi!" Lin Zhao's voice was stern.
"..."
Wu Zhi gritted her teeth, a killing intent already rising. But at this moment, she also sensed that Lin Zhao was truly angry. If she were to kill Yue Ling, Lin Zhao might be upset for a very long time. Yet, despite Lin Zhao's stern tone, Wu Zhi didn't feel sad at all. Instead, she felt a little happy, for she knew Lin Zhao was doing this for her twelfth realm, and even her future thirteenth realm. Otherwise, why not just kill Yue Ling? Back then, Dong Cang had repeatedly helped Lin Zhao with medicinal baths at the Mountain Peak Villa, and later helped care for Xiao Jiu'er and Xiao Shi Tou. Among the group at the Mountain Peak Villa, Lin Zhao had the deepest affection for Dong Cang.
"Buzz~~~"
Wu Zhi retracted her flying sword.
Rain Master Yue Ling, however, was so frightened he broke out in a cold sweat, his golden body almost unstable.
"My lord!"
Mu Zha and Chu Yu arrived swiftly, riding the wind.
At the same time, two divine figures of wind and rain descended from the sky. One was Lei Shi Xue Yuan, clad in a purple short shirt, his body shrouded in wisps of lightning. The other was Feng Shi Lan Xi, wearing a cloud-white short skirt. She looked at the scene in the apricot grove with her large eyes, a mixture of unbearable pity and helplessness in her gaze, not knowing how to resolve the situation.
"Good, good..."
After Wu Zhi recalled her nine demon soul swords, Rain Master Yue Ling landed, coughing up blood repeatedly. Anger simmered in his eyes. "Today's events, I, Yue Ling, will remember. For a mere apricot spirit girl, your Snow Domain Heavenly Pond would dare strike and kill even a divine being who governs wind and rain? I, Yue Ling, will forever remember this day's humiliation."
"Still not leaving, are you truly seeking death?" Lin Zhao said calmly.
"What did you say?!" Lei Shi Xue Yuan let out a low growl. "You mortals, what right do you have to speak to Rain Master like this?"
Saying that, Xue Yuan raised his hand and punched towards Lin Zhao. Wisps of lightning flickered around his fist. At this moment, without Lin Zhao needing to speak, someone naturally intervened. Suddenly, a burst of fist intent erupted, and Mu Zha arrived in an instant, meeting Xue Yuan with a heavy punch. Since Wu Zhi had already acted, Mu Zha was clearly the most suitable for this fight.
With a thunderous impact, Lei Shi Xue Yuan was sent flying back. The bones in his entire arm shattered. As a tenth-realm Lei Shi, he couldn't even withstand one punch from a Heavenly Origin realm martial artist. This punch almost had Mu Zha scatter his soul!
"Go!"
Rain Master Yue Ling soared into the sky. From above the clouds, he looked down at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond and said coldly, "The martial world is full of wind and rain. I, Yue Ling, hope you all be careful in your future endeavors!"
Saying that, he suddenly raised his hand and shouted into the clouds, "Han Bu Yu, as the Cloud Master of this place, you stand by and watch your superior being humiliated, yet you remain so indifferent?!"
With a "swish," old sword immortal Han Bu Yu was pulled from the clouds by Rain Master Yue Ling and then violently sent flying with a punch. He spat out a mouthful of pale golden blood in mid-air, utterly devoid of dignity.
...
"Dong Cang..."
Lin Zhao walked forward and helped Dong Cang up. Seeing her blood-soaked appearance, he was heartbroken. "You... are you alright? You seem to be heavily injured..."
"I'm fine, Young Master..." Dong Cang offered a smile and gently opened her hands. The long, narrow box she held then rose, the white cloth around it scattering. The lid opened on its own, and lying quietly within the box was a snow-white brush, radiating with rich spiritual energy. This was none other than the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow that Lin Zhao had left behind at his residence and had not taken to the battlefield!
Lin Zhao felt as if struck by lightning, his heart filled with a thousand mixed emotions.
All along, Dong Cang had been desperately preserving Lin Zhao's Thousand Rider Rolling Snow. Even after the Mountain Peak Villa was breached and Dong Cang was killed by the demon race, she had still attached her soul to an apricot tree, transforming into an apricot spirit girl, all to protect this Thousand Rider Rolling Snow. What Rain Master Yue Ling sought was nothing more than this divine brush once used by the Soldier Immortal Han Xin!
"Thank you, Dong Cang..." Lin Zhao did not take the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow. Instead, he tightly held Dong Cang's cold little hand. He looked up at the sky and roared, "Yue Ling, you beast! You killed Dong Cang merely for the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow. Having a son like you is truly the lifelong failure of Marquis Yue Hao!"
"You are not qualified to mention my father Marshal!" Yue Ling's expression turned ferocious. It seemed Yue Hao was his sore spot and his lifelong pride. Unfortunately, Yue Hao sought to bring peace to the world through battle, while Yue Ling sought to consolidate his territory and constantly climb higher. Mortals were like ants to him. He and his father had taken completely different paths, yet he desperately wished to become like his father.
"Still not leaving?!" Wu Zhi spread her five fingers, her nine demon soul swords hovering in the air, their edges pointed at Yue Ling.
"Hmph!" Yue Ling flicked the sleeve of his ink-green python robe and rode a patch of floating cloud away.
...
"Young Master..." Dong Cang pursed her red lips, tears welling up in her eyes. "Young Master, please accept the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow. Dong Cang's wish is fulfilled..."
Lin Zhao dared not accept. How could he accept it? According to all the plots he knew, once he accepted the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow, Dong Cang's wish would be fulfilled, and she would only have at most ten seconds left to live.
"Wu Zhi, come here!" he called out.
"Okay..." Wu Zhi glided over and knelt on one knee beside Lin Zhao. "My lord?"
"Save Dong Cang..." Lin Zhao's brows were tightly furrowed. He murmured, "I don't allow Dong Cang to die. I want her to live well..."
"This..." Wu Zhi looked somewhat helpless. "Dong Cang's spirit body is just weak and needs rest. Yue Ling, to obtain the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow, likely didn't kill Dong Cang. My lord, you needn't worry..."
"Is that so..." Lin Zhao then accepted the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow. The moment he accepted it, a barrage of system notifications rang in his ears. A single Thousand Rider Rolling Snow had opened up an entire system for him—
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have obtained the treasure: [Thousand Rider Rolling Snow] (Immortal Grade)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked the [Military Talisman] system!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Tracking Talisman] (S-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Calming Heart Talisman] (S-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Brave Talisman] (S-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Rain Praying Talisman] (S-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Demon Suppressing Talisman] (S-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Swiftness Talisman] (SS-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Sword Illumination Talisman] (SS-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Immobilizing Talisman] (SS-class)!
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have unlocked Talisman Compendium: [Evil Banishing Talisman] (SS-class)!
...
Lin Zhao was so stunned he almost turned to stone. This small Thousand Rider Rolling Snow had truly brought back all the Military Talismans taught by his third senior brother in his past life, forming a "Military Talisman" system on its own. This secondary system, outside of the main skills, was probably the only one of its kind on the entire server.
Moreover, the talismans recorded in the Military Talismans were far more than these. It only awakened up to the Evil Banishing Talisman because the young Lin Zhao in that lifetime had only trained up to the Evil Banishing Talisman. However, with just these nine talismans, Lin Zhao could already completely pull away from ordinary players, as these talismans were exclusive.
He sat down on the ground, cradling the injured Dong Cang in his arms, and examined the compendium of the nine talismans. Their attributes appeared one by one, transforming from the abstract representations of the young Lin Zhao's era into concrete data representations of the present, giving him a sense of having gone through different lives—
[Tracking Talisman] (S-class): Upon use, can track nearby demonic and ghostly energies, burning for 30 seconds.
[Calming Heart Talisman] (S-class): When receiving negative effects, has a 50% chance to miss the current effect.
[Brave Talisman] (S-class): Upon use, increases own attack damage by 35%, lasting for 60 seconds.
[Rain Praying Talisman] (S-class): Upon use, will change the local weather to rain within 30 seconds.
[Demon Suppressing Talisman] (S-class): Inflicts a single target demon with attack damage equivalent to 1500% of one's own attack.
[Swiftness Talisman] (SS-class): Greatly increases own movement speed and attack speed, lasting for 10 seconds.
[Sword Illumination Talisman] (SS-class): Once inscribed, can nourish a sword qi within the talisman. Damage is related to the sword qi and one's own attack.
[Immobilizing Talisman] (SS-class): Used on a single target, with a high probability of causing a stunned state, lasting for 3 seconds.
[Evil Banishing Talisman] (SS-class): Inflicts excess attack damage on evil entities within a small area, and can illuminate evil entities hidden in darkness.
...
"Hoo..." Lin Zhao took a deep breath. Overall, these nine talismans were useful. Apart from the Rain Praying Talisman, which was a bit of a chicken rib, the Calming Heart Talisman, Brave Talisman, and Swiftness Talisman would be quite useful in solo combat. The Tracking Talisman, Demon Suppressing Talisman, and Evil Banishing Talisman would provide an advantageous position in battles against demons, ghosts, and the like. As for the Sword Illumination Talisman, this was extraordinary... it would be a great weapon for Lin Zhao in the future!
He smiled. There were too many sword cultivators around him. Setting aside those above the fifth realm, there were Wu Zhi, Han Ye Tang, Qin Yu, Lin Wan Hua, and others. There was also Xiao Jiu'er, whom he had yet to reunite with. My Xiao Jiu'er was now a peak twelfth realm sword immortal, on par with Lin Wan Hua, the Lord of the Fusang Great Wall. What a cultivation base!
He would grab them one by one and they would all obediently nourish sword qi into the Sword Illumination Talisman.
"Wu Zhi!"
He carefully put away the Thousand Rider Rolling Snow, then handed Dong Cang over to Wu Zhi. "Take good care of Dong Cang. I owe her too much."
"Yes, my lord!" Wu Zhi nodded with a smile and helped Dong Cang up from the ground.
Dong Cang felt a bit awkward. Although she and Wu Zhi were familiar with each other before, Wu Zhi was now an eleventh realm sword immortal. What was she now? Just a mere apricot spirit girl. But... Dong Cang actually felt a little confident in her heart. Looking at Lin Zhao's retreating back, it was precisely because this person was here that no one in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pond would look down on her, an apricot spirit girl.
...
Lin Zhao walked over to Han Bu Yu and looked at the old sword immortal's pathetic state. The tenth realm Cloud Master had taken a punch from the eleventh realm Rain Master, his golden body cracked, blood trickling from his lips, utterly dishevelled.
"You've seen a joke, I'm truly ashamed..." Han Bu Yu sat on the ground, his arms resting on his knees, his eyes looking at the ground, his head bowed extremely low.
Eighth chapter complete, brothers, recommendation votes!!!