With a swing of the Heaven Leaning sword, its powers were on full display. There were no complicated or fancy tricks, but it could cut through all.

  In the face of death, Hua Chengzan’s eyes cleared up. His mind had never been so clear before. The light filled his eyes, but the same figure in clothes whiter than snow filled his mind. He smiled. He was simply unable to forget in the end!

  “You’re looking to die!”


  Li Qingshan was frantic. He spread his fingers and reached over, using the Gravity of the Earth.

  Hua Chengzan was immediately lifted into the air, flying towards Li Qingshan, but he was not faster than the Heaven Leaning sword. Right when he was about to be split into two, a folding fan appeared out of nowhere and blocked the sword.

  The atmospheric winds and glow from the sword clashed violently, kicking up waves and waves of fierce wind that echoed through the entire hall.

  Gu Yanying rode over on the wind with her drifting, white clothes, arriving in a split second.

  “Commander Gu!” Hua Chengzan widened his eyes and gazed at her deeply.

  “Gu Yanying, are you planning on assisting this wretched daemon too? Don’t forget who you are!” The palace master glanced over and stared at Gu Yanying. His gaze condensed into an invisible sword intent.

  “This person has publicly revealed the crimes of this wretched daemon. You should be rewarding him, so why are you trying to kill him?”


  Gu Yanying’s eyes turned into that of a hawk’s. She seemed to be able to see through everything, nullifying the invisible sword intent and making her seem even more valiant.

  “He’s a part of my Sword Collection palace. I have rules to uphold. Do you really think you can stop me?”


  The palace master struck his hilt, and the Heaven Leaning sword turned into a streak of light. Sword controlling techniques had always been the basics of sword cultivators. Having left his hand, the Heaven Leaning sword was like a serpent in the ocean, even slighter faster than when it was in his hand. It swung viciously towards Hua Chengzan.

  “Hot Wind hell!”


  Gu Yanying seemed to have anticipated this a long time ago. Before the sword had even flown out, she had already unfurled her folding fan. With a gentle swing, surging hot winds whistled over and swallowed Hua Chengzan, sucking him into the Hot Wind hell.

  “Domain!”


  The Heaven Leaning sword missed and spiralled back into the palace master’s hand. He pointed it at Gu Yanying. “Gu Yanying, I’d like to see just how long you can last. If you don’t hand over Hua Chengzan, don’t even think about leaving here today!”


  Hua Chengzan knew far too many secrets about the Sword Collection palace. He had to die!

  “Very long.” Gu Yanying smiled.

  “Thanks, commander Gu!” Li Qingshan said.

  “No need to thank me. This is my friendship with little Hua. It has nothing to do with you, though you better hurry up and do something!”


  Gu Yanying waved her hand without looking back. She waved her fan, fueling the hot winds as they dispersed the incoming sword qi.

  She had established a domain around herself, embodying hell. Such a move was powerful, but it took a great mental toll too. It was impossible for her to continue like this, let alone the fact that she had to fend off a great sword cultivator in the process too.

  “Alright!”


  Li Qingshan no longer had anything holding him back now. Glancing around at the hostile faces and the land of buddhism emanating with golden light, he became filled with enthusiasm, like he was facing an army alone on the battlefield. “Allow me to witness what you’re capable of, everyone. If you end up dying to my blade, don’t even think about grumbling in the afterlife. Come!”


  “Wretched daemon, stop with the boasts!”


  However, the person who struck first was a pale, chubby, middle-aged man standing in the distance. He was a grandmaster from the school of Names. He formed a seal with his hands and called out, “Freeze!”


  It was a simple word, but it contained endless might. It contained his entire lifetime of cultivation, and it was also the unique curse of the school of Names, the Freezing curse!

  The grandmaster of the school of Names smiled calmly. “I’ve already frozen this daemon. Please kill him, masters!”


  He was rather disapproving of Li Qingshan inside. How ignorant. You might have the absolute strength to kill the Light Queen in a single punch, but we have so many people that even great Daemon Kings would suffer at our hands. What are you supposed to do, overwhelm us all?

  Li Qingshan shuddered and immediately became immobilised.

  “Let me lend you a hand, fellow!”


  In a battle to the death, moving even just a split second slower could be the difference between life and death.

  “The Guardian Kings Subdue the Demon!” the Dauntless monk bellowed as the four guardian kings moved together. Under the effects of the Demon Subduing Formation of the Guardian Kings, the four powers combined into a single strike, turning into a colossal vajra club that slammed down.

  “Obliterate!” Li Qingshan bellowed, unleashing the Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar. He broke free from the Freezing curse in a single stroke and raised his blade, blocking the incoming vajra club.

  Boom! The ground shattered, and the grand hall shook.

  The grandmaster from the school of Names paled and took a step back uncontrollably. He never expected Li Qingshan to break free from his Freezing curse so quickly. At the same time, the tiger’s roar rang out by his ears, making his head spin. He had suffered a backlash.

  Before the tiger’s roar had even subsided, a dragon’s cry rose up. It was very gentle at first, but it flooded the surroundings in the blink of an eye, like a dragon dancing through the air. It poured straight into his head, stirring up his blood and making him take another step back.

  “The Chant of Deva-Nāga!”


  The Dauntless monk’s heart skipped a beat. All he saw was Xiao An opening her mouth slightly as the dragon’s cry poured out endlessly. It was the ultimate technique of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the Chant of Deva-Nāga!

  Right now, she seemed so solemn and filled with esteem that she was clearly still the same, outstanding disciple he had placed his hopes on or even the successor of the bodhisattva. Her bluish-white robes fluttered through the air without giving off a hint of blasphemy at all. The sounds of the Chant of Deva-Nāga were wondrous too, deep with the spirit of buddhism such that even the Monk Kings felt admiration.

  “One Will, oh One Will, why must you walk alone with a single will and sink into depravity willingly?”


  Xiao An said nothing.

  The grandmaster from the school of Names took a total of five or six steps backwards before spitting out blood. He stared at Xiao An in disbelief. The dragon’s roar refused to spare him, growing louder and louder instead. It was like a rope being slowly tightened around his neck, such that he almost could not breath.

  The pleasant and graceful voice of a woman rang out from behind him. “Let me lend you a hand, fellow!” When he heard that, it was like the sounds of heaven.

  She was a noblewoman with a delicate hairstyle, holding a pipa carved from green jade. She stared at Xiao An. “The Chant of Deva-Nāga truly lives up to its reputation, but why don’t you try my school of Music’s Sounds of All?”


  She plucked the strings gently, and there was a thrum, which sliced through the dragon’s cry like a blade.

  The grandmaster from the school of Names eased up inside and clasped his hands. “Thank you, fellow!”


  “I’ll play the tune, Ambush on All Sides, to assist you all, fellows! We must kill these two wretched beings swiftly!”


  The grandmaster from the school of Music smiled, and her hands moved about even more rapidly, leaving behind a series of blurs. It was as if she now possessed hundreds of hands all of a sudden. The bass strings were deep and raucous in timbre, while the treble strings sprang a light and gentle tone like the clashing of swords in a cavalry raid. The invisible music rushed towards Li Qingshan and Xiao An like an army of thousands.

  Suddenly, there was a dark flash beside her, and a long dress drifted out. A gloomy voice rang out by her ear, “Who are you trying to kill?”


  “Your highness… Don’t!” She raised her head and met the Dark Queen’s cold gaze before seeing the Myriad Ghost Banner in her hand.

  With a swing of the Myriad Ghost Banner, the howls of a myriad ghosts flooded the grand hall, drowning out the pipa music.

  The army of thousands were all reduced to ghosts.

  The grandmaster of the school of Music flew out, slamming heavily against the glistening wall. The strings of her pipa snapped.

  “Dark Queen!” The grandmaster from the school of Names glared at her furiously.

  The Dark Queen said, “That’s my Yue’er, princess Xuanyue of the King of Chu’s estate, the future sect master of the Umbral Yin sect. Anyone who dares to touch her will become a mortal enemy of my Umbral Yin sect!”


  ps: 这一段真是超级难写，考虑了差不多一整天才能落笔，也明显感觉到状态的下落，昨晚果然不该熬夜的，不过还要继续坚持，就剩不到三天了，前进吧说梦者!