This is the third time Lu Zhaozhao has recited the Rebirth Mantra.
This time, the location was the edge of a swamp. The remains and splattered blood were swallowed by the swamp, making it relatively clean compared to the previous open space and dense forest.
In just two days, the number of people slaughtered had already reached 120 to 130. This number was enough to tie the score, but the eight clans still did not stop.
Nan Rongrui comes from the Guhuoniao clan. She can emit a bewitching cry at midnight. Anyone within her attack range and whose cultivation level is lower than hers will be attracted by her voice and head towards a designated location.
Using this skill, she gathered a large number of demons, who were killed before they were fully conscious, becoming pawns in the game.
The eight clans seemed intent on forcing Lu Zhaozhao to compromise. Every time she arrived at the scene after gathering information, she was met with rivers of blood and corpses strewn across the land. Sometimes it was Nan Rongrui, sometimes it was Tudan Xixiang, and sometimes it was Jie Yi.
Sometimes, when she encountered Nan Rongrui on the street, she would go up to talk to her, but what she said was not so touching.
Lu Zhaozhao walked along the path, her steps somewhat unsteady.
She had just received another message that Nan Rongrui had used the cry again in a place far away from here. On her way there, demons attracted by the cry would pass by her from time to time, heading straight for a certain place.
Lu Zhaozhao tried to wake them up. She grabbed passersby, shook their shoulders, and shouted for them to wake up. She also tried to use her inner energy to mask their senses and block out the effects of the cries, but all to no avail. Nan Rongrui's attack was not simply transmitted through sound, but penetrated the skin and struck directly at the heart. Anyone with emotions and desires would be unable to resist unless they had a strong will.
Realizing this, Lu Zhaozhao gave up on the possibility of forcibly waking him up and instead tried to arrive at the slaughterhouse ahead of time to stop this bloody scene.
Unfortunately, she has missed three opportunities so far.
This is the fourth time, and this time it's on a much larger scale. If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the last time.
They trekked and rushed all the way, and when they arrived, no blood had been shed.
Lu Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. There were even more demons this time. Not counting those that had not yet fully arrived, there were already more than fifty, forming a huge circle.
She concealed her hands within her robes, forming a sword incantation, preparing to forcibly suppress the chirping.
Just as she was about to make her move, the horde of demons suddenly parted to make way. At the end of the path stood Nan Rongrui and Changyu Lanshan.
“Guan Nan, it’s not worth it for them to go against us.” Nan Rongrui now revealed her original form, the Guhuo bird spreading its wings and stirring up a storm. Her beastly eyes looked coldly at Lu Zhaozhao, all her charm gone.
Lu Zhaozhao did not answer, but instead unleashed a sword technique from her hand, stabbing towards them along with her bamboo sword.
Changyu Lanshan shifted position and flashed in front of Nan Rongrui, his hand transforming into a tiger claw, forcefully catching the fierce sword intent.
The bamboo sword was held firmly in his hand, but his expression was ferocious.
"Damn it, why is this thing so hot?" Changyu Lanshan cursed under his breath.
"Watch out!" Nan Rongrui exclaimed from behind. Changyu Lanshan immediately looked up alertly, but the figure had already appeared in front of him.
Lu Zhaozhao gripped the hilt of the bamboo sword with one hand, using it as a fulcrum, and kicked out, striking Changyu Lanshan squarely in the face.
Thud—
Changyu Lanshan was suddenly struck hard and flew backward. In the instant his hand lost its strength, Lu Zhaozhao drew her bamboo sword, silently recited an incantation, and scriptures appeared on the sword. She raised her hand and waved it, and an explosion rang out where Changyu Lanshan had stopped.
The smoke hadn't cleared, and there was still no movement in that corner.
Lu Zhaozhao twirled her sword and aimed it at the Guhuoniao that Nan Rongrui had transformed into.
"Stop!" she shouted.
Nan Rongrui let out a sharp laugh and said, "Even if I stop now, they can't recover. This is a secret technique of my clan, and you can't undo it."
Lu Zhaozhao frowned, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes, which Nan Rongrui caught. She said coldly, "You actually want to kill me? For these lowly people?"
“Don’t you want to kill me too?” Lu Zhaozhao said as she thrust her sword forward. “The alliance was a sham. I felt something was wrong when you lured me into the city walls, and I figured it out after you killed so many people and didn’t stop.”
"What do you want to understand?"
"I've figured it out. You never intended to ally with anyone else. In the selection of the royal guards, as long as all the other participants are killed, no matter what the Demon Lord thinks, he can only choose you. As for your initial claim of pushing me to the position, that was just a deception to keep me in check. You never intended for this position to fall into the hands of anyone else."
While chirping, Nan Rongrui dodged Lu Zhaozhao's bamboo sword, which made her unable to keep up with the attack. Several times, she was almost stabbed in a vital spot by the bamboo sword. As the bamboo sword passed by, many long-feathered bird feathers fell to the ground.
"Are you done yet? She knows everything. If you don't make a move soon, I won't be able to hold on!" Nan Rongrui shouted, her voice sharp and piercing.
"Understood." Changyu Lanshan's voice came from behind.
Lu Zhaozhao glanced sideways, thinking: That attack just now couldn't control him for long after all. But the situation was urgent at the time, so she had no choice but to attack Nan Rongrui first.
At this moment, Nan Rongrui was covered in wounds, and her few remaining wings were soaked with blood, drooping and huddled together, making her look extremely disheveled.
She was cornered by Lu Zhaozhao and was on the verge of death.
Just one last strike!
Lu Zhaozhao picked up the bamboo sword, aimed it at her vital points, and unleashed her pent-up power, transforming it into a sharp arrow that shot towards Nan Rongrui.
"boom--"
An object descended from the sky, pressing down like Mount Tai, separating Lu Zhaozhao and Nan Rongrui.
Lu Zhaozhao quickly retreated, avoiding the attack. Looking up, she saw nine enormous fox tails crashing down from above.
A strange beast emerged from the smoke, reminding Lu Zhaozhao of a line from an ancient book: "Its divine form is that of a tiger with nine tails, a human face, and tiger claws."
"Is this Lu Wu's true form?" she murmured softly.
"You actually forced me to reveal my true form. Today, you can be said to have died a worthy death!" Changyu Lanshan's voice, accompanied by a faint tiger's roar, resounded through the sky.
"That depends on whether you have the ability!" Lu Zhaozhao flipped her sword, assuming an attack stance.
Changyu Lanshan attacked first, his tiger claws sharp, aiming straight for the throat.
Lu Zhaozhao defended with her longsword, and then activated the Qingyang Sword Technique, which was in no way inferior to the tiger claw when they clashed head-on.
The sharp claws scratched a streak of fire off the sword, and Changyu Lanshan used his body to force Lu Zhaozhao to retreat repeatedly.
With her back foot touching the tree trunk, Lu Zhaozhao gritted her teeth, stopped retreating, and blocked the tiger's claws with her sword.
Lu Wu's original human face was exactly the same as his transformed face. Lu Zhaozhao and Changyu Lanshan were very close together, and both of them had bruises on their faces.
Changyu Lanshan said in a deep voice, "Today is your death day!"
Instead of getting angry, Lu Zhaozhao laughed and whispered, "Do you know what your biggest mistake is?"
Before Changyu Lanshan could react, she continued, "You chose a moonless, starless night to lure me here by the lake, thinking it was your territory. Little did you know, this place is just as suitable for me."
As the words fell, the sword revealed a full text of scriptures. The power of these scriptures to restrain demons was self-evident, and Changyu Lanshan loosened his grip because he was burned.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Zhaozhao used the scriptures as a prison to imprison Changyu Lanshan, who wanted to launch a counterattack, and Nan Rongrui, who was waiting for an opportunity to act.
The bamboo sword reflected the moonlight, and the splashes it stirred broke the moon's reflection in the lake.
Water droplets fell, creating ripples on the lake's surface.
A sword, almost identical to a bamboo sword, was formed from water and stood in the air, detached from the water's surface.
As the moonlight fell, countless water swords condensed.
The lake was mysterious and dangerous. Long fish Lanshan, far away on the shore, sensed the oppressive aura and desperately tried to break free from the cage. However, the flowing scriptures only burned his claws and couldn't even make a cut.
On the other side, Nan Rongrui also felt fear. Already exhausted, she found it even harder to break free of the cage. She shouted, "We promise not to be your enemy anymore. From now on, we'll compete on our own merits in the selection process."
Lu Zhaozhao turned to look at her, her eyes filled with frost covered by sword techniques.
Nan Rongrui saw the murderous intent in her eyes and screamed in terror, "If you kill me, my clan will not let you go..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lu Zhaozhao had already raised her bamboo sword and swung it down. Thousands of swords fell simultaneously, reflecting the moonlight, and a desolate beauty descended from the sky.
Nan Rongrui and Changyu Lanshan were furious, their eyes blazing with rage. At this moment, they were like lambs to the slaughter, unable to advance or retreat, and could only wait for the sword to fall.
"Second brother, save me!"
When Nan Rongrui's voice came out, Lu Zhaozhao couldn't help but frown.
She was a little puzzled. Were there other Guhuoniao here?
In a moment of distraction, a dark shadow appeared in the air.
Its back was as imposing as Mount Tai, and its wings as vast as clouds hanging from the sky. It swept across the rain of swords on the ground, seemingly determined to block all the attacks with its own body.
"Then let's see if your back is stronger or my sword is sharper!"
Lu Zhaozhao stared at the strange beast and unhesitatingly activated the incantation. The bamboo sword brought down thousands of swords, which struck the wings hard.
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