In the first battle of the Sword Sect's Western Expedition, a total of forty sword cultivators were sacrificed.
Thus, on that day, forty-seven more long swords appeared in the rosewood sword cases carried by the disciples of the Sword Sect - although the single sword style was the mainstream, the multi-sword style always existed.
The sword sect’s sword practitioners are the best in the world.
This is by no means empty talk.
In the case of not having an advantage in numbers, the casualty ratio of more than ten times is enough to demonstrate that the praise is justified.
You have to know that the opponents they are facing are not the scumbags from ordinary sects, but the Huanling monks from the same Taoist sect.
And they, old and young, are strictly speaking the weakest group of sword practitioners in the Sword Sect.
But even so, they still put on a nearly crushing performance.
One reason was that the morale of the Huanling monks collapsed and they fled without any intention of resisting, and the other reason was that the sword cultivators of the Sword Sect were good at killing.
In addition, a large part of the reason is due to Lu Qingshan's amazing efficiency in killing enemies.
This time, the Sword Sect killed 200 enemies in the seventh realm, and nearly half of them were done by Lu Qingshan alone.
Such an outstanding record made everyone look at Lu Qingshan with more admiration.
The people that sword cultivators admire the most are often those who are better at killing than them - people who are better than themselves in the field they are best at always make people feel a little bit of admiration for them.
…
The first battle of Yishuitai ended.
The sword cultivators began to clean up the mess while waiting for the Sword Sect’s real main force to enter Zhongling.
Here, in a pavilion on Yishui Terrace.
"Master Haoran Peak." Lu Qingshan greeted Master Taibai Sword with an extremely polite attitude.
He knew clearly what the Lord of Haoran Peak had paid in order to defend Yishui Terrace.
Although according to Qingyun Sword Immortal, this does not mean that the Lord of Haoran Peak has given up the path to becoming a Sword Immortal, but it is undoubted that this will bring many difficulties to his path to becoming a Sword Immortal.
The more he understood these things, the more respect he had for Master Haoran Peak.
For many monks, risking their lives might not be a big deal.
But asking them to cut off their own path is often worse than taking their lives.
"Mr. Lu, you are too polite." Peak Master Haoran was also very polite and returned the greeting.
In terms of cultivation, he is far superior to Lu Qingshan.
But in terms of status, the young master and the peak master should be on par with each other in a sense.
"Master, have we reached the middle spirit?" Lu Qingshan asked cautiously.
He already knew that the Lord of Xuanwu had fallen in Yishui.
Haoran Peak Master Li Shiyi was silent for a moment, but he did not hide anything and nodded, saying, "Yes, it was the Sect Master who secretly helped me kill the Xuanwu Lord."
"Can the Sword Immortal really leave no trace when he attacks?" Lu Qingshan couldn't help but ask.
Let alone the Sword Immortal, even if he took action now, the sound would resound through the heavens and the earth.
The stronger your strength, the greater the momentum your actions will create. This is a theorem.
"Other sword immortals can't do it, only the old sect master can," Li Shiyi said with a smile, and revealed some secrets that belonged only to the Sword Sect to the young sect master, "Because the sect master's sword is called..."
"Fuyao!"
"It is invisible when you look at it, and you don't know it exists when you move it. What it touches is boundless, and it passes through things without them noticing."
"When it touches something, it passes by it unhurriedly, and as it passes by it closes in, and it feels fast but no blood is shed."
"Whether it's visible or invisible, it all depends on the old sect master's thoughts." Li Shiyi explained.
The secret of Fuyao is such that even in the Sword Sect, only a few people know the inside story.
After all, Xie Qingyun rarely takes action, and will not deliberately reveal the secret of Fuyao.
The reason why Li Shiyi knew it so clearly was because if his three lives were counted, he was the most experienced swordsman in the Sword Sect.
The longer you live, the more you see.
"Fuyao..." Lu Qingshan muttered, "So that's it."
Each Taoist tool in the world has its own magical powers.
One of the magical powers of Fuyao is that it is “invisible”.
After hearing the news, Lu Qingshan's first reaction was sudden joy.
Because this "invisible" magic is a perfect fit for the current situation.
The news that Qingyun Sword Immortal has personally come to Zhongling must not be revealed until the final decisive moment.
Once exposed, it will trigger a chain reaction in the Eastern Region.
However, the power gap between humans and demons in the Central Spirit Realm is so huge that the power of a sword immortal is extremely needed.
The conflict between the two creates a contradiction that is difficult to resolve.
However, the mystery of Fuyao is that it can take both into account very well.
It ensures that Xie Qingyun can hide in the dark and take action at the right time.
He only needs to .
Of course, this kind of attack is limited to situations where the strength is greatly suppressed.
Assuming that he was facing the middle-level spiritual "region-guarding monk" Qinglong Lord, and Xie Qingyun wanted to attack him without him realizing it, that would be simply a fantasy.
But even with restrictions, this is definitely good news.
"The sect leader told me that the main force of the Sword Sect will be able to reach Zhongling in one day." said the master of Haoran Peak.
Lu Qingshan nodded.
Although he is the young master, he is still far from grown up.
The protagonist of this battle of the middle spirits was not him, but the two peak masters of the Sword Sect who would arrive one day later: Ning Fengchen, Gu Qiu, and the Haoran Peak Master Li Shiyi who was standing in front of him at this moment, and...
Hiding in the dark, truly in control of the overall situation, and ready to strike, the Qingyun Sword Immortal, Xie Qingyun!
…
One day later.
A flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in the cross-domain teleportation array that Master Haoran Peak obtained in exchange for a smooth road.
One by one, sword cultivators with powerful auras appeared in the spiritual light.
Everyone carried a rosewood sword case on their backs, and everyone's eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
There were only two thousand of them, but no one dared to treat them as just two thousand people.
As far as the Sword Sect is concerned, even if there are only a hundred sword practitioners, they are a torrent of steel.
No one can resist this torrent of steel head-on.
Not to mention the thousands of sword cultivators.
The Zhongling area has never welcomed such a group of powerful swordsmen from ancient times to the present.
Because once thousands of such sword cultivators set foot in other areas, it would be regarded as an invasion and war would be started.
It's like driving a nuclear submarine into the territory of another country. Even if you repeatedly state that you have no ill intentions, the other country will definitely not let you in.
Yishui Terrace, where all the heroes of the Sword Sect gather.
This is the most complete gathering of the Sword Sect in ten thousand years.
In addition to the three peak masters Li Shiyi, Ning Fengchen and Gu Qiu, there are also Wu Ju, Zhi Bei, Jian Huang, Shang Yuan, Jun Bu Jian and other famous eight-level sword cultivators in the Sword Sect, all of whom are outstanding in combat power.
These people are the reason why the Sword Sect has been the leader among all human clans for thousands of years and has the confidence to look down on the Eastern Region.
Not to mention ordinary sects, even most of the cultivators in other Taoist sects cannot compare with them.
A war that would be like a meat grinder was about to begin, but there was no trace of panic on the faces of the Sword Sect disciples.
Being happy at the news of war is the tradition of sword cultivators, and it is something that is deeply rooted in their bones, just like eating and drinking.
Would you be nervous if I asked you to eat?
That's the truth.
"Lu Qingshan, Li Shiyi, come!" A voice suddenly sounded from two different pavilions on Yishui Terrace.
Those two pavilions are naturally where Lu Qingshan and Peak Master Haoran reside.
In one of the pavilions, Lu Qingshan sat cross-legged.
He is racing against time to comprehend the secret sword.
This war was too huge, and his cultivation in the sixth realm was no longer enough.
Must break through the fusion.
But his problem now is not experience.
Lu Qingshan's current experience value savings have exceeded 10 billion, enough for him to spend for a long time.
His problem is that his cultivation has not yet broken through to the fusion stage, so even if he has experience, he has nowhere to use it.
If you want to break through the fusion, you must condense the seed of the law domain.
Lu Qingshan has currently comprehended the four secret swords. Combined with his four original true meanings, condensing the seed of the Dharma Realm is just a matter of thought.
But he also understood that if he did not comprehend the last two secret swords, the seed of the law domain he condensed would not reach the extremely powerful level and would have some flaws.
Lu Qingshan did not dare to neglect.
He has suffered this loss once before.
——Because of problems with his Qi Refining techniques, he had already destroyed his own foundation once.
In addition, Li Qiubai also cut off his own sword skills because of his shortcomings.
With such a precedent in mind, no matter how anxious he was, he was unwilling to give in and could only continue to calm down.
"Has it started?" After the voice sounded, Lu Qingshan opened his eyes and muttered softly.
whoosh!
His figure disappeared and he quickly left the small building.
Inside the main building of Yishuitai.
Several figures appeared.
Ning Fengchen, Gu Qiu, Li Shiyi and Lu Qingshan.
After the four people arrived, they were all silent.
Because the real protagonist has not yet appeared.
In a moment, a shadow appeared in front of them as if teleporting.
The four of them looked up.
One can hear the power of a long sword but not its shape; like a dragon, one can see the head but not its tail.
The leader of the Sword Sect, Xie Qingyun.
"Everyone is here..." Xie Qingyun looked around at the four people and got straight to the point.
"There is no need to explain the significance of our sect's westward expedition this time. The four of you should all understand it. The winds and clouds in the middle spirit are surging, and the lives of the people are in ruins. This is the time for us sword cultivators to drink blood with our long swords."
"When it's time to cut off, cut it off. If you don't protect the central spirit, there will be endless troubles. Our Sword Sect doesn't have the bad habit of leaving hidden dangers to future generations."
"The candidates for the Western Expedition were personally selected by Ning Fengchen and Gu Qiu. They are all good fighters." Xie Qingyun looked at Ning Fengchen and Gu Qiu.
The two nodded in response.
Xie Qingyun paused, waved his hand, and thick clouds emerged, outlining a topographic map of Zhongling in the air.
"Longcheng Pass has fallen. Currently, the demons are using Longcheng Pass as their base, crossing Xiantian Ridge, and are invading the western part of Zhongling."
"The fall of Longcheng Pass this time was too sudden, without any warning, and the demons caught them off guard. The Western Region of Zhongling was simply unable to organize an effective resistance in a short period of time, and a large area of ​​territory has already fallen under the control of the demons." Xie Qingyun lightly tapped his fingertips, and a large area of ​​cloud representing the western region turned from clear to black.
"At present, Mangzhou and Lizhou in the west have both fallen. Zhongling has organized a 'suicide squad' and gathered them in the three cities of Hutou, Niujiao and Mati in Youzhou to delay the advance of the demons..." In the cloud map, three cities were neatly lined up from north to south and suddenly lit up.
Xie Qingyun continued, "The human cities behind these three cities are organizing a comprehensive evacuation. According to Zhongling's idea, all the human race in the western region will be evacuated to the Changye Mountains, and the western region of Zhongling will be left to the demon race to buy precious time."
"The reason why we have to trade territory for time is because Zhongling plans to build a Dixin City on the Changye Mountains as a new Dragon City Pass to resist the Heart Demon Clan. This will be the most important node of Zhongling's battle and the location of our largest-scale battle with the Demon Clan."
Lu Qingshan and the other three looked at the long line of clouds on the cloud map that represented the Changye Mountains. They pondered carefully and then nodded slightly.
That's indeed a good idea.
It has to be said that the monk in charge of Zhongling at this time is indeed experienced and decisive.
Even though the invasion of the demons came so suddenly, they still managed to calm down in a short time and formulated corresponding strategic responses based on the terrain and specific conditions of Zhongling.
Compared with the suppression of the demon race, the human race has the convenience of terrain, familiarity with the environment, sword masters hidden in the dark, and the determination to defend the borders and fight to the death. This is the advantage of human cultivators.
We will see which side can convert the advantage into victory in the end.
"At present, there are two most important things on our hands," Xie Qingyun stretched out a finger and said in a deep voice: "First, delay the time for the demons to capture the three cities of Tiger Head, Ox Horn, and Horse Hoof, so as to buy time for the evacuation of the human race in the Western Region of Zhongling."
He raised his second finger, "Second, the construction of Dixin City will also take time."
"Buying time is what we have to do."
"Fengchen, Guqiu, Shiyi, the three of you will divide our sect's expeditionary sword cultivators into three groups. Each of you will lead a group to settle in the three cities and buy seven days for Zhongling to evacuate the human race."
"...Qingshan, I received news that the Western Region Zhulong has also sent forces to support Zhongling, and is willing to cooperate with our Sword Sect as the leader. Among the people leading Zhulong this time is a cultivator named Mo Yan, who sent news that he is very familiar with you..."
"In that case, I will assign you a task. You will coordinate with them and convey the decision of our Sword Sect."
"In addition, this group of sword cultivators that you brought with you from the Sword Sect will be led by you next."
"The three peak masters are the main combat force on the front battlefield. As for you, you are mobile and will be active in the rear and flanks."
Lu Qingshan was stunned for a moment, a conflicted expression flashed across his face, but in the end he could only nod in agreement.
Maneuverable, that's a nice way of saying it.
In fact, it should be described as "logistics".
Xie Qingyun glanced at Lu Qingshan, who seemed to be somewhat bored, and asked, "Why, do you have a different opinion?"
Lu Qingshan smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I dare not. Qingshan will naturally obey the command of the sect master."
"That's good." Xie Qingyun withdrew his gaze with a smile.
Sword cultivators are straightforward, but that doesn’t mean they are pedantic and inflexible.
People who are inflexible will not survive long in the world of cultivation.
Xie Qingyun is deliberately suppressing Lu Qingshan!
He could naturally see that Lu Qingshan was extremely outstanding.
But precisely because it is so outstanding, we must press when the time comes.
In this battle between the two domains, even the three peak masters of the Sword Sect did not dare to be confident that they could return to the East Domain alive, let alone a mere Divine Transformation cultivator?
No matter how outstanding Lu Qingshan is, anything could happen in front of the vast number of demon cultivators.
Lu Qingshan is very young, having only been practicing Taoism for over 23 years. His cultivation progress is like that of a reincarnated immortal, and killing people across borders is a common occurrence for him.
It can be predicted that the Eighth Realm will not be the end for Lu Qingshan, but only another starting point for him.
For the Sword Sect, such a person is the guarantee for them to stand proudly in the sky for the next ten thousand years.
Xie Qingyun is very old, and is now over 20,000 years old.
Of course, for a cultivator of his level, more than 20,000 years is nothing. If he wants, he can at least live another 20,000 years in peace.
The point is that he doesn't want to.
If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening.
A sword cultivator would not be content to just sit there and eat and wait for death.
Xie Qingyun's pursuit of the way of swordsmanship has never stopped .
The pursuit of kendo is like rowing against the current; if you don’t move forward, you will move backward.
Because of the Sword Sect and the Eastern Region, he had been guarding Yumen Pass for ten thousand years, and it was difficult for him to improve his swordsmanship.
Once the second war between Taoism and Demons is over, if the Sword Sect is still there and he is still there, Xie Qingyun will definitely choose to leave the sect and seek the Tao.
Before leaving, he had to train a swordsman who could lead the Sword Sect.
This is his responsibility as the leader of the Sword Sect.
Although the other six peak masters of the Sword Sect, except him, all have the opportunity to become Sword Immortals, they all have their own problems. In his eyes, none of them has as much hope as Lu Qingshan.
The only person who can be compared with Lu Qingshan is Xia Daoyun, who is of the royal blood of Great Xia and cannot lead the Sword Sect.
What's more, from his observation, Lu Qingshan's personality is indeed suitable for the position of the Sword Sect's leader.
Although this kid has the unruly nature of a sword cultivator, he is more meticulous and cunning than ordinary sword cultivators.
This character is not necessary for a sword cultivator, but it is indispensable for a sect.
In Xie Qingyun's eyes, Lu Qingshan is the most suitable person to lead the Sword Sect for the next ten thousand years.
Therefore, he must not follow his will and run around in a battlefield where the seventh realm is worse than dogs and the eighth realm is everywhere.
Otherwise, if something goes wrong, even if they defeat their inner demons, they will lose the foundation for the future ten thousand years, which is definitely not a gain.
Sword and blood are the beliefs and sword hearts of sword practitioners.
Xie Qingyun could not hinder Lu Qingshan's swordsmanship, so he did not object to Lu Qingshan's plan to support Zhong Ling.
The method he chose was to minimize the risks that Lu Qingshan might face through actions.
However, Xie Qingyun didn’t know…
Some people are born to cause trouble.
For this kind of person, even if he doesn't look for trouble, trouble will often come to him on its own.
It remains to be seen how effective Xie Qingyun's strategy of saving the country by taking a roundabout way will be.