HSSB863: Take no prisoners, accept no surrender!
In the north of the Royal Reed Sea, the Grinding Hut Region.
Where the headquarters of the North Sea Sword Pavilion was located, the sword domain of the pavilion that had been passed down for millennia had already been unleashed at full force as it circulated at its maximum level.
Sword-light shot into the heavens, enveloping the entire Grinding Hut Region.
Yet, these streaks of sword-qi were currently being whittled down unceasingly as they gradually fell apart.
It was as if numerous divine weapons were ultimately hard pressed to withstand the assault of time as they became rusted and mottled.
A figure stood amidst space, wielding the sword-light as he guided along the sword-qi of the sword domain in stirring up numerous frenzied torrents.
This person was none other than Pavilion Lord Gu Hong of the North Sea Sword Pavilion, an expert of the early Immortal Bridge stage.
In terms of cultivation base, he was the mightiest amongst those of the anti-Xuan coalition in the Royal Reed Sea.
Currently, with the geographical advantage of the sword domain of the Grinding Hut Region and unleashing his full power, he seemed to possess the divine authority of overturning the vast sea.
Yet, such a miraculous divine sword of the vast sea appeared pale and powerless beneath the illumination of the sword-light that resembled water as it enveloped the heavens all round.
The faint sword-light which seemed mild and almost undetectable actually broke through those tsunamis that surged to the heavens with the momentum of breaking bamboo, charging for the North Sea Sword Pavilion on Grinding Hut Island at full speed ahead.
While Gu Hong had a dauntless look on his face, despair was already visible in his eyes.
That day, the sword domain of the Grinding Hut Region shattered, and the North Sea Sword Pavilion was destroyed.
……
Atop Broad Creed Mountain’s Heaven Rising Peak, Yan Zhaoge’s Northern Ocean Clone sat across from Yuan Zhengfeng and the others as everyone had solemn expressions on their faces.
“Can we confirm that it was Shen Lingzi?” Yuan Zhengfeng asked in a heavy tone.
Fang Zhun nodded, “It is indeed so from the information we received.”
Yan Zhaoge’s Northern Ocean Clone said, “Even Kang Ping with the Cloud Circulating Heavenly Light Sword might not be able to single-handedly penetrate through the defences of Copper Men Island. It could only be Shen Lingzi who has a higher cultivation base.”
“Although Kang Ping once spoke of his ‘former Grand Master Shen Lingzi’ and it could be a fellow expert of Shen Lingzi’s lineage of the same generation as him, I still believe that it is Shen Lingzi himself who is alive and has returned to the Royal Reed Sea. Otherwise, they would not be able to account for things to Golden Court Mountain so easily.”
Over a century ago, the strongest person of the Grand Xuan Dynasty who had come to the Royal Reed Sea had been the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s founder, King Xuanwen of the eight level of the Martial Saint realm.
Back then, Shen Lingzi and Daoist Shi had both been of the early Immortal Bridge stage.
However, Shen Lingzi had cultivated in the Aeon Light Heavenly Scripture of the Jade Clear lineage and also possessed supreme talent as his strength far surpassed others of the same cultivation level.
In terms of combat prowess, Shen Lingzi of the seventh level of the Martial Saint realm might not have been any inferior at all to King Xuanwen of the eighth level of the Martial Saint realm.
Now, more than a century later, seeing Shen Lingzi’s mighty abilities in taking down Copper Men Island so quickly, his power had likely already advanced to a whole new level.
Also, he had definitely brought along a high-grade Sacred Artifact!
Yuan Zhengfeng looked at Yan Zhaoge’s Northern Ocean Clone, “In battling unannounced, they intend to take down all of us one by one.”
The Northern Ocean Clone rubbed his temples lightly, “From easy to difficult, killing all without reservation, sweeping through the Royal Reed Sea regardless of whatever enmity there may be.”
Comparatively speaking, the enmity between Broad Creed Mountain and the Grand Xuan Dynasty along with Shen Lingzi’s lineage ran the deepest.
Like Kang Ping, He Dongcheng and Gu Zhang, Madame Kang had also been a disciple of Shen Lingzi.
Because of her death, the North Sea Sword Pavilion and the Radiant Light Sect had similarly fallen to the bad side of the Grand Xuan Dynasty.
Meanwhile, the enmity between Copper Men Island and the Grand Xuan Dynasty was clearly lesser.
To put it bluntly, if the Grand Xuan Dynasty could not be stopped, it was not impossible that Copper Men Island might lower their hands and submit to their rule.
However, Shen Lingzi had started off with Copper Men Island this time!
It was like a soundless pronouncement.
Take no prisoners, accept no surrender, sweep through the entire Royal Reed Sea!
It was already not that the subservient would live whereas the uncooperative would fall.
Instead, anyone who had been enemies with them before were all to be slain without question!
Xu Fei frowned, “Isn’t that too arrogant? As a foreign power, he wants to be the absolute hegemon in the Royal Reed Sea. How would the Southeastern Exalt and Golden Court Mountain possibly agree to this? It is not just a single Shadow Mountain Sword King amongst the peak experts Golden Court Mountain currently has in the Royal Reed Sea.”
Fang Zhun said, “This means that the major figure behind Shen Lingzi has started exerting power.”
In the World beyond Worlds, there were only the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors who could suppress the Ten Exalts.
The Northern Ocean Clone said, “Truly suppressing him would not be easy. The Southeastern Exalt is not someone without allies.”
“More importantly, the situation between Golden Court Mountain and the southern Blazing Heaven Territory is already extremely intense. They have major troops stationed just outside the west of the Royal Reed Sea. The attention of Lin Hanhua and the others is now focused externally.”
Yan Zhaoge and the others had also been paying close attention to the situation there.
Therefore, after Lin Hanhua and the others had primarily focused on the southern Blazing Heaven Territory, whether it was Broad Creed Mountain, Copper Men Island, the North Sea Sword Pavilion or the Dim Darkness Sect, they had all heightened their vigilance lest the Grand Xuan Dynasty make use of this chance to attack.
Broad Creed Mountain had even once proposed that they should just join forces, congregating their troops at a single spot. However, the North Sea Sword Pavilion and Copper Men Island had evidently been unwilling to give up on their foundations just like that.
Whether it was Copper Men Island with their three men of copper or the sword domain of the Grinding Hut Region, they were both very ideal locations for defending indeed.
Still, facing the ferocious attack from the enemy this time which was extremely overwhelming despite just being from a single person, taken by surprise, Copper Men Island which had once been the number one defensive location in the World beyond Worlds had directly fallen.
Yan Zhaoge’s main body was currently in secluded cultivation in the Vast Ocean World while Yan Di was in secluded cultivation right there in the World beyond Worlds.
While the other party seemed to be targeting the weaker before the stronger, who could know that they were not trying to pull the wool over their eyes?
If the Northern Ocean Clone and some others left to reinforce the North Sea Sword Pavilion and the other party turned around and attacked Broad Creed Mountain instead, the consequences would be unimaginably disastrous.
Therefore, after receiving the news, even as Broad Creed Mountain had increased their vigilance and defences with an urgent meeting convening amongst its higher echelons, it had contacted the North Sea Sword Pavilion and requested Gu Hong and co to retreat from the sword domain of the Grinding Hut Region and hurry over to the Spirit Inheritance Region to join forces with them.
However, whether they would be in time to do so and whether the other side would be willing were things that they really could not know for sure.
The Northern Ocean Clone said, “At the present moment, it seems to go unsaid that Golden Court Mountain will not act as they will allow the forces within the Royal Reed Sea and the Grand Xuan Dynasty to battle.”
“While the Grand Xuan Dynasty can have reinforcements, they have to be people who once stayed in the Royal Reed Sea before and not any new experts. Therefore, I believe that that expert who felled Copper Men Island is none other than Shen Lingzi, now returned to the Royal Reed Sea.”
Within the great hall, all their expressions were rather solemn.
Now, a unique technique of the sect circulated with an urgent notification coming in.
“Even before arriving at the Grinding Hut Region, without even being able to see those of the North Sea Sword Pavilion, I saw that a great battle was already underway over at the north sea!”
Hearing this news, Yuan Zhengfeng and the others all felt momentarily suffocated.
After felling Copper Men Island, Shen Lingzi had actually gone straight for the North Sea Sword Pavilion!
With his mighty cultivation base and high speed and the fact that no one had been able to hold him back for too long, he had hurried from the east to the north of the Royal Reed Sea in a short period of time.
The communications between Broad Creed Mountain, the North Sea Sword Pavilion and Copper Men Island paled in comparison.
Fang Zhun pondered for a moment before he said, “It is unknown how long Copper Men Island can hold for. If it falls in less than half a day’s time, as our disciple has come and returned with news, he may already be on his way to our Spirit Inheritance Region by now.”
Yuan Zhengfeng stood up, saying, “Copper Men Island is harder to break through than the North Sea Sword Pavilion but also was not able to hold on for long. Sending aid would already be too late now. We can only hope that Pavilion Lord Gu Hong and the rest were favoured by fortune and managed to make it out alive.”
“Our opponent this time seems to far surpass any we have had in the past.”
As they conversed, the horizon to the northeast of the Spirit Inheritance Region was covered by a blurry layer of water-light which enveloped the heavens and covered the earth as it swept over!