Villains: Starting with the Landlady

"Really want to hear it?"

"Ok!"

Ling'er replied softly, and even Lin Yueru, who was walking forward with her head down, stopped.

"The fairy island hides traces of immortals, and a handsome young man seeks immortality. He does not recognize the fairy maidens in the fairy palace, and mistakes the Cowherd for his lover."

"A willful young lady of noble birth, her heart stirred by a martial arts contest to find a husband. She longs to be with him forever, to travel the world as a chivalrous couple."

"Heroes have always emerged from among the young, and beautiful women are all the more pitiful. In this life, all love is exhausted, leaving only sorrow; in the next life, may we continue our unfinished destiny."

The three poems encapsulate the fates of three people, and the last line represents Lingyun's past regrets and present emotions.

The years he spent with the Legend of Sword and Fairy during his childhood were like another life for Ling, wasn't they? It's just that he couldn't change anything in that experience, but things are different now.

Lin Yueru and Zhao Ling'er exchanged glances. They thought of Ling Yun's method of deciphering the mystery in the General's Tomb as if it were home, and they felt a strange sense of trust in what Ling Yun had said.

"Ling'er, Yue Ru, this time, I will absolutely not let you get hurt in the slightest!"

Seeing Ling Yun's renewed vow, Lin Yueru was somewhat moved. She walked to Ling Yun's side and then... gently punched his chest.

"You stupid little thief, all talk and no action! You barely lifted a finger when dealing with the Ghost General and the Fire Ghost King. What if you had hurt us?"

In front of everyone on the street, Ling Yun hugged the two women and kissed them on the cheek, causing them to blush.

"That's to cultivate your abilities. If I don't put some pressure on you, you won't know how capable you are!"

Zhao Ling'er nodded in deep agreement, but Lin Yueru spat lightly: "Doing these things in the street, don't you feel ashamed!"

After the three of them played around for a while, when night fell, Ling Yun looked at Lin Yueru, who was hiding under the covers and dared not come out, and sighed inwardly. He could only extend his evil claws to the obedient and sensible Zhao Ling'er first.

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"Brother Ling, how much longer?"

Lin Yueru stared at Ling Yun wielding the iron hammer without even blinking.

Zhao Ling'er also held her cheeks in her hands, watching very intently. They never expected that Ling Yun would actually know how to forge iron!

"It'll be ready soon. I guarantee I'll forge you a superb longsword!"

After melting the high-quality steel, Lingyun hammered it into a long section, then cut it into smaller sections with a circular saw, welded them together, and sent them into a high-temperature furnace for heating.

He had filled his space with a lot of strange and unusual things, and since the guest room he was staying in was large and offered good privacy, he simply set up a temporary blacksmith shop.

After repeating this process several times, Lingyun hammered out the shape of the sword blank. After quenching and polishing, he began acid soaking. During this time, he also made a sword hilt out of sandalwood and then drilled holes to fix it in place.

The two women had never seen such a magical way of forging iron before. They only moved closer to take a closer look when a long sword with beautiful patterns appeared out of nowhere in front of them.

“This sword…” Lin Yueru took out her original sword and slashed it down heavily.

With a crisp clang, the sword broke in two!

"The Great Horse Longsword is a bit heavier and less flexible than a sword made of finished steel, but that doesn't matter after I enchanted it."

Ling Yun picked it up and brandished it a few times before handing the still-warm sword to Lin Yueru.

"Brother Lingyun, where did you learn all this?"

"I taught myself." Ling Yun was embarrassed to say that he had just watched the sword-forging competition and started messing around with it, but with his current meticulous control, forging an ordinary longsword was not a problem.

"Thanks, Brother Ling."

Lin Yueru discovered that the size of this sword was almost exactly the same as the original one, and she didn't even need to put on the scabbard again; it could be easily put back on.

"Alright, we've been enjoying ourselves in Yangzhou for a few days now, it's time to move on."

The two women had no objections, checked out of the room, and left with a smile from the innkeeper.

Later that day, the group went out of the city and up the mountain. They heard from nearby residents that this was Toad Mountain, shrouded in mist, and that a giant toad spirit had recently been harming people, so they were advised to be careful.

Upon hearing about this, Lin Yueru immediately volunteered to go up the mountain to slay the demon, forcing Ling Yun to quicken his pace as well.

As they reached the halfway point of the mountain, it grew increasingly dark. Lingyun pitched a tent and lit a campfire, preparing to personally cook a meal of roasted tiger meat for the two of them.

Just as the group was busy cutting the tiger meat, the sound of a flying sword cutting through the air came from mid-air, a sound that Ling Yun found somewhat familiar.

He looked up and saw an old man with white hair, dressed in a Shu Mountain robe, standing on his sword in front of them. Lin Yueru stood up excitedly when she saw him.

"Senior Sword Master!"

The newcomer was none other than Dugu Yuyun, the 26th generation leader of the Shushan Immortal Sword Sect, known as the "Dugu Sword Saint." His strength was already at the pinnacle in the current human world, and in Ling Yun's eyes, his dazzling SS-level strength represented everything.

It's fair to say that if Dugu Yuyun had joined the main characters on their journey to Miao territory, Zhao Ling'er's death might not have happened.

However, from the perspective of some conspiracy theories, the Shu Mountain Sect would not have helped the Nuwa clan. In ancient times, Nuwa broke with Fuxi and opposed the Heavenly Court. In the end, Fuxi sealed off the Heavenly Court, and Nuwa died of exhaustion after mending the sky.

However, there is still a passage to the Heavenly Court in the human world, and the Shu Mountain Sword Sect ultimately wants to cultivate immortality, so it naturally leans more towards the Heavenly Court lineage.

As the story of Nuwa faded from human memory, the concept of celestial beings became deeply ingrained in the hearts of all mortals. They forgot the true mother of humankind and spent their days burning incense and worshipping Buddha. Meanwhile, Nuwa's descendants continued to repeat their destiny—sacrificing themselves for the safety of humanity.

Returning to Dugu Yuyun, this old sword saint had a close relationship with the Holy Maiden of Miao Jiang. It was impossible for him not to know about the great calamity in Miao Jiang, but he was never seen to take action.

"Hmm." Dugu Yuyun stroked his long white beard, his gaze sharp as he looked at Zhao Ling'er.

He sensed a powerful "demonic aura" emanating from Zhao Ling'er!

"You audacious monster, show your true form at once!"

Chapter 331 Battle Against the Sword Saint! [Bonus Chapter for Donations]

After Dugu Yuyun said these words, sword energy emanated from his body, a whirlwind swept through, and even the tent behind them was torn apart by the sword energy.

Lin Yueru was shocked and bewildered. She had no idea that the usually gentle and refined Sword Saint would actually harbor murderous intent towards Ling'er!

"Senior Sword Saint, isn't there some misunderstanding here?"

Lin Yueru stood in front of Zhao Ling'er: "Ling'er is kind by nature, how could she be a demon?"

"Hmph, you may not be able to see it with your mortal eyes, but you can't hide it from me!" Dugu Yuyun formed a sword finger, and a huge flying sword phantom appeared behind him. "Demon, I'm giving you a choice now. Obediently come back to Mount Shu with me, and I'll suppress you in the Demon-Locking Tower. Otherwise, you'll die a violent death today!"

"I'm not a monster!"

Zhao Ling'er pushed away Lin Yueru, her gaze resolute. She now had her beloved Lingyun brother and their child, and she would never allow this old man to control her destiny: "I am a descendant of Nuwa, Zhao Ling'er!"

"Nuwa?" Dugu Yuyun sneered. "I've never heard of this deity. A mere snake demon dares to act so presumptuously!"

"Hey old man, you're not taking me seriously."

With a sword's cry, the flying sword behind the young man hovered in mid-air, facing Dugu Yuyun from afar.

Name: Dugu Yuyun

【Age: 108】

[Protagonist's Fate: He is fiercely opposed to evil and monsters, vowing to eradicate them all. As a child, he apprenticed at the Shu Mountain Sect, belonging to the Ning generation. Later, Xu Changqing passed the leadership to Elder Chang Hao, appointing Dugu Yuyun as the Zhenwu Elder. Ultimately, Dugu Yuyun became the twenty-sixth sect leader, revered by all in the martial arts world. Special Abilities: None]

[Recent opportunities: None]

【Luck: 3000】

[Combat Strength: SS]

[Affection: Admiration (or Love)]

The Sword Saint of Shu Mountain is naturally one of the "protagonists," but he doesn't have any special opportunities or abilities; he rose to the position of sect leader step by step on his own.

One advantage of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect is that, while their strength may not match that of some powerful demons who traverse the heavens and earth, they can live for a very long time, at least several thousand years without any problem. This is also one of the rewards the Heavenly Court gives them, ensuring their sincere service to the Heavenly Court.

"You must be the destined person that Junior Brother Situ mentioned." Despite being scolded by Ling Yun, Dugu Yuyun smiled instead. "Your aptitude is indeed excellent, and my unreliable junior brother only demonstrated it once, yet you've already mastered the sword control technique. I don't blame you for being bewitched by the demon. As long as you sincerely join our Shu Mountain sect, perhaps the future sect leader position will fall into your hands."

“My philosophy differs from that of the Shu Mountain sect.” Ling Yun took a step forward, his flying sword transforming into hundreds of afterimages behind him. This was the [Ten Thousand Swords Technique] he had learned after mastering the sword control technique. “There are good and bad monsters in this world, and they also have their own emotions. You serve the Heavenly Court like dogs, blindly subduing demons and monsters, severely disrupting the balance of heaven and earth!”

“Child, you have gone astray.”

Dugu Yuyun sighed, the tip of the giant flying sword already pointed at him: "However, I will enlighten you and make you understand what is right and what is wrong in this world."

"Yueru, Ling'er, you two hide first!"

Hearing Ling Yun's voice, the two women were very worried, but they also knew that this level of battle was beyond their capabilities, so they could only run away silently.

Seeing the "monster" escape, Dugu Yuyun was furious and pointed his sword at Lingyun.

"Heavenly Sword!"

The phantom flying sword behind him instantly grew into a colossal object hundreds of feet tall, crashing heavily towards Ling Yun.

The entire mountain shook violently from the force, and Lin Yueru and Zhao Ling'er quickly lay down on the ground to avoid falling off the mountainside.

As the smoke cleared, Ling Yun emerged, covered in soot. He had just taken the blow from the Heavenly Sword with Mo Bai, and his arm was still trembling. However, Mo Bai was completely unharmed and was still buzzing, ready to strike.

Seeing that Ling Yun was completely unharmed, even Dugu Yuyun exclaimed in surprise, but he showed no mercy and once again condensed the Heavenly Sword, preparing to wear Ling Yun down.

The young man was not one to be easily slaughtered. His flying sword fell from the sky, and hundreds of sword shadows rained down on Dugu Yuyun.

The Sword Saint let out a low shout, and the phantom of his giant sword blocked Ling Yun's Myriad Swords Technique, but it also consumed the energy he had accumulated and turned into nothingness.

The ground shattered, and Ling Yun, gripping Mo Bai, charged into the air, slashing at him dozens of times.

The Sword Saint hastily defended, but Meteor Slash was no ordinary technique. In Ling Yun's hands now, it was like a series of rockets, sending the Sword Saint flying hundreds of meters backward.

His former appearance as a reclusive sage had changed; his hair and beard were disheveled, and he was annoyed that he, at the age of one hundred, had been forced to retreat by such a young upstart.

He made a hand seal and focused his mind, a golden halo enveloping him, and then he rode his sword and rushed towards Lingyun.

The golden tortoise shell blocked Lingyun's flying sword strikes, but Lingyun was not there. Seeing that the Sword Saint had given up his advantage of ranged movement and was going to fight him head-on at close range, he felt that he had already won half the battle.

Dugu Yuyun grew up in the Shushan Sword Sect, so he was naturally very familiar with swordsmanship.

But in his close combat with Ling Yun, he found that he couldn't even beat Ling Yun by half a move, which made him suspicious.

Situ Zhong (the Drunken Sword Immortal) had told him that Ling Yun was just a waiter at an inn, barely over 20 years old, so how could he be so brave?

Moreover, Ling Yun's strength wasn't limited to his swordsmanship; his movement and palm techniques were also extremely formidable. His unpredictable footwork made it difficult for the young man to pinpoint his next move. Furthermore, he could multitask, wielding a sword in his right hand while simultaneously striking with his left, with flying swords in mid-air occasionally harassing him.

After a dragon's roar, the Sword Saint's protective true essence was shattered by the palm technique. Before he could retreat and reinforce it again, a light appeared on Ling Yun's longsword.

The already dark mountainside was now pitch black, with all the light absorbed by the longsword, and a sense of despair arose in his heart.

Stars vanish!

Like stars shattering, the massive tremor caused the mountainside to split open. Zhao Ling'er used an earth spell to barely create a hiding place for herself and Lin Yueru, watching as the large rocks continued to roll down.

[Dugu Yuyun is dead, his luck value is zero. Congratulations, Master, for successfully plundering the 21st "protagonist"! The reward "Turning Stone into Gold" has been upgraded to "Ultimate," allowing you to permanently enchant equipment. In addition to the original "Toughness, Armor Penetration, and Enhancement," it also adds the "Automatic Repair" ability!]

Ling Yun looked at the broken Shu Mountain sword on the ground and the remaining fragments of his robe, then silently put away his longsword and flying sword.

Chapter 332 Toad Mountain [Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets]

At the same time, Situ Zhong, who was completely drunk in the main hall of the Shushan Sect, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Senior Brother's ever-burning lamp has gone out..."

He immediately got up and then sounded the alarm for the Shushan Sword Sect.

Today, heavy snow fell on Mount Shu, and all the disciples observed a moment of silence. Situ Zhong was completely drunk and lay sprawled in front of Dugu Yuyun's memorial tablet, muttering something unintelligible.

Inside Toad Mountain, a large toad huddled in a corner, trembling with fear. The fight between the two outside had been too terrifying. Although it wasn't very intelligent, it knew that if it were touched by that powerful sword energy, it would probably die on the spot.

"Don't be afraid, kid."

A woman in a yellow dress walked over. Her face was also a little pale, but she was relatively calm.

The giant toad croaked softly twice after seeing her, then lowered its head.

The woman didn't seem to find the ugly, disgusting toad repulsive; instead, she touched its large head as if it were her own child.

Halfway up the mountain, Lingyun and his two companions walked a short distance and found a relatively stable spot to pitch their tents again.

"Brother Ling, where is the Sword Saint?"

"gone."

Ling Yun silently grilled tiger skewers, while Ling'er linked arms with him and leaned against him.

"Gone?" Lin Yueru frowned slightly. "I didn't see him fly away."

"Walking" doesn't simply mean the original meaning in many contexts. Ling Yun handed the grilled skewers to the two women. "Simply put, it means dead, and a really horrible death."

Lin Yueru nearly dropped the bag. She blinked and stammered, "The Sword Saint...you killed him?"