Seven Eleventh Realm Great Demons exchanged glances.
...
Lin Zhao stood atop the peak of Luoyan Mountain, gazing up at the seven Great Demons, his expression fearless. This was his small world, and logically, he should be able to withstand attacks even from Eleventh Realm Great Demons, right? Moreover, Lin Zhao's current objective was merely to stall for time. If he could hold off these seven Great Demons, perhaps Lin Wanhua could gain an advantage over Long Zheng on her end, or perhaps his aunt could suppress Nan Qingfeng and free herself to assist Lin Wanhua.
The forces of Snow Territory Heavenly Pool were suppressed; only two individuals possessed the ability to "break the stalemate": Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua.
Lin Zhao was acutely aware of this, as Snow Territory Heavenly Pool held no advantage in most other crucial aspects.
"A small world of the lower five realms?"
A Great Demon in black robes, an Eleventh Realm cultivator, grinned, revealing fangs. "Are they pushing their luck too far? Do they think we demons of the Eleventh Realm are made of paper?"
As he spoke, he stepped into the air, and a silver ripple spread outwards, also manifesting a small world. He intended to break Lin Zhao's flying sword restriction. Instantly, the sword hummed and vibrated fiercely, with wisps of golden Confucian text swirling around its tip. However, the opponent's small world, just as it began to expand, dissipated into smoke, proving incapable of resistance.
Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat. Indeed, the small world at the tip of the Han Niu Sword originated from Mr. Qin's primordial power. How could a Confucian Sage's small world be easily shattered by these petty individuals?
"Something's not right!"
Another Great Demon, an Upper Fifth Realm cultivator, frowned. "There's something peculiar about this brat's flying sword... Let's all attack together and eliminate him quickly, lest complications arise!"
"Agreed!"
The seven Great Demons unleashed their techniques and descended from the sky!
Lin Zhao remained unhurried. As an Eleventh Realm Great Demon's saber, imbued with vast radiance, swung down, he directly ignited a Divine Speed Talisman. The moment the talisman was lit, the speed of the demon's descending saber seemed to slow dramatically. The flow of time in the entire world approached a standstill. Upon igniting the Divine Speed Talisman, Lin Zhao's overall speed and perception were elevated to their absolute limit!
"Boom!"
By the time the opponent's saber cleaved down the mountaintop, Lin Zhao had already moved sideways to evade. The approximately one-second duration of "absolute speed" from the Divine Speed Talisman passed. The Great Demons' speed returned to normal, while Lin Zhao, still under the talisman's effect, felt light as a feather. He sprinted backward on the rocks, dodging another Great Demon's punch, which shattered the ground where he had stood, sending debris flying.
"Kill him!"
A Great Demon somersaulted through the air with avian grace and suddenly clawed at the back of Lin Zhao's head, aiming to rip open his entire skull.
"Thump!"
This time, he couldn't evade. Lin Zhao stomped the ground, summoning his Sword Qi Guard skill. Immediately, strands of sword qi enveloped him. His back took the brunt of the Great Demon's claw, and his health bar dropped by over 18,000+. It was brutal; for an average player, this single blow would have been nearly fatal. As his body was sent flying, Lin Zhao twisted, enduring the pain, and pulled out four Immobilization Talismans from his怀. He instantly ignited all of them and, without a second thought, hurled them towards four Great Demons on either side.
Instantly, the Immobilization Talismans locked onto the demonic energy. Caught off guard, the four Great Demons were briefly frozen in mid-air. Simultaneously, Lin Zhao's back was struck by the tusks of an Eleventh Realm wild boar demon, causing another drop of over 21,000 health points. His health bar was nearing its end.
"Die!"
An Eleventh Realm female Great Demon descended from the sky, manifesting the great form of a butterfly demon behind her. She struck down with a palm towards Lin Zhao's head.
"..."
Lin Zhao leaned backward and ignited a Sword Illumination Talisman. He flung it out like lightning when the woman was less than ten meters away. The talisman exploded in mid-air, transforming into a sword strike from Su Qingjiu. With a "pu," the unprepared Eleventh Realm butterfly demon was cleaved across her chest, a bloody gash appearing. Her body was then enveloped by sword qi, and she shrieked as she was sent flying backward.
Lin Zhao retreated rapidly, appearing quite disheveled. Under the acceleration of the Divine Speed Talisman, he twisted and dodged the wild boar demon's second attack. Simultaneously, he stepped forward in pursuit and unleashed a Rising Dragon Slash, tossing the boar demon into the air. He followed up with a set of moves: Sweeping the Thousand Armies, Universe Toss, and Sword of Separation. After absorbing a significant amount of health, he swung his sword, creating a cage of sword qi to briefly trap the boar demon within.
"This little brat!"
In the air, several Great Demons who had just escaped the Immobilization Talisman's control were filled with rage. "If we fail to kill him today, what face will we have left in the ancestral mountains of the demon race?"
"Kill!"
A group of Great Demons charged forward with renewed ferocity.
Lin Zhao glanced at his stamina, which had dropped to 100 points. The continuous use of military talismans consumed stamina; he could no longer ignite them recklessly, or he would lack the strength to even escape. Thus, he turned and fled. While the Divine Speed effect was still active, he dashed to a flat area on the side of the peak, grabbed a demon-binding rope, and fired it.
Immediately, the descending butterfly demon let out a pained cry. She was thoroughly bound by the spinning rope and thus trapped by the demon-binding rope for a short period. Previously, it could even restrain a Thirteenth Realm Great Demon like Lu Hai for several seconds; this Eleventh Realm butterfly demon would surely be held for at least a minute!
"Divine Dragon Crossbow!"
Lin Zhao suddenly waved his hand forward. The space in front of him parted, and numerous Divine Dragon Crossbows, operated by cavalry from the Snow Territory, were enveloped within the small world. The next second, Lin Zhao crouched and rolled out, while over a dozen Divine Dragon Crossbows simultaneously aimed at the Upper Fifth Realm Great Demons and unleashed a barrage of fire. The sounds of tearing wind were incessant.
Instantly, six Eleventh Realm Great Demons brandished their magical artifacts to block, while others simply threw punches. However, the barrage from the Divine Dragon Crossbows was too dense. They couldn't guard against everything, and some Great Demons were injured. Although their physical bodies were incredibly robust, they sustained only superficial wounds, which was still quite an embarrassing sight.
"Bastard!"
A swordsman Great Demon of the Eleventh Realm soared into the air and unleashed a rolling wave of sword qi towards the Divine Dragon Crossbows and Snow Territory cavalry behind Lin Zhao. But before the sword qi could reach them, Lin Zhao waved his sleeve again, and the flying sword Hao Ran sent all the Divine Dragon Crossbows and cavalry out of the small world. The Great Demon's sword strike missed entirely.
"Bastard!"
Amidst the rumbling sounds of collapsing mountains, a martial artist Great Demon of the Heavenly Origin Realm descended with a punch aimed at Lin Zhao's head. At this moment, the effect of Lin Zhao's first Divine Speed Talisman had worn off. Just as the blinding fist was about to reach his forehead, he directly ignited the second Divine Speed Talisman. The Great Demon's fist froze in mid-air, while Lin Zhao slid out of the way. His short hair fluttered wildly from the fist's aura. He felt a complex mix of emotions; if that punch had landed on his face, he'd be unconscious at best, concussed at worst!
He leaped agilely behind a mountain rock. A Great Demon shattered the rock with its sharp claws, but within the broken fragments, it saw dense sword qi descending from the sky. It was Lin Zhao's new skill, Sword Break. The sword qi was so dense that several Great Demons repeatedly raised their arms to block. While it didn't hurt, it was incredibly annoying.
At this point, the hatred the Eleventh Realm Great Demons felt towards Lin Zhao had surpassed their animosity towards the greater threats, Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua.
...
To the west of Luoyan Mountain, sword qi whirled across the sky.
Lin Xingchu, while channeling a large amount of water element sword qi to attack Nan Qingfeng, glanced at the peak of Luoyan Mountain with a frown. She couldn't see Lin Zhao or the seven Eleventh Realm cultivators, but she could sense their auras there. Lin Xingchu chuckled inwardly. My young Lin Zhao is a disciple of the Confucian Sage Qin Suihan. The divine ability at the tip of the Han Niu Sword is truly formidable; even she, a cultivator of the Ascension Realm, couldn't see through it.
In the wind.
Chuan Zhi wielded ten demon soul swords, launching fierce assaults on the Great Demon Lu Xiuyuan. Simultaneously, her sword, Cheng Xin, continuously unleashed waves of sword qi, sweeping across the opponent and nullifying Lu Xiuyuan's spells. On the surface, Chuan Zhi held the absolute advantage. However, this was not entirely the case. While Chuan Zhi was on the offensive, if her momentum was halted, the disadvantage of her lower realm would continuously surface, at which point she would likely be suppressed and beaten by Lu Xiuyuan.
Opposite her, Lu Xiuyuan bore numerous fine sword marks on his body. He had grievances he couldn't express. Who knew why this young woman was so powerful? She was clearly an Eleventh Realm cultivator, yet her sword qi was as sharp as that of a Twelfth Realm sword cultivator. On the ancestral mountain, Lu Xiuyuan had "sparred" with Feng Quan over minor matters. Although he couldn't defeat Feng Quan, this female sword immortal was truly outrageous. The sharpness of her Eleventh Realm sword qi was not much inferior to Feng Quan's Twelfth Realm sword qi. Was she even human?
Elsewhere, Mu Cong was exchanging blows with the Great Demon Bai Ye, his iron fists landing with raw power. While not holding the advantage, he relied on his thick hide to withstand Bai Ye's spells, his fists covered in blood, both his own and Bai Ye's.
Further away, thunderous sounds of punches echoed through the mountains. Chu Yu and Shi Jungang had moved their battle to a different location. Chu Yu put his all into every punch, while Shi Jungang held back. In fact, as a "strategist" for the demon army, Shi Jungang was not obligated to fight. However, if he could divert the opponent's attention and stall Chu Yu, a peak Tenth Realm martial artist, he would be contributing to the demon race.
In the Deer Antler Forest.
The battle between Lin Wanhua and Long Zheng was earth-shattering. The ground of the Deer Antler Forest was crisscrossed with sword marks. Both were peak Twelfth Realm sword immortals. Lin Wanhua followed the sword path of the Fusuo Great Wall, her sword heart clear and perceptive. Long Zheng, on the other hand, followed the sword path of the Flood Dragon clan, emphasizing harmony with the heavens and the vast sea. Although Lin Wanhua's sword intent and skill held a slight edge, suppressing and killing Long Zheng in a short period was nearly impossible.
As for Long Zheng, her brows were tightly furrowed. The more they fought, the more disheartened she became. She had initially intended to kill Lin Wanhua and earn merit for the ancestral mountain, but that thought was now gone. Merely holding back Lin Wanhua and creating an opportunity for the demon race to win the battle at Luoyan Mountain was already a great achievement!
...
In Wild Pheasant Valley.
Observing the distant sword lights and the immense elemental phenomena of spells erupting from Luoyan Mountain, Lin Xuanzhi stood up, picked up his long sword, and said, "The people from Snow Territory Heavenly Pool have engaged the demon race. Are we truly going to stand by and watch?"
A Nascent Soul stage cultivator frowned. "My lord, the demons have sent Nan Qingfeng of the Thirteenth Realm, Long Zheng and Lu Xiuyuan of the Twelfth Realm. If we truly engage... we are from the Mountain and Sea Division. In fact, we don't need to risk our lives for Snow Territory Heavenly Pool. Even if the Director were here, he probably wouldn't agree to us reinforcing Snow Territory Heavenly Pool."
"Whatever."
Lin Xuanzhi glanced back at everyone, stepped onto his flying sword, and ascended. His robes fluttered, and he smiled with a hint of carefree abandon. "I, Lin Xuanzhi, was born of my parents and born a human. I am naturally an enemy of the demon race. Whether the white-robed figures on Snow Territory Heavenly Pool are thieves or bandits, as long as they dare to oppose the demons, I, Lin Xuanzhi, must lend them a hand today!"
With that, he transformed into a rainbow light and flew away swiftly.
The other cultivators frowned, and one by one, they picked up their weapons and rose, following Lin Xuanzhi towards Luoyan Mountain.
"Damn it!"
A Fifth Realm martial artist lifted his saber and laughed. "If we die, we die. I can't fly, but I can run over and help!"
Saying that, he moved with incredible speed, rushing into the continuous mountain range.