A chilling voice, as if seeping from the deepest hell, echoed through the night sky.
The next instant, a figure as red as fire appeared before everyone without warning.
Zhang Lingyun was dressed in Red Dress, as red as blood and as red as flames. Her long hair danced wildly in the wind, and the corners of her eyes were crimson like peach petals stained with blood. She looked like a demon who had walked out of the depths of hell.
She held a broken sword in her hand, its blade covered in cracks, yet it hummed in her palm, spewing forth crimson Sword Qi that seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart.
Meng Hai's expression changed drastically, and he could barely hold onto the Bamboo Slip in his hand.
Before the Sword Qi even arrived, its terrifying killing intent had already shaken his Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi to the brink of collapse!
"Boom--!"
A crimson Sword Qi swept across, instantly slicing Meng Hai and dozens of Confucian scholars into pieces with their combined attack!
The Confucian scholars coughed up blood, flew backward, and crashed heavily to the ground, their breaths fading.
"Who... who are you?"
Meng Hai clutched his chest, his face filled with horror.
He never imagined that there would be such a formidable opponent within the borders of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom.
Zhu Wuyuan's pupils constricted as he stared intently at Zhang Lingyun.
This woman, who had always stood silently behind Zhang Yu, was someone he had always thought was merely a Zhang Yu, or even an insignificant supporting character.
But at this moment, she used only one sword to break through the combined attack of Meng Hai and dozens of Great Confucian!
Zhang Yu looked at Zhang Lingyun standing in front of him, patted his chest in lingering fear, but couldn't help but smile, "Luckily you arrived in time, otherwise your Eldest Brother would be dead."
Zhang Lingyun tilted her head slightly, glancing at him with her crimson eyes, a hint of worry flashing in her gaze.
But after confirming that Zhang Yu was safe and sound, her tone remained icy. "It's better that he's dead; it saves him from harming people while alive."
Seeing her aggressive demeanor, Zhu Wuyuan but question her sharply:
Who exactly is this person?
Sheng Yu opened the Demon Grotto, wreaking havoc on the world; his death is no loss.
Are you going to protect such villains?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lingyun's lips curled into a cruel smile, and Sha Qi surged in her eyes:
"Enough with the nonsense—all of you, go to hell!"
She was once a thousand-year-old evil spirit, her ferocity already etched into her soul.
Regardless of whether Zhang Yu is in the right or not, even if Zhang Yu is truly wicked, she would stand in front of him without hesitation and eliminate all his enemies for him.
Before she could finish speaking, her wrist jerked.
The broken sword drew a strange blood arc in the air, and in an instant, a blood mist spread everywhere, as if even the air itself had been dyed scarlet.
"Careful!"
Meng Hai felt a sudden gust of wind tighten behind him, and a sweet, Blood Sha Qi rushed straight to his throat.
His pupils contracted sharply, and almost instinctively he pulled Zhu Wuyuan behind him.
If this junior sister were to perish here, Zhu Lunbin would definitely tear him to pieces.
He gritted his teeth and ripped a yellowed Bamboo Slip from his bosom to shreds with his right hand.
That is the Supreme work of the Senior and sages of the Jixia Academy, containing the Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi the sages.
The moment the Bamboo Slip shattered, a Golden Light far more powerful than his own Cultivation erupted, crashing into Zhang Lingyun's blood mist Sword Qi like a torrent!
"Boom--!"
The Golden Light and blood mist collided violently, and the shockwave lifted the ground three feet off the ground.
Meng Hai's tiger's mouth was split open, and blood dripped down his arm, but he managed to block the fatal blow by relying on the power of the ancient sage.
But the dozens of Confucian scholars behind him were not so lucky.
Most of them were young disciples from the Jixia Palace and the Four Great Academies of Earth Province, Cultivation was still shallow.
These people didn't even have a chance to react before they were shredded into a bloody mist by the blood Sword Qi, and their souls couldn't escape even a fraction of their strength!
How dare you?
Meng Hai's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the mangled limbs scattered on the ground, and he let out a grief-stricken roar to the sky:
"These are all elite disciples from the Four Great Academies: Jixia Palace, White Deer, Yingtian Academy, Yuelu, and Songyang."
If you kill them, you will be making an enemy of all Literary Dao.
"From the highest heavens to the deepest hells, there is nowhere left for you to hide."
Zhang Lingyun didn't even lift her eyelids, her reddened eyes even showing a hint of impatience:
"When I was being hunted down by the Sword Sect, I killed ten times more Tianzhu Sword Sect than this."
With a flick of her wrist, the broken sword once again drew a crimson arc of light. "I don't need your Jixia Academy."
"Being hunted down by the Sword Sect... Are you that female demon from the Jiang Family?"
Meng Hai felt as if struck by lightning, and terrifying rumors about the "Jiang Family Demoness" flashed through his mind.
He was a ruthless character who dared to provoke even the Tianzhu Sword Sect. He once single-handedly stormed into a branch of the Sword Sect and massacred three halls.
Zhu Wuyuan's face also turned deathly pale. She never expected that the woman who had been following Zhang Yu was actually the infamous Jiang Family Demoness.
Zhang Lingyun had no time for idle talk. With a flick of her broken sword, a torrent of blood mist surged forth, each strand carrying an evil power that corroded the soul.
Meng Hai desperately tore more Bamboo Slip slips apart, the righteous Righteous Qi of the ancient sages protecting him like a shield, but the blood mist gnawed at the Golden Light like a leech.
"I'll see how long your turtle shell can hold out."
Zhang Lingyun's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and faint cries of ghosts and gods could be heard from within the blood mist, as if countless wronged souls were aiding her in her assault.
The veins on Meng Hai's forehead bulged, and most of the Bamboo Slip in his arms had been torn off, yet his Righteous Qi was visibly weakening.
Zhu Wuyuan, his eyes red with anxiety as he watched the Golden Light dwindle, suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Father, save me!!"
Her voice pierced the sky, choked with sobs, echoing through the night.
Before he could finish speaking, a dazzling streak of light pierced through the clouds from the sky, like a meteor falling to earth, forcefully severing Zhang Lingyun's blood-red giant sword strike.
As the light faded, an elderly man with white hair and beard stood in mid-air, glaring angrily at Zhang Lingyun: "You audacious demon, you have murdered disciples of the Five Great Academies! You deserve to die!"
Almost simultaneously, more than a dozen powerful auras emerged from all directions, arriving through the air.
Their robes fluttered, and they possessed extraordinary Cultivation; they were all Land Immortal.
These people were all prominent figures in the Daoist arts from several nearby states, who rushed here at breakneck speed due to the urgent edict from the Jixia Palace.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Wuyuan immediately stepped forward and said urgently:
"Esteemed Senior, this woman is none other than Jiang Ling, the demon kingpin wanted by the Tianzhu Sword Sect for a thousand years."
She is a bloodthirsty killer, harming her fellow disciples. Today, she has slaughtered the elites of our Five Great Academies. We beseech you, Senior, to rid the people of this scourge!
"Jiang Ling?"
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of the dozen or so Immortal.
Killing her would not only earn him a huge favor from the Jixia Palace, but also allow him to curry favor with the Tianzhu Sword Sect – a win-win situation!
"Fellow practitioners, this woman's crimes are heinous and she should be executed together!"
"We are here by Mandate of Heaven to vanquish this demon, and we will not tolerate her rampant behavior!"
They all spoke up, offering one plausible reason after another, but the scheming and greed in their eyes were impossible to hide.
Zhang Lingyun's reddened eyes swept over the crowd, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
Having condensed her Golden Body of Merit, she had reached the realm of Third Rank Land Immortal. Facing the siege of more than a dozen powerful beings, she showed no fear whatsoever.
"A bunch of hypocrites."
She chuckled coldly, her broken sword trembled, and a surge of blood mist instantly collided with more than a dozen powerful Method Formula!
"Boom--!"
A burst of spiritual light flashed between heaven and earth, and a fierce wind swept across the land, causing even the distant Imperial City to tremble.
Zhang Lingyun fought alone against a group of heroes, her killing intent soaring to the sky. Protected by her Golden Body of Merit, no matter how violent the opponent's Law Technique was, it could not break through her defense.
But as time went on, her breathing became increasingly erratic, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
The enemy outnumbered them and possessed an inexhaustible supply of Law Power.
Although she was strong, she ultimately had to rely on her own strength.
"Jiang Ling, your death is nigh!"
A Second Rank Immortal shouted and summoned a Golden Long Banner. As the banner unfurled, countless illusory figures of ancient sages flew out from it, like a volley of arrows, heading straight for Zhang Lingyun.
Zhang Lingyun's eyes narrowed, and with a sweep of her broken sword, the blood mist transformed into a hundred-foot-tall blood shadow, which battled against the illusory image of the sage.
But at that moment, another First Rank Immortal circled behind her and struck her in the back with a palm!
"Careful!"
Zhang Yu's heart tightened, but then he saw Zhang Lingyun seem to sense something, and with a backhand slash of her sword, Blood Light like a dragon, she severed the Immortal's hand!
However, she was also shaken and staggered back several steps, and for the first time, the light emanating from her Golden Body of Merit showed a noticeable fluctuation.
"You think you can bully me with numbers? You think I, Zhang Yu, have no one to rely on?"
With a thought, Zhang Yu looked towards the horizon, where the Twelve Immortals, holding the Imperial Decree to Protect the King, had already arrived.