"Hmph, you seek death." A sharp shout echoed, and from within the inner cavern, a hand the color of blood appeared. This great hand swept downward, seeming to tear through countless voids. From the moment this hand manifested, Lu Yuan felt an overwhelming sense of crisis—it was terrifying. This crimson hand appeared to extinguish all vitality, to annihilate all existence.

Escape! He needed to flee with the utmost speed! Lu Yuan knew that if he didn't run now, he would surely perish under the grasp of this bloody hand. How terrifying! Lu Yuan hesitated no longer. The inner sanctum of the Blood Vault Cave undoubtedly held endless treasures, resources, and spiritual materials—they were within reach with a mere extension of his hand. But at a moment like this, reaching for those various spiritual items was the very definition of courting death—purely inviting slaughter.

Lu Yuan summoned his Nourishing Self Sword, enveloping himself in a shroud of white sword qi, activating his full power. Man and sword became one as he fled upon the blade, simultaneously unleashing the White Emperor Sword Dao to further accelerate his escape speed.

"Ridiculous." A cold, detached voice sounded heavily near Lu Yuan's ear. "If word got out that a mere junior managed to escape from me, the Blood Demon Sword Immortal, wouldn't that be the height of absurdity?" The Blood Demon Sword Immortal ranked second among the Seven Blood Sword Sons, a figure at the Ninth Level of Longevity.

As this cold voice struck, Lu Yuan felt his entire body violently shaken, nearly tumbling to the ground. Simultaneously, he felt as if he had plunged into an infinite tempest of gore and blood, unable to break free or escape—trapped in an ocean of blood with no path forward, no path backward—no path at all.

And that crimson hand was closing in on Lu Yuan with even greater speed. It was significantly faster than Lu Yuan's escape speed achieved through Man-Sword Unity utilizing the White Emperor Dao. The Ninth Level of Longevity, Three Extremes Converging into One—how terrifying this power was. Lu Yuan sensed that he would be instantly annihilated by a Ninth Level Longevity master; he likely couldn't even withstand a single blow. If the Ninth Level was this formidable, what kind of beings existed at the Great Dao Realm? This encounter served as a stark reminder: the strength of Sima Changbai might not be inferior to this Blood Demon Sword Immortal; he himself was still too green.

Towering thoughts flashed through his mind, yet vanished in an instant. Everything in this moment was illusory; surviving the distant attack from the Blood Demon Sword Immortal was the only reality.

"Five Elements Reincarnation, shatter for me." "Five Colors Wheel, stabilize my self." "Man-Sword Unity, White Emperor Sword Dao, charge!" Lu Yuan had unleashed everything he possessed, blasting through the preceding wave of blood. A faint "Hmm?" drifted over, clearly indicating that Lu Yuan's capabilities had exceeded the expectations of his attacker. However, the bloody hand expanded even further. How could the dignified Blood Demon Sword Immortal permit Lu Yuan to escape? That would be a complete loss of face.

This bloody hand had now grown to the size of several houses. Just then, snap—a pure white, snow-colored hand materialized, slamming heavily into the blood-colored hand. The two great hands clashed in the void, and blood mingled with snow rained down.

"The dignified Blood Demon Sword Immortal, what honor is there in bullying a junior? Play with me instead." A cool, clear voice rang out.

"Ice Chill Sword Immortal, you court death!" The Blood Demon Sword Immortal roared in fury, engaging the Ice Chill Sword Immortal of the Snow Mountain Immortal Sect in battle within the void.

Lu Yuan seized this brief opportunity to breathe and fled at full speed upon his sword, desperate to surge out of this area. The combatants involved now were operating at an ever-higher echelon; at his current strength, he was merely a spectator in this massive battle. He might as well focus on evasive maneuvers.

In truth, Lu Yuan had reaped substantial rewards from this ordeal.

First, naturally, was his escape from the Heavenly Prison; being confined there was hardly a pleasant experience.

Second, he had gained significant benefits within the prison. The Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations Manual advanced from the Third Transformation to the Fifth Transformation, and he mastered the Azure Emperor Sword Dao, while his magical power ascended to the Fourth Level of Longevity.

Third, he had slain the wicked pair, Blood Transformation Sword Immortal Sinan and his son Si He, gaining numerous advantages, including five Beast-King level spirit beasts and seven large-scale spirit beasts.

Fourth, he had rescued many individuals imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. In the cultivation world, reputation mattered, and this action significantly boosted his standing—though this was a point Lu Yuan himself cared little about.

Fifth, he had breached the Blood Vault Cave, collecting countless Blood Clouds from its inner sanctum and acquiring a single Heaven Enlightenment Stone.

This time, he had profited immensely. Although he suffered considerable losses at the hands of Blood Transformation Sword Immortal Sinan initially, the subsequent gains made the entire venture worthwhile. If his strength had been sufficient, he could have snatched even more benefits from this confrontation between two mid-tier immortal sects, but ultimately, his power level dictated an early exit.

The Blood Sword Sect's current location was far too perilous; he truly could not remain.

Meanwhile, within the Blood Sword Sect, fierce combat raged on. The ground was slick with blood and ice, and the number of cultivators still fighting in the sky dwindled, yet those who remained were increasingly determined. The Blood Sword Sect's strength was roughly comparable to the Snow Mountain Immortal Sect. Logically, the Blood Sword Sect should have the advantage of terrain, but the Snow Mountain Immortal Sect had brought allies, and more critically, the Blood Sword Sect harbored secrets—being an unorthodox sect, they had released inmates who absolutely should have remained jailed. Suspicion was unavoidable, especially the fear that the Kunlun Immortal Sect, not far away, might dispatch reinforcements.

Furthermore, the critical issue now was that the Blood Sword Sect's territory could absolutely not remain exposed. For such unorthodox demonic sects, their base of operations must remain hidden. Since it was exposed, they had no choice but to abandon this foundation. Moreover, the Snow Mountain Immortal Sect was a remarkably tough adversary, hard to crush. Judging by the current state of affairs, abandoning this site seemed inevitable.

However, when the opposing forces were near parity in strength, extricating oneself was no simple task. Fortunately, this was the Blood Sword Sect's territory, and the Blood Sword Ancestor had long prepared an escape route. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed the Blood River Grand Array, causing a torrent of blood to converge upon him from all directions.

This was a genuine river of blood, one capable of submerging nearly the entire Blood Sword Sect. The river possessed immense corrosive power; the Blood Sword Sect's structures immediately disintegrated and dissolved under its touch. Not only that, but rising mists began to envelop the entire sect—mists laced with potent toxins.

Seeing the Blood Sword Ancestor deploy this technique, the Snow Mountain Ancestor roared, "Everyone, ascend!" He raised his hand and conjured a miniature city enveloped in ice and snow—his magical treasure, the Ice Snow City. Within this city, all methods were nullified. All personnel from the Snow Mountain Immortal Sect and those freed from the Heavenly Prison quickly boarded the Ice Snow City.

The Snow Mountain Ancestor dared not pursue immediately. This blood river was no ordinary matter; it was known as the Nine Heavens Ten Earths All-Poison Blood River, the Blood Sword Ancestor's masterpiece. It gathered the myriad toxins from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, transforming into this river. Except for those who cultivated the Blood Cloud Great Method, anyone entering it would suffer severe damage.

It was rumored that within the Central Heavenly Dynasty, there were those who could summon the Boundless Sea of Blood—a truly limitless, vast expanse of crimson water that could overturn dozens of cities with a single strike, terrifying beyond measure. Although the Blood Sword Ancestor had not reached that stage, he was still astonishingly formidable.

The Blood Sword Ancestor and the key figures among his disciples plunged into this Nine Heavens Ten Earths All-Poison Blood River. As for the unimportant members, they were naturally abandoned. Demonic sects and unorthodox schools rarely cherished their subordinates; at such a critical juncture, sacrificing them was expected.

The Blood Sword Ancestor tallied the survivors and discovered the losses were severe. Three of the Seven Blood Sword Sons—the Blood Transformation Sword Immortal, the Blood Rain Sword Immortal, and the Blood Mist Sword Immortal—were dead. The Blood Rain and Blood Mist Sword Immortals perished in direct combat, but how did the Blood Transformation Sword Immortal, who was supposed to be guarding the Heavenly Prison, end up dead?

The Blood Sword Ancestor was somewhat enraged. Being notoriously moody, his wrath could target anyone. His subordinates immediately scrambled to investigate and discovered that the Blood Transformation Sword Immortal had been felled by a young junior named Lu Yuan.

"Later... Lu Gui..."

Lu Yuan had already flown out of the Blood Sword Sect's cave entrance, his vision filled with a vast expanse of white, flickering lightning blossoms. The Western Regions were often snowy.

Lu Yuan guided his sword and plunged into the snowfall. Ever since he was trapped within the Blood Sword Sect, even though it was the size of a city, it was ultimately inside a mountain belly, in the gloomy depths of the Heavenly Prison for so long. He felt an inexpressible sense of dissatisfaction. Although slaying Sinan at the end brought a moment of gratification, the overall feeling was muted.

Upon reaching the outside world, he finally felt true exhilaration. It seemed his nature truly pursued unbridled freedom and ease. In a confined space, one could not attain great liberation; only amidst the vastness of heaven and earth could true self-sovereignty be found.

Snowflakes fell thickly, landing upon him. Comfortable, free. Lu Yuan took a deep breath, drawing in the intensely cool air that was absolutely unattainable in the Heavenly Prison.

Right, he should head to Kunlun now. Martial Uncle Dugu, Martial Uncle Chu, and the others must have been frantic over his inexplicable disappearance for so long. Since he couldn't send word from the Heavenly Prison, now that he was free, he must report his safety. Just as he prepared to depart, he saw a large group of people emerging.

It was precisely the contingent from the Snow Mountain Immortal Sect, along with the group released from the Heavenly Prison. Lu Yuan asked them and learned that the Blood Sword Ancestor and the major experts of the Blood Sword Sect had vanished without a trace. They had prepared escape contingencies when establishing their base here, and the Snow Mountain Immortal Sect couldn't catch up immediately.

These people exchanged polite greetings with Lu Yuan. Those whom Lu Yuan had saved offered their thanks once more before they parted ways.