The other Elders of the Sword Sect now feared most that Lu Yuan would reap the rewards of their strife.

It was simply that these five individuals known as the Extreme Dao Sword Sons—each possessed abilities capable of shaking the heavens and the earth, each was incomparably arrogant, brimming with self-confidence, and possessed of resolute character—would absolutely not listen to anyone’s counsel.

This situation was troublesome indeed.

Just as the numerous Sword Sect Elders grew anxious, Lu Yuan let out a loud laugh: "Where is the complication? Why are the five of you competing and bickering? You five can attack together; I wouldn't mind either way."

Shock! Silence!

Nearly everyone who heard these words was utterly astounded.

This Lu Yuan, what audacity! To dare challenge five people alone—it was truly ridiculous. Did he not know who these five Extreme Dao Sword Sons were? He must think he was facing some ordinary riffraff. Yet, these five Extreme Dao Sword Sons each had distinct personalities, but one thing remained constant: they were all geniuses.

What nerve!

Lu Yuan has gone mad! All the other Sword Sect Elders thought this to themselves.

Regarding this matter, Jian Tan Lingyun heard it and merely chuckled with a grin: "Good, good, fighting like this is excellent." He cared little for who won how many rounds; he only coveted Lu Yuan’s two swords. Both were flying swords, one superior to the other. Lu Yuan’s two flying swords were both top-grade artifacts: one exuding vast, righteous energy, the other capable of suppressing mountains and peaks—top-grade, truly top-grade. Since his name was Jian Tan (Sword Greed), how profound must his covetousness for all manner of swords be?

However, while Jian Tan among the five did not care, the other four certainly did. Which of the remaining four had not been hailed as a genius since childhood, rarely suffering defeat in their battle records? Now, to face a one-on-five situation—how could that be acceptable?

The Extreme Dao Sword Son stared coldly at Lu Yuan, uttering not a word. The other three wore similar expressions.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly: "What, afraid to fight? So the people from the East Peak of the Sword Sect are such cowards, fearing that if the five of you join forces and still lose to me, you will lose the reputation of the Sword Sect. That makes sense too. Ever since I started crossing swords with people from the Sword Sect, I've found that the sword techniques of the Sword Sect are truly nothing special. None of you have ever won against me." Lu Yuan was usually calm and composed, but when he chose to speak venomously, he could be quite sharp. Few people had suffered from Lu Yuan’s sharp tongue, but those who had were deeply frustrated, such as Sima Hao, Sima Changbai, and several others.

And this statement was an extremely severe provocation.

The Sword Sect had always established its reputation through its swordsmanship.

And now, Lu Yuan was saying the Sword Sect’s techniques were merely mediocre. If these words had come from anyone else, they wouldn't have carried such destructive force. But precisely because these words came from Lu Yuan’s mouth, and tragically, the people of the Sword Sect had genuinely never defeated Lu Yuan even once, the situation became utterly grim.

To salvage the reputation of the Sword Sect now, the only path was to fight Lu Yuan.

The other four, who had been immensely arrogant moments before, were now boiling with fury.

Di Di Zhan Jian (Subterranean Earth Battle Sword) Zhao Wuji shifted the massive greatsword in his hand: "Very well, let this junior know what the swordsmanship of a Sword Sect senior is truly like."

With a sudden movement, his hand yanked, and the greatsword resting on his shoulder was drawn. This strike of the greatsword being drawn was not only as fast as lightning but the pressure it exerted felt as if it could shatter space itself. Following the greatsword was a swath of absolute blackness—the pressure from the blade was so immense that the air in that region was forcibly evacuated. Such a lightning-fast yet Mount Tai-heavy strike required no discernible form or maneuver; it was a simple thrust, and yet such an attack was terrifyingly potent. Lu Yuan felt his scalp tingle.

Xuan Huo Shuang Yan (Profound Fire Twin Eyes), Zhou Wu’s eyes suddenly activated, unleashing boundless flames that shot forth from them. These flames coalesced in the air into hundreds of fine swords of fire, attacking Lu Yuan. The power of these flame swords was naturally somewhat weaker, but given the chance, they could immediately merge into one to deliver a fatal blow. These flames coiled and danced like snakes and ghosts, emitting terrifying heat. The flames released by his Profound Fire Twin Eyes were no ordinary fire; they were a type of Yuan Extinguishing Fire.

And an aura of pitch-black killing intent now saturated every inch of space. Mie Yuan Jian (Annihilation Origin Sword) Zhu Bayi appeared like the God of Death, his obsidian longsword functioning like the Grim Reaper's scythe, reaping life. Terrifying murderous intent permeated everything, vowing to exterminate all and cleave through all empty space. All vitality in the vicinity withered instantly. At this moment, every living creature within ten li, from the lake surface to the depths, perished. And this was merely the residual aftermath. The dense killing aura and black qi instantly stabbed toward Lu Yuan’s back.

Jian Tan Lingyuan grinned strangely. Among everyone’s attacks, his was the most bizarre. Various sword intents were displayed from his hand: one moment, it was the gentle warmth of the rising sun, growing fiercer by the moment; the next, it was the descent of midnight, where dark oblivion held countless terrifying killing secrets; then, it shifted to a gale sweeping past, impossibly fast, hovering around you like the wind, rendering blocks useless; and then again, like the waters of Lake Tai, merging as one with the water—killing intent arising at any second. Though his name contained the character for ‘Greed,’ when he truly wielded his sword, he was incomparably terrifying.

And Ji Dao Jian Zi (Extreme Dao Sword Son) Fang Qiankun was the coldest among the five. His sword style was equally concise and ruthless. He did not attack immediately, standing aside and waiting for an opportunity. Once Lu Yuan revealed any flaw, he could deliver a decisive killing strike—it could be imagined that this single blow would surely be like lightning tearing through the heavens, a silver vase shattering violently, shaking the earth and the sky.

Though he held back his attack, the pressure he exerted was the greatest of the five. It was recalled that in other realms, there was a school of thought where the sword held within its scabbard was its most formidable state. This Extreme Dao Sword Son Fang Qiankun had traveled to other realms in the past and learned this style.

So powerful!

Each of these five individuals’ attacks was terrifyingly potent.

Of the remaining ten Sword Sect Elders, every single one privately acknowledged that if it were them fighting one-on-one, they would have no chance of winning, and if they were in Lu Yuan’s position, they would certainly lose.

While four attacked and one stood motionless, Lu Yuan also remained still. Finally, just as the blades were about to reach him, Lu Yuan moved.

Both swords unleashed!

At this moment, nearly all five felt the world around them transform.

In that instant, countless forms of sword intent manifested from Lu Yuan’s blades.

A curtain of darkness, deeper than the one conjured by Jian Tan Lingyuan, descended, slowing down everyone’s speed. Boundless rain began to pour down with a deafening roar. As soon as this rain touched a person, it instantly began to freeze, trapping everyone within it. These figures immediately struggled to break free from this layer of ice, only to realize they were suddenly submerged in a lake. This was not Lake Tai; it certainly wasn't, yet while in Lake Tai, they were trapped in another dreamlike body of water. Were they ordinary Elders, they would have been defeated by now. But these five were geniuses without exception, each employing their ultimate skills to blast through the lake water. However, the world outside the water was the true despair, for that world was the Sea.

An endless, boundless Sea.

Could you blast through the lake, only to blast through the sea?

And over this sea, snow continued to drift down from the sky. Any slight hesitation meant being struck by ice shards. Moreover, the sea surface was plagued by fierce winds capable of killing people alive. You could not see another person, because everywhere were clouds and everywhere was torrential downpour.

The first to collapse was Jian Tan Lingyuan. This was not because his strength was the weakest among the five. Rather, Jian Tan specialized in the path of Sword Intent. He possessed five distinct intents, usually relying on them to overpower others. But the sword intents Lu Yuan commanded far surpassed his, and integrating numerous intents into a single sword, along with the Five Elements Reincarnation Sword Dao—in the same manner of play, he was far inferior to Lu Yuan. Consequently, he was defeated the fastest.

Before Jian Tan Lingyuan was utterly defeated, his mind was consumed by questions of ‘How is this possible? How is this possible!’ No matter how many times he questioned the impossibility, he was being forcibly defeated.

“I refuse to submit!” Massive flames erupted from Zhou Wu’s eyes, intending to burn everything and incinerate the illusory sea before him. But the counterattack he received was to be utterly drowned by the illusory ocean. His eyes throbbed with excruciating pain, temporarily nullifying the Profound Fire ability in his sight.

Di Di Ju Jian (Subterranean Great Sword) Zhao Wuji cleaved out with his sword, intending to split the illusory sea. But layer after layer of ice formed and froze everything, effectively locking down all the power of his strike. Every time he swung the greatsword, it was frozen anew, an endless cycle locking everything down.

Mie Yuan Jian Zhu Bayi’s killing intent saturated heaven and earth, but his opponent was the Sea—the boundless Sea. No matter how much killing intent you possessed, the ocean could encompass it. A massive whirlpool appeared in the sea, sucking him directly into its depths.

"Next is you, the last one." Lu Yuan wielded the Zhen Yue Sword (Mountain Suppressing Sword), slashing toward Extreme Dao Sword Son Fang Qiankun. Fang Qiankun continuously gathered his magical power to counter Lu Yuan, but precisely at this critical moment, Fang Qiankun himself was slowed by the snow, slowed by the freezing ice, and the layer of ice formed. His most exceptional swift-killing techniques could not be deployed.

In the next instant, Lu Yuan and Fang Qiankun crossed paths, and after that brief crossing, blood poured like a torrent from Fang Qiankun’s right shoulder.

Fang Qiankun muttered in disbelief: “Impossible, impossible. I am a genius; how could I lose?”

Lu Yuan at this moment had no time to listen to the words of these defeated opponents, for at this juncture, Lu Yuan faintly sensed what the Water Emperor Sword Dao truly meant.

The Emperor commands his subordinates.

The Water Emperor can, with a single sword stroke, command all the waters of the world; no matter the variation of water, it falls under his command.

The Water Emperor Sword Dao—truly something to anticipate. If he mastered the Water Emperor Sword Dao, his repertoire of water manipulation would expand greatly.

Naturally, the Gold Emperor Sword Dao, Wood Emperor Sword Dao, Earth Emperor Sword Dao, and Fire Emperor Sword Dao would also offer different, profoundly esoteric depths.

At this moment, on the small island in the lake where this began, Fang Ru stood motionless, his expression as still as an ancient well. The other forty-nine cultivators all hung their heads in dejection. Only the final person remained trapped in the Lake Tai; it seemed this time they were destined to lose.