The Nation-Guarding Sword
"Blood Pill!"
The blue giant gazed at the sky above the city, at the enormous ball of blood, his eyes gleaming with greed.
Blood pills, refined from the life essence of hundreds of thousands of people, are a powerful tonic for martial artists seeking to strengthen themselves and break through barriers. Even if they cannot break through, they can still take their strength to the next level.
If he obtains this Blood Pill, he is confident that he can advance to the second rank within sixty years. However, if the Blood Pill falls into the hands of the Prince of Zhenbei, it would mean that the barbarians would gain another second-rank martial artist on the border.
It's no longer just a thorn in their side, but a deadly threat.
After the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the barbarian tribe lost two-rank experts, and their mid-to-high-level experts also suffered heavy losses. The same was true for the northern Demon Race; originally, they had two third-rank experts, but now only Zhu Jiu remains.
The alliance between the northern Demon Race and the barbarian race urgently needs the emergence of a second-rank expert.
"Your timing is perfect, Prince Zhenbei. Is this Blood Pill a wedding dress specially made for me?" Jili Zhigu laughed loudly.
"You're not destined for that," the Prince of Zhenbei scoffed.
As the two spoke, their blades clashed incessantly. Each clash of their swords was like a thunderclap in mid-air, with shockwaves spreading continuously, making the soldiers on the city walls and the cavalry below mistakenly believe they were in the midst of a tsunami.
A single misstep could result in death in the aftermath of a battle between third-rank experts.
"Break the city!"
With a roar, Jilizhigu leaped into the air, his two-zhang-tall blue body causing the ground to collapse with a loud "boom," creating a deep pit tens of meters in diameter.
The blue giant in the air raised a giant sword, as thick as a door, high above its head. With a "whoosh," the giant sword shot out a blade dozens of feet long and slashed down suddenly.
This towering sword aura was like the creation of heaven and earth. The moment it struck, the soldiers on the city wall and the barbarian cavalry below trembled and lost their fighting ability. Those who could stand firm were already heroes.
This is fear of power, the most primal fear.
With a loud "bang," the wall sent shards of stone flying, creating a crack that started at the top of the city wall and ended at the foot of it.
"Break!"
Jili Zhigu roared.
The Gang Qi intensified even further.
With a rumble, the city wall could no longer hold on and began to collapse on a small scale. The unfortunate soldiers who were in that section fell with screams and were buried by the rubble.
"Charge in and seize the Blood Pill!"
The barbarian cavalrymen were greatly encouraged.
The soldiers on the city wall carried prepared logs, boulders, and arrows, launching a high-altitude attack to hinder the barbarians from breaching the breach.
On the other side, the crimson python went berserk upon seeing the blood pill condense in the sky, its single eye shooting out beams of golden light that crashed into the city wall's magic array, causing the wall to crack continuously. The Demon Race army, however, was in a predicament. They not only had to face attacks from the city wall, but also had to deal with their dead comrades suddenly rising up and attacking their own teammates.
"That's ruthless. To slaughter the entire city of Chu for this Blood Pill. The King of Zhenbei is far more ruthless than me. I wouldn't dare do that. My northern Demon Race has a limited number of members; I can't bear to do it."
The giant python spoke in a human voice, emitting a buzzing, cold laugh. It seemed unhurried, conserving its strength to continue bombarding the city wall's magic array and engaging the hidden wizard in combat.
As time passed, the blood sphere in the sky did not continue to expand; instead, it condensed, becoming smaller and smaller, while the blood-red light grew increasingly intense.
Powerful streams of energy emanated from it.
"Gulp." Yang Yan swallowed, tilting his head back, feeling that it was the most tempting thing in the world.
The same was true for Officer Chen and his group of martial arts practitioners; they all looked up expectantly.
On the contrary, the ordinary officials, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the two censors, showed no unusual behavior, but they cautiously took a few steps back. The expressions of Yang Yan and the others were like those of hungry wolves in the cold wind, their eyes gleaming with lust, their faces contorted with malice and desire.
An uncontrollable desire welled up in Yang Yan's heart; he longed to obtain the Blood Pill and to consume it.
Just as he was about to take action, he suddenly saw several figures leap into the air and rush towards the Blood Pill without regard for anything else.
As soon as they approached, they were quickly reduced to withered bones, their Essence Blood devoured by the Blood Pill.
Yang Yan suddenly realized as if waking from a dream, his whole body trembled, and he understood that this was not something he could seize. If he rashly approached, it would only lead to irreversible consequences.
"Don't look, lower your head!" Yang Yan roared.
His figure moved like lightning, striking the ears of the warriors in the delegation.
Officer Chen and the others were suddenly awakened, lowered their heads, and dared not look any further.
Just then, a silvery laugh rang out, echoing in every corner of Chuzhou City. The voice was so alluring that it stirred feelings of love within people, making them yearn to find its source.
Whether they were soldiers defending the city, barbarians attacking the city, or martial arts practitioners living in the city, all men looked up at the sky.
A graceful figure descended from the heavens to the mortal realm. She was beautiful, but her allure was even more captivating. The wind caressed her hair and lifted her dress, making her appear ethereal and otherworldly.
Like a fairy from the heavens, she stepped into the mortal world step by step.
The thought that such a stunningly beautiful woman existed in the world crossed the minds of all the men.
A fairy in flowing white robes descended from the sky, her voice sweet and soft, alluring, like a lover whispering in someone's ear, yet it reached everyone's ears. "Thank you, Prince Zhenbei, for making this wedding dress for my lord."
"Good job, hahaha, Prince of Zhenbei, did you think I was going to breach the city? I was just teasing you."
Jili Zhigu brandished his giant sword, attacking Zhenbei Wang as if swatting flies. The latter, equally unyielding, was clearly very small, yet unleashed terrifying strength, holding his own against the blue giant head-on.
"What a beauty! If only I could take her back to the tribe and make her my wife." While fiercely fighting and keeping the Prince of Zhenbei occupied, Jilizhigu squinted at the stunningly beautiful woman in the city, watching her reap the benefits of his scheme, and chuckled to himself.
"How could a mere warrior like you deceive us? Knowing you had accomplices, we invited the ruler of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons to ensure everything went smoothly. Heh, your city walls can't stop the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. We'll take your Blood Pill, and I, she, and Zhu Jiu will share it equally."
"Yeah?"
The Prince of Zhenbei sneered, "Then why don't you think about who drew the grand formation in the city?"
In the direction of the northern city, the soldiers and demons of Great Feng, whose eyes were bloodshot and who were being manipulated by the sorcerer, suddenly froze, as if they were puppets that had lost their master.
"Want to leave?"
Upon seeing this, Zhu Jiu suddenly shot out a beam of dark light from the vertical eye on his forehead. This beam of dark light did not have any substantial destructive power, so it penetrated the city wall formation and struck a certain void in the city.
A figure emerged from concealment, clad in a black robe and wearing a hood.
He was not harmed, but when the dark light shone on him, his whole body stiffened, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his thoughts and movements became slow.
This prevented the black-robed wizard from stopping the white-dressed woman from reaping the rewards of victory.
Above the sea of clouds.
A figure in flowing white robes stood on a cloud, looking down at Chuzhou City. His face was blurred, and his figure seemed to blend into the surrounding clouds.
Standing there motionless, he is easily overlooked; his presence, like his appearance, is vague and unassuming, as if he doesn't exist in this world.
"After the massacre, the souls were sealed back into the bodies, and the physical life force was maintained using Secret Method. Then, the entire city of Chuzhou was used as Pill Furnace, with the Essence Blood and souls of living beings as ingredients. Before the great elixir was completed, everything was as usual. The secret techniques of the Witch God Cult were used to interfere with the secrets of heaven, and the great formation in the city was used to prolong the fate of the dynasty. What a clever trick to deceive the heavens, what a wise and intelligent witch."
The entire city was like a Pill Furnace, and the "elixir" containing the Essence Blood of 380,000 people had been refined for a whole month, finally nearing success.
The Warlock was an expert in alchemy; it was not surprising that such a peerless elixir would take a month to refine.
Upon witnessing the strange phenomena in the city, the Warlock, who was skilled in strategizing, immediately understood the cause and effect.
The Prince of Zhenbei colluded with the Witch God Cult, which helped him refine his Essence Blood to deceive everyone.
The Prince of Zhenbei's goal was clear: to devour the Essence Blood, push his cultivation to the Great Perfection of the Third Rank, and then seize the Queen's spiritual essence to advance to the Second Rank. So, what was the Witch God Sect plotting?
"It's Zhu Jiu," the white-robed Warlock exclaimed in realization.
The Great Feng and the Witch God Cult have a long history of enmity, but because the northeastern countries are mainly inhabited by humans and the northeast is rich in resources, they can both hunt and farm.
Although population growth has led to some aggressive ambitions, the overall sentiment is still towards a peaceful and prosperous life.
The same applies to the Great Feng; therefore, it rarely engages in war, and while border skirmishes are frequent, large-scale wars have not occurred.
In contrast, the northern Demon Race, which borders the northeastern frontier, is extremely aggressive and has a penchant for devouring humans. They frequently invade the border and attack towns.
"They helped the Prince of Zhenbei advance to the second rank, and then formed an alliance, with their combined forces marching north to kill Zhu Jiu. But now it has come on its own."
The white-robed Warlock suddenly frowned. "Something's not right. This formation isn't the work of the Witch God Cult."
The woman in the white dress reached out her hand towards the Blood Pill, about to reap the rewards of her victory, when suddenly, an unexpected change occurred.
Below, a black lotus flower, covering an area of dozens of miles, appeared and then slowly bloomed. The lotus flower flowed with a black, viscous liquid, and each petal symbolized depravity and evil.
The woman in the white dress stiffened, her fingertips stained with a layer of ink that quickly spread, turning her fair, delicate arms into an ugly, dark color. Her eyes turned uncontrollably red.
In an instant, she transformed from an ethereal fairy into an ugly and wicked witch.
Behind the woman in the white dress, a huge, fluffy fox tail emerged, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth. With each new fox tail, the darkness faded a little. Once the nine tails materialized, she expelled all the corruption from her body.
Nine fox tails, like a peacock spreading its tail, swayed gently behind her.
In the center of the black lotus, a black, viscous liquid gathers and forms a human figure. This figure is composed of black slime, and its eyes reveal a sinister look, filled with malice and depravity.
The woman in the white dress squinted at the dark figure and asked in surprise, "Are you Jinlian, the leader of the Earth Sect?"
The pitch-black human figure said calmly, "I am Black Lotus."
The woman in the white dress clicked her tongue and said, "I never thought you'd finally succumb to demonic possession."
Black Lotus sneered, "Sow good seeds but reap no good fruit; darkness will forever remain in this world, and human nature is inherently evil. I am merely following the will of Heaven, born in accordance with destiny."
The woman in the white dress stood on a cloud, gently swaying her nine fox tails, and chuckled softly, covering her mouth. "If the leader of the Heavenly Sect heard your words, he would probably have to discuss the Dao with you first."
Black Lotus sneered, "I have seized the greatest evil in the world, taking another step forward in the demonic path. Sooner or later, I will unify the Daoist School and become the sole ruler."
The woman in the white dress sneered, "A mere clone dares to spout such nonsense."
The fox raised its tail and pounced down. In an instant, it was as if the sky had collapsed. The entire city of Chuzhou trembled slightly, and the houses shook.
In the center of the lotus, the black humanoid figure raised its hand and retorted sarcastically, "A mere fox's tail dares to be so arrogant."
The lotus petals surged with dark light, radiating a power that corroded and corrupted everything, rising against the sky to intercept the woman in the white dress.
The two forces clashed and collided in mid-air.
The shockwave transformed into a raging storm, toppling nearby houses, hurling bricks and wood fragments into the air, and leveling an area spanning ten miles.
The duel between two top masters created a scene resembling a natural disaster.
Inside the inn.
The princess sat at her dressing table by the window, lost in thought.
The boy left at dawn, and it's already dusk. She just asked the innkeeper, and he said this is Binzhou, located in the heart of Chuzhou.
The distance to Chuzhou City is more than 300 li. Based on her intelligence, the princess judged that it would take Xu Qi'an about three or four days to arrive in Chuzhou City.
She was still on the road, but she was already starting to worry.
"The Prince of Huai is a third-rank official, the pinnacle in the eyes of the Great Feng warriors. Xu Qi'an, you mustn't be reckless. If he dies, I..."
The princess suddenly paused, sitting there blankly for a long while, then emphasized to herself in the mirror, "I'll be left without a home. After all, I'm just a weak woman with no money. What will I do if he dies?"
"Yes, that's it. I'm worried about my future."
Finally, she sighed softly, "Punish the Prince of Zhenbei, but remember to come back."
Li Miaozhen rode her flying sword and descended into the valley.
She originally planned to randomly capture a few barbarian cavalrymen, leak the information, and have them report back to their tribes, thus completing the intelligence leak in a simple and crude manner.
However, as she approached the border, she was shocked to find that the Qingyan tribe's cavalry had marched south in a large force, heading swiftly towards Chuzhou City.
She herself was almost discovered by the leader of the Qingyan tribe, or perhaps she has already been discovered but the leader simply didn't care.
Out of caution, she continued flying north, and on the official road dozens of miles away, she saw the crimson python crawling through the mountains, just like a crimson road.
In this situation, Li Miaozhen subconsciously made some deductions. After a quarter of an hour, she deduced a series of question marks, and then rushed back to report what she had seen and heard to Xu Qi'an.
Hearing the commotion, Shentu Baili, Li Han, and the others rushed out of the cave, looking wary. Upon seeing Li Miaozhen, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Miaozhen's gaze swept past them, then turned to the cave. "Where's Xu Yinluo?"
Provincial Governor Zheng emerged from the cave and said, "Xu Yinluo said he went to Chuzhou City to investigate a case and asked us to wait again."
"."
Li Miaozhen opened her mouth, but her expression froze on her face.
After about three seconds, her eyes suddenly reddened, and before anyone could react, she flew away on her sword.
"You stinky man, you stinky man, you stinky man." She gritted her teeth, a feeling of grievance and fear welling up inside her for no reason. She felt wronged because she thought he had lied to her again. Although feeling wronged because of a man was clearly a problematic mindset, she didn't have the mood to delve into it right now.
The fear stems from the dread of seeing Yunzhou again.
The image of that figure, covered in arrows, leaning on a sword, standing atop a mountain of corpses, is still vividly etched in the heart of the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect.
She knew Xu Qi'an's personality and was afraid he would act like he did in Yunzhou. "Just investigate the case. Don't be impulsive or do anything foolish."
When!
With a single slash, the Prince of Zhenbei deflected Jili Zhigu's giant sword, then flew back into the city and pounced on the increasingly solidified blood pill that exuded an alluring aura.
As soon as they approached the Blood Pill, a golden light suddenly shone from the north, enveloping the King of Zhenbei.
His heavy armor melted away in the golden light, and his skin turned red, showing signs of burning. But this could not stop a third-rank martial artist from advancing.
The Prince of Zhenbei opened his palm, making a grabbing motion, and the blood pill flew towards him.
The woman in the white dress reached out her hand, and the distorted energy condensed into a giant hand, grabbing at the Blood Pill from the side in an attempt to intercept it.
The black humanoid figure formed hand seals and unleashed a filthy and evil torrent that corroded the translucent giant hand and dissolved its energy.
"Call"
At that moment, just as the King of Zhenbei was about to obtain the Blood Pill, the giant sword flew in spinning, its target not the King of Zhenbei, but the Blood Pill the size of an adult's fist.
Bang!
The blood pill shot out and embedded itself in the ground, still emitting a silent crimson light, undamaged.
A blue giant, taller than a house, slowly approached, reached out, and summoned the giant sword back into his hand.
To the north, a crimson python climbed up the city wall and slithered swiftly along the ramparts. The protruding parapets crumbled like paper, and the wall itself continued to crack beneath its body, threatening to collapse at any moment.
The protective formation of Chuzhou City has been broken.
This was expected; no one had anticipated that the formation could hold off a third-rank expert indefinitely.
The leader of the Earth Sect, the new ruler of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, the Great Feng Northern King, a mysterious master of the Witch God Sect, a third-rank expert of the Barbarian Clan, and a crimson giant python of the Demon Race Clan—all these masters gathered in Chuzhou City. Their terrifying aura enveloped the city, causing the martial arts practitioners still alive to tremble with fear and kneel on the ground.
"So you had backup."
The blue giant, Jilizhigu, swept his large, bell-like eyes over the enemy formation and sneered, "That wizard looks to be only a third-rank cultivator, but his troop deployment is unmatched. In a one-on-one fight, he wouldn't even be a match for me. As for this Earth Sect leader, he's reckless with his filthy power, but he's like a maggot in a cesspool—disgusting, but he doesn't pose much of a threat to us."
Zhu Jiu sighed, his voice hoarse. "Wizard's Essence Blood is useless, but it's better than nothing. The Northeast Witch God Cult has a grudge against my Demon Race, so I'll deal with this third-rank wizard."
"Jili Zhigu, the Earth Sect's methods are unpredictable, and this person has become a demon, making him even more troublesome. Go to the North King and have the King deal with the Earth Sect's evil cultivator."
The mysterious wizard scoffed at Zhu Jiu's arrogant tone and slowly said, "Today is auspicious for alchemy, for weapons, and for slaying Zhu Jiu."
The Prince of Zhenbei suddenly laughed. Then, Zhu Jiu, Jili Zhigu, and the woman in the white dress saw him open his left hand, which was not holding a weapon, and say, "Sword!"
With a thunderous roar, a golden streak of light swept in from the distant city tower and landed in the hands of the King of Zhenbei.
This is a bronze sword with an ancient design. The spine of the sword is engraved with ancient patterns, and the blade is covered with a layer of light gold, like a thin film.
The moment the bronze vessel was grasped by the King of Zhenbei, it emitted a joyful tremor, as if it had found its master.
"The Sword that Protects the Nation!!"
Jili Zhigu cried out in alarm, a genuine fear and hatred flashing in his eyes.
"Hiss"
The giant python on the city wall raised its head high, but instead of pouncing, it suddenly shrank back, as if it had been frightened.
The nine-tailed woman in the air quickly ascended, her exquisitely beautiful face extremely serious as she stared at the bronze sword in the hand of the Prince of Zhenbei.
Wasn't the Zhenguo Sword in the Great Feng of Dafeng? When was it secretly sent to Chuzhou? Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes showed deep apprehension.
The Prince of Zhenbei, holding a knife in one hand and a sword in the other, smiled as he surveyed the enemy experts and said, "Since I've decided to advance, how could I not make sure I'm fully prepared?"
"If you haven't discovered Chuzhou City, fine, I'll just take the opportunity to advance my rank. But if you do learn the secrets of Chuzhou City, that's alright too, the Zhenguo Sword is here waiting for you."
"Now that the princess is missing and her spiritual essence is lost, we can only make up for it with one of you."
The wizard, clad in a black robe and hood, smiled coldly, "I cast a divination today, and it was very auspicious. Otherwise, why would I be left here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand, pointed it at the giant python on the city wall, and said leisurely, "Die!"
Puff puff puff.
The scaleless python's body was constantly breaking apart, blood flowing freely and staining the wall red.
At the level of a high-ranking wizard, curses no longer require a medium and can be used as a foolproof means of attack. Of course, if the opponent's flesh and hair are present, the power of the curse will be even greater.
The scaleless python roared in pain. The flesh and blood exploded, but it immediately returned to its original shape, causing little damage, though the pain was unbearable.
It scurried swiftly along the city wall, then leaped across half the city, pouncing on the wizard. During the leap, the vertical eye on its forehead emitted golden light.
The black-robed wizard could not dodge the lightning-fast golden light; his entire body was enveloped in it, and his limbs showed signs of dissolving.
The wizard remained calm and composed, forming hand Method Formula to summon a somewhat unreal phantom from the void, merging it with his own. At the same time, his Blood Qi surged, his muscles bursting through his black robe, transforming him into a giant several meters tall.
Ninth-Rank Blood Spirit: Maximizes one's potential, the degree of amplification depends on individual cultivation level; stimulates Blood Qi, making one's vitality comparable to that of a martial artist, the degree of stimulation also depends on individual cultivation level.
Fifth-rank sacrifice: Can summon wandering spirits of heroes or ancestral spirits and make them serve one's own purposes.
Note: Usually, only warriors, Demon Race, and the ancestral spirits of one's own system can be summoned.
It is impossible to summon the spirits of powerful Buddhist School; summoning the spirits of Confucian School will result in a counterattack; the spirit of the first Imperial Censor cannot be summoned, as it will be annihilated by the current Imperial Censor.
Summoning the spirits of senior Daoist School masters is possible, but it is very dangerous. For example, one might summon the spirit of a Daoist master from the Earth Sect who has fallen into demonic possession, or the spirit of a Daoist master from the Human Sect who is consumed by karmic fire. One has never successfully summoned the spirit of a Daoist master from the Heaven Sect.
The two sides' top-tier experts engaged in a fierce battle, turning Chuzhou City into ruins.
No one tried to take the Blood Pill, but everyone had their eyes on it. Anyone who tried to forcibly take it would be attacked by everyone.
On the city wall, Que Yongxiu, who cleaved a Qingyan tribe warrior in two with a single stroke, was not angry but rather pleased that Chuzhou City, which he had guarded for more than ten years, had been reduced to ruins.
Destroy it.
Chuzhou City was reduced to ruins by the barbarians and Demon Race. The people of Chuzhou were wiped out in the battle between high-level experts, leaving no trace. All traces will be buried in this battle.
What does all this have to do with me, Que Yongxiu?
He guarded Chuzhou City, fought bravely alongside the Prince of Zhenbei, and made a great contribution, becoming famous throughout the land.
The battle between numerous masters sent shockwaves crashing onto the city walls, threatening to kill any soldier who was not careful.
Yang Yan led the delegation and retreated to the foot of the city wall in advance, attempting to escape through the nearest city gate along the wall.
With the Zhenguo Sword as a surprise weapon, the Zhenbei King gained the upper hand, overwhelming Jilizagu with numerous wounds. He could even assist the wizard at times, using the Zhenguo Sword to sever the giant python's body.
"Clang, pfft"
The King of Zhenbei brushed past the blue giant, and the giant sword in Jilizagu's hand broke, leaving a deep sword wound on his chest and abdomen, through which his internal organs were vaguely visible.
The wound had not healed; pale golden flames burned silently, destroying any hope of life.
Gilizaku let out a painful roar.
"Zhu Jiu, you're doomed this time. This sword that guards the nation killed my father back then, and now it's going to kill me."
Jili Zhigu retreated repeatedly, roaring angrily.
"What are you yelling about? Back in the day, so many of my elite soldiers were killed by this weapon."
Enraged, Zhu Jiu rampaged through the city with its enormous body. Its terrifying strength was beyond the power of any wizard to withstand. However, it knew that the situation in this war was extremely unfavorable to its side, and it could even be said that it was in a desperate situation.
"I'm not reconciled! I haven't even advanced to the second rank yet! That brat, the Prince of Zhenbei, if it weren't for Wei Yuan backing him up, I would have devoured him hundreds of times over!" Zhu Jiu roared incessantly.
"Wei Yuan?" the Prince of Zhenbei sneered.
"Just a coward who crippled himself. Back when I was still out of power, I was merely working with him. Did I need him to back me up? Ridiculous."
He suddenly changed his target, abandoning Jili Zhigu and turning his attention to Zhu Jiu, seemingly because Zhu Jiu's words had displeased him.
This is a trap, a hunt to lure the enemy into a trap. The Prince of Zhenbei not only needs to be promoted to the second rank, but also needs to kill the barbarian masters and make a name for himself throughout the world.
The 380,000 people of Chuzhou City were stepping stones on his path to Martial Dao, necessary sacrifices for his ascent to the pinnacle. They died a worthy death.
"Good timing!"
Suddenly, Zhu Jiu turned his head, and his vertical eyes shot out dark light, enveloping the Prince of Zhenbei.
The latter's body suddenly stiffened, his thoughts slowed, and his joints became stiff.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the woman in the white dress swelled her nine fox tails in the wind, like tentacles, and wrapped them around the national sword, pulling it forcefully.
Jili Zhigu sprinted out, raising his fist, twisting his waist and swinging his arm as he threw a punch.
In that instant, the fist, moving at such great speed, ignited with flames due to friction with the air.
The Prince of Zhenbei was punched in the head, and his body flew out like a cannonball, crashing through the house and into the ruins.
At this moment, the sound waves from the punch and the "bang" that struck the Prince of Zhenbei's head only belatedly rang out.
The sword that guarded the nation spun and plunged into a collapsed ruin in the distance.
"Hoo hoo."
Jilizagu gasped for breath, taking the opportunity to repair the wounds on his body that were burning with pale golden flames.
Zhu Jiu and the woman in the white dress finally got a precious moment to catch their breath.
The current situation is extremely unfavorable. If they continue to fight for the Blood Pill, someone will inevitably perish. But if they retreat now, the King of Zhenbei will surely come with the Zhenguo Sword after consuming the Blood Pill and seize the Essence Blood of Jilizagu or Zhujiu.
He wouldn't let go of the opportunity to be promoted to the second rank.
dilemma.
The Prince of Zhenbei rose from the ruins, dusted himself off, and sneered, "The Zhenguo Sword possesses a spirit; it is not an inanimate object. Only members of the Great Feng royal family can wield it. Your desperate struggle is nothing more than delaying your death."
Having said that, he stretched out his right hand as if to show it to everyone, and shouted, "Sword, come!"
Jili Zhigu, Zhu Jiu, and the woman in the white dress felt a chill run down their spines. Even they, strong as they were, couldn't help but feel powerless at this moment.
At that moment, a long, slender hand grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled it out.
The Prince of Zhenbei stared in astonishment at his empty right hand, then turned his head to look into the distance.
The usually stern face of the Prince of Zhenbei showed a rare expression of shock, anger, astonishment, and bewilderment. For the first time, he had seen someone other than a member of the royal family draw the sword that protected the nation.
The severely injured blue giant tensed up as if facing a formidable enemy. Then, realizing that the Zhenguo Sword had not returned to the Zhenbei King's hands, he turned his neck in confusion and looked over with a bewildered gaze.
The wizard and the giant python both stopped fighting. The former retreated several miles, his gaze fixed on one direction and one place: the location of the national sword.
The latter raised its head, adjusted its serpentine body, and its golden vertical eye narrowed slightly, as if it felt that it couldn't see clearly with only one eye.
In the center of the lotus, a black humanoid figure stared maliciously at the national sword and the person holding it.
Only the woman in the white dress had a complex expression, gazing intently at that figure, her expression a mixture of joy and sorrow.
The one who held the national treasure sword was a man dressed in blue robes with an unremarkable appearance. He drew the sword as if he had done something insignificant.
His eyes were fixed on the Prince of Zhenbei, and a smile that seemed to be a mix of ferocity, anger, and grief slowly spread across his lips.
"Very good, I can use this sword too."
P. S.: This chapter was so tiring to write, I'm really awesome. It wasn't a deliberate delay; firstly, it was longer, six thousand words instead of four thousand. Secondly, the content was too difficult to write, so it was slow.