On the main road of Guangye Mountain, in Dongye County.

Lu Yuan stood alone, locked in combat with Shura.

During the fight, as he unleashed his sword techniques, Lu Yuan sank into a profoundly mystical state.

Relax, relax.

His vital power was indeed inferior to Shura’s.

But did he need power equivalent to Shura’s? Shura’s moves were undeniably crude.

He could dismantle Shura’s techniques at will, his every strike targeting the monster’s weak points.

He unleashed his sword techniques freely: “The wind howls, the Yi River chills,” “The great wind rises…” “Cloud without form,” “Cloud without intent”—one strike after another swept out with abandon.

Even though Shura possessed more vital power than Lu Yuan, no matter how he tried to attack, he could only manage half a move; the technique never fully materialized, rendering him unable to strike effectively.

At this moment, the battle was no longer a stalemate.

Lu Yuan had seized control of the engagement.

Though his vital power lagged behind Shura’s, a casual sword stroke would pinpoint Shura’s vulnerability, driving the fiend into a rage that was utterly helpless.

Lu Yuan grew more exhilarated the longer he fought.

Once the understanding of the sword crystallized, the joy was boundless.

Right now, Lu Yuan was immersed in the ocean of the sword, his body and spirit filled with unparalleled pleasure.

Lu Yuan knew he would surely defeat Shura.

Of course, Lu Yuan also understood that this victory was contingent on the relatively small gap in their vital power.

If the difference had been vast, no matter how exquisite his techniques, they would have been useless.

Technique and vital power—neither could be dispensed with.

—————— Shura was furious.

In all his decades of life, whether beneath the earth or upon the surface world, he had never encountered such a frustrating situation.

His vital power clearly surpassed Lu Yuan’s by a significant margin: the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, Qi Refining into Gang, facing the fifth level, Lesser Heavenly Cycle—an insurmountable superiority.

Shura had experienced countless battles in his life.

Facing someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he hadn't taken them seriously at all, expecting victory within thirty moves.

Who could have guessed this human would be so bizarre? The sword in his hand seemed divinely assisted; every attack Shura launched was immediately met with a counter aimed at his weak spot.

If Shura fought desperately, the one whose weak point was exposed and led to death would be himself, while the opponent would, at best, only sustain minor injuries.

Shura now realized that under the hands of this young human, he couldn't even execute a single complete move.

Shura wanted to roar! Why? Why? Why? Where in this world existed such an aberrant swordsmanship? He only wished to execute one complete move properly! Under the blade of this human, he couldn't even manage that simple desire! Tears streamed down Shura’s face.

Shura was tragic.

Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship had already reached the Sword Intent level.

On North Peak, fewer than ten cultivators in nine generations had grasped Sword Intent.

This was the Sword Intent level! While his vital power slightly exceeded Lu Yuan’s, his swordsmanship lagged behind by an immense margin.

Furthermore, Lu Yuan had just comprehended that any technique, regardless of its origin, could be transformed into a sword move to confront an opponent wielding a blade; thus, victory against Shura was assured, crushing the demon until it had no fight left.

—————— Meanwhile, Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi were on the verge of tears themselves.

How could such terrifying swordsmanship exist? What technique was this that a casual strike could expose an opponent’s flaw, leaving someone with superior vital power unable to execute a complete move? What terrifying sword art was this? How was it possible? Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi were both rogue cultivators, spurned by the major temples and ignored by the minor ones.

Although they hadn't witnessed grand spectacles, they had once chanced upon an Elder from the Qingcheng Immortal Sect demonstrating his power.

That memory was vivid, yet they felt that Lu Yuan's swordsmanship now surpassed even that of the Qingcheng Elder.

How could a mere youth’s swordsmanship possibly exceed that of an Elder from the Qingcheng Immortal Sect? Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi could not accept it, yet the reality was before their eyes: Lu Yuan’s casual sword stroke forced Shura into a defensive posture; a single strike could point out the enemy's weakness; when his sword blossomed, he suppressed Shura, whose vital power was greater.

Such terrifying swordplay! It turned out that Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi had previously considered their own swordplay quite exquisite.

But when confronted by Shura, they were suppressed to the point of having no power to strike back.

Shura’s moves had left a horrifying imprint on their hearts.

And now, the very Shura who had imprinted such terror upon them was being crushed under Lu Yuan’s blade, completely defenseless.

And they had witnessed this miracle of swordsmanship! Their own techniques were mere dross before Shura.

And Shura’s techniques were mere dross before Lu Yuan’s blade.

Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi simultaneously felt foolish.

They had initially dismissed Lu Yuan as just an ordinary disciple of comparable strength, even uttering insults.

They realized they must have been tired of living; with Lu Yuan’s current ability, killing them both would have been effortless.

Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi felt a chill deep in their hearts.

—————— The witnesses to this battle were not limited to the injured Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi; the constables of Dongye County were also present.

The constables had lost all confidence the moment the two esteemed old Immortals they revered, Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi, were defeated in a few moves by the monstrous creature that had emerged, covered in black scales.

They wanted to attack, but their normally formidable longbows and arrows couldn't even scratch Shura’s hide.

They wanted to flee, but for some unknown reason, their legs felt weak, preventing escape.

Watching Shura charge toward Daoist Bichen, they inwardly thought that once the monster devoured the two Daoists, they would surely be next.

Who could have predicted that the youngest Immortal would step forward? That young Immortal—the memory the constables held was simply that he was too young.

Smooth-tongued, but likely inept.

Someone so young must lack real ability.

Moreover, in recent times, Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi had often displayed their immortal arts at the county office.

Lu Yuan, in contrast, always appeared languid and indifferent.

They all assumed the young Immortal was weak and that the exorcism of Guangye Mountain would rely on Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi.

Yet, at the critical moment, the young Immortal stepped up, single-handedly suppressing the demon with the longsword in his grasp.

“Head Constable Lu, your fourth brother is truly formidable.” These constables immediately recalled that this young Immortal was the Head Constable’s fourth brother and began showering him with compliments without reservation.

Everyone knew their lives had essentially been saved by Lu Yuan, so their flattery was unrestrained.

“It is nothing, nothing.

I told you long ago, my fourth brother is capable,” stated Lu Fang, clearly forgetting that he himself hadn't believed in his fourth brother earlier.

As for the Iron-Mouth Divine Calculator, Wang Banxian, who could supposedly predict "five hundred years before and five hundred years after," he had long since fainted.