Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 851 You Regret My Sword
The Privy Council was already in a state of utter chaos.

If the giant serpent of light were allowed to enter the heart of the Central Plains, a large number of people who had not yet been evacuated would surely suffer.

Given the killing efficiency they demonstrated in the Americas and Europe, they could wipe out most of the population of a provincial capital in just a few hours.

Therefore, the giant serpent of light must absolutely not be allowed to cross the "Heihe-Tengchong Line," which is the ultimate bottom line of the Lu Kingdom's overall strategy.

The suppression of the Zhou Tian Zi Yun Grand Array, the bombardment of the Golden Core cultivators' Dao techniques, and various modern military methods were all used in turn. Even if the giant serpent of light showed some signs of fatigue, Lu Guo would immediately detect and analyze its weaknesses, and launch a full-scale attack based on its weaknesses.

However, the serpent of light displayed an overwhelming power without any flaws or weaknesses.

The advancement to the extraordinary rank is akin to transforming from cavalry into an armored vehicle. No matter how hard a feudal archer probes, he could never penetrate the armor of a mechanized force.

Like other nations, the Lu Kingdom had no way of breaking through the protective barrier surrounding the giant serpent of light.

Any attack that enters the barrier will be completely swallowed up by the endless sea of ​​light, just as Earthlings are completely helpless against the technology of the Trisolarans.

Therefore, the most ruthless plan to lure the enemy was put on the table.

A large number of mortal troops were deployed to the border, their destination being the western part of the giant serpent of light. Once the serpent was lured westward, their only command was to advance—at full speed, to lure the serpent as far away from the border of the land kingdom as possible.

The vast majority of these soldiers will die in the bombardment by the giant serpent of light, buying precious time for the evacuation of more people.

Of course, there are differing opinions within the cabinet about whether it is appropriate to use a well-trained army to exchange lives for civilians.

The opposition argues that the military is crucial for the reconstruction efforts in the future secret realm and a core cornerstone for maintaining social order; therefore, too many losses should not be incurred in the process of intercepting the giant serpent of light.

Supporters argue that there are a large number of women of childbearing age and children among the civilians, which can ensure the internal population continues to grow and change after the secret realm closes. It is worthwhile to exchange a suitable number of troops for the survival of these people.

After a brief argument, an elderly man finally made the final decision:
Change!
There's no other reason than that, from a value and policy perspective, soldiers are obligated to protect the people and their homes. If today we choose to sacrifice civilians to preserve the army, then tomorrow we can sacrifice ordinary people to preserve cultivators. A flawed policy will inevitably lead to endless harm, and this door must never be opened.

So a large number of troops set off. Before they left, they had written their wills. If they were later confirmed missing, the wills would be given to their families in the secret realm. These military families were given priority to be assigned to the secret realm.

The troops marched silently westward. The soldiers, prepared to die, looked up into the distance, where the giant serpent's intense light shone like a blazing sun, almost blinding them.

The Golden Core cultivator's magical bombardment continued unabated. Flames, water, blizzards, and lightning relentlessly pierced the barrier of light from four directions, creating ripples as if a boulder had been thrown into a lake.

Although their attack has proven ineffective, everyone is hoping for a miracle.

"Is that sword light?" a young soldier on the armored vehicle suddenly asked.

Everyone looked up again and saw the sword light that appeared out of nowhere, standing out prominently amidst the aftershocks of the spells.

Although mortals cannot fly on swords, they can roughly distinguish sword light after learning about it. Its color varies depending on the material of the flying sword and is classified into the five elements, while its brilliance depends on the cultivator's realm and the grade of the flying sword; the more powerful the cultivator, the more intense the sword light.

However, the sword light in the air was dim in color, like a black line casually drawn by a pencil.

Sword immortals cannot suppress the giant serpent of light because flying swords are likely to be destroyed when they enter the barrier of light. The same applies to the magic weapons of the assistant and the summoned creatures of the envoy. This is why those who intercept the giant serpent are basically Golden Core cultivators.

Seeing the sword light rushing towards the giant serpent, everyone assumed the situation was extremely critical, with even a Golden Core Sword Immortal risking his life, and their expressions became even more resolute.

We are about to pave the way for the future of the Lu Kingdom, comrades!
The sword light finally pierced through the barrier of light!

What was originally just a surge of intense light under the bombardment of various spells was now like butter being cut by a hot knife, forced to swirl and roll outwards by its completely inconspicuous light!
Lin Ning merged with her sword and rushed into the barrier of light. The surrounding area was filled with thick, radiant clouds of light, so bright that she could hardly open her eyes.

She simply closed her eyes and charged forward headlong, only to discover that Su Mingjian had not lied to her before:

The light barrier that was originally unbreakable was actually completely helpless against him.

Although its source energy was depleted to the point that it could no longer unleash sword energy, the flying sword itself, with its extremely high grade, still managed to overwhelm the barrier of the giant serpent of light.

They can't break through my defenses at all!

Lin Ning unleashed her full true energy, and the restrained light of the Suming Sword transformed into a jet-black meteor, tearing a deep rift in the sea of ​​light.

The closer they got to the depths of the Sea of ​​Light, the more terrifying the resistance from the surroundings became. If it weren't for the indestructible quality of the Taiyin Suming Sword, the force of the sword light's rebound alone would have been enough to shatter Lin Ning into pieces.

As they drew closer to the giant snake, their speed involuntarily began to slow. Lin Ning quickly transmitted her voice and asked:

"Su Ming, are you even capable?!"

"Of course I can do it," Su Ming said slowly. "Right now, it's the Sword Master's true energy that's holding us back, okay?"

Lin Ning's face immediately turned red, and she stubbornly said:

"If you hadn't exhausted your life force, I would only need to swing my sword once! Shut up and cooperate with me!"

The Taiyin Suming Sword tore through layers of light and struck the jaw of the giant serpent of light.

The giant serpent's head was knocked back, and its body flipped backward like a mountain collapsing, crashing heavily to the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

"Alright!" Seeing a bloody hole on the top of the giant snake's head, Lin Ning quickly flew up on her sword, wanting to enter the world inside its belly as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, the surrounding sea of ​​light surged and rushed, pouring into the blood hole in the blink of an eye, and the wound was instantly healed, leaving Lin Ning dumbfounded.

“What’s so strange about it?” Su Mingjian reminded her, “How could a snake demon with such mastered demonic arts be killed so easily? The ability to grow flesh from bones and change the celestial phenomena are all basic talents that come with one’s bloodline.”

Lin Ning did not answer, but instead flew on her sword again, changed direction, and continued her attack.

The giant serpent of light roared and howled in fury, unleashing countless laser cross spears from its body, bombarding Su Ming's sword light like a violent storm, but the latter remained as unmoved as a reef in the ocean waves.

Lin Ning launched a counterattack by combining man and sword as one, each strike piercing through the giant snake's head. However, the snake always managed to heal its wounds quickly before she entered its belly, forcing her to change direction and prepare for another attack.

From the outside, the battle between the two sides appeared as a stalemate between the Sea of ​​Light and the Black Star. The Sea of ​​Light surged and roared, violent and intense, threatening to completely engulf and crush the Black Star; the Black Star, on the other hand, moved with incredible speed, tearing open meteor-like cracks in the Sea of ​​Light only to have them filled back up by light the next second.

But for the Privy Council of the Lu Kingdom, this sudden turn of events was almost a miracle—because the giant serpent of light stopped moving. The soldiers who had gathered at the target location, ready to act as bait, soon received orders from their superiors to "suspend operations and await further instructions."

Everyone stared at the giant serpent of light in the distance, their eyes watering from the intense light, yet they refused to look away.

Everyone sincerely hopes that the mysterious black star can last as long as possible.

A little longer.

------------

In the dream of the Sun True Sword, the four elders had already arrived outside the Ancestral Hall and lay in ambush.

Yan Yu, Mei Yingxue, and Li Minghu requested to see the sect leader in the ancestral hall to make one last effort.

Please, Master, take the battle.

"What is it you wish to ask?" Chen Yanwei emerged from the back hall of the Ancestral Master Hall.

His expression was both tired and haggard, perhaps due to the recent internal struggle and hesitation he had been going through – worried that the divine sword would be stolen, and fearing that the sect's foundation would be destroyed, leaving him in a dilemma and caught between two difficult choices.

"The demonic forces are rampant, and the sect's defenses are in grave danger," Yan Yu said directly. "If this continues, we will eventually be unable to hold out."

"We must defend it even if we can't," Chen Yanwei instructed him. "The foundation of our sect was passed down from our patriarch; it cannot be destroyed lightly."

"Damn, am I even discussing whether or not to defend?" Yan Yu was taken aback by his train of thought and quickly said:

"We will do everything in our power to defend our sect to the death."

"Very good." Chen Yanwei nodded in satisfaction and was about to turn around to leave when he heard Yan Yu say:

"Recently, there have been rumors among the disciples that you, Master, have a plan to defeat the enemy and force them to retreat."

Chen Yanwei was stunned on the spot: I have a plan to defeat the enemy and force them to retreat? How come I didn't know that?
But he was maintaining his position as the sect leader at that moment, and certainly couldn't admit "I'm helpless," so he subconsciously put on a stern face and said:
"This is not something you should be asking about. Go and keep to your post."

"This disciple doesn't want to ask random questions," Yan Yu said with a bitter expression. "It's just that the sect is in turmoil right now. Some people say that you, the sect leader, plan to run away alone with your personal disciples, leaving the other disciples behind as bait to cover the retreat. Most of us don't believe it, so some people defend you by saying that the reason you haven't gone into battle yet is because you have a plan to defeat the enemy and force them to retreat."

Chen Yanwei was speechless. What? Just because I can't come up with a plan to defeat the enemy and force them to retreat, you suspect I'm planning to run away?
"Elder Tian Yue said that if you, the sect leader, can personally go to the dangerous situation and take the lead, these rumors will be dispelled on their own." Yan Yu added, "If you delay coming out, then no matter how much we explain on your behalf, the rumors will still spread like wildfire."

Chen Yanwei was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked:

"What? If I refuse to fight, you'll think I'm cowardly and afraid of war, and that I'm already planning for my escape route?"

"This disciple dares not," Yan Yu said, bowing his head.

"Hmph, if you didn't have the guts, why would Tian Yue have asked you to persuade me?" Chen Yanwei sneered. "You cowardly rat, let him come and talk to me!"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Elder Tian Yue, who had been hiding outside the hall, jumped out immediately after being provoked. "Sect Leader, you stay cooped up in the depths of the Ancestral Hall all day long, while we fight to the death outside. Can't we even say a few words to you?"

"Heh." Chen Yanwei just sneered, "Are you the only one? The other elders should come out too."

Upon hearing this, the other three elders appeared and surrounded them.

"Sect Leader," Elder Lu Gan said, cupping his hands, "the situation is extremely precarious. If the Sun Sword Master doesn't step in, even a god couldn't save us."

"The sect honors the successive Sun Sword Masters not to house clay statues!" Elder Pei Li said even more bluntly, "As the sect leader, you should set an example. If you avoid battle, how can the disciples be motivated to protect the sect?"

Chen Yanwei's gaze swept over the indignant Elder Tian, ​​the worried Elder Lu, and the incessantly chattering Elder Pei, finally settling on Elder Chen's face. His expression grew increasingly grim, and he muttered:

"Uncle, are you one of them too?"

“Yan Wei,” Elder Chen said sadly, “go into battle. You are the leader of the Shangqing Sect of Mount Shu. Even if you die in battle as the master of the Sun Sword, it is better than fleeing alone with the divine sword.”

"What do you know?" Chen Yanwei said through gritted teeth, his gaze sweeping over the other elders again, his expression growing increasingly resentful and cold. "And what do you all know?"

"I never wanted to be the leader of the Shangqing Sect of Mount Shu!"

Everyone fell silent.

"The successive masters of the Sun Sword will inevitably become the leaders of the Shu Mountain Sect!" Elder Pei said in a deep voice. "This is the rule!"

"Just because it's the rule, it's right?" Chen Yanwei sneered. "Because I was born into the Chen family and benefited from the legacy of my ancestors, I was already designated as the successor to the Sun Sword Master."

"I started learning swordsmanship at the age of three, but I didn't have much talent in it. My father spent a lot of money to acquire a magical treasure to cleanse my marrow and meridians, and he also personally taught me advanced swordsmanship. I studied and practiced diligently, day and night, without stopping, but in the end, my strength was only average."

"With my qualifications and strength, I am not worthy of being the Sun Sword Master, much less the head of the Shu Mountain Sect, all because of these ridiculous, outdated, and rigid rules you speak of!"

His voice grew more urgent, and his tone became increasingly sharp:

“Alright, rules must be obeyed. So now that I am the master of the Sun Sword, I must ensure that the divine sword does not fall into the hands of the demonic sect. I am the leader of the Shu Mountain sect, and I must also ensure that the sect's foundation is not destroyed.”

"But now we can't have both. What should we do? If the divine sword is lost, the sect will surely perish; there is no other possibility. Since that's the case, why not sacrifice the sect to save the divine sword? As long as I am the Sun Sword Master, there is nowhere I cannot rebuild the sword sect!"

"You are forcing me to fight because you are neither the Sun Sword Master nor the Shu Mountain Sect Leader, so you do not understand my predicament, and I do not need your understanding."

"You want rules? I'll give you rules! According to the rules of Shushan, I am the Sun Sword Master and the Sect Leader of Shushan, not you! Anyone who disobeys the Sun Sword Master shall be annihilated, body and soul; anyone who violates the Sect Leader's orders shall be cut in half at the waist and their body disposed of!"

"You have committed multiple crimes, and death is the only punishment for you!"

The four elders' expressions changed simultaneously, and they had already formed sword incantations. Yan Yu and the others reacted even faster. Without time to control their swords, they directly joined their index and middle fingers together and launched a powerful incantation towards Chen Yanwei's face.

What greeted them was a dazzling, magnificent sword light, as bright as the blazing sun.

(End of this chapter)