The two Demon Lords, poised at the absolute center, exuded supreme confidence. The coming fight felt laughably simple; at most, they needed two heartbeats to hold this human cultivator, allowing the surrounding horde to converge, trapping him in the encirclement.

By then, this human cultivator would be truly doomed, with no chance of turning the tide.

And stopping him for just one or two heartbeats? Child’s play.

They were, after all, half-step Longevity Realm.

The half-step Longevity Realm far surpassed the peak of the Tenth Level Body Tempering stage. Though not yet reaching the true Longevity stage, they were renowned for their immense power, standing at the apex of Body Tempering cultivators.

One of these two demons was named Dao Nanluo. In the Asura clan, this name carried a profound dual meaning, functioning both as a given name and a title. Dao Nanluo’s title proclaimed his mastery over the Way of the Blade. With a subtle movement, a blade as thin as a cicada’s wing—a bone-white Asura blade—shot out like lightning.

This strike bore a chilling sweep of cold light, seemingly intent to shatter, destroy, and break everything it touched! This single blow sent shivers down even the nearby Ninth and Tenth Level Body Tempering demons, each convinced they would be gravely wounded if they dared intercept it. The essence of shattering, destruction, and rupture saturated this attack, yet its trajectory was fantastically unpredictable and elusive.

The other demon was a rare sight among the Underworld Demons: Shui Mu Yin Ji, a jellyfish spirit. With a wave of her hand, river waters materialized in her grip, twisting into massive, churning whirlpools. These currents transformed into serpentine shapes, instantly blanketing the sky and earth with a torrent of water snakes, turning the entire area into a world made of water.

Sky, earth, and the space between vanished, leaving only the endless, coiling snakes—another prime example of a First-Tier spell. Such spells, when unleashed, could drastically alter localized environments, often bringing about complete local devastation. The Lava Swordsman Wu Mei Nanqiu’s First-Tier spell, Lava Apocalypse, had done precisely that. Now, the true Shui Mu Yin Ji unleashed her First-Tier spell, Water Snake River, with the same devastating effect.

Fire spells generally possess a more violent nature. Therefore, comparing Lava Apocalypse and Water Snake River, the former often appeared more terrifying in its spectacle and mightier in its immediate threat.

However, in reality, the spell executed by Shui Mu Yin Ji was arguably more insidious. Once these water snakes made contact or infiltrated a body, the gentle yet penetrating coldness they emitted wouldn't simply blast the victim apart; instead, they could freeze the target solid. In terms of true destructive power, Water Snake River held the edge.

Initially, the water snakes seemed docile, but after a brief half-heartbeat, they swelled to dozens of feet long. Hundreds of these monstrous serpents simultaneously bared their fanged maws, exhaling icy mist as they lunged toward Lu Yuan.

Time had now surpassed the mark of half a heart-beat.

If Lu Yuan could not break past the resistance of the two half-step Longevity Realm demons within a single full heartbeat, he was destined to die here.

The hearts of the observing cultivators nearby pounded faster, yet Lu Yuan, immersed in the fray, felt his perception of the surrounding cosmic ebb and flow sharpen profoundly. In that instant, he drew his sword almost instinctively.

The moment the blade left its sheath, five strikes were unleashed.

The supreme intent of the five elements—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—was woven into those five swift cuts.

It was in that very second, the second heart-beat, that these five streams of sword intent manifested, directly consuming and dissolving the surrounding torrent of annihilating blade energy and the wild, gentle, icy ferocity of the Water Snake River spell—it was like a cycle of reincarnation taking place.

In truth, Lu Yuan had only just achieved the nascent stage of the Five Elements Sword Dao.

Once he successfully consolidated it into the Five Emperors Reincarnation Sword Dao and achieved further mastery, he could forge the Great Wheel of Reincarnation. That would be the true state where all magical power is worn down and recycled, rendering him utterly immune to all spells. But the distance between Lu Yuan and forging that Great Wheel was immeasurable; it was a concept he dared not even contemplate right now.

Nevertheless, even without manifesting the Great Wheel, the Five Elements Reincarnation Sword Dao had exerted a glimmer of its power.

Instantly, the combined moves of Dao Nanluo and Shui Mu Yin Ji were neutralized. Had this been a standard fight, Lu Yuan could have pressed his advantage with a few more moves and dispatched these two demons within a few dozen exchanges without much difficulty. But now, he had absolutely no time; this was already the very end of the second heart-beat.

Before him, there was no further obstacle.

Lu Yuan’s Nourishing My Sword sliced out lightly, intercepting the purple Longevity Fruit as it flew past. He swiftly retrieved a porcelain vial and sealed the fruit within.

The purple Longevity Fruit was secured.

Lu Yuan shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

“Stop him!” Fang Suifeng cried out, but any demon who rushed forward failed to even form an encirclement, utterly incapable of matching Lu Yuan. He casually felled a few with sweeping strikes; none could withstand even a single blow from him.

In true combat, they might not have been utterly incapable of matching Lu Yuan for a single move, but at this moment, Lu Yuan had fully unleashed his momentum.

Conversely, the demons’ fighting spirit had been completely crushed.

Under this ebb and flow of morale, the demons found themselves unable to stand against Lu Yuan’s single strikes. Demons, by definition in the cultivation world, were beings of madness, bloodlust, and ferocity. Yet, this very savagery was now undermined by a primal terror, as if this azure silhouette were a terrifying God of Slaughter.

Lu Yuan’s fighting spirit soared, igniting a feeling of invincible power in his heart: “Hahahaha! Demons are nothing more than this!” He roared a song of triumphant departure, a sound laced with indescribable, soaring pride that faded into the distance.

“Pursue!” Fang Suifeng commanded, only to realize no one heeded him. Lu Yuan had stormed in alone, seized the purple Longevity Fruit, and in the ensuing battle, the latter half saw the demons’ morale collapse entirely, rendering them incapable of standing against a single strike. Who would dare chase such a figure now, risking death? If the Bright Demon Emperor himself had commanded them, they might follow, even unto death. But this man was merely the nephew of the Bright Demon Emperor; they were not obligated to throw their lives away on his orders.

Song Shijun and the other observing cultivators were speechless for a long time. The battle had been too intense, their hearts drumming at their wildest pace every moment, leaving no room to process cause and effect—they had only witnessed the sheer, soaring intensity of the fight, thinking of nothing else.

Now, the battle was over.

Only now did they have the leisure to process what happened.

He… he actually…

He succeeded! A single person had charged into a horde of over two hundred demons to seize the purple Longevity Fruit. Within that group were nearly a hundred Eighth Level Body Tempering demons, dozens of Ninth Level, dozens of Tenth Level, and two half-step Longevity Realm Lords. And yet, he had snatched the fruit single-handedly.

True, there had been an element of exploiting the clash between the two factions of demons, allowing Lu Yuan to capitalize on the chaos, but even accounting for that, the difficulty level was impossibly high. The fight demanded speed and ruthlessness; any single misstep would have trapped him within the enemy tide, yet Lu Yuan achieved the impossible.

It was hard to believe. Even seasoned figures at the half-step Longevity Realm might not have accomplished this.

Reflecting on the brief engagement, Lu Yuan had shattered the combined assault of the two half-step Longevity Lords, Dao Nanluo and Shui Mu Yin Ji, with a single sword stroke. This clearly indicated that Lu Yuan’s combat strength likely surpassed the half-step Longevity Realm entirely.

As Lu Yuan’s laughter echoed away, a surge of heroic spirit rose even among the spectators. Naturally, the cultivators realized they needed to flee immediately. Before, the standoff between the two demon factions had meant they were largely ignored. Now, having suffered a massive loss at Lu Yuan’s hands and failing to secure the fruit, the demons would likely turn their wrath upon the onlookers. Thus, the cultivators swiftly mounted their swords and retreated with extreme speed, daring not to linger. As they scattered, the news that Lu Yuan had brazenly snatched the purple Longevity Fruit from the jaws of the demon horde would inevitably spread.

Fang Suifeng and Ren Qingyu, the leaders of the two demon factions, reacted differently. Fang Suifeng looked thoroughly frustrated, but Saintess Ren Qingyu, always known for her decisive ruthlessness, let a spark flicker across her icy expression: “Who was that human cultivator?” The entire event had transpired too quickly for most demons to even get a clear look at the man’s features. Now that things had settled, Ren Qingyu’s first priority was identifying him. Moments later, a report arrived.

“Lu Yuan.” Saintess Ren Qingyu paused, her brow knitting slightly. “A disciple from the North Peak of the Huashan Immortal Sect?” Her long, beautiful eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. Yet, within the heart of this celestial darling, there was immense shock. Demonic cultivation methods often invited inner demons and allowed for rapid advancement, sometimes through devouring flesh and blood, but rarely did one ascend so quickly.

Even her father, at this age, likely lacked such prowess; he would have been inferior.

And this was a disciple of a reputable righteous sect achieving such heights so rapidly.

If this news reached Uncle Dongfang, he would surely move to eliminate this man. Having lost to Yan Cangtian in the past, Uncle Dongfang would never wish to see another rival like Yan Cangtian arise. The Demoness Saintess instantly made this judgment; her temperament, similar to that of Miss Zhong from the Unsword Immortal Sect, was decisive and marked by swift killing intent, honed by her life among demons.

Lu Yuan counted his current collection of Longevity Fruits; the haul was indeed substantial.

Four red, two orange, one yellow, one green, one blue, and now one purple Longevity Fruit—a total of ten. If only he had the indigo fruit, he could assemble the Seven-Colored Fruits and reach the Longevity Realm without difficulty.