Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Battle with Su Bai 2

Facing the sword light rushing at him, Su Bai raised his spear and casually pointed forward.

In that instant, countless bolts of lightning gathered at the spear tip and condensed into blazing thunderfire, dazzling beyond measure.

Jade-green fire churned in the sky. Sword shadows flashed. Lightning surged upward from the ground. The clash made the crowd below gasp again and again.

Thunder met fire—

And exploded.

In the shockwave, Lin Zhao’s wings beat hard. She drove the first form of the Hong Hu Sword Art—Wandering Light—to its limit.

Sword shadows erupted from the Bone Sword in endless waves, one chasing another without pause.

A sharp sword light could be broken by thunder. A single sword shadow could be swept away by a spear.

But what if sword shadows fell like a crushing sky?

The second form of the Hong Hu Sword Art: Chasing Shadows.

Hong Hu Sword Array.

The first form was speed and distance. The second was array and momentum.

Her breakthroughs over the past two days—along with the first Huang Ji Spirit Raising Pill—had pushed her into the second form.

Only the final insight into sword momentum remained missing.

Su Bai swept his spear.

Lightning flared around him and formed chains that wrapped tight around his body like a cage.

Prison of Thunder.

A confinement technique—rare for lightning cultivators, who usually favored pure offense. Lin Zhao had kept attacking because she expected him to counter in kind. She had not expected this.

And she had to admit it.

A Golden Core cultivator’s Prison of Thunder was something she could not break through.

Her sword array tore and dispersed against the lightning chains. The time limit on her wing boost ran out as well.

Lin Zhao landed, exhaled, and cupped her hands. “I concede. Thank you.”

But forcing a Golden Core cultivator to reveal Prison of Thunder was already terrifying even by Enlightenment cultivator standards.

In a sense, she had achieved exactly what she wanted.

The whispers in the Lin Family would change after today.

Looking at the scorched marks and shattered stone on the stage, Lin Zhao ran a quick estimate. The Hong Hu Sword Art was a Seventh-grade technique. She was still far from drawing out its full power, but among those in the same realm, she had no real rivals.

As for Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment—she could fight them too.

In fact, Lin Zhao had underestimated herself.

The moment the Great Elder sensed she was already at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, he went silent. When he saw the Hong Hu Sword Array, his expression stiffened, and the way he looked at Lin Mang grew strange.

The Second Elder’s face turned iron-green.

No matter how much they disliked Lin Zhao, they couldn’t lie now.

Late Foundation Establishment—in days. Eighth level.

Had the world gone mad? Was Foundation Establishment truly that easy?

And those green Flame Wings were clearly not from the Lin Family.

The strength Lin Zhao displayed far surpassed ordinary late Foundation Establishment. Even the clan’s three most favored contenders might not be able to claim a guaranteed win against her.

The Great Elder remained composed. His own junior was decent, but winning first was difficult regardless. The ones who looked worst were the Second Elder and the Seventh Elder.

Two of the three top contenders were their grandchildren.

“As expected of someone with Phoenix Fortune,” the Seventh Elder said sourly. “Two levels in such a short time.”

Lin Mang rarely saw those old men choked on their own words. Satisfaction warmed his chest.

“Elder,” Lin Mang said evenly, “did you forget? My daughter’s Phoenix Fortune has long been nearly gone for the Lin Family.”

Still daring to bring up Phoenix Fortune?

Fine. Let the entire clan remember what Lin Zhao had lost.

Sure enough, several elders and disciples looked at the Seventh Elder with reproach.

Lin Zhao held the position of Young Lord not only because she was direct-line, but also because she had talent—and because her Phoenix Fortune had been stolen when the clan was weak.

Those who knew the truth could not look at her without guilt.

The Seventh Elder swallowed the rebuke, lips thinning. A dark gleam flashed through his eyes.

…

After Lin Zhao thanked Su Bai, she told her parents she would be going out to train.

“Hundred Beasts Forest?” Yao Yun frowned. “There are Fifth Rank Spirit Beasts in the core area.”

She wanted to stop Lin Zhao. But when she saw her daughter’s determined eyes, she sighed.

“Fine. You’re grown now. Just remember—safety first.”

“I’ll return before the Clan Grand Tournament,” Lin Zhao promised.

She packed lightly and left the Lin Family before nightfall.

With Sword Flight, she reached Hundred Beasts Forest three days later.

She glanced at the map from the family storehouse and wiped sweat from her brow. “Master, when do I take the second Huang Ji Spirit Raising Pill?”

“You’re too tired,” Granny said from within her inner palace. “Meditate. Rest for a day. Enter your best state first.”

Lin Zhao nodded. She set up a simple tent, sat cross-legged on a cushion, and began to meditate.

She didn’t know how much time passed before wind and rain rose outside. Cold air carrying raindrops slipped into the tent through the seams.

Lin Zhao thought she heard a faint cry for help.

She hesitated only a moment before taking up her sword and stepping outside.

Night swallowed the forest. Wind and rain blurred everything. For a heartbeat, Lin Zhao wasn’t sure if she had seen a small child rolling on the ground.

“Help… is anyone there…”

Jade-green flame rose in Lin Zhao’s palm. By its light, she saw what was chasing the child.

A blood-red demonic soul at the Enlightenment stage.

Any hesitation died.

Green wings formed behind Lin Zhao. She pushed off the ground and landed between the child and the demonic soul, Bone Sword in hand.

“A Foundation Establishment cultivator?” The demonic soul cackled. “Are humans this bold now?”

It swelled like a fog-bank of blood and rot. “Fine, fine. Since you’ve come to die, I’ll send you on your way! I’ll eat your flesh first, then eat that brat!”

Dozens of blood-red chains shot out.

Lin Zhao exhaled slowly.

She could fight Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. Enlightenment stage was a different world.

If it weren’t a demonic creature, Lin Zhao wouldn’t have put herself in danger to save a stranger. She had died once. She valued her life far more than she used to.

But she couldn’t watch a fellow human be eaten.

Lin Zhao pointed her sword. Flame and spiritual power intertwined and surged forward, shredding into a storm as she shouted, voice cutting through rain.

“Thousand Spirit Slash!”

Thousand Spirit Slash was the Yun Ding Peak Immortal Venerable’s signature technique. When he once instructed Chen Luo Luo, Lin Zhao had been working nearby and overheard part of it.

No one knew that among all the Yun Ding Peak Immortal Venerable’s disciples, only Lin Zhao—a human cultivator—had mastered Thousand Spirit Slash.

The demonic creature’s laughter rose again. Its chains did not dodge. They collided head-on with the slash.

Thousand Spirit Slash shattered.

The demonic creature was about to howl triumph when it sensed something.

Its blood-red eyes lifted.

The maiden had already risen into the air.

“Hong Hu…” it croaked, voice suddenly frightened.

Hong Hu Sword Array.

Lin Zhao had fought demonic creatures for many years. She knew their weaknesses like bones under skin.

The sword array crushed down from above, vast righteous qi wrapped in pure Phoenix Fortune, suppressing the bloody stench with absolute force.

In raw strength, even ten Lin Zhaos wouldn’t match an Enlightenment-stage demonic creature.

But the Hong Hu Sword Array represented vast righteous qi—a natural counter.

And Lin Zhao’s strike hit its fatal point in a single surprise descent.

The demonic creature didn’t even have time to scream before it shattered into nothing.

“You—!”

Lin Zhao’s wings faded. She landed, breath heavy, and let out a long exhale.

Strengthening Phoenix Fortune was no longer optional. With her cultivation art’s limits, she could burn through her spiritual energy in under a minute. Every fight had to end quickly.

That was a weakness.