The wind stirred softly, the clouds drifted silently. The river flowed onward, unceasing through the passing of sun and moon. The Great Buddha remained still, unmoved. Upon the Great Buddha's head perched the demonic beast, the Fire Qilin; at the Buddha's base stood Lu Yuan, the young man in green.

The Demonic Beast: The Fire Qilin was classified as a Demonic Beast, a second-tier one at that. One should not underestimate Demonic Beasts. Of all things under heaven and earth, those previously labeled as mere 'Monsters' could only be called Demonic Beasts if their combat strength rivaled that of cultivators at the Longevity Stage. A first-tier Demonic Beast possessed combat power ranging from the first to the fourth layer of the Longevity Stage; a second-tier beast, from the fifth to the seventh layer; and a third-tier beast, from the eighth to the tenth layer. As for fourth-tier Demonic Beasts, their might was even more terrifying, reaching the level of the Great Dao Realm. The creature before them was indeed a second-tier Demonic Beast.

Flames blazed fiercely atop the Great Buddha’s head, flames that seemed poised to devour heaven and earth. It had just brutally slain Ning Zizhen and an elder from the Qingcheng Immortal Sect. The combined efforts of nineteen individuals had proven utterly useless against its lightning-fast speed. Now, it narrowed its eyes, staring intently at Lu Yuan.

In an instant, it transformed into a torrent of flowing fire, lunging toward Lu Yuan. At that moment, Lu Yuan felt the surrounding world become intensely scorching; boundless flames filled his entire field of vision. But to think you could fell me so easily, that’s impossible. With a movement of his hand, he brought forth the Yangwu Sword to parry, successfully blocking the creature's claw.

In this single block, the Fire Qilin’s magical power surpassed Lu Yuan’s; it was likely slightly higher than the sixth layer of the Longevity Stage, though clearly not yet reaching the seventh. As expected, Lu Yuan confirmed internally.

The Fire Qilin moved again. It was impossible for such a beast to possess perfectly refined techniques; its approach was marked by simple movements executed with lightning speed—a trait somewhat akin to the South Sea Immortal Sect’s style. Lu Yuan swept his hand back, and the Yangwu Sword shua shua shua-ed out a hundred strikes in the span of a single breath.

Back in the Wusheng Legacy Palace, he had only managed twenty strikes per breath when he first mastered the Sword Intent of Speed. Now, he could unleash a hundred strikes in a single breath.

The Fire Qilin’s form blurred at its maximum speed, its very silhouette lost in motion. All that remained was a dancing mass of flowing fire. Such velocity made reaction impossible. Similarly, as Lu Yuan’s long sword danced, a hundred swords appeared in an instant, the physical blade itself vanishing from sight.

Now, this was a contest of pure speed. Everything else was secondary; it was about who was faster.

The Fire Qilin is incredibly fast, Lu Yuan realized with a jolt. He had mastered the Sword Intent of Speed, combined it with the White Emperor Sword Dao, and even layered the Twilight Sword Intent upon the Fire Qilin. Even so, the beast’s speed still surpassed his own. Such velocity was terrifying to an inexpressible degree. This was the fastest creature he had ever encountered in terms of striking speed. Demonic Beasts possessing Qilin blood were indeed extraordinary.

Flowing flames enveloped Lu Yuan from all sides. The Fire Qilin’s entire body seemed to radiate fire, its true form hidden within the blaze, ready to erupt at any moment to consume everything. The Fire Qilin was excited; it hadn't been this energized even when battling those nineteen cultivators earlier. This seemingly weak opponent was, in fact, overwhelmingly powerful. Consuming this human would undoubtedly make it stronger, faster.

Hoo—another streak of flowing fire erupted. Lu Yuan thrust his sword back, only for another streak of fire to appear on the opposite side. Damn it. The Fire Qilin was using false flames to mimic its attacks, while its true body materialized elsewhere. Lu Yuan's Yangwu Sword was already halfway through its return arc; against the Qilin’s speed, he had no time to recall the blade.

With a movement of his left hand, the Zhenyue Sword flashed out of its sheath and parried the attack. If the right hand couldn't manage it, the left hand could. The saying regarding the Longevity Fifth Layer controlling dual swords referred primarily to ranged management, but in his hands, he could utilize both swords simultaneously, provided he could personally manage the required coordination. However, this dual-sword application felt clumsy and unfamiliar. His right hand recalled the Yangwu Sword for a counter-thrust, while his left hand sheathed the Zhenyue Sword.

The surrounding flames writhed, hidden killing intent surfacing intermittently. Lu Yuan drew a long, slow breath. You want to be faster? I’ll show you faster. With another motion, the Yangwu Sword was sent forth with even greater speed. One hundred and twenty strikes in a single breath.

Still not enough. Not enough! Faster still. One hundred and fifty strikes in a single breath.

At this sword speed, the Fire Qilin clearly couldn't keep up. It was utterly bewildered, stunned beyond measure: What is happening? Two hundred strikes in a single breath. At this speed, the Fire Qilin could not defend itself at all. It couldn't fathom how this human repeatedly broke through his limits, escalating his sword speed so dramatically, to a degree the beast couldn't match. The Fire Qilin raged, but under the onslaught of these phantom-like sword strikes, it was continuously being stabbed and wounded.

The true reason Lu Yuan could achieve this was the credit of the White Emperor Sword Dao. Originally, mastering the White Emperor Sword Dao had inherently boosted his sword speed from forty strikes per breath to the terrifying rate of one hundred strikes per breath. But that was merely the initial, instinctual boost upon completion. The White Emperor Sword Dao possessed far deeper potential, yet unlocking it required trials forged in the crucible of life and death. Facing the terrifying speed of the Fire Qilin, with seemingly no other recourse, the White Emperor Sword Dao finally experienced a breakthrough, reaching the level it was inherently meant to attain: two hundred sword projections in a single breath.

Waves of sword energy, one after another. This wave of sword tide was calculated in the thousands, and now one wave followed another, ceaselessly. These tides surrounded the Fire Qilin, which possessed one critical inherent advantage—its skin was incredibly tough; ordinary blades couldn't penetrate it, making breaking its defense exceedingly difficult. However, Lu Yuan repeatedly drove hundreds, even thousands, of strikes into the exact same location. Shhff! Fire parted, flesh tore, and the Fire Qilin screamed in agony, attempting to retreat into the Lingyun Cave near the knee of the Leshan Giant Buddha. Both the Buddha and the cave were its domain, but Lu Yuan would not grant it escape.

Body merging with the sword, spirit merging with the body. A fierce gale of a single strike bore down, powerfully hacking at the Qilin’s existing wounds. Then, he unleashed a ferocious downpour, followed by an execution of Twilight Killing Intent, and then the Crimson Blaze Great Sun. One technique followed another in rapid succession.

“Aaaah—” came the sound of a beast howling in ultimate misery. Though the Fire Qilin’s body was as tough as a flying sword, the sheer volume of attacks eventually overwhelmed it. With a heavy bang, it collapsed at the entrance of the Lingyun Cave; it never managed to burrow inside.

The Qilin Slaying was successful. Lu Yuan gently manipulated his flying swords; the Yangwu Sword returned to its sheath.

The seventeen cultivators who had been fleeing stopped in their tracks, seeing Lu Yuan standing motionless. Those from Qingcheng naturally assumed he had frozen in shock, unable to escape, destined to perish by the Fire Qilin’s jaws. Those like Daoist Nun Huayue, however, worried secretly, for Lu Yuan shared some measure of acquaintance with her. Their respective feelings varied widely.

Later, when Lu Yuan had bravely engaged the Fire Qilin, many had mocked him for overestimating himself and inviting disgrace. Immediately after, the speed and ferocious power displayed by the Fire Qilin shocked everyone. Yet, the strength Lu Yuan exhibited seemed even greater than Ning Zizhen's, which confused the onlookers. Naturally, even while displaying strength surpassing Ning Zizhen, Lu Yuan was still at a disadvantage against the Fire Qilin.

Finally, Lu Yuan erupted. His sword speed surpassed what most cultivators could even perceive—a terrifying velocity that left everyone utterly staggered. After this explosion of power, Lu Yuan managed to heavily wound the Fire Qilin repeatedly, a feat that made jaws drop in disbelief.

When the Fire Qilin uttered its final, agonizing roar, the seventeen cultivators, watching from a distance near the Leshan Giant Buddha, stared blankly at the figure in green standing atop the statue, and at the Fire Qilin screaming near the entrance of the Lingyun Cave.

The light breeze moved, the river flowed, the white clouds drifted. The Buddha did not move; the man did not move. But the heart was stirring. The intense thumping of the heart coalesced into four distinct characters: Utterly Shocked.

How could this junior from Mount Hua be more formidable than Senior Brother Ning Zizhen, who was at the Sixth Layer of the Longevity Stage? Was the talk of him slaying Sword Immortals truly not a fabrication or a rumor, but reality? Few believed it before, but the facts now presented left no room for denial.

Emerging from the profound stillness, Lu Yuan abruptly moved from the surface of the Leshan Giant Buddha, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow toward the Lingyun Cave entrance. The Fire Qilin was said to be a body laden with treasures, but the item Lu Yuan now sought was the Great Divine Soul Stone. This stone emitted a faint glow. With a move of his hand, the stone, about the size of a fist, settled into his palm, radiating a soft luminescence that seemed to hold countless swirling thoughts within it.

Lu Yuan moved again, beginning to bleed the Fire Qilin. Though the beast possessed the bloodline of a divine beast, it was fundamentally evil, and thus its blood was also wicked. Lu Yuan, being a cultivator of the Immortal Path, certainly had no intention of using this vile blood for dark cultivation arts. This evil blood could aid in refining his sword. His Yangwu Sword, upon reaching the Eighth Layer of the Longevity Stage, was destined to ascend to the Spirit Sword tier—a Spirit Sword being vastly superior to a Flying Sword. Indeed, he had already acquired the Eternal Flame Fire and the Great White Meteorite in the True Martial Cave, items suitable for upgrading a Spirit Sword. However, upgrading a Spirit Sword required more than just these two ingredients. By forging a sword of righteousness with blood born of wickedness, if the righteous Yangwu Sword could endure the process, it would become imbued with even greater righteousness. At that point, all the vast, pure energy would gather upon the sword body, repelling all evil and spontaneously becoming a true Spirit Sword. Therefore, he needed to collect the Fire Qilin’s blood. Naturally, the Fire Qilin being famously rich in treasures implied that more than just its blood was useful.

(First chapter delivered at noon. Uh, we are working very hard lately; please give us more subscriptions and monthly passes.) RA