The intense battle above Moon Court lake alarmed the surrounding villages and towns.
In particular, the fishermen who used boats as their homes suddenly felt like they were falling. They rushed out of their cabins in fear, only to discover that the surface of the lake had suddenly dropped by a foot, and a huge hand condensed from flowing water stood in the centre of the lake, holding up the sky.
"Grandpa lake god is angry!"
Shock and fear were written all over everyone's faces. Someone called out, and everyone knelt on the ground, kowtowing.
On a small, stone bridge near the lake, a person floated in the air.
Fu Qingjin pressed his hand against his sword and stared at him. "Moon Devil, have you already changed like this?"
… …
Several months ago, in late autumn, on Benevolence island, by the Lake of Dragons and Snakes.
A lonely figure wielded a broken sword, sitting by the lake alone. There was no Green Ruins Illusion, nor was there any drooping black hair.
"Why does that Fu Qingjin look like he's lost his mind?" Hua Chenglu had come to Benevolence island to visit a Hawkwolf guard who had been injured during a mission. She saw Fu Qingjin's figure in the distance.
Yu Zijian said, "Shh, Chenglu, be quiet. Don't let him hear you."
The discussion reached his ears clearly, but he did not seem to hear it at all. He stared at the broken edge of the Green Ruins sword. What was broken was not just the sword. His connection with the outside world had been broken too.
The Demon Slayer had already become a thing of the past. Gradually, no one came to visit him anymore.
The Sword Collection palace did not punish him, nor did they summon him. Only his master sent him a message from afar, "Take care." It was a simple message, but it left him stumped no matter how he thought about it.
His wounds had healed a long time ago, but he had no idea where he should go, so he stayed behind. He remained in this foreign land like a lonely soul.
"You don't have a line, so how are you going to fish?"
A set of footsteps approached and a voice rang out. It was Yu Zijian. Fu Qingjin did not look back, nor did he answer.
In the past, he had once believed her because of the Green Ruins sword. He and this girl shared a deep fate. Now that the sword was broken, she was just a regular girl. Without fate, no matter how one looked at her, she was just an ordinary girl. Perhaps she really had the talent to inherit the Purple Night Sword. But what did that have to do with him?
Yu Zijian thought of her past self and sighed gloomily. However, her gaze was unprecedentedly distant and calm. She asked a question, "Is the sword really that important to you?"
Fu Qingjin was as silent as a rock.
"Zijian, let's go!"
"He's here!" Yu Zijian turned around and answered. Then she said to Fu Qingjin, "Someone once told me that it's difficult to have everything in life. You have to make a choice. Nothing is perfect."
It was an ordinary sentence. However, it was like a streak of light had passed through Fu Qingjin's head. His hand that wielded the sword trembled slightly. With a voice that only he could hear, he muttered to himself, "I'm sorry.
"Nothing is perfect. Everything magnificent will eventually return to nothingness!"
His master's words echoed in his ears again.
"Qingjin, do you know about the origins of the Green Ruins sword? Our Sword Collection palace has a senior. My Sword Collection palace had a senior who was originally the ruler of a kingdom. Of course, Great Xia had yet to exist back then. The nine provinces were still filled with kingdoms. In order to deal with the threat of the enemy kingdom, the senior went out to seek help and accidentally entered the realm of immortals, obtaining an immortal's legacy. He was filled with joy, but when he left the realm of immortals, he discovered that several decades had already passed. "
"His family and friends had all passed away, while his kingdom had already been conquered by the enemy kingdom a long time ago, reduced to ruins. He wanted revenge, but he discovered that the enemy kingdom had already been destroyed in the chaos of war. He was filled with endless melancholy, so he fused this thought into the sword. This is the sword intent contained in the Green Ruins sword. The endless prosperity will return to ruins, covered in moss and vines … "
Fu Qingjin raised the Green Ruins sword and said gently, "Even you are no exception?"
The next day, Fu Qingjin left the Hundred Schools of Thought. He passed by every city that had been destroyed in the chaos of war and imagined their past prosperity. It was like he had washed away the dust in front of him. The entire world had become different.
Day after day, the Green Ruins sword remained as broken as before, but slivers of green light fused into it.
This time, it was not the sigh of that senior from throughout the ages, nor was it the sigh of the past masters of the Green Ruins sword. It was his own comprehension, Fu Qingjin's.
After who knew how many cities he had passed by, he finally understood that the Green Ruins sword was not actually broken. At that moment, the Green Ruins sword suddenly shone with unprecedented light. In a daze, he discovered that he was standing in the Green Ruins Illusion again.
A figure stood under the collapsed palace wall in the distance. He turned around and smiled faintly.
He was a very dignified, middle-aged man. His appearance was very unfamiliar, but his expression was extremely familiar. The proud and melancholy expression had appeared on his face countless times in the past.
Fu Qingjin smiled as well. His smile was very hearty, just like before he picked up the Green Ruins sword.
From then onwards, a broken sword was added to the Ten Renowned Swords of the Sword Collection palace.
Zhou Tong had finally retrieved the Lightning Slaughter sword after so much difficulty. He was currently cultivating in seclusion in his dwelling, making preparations for his breakthrough to Golden Core. Suddenly, he felt someone touch the formation. He frowned and stepped out of the dwelling.
"It's you?"
Zhou Tong was already rather angry, and when he saw who it was, he became even angrier. "Fu Qingjin, what are you doing here?"
Fu Qingjin opened his hand. There was a violet pill in it.
Zhou Tong's anger vanished. "This is an Origin Spirit pill!"
… …
Faced with the incoming hand, Zhou Tong snorted coldly in disdain. With a swing of the Lightning Slaughter sword, he turned into a bolt of lightning and pierced through the huge hand. He was no slower than Li Qingshan's wings of wind.
In an instant, electricity spread through the water, illuminating the giant palm from inside out. It collapsed with a loud bang, as if a landslide had occurred.
"This ox nose sure is difficult to deal with after undergoing the tribulation."
Li Qingshan stabilised himself and shuddered, dispersing the violet electricity. He exhaled deeply and met Zhou Tong's gaze in the sky.
Their gazes clashed, and sparks seemed to flicker.
Zhou Tong swooped down with a bolt of lightning behind him. The God of Thunder's illusory figure seemed unable to keep up with his speed. It was dragged behind him, revealing Zhou Tong's original appearance. Lightning twined around the Lightning Slaughter sword, causing this ordinary-looking wooden sword to glow with extremely sharp lightning.
Li Qingshan stepped on a water dragon and rose up. He clenched his fists and gathered the power of tremors without releasing it. A circle of black cracks interweaved, seeming to be able to tear even space itself apart.
His ears suddenly twitched, and he waved his hand to the side.
The two passed by each other. The lightning was perfectly straight, and the water dragon was shattered.
A fist-sized hole appeared in Li Qingshan's chest. He turned around and shouted, "Again!"
Zhou Tong turned around. Although he was completely unharmed, his expression was not calm. "Why!?"
"Why what? You bastard, stop wasting time! "
On the Soaring Dragon ship, Liu Changqing asked in confusion, "What's wrong with senior Zhou?"
"Look at the surroundings of Moon Court lake. The Moon Devil was distracted earlier." Hwa Seung-zan's expression was also filled with indescribable surprise, as well as a sliver of admiration.
"There doesn't seem to be any changes. What distracted …" Liu Changqing followed Hwa Seung-zan's hand and gazed into the distance. He could not see anything strange. His heart suddenly shuddered, and he came to an understanding.
When the colossal hand was struck by lightning and collapsed, it smashed a great pit in Moon Court lake, kicking up a huge wave several meters tall that surged in all directions. More accurately speaking, it was no longer a wave, but a tsunami that only appeared on the ocean.
Fu Qingjin's figure vanished from the small stone bridge. He stood on the dock by the lake, wielding his sword in an attempt to cut through the incoming wave, only to see the wave disperse before him. Only then did he put down the Green Ruins sword and look at the horizon.
Under the cheers of gratitude from the mortals, Fu Qingjin became rather dazed for a moment.
The villages and towns along the shore should have been reduced to a mess, but they were fine now. Clearly, the Moon Devil had diverted his attention during the clash, which was why Zhou Tong's sword had pierced through it.
Everyone on the Soaring Dragon ship understood. They looked at one another, all experiencing an indescribable feeling.
"Why did you take my strike? You could have dodged it."
Zhou Tong's feelings were without a doubt even deeper. He did not feel complacent at all. In the past, when he clashed with Blood Shadow, he had killed an entire city of people with a single strike of lightning. He felt rather uncomfortable about it, but under the greater cause of purging daemons, he did not feel any regret.
But now, he had struck out for a personal grudge, yet in the end, Li Qingshan was the one who would rather take his strike, saving countless lives. Their roles seemed to have been reversed. The words "purging daemons" no longer sounded so righteous.
"I'm willing. Cut the bullshit. Let's fight again. I'll take that strike as me going easy on you!"
Just Now, Li Qingshan heard countless cries. Faced with the incoming wave, some people called out, "Save us, grandpa lake god!", as well as the cries of children and women. With a thought, he used the Water God Seal and dispersed the wave.
He was not some saint. If it really were a battle to the death where his life hung by a thread, it was impossible for him to divert his attention to the lives of mortals. However, if he only took a strike and saved several hundred thousand lives, then that would make perfect sense. He did not feel like he had done anything good.
"Forget it. You've taken a strike from me, and our grievances will be written off!"
Zhou Tong was speechless. Suddenly, he let out a long sigh and turned into a flash, flying through the air on his sword and arriving on the Soaring Dragon ship. "Sir Liu, there's nothing to gain from this battle. I will find a way to compensate you for the Watermirror disc."
If the battle continued and Li Qingshan became injured for the sake of the people on the shore, he really would not be able to afford to be humiliated like that. At the end of the day, it was not like he was the Marquis of Ruyi. What did the Moon Devil occupying a region of water to cultivate have to do with him? Having reached Golden Core, he had already leapt out of the chessboard. There was no need for him to care about anyone's feelings anymore. As for the expressions of the people at the very top, regular people would not be able to see them even if they wanted to.
"As you wish, senior."
Liu Changqing clasped his hands before giving an order. The Soaring Dragon ship turned around and flew towards the Hundred Schools of Thought. Basically everyone let out a sigh of relief. The strength that Li Qingshan had demonstrated was far too startling. It was basically enough for him to contend against Golden Core cultivators, and he had the geographical advantage. Probably even Zhou Tong might not be able to defeat him. This was not necessarily the best outcome.
From today onwards, there would not be a single cultivator in the Clear River prefecture who would think about declaring war against the Moon Devil anymore.
"This is ridiculous!"
Li Qingshan rubbed his chin. Daemon qi surged, and the wound on his chest rapidly healed. Compared to the battle against Helicoverpa Rosa, it was nothing.
Suddenly, he sensed a familiar aura. His gaze shifted, and his gaze became extremely sharp. He saw the green figure on the pier with a single glance.
"Fu Qingjin!"
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