It was deep into the night.

The wind churned the surface of the pond into ripples.

Tong Bainian sat within the mouth of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave. "I must capture Lu Yuan; this is the command of Venerable Yuan Ling." He dared not disobey. Moreover, capturing Lu Yuan would bring him untold benefits. "Right," he mused, "I wonder how the plan over at North Peak is progressing. If that plan succeeds, Tong Bainian, as one of its members, will also reap significant rewards."

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had already forced his way into the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Cave was an exceptionally terrifying grotto. Stepping inside, he entered a world of iridescent colors. Concentrated poisons formed countless visions: mountains, waters, birds, beasts, flowers, and insects, all slowly moving, appearing utterly alive. This was a world of venom, where surging toxins corroded everything. Lu Yuan realized this bore a resemblance to the Poison Realm of the Poison Hand Medicine King, but in comparison, this was at least twice as terrifying. The Ten Thousand Poisons Cave was truly fearsome; if not for the Azure Emperor Sword Light shimmering above his head, he might have perished here.

Lu Yuan pressed onward. Within this colorful world, there were strangely some poisonous spirit insects. These were not true life forms, but rather insects formed from the long accumulation of inanimate toxins. They dared not stir upon sensing the Azure Emperor Sword Light.

After an unmeasured passage of time, a colossal poisonous insect suddenly appeared. The previous ones were tiny; this one was immense. It resembled a gigantic python, condensed from ten thousand different poisons. Had this creature fallen into the hands of the Poison Hand Medicine King, that master would likely have rejoiced immensely. Even he had never witnessed such a horrifying viper. However, it was likely that in the next moment, this Serpent of Ten Thousand Poisons would bite and kill him.

The Serpent of Ten Thousand Poisons noticed Lu Yuan and displayed a degree of curiosity. Naturally, it recognized the Azure Emperor Sword Light as its nemesis. Yet, this serpent had actually cultivated creation, daring to charge forward despite the divine light.

"Courting death," Lu Yuan sneered, entirely unafraid. The Azure Emperor Sword Light coiled and tightened, shearing off the serpent's tail.

The Serpent of Ten Thousand Poisons was instantly overcome with terror, daring not to linger. With a whoosh, it vanished into an unknown recess. As for its severed tail, it instantly dissolved into the most concentrated venom, dissipating into the air of the cave.

This Ten Thousand Poisons Cave was indeed fraught with extreme peril.

Lu Yuan was greatly shaken; the fierce lands of the world were truly like this.

After a few more moments, he entered a region of dead gray. All color was gone here. Lu Yuan was certain that without the Azure Emperor Sword Light in hand, he too would immediately lose all color and swiftly die.

Such a dangerous locale was terrifying beyond measure.

Of course, Lu Yuan grew increasingly curious. Just how long was this Ten Thousand Poisons Cave? Even flying on his sword took this long. What sort of spectacle lay beyond this dreadful passage? Lu Yuan inwardly resolved that if the toxins ahead proved too much for his Azure Emperor Sword Light to withstand, he would retreat immediately.

He traversed tens of thousands of layers of poison. Suddenly, the colors ahead returned to normal, and with a rush, he burst into a rather large space. Within this expanse, the ground was jagged and uneven, and in the distance, a sheet of pitch-black mist loomed, obscuring whatever lay within.

Lu Yuan flew forward, discovering a level clearing ahead, the largest expanse in the entire space.

"Let's go take a look over there," thinking this, Lu Yuan soared towards it. As he neared the flatland, a stone stele appeared beside him. Lu Yuan looked closer and saw inscriptions carved upon it: "The Third Sword Contest Site of Floating Cloud Island." Floating Cloud Island Sword Contest Site? What was this?

Although Lu Yuan had remembered very little from his studies of Jin Kingdom history, some details remained remarkably clear.

Before Yan Cangtian rose to prominence, the strength of the demons and monsters was significantly greater than it was now. At that time, the Demon Saint Emperor, Ren Du, was truly an extraordinary figure—a man of great ambition and strategy, a generation's overlord. Under his rule, the strength of the demons grew increasingly potent, gradually becoming capable of challenging the orthodox cultivators.

Afterward, three great sword contests occurred.

The first was won by the orthodox side.

The second was won by the demonic side.

At that time, Yan Cangtian had not yet emerged. Ren Du was the foremost figure in the Jin Kingdom, unmatched by anyone. Coupled with the demonic victory in the second contest, their forces became overwhelmingly formidable, almost unstoppable. They were on the verge of counterattacking the surface world, and a great calamity seemed imminent when the Third Sword Contest of Floating Cloud Island materialized.

It was said that for the Third Contest, many ancient figures from the Five Great Immortal Sects mobilized, and the reclusive sixth and seventh-generation cultivators also appeared. The demonic side fielded numerous experts as well. It was an extraordinarily brutal engagement. The final result was that in the Third Sword Contest, both the orthodox and demonic factions vanished entirely, their whereabouts unknown.

The demonic power suffered severe losses in that engagement.

The orthodox power suffered losses just as grave.

Subsequent investigators searching for the mystery of the disappearance at the Third Sword Contest site on Floating Cloud Island found absolutely nothing, as if they had completely vanished without a trace. Today, virtually no sixth-generation cultivators exist in the current cultivation world, one reason being that devastating battle. Moreover, the lack of many seventh-generation figures in Huashan was compounded by the turmoil caused by Zhou Qingxuan.

What followed was the emergence of Yan Cangtian, who, with a single sword, defeated the Demon Saint Emperor Ren Du, thwarting the demonic resurgence. After his defeat, Ren Du vanished, and Dongfang Yao assumed the title of Demon Saint Emperor. During the era when Yan Cangtian wielded his lone sword, demonic power was severely suppressed, making them completely inferior to the Five Great Immortal Sects now.

The history of the past flashed through his mind.

Lu Yuan felt an odd sense of confusion. Could it be that Floating Cloud Island from the Third Contest had ultimately ended up here, in the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave? This was truly bizarre.

Lu Yuan looked inward. On the plain beneath him, numerous corpses lay sprawled. Though fallen, these bodies still radiated an immensely powerful aura, a force capable of shocking the heavens. Lu Yuan was certain that at least half of the corpses possessed strength superior to his own, with an unknown number belonging to figures at the Great Dao Realm.

"This must be the place," Lu Yuan surmised inwardly before deciding to descend.

Just then, he noticed a single person standing amidst the pile of bodies.

This person's magical power didn't seem very strong.

Lu Yuan found this peculiar and did not rush to act, deciding to observe the situation first.

Indeed, standing amidst the corpses was a figure clad in black. This black-clad individual's cultivation was not formidable. He was laughing loudly: "Hahahaha! Finally, it is my turn for fortune to favor Black Swordsman Murong An!"

Yes, this person was Black Swordsman Murong An.

Murong An had always regarded Lu Yuan as his primary rival. He firmly believed that if anyone were to inherit the legacy of Li Yuanbai, to receive everything that Li Yuanbai had left behind, it should have been him—he should have been Li Yuanbai's disciple, not Lu Yuan.

Subsequently, whenever he opposed Lu Yuan, he was defeated. After the incident at Wuling Mountain, he considered troubling Lu Yuan again, but then he heard that Shangguan Qing and Nangong Bai, two individuals whose strength surpassed his own, had been unable to defeat Lu Yuan and were killed by him.

Seeing that neither Shangguan nor Nangong could match Lu Yuan, Murong An naturally refrained from seeking death.

After that, his tragic life began.

Lu Yuan’s fame grew among the orthodox path, and his strength increased. Furthermore, many people owed him favors—those from the Wudang Immortal Sect, those freed from the Blood Sword Gate's prison—individuals from every sect and school. These people, feeling indebted to Lu Yuan, certainly would not treat Lu Yuan's enemy, Murong An, kindly.

Murong An’s days became exceedingly difficult. Although he wasn't quite hunted like a rat in the street, it was close.

However, sometimes, luck can reverse its course.

Not long ago, Murong An discovered an insect, a strange one.

This insect was near death, entirely multicolored, radiating an aura of ancient times.

Murong An was knowledgeable enough to recognize it immediately as an Ancient Myriad Poison Color Beetle, a primeval exotic beast. He had learned some knowledge from Li Yuanbai, including techniques for refining the Myriad Poison Cold Light Barrier, so he crafted such a barrier. By the way, these Color Beetles always came in a pair, male and female, their lives interlinked. Both possessed immense lethality, but the male could not withstand Venerable Yuan Ling and died by his hand. Once the male perished, the female could not survive long, and Murong An happened upon her just in time.

After experiencing one stroke of good luck, Murong An immediately encountered a second stroke of fortune: stumbling upon the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave.

He had long heard of the cave's perilous reputation. Since he possessed the Myriad Poison Cold Light Barrier, he ventured inside. Upon entering, his experience mirrored Lu Yuan's to some extent. Finally, he discovered this place, realizing with astonishment that it was the site of the Third Sword Contest of Floating Cloud Island.

"Hahahaha! I can't believe I've had several strokes of luck in succession! I, Murong An, have my day! This is magnificent!" Murong An roared with laughter. "This is the Third Sword Contest site! So many corpses, so many legendary figures from the past! How many secret manuals and elixirs are left behind? They all belong to me now!"

"Li Yuanbai! You once looked down on me, deeming my potential small. Now, I will show you! With this rare fortune, my future strength will certainly surpass that of your prized disciple, Lu Yuan! Li Yuanbai, you must know that your judgment was flawed!" "Lu Yuan, you think you are so great? You merely have good, frequent encounters with fortune. Now, I too have this rare opportunity! I will certainly surpass your strength, slay you, and then become famous throughout the world, renowned across the Great Jin! Hahahaha!" Murong An's current elation was indescribable.