Chapter Eleven: A Battle on the Lake

  In an instant, the lake was transformed into a scene of turbulent clouds and changing weather. Dark clouds gathered at the edge of the sky, with purple lightning flashing like snakes through the clouds from time to time. The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance, hidden behind the clouds. Although there had been no deafening sounds since that loud clap of thunder, the atmosphere was tense and ominous, as if a storm was brewing.

  Shen Bailian stood still in the water, having long since forgotten to care about the weather above his head. His gaze was fixed on those few human figures, sizing them up incessantly, and his heart kept calling out: Who are these people? What have they come here for? The clothes they wore... why did they resemble so closely the two people who emitted a strange glow in his dream?

  Those people had a long sword under their feet, with a faint blue light on the swords. At night, it was very dazzling to see. The sky was as black as ink, and the dark clouds gathered more and more. The lightning flashed continuously at the edge of the cloud, illuminating the lake surface as bright as daylight. The leader turned eastward and said loudly: "You have been following us since we entered the city, and now you have led us to this place. What do you want to do?"

  Shen Bailian was taken aback and thought: Who are they talking to? Following the young man's gaze, she couldn't help but be stunned again.

  But in the lake, waves were surging, and another figure was half-submerged, only because it was tightly attached to the surface of the lake and not conspicuous. Therefore, Shen Bailian did not see it at first. Suddenly, a dazzling flash of lightning flashed across the sky, just passing over the person's head. The figure was slender, with hair like clouds, wearing a red dress that seemed to be burning in the water, making her face look even paler. The face was extremely familiar to Shen Bailian, and he could recall it even with his eyes closed - wasn't it his missing mother, Shen Danqing?

  Only to see Shen Danqing walking slowly, her lotus-like feet stepping on the waves, but seeing Zhu Yi's sleeves fluttering in the wind, like a lotus flower blooming on the lake surface, truly more beautiful than usual. She walked slowly, but only took a few steps before reaching those people, although she was below them, yet still fearless.

  Those people's eyes closely followed her, seeing Shen Qingyu walking on the lake as if she were treading on flat ground, and they also had a hint of astonishment. One of them suddenly said: "I heard that there are many monsters born in Niao Lake, but I never heard that any powerful cultivators came out... This woman looks very mysterious, could she be some kind of monster?" As he spoke, his hand had already grasped the sword hilt, obviously ready to strike first if Shen Qingyu dared to make a move.

  Shen Dan Qing sneered and said, "Without distinguishing between right and wrong, you're already slapping on a crime, truly, the human race doesn't have a single good thing!" Although his voice wasn't particularly loud, it carried far and was extremely clear.

  Her words did not contain a hint of kindness, and the faces of those few people became even more stern. The person who had spoken earlier angrily said: "What kind of human... it turns out you're really a monster! You demoness, are these whirlpools on Lake Tai all your doing? Do you know what the people of Shouyang City have been reduced to because of you?" Once they were certain that Shen Danqing was a monster, those few people no longer showed her the same courtesy as before. Their words became even more pressing and aggressive, with an air of certainty, as if all the strange occurrences on Lake Tai could be attributed to Shen Danqing alone.

  Shen Qing sneered again, "Even if your human civilians are injured or killed, and their corpses are eaten by jackals, what does it matter? I have always despised humans, especially you cultivators." After a pause, he continued in a stern voice, "My entire life's fate was ruined by the hands of Daoists. In my youth, I made a poisonous vow: whenever I see a cultivator, I will kill one; if I see two, I will kill both. If I don't teach you to have no return, let me die on the spot!"

  Shen Bailian hid far away, listening intently. He had never heard his mother say such things before, and suddenly a doubt arose in his heart: Why did Mother make such a vow when she was young? Ah, yes, she said "A lifetime of marriage ruined by the hands of Daoist priests", Mother must have been engaged before. Thinking this far, he couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile, thinking to himself: What am I thinking about, if Mother wasn't married where did I come from? Ah, no, could it be that the marriage she spoke of... Could it be that my father was actually a cultivator of the human tribe who...

  Shen Danqing never mentioned the past to her son, and she never mentioned Shen Bailian's biological father. Shen Bailian only said that his father was dead or had abandoned them, so he didn't dare ask more questions in front of Shen Danqing, fearing it would bring up his mother's deep sadness and anger.

  On this side, he was still thinking wildly in his mind, while the several Daoist priests on the other side were already furious. The leader of them said: "What a monstrous creature, how dare you be so arrogant? If we don't kill you with our swords today, how can we face the people of Shouyang City?" As he spoke, he turned his hand back and reached behind him. Suddenly, there was a clear ringing sound, and a sword light flashed by. The young man's hand already held an additional long sword. It turned out that he had been carrying two swords all along, with one under his foot and the other still in its scabbard on his back.

  The men behind him saw it, and they all moved at once. In an instant, the sky was filled with lightning and thunder, and the dark night was set off by the sudden appearance of several long swords, which was even more awe-inspiring.

  Shen Bailian couldn't help but feel a little anxious, fearing that these few people would hurt her mother. But Shen Danqing was not afraid at all, and instead took a step forward, slightly crouching down before suddenly leaping into the air, her red skirt fluttering as she reached the same height as those few people in an instant.

  Those Taoist priests of the Manchu ethnicity relied on their learned swordsmanship and famous footwork to hover in mid-air, but Shen Qingyu was unsupported and unaided, yet he too floated opposite them more than ten feet away, his slender figure fluttering and drifting, instantly discernible as superior or inferior.

  "Hah……Now let's see, who will kill whom cleanly!" Shen Danqing laughed loudly, and suddenly a bright red light burst out from her body. In the midst of the sharp lights, she raised her wrist, spun around, stretched out her arm, and bent down, as if dancing lightly, but every move was incredibly fast, gradually producing countless afterimages. Shen Bailian watched from afar, his eyes dazed and bewildered.

  Those young men in the front were also staring with wide eyes, but seeing the red sleeves fluttering like a gentle breeze and the slender waist swaying like a dragonfly's wings, they thought it was a beautiful posture. Gradually, however, they became dizzy and nauseous, and their chests felt tight. In their hearts, an inexplicable feeling of annoyance arose. The leading Taoist quickly realized what was happening and hastily turned his face away, shouting: "Fellow disciples, don't look anymore! This demon woman's movements are mysterious and seem to be able to disrupt our inner energy. Quickly mount your swords and attack her, teach her that she can't perform this strange dance!"

  This shout finally woke up several other Taoists, and the leading Taoist moved quickly. As he spoke, he had already pinched his handprint, and with a forceful swing of his other hand, he said: "On!" The sword hummed, and the blue steel sword shot towards Shen Danqing's face like a flying arrow.

  Shen Danqing let out a cold hum, stretched out a snow-white jade hand from her sleeve, and lightly tapped the sword tip with her thumb. The cyan steel sword was forced to turn around and flew straight towards one of the Daoist's junior brothers.

  The young Taoist was greatly shocked and hastily stretched out his hand in front of his chest, pulling back the long sword that had flown swiftly. His younger brother's face was already filled with fear and panic, so frightened that he was at a loss for what to do, and even forgot to use the long sword in his own hand to parry the green steel sword of his older brother.

  Even a child like Shen Bailian who didn't understand magic knew that these young Taoist priests were far inferior to his own mother. A smile naturally appeared on his face, and his heart also returned to its normal place in his chest. Looking at the people in the air again, he wasn't afraid of them anymore. He thought: Ah Ci had said that during holidays in Shouyang City, someone would bring monkeys to play with, attracting many spectators. But who knows which one is more interesting, playing with these people or with mother?

  Shen Qingyu was also extremely calm in the air, coldly laughing and saying: "You human cultivators look down on our demon tribe too much, such useless people dare to come out? I haven't killed anyone for 19 years, I didn't expect that this time I would have to kill a few of you rubbish!"

  Those Taoists were both shocked and angry. They had just left their thatched cottage, following the orders of their master to go down the mountain and exorcise demons, thinking it would be a good opportunity for practice. Who would have thought that they would encounter such a formidable foe in their first battle? The leader of the Taoists had barely made a move before realizing that his side was no match, but showing weakness and retreating was out of the question. He could only resort to using his trump card, urging his sword to retreat quickly to the edge of Lake Tong, shouting: "Fellow disciples, hurry up and form a sword array!"

  Shen Danqing sneered coldly: "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? I'm afraid you won't be able to pull it off?"

  Only the young Daoist took the lead, several Daoists stepped on long swords, each finding a position to stand still. In an instant, with Shen Qing as the center, there were figures standing in the east, south, west, and north, forming a siege, trapping Shen Qing inside.

  Only the Taoist priests were still murmuring incantations: "East respects the Azure Dragon, water moistening without cease; West worships the Vermilion Bird, fire burning unendingly; South offers to the White Tiger, wind raging unimpeded; North upholds the Dark Warrior, earth giving birth to all things!" Amidst the chanting of incantations, one hand grasped the sword hilt, while the other moved in synchronized motion, each drawing their long swords and thrusting them towards the heavens.

  The leading Taoist stood in front of Shen Qing, with a sword manual in one hand and the Qinggang sword pointing forward at the female demon, shouting: "Four Harmony Sword Formation, seal!"

  Shen Bailian looked up, and in her ears, she heard those people murmuring something about dragons and tigers. It sounded like singing but lacked rhythm, seemed like a prayer but the posture was really monotonous. Just as she felt slightly bored, suddenly saw the dark clouds on the lake, as if responding to something, started moving on its own, spinning faster and faster, just like the whirlpool that appeared on Lake Tong recently, forming an enormous cloud vortex in the air.

  The lightning that had been flickering at the edge of the dark clouds was now gathering in a dense mass, flashing unceasingly along the swirling vortex of the clouds. The thunder rumbled and boomed, growing louder as the cloud vortex pressed lower and lower. Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder shook the air, and a bolt of purple lightning struck the lake, sending water high into the air, as if it would splash all the way up to the clouds.

  Only the thunder after the cloud was loud and powerful, and then several dazzling flashes of lightning flashed across the lake, and Chao Lake seemed to have become a broken pot, with the crazy wind and lightning slapping the water inside and stirring it up. Shen Bailian became a small piece of grass in the green waves, drifting aimlessly with the ripples. Fortunately, he had grown up on Chao Lake and was an excellent swimmer, but he had received many frights, and his life was not in danger.

  When he poked his head out of the water again, the scene on the lake had changed greatly.

  All I could hear was a burst of chaotic noise around me, with flashes of lightning illuminating the surroundings. I had no idea what those Taoist priests were doing. Above Lake Tong, dark clouds gathered like a canopy, and electric lights formed walls on all sides, enveloping Shen Qing and the entire lake. Yet, when I looked at the lakeshore, it was surprisingly calm and peaceful, unaffected by even half a point of influence.

  Those Taoists hid outside the sword formation, and the young man in front pointed his sword at the sky and swung it down towards the center of the lake with force.

  Only a purple electric current, like a stream of fire, flew down from the clouds. Shen Baiying's eyes widened and she looked up at the scene in front of her, where a vast expanse of purple lightning bolts crisscrossed, like a giant net swooping down on the entire Hongze Lake. It seemed as if the entire sky was about to collapse with this massive web.

  Note: The meaning of "Four Harmony" has two meanings, one is to surround the four sides, and the other is that the eight characters are harmonious with heaven, earth, man, and self. Here, the Four Harmony Sword Array is a certain grassy creation, taking the meaning of surrounding the four sides.

  Thank you for Nian Qingyan and LuLu's message~