The Great Asuras abruptly drew their blades, both unleashing the Asura Bone Saber simultaneously—two strikes, fast as lightning. They were fast with the blade, while the Earth-crawling Spiders charged with ferocious momentum, rushing straight toward Lu Yuan. For the Earth-crawling Spiders, their hands were also feet, and their feet were also hands; as they closed in, their two primary legs gripped the ground, while their other six limbs brandished various weapons—a saber, a sword, a spear, a halberd—stabbing towards Lu Yuan. In terms of sheer offensive ferocity, the Earth-crawling Spiders were unmatched, and the Sand Demon’s methods required no further mention, aiming directly at Lu Yuan’s lower body.

The Four Great Demons were at the fourth, fifth, fifth, and sixth layers of Body Refinement, respectively.

When the four demons united their strength, they were certainly not to be trifled with.

The ferocity of this frontal assault was truly like a surging tide.

It could only be described as terrifying!

These demons were all veterans of countless battles, skilled at maximizing their advantages, and their long cooperation meant their teamwork was excellent. This kind of attack, launched immediately, would likely defeat any other Body Refinement fourth-layer cultivator. Even Lu Yuan couldn't help but slightly furrow his brow at the onslaught.

He gave a tremor and a shake to his Yangwu Sword—the Gentle Rain Sword Intent was unleashed.

The Rain Sword Intent was divided into two vastly different forms: Gentle Rain and Downpour.

The greatest function of the Gentle Rain Sword Intent was to confuse the enemy, making it impossible for them to discern direction. While these subterranean demons might handle other attacks easily, there was no rain underground. They had truly never witnessed a gentle drizzle. Now enveloped by the Gentle Rain Sword Intent, they immediately became bewildered, unsure how to respond. They tried to coordinate but found they couldn't even see their companions beside them.

Illusions!

Even in the Cultivation World, there were those who disliked using illusions!

The Great Asura let out a sharp, piercing howl—this was an ultimate technique of the Asura Clan called the Asura Break, capable of shattering illusions. But no matter how loudly he roared, rain continued to fall around him. In truth, the fact that Lu Yuan had not yet mastered the transcendent aspect of the Rain Sword Intent—the Transcendence Sword Intent—meant that the massive volume of rain summoned had many confounding factors woven in. Among them was the magical artifact given by his Master—the Misty Rain Scroll. The Rain Sword Intent combined with the Misty Rain Scroll created a scenario resembling the transcendent Rain Sword Intent, though it was far easier to break than the genuine Rain Transcendence Sword Intent, not being on the same level.

However, it was perfectly suited to deal with the subterranean demons who had never encountered rain before.

The Yangwu Sword turned again, and the transcendent aspect of the Wind Sword Intent was unleashed. Like a passing breeze, it left a gash on one Asura. Another breath of wind swept the ground, lightly caressing the Sand Demon’s hand, carving a streak of blood-letting sword mark. As the momentum shifted toward the Earth-crawling Spider, it became a violent gale—the roaring wind tore off several of the creature’s limbs, sending blood gushing out. The demons collapsed into disarray.

They had never encountered a situation like this.

How could this be?

There were four of them against one, and they had assumed their cultivation levels surpassed this junior. But instead, they were first enveloped by bizarre rain that made it hard to locate each other, shrouded in mist, followed by an utterly uncanny wind—a flurry of wind that kept striking them, inflicting wounds.

In this uncanny wind, they were continuously injured.

They tried to block, but it was incredibly difficult. Amidst the eerie gusts, the four demons counter-attacked incessantly. They felt as if their strikes had landed, indeed hitting the opponent a few times, but the damage they themselves sustained was far heavier. They now understood that this youth was no mere novice unafraid of the tiger; he possessed such strength that the four of them were highly likely to perish here.

This is truly difficult to handle. Lu Yuan panted out a few breaths, noticing several sword wounds on his own back. Thankfully, the immediate threat was neutralized. He wasn't in a rush to end their lives, as he still had use for them, but first, he needed to collect all their spoils of war.

The Body Refinement sixth-layer Sand Demon carried over three hundred spirit stones, one medium-sized sand-element spirit beast, and seven small sand-element spirit beasts. The Body Refinement fifth-layer Earth-crawling Spider also possessed over two hundred spirit stones and five small earth-element spirit beasts, along with numerous weapons.

As for the Great Asuras, they were the most pitiful, possessing only a little over a hundred spirit stones combined and two Asura Bone Sabers.

Lu Yuan hated fighting the Great Asuras; for some inexplicable reason, they were always poor. Furthermore, Great Asuras never used flying swords or similar items; they forged their weapons from their own bones. Reportedly, because the Great Asuras’ cultivation methods differed entirely from others, spirit beasts that were beneficial to other cultivators held no use for them. Since they were useless, the Asura Clan naturally wouldn't carry many around.

In total, Lu Yuan acquired over six hundred spirit stones, one medium sand-element spirit beast, seven small sand-element spirit beasts, five small earth-element spirit beasts, and numerous weapons used by the Earth-crawling Spiders—he couldn't refuse them, considering how many limbs the spiders had and thus how many weapons they carried. Oh, and two Asura Bone Sabers.

It was quite the windfall!

Of course, one should not assume such wealth comes easily!

First, it required a life-or-death battle. Combat is inherently terrifying; it is either life or death, involving extremely high risk. High risk, high reward is normal.

Second, when Lu Yuan fought opponents of similar cultivation levels, they often underestimated him and failed to retreat. These demons never anticipated Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship would be so potent, leading them to be completely defeated.

When Song Jianji saw Lu Yuan return with one Body Refinement fourth-layer Asura, one Body Refinement fifth-layer Asura, one Body Refinement fifth-layer Earth-crawling Spider, and one Body Refinement sixth-layer Sand Demon—all four demons battered nearly to death—Song Jianji stared at Lu Yuan in utter astonishment. “This, this… all done by you alone…”

Lu Yuan nodded. Song Jianji was nearly overwhelmed. He could recognize the formidable strength of the opponents this time. Song Jianji himself was at the Body Refinement eighth layer, the Sky-Soaring Sword Mastery realm, and could naturally win easily, but he knew these four demons were no pushovers. Defeating four simultaneously was rare even in the Seventh Branch Hall's Tenth Subdivision. Yet, Lu Yuan had accomplished it.

The last time, Song Jianji was greatly surprised when Lu Yuan took first place in the Tenth Subdivision competition.

Now, Lu Yuan single-handedly bringing back four such powerful demons made Song Jianji even more astonished.

Song Jianji took a deep breath, feeling jolted by the experience. He inhaled deeply once more to calm himself significantly. “What is your purpose in bringing them back?”

“I don’t know how to interrogate people…” Lu Yuan shrugged. “The Division Master must have talented individuals for that. And these four demons are rumored to have some connection to Elder Hu among the Ten Great Demon Elders…” Hearing this, Song Jianji immediately took it seriously. If they truly had connections to Elder Hu, they couldn't be dismissed lightly. He immediately arranged for skilled interrogators to question them. In this line of work, specialization mattered. A short while later, the four near-dead demons confessed readily. It turned out they were sent by Elder Hu to wait for an opportunity to steal the Tà Huā (Tà Flower). Beyond that, they knew nothing of Elder Hu’s larger plan. Knowing it was merely about the flower, Song Jianji dismissed it instantly. Elder Hu was vying for the Jǐn Tà Huā to curry favor with the Bright Demon Emperor. Song Jianji had zero interest in flowery poetry or paintings, and since it wasn't a major conspiracy, he paid it no mind. Lu Yuan, however, fell into contemplation.

“Right, for the time remaining, prepare yourself thoroughly for the Subterranean Demon Test,” Song Jianji said. If he previously held only three-tenths of confidence in Lu Yuan, he now held six-tenths. To handle four opponents—a Body Refinement fourth-layer, two fifth-layers, and a sixth-layer—one-on-four, sustaining only minor injuries, Song Jianji could only marvel at Lu Yuan’s strength becoming increasingly unfathomable.

Song Jianji’s impression of Lu Yuan was still fixed on his first-place finish in the Tenth Subdivision competition. The most outstanding battle in that contest was when Lu Yuan, alone, broke through the Three Great Sword Formations of the Wudang Immortal Sect. However, the difficulty of that feat was clearly not as high as facing the Four Great Demons one-on-four.

The progress speed of this junior truly was divine!

He was starting to look forward to the Subterranean Demon Test in half a month.

Perhaps it would shock many people’s jaws to the floor.

“The Subterranean Demon Test is almost here…”

“Yes, it’s so soon…”

“Our chance comes once a year.” “Forget it. What chance? The Subterranean Demon Test involves everyone under ten years of tenure from all nine branch halls. Experts are numerous; how could someone of our strength contend? Don’t just talk about us; no one in our Tenth Subdivision has the capability to fight for it…”

“Right, last time, Nangong Lie, who ranked second, should have been promoted to the top spot…”

“Exactly. Ye Qingyu, who dominated the first rank in the Subterranean Demon Test for six years, has passed the ten-year limit. It’s time for Nangong Lie to take over…”

As Lu Yuan walked through the Tenth Subdivision, he overheard the surrounding discussions. It seemed there was a formidable figure named Nangong Lie participating in this test. Eh, whatever. He was just planning to treat it as entertainment before the Chì Fēng Lín (Red Maple Forest) flowers bloomed, not necessarily aiming for first place. If there were strong opponents, so be it; it wasn't a big deal.

People should be open-minded and let things go.

Currently, he needed to head out; he had to familiarize himself with the geography around the Red Maple Forest. On his way out of the Tenth Subdivision, he occasionally overheard people discussing him.

The sole owner of everything.

This alone was enough to attract attention.

However, almost no one believed he could take first place. Based on the discussions he overheard, achieving even the top ten would be difficult, considering how many established experts from the Five Immortals Alliance who had known the subterranean demons for years would be participating, knowing far more than he did.

Listening to the varied chatter, Lu Yuan felt no particular emotion, only taking another swig of wine.