Silent for a Year, Dao Twelve Appears!

Time flew by, and three months passed in a flash. The Northern Region Battlefield had not undergone any fundamental change. The only change was perhaps between Song Wuqing and Sheng Yuanyi. In their previous great battle, Song Wuqing had defeated Sheng Yuanyi. However, Sheng Yuanyi took his humiliation as motivation. After secluding himself to cultivate for several months, he challenged Song Wuqing once again. When the two fought once more, Sheng Yuanyi gained the upper hand and heavily injured Song Wuqing. Though Song Wuqing had not died, the crushing blow left him thoroughly demoralized, and he had not set foot on the Northern Region Battlefield for several months. Some said Song Wuqing was cultivating a peerless martial art; others said he was comprehending the Absolute Saber Conception. Once Song Wuqing reappeared on the Northern Region Battlefield, he would surely defeat Sheng Yuanyi and wash away his earlier shame. Yet whether Song Wuqing was in deep cultivation or languishing in demoralization, the fact remained that ever since his defeat, the entire Northern Region Battlefield had tilted almost completely to one side. The martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty had lost all morale and were being slaughtered relentlessly by the northern barbarians. If this continued, the fight on the Northern Region Battlefield might soon come to an end. If the Northern Region Battlefield failed to hold back the northern barbarians, their army would march south, and the Great Fish Dynasty would certainly be powerless to stop them. On this day, Song Wuqing visited Lu Changsheng's courtyard once more. He watched Lu Changsheng silently, without speaking. *Shua.* Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. Lu Changsheng had noticed Song Wuqing long ago, but had paid him no mind. Focusing his mind, he examined his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 2,760 (Praised in All Directions) Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method: Casting sword for 10 years, 3 months. Wind of Perception Conception: Progress 15% Starry Sky Waterfall Conception: Progress 1% Ocean Wave Conception: Progress 25% Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art: Fifth Layer The first thing Lu Changsheng saw was the Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method—he had been casting the sword for over ten years! Calculated at 1,200 tripods of strength per year, ten years amounted to over 12,000 tripods! Ten thousand tripods could break through astral qi. Now, Lu Changsheng was already capable of unleashing a terrifying force exceeding 12,000 tripods. "Song Wuqing," Lu Changsheng spoke slowly. "How strong is Tianxin?" Song Wuqing fell silent for a moment before replying, "Even if Sheng Yuanyi and I joined forces, we would be no match for Tianxin. If you need a benchmark, with the enhancement of the Slaughter Conception, his strength is likely close to ten thousand tripods—or perhaps it has already reached ten thousand tripods!" Lu Changsheng understood. Tianxin was no weakling. To firmly hold the first place on the Divine Strength Ranking, how could he be ordinary? A force of 12,000 tripods was still far from guaranteeing a one-hundred-percent chance of slaying Tianxin. Therefore, Lu Changsheng had to keep waiting. If he made a move, he had to have absolute certainty. And so, Lu Changsheng closed his eyes again. "It's been nine months, Dao Twelve. How much longer are you going to wait?" Song Wuqing asked. A full nine months had passed since You Shifei and the others were slain by Tianxin. Throughout these nine months, Dao Twelve had not stepped outside the courtyard even once. He did not even know what Dao Twelve was waiting for. "Song Wuqing, you should be thinking about how to defeat Sheng Yuanyi and reclaim second place on the Divine Strength Ranking, not waiting around here to team up with me." Lu Changsheng's eyes remained shut. Afterward, no matter what Song Wuqing said, he did not utter another word. Time slipped away bit by bit. Events on the Northern Region Battlefield seemed to have nothing to do with Lu Changsheng anymore. When another three months had passed... *Shua.* Suddenly, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. One year! A full year had passed! He remembered clearly that one year ago, on the Barbarian Slaying Squad's final operation, they had been cut down by Tianxin. You Shifei, Yang Zhen, Tong Xuan, and Tie Yuan had walked gallantly to their deaths. One of Lu Changsheng's original reasons for forming the squad had been to use his teammates as shields so he would remain absolutely safe. Even You Shifei and the others had known that full well. Yet when that moment truly arrived, when You Shifei and the rest actually shielded him and willingly died in his stead, Lu Changsheng suddenly realized that he could not simply let it go! He was not truly cold-blooded and unfeeling. The deaths of those four were like a thorn driven deep into his heart, tormenting him for an entire year. Over that year, Lu Changsheng had been accumulating power and increasing his strength, but he had also been calming his heart. Now, his mind was tranquil. Lu Changsheng glanced at the Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method. After a full year of casting, his blood qi sword had reached 12 years and 9 months of casting time. This was equivalent to a terrifying strength of over 15,000 tripods. "Fifteen thousand tripods. It is enough!" Lu Changsheng murmured slowly. He had waited a full year for this moment. Even if Tianxin truly possessed ten thousand tripods of strength, Lu Changsheng was confident he could slay him with a single sword strike. The reason was simple: at ten thousand tripods, even an excess of a thousand tripods was overwhelming, crushing power. Not to mention, Lu Changsheng had reached fifteen thousand tripods! However, Lu Changsheng did not rise immediately. Instead, he raised his head. A colossal dragon gate seemed to appear in the void. The Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art! Having focused on accumulating strength for a year, Lu Changsheng had not attempted the Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art during that time. Now, he was going to leap the dragon gate. *Boom.* In the next moment, Lu Changsheng transformed into a dragon carp, instantly breaking the surface of the water and leaping toward the dragon gate. The sixth layer! Lu Changsheng cleared the sixth dragon gate with ease. Yet after a year of steady accumulation, his foundation in every aspect had become extraordinarily profound. Clearing the sixth dragon gate would clearly not satisfy him. With this single leap, he surged straight toward the seventh dragon gate. The seventh dragon gate was crossed just as smoothly. However, clearing the eighth dragon gate was obviously not going to be as simple. Yet Lu Changsheng remained unfazed. *Rumble!* The thunderous roar of surging waves rang out. Immediately after, Lu Changsheng seemed to be swept upward by a vast tidal wave, carried directly to the eighth dragon gate. Yet no matter how immense a wave was, its momentum would eventually run dry. The ninth dragon gate still appeared distant. At that moment, the surrounding space warped slightly, as if he were suddenly transported into the depths of a starry sky. Within the dark expanse of stars, a colossal waterfall faintly appeared, plunging straight down three thousand feet in a majestic cascade. When the three-thousand-foot waterfall crashed down upon the dragon carp, the fish instantly felt its strength restored, and it leaped upward once more with fierce determination. *Boom.* At that moment, there were no more obstacles. The ninth dragon gate was cleared by Lu Changsheng just like that. In an instant, equivalent to undergoing marrow transformation and blood exchange four times, his physical body gained a full forty tripods of strength, bringing him to exactly seven hundred tripods! "Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art perfected. Comprehension +16." A line of small characters appeared before Lu Changsheng's eyes. The Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art had reached perfection. Gaining 16 comprehension points was merely a trivial matter, virtually negligible. However, 16 points signified that the Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art was a top-tier Divine Strength Realm martial art. This was an entire martial art! Now, this top-tier martial art was perfected. This meant that Lu Changsheng had truly reached the peak of the Divine Strength Realm! Many martial artists in the Divine Strength Realm could never actually achieve the Thousand Tripods Realm. Yet once martial arts were perfected, one's physical body could still be strengthened. Lu Changsheng was still three hundred tripods short of the Thousand Tripods Realm. That was merely a matter of three pills at the Divine Strength Realm level. "A full year. Twelve years of casting the sword. It is time to appear!" Lu Changsheng murmured under his breath. In the next moment, he stood, pushed open the door, and walked out. Lu Changsheng strolled along the streets of Beiling City. Beiling City was even more bustling than before, yet something was off about the atmosphere. There seemed to be a pervasive feeling of gloom and despondency. Lu Changsheng arrived at the Martial Demonstration Tower. Outside, he saw that massive stone stele. The stele was the renowned Divine Strength Ranking! The ranking still displayed one hundred names, representing one hundred Divine Strength Realm martial artists. Yet when Lu Changsheng swept his gaze over it, he could clearly see that most of the names belonged to northern barbarians. They took up at least seventy percent! Only around thirty percent were martial artists from the Great Fish Dynasty. Seeing this, Lu Changsheng roughly understood why the atmosphere in Beiling City felt off. A single look at the ranking made it obvious that the northern barbarians completely suppressed the Great Fish Dynasty. Even Song Wuqing had failed to stabilize the Great Fish Dynasty's standing and hold the line on the Northern Region Battlefield. "Alas, if this goes on, the northern barbarian army will march south. When that happens, the common people will suffer, and all of us will become their slaves." "What else can we do? Song Wuqing and Sheng Yuanyi fought for so long, trading victories and defeats. But aside from Song Wuqing, who else can hold the advantage against the barbarians? We can't stop them!" "If only the Barbarian Slaying Squad were still around... or rather, if only Dao Twelve were still here." "Who is Dao Twelve?" Some still remembered Dao Twelve and the Barbarian Slaying Squad. However, many martial artists newly arrived at the Northern Region Battlefield were unfamiliar with Dao Twelve and the squad. After all, without making a move for a full year, Dao Twelve's name had gradually been overshadowed by newcomers. Fewer and fewer people knew who he was. Lu Changsheng cast a glance at the Divine Strength Ranking, then stopped paying attention and turned to leave. Nevertheless, there were still those who recognized Dao Twelve. They spotted his figure. "Look, isn't that Dao Twelve?" "It's been a year. Dao Twelve has finally appeared." "The Barbarian Slaying Squad is gone. Even if Dao Twelve shows up, what difference can he make?" "Yeah, back then, Tianxin was after Dao Twelve, but the other squad members desperately held Tianxin back. Once Dao Twelve heads out to the Northern Region Battlefield, Tianxin won't let him off a second time." "Dao Twelve's own strength isn't that exceptional. He can't change anything." Gaze after gaze fell upon Dao Twelve. Yet Dao Twelve paid them no heed. Step by step, steadfast and unwavering, he walked toward the gates of Beiling City, heading toward the Northern Region Battlefield. Along the way, many martial artists were astonished. "It really is Dao Twelve. Is he heading to the Northern Region Battlefield?" The news spread rapidly throughout Beiling City. After an absence of a year, Dao Twelve had reappeared and was heading to the Northern Region Battlefield. Could it be that Dao Twelve no longer feared Tianxin? Regarding that battle back then, outside rumors claimed that Tianxin had shattered all of Dao Twelve's confidence in a single blow. Some even said Dao Twelve's spirit had been completely broken. That was why Dao Twelve had not shown his face for an entire year. Some even believed Dao Twelve was traumatized, had quit the Northern Region Battlefield, and had abandoned Beiling City. Yet now, Dao Twelve had reappeared. The countless rumors of the past were shattered. Step by step, Lu Changsheng arrived at the city gate. He looked out beyond the gates at the vast, desolate grassland. The Northern Region Battlefield—he had returned! "Dao Twelve, are you going to the Northern Region Battlefield to throw your life away?" Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from behind him. Lu Changsheng did not need to turn around to know who it was. Song Wuqing! At that moment, Song Wuqing walked up step by step behind Lu Changsheng. "Throw my life away?" Lu Changsheng shook his head. Looking toward the Northern Region Battlefield, he said calmly, "I am going to finish what the Barbarian Slaying Squad left unfinished! You Shifei, Yang Zhen, Tong Xuan, and Tie Yuan—they may be dead, but the Barbarian Slaying Squad lives on. "They said that as long as I am here, the Barbarian Slaying Squad remains! "They were right. As long as I am here, the squad is here! I am merely going to fulfill the dying wish they entrusted to me." Song Wuqing frowned. "Dying wish?" "Yes." "Though they never spoke it aloud, I know what their wish was." "To slay Tianxin!" With that, Lu Changsheng took a step forward without hesitation, striding straight out onto the Northern Region Battlefield. Song Wuqing's eyes widened sharply in sheer disbelief. "Slay Tianxin?" Song Wuqing muttered under his breath. Who would dare utter such words? Looking through the entire Divine Strength Ranking, who dared claim they would slay Tianxin? Even Sheng Yuanyi and Song Wuqing considered themselves far inferior to Tianxin. Yet now, Dao Twelve—a martial artist who was not even ranked on the Divine Strength Ranking—dared say he would slay Tianxin? And yet, a faint flicker of anticipation stirred within Song Wuqing. He did not believe Dao Twelve had lost his mind. Dao Twelve's eyes were calm, yet beneath that calm lay resolute determination! Perhaps Dao Twelve, after remaining silent for a whole year, truly had a miracle in store! *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng stepped onto the Northern Region Battlefield once again. He took a deep breath. It felt as if he were back a year ago, when he had entered the Northern Region Battlefield in high spirits, sweeping away all before him and making a name for himself across the battlefield. Until that encounter with Tianxin! And now, he had returned. Lu Changsheng was in no rush to seek out Tianxin. There was no point. He would make Tianxin come find him! "Northern barbarians... I'll start by collecting some interest!" A sharp glint flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes. The present him was nothing like who he had been before. He feared no one now. *Whoosh...* A gentle breeze swept by. Lu Changsheng's Wind of Perception Conception expanded rapidly. He sensed a squad of northern barbarians roughly eight li to the north. A faint smile curled at the corner of Lu Changsheng's mouth. "You'll do." In the next moment, his silhouette flashed and vanished into the grassland. The northern barbarian squad: the Qingxuan Squad. The Qingxuan Squad was renowned on the Northern Region Battlefield. The five Divine Strength Realm martial artists in the squad were all experts listed on the Divine Strength Ranking. Although they were only ranked in the eighties and nineties, such a lineup possessed strength that could not be underestimated. Given the current state of the Great Fish Dynasty's squads, encountering the Qingxuan Squad was practically a death sentence. "Everyone stay alert. If we run into Song Wuqing, flee immediately." Although the Qingxuan Squad enjoyed great fame, they remained extremely cautious. The only person they had to watch out for was Song Wuqing. Over the past year, Song Wuqing had fought like a madman. He had practically become the pillar of the Great Fish Dynasty's martial artists. Hunting relentlessly across the Northern Region Battlefield all by himself, he had once wiped out ten squads in a single day. Only when Sheng Yuanyi intervened personally and clashed head-on with Song Wuqing several times did he finally suppress Song Wuqing's rampant momentum. Yet that was only Sheng Yuanyi. So long as Tianxin did not step in, Song Wuqing was the pinnacle existence. Even the Qingxuan Squad could only flee if they crossed paths with Song Wuqing! Aside from Song Wuqing, however, they feared no one. "Hm?" Suddenly, the martial artist with the keenest perception in the Qingxuan Squad furrowed his brow. He keenly sensed someone approaching from ahead. "On guard! Someone is approaching." "So fast! But there's only one person. Could it be Song Wuqing?" "No, it's not Song Wuqing..." As the members of the Qingxuan Squad spoke, they felt the surrounding space warp slightly. In an instant, the desolate grassland transformed into a dark, vast starry sky. "This is... a martial conception!" "Heh heh, what nerve! Not Song Wuqing, yet daring to take us on alone? Do you really think our Qingxuan Squad is just an ordinary team?" "As long as it's not Song Wuqing, kill him!" The members of the Qingxuan Squad reacted one after another. They all knew the opponent had unleashed a martial conception. Yet aside from Song Wuqing, whom did they fear? Their foe was merely a single person. At that moment, they finally saw the incoming figure clearly. A dark figure walked toward them step by step. Moreover, with every step he took, a waterfall seemed to manifest above his head. The waterfall cascaded majestically, a full three thousand feet long. Plunging straight down through the starry sky, the three-thousand-foot waterfall was an awe-inspiring sight. However, upon seeing that waterfall and the dark silhouette, the eyes of one Divine Strength Realm martial artist in the Qingxuan Squad narrowed sharply. He remembered. "Dao Twelve! He's Dao Twelve! Northern Barbaria's highest bounty from a year ago—Dao Twelve!" Upon recognizing "Dao Twelve," the martial artist's immediate reaction was neither fear nor dread, but intense excitement and delight. Dao Twelve! Their luck was truly incredible to run into Dao Twelve. Northern Barbaria's bounty was still active. As long as they killed Dao Twelve, their Qingxuan Squad would claim Northern Barbaria's highest bounty!