The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

"Yang Cheng, you underestimate Chen Shouren."

Behind him stood the entire state of Qi and the Jixia Academy, while what did we have behind us? Nothing more than the eighteen empty cities of Zheng that we had just conquered.

He walked to the map and traced the Sishui Pass with his finger.

"Winter is approaching, and transporting provisions and supplies will be difficult. Our army has penetrated deep into the heart of Zheng, with war-torn cities behind us."

"Once the people have no food to eat..."

Song Zhiwen didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was crystal clear.

Yang Chengru was struck by lightning, and his face turned pale instantly.

He had never thought about these things before, and only now, awakened by this realization, did he understand how dire the situation was.

"Go back and rest."

Song Zhiwen patted him on the shoulder.

"Prepare for the final battle."

Yang Cheng opened his mouth, but in the end he only clasped his hands in a deep fist salute.

"I will retire at the end."

Stepping out of the tent, a cold wind rushed towards me.

Yang Cheng looked up at the starry sky, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He suddenly realized that the war was far more complex than he had imagined.

The next morning, Song Zhiwen walked alone to Zhang Yan's camp.

Soldiers along the way saluted him, but he ignored them, his eyes fixed on the ornately decorated tent ahead.

"General Song, your presence is an honor; I have failed to greet you properly."

Zhang Yan stood outside the tent, his brocade robe fluttering in the wind, a fake smile on his face.

Song Zhiwen said coldly.

"No need for formalities, let's go inside and talk."

The tent was warm and cozy, with delicate tea and snacks laid out on the table.

Zhang Yan personally poured the tea.

"Please have some, General. This is new tea that was delivered by fast horse from the south."

How much Abyssal Black Flame is left?

Song Zhiwen got straight to the point, without even glancing at the cup of tea.

Zhang Yan's smile remained unchanged.

"General, why the rush? Try this tea first."

"I don't have time to play these tricks with you."

Song Zhiwen interrupted him.

"Either tell me the truth now, or I'll withdraw my troops immediately. The choice is yours."

The smile on Zhang Yan's face finally froze.

He put down the teapot, his eyes filled with malice.

"General Song has quite a temper. However..."

He lowered his voice.

You should understand what His Majesty means.

"Of course I understand."

Song Zhiwen sneered.

"But you should also understand that if we lose this battle, the first one to lose his head will not be me, but you, the supervisor."

Their eyes clashed, and sparks seemed to fly through the air.

After a long while, Zhang Yanxian looked away and took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve.

"Here is the list. But usage will follow my plan."

Song Zhiwen took the bamboo slip, quickly glanced through it, and his expression changed slightly.

"only these?"

"That's enough to take Sishui Pass."

Zhang Yan was full of confidence.

"As long as the general does as I say..."

"The final assault will begin in seven days."

Song Zhiwen suddenly said.

“I will take command personally. You only need to provide the black fire; you don’t need to interfere with anything else.”

Zhang Yan squinted.

"This is not in line with the original plan."

"This is my army, my battlefield."

Song Zhiwen stood up and looked down at him.

"Either accept it, or go back to the capital."

A deathly silence fell over the tent. Finally, Zhang Yan slowly nodded. "As the general wishes. But on the military merit register..."

"You'll get what's rightfully yours, not a penny less."

Song Zhiwen turned and left, leaving Zhang Yan sitting alone, his expression uncertain.

That night, the Song army camp sounded drums to summon its generals. All the generals gathered in the central command tent, only to see Song Zhiwen in full military attire, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent.

"Seven days later, we will launch a general offensive on Sishui Pass."

His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated like thunder in everyone's ears.

"In this battle, we must either win or die."

The generals were in an uproar.

One veteran couldn't help but say.

"General, our army is not yet fully prepared. Should we wait a little longer?"

"Shh-"

Song Zhiwen drew his sword, the tip pointing directly at the old general's throat.

"I said, the final assault will begin in seven days. Anyone have any objections?"

The tent was completely silent; even breathing could be heard clearly.

Song Zhiwen sheathed his longsword, took out a scroll of military orders, and slammed it on the table.

"I have made a solemn pledge. If we fail to capture Sishui Pass, everyone here—including myself—will commit suicide to atone for our sins!"

Upon hearing these harsh words, everyone's expression changed.

Yang Cheng was the first to react, and he knelt down on one knee and shouted.

"This humble general swears to follow the general to the death! Victory is certain, and we will take Sishui Pass!"

Seeing this, the other generals knelt down in response. The shouts were deafening, moving even the soldiers outside the tent.

Song Zhiwen's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Yang Cheng, where he gave a barely perceptible nod.

Standing atop the Sishui Pass, Chen Shouren stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance at the Song army camp. The night wind rustled his robes.

"Sir, it's getting cold."

Aqin draped a cloak over him.

"The Song army has made quite a commotion today."

Chen Shouren nodded slightly.

"They are preparing for the final battle."

Following his gaze, Aqin saw that the Song army camp was brightly lit, and figures could be vaguely seen.

"Can we win?"

"There is no such thing as a guaranteed victory in war."

Chen Shouren sighed softly.

"But I will do my best to defend this pass."

Ah Qin rubbed her hands, which were red from the cold.

"After the war, we can go back to the academy, right? These days of guarding the city are cold and hard. I miss the warm rooms and the books in the academy."

Chen Shouren rarely showed a smile.

"Alright, after this battle, we'll go back."

Jiang Chuan's golden cocoon suddenly trembled violently, and the nine-character mantra on the stone pillar, "Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing," burst forth with dazzling divine light one by one. The light of the first character, "Lin," merged into his brow, and he instantly saw through the sword intent left by the sword spirit Yao; the light of the second character, "Bing," entered his dantian, and the true qi within his body hummed like a sword being drawn from its sheath. When the light of the ninth character, "Xing," enveloped his limbs and bones, he suddenly opened his eyes, and his pupils reflected the flow of spiritual energy in the world.

"So killing intent is the blade of protection, and killing thoughts are the root of self-destruction..." Jiang Chuan murmured, raising his hand and waving it lightly. A sword shadow formed from spiritual energy slashed towards the stalagmite, but it turned into specks of golden light and dissipated the moment it touched it—this was the principle of turning killing into protection in the "array" character of the Nine True Words.

Suddenly, the scene of the Great Zhou border appeared on the cave wall: the Yan army was pressing in, the Sishui Pass was engulfed in war, and undercurrents were surging within the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect. Jiang Chuan's heart trembled; the Nine True Words had actually connected to the vision of heaven and earth! He saw Song Zhiwen tightly gripping the pottery jar of abyssal black fire in his tent, he saw Xue Xing fighting with a dark figure in the secret passage of the Qingming Sword Sect, and he even saw Chen Shouren coughing up blood on the city wall of Sishui Pass but standing firm.

“It’s time to emerge from seclusion.” Jiang Chuan formed a hand seal, and the golden light of the Nine True Words condensed into a nine-layered sword wheel behind him. The moment he stepped out of the cave, the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect, a thousand miles away, suddenly shone with countless rays of light. The unconscious Hall Master Dong suddenly sat up, and Xue Xing of the Cliff of Contemplation unsheathed his Cold Crow Sword and pointed it in the direction of the Azure Nether Sword Sect.

Xue Xing had been infiltrating the Qingming Sword Sect for three days, and the stench in the secret passage had grown increasingly strong. He parted the cobwebs and suddenly saw strange runes carved on the stone wall—the very same demonic marks from the chaos in Qi Kingdom thirty years ago. "Senior Brother Lu and the others have indeed been corrupted by demonic energy!" He gripped the Cold Crow Sword tightly, its light cleaving through the shadows ahead, revealing two familiar figures chained to a stone platform.

"Hall Master Lu! Junior Sister Lin!" Xue Xing rushed forward, but was blasted back by a black aura. Mo Chenzhou, the sect leader of Qingming Sword Sect, emerged from the shadows, his sleeve revealing a black iron wrist guard identical to Zhang Yan's: "Xue Xing, you shouldn't have come."

"Did you collude with Zhang Yan to refine demonic energy with the Abyss Black Fire?" Xue Xing glared at the parchment scroll hanging at the other's waist, which was the lost "Three Corpses Returning to Their Positions Secret Technique" of the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect. Mo Chenzhou sneered: "Dong Xiaowan's three corpses were originally of the most Yin nature, which, combined with the black fire, was just right to awaken the ancient demonic fetus. Prince Zhao Weiyuan of Yan Kingdom was just a guide."

At that moment, a roar came from outside the secret passage, and Jiang Chuan's voice pierced through the stone wall: "Lin Bing Dou Zhe, Po!" The nine-layered sword wheel crushed the dome, and the demonic energy dissipated wherever the golden light swept across. Hall Master Lu and Lin Xiao suddenly awoke, coughing up black blood at the same time. Mo Chenzhou tried to escape upon seeing this, but Xue Xing cut off his wrist guard with a sword, revealing the "Demon" mark on his wrist.

"Take him down!" Jiang Chuan landed, the Nine True Words flowing in his palm. Just then, Ming Yangzi arrived with Zhuang Yan and the others. Seeing the brand on Mo Chenzhou's wrist, the old immortal sighed, "So the Azure Sword Sect has already fallen into the demonic path..."

At the same moment, flames soared into the sky above the Song army camp below Sishui Pass. Zhang Yan stood on a catapult, directing his soldiers to load the Abyss Black Fire pottery jars into the mortars: "Song Zhiwen, do you dare disobey orders?" Song Zhiwen stood with his hand on his sword, while behind him, Yang Cheng led his personal guards to block the soldiers who wanted to rush through the pass: "Eunuch Zhang, if the Black Fire is ignited, three thousand people on both banks will be reduced to ashes!"

"Hmph, woman's compassion!" Zhang Yan waved his hand, and the catapult roared into action. Just as the pottery jar was about to fall into Sishui Pass, a golden light pierced through the air. Jiang Chuan, standing on his sword wheel suspended in mid-air, formed the "array" seal with his hands: "Heaven and earth form the array, fire becomes rain!" Nine golden streaks shot towards the pottery jar, and the black fire actually turned into a drizzle in mid-air, extinguishing the beacon fires of the pass.

"How is this possible?" Zhang Yan exclaimed in horror. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Song Zhiwen drew his sword and cut off the command flag in Zhang Yan's hand: "Take down this traitor!" His personal guards rushed forward, only to see Zhang Yan tear open his clothes, revealing demonic patterns all over his back: "You will all die!" He detonated the black fire in his arms, but it was caught by a golden light from Jiang Chuan with the character "行" (xing), and the demonic flames turned to dust in the golden light.

Chen Shouren witnessed this scene from the city wall, and the blood he coughed up turned into ice crystals on the blue bricks. Aqin supported him, startled to see that his temples were already streaked with gray: "Sir!" Chen Shouren gazed at the sword wheel on the river and laughed: "So the Nine-Character Mantra really can reverse the universe..."

Half a month later, in the Great Zhou Imperial Palace. The Emperor of Yan held the bamboo slips containing evidence of Crown Prince Zhao Weiyuan's crimes, his face ashen—the bamboo slips clearly recorded the entire process of Zhao Weiyuan's collusion with the Qingming Sword Sect to assassinate the Liang Prince's mansion. Jiang Chuan stood in the hall, the golden light of the Nine True Words appearing behind him: "Your Majesty, the demonic path is wreaking havoc on the martial world; we should unite with the immortal sects to eradicate it."

Inside the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect, Hall Master Dong's three corpses returned to their proper places, greatly increasing her power. Looking at the list of demonic cultivators presented by Mo Chenzhou, she said to Jiang Chuan, "Thanks to you for breaking the Black Fire Demon Barrier with the Nine True Words." Xue Xing presented the *Three Corpse Secret Technique*, which he had retrieved from the Azure Nether Sword Sect. Zhuang Yan suddenly exclaimed, "The last page of this secret technique... is actually a method to break free from inner demons!"

At the foot of Sishui Pass, Song Zhiwen handed Zhang Yan's secret letter to Chen Shouren. The letter detailed Qi's plot to weaken the Zhou Dynasty through the war between Zheng and Song. Chen Shouren stroked his beard and smiled: "So that's how it is. No wonder the Jixia Academy made me hold this pass." The two men looked at the rushing Sishui River and suddenly raised their cups at the same time: "For the sake of all the people under heaven."

Jiang Chuan stood on the sea of ​​clouds, the jade slip containing the Nine True Words in his hand emitting a warm white light. The voice of the sword spirit Yao rang out in the wind: "The heart of killing is the blade, the heart of protecting the Dao is the light. You have attained the enlightened Dao heart." He looked across the four seas and saw that the Yan Kingdom had withdrawn its troops, Zheng and Song had ceased hostilities, and the sword light of the immortal sects clearing out the demonic path had already pierced the sky.

As the sun set, Aqin tugged at Chen Shouren's sleeve: "Sir, shouldn't we go back to the academy?" Chen Shouren looked at the silver bells in her hair and smiled: "Let's go to Yunhai Immortal Sect first to ask for a cup of celebratory wine. I heard that Jiang Chuan's Drunken Immortal Wine is even more fragrant than the one I secretly hid."

Jiang Chuan stood atop Judgment Peak, the Cold Crow Sword and his personal sword standing side by side among the rocks. He raised his hand and gently stroked the blade, the Nine-Character Mantra transforming into a stream of light that merged into heaven and earth. From that moment on, the martial world of the Nine Provinces lost a bloodthirsty swordsman and gained a benevolent and enlightened sword immortal. And that maxim about the heart and intent to kill, along with the setting sun over Sishui Pass, became a legendary tale of protection passed down through the ages. (End of Chapter)