Whether river or university, compared to the ocean, they could only be described as insignificant.

It was a boundless world of water, a world of azure, and in this world, if there was anything vaster than the ocean, it was only one thing: the earth.

The earth, profoundly heavy.

The ocean, endless.

Lu Yuan’s thoughts were completely immersed in the ocean, steeped in an exchange between two sword dao prodigies across millennia. Watching Duan Jingtao tread every inch of the South Sea, Lu Yuan slowly began to grasp the essence of the Sea Sword Intent, feeling close to enlightenment. Lu Yuan sat down cross-legged.

If he could grasp this, it would be his fifth water-attributed sword intent. The preceding four were Water Sword Intent, Rain Sword Intent, Cloud Sword Intent, and Snow Sword Intent.

The seawater gently undulated, incredibly soft. Seabirds flew lightly. The sun shone warmly. Fish leaped from the sea, truly a beautiful scene. Just then, a tremendous pulling force yanked Lu Yuan back, brutally interrupting his meditative process.

This was...

Lu Yuan immediately recognized it as his body’s protective mechanism. That Sword Master of the South Sea was far stronger than him. He had been completely lost in the elder’s memories; if he didn’t withdraw now, he would never get out, his spirit trapped forever within the memories of the South Sea Sword Master, utterly lost.

He was in the very process of contemplating the Sea Sword Intent. If he had been allowed to remain for just a little longer, he could have comprehended it.

Lu Yuan inwardly sighed at the pity, yet he knew his understanding of the Sea Sword Intent was already profound. Only the final layer, a thin pane of glass, remained unbroken. Once that pane shattered, he would fully grasp the Sea Sword Intent. Lu Yuan was certain that just taking a walk by the seaside would allow him to attain this intent soon enough.

Never mind. It has not yet been attained because the time is not yet right.

He lingered beneath the water for a while longer, feeling that he had absorbed what he could. Then, he flipped over and broke the surface.

As Lu Yuan surfaced, his azure robes were completely drenched, but he didn't pay much heed. He glanced over and saw that Ning Zizhen and the others had already rushed to the summit of the Great Buddha. Ning Zizhen’s boisterous laughter echoed from the top: "Great Soul Stone! There’s actually a Great Soul Stone here!"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan felt intensely displeased.

Ning Zizhen had tricked him earlier, and Lu Yuan had long considered him an enemy. Now, hearing that Ning Zizhen had obtained a Great Soul Stone, his displeasure was extreme.

Lu Yuan could only hope that Ning Zizhen would suffer more misfortune. Just as he thought this, a monstrous roar split the air, a sound that seemed to shake the very spirit, causing a deep tremor in the core of one’s being. Lu Yuan looked up to see Ning Zizhen backing away continuously. He had drawn both his swords and was trying his utmost to defend, but it was proving nearly impossible. A crimson shadow of fire shot toward him, this fiery red figure utterly fearless of the flying swords, daring to collide directly with them.

At first, it was difficult to discern what beast it was. After a moment, the creature became clear.

This monster was entirely flame-colored, possessing the antlers of a deer, the eyes of a lion, the muscular back of a tiger, the scales of a serpent, the tail of an ox, and the hooves of a horse—utterly bizarre. What was this? Lu Yuan was stunned. By its appearance, it seemed remarkably like the legendary Qilin.

"Demon Fire Qilin," a cultivator suddenly shouted out.

Only after hearing this shout did Lu Yuan understand. It was a Demon Fire Qilin, not a true Qilin.

In ancient times, there was a divine beast called the Qilin.

However, the variant species of antiquity had long since vanished in the present age. The Qilin did have a surviving lineage, known as the Demon Fire Qilin. The Demon Fire Qilin differed from the true Qilin in only one aspect of its appearance: the absence of the dragon head. Still, the true Qilin was vastly more powerful than the Demon Fire Qilin. The Qilin was an ancient divine beast, capable of effortlessly destroying cities and perhaps even nations.

The Demon Fire Qilin, being a descendant of the Qilin, was naturally far less potent, but compared to everyone present, it was still terrifyingly powerful.

Now, this Demon Fire Qilin had erupted.

Its target was fixed solely on Ning Zizhen.

Ning Zizhen summoned his twin swords to continuously parry, but facing the Demon Fire Qilin's onslaught, he was at a distinct disadvantage.

As Ning Zizhen fell into a defensive posture, the other eighteen cultivators began to attempt rescues. These eighteen all possessed cultivation levels of the Fourth or Fifth Stage of Longevity. Their combined force, once they joined hands, represented a formidable power. The eighteen charged toward the Demon Fire Qilin, but regrettably, their attack speed could not match the movement speed of the beast. The Demon Fire Qilin moved like a bolt of lightning, relentlessly attacking Ning Zizhen. For some unknown reason, it targeted only him, ignoring the others.

For a time, the other eighteen could not catch the Demon Fire Qilin, while the beast incessantly hammered Ning Zizhen, driving him into a desperate retreat.

How spectacular.

Lu Yuan watched from the side, finding the scene utterly thrilling.

Under normal circumstances, witnessing a monstrous beast attack a fellow cultivator, Lu Yuan would naturally draw his sword to assist. As a member of the righteous path, how could he not help his brethren? But this was Ning Zizhen. Lu Yuan had no inclination to rescue him. Ning Zizhen's fate had nothing to do with him. Moreover, frankly speaking, it was too magnificent to watch.

The Demon Fire Qilin’s collision forced Ning Zizhen’s twin swords apart. The Qilin, wreathed in flame, seized the opportunity, and a wave of fire surged inward. Ning Zizhen let out a piercing scream.

Again, the Demon Fire Qilin slammed forward, its claws darting in, brutally tearing open a long, deep gash across Ning Zizhen’s right shoulder.

The beast shifted again, lunging low and snatching away the sole of Ning Zizhen’s left foot.

The Demon Fire Qilin charged forward again, its foreclaws plunging into Ning Zizhen’s body, piercing his heart.

Spectacular! Lu Yuan thought it absolutely magnificent! Ning Zizhen was nominally a peer; Lu Yuan couldn't bring himself to act, but since the Demon Fire Qilin was taking action, Lu Yuan clapped his hands in celebration, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. Clang! The Great Soul Stone slipped from the grasp of the dying Ning Zizhen and fell onto the palm of the Great Buddha statue, landing with a crisp sound.

The Demon Fire Qilin instantly darted to the Great Soul Stone, enveloping it within the flames surrounding its body. It appeared the Great Soul Stone atop the Great Buddha belonged to it, and Ning Zizhen had sealed his own doom by snatching it. The remaining eighteen cultivators stared at each other, aghast. The Demon Fire Qilin’s speed was too great; the eighteen could not possibly restrain it. Now that the strongest among them, Ning Zizhen, was dead, the remaining eighteen had no hope of matching the beast. Forget about repairing the breach here; escaping its clutches seemed immensely difficult. The Demon Fire Qilin slowly rotated its body, surveying the eighteen remaining cultivators, seemingly searching for its next prey. Those caught in its gaze felt an icy chill deep in their hearts. The remaining eighteen clearly stood no chance against this Demon Fire Qilin. The beast surveyed them again, then, with a sudden roar, charged toward an elder of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect.

The charge was blindingly fast! In an instant, it reached the Qingcheng elder. The elder felt an intense, suffocating heat as flames roared toward him. He immediately summoned his sword to defend, but if Ning Zizhen’s two swords, backed by the power of the Sixth Stage of Longevity, could not withstand the Demon Fire Qilin, this elder, possessing only the Fourth Stage of Longevity, was even less likely to prevail. Before anyone else could react, the Demon Fire Qilin struck countless times, and the Qingcheng elder perished under its claws.

So fast!

The remaining seventeen cultivators understood they were no match for the Demon Fire Qilin. To stay meant certain death. They immediately scattered, each flying their sword into the sky and vanishing into the distance.

Having slain two cultivators, the Demon Fire Qilin surveyed its surroundings and found no more opponents nearby.

Is that all? The beast seemed unsatisfied; it had only just begun to enjoy the slaughter.

This monster’s nature was incredibly ferocious.

The Demon Fire Qilin stood atop the Great Buddha’s head, looking down, then narrowed its eyes. It spotted another cultivator near the Buddha’s feet, and this one's aura seemed slightly different from the others. The Qilin squinted, marking another potential prey—though this prey seemed harder to hunt.

The Demon Fire Qilin had noticed him, but Lu Yuan felt no urgency. He certainly intended to remain. Repairing the breach was a task he absolutely had to complete. Furthermore, the Demon Fire Qilin was rumored to be a treasure trove, and he was extremely covetous of the Great Soul Stone. Thus, he remained rooted to the spot and made no move to flee.

The beast atop the Great Buddha, the young man in azure at the Buddha’s feet.

Separated by the four-hundred-zhang height of the Great Buddha, the two sides faced each other in a standoff.

The Great Buddha remained silent, unmoved. The river water flowed ceaselessly.

Meanwhile, the seventeen surviving cultivators had fled quite a distance before daring to look back. They wanted to see which one the Demon Fire Qilin would pursue last. Given its speed, surely one person couldn't escape. But when they looked back, they saw one cultivator standing motionless by the Great Buddha, confronting the beast.

"Who is that? So bold, why aren't they fleeing?"

"Huh? Isn't that the junior, Lu Yuan?"

"Why isn't he running? Has he been scared senseless?"

"Precisely, precisely! He must be paralyzed with fear."

"Or maybe he thinks he has the courage to face the Demon Fire Qilin." The speaker was clearly mocking him; he couldn't believe Lu Yuan possessed the courage to face the Qilin, which possessed a might slightly exceeding that of the Sixth Stage Longevity Brother Ning, moved like lightning, radiated intensely scalding flames that seemed to burn the blood, resembling a grim reaper.

"He's done for."

"He’ll probably be brutally slaughtered by the Demon Fire Qilin." Those from the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, aligned with Ning Zizhen, naturally sneered at Lu Yuan. The cultivators from other sects were less opinionated. Daoist Nü Gān Lǐ transmitted via sound transmission: "Lu Yuan, be careful. That Demon Fire Qilin is terrifying. Flee if you can."