"Give me what I want, and we'll call it even," this was the declaration of the Blood-Transformation Sword Immortal, Sinan.

The death of his son was inconsequential; only the secret manual mattered.

Lu Yuan felt a chill creep into his heart; such a person was truly a demonic heretic, utterly devoid of humanity. His Nourishing Sword was already drawn, unleashing the move "Frenzied Wind Crossing" upon his opponent. For reasons unknown, though he possessed countless skills, the most instinctively familiar remained this very technique.

This strike erupted like a sudden gale, roaring past.

Just then, a crimson longsword sliced through—it perfectly blocked the path of the Nourishing Sword, which shone clear as autumn water and represented righteousness. The demonic sword, entirely blood-red and exuding a palpable miasma of blood energy, collided with it. The impact was stark; in the next instant, Lu Yuan was thrown back more than ten paces.

Purely in terms of spiritual power, the Blood-Transformation Sword Immortal Sinan’s cultivation was naturally superior to Lu Yuan’s.

Sinan burst into laughter: "Little brat Lu! Your skill is passable, but running up against the Old Man means you’re still far too green. Surrender obediently now." He shrieked and lunged, his blood-red robes billowing wildly toward Lu Yuan. Within the crimson robes, an insidious, fragrant poison akin to the Scent of the Sea of Blood was subtly deployed. The blood sword thrusts within the flowing fabric made the inner movements impossible to discern—a perfect dual strategy.

The blood-red robe billowed as if to eclipse the sky, instantly engulfing the entire celestial prison within its demonic, crimson shroud. Beneath the robe, the air grew thick with the stench of gore as Sinan launched his assault.

The blood sword moved—this single cleave seemed to condense the essence of countless bloody horrors into its trajectory.

He unleashed this strike as if he were an ancient Demon God, and the blood sword itself appeared as if it had ensnared countless ancient resentments.

Sinan’s technique was far from ordinary. This sword art was called the Myriad Heavens Blood Sword, acquired by the Blood Sword Patriarch of the Blood Sword Sect from an ancient ruin. The Patriarch had obtained this sword manual, known as the Ancient Demon God Blood Sword Sky-Shattering Technique. Legend held that an Ancient Demon God, using a million souls as sacrifice, merging millions of flesh and blood essences within it, could manifest a world-shattering technique capable of cleaving the heavens and breaking the earth.

The Blood Sword Patriarch, being a man of the demonic path, naturally hoarded his secrets; he would never transmit the entire Ancient Demon God Blood Sword Sky-Shattering Technique. Sinan, being one of the Seven Blood Sword Brothers, had inherited several moves, and the Myriad Heavens Blood Sword technique was one that gathered all the blood within its range into a single strike.

As he executed this move, countless bloody karmic ties wrapped around the blade, and faint demonic sounds began to emerge.

The Buddha possesses the sound of the Dharma.

The Devil possesses the sound of malice.

The chanting of Buddhist scriptures can repel demons.

But the seductive hum of demonic sound could stir the mind into turmoil, invite inner demons to possess the body, and within this single sword strike, faint apparitions of blood-horses, blood-tigers, blood-lions, and blood-leviathans seemed to materialize. Rumor suggested that when mastered to its extreme, a single sword strike could summon legions of blood dragons that shook the heavens and earth—terrifying beyond measure.

Not to mention the frightening power of his Nascent Core stage cultivation level—the might of a sixth-level Longevity cultivator wielding a Void Core’s energy was now manifest.

Sinan held nothing back; his initial assault aimed solely to capture Lu Yuan—the son could be sacrificed, but the manual must be secured.

As Sinan struck, the surrounding prisoners felt only a dull lethargy, as if their very essence and blood were being drawn out by the attack. Even Qiu Xing, the most powerful among them, inwardly conceded that the Blood-Transformation Sword Immortal was indeed formidable; even with his own spiritual power intact, he doubted he could withstand such a blow.

"Lu Yuan, you cannot possibly be my match."

"Lu Yuan, you had best hand over what I demand."

"Otherwise, I shall let you die slowly under the Blood Demon Entanglement Method!" Sinan roared with laughter, utterly confident. In that first exchange, he had already gauged Lu Yuan’s power—only early-stage fourth-level Longevity. Such a cultivation base facing him was doomed to annihilation.

Boom!

Boom-boom!

This attack, combining cunning technique with immense spiritual force, created a terrifying spectacle.

Just as Sinan and the assembled prisoners were certain of Lu Yuan’s defeat, Lu Yuan delivered a sword strike.

When this first strike appeared, the onlookers paid it little heed. This single sword effortlessly sliced through the myriad blood-horses, blood-tigers, and blood-lions—these phantom beasts, formed from churning, sinful blood, were perhaps a thousand times more potent than their living counterparts, yet they were simply cleaved through by this one sword.

This sword! Butcher Slicing an Ox!

This technique was truly akin to the butcher carving an ox, but the difference was that the butcher only worked on one animal, whereas this sword bypassed the weakest points of countless blood-beasts—the blood-horses, tigers, lions, and whales—with exquisite lightness, slicing cleanly through them and driving straight toward Sinan.

This strike carried no overwhelming surge of spiritual power, yet solely by virtue of its form, it bypassed Sinan’s Myriad Heavens Blood Sword technique and aimed directly for his shoulder. Sinan was inwardly shocked; his signature Myriad Heavens Blood Sword had been broken, and his attempted deployment of the Scent of the Sea of Blood poison proved utterly useless.

How could this be!

How could Lu Yuan achieve this!

This is bad; I must immediately use the Blood Sacrifice Sword Art! Sinan was decisive; sacrificing his own vital essence for the manual was nothing. He prepared to spit blood for the technique, but the longsword, shimmering like autumn water, wrapped around him. Its movements were sublime, infinite subtleties manifesting in a single thrust, preventing him from spitting the essential blood.

One move followed another, one stance after the next. The sword techniques Lu Yuan now launched were sequential, each one driving Sinan toward despair. How could such exquisite artistry exist? His ultimate skills were being dismantled completely, leaving the surrounding prisoners gaping in stunned silence at the sheer elegance of the swordsmanship.

Sinan thrust his blood sword forward, deploying the Thousand Autumns Blood Lock Stance behind it. Once unleashed, boundless blood-light would explode outward with terrifying destructive force, yet that same autumn-water-like sword miraculously sealed the position, locking down the technique entirely.

Sinan countered with the Boundless Blood Sword Stance. This stance commenced with an overwhelming, irresistible tide of energy—how could Lu Yuan possibly block it? However, Lu Yuan thrust his longsword directly at Sinan’s throat. Sinan realized with utter despair that Lu Yuan would strike him first. He had no choice but to abandon his effort.

Lu Yuan’s initial moves appeared profoundly mundane, yet the profundity concealed within was beyond description.

He Changfeng, who had always considered himself a master of the Sword Sect, was now completely immersed in Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship. Lu Yuan had executed dozens of strikes, yet He Changfeng had only managed to analyze the second one. His own Martial Uncle from the Sword Sect had only grasped the second move. To describe these two moves, only two words sufficed: absolute perfection.

Qiu Xing, watching beside him, was equally lost in analyzing the martial arts. With his cultivation at the fourth level of Longevity, his swordsmanship was not inferior. From his perspective, he had only managed to analyze Lu Yuan’s fourth sword strike. Every single move was so flawless, so classic it could serve as a textbook example. Only then did he realize that Lu Yuan had never used his full strength when sparring with others previously. The Blood-Transformation Sword Immortal was truly powerful to have withstood dozens of blows.

In truth, Sinan no longer knew how he was blocking them. Initially, he could maintain a semblance of composure in his analysis, but every strike was so perfectly executed. Now, he was relying solely on his vast spiritual reserves to crush Lu Yuan, fighting in a disordered manner. Since his power advantage over Lu Yuan was not insurmountable, this chaotic fighting style only served to inflict numerous wounds upon himself.

Sinan’s formation was broken. Suddenly, a chill pierced his heart—he had been run through by a sword.

What!

Damn it! Sinan struggled to counterattack, intending to detonate his Void Core. Few dared to provoke someone who had reached the sixth level of Longevity, given the immense power of a self-detonation. But Lu Yuan followed immediately with another thrust, blade pressing upon blade, preventing Sinan from even executing the self-destruction. Throughout this entire confrontation, Sinan had been a mere tragedy.

Sinan possessed several major trump cards: first, the Blood Sacrifice Sword Art; second, detonating the Void Core. Either one could severely injure Lu Yuan, but under the influence of that impossibly miraculous sword technique, he couldn't deploy either. It felt as though every single action he attempted was being controlled by Lu Yuan’s blade. Certain death!

Another sword pierced his throat. Although a cultivator who achieved a Void Core at the sixth level of Longevity possessed formidable vitality, the massive blood loss, combined with the piercing of his throat and heart, finally caused Sinan to collapse with a thud. The demonic Sword Immortal, who had caused tens of thousands of deaths, had finally met his end.

Gasping intakes of breath! Disbelief!

How could this be possible!

Was this real or fake! Has the world gone topsy-turvy!

Innumerable gasps echoed through the chamber. Having shared this prison for so long, everyone knew Lu Yuan was the tenth-generation true disciple of Mount Hua. Ordinarily, a true disciple at this stage should only be at the second or third layer of Body Refinement. Yet, the current Lu Yuan was already astonishingly powerful, capable of besting ordinary Elders. That alone was remarkable, but now, he had actually defeated a Demon Sect Elder at the Sword Immortal level.

A Sword Immortal level Elder! All the Elders who had been absorbed in analyzing Lu Yuan’s techniques were instantly jolted back to reality. A tenth-generation true disciple was now capable of fighting—and winning against—the elite of the ninth generation.

Exhilarating! The Blood-Transformation Sword Immortal had imprisoned him for so long, employing various tortures to force him to reveal the ultimate technique passed down by Patriarch Yan. Now, seeing him die by his own hand finally brought immense satisfaction. The accumulated grievances of the past few months vanished instantly, leaving him feeling refreshed and clear-headed. Lu Yuan paid no mind to the thoughts of those around him; it was time to collect spoils. That battle had consumed considerable energy; every strike was pushed to the absolute limit of his capability. Among the spoils, what Lu Yuan valued most were naturally the Blood Cloud Spirit Beasts; he had to see how many Sinan possessed.

With a casual search, he found Sinan’s spatial magical artifact. Once a person dies, all concealment vanishes; even spatial artifacts hidden within the body will manifest. If the person were still alive, retrieving the artifact would be difficult, but now, Lu Yuan’s divine sense probed inside, revealing numerous valuable items, including a massive, blood-colored Spirit Sealing Plaque.

Besides that, there were many other treasures.