Chapter 114: The Power of Green Duckweed

"Weiyang, what are you saying?"

I had not expected Weiyang to say such things so suddenly. My heart sank, and she fell silent, seemingly at a loss for how to continue. I spoke up: "Weiyang, I, Lin Yi, have said before that in this life, you are the only one for me. There will never be anyone else. In this life, I will never fail you!"

Weiyang was deeply moved. She looked at me, and finally, she embraced me.

"I know, I know it all," she said.

Yet, her words carried a trace of sorrow. Her demeanor struck me as strange. What could have happened to make her speak this way? When I asked her, she only shook her head, telling me it was nothing and not to overthink it.

Outside Shanhai Pass, in the deepest part of the night—the hour of the Ox, around three o'clock—the wild immortals launched another attack, just as the Old Mountain God had anticipated.

The momentum of the wild immortals was terrifying; dark clouds eclipsed the moon, and demonic energy surged into the sky. This time, they had mobilized their entire brood.

I stood atop the main rampart of Shanhai Pass, looking out into the distance. The dense swarm of wild immortals covered the sky and the earth. Within the churning black clouds, countless shadows seemed to weave and coil. Gradually, the clouds parted, and Grandmaster Hu San appeared behind them, his figure flickering in and out of sight, his expression incredibly grim.

"Lin Yi, today, you shall die!"

His voice sounded like rolling thunder in the heavens, an irresistible decree.

As soon as he finished speaking, I felt a terrifying aura of death wash over me. The apricot-yellow banners on the ramparts, which had been snapping in the wind, suddenly fell silent, consumed by bursts of spectral fire, their poles snapping for no apparent reason.

Across the walls, the Daoist disciples and the three thousand followers of the Ghost Path suddenly seemed possessed. They clutched their heads and writhed on the ground in agony.

It was not just them. I, too, felt my mind grow volatile, as if I were losing my reason and unable to control my impulses. I tried to calm my spirit through rhythmic breathing, but the effect was minimal. Moments later, the eyes of the fallen disciples turned into the green, slit-pupiled eyes of foxes, glowing with an eerie, demonic light.

As they scrambled back to their feet, they began to slaughter one another. They had become mindless, savage beasts. I rushed to intervene, but with so many of them turned, I was too late to save many who were already struck down.

Elsewhere, Hua Yuyan and Hua Mujin, stationed at the East Gate, had also begun to fight. Behind me, Weiyang restrained the Flower Maiden, keeping her under control, while other disciples brandished their swords at me. I parried their strikes, knocked their weapons away, and sealed their acupuncture points. Yet, no matter how many times they fell, they would soon rise again.

On the West Gate wall, the Immortal Lady Bai was equally unable to resist the curse. Her eyes had turned green, and she was launching a frenzied assault on the Old Mountain God. Knowing she was an ally, the Old Mountain God could only dodge, pursued relentlessly by her attacks. At the East Gate, the duel between Hua Yuyan and Hua Mujin grew fierce. Their arts were similar and their strengths evenly matched; flashes of light flared across the ramparts as they battled.

I had not expected that this old fox, Grandmaster Hu San, would unleash such a sinister bewitchment spell the moment he appeared. If this continued, the people of Shanhai Pass would be wiped out by their own kin.

Just then, Hu San’s voice echoed from behind the black clouds again: "Lin Yi, why not surrender now and pay with your life for my grandson and my fourth brother? If you surrender and shatter your own primordial spirit, I will spare the others!"

So, Liu Qingmang, one of the five great protector immortals, had not just been crippled—I had killed him. Of course, I would not trust his promise to surrender. He was cunning beyond measure; how could he possibly spare the people of the pass? Even if he were sincere, that was not the style of Lin Yi. Everyone has a choice; why choose the path of cowardice?

I glanced at the Qingping Demon-Suppressing Sword beside me.

Hu San chuckled coldly. "The Lingying Palace is empty; there is no one left to wield the Qingping Sword. Lin Yi, I wonder what you will use to defend Shanhai Pass now!"

"My immortals, hear my command! Attack the pass with everything you have! Today, we shall break through Shanhai Pass. Those who enter shall live forever!"

At his command, the army of wild immortals surged forward in a dense, overwhelming tide.

The sky was blotted out, and the ground was a sea of monsters.

At that moment, the Qingping Sword stirred. I looked at it, and it immediately shimmered with a cyan radiance. I leaped into the air, grabbed the hilt, and drew it.

The Qingping Sword glowed with brilliant light. The blade was etched with intricate patterns, its sword intent vast and deep, featuring a dark cyan lotus of exquisite craftsmanship.

As my will flowed into the blade, I surged from the rampart, gathering my strength, and swung the sword horizontally at the oncoming tide. A arc of sword energy, vast as a rainbow and powerful enough to swallow mountains, tore through the air. The vanguard of the wild immortals—those in the sky and those on the ground—were instantly severed and shredded. The air filled with the scent of blood and dark, malevolent energy, all of which was absorbed into the Qingping Sword.

There was no other way. Only by defeating Hu San could I save the people of Shanhai Pass and prevent the wild immortals from breaching the gates!

With this thought, I leaped from the edge of the rampart, charging into the heart of the enemy army.

My sword strike was like a torrential flood, like a raging, heaven-consuming fire. The vanguard, once so arrogant, was obliterated by these two strikes.

It happened so quickly that Hu San did not even have time to call for a retreat. From within the black clouds, he watched coldly, his voice trembling with rage: "How? By what right do you, Lin Yi, possess the power to wield the Qingping Sword?"

This outcome was entirely unexpected.

"Today, the alignment of the stars dictates a change of masters!" Hu San declared.

"Master, do not worry," Huang Shulang said, gritting his teeth. "What does it matter if he has the Qingping Sword? Lin Yi is only at the level of a primordial spirit; he can only wield it for a moment. Those three strikes must have exhausted his true energy. Let us three go down together, kill him, and avenge our young master and our fifth brother!"

"Very well. But do not be careless. If anything goes wrong, retreat immediately. Do not fail!" Hu San watched me, a strange, calculating look in his eyes.

On the ground, the wild immortals were stunned. With me standing there, they dared not take another step.

The three great immortal protectors descended, wrapped in black clouds. Huang Shulang cast a spell, and yellow smoke billowed out, obscuring the sky and filling the air with a wretched, toxic stench. Countless grey rats swarmed toward me, biting and squeaking, their noise designed to shatter my composure. Following the rats came a hail of black piercing needles, falling like rain.

However, white dragon scales manifested on my body; the needles could not scratch them. I swung the Qingping Sword, the wind of my strike sweeping the yellow smoke away and slamming into Huang Shulang, forcing him to stagger back.

"Second Brother, are you alright?" Bai Ciwei asked, filled with concern.

"I am fine," Huang Shulang replied. "Third Brother, Fifth Brother, since ancient times, wielding the Qingping Sword exacts a heavy toll, especially on someone like Lin Yi, who is only at the primordial spirit stage. He must be bluffing. Let us continue to attack with our arts, and with the aid of the army, we will exhaust him until he has nothing left. That is when we will take his life."

"Agreed. I must kill Lin Yi to avenge our fourth brother!" Bai Ciwei snarled.

Gui Haozi nodded. Huang Shulang ordered the army to attack in waves, forcing me to expend my energy. Bai Ciwei continued to rain down black needles, and Gui Haozi conjured swarms of rats to surround me, hoping to drive me mad with their shrieks.

I was besieged from all sides. But they did not understand the true power of the Qingping Sword.

These demonic arts? Before the might of the Demon-Suppressing Sword, a single thought of mine was enough to erase them.

I broke through the encirclement, cutting down the monsters and their spells, and charged directly at Huang Shulang. He had never expected me to move so quickly. He tried to flee behind a screen of wild immortals and yellow smoke, but I unleashed a sword strike. Bai Ciwei blocked the path of my blade to protect his brother.

"Second Brother, run—"

Before he could finish, my blade cut Bai Ciwei in two, destroying his physical form. He would not survive this. As he fell, he reverted to his true shape.

Seeing this, Gui Haozi turned into grey smoke and fled. Huang Shulang, obscured by his yellow fog, glanced at the bisected body of Bai Ciwei, gritted his teeth, and roared as he scrambled away.

The army of wild immortals, seeing this, abandoned their weapons and fled in terror.

I would not let these malevolent creatures live. A single word, "Kill," rose in my heart. I raised my hand and swung the sword horizontally once more at the retreating army!

Yet, halfway through the strike, the sword... stopped.