Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 720 - 715: Tremor - Part One

Chapter 720: Chapter 715: Tremor - Part One

Yao Yuanhui and Yao Qing only now slowly made their way down.

As soon as they descended the mountain, they were greeted with an extremely strong smell of blood, which immediately made them cover their noses.

"What’s that smell!?"

Yao Yuanhui couldn’t help but complain.

"It’s blood, such a thick smell of blood!" Yao Qing’s face turned somewhat pale as he whispered.

He glanced at the Taoist ahead of them turning back, wanting to ask a question, but saw that he was staring blankly back at him, his complexion very unsightly, as if he might vomit at any moment.

"Fifty thousand troops, all gone."

On one side, a would-be apprentice who hadn’t yet been accepted looked on with a blank stare, as if shocked to the point of foolishness.

"All gone... so many dead, so many...."

The two immediately felt a heaviness in their hearts and quickly looked down towards the foot of the mountain.

They saw that the original light green grassland had now turned a dark red color as far as the eye could see.

There were also many carrion-eating wild animals and birds on the ground, scratching around for flesh to eat.

"Fifty thousand troops?" Yao Yuanhui’s face whitened, as if realizing something.

The two siblings quickly ran the rest of the way, catching up behind Lin Xin.

They saw that everyone had a terrible look on their faces.

"Weren’t there supposed to be fifty thousand troops coming!? Where are they?"

Yao Qing hurriedly asked.

The Princess of Huai Yang didn’t make a sound, only pointing her finger towards the dark red grassland ahead.

"They’re all here."

The silent Qing Jing Wang heaved a sigh, regaining his breath, and replied softly.

The siblings trembled.

Seeing a few people die, they had seen before, and maybe even hundreds would just shock them.

But fifty thousand troops....

Their faces turned white at once.

"From today onwards, Qing Jing Wang, you oversee the Outer Sect disciples, manage worldly affairs, and take charge of all matters in the Empire," Lin Xin spoke indifferently.

"I shall obey the Divine Monarch’s decree with reverence," Qing Jing Wang’s face showed a trace of joy, which was also his greatest wish.

"Songyun."

Lin Xin then turned towards the elderly Emperor.

"You shall follow me to cultivate, closing off the Mountain Gate. Whatever worldly affairs there are, go deal with them first."

He had deliberately left the Empress alive without killing her and making her powerless, specifically to calm this elderly Emperor.

"Many... many thanks, Honored Master!"

Zhou Songyun was greatly relieved, finally free from the role of Emperor, able to focus wholeheartedly on cultivation.

He strode towards the Empress, ready to delve into cultivation now that he could abandon the secular world, and for the moment, he even forgot about the blood and flesh on the ground and disregarded it all.

"Honored Master..." it was the Princess of Huai Yang who felt a tinge of unwillingness, her voice strained. "So many people, all have been killed... is there really no other way to resolve this...?"

"There is," Lin Xin said with a smile. "But this method is the least effort and the most relaxed."

Princess of Huai Yang was stunned.

The others too remained silent.

In their hearts, they all started to ponder whether this Lakeside Mountain Sect was truly a Mystery Sect or an Evil Demon Sect...

But regardless, one thing was certain to everyone.

That was, the world was now under the rule of the Lakeside Mountain Sect.

No one could stand against a cultivator who could slaughter tens of thousands. Numbers had become completely irrelevant; individual strength and cultivation level were of the utmost importance.

This would have an extremely profound impact on the world’s structure in the future.

********************

The Black Flag Army was annihilated.

Together with the Empress Lin Wufeng being imprisoned in the Lake Mountain Immortal Sect, devoid of any news.

The Imperial Court was in chaos, without anyone in control, causing the lords and ministers to scramble for power.

No one believed the absurd rumors that a Taoist had revealed their divine powers and wiped out fifty thousand troops. Many thought that there had to be another army in ambush that led to the Empress’s capture and the complete annihilation of the troops.

But for ordinary mortals, even the clearest minded would not believe such absurd rumors.

Regrettably, what no one expected was that this most absurd of rumors actually was the truth.

The whole Empire was in chaos, with various lords declaring their support for the Crown Prince and raising troops to protect and ensure his accession to the throne while purging traitors from the court.

Nationwide turmoil erupted in an instant.

On the side of Qing Lake Mountain, with Lin Xin’s support, Qing Jing Wang raised troops and marched directly on the Capital City two months later.

Lu Li, carrying his sword, accompanied the march.

During the three-month military campaign, the Talisman Sword slew over a hundred twenty thousand who tried to halt the army!

Truly invincible, as if man or Buddha who stood in the way would be slain.

When the red Sword Light appeared, the sky was filled with a bloody rain and a foul wind.

Without deploying a single soldier, he was able to kill all those who resisted.

By the time he reached the capital city, the Talisman Sword in Lu Li’s embrace had already condensed three symbols, each resembling a blood-colored beast head in dark red.

This was the nefarious weapon personally refined by Lin Xin: the Yuan Bloodslaught Spirit Sword.

The sword’s power was only around that of the Golden Core Stage, which to Lin Xin was nothing more than a mere trinket. However, for mortals, its power was extremely terrifying, an invincible existence.

The most crucial point was that the difficulty of its refinement was extremely high. Only a freak like Lin Xin, who could miniaturize Talisman Formations, could single-handedly refine it.

The Yuan Bloodslaught Spirit Sword’s most significant feature was its ability to continuously absorb souls and strengthen itself through evolving as the slaughter increased.

The more living beings it killed, the more formidable the sword became.

A fierce spirit would be nurtured within it, possessing unmatched power.

According to records, such a Magic Artifact Sword had once nurtured a fierce spirit giant demon at the Yuan Jing Human Immortal level.

However, that was the result after slaughtering countless high-rank beings.

Having killed close to two hundred thousand people by now, the Yuan Bloodslaught Spirit Sword had already ascended to the level of a late-stage Golden Core magic artifact. With just one more rune condensed, it would break through the Golden Core Stage and step into the realm of Yuan Jing Magic Artifacts.

However, Lin Xin had added restrictions to it. Once the fierce spirit exceeded the Yuan Jing Level, he would weaken it, purify the blood qi within, and convert it into pure Spiritual Power to be transferred to the sword’s wielder.

This purifying formation was immensely difficult to achieve, and he found it during a search on Green Lake Mountain. It was not needed at higher levels, but it was perfect for this purpose.

He simply gifted this sword to Lu Li. The sword blade’s nature was a perfect fit for him. Lu Li’s cool and detached nature could suppress the overwhelming ferocity of the sword to the greatest extent.

As for the other Core Disciples, such as the Princess of Huai Yang, Lu Dabai, Yao Yuanhui, and others, they would have to wait until later to see if there were any suitable Magic Artifacts to bestow upon them.

After all, ferocious items like the Yuan Bloodslaught Spirit Sword, that did not rely much on Spiritual Energy formations, were too few and far between to find.

Once a Magic Artifact was taken out, it would consume the Spirit Jade embedded within it.

It turns out that Emperor Zhou Songyun was beyond Lin Xin’s expectations.

Upon coming into contact with the Green Yuan Decision, he immediately displayed an extremely terrifying aptitude for comprehension.

In a single night, his spiritual power reached the entry standard, able to sense the existence of Yin and Yang energies.

On the third day, he was able to take in the energy, absorbing yang during the day and yin at night.

In his body, a preliminary circulation of Yin Yang energies began to flow.

In three days’ time, his progress was enough to match what others would achieve in a year, which made Lin Xin deeply sigh at the terrifying nature of the Innate Taoist Body.

Three people—Lu Li, Zhou Songyun, and Yao Yuanhui—were the focus of Lin Xin’s attention.

Lu Li had the freakish constitution that increased his cultivation whenever he survived certain death.

Zhou Songyun had an extreme aptitude for comprehension; his cultivation practice was like climbing stairs, changing day by day.

Yao Yuanhui encountered all sorts of adventures everywhere she went. After cultivating the Green Yuan Decision, she would stumble upon a Cave Heaven Blessed Land one moment and the next, falling into devilment from which she would luckily emerge with greatly increased powers. Or, she might inadvertently enter the Heartless Realm and successfully draw Yin Yang energies into her body.

The cultivation of these three individuals was evident to all, and their progress could only be described as freakish.

Lin Xin stayed in the small world, waiting for the establishment of a passage on the other side to the Netherworld, while observing the progress of the three. He taught the Princess of Huai Yang while aggressively gathering all the disciples of outstanding talent from throughout the world.

After Emperor Qingjing relocated the capital to Suzhou, with various relocations, countless children were gathered and sent to Qing Lake Mountain.

In this manner, a complete and efficient system cycle was formed.

Batch after batch of exceptional disciples were selected, first to practice pure External Skills martial techniques that Lin Xin had passed down to temper their bodies.

Then, among those with good temperament and decent aptitude, were chosen to be sent to the Inner Sect, where a much simplified version of the Green Yuan Decision was taught centrally, focusing on cultivating pure Spiritual Energy.

If among them those with the best aptitude and quickest progress were found, they would be sent to the back mountain, to become Core Inner Sect Disciples, cultivating the simplified Green Yuan Decision.

Now, with Lu Li wielding the sword as he slaughtered his way into the capital city, the entire world was shaken, and all who caused trouble ceased their disruptions and obediently returned to their jurisdictions to await their fate.

One sword could annihilate an army, such military prowess was beyond the resistance of any army.

The Empire, from its initial chaos, quickly settled down, and the people once again lived their lives in peace. The difference now was that in their hearts, they harbored a longing for something.

That was the pursuit of Immortal Cultivation for Immortality.

Suddenly, countless wealthy families’ offspring and seekers of the way headed towards Qing Lake Mountain.

Time slowly passed, and in the blink of an eye, several years had gone by.

After the stabilizing of the Empire, the fame of the Lake Mountain Immortal Sect spread far and wide with the merchant caravans, even to the distant Western Region, and ships from across the seas also came in search of immortal pills and the art of undying.

Under Emperor Qingjing’s reformation, the nation’s strength rapidly increased. The army was drastically reduced, with anyone of qualification sent to the Lake Mountain Outer Sect for large-scale selection.

The worst outcome for those who failed the selection was to practice one or two External Skills as a foundation. Most of these External Skills were Horizontal Kung Fu, most suited for charging formations in battle.

Failure after failure replenished the forces, and the military strength of the Empire experienced a qualitative change within a few years.

With Lu Li holding his sword as a guardian, the northern nomadic tribes twice attempted to seize the opportunity to invade but were slain, eighty thousand elite cavalry in total. From then on, they were terror-stricken, sending in their submission letters.

Several more years passed.

Lu Li was conferred the title of Marshal of the Imperial Army, commanding all military forces under the heavens. The Yuan Bloodslaught Spirit Sword he carried was proclaimed a National Treasure, suppressing the fate of the nation!

Because the number of soldiers practicing cultivation was increasing, the previously abundant food production became somewhat insufficient.

An edict from Qing Lake Mountain commanded the army to deploy, starting to wage wars in various places.

In just half a year, all scattered tribes of the northern nomads were unified, forming large-scale breeding grounds.

The Thousand-Hand Divine Monarch personally issued an order, distributing the Lake Mountain Jade Talismans.

Used as long-distance communication devices, they kept all regions connected at all times, to prevent information delay caused by the excessive territory and distance.

This move also facilitated governance and management.

A massive amount of meat, eggs, and dairy products were rapidly seized, replenishing the national treasury.

The Outer Sect of the Lake Mountain Immortal Sect also received more supplies.