"Make a move?"
Despite Yue Ling's dire state, his golden body shattered, and golden blood oozing from the corners of his mouth, the defiance in his eyes remained potent. He chuckled, "Kill me, and you, Lin Ruo, can forget about ever reaching the Rebirth Realm. You'll be stuck guarding this Heavenly Origin Realm forever."
Lin Ruo clenched his right fist, a dense fist intent coiling around it. With this punch, Yue Ling's head would be gone.
Both were at the eleventh realm, but Yu Shi Yue Ling's strength was no match for Lin Ruo. Firstly, deities of mountains and rivers in the same realm were inherently a notch weaker than human cultivators, as they subsisted on incense offerings, their cultivation foundation naturally inferior to that of living beings. Secondly, Lin Ruo's eleventh realm was no ordinary one; he was a Heavenly Origin Realm warrior wielding a God of War's core, inherently stronger than typical eleventh-realm cultivators. Thus, even though Yue Ling was now a peak eleventh-realm Yu Shi, he was still outmatched beneath Lin Ruo's fist.
His fist aura intensified, the fatal blow poised to strike.
...
In the distance, on the first Sword Suppressing Tower, a young Confucian sage, drinking cheap wine costing ten grams per pot, frowned. He saw through Yue Ling's fragile destiny at a glance and conveyed telepathically to Lin Zhao, who was far away, "Do not let Lin Ruo kill Yue Ling. A lamp has been lit on the ancestral mountain of the demon race; it is Yue Ling's life lamp. If Lin Ruo kills Yue Ling with this punch, he will not truly kill Yue Ling, but rather, he will doom his own Great Dao!"
"Understood!"
Lin Zhao urgently summoned his flying sword, Red Leaf, and ascended, riding the sword. Simultaneously, he declared in a deep voice, "Lin Ruo, stop! Do not kill him!"
A few breaths later, Lin Zhao pierced through the clouds, appearing not far from Lin Ruo and Yue Ling. He frowned, "Yue Ling has a life lamp on the demon race's ancestral mountain. Killing him is meaningless."
"..."
Lin Ruo suddenly released his grip, simultaneously kicking out with his leg. Yue Ling's body flew out horizontally. Just as Yue Ling was flying away, a figure emerged from the clouds: Han Buyu, the tenth-realm Cloud Master. He frowned, lightly raising his palm, and a wisp of cloud surged forth, catching Yue Ling, who was plummeting rapidly, preventing him from being too disheveled.
"Get lost!"
Yue Ling violently shattered the cloud with a palm strike, his eyes filled with icy contempt. He roared, "Han Buyu, do you need to put on such a hypocritical show of benevolence here? I am your direct superior! Seeing me bullied by a human martial artist, you dare not utter a word? What a waste!"
"Lord Yue Ling."
Han Buyu stood above the clouds, cupping his hands respectfully. "According to the Book of Wind and Rain, it is impossible for snow to fall in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool during this period. Yet, it has snowed heavily for three consecutive days. Why must you, Great Rain Master, act this way? Do not forget, you were once human. You once marched with your father to conquer the demon race. Why have you now become a lackey for the demons?"
"Lackey?"
Yue Ling raised an eyebrow, his eyes glowing with intense gold. He sneered, "I am the Dragon King's Yu Shi, governing the wind, frost, rain, and snow across ten thousand li of territory. Do you, Han Buyu, have the right to lecture me?"
As he spoke, he spread one hand, and an imperial decree of the Yu Shi descended from the heavens, directly suppressing Han Buyu to his knees, trembling. His already precarious golden body began to crack audibly.
"Yue Ling!"
Lin Zhao could bear it no longer. He frowned, "Han Buyu once drew his sword against the demon race. Even now, as a god of wind and rain, he protects this region. For you to be so aggressive, colluding with demons, what difference are you from a beast?"
"What are you?"
Yue Ling sneered. "Lin Zhao, you were lucky to have deployed the Heavenly Furnace Battle Array and defeated the four northern tribes back then. Don't you actually believe you have great merit and skill? You are now merely a minor leader in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. What right do you have to lecture me? I, Yue Ling, have always acted with integrity. I am not like a hypocrite such as yourself. If you truly dislike me, then have Wu Zhi kill me? Do you dare?"
Lin Zhao was enraged.
This Yue Ling was clearly seeking death today. By lighting his life lamp on the demon race's ancestral mountain, he would not truly perish no matter how he died here. The demon race would also continuously supply him with incense offerings from their realm. Conversely, every time a human killed Yue Ling, a cultivator in the upper five realms would be tainted with heavy karma, their Great Dao severed.
It would be a terrible loss for both Lin Ruo and Wu Zhi, such talented young cultivators in the human race, if their Great Dao were severed.
More importantly...
Lin Zhao glanced back at the Sword Suppressing Tower on the eastern snow ridge. The demon race's true objective was likely to lure that young Confucian sage into killing Yue Ling. If Huo Piaoyao truly came, she would fall into the demon race's trap, either ambushed by a great demon in the upper five realms or used as a diversion, potentially leading to the destruction of that most potent Sword Suppressing Tower.
He frowned. Was this a trap set by Master Jun Gang? This was quite skillful. It was rare for Master Jun Gang to set such an obvious stratagem. He was making progress.
"Lin Zhao."
Lin Ruo projected his voice, speaking to Lin Zhao. "What do we do? This Yue Ling... the more I look at him, the more I want to kill him! It's a pity I'm not a Confucian. Otherwise, I would have acted directly."
"Don't act."
Lin Zhao frowned. "The demon race wants you to kill Yue Ling, causing the human race to lose a talented martial artist's Great Dao. If you truly kill him, you will fall into their scheme. Lin Ruo, you must endure. Act only when it is truly time for you to act."
"Understood!"
Lin Ruo nodded.
Just then, a beautiful figure appeared amidst the distant clouds: Nan Qingfeng, the thirteenth-realm great demon, clad in a white dress. Nan Qingfeng's true form was a white peacock that had achieved Dao cultivation, making her exceptionally graceful in appearance. She was renowned as the most beautiful woman in the demon race, holding a long sword transformed from her innate wing feather. She smiled, "It's rare for the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to be so lively. Lin Ruo, as the human race's commander, you shouldn't be so petty. This Yu Shi Yue Ling has only offended slightly, why are you so furious?"
"..."
Lin Ruo gazed at Nan Qingfeng silently, but his fist intent surged relentlessly. He knew he was no match for Nan Qingfeng, but forcing the proud Lin Ruo to bow his head was impossible.
Behind him, a sword formation rose from the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Wu Zhi, holding the Juque sword, watched from afar, ready to reinforce at any moment. With her Juque umbrella-sword formation, Wu Zhi was equivalent to a twelfth-realm sword immortal. Combined with Lin Ruo, they might not fear this Nan Qingfeng. Even more importantly, in the distance, on the first Sword Suppressing Tower, the Confucian sage in white robes and silver armor stood up, holding a bright silver spear. His gaze pierced through the clouds, landing on Nan Qingfeng, making her extremely uncomfortable. Being stared at so intensely by a thirteenth-realm cultivator far stronger than herself was a terrible feeling, making her wonder if she had forgotten to dress.
At Pan Yun Mountain, a figure ascended: Feng Quan, the twelfth-realm great demon sword cultivator.
Unknowingly, a delicate balance formed between the human and demon races, preventing either side from making a move. Nan Qingfeng smiled and retreated with her sword, merely saying with a smile, "The demon race asks you all to conduct yourselves with dignity," before departing.
...
"Hmph!"
Yue Ling, emboldened, spread one hand, and the decree of wind and rain flowed, directly gripping Han Buyu's neck. He held him aloft, his gaze cold, and chuckled, "As my subordinate, you repeatedly oppose me, Han Buyu. Your time as Cloud Master is nearing its end."
"Yue Ling!"
Lin Zhao's roar echoed. "You beast, why must you be like this?"
As he spoke, his flying sword, Hao Ran, instantly emerged from the Sword Lake. He activated his divine ability, Fang Cun, and within his thoughts, he drew Han Buyu into his own small world. In that instant, he entered Han Buyu's state of mind. Before him appeared a wilderness filled with demonic energy. That year, a still-young Han Buyu descended from the sky on his sword and saw a woman lying in a pool of blood. Tears streamed down his face. It was his wife, the love of his life. Sadly, her chest had been pierced by a steel fork, the handiwork of a Nascent Soul wolf demon.
"..."
At that time, Han Buyu, merely a seventh-realm sword cultivator, knelt on the ground, weeping endlessly.
When he turned to search for his daughter, he saw only a pile of minced flesh. His daughter was a martial artist in the lower five realms, her physical body quite resilient, but she had been torn into countless pieces by the Nascent Soul wolf demon's claws. Han Buyu knelt on the ground, wailing, "It's my fault for being late, it's my fault for being late." He desperately tried to piece together a complete body for his daughter, but it was impossible.
After that day, Han Buyu remained in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, never returning to his southern homeland.
He began to drink heavily, as only alcohol could make him forget the heart-wrenching pain, and only alcohol could make him forget that he was a failure, an incompetent husband, and an incompetent father.
In the next scene, Han Buyu stood with his sword at the entrance of a small town. After killing demons consecutively, his head was severed by a single blow from the great demon Lu Hai. As Han Buyu's soul ascended, he looked at his corpse without the slightest trace of grief. Instead, his face was filled with liberation. Indeed, what was the meaning of living for such a failure, who couldn't even protect the most important people?
From that day on, Han Buyu, whose heart was already closed, lived even more in a state of despair. Even though he had gained some merit and was enfeoffed by heaven and earth as a Cloud Master, his heart remained ashen.
...
"Swish!"
Lin Zhao suddenly retracted his flying sword Hao Ran, grabbed Han Buyu by the shoulder, and retreated on his sword, his brow furrowed.
Han Buyu also understood everything in an instant, knowing that all his inner demons had been seen by Lin Zhao. He couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "Third shopkeeper, let go... someone like me, a failure, is not worth it... you've dirtied your hands..."
"Is that so?"
Lin Zhao released Han Buyu. When he looked at him again, Han Buyu saw deep disappointment in Lin Zhao's eyes. That look struck Han Buyu as if he had been pierced by ten thousand arrows. How many more people would he, Han Buyu, disappoint in his life?