Lu Yuan drank heartily, wine gourd in hand, ready to confront every demon in this chaotic melee with a single sword.

Up to this point, Lu Yuan had already seized all the glory.

Countless demons sought to stop him, yet none could withstand the three feet of cold steel in his grasp.

Lu Yuan’s performance naturally sent tremors through the demon ranks.

The shockwaves extended beyond the demons to many within the Tenth Sub-Branch as well.

Within the Tenth Sub-Branch, only the Branch Master, Song Jianjiu, truly understood Lu Yuan’s capabilities. The others, seeing Lu Yuan ranked forty-third in the subterranean demon trials, naturally assumed he was merely average. They were completely unaware of the situation during the emissary visit from the Great Yuan Kingdom because they never received any news regarding it.

The Five Immortals Alliance was an exceptionally formidable military force; its sheer power was not inferior to any one of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

Many aspects of the world require equilibrium.

Heaven and Earth require balance, as do Yin and Yang; similarly, political dynamics among various powers necessitate balance.

While the Five Immortals Alliance possessed tremendous combat strength, they were relatively dependent on the Five Great Immortal Sects for resources, and their access to information was deliberately restricted. This ensured that intelligence concerning the Alliance remained consistently poor, as severing the information pipeline for a deeply hidden subterranean organization was trivially easy.

The Five Great Immortal Sects employed strategies of balance, leading to the establishment of both the Elder Council and the Five Immortals Alliance.

To return to the current events: the Tenth Sub-Branch competition had been widely viewed as rigged, and news of the Great Yuan Kingdom’s emissary never filtered down underground. Consequently, many dismissed Lu Yuan as a fraud—a weakling. Yet, the power Lu Yuan was now displaying was anything but that of a fraud; how could a mere pretender be this devastating?

At this moment, the cultivators of the Tenth Sub-Branch were all dumbfounded.

“Who was it that called him a fraud?”

“Indeed. Even a Fragrance Lord isn't this strong.”

A Fragrance Lord was proof of considerable power in the underground world.

Holding the rank of Branch Master was even greater testament to one's standing and strength in this realm. This was hardly a peaceful rear area; they were constantly engaged in close-quarters combat with subterranean demons. Those who achieved these positions through connections would never seek them out to simply lounge about. Being a Fragrance Lord generally signified strength at the fourth or fifth level of Body Tempering, while being a Branch Master implied seventh or eighth level, or even higher. To attain the rank of Hall Master absolutely required mastery at the Longevity Stage.

A cultivator possessing the strength of a Fragrance Lord was a respected powerhouse in the underground world.

Those who had previously called Lu Yuan a fraud now dared not utter another word.

Lu Yuan, naturally, paid them little mind. He was never one to dwell on the opinions of others. A cup of wine, a single sword, and himself—he was perfectly content and free-willed; why concern himself with the clamor of others?

My joy resides solely within my own heart.

My freedom is boundless within Heaven and Earth.

Lu Yuan was currently intoxicated by the thrill of battle, finding no match among the surrounding demons.

However, at this moment, Lu Yuan couldn't help but look up toward the front. Soaring through the sky ahead was a Great Asura. This particular Great Asura was clearly distinct from the others; his entire physique was tempered almost to the hardness of flying sword iron, seeming to glow faintly. Once such a being reached the Longevity Stage, the structural resilience of the Asura race would rival that of flying swords. This Great Asura was obviously nearing that stage of evolution.

Seeing the Great Asura, whose body resembled cold iron on the verge of luminescence, the other demons instinctively converged toward him. “The Branch Master has arrived.”

“Greetings to the Branch Master.”

This Great Asura was a Branch Master among the demons, possessing the power of the seventh level of Body Tempering—the refinement of the mind—and was on the cusp of breaking through to the eighth level, Sky-Riding by Sword. Once he achieved that, he could fight remotely with his sword, negating the need for close-quarters engagement.

If a Fragrance Lord commanded respect in the underground, a Branch Master commanded even more.

Every Branch Master was an extraordinarily formidable figure.

This Great Asura had a name: Hanlanluo. Hanlanluo was, in truth, somewhat frustrated. The original plan was for two branch divisions to swiftly overrun the Tenth Sub-Branch—the Tenth Sub-Branch of the Seventh Hall of the Five Immortals Alliance—and then proceed against the other two divisions. Who could have foreseen that Song Jianjiu would be far more tenacious than anticipated, even resorting to the Self-Shattering Technique? While this technique instantly skyrocketed his combat power, its aftereffects were catastrophic. Song Jianjiu was currently using it to fight two demon Branch Masters simultaneously; otherwise, Song Jianjiu would have been eliminated long ago.

Yet, even employing the Self-Shattering Technique to contend against two Branch Masters was incredibly difficult. He saw that Song Jianjiu could be subdued within another hundred exchanges. But then, unexpectedly, a youth in blue robes appeared, cutting a swathe of destruction with his sword, felling numerous demons.

Earth Demons, Flame Yakshas, Great Asuras, Dual-Mother Demons—all fell beneath this blue-robed youth’s blade.

It could be said that if this blue-robed youth were allowed to continue rampaging, the entire battle situation risked collapse.

Resignedly, Hanlanluo had no choice but to intervene against the blue-robed youth, leaving the other Branch Master to deal with Song Jianjiu. Hanlanluo now stood suspended in the void. “Youngster, daring to shatter our grand strategy—today shall be the day you meet your end.” With a sweep of his hand, an Asura bone blade, thin as parchment, materialized in his grasp.

Whoosh

He vanished. When Hanlanluo reappeared, the bone blade was already arcing above Lu Yuan’s head. Lu Yuan reacted instinctively, rising with his sword in a block. Zheng! Lu Yuan was sent flying backward violently.

“For a junior, managing to block that strike is commendable. Among your peers, you can claim supremacy.” Hanlanluo nodded in praise. “It is a pity your strength peaks here. The disparity in vital energy is too vast; you will die in this engagement. I will refine your bones and incorporate them into my blade as a memento.” The Asura race had a tradition: when facing a truly formidable opponent, they would incorporate that foe's bones into their bone blades as a mark of respect for strength, which also significantly enhanced the blade’s power.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang

Hanlanluo continued his assault.

Under Hanlanluo’s relentless attacks, Lu Yuan could only retreat, and retreat again. Although he managed to parry every strike, his vital energy was far inferior, leaving him perpetually hunted. In this phase, Lu Yuan was at an absolute disadvantage. Hanlanluo secretly acknowledged that while he maintained the upper hand, pressing attack after attack forced Lu Yuan into purely defensive maneuvers. Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship was truly excellent; if allowed to mature, this child might become a titan among the Five Great Immortal Sects. Alas, he was destined to perish by Hanlanluo’s hand—a pity.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath. His opponent was formidable.

This opponent was the strongest he had encountered so far.

His previous adversaries had either been mediocre talents of the previous generation or the absolute apex of the current generation, such as the Reincarnated Spirit Child, Tiemu’er. He truly had yet to face an outstanding figure from the preceding era, discounting figures like Yuan Ling, whose power was overwhelmingly dominant.

Without a doubt, Hanlanluo before him was a Branch Master-level expert, certainly a capable fighter even among the last generation. His seventh-level Body Tempering vital energy relentlessly pressed Lu Yuan, and under the relentless tracking of the Asura bone blade, Lu Yuan felt close to vomiting blood.

Ah, vomiting blood—the Blood Sword technique.

After deflecting another strike from Hanlanluo’s bone blade and being flung backward again, Lu Yuan declared, “Branch Master level is powerful, but do you truly believe you can defeat me?”

The moment these words left his mouth, nearly everyone froze.

Yes, Lu Yuan was undeniably strong. None had anticipated his power level before this, able to dominate enemies single-handedly with his sword in the melee. However, his strength had its limits. While he might be the most brilliant among the younger generation and could hold his own against the mediocrities of the last generation, facing a true master from that same generation meant accepting defeat.

In the underground world, the term ‘Branch Master level’ had always been synonymous with great power; Hall Master level was even more formidable, with every Hall Master being unfathomably strong.

And yet, what was Lu Yuan saying now?

He dared to state: “Branch Master level is powerful, but do you truly believe you can defeat me?” What did that sentence imply? Was this a direct challenge to Hanlanluo, a Branch Master? People had heard the term ‘overestimating oneself’ before, but now they were witnessing it firsthand. It was utterly ridiculous—Lu Yuan, a mere nobody, challenging a Branch Master. How absurd.

Every Branch Master held significant renown within their respective territories underground.

What an incredibly arrogant youth.

The assembled cultivators and demons, forgetting the main fray, involuntarily turned their attention to the duel between Hanlanluo and Lu Yuan. Hanlanluo erupted in loud laughter. He found this young man fascinatingly amusing. Did this youth truly not grasp the significance of the Branch Master rank in the underground world? He glanced again at the blue-robed youth spewing such audacious words.

The blue-robed youth raised a hand and drew forth a flying sword imbued with a fiery hue, resembling a trailing rainbow. The Blood Sword technique documented the Blood Sacrifice Sword Art, a sinister practice. However, the Righteous Sword, Nourishing My Sword, was incapable of executing such dark arts.

Naturally, the watching cultivators and demons had no comprehension of the implications. They merely watched as the blue-robed youth switched swords, opened his mouth, and spat blood onto the Rainbow Sword. The sword immediately turned crimson, emitting an intensely demonic, bloody glow. What was he doing? Did he truly believe that spitting a mouthful of blood could overcome a Branch Master like Hanlanluo? It was impossible.

Challenging a Branch Master was an impossible feat.

At some unknown point, a wind began to stir.

Although there was no rain underground, there was wind.

What moments ago had been a gentle breeze instantly transformed into a sweeping, wicked gale.

(The network is back online, I feel much better. I will be updating diligently these two days, and there will be another chapter tonight.)RA