CRACK!

A colossal bolt of lightning struck, immediately followed by a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of heaven and earth. Before anyone could react, rain began to fall in sheets, the drops larger than soybeans, beating the leaves on the ground until they flattened. Thousands of rivulets wove a curtain of rain between earth and sky, rendering everything indistinct.

Wind and rain swept in a torrent, the sounds of the wind, the rain, and the thunder merging into a single, deafening roar.

The sudden downpour lashed the ground, kicking up sprays of sand and water until everything was a blur. The trees thrashed and struggled violently in the midst of this gale and deluge.

Lu Yuan glanced at the sky; flying was no longer an option.

He, a streak of white sword light, was far too conspicuous in the torrential, moonless rain. The Tracking Five Arts! They wouldn't even need one technique to locate him. With no other choice, Lu Yuan let his sword light descend and headed toward a nearby valley. The journey to the North Peak was urgent, but being caught by the people of Bei Ling Mountain was not an option.

Those pursuing him from Bei Ling Mountain undoubtedly included individuals far stronger than himself.

Once he landed in the valley, his feet barely touching the ground, he heard the unmistakable clash of combat echoing from not far away. Lu Yuan instantly sharpened his focus to listen. The fight was to the east, roughly ten li distant—difficult to discern in this storm, but given how close he was to the North Peak, he decided to investigate.

Lu Yuan flew over directly. Since his sword-riding, white light was too obvious in the dark, stormy night, he traveled the distance without it.

Upon arrival, he paused. What a surprise! There were three figures engaged in battle, and one of them was his Martial Uncle, Fang Ru. Uncle Fang Ru was in a terrible state: his right and left arms were streaked with blood, his robes were torn, and he was frantically wielding his Vast Righteous Spirit Sword, trying to parry his opponents.

However, the strength Fang Ru was currently displaying was clearly not that of the Tenth Level of Longevity. His current combat power was at most equivalent to the Sixth or Seventh Level of Longevity.

The Tenth Level of Longevity was leagues beyond the Sixth or Seventh.

Poisoned!

Lu Yuan observed closer and saw faint red pulsing beneath Uncle Fang Ru’s skin. He was indeed poisoned. Although there were countless poisons in the world, few could affect the Tenth Level of Longevity Fang Ru. Lu Yuan then looked at the two men fighting his martial uncle.

Both were tall and gaunt. One of them laughed heartily, "Fang Ru, do you truly believe being at the Tenth Level of Longevity makes you invincible? We are using the ultimate toxin of the Seven Kill Constellation Sea—the Five Kill Constellation Poison, a variant of our sect's supreme poison! This poison consists of seven distinct poisons: the Dubhe Toxin, Merak Toxin, Phecda Toxin, Megrez Toxin, Alioth Toxin, Mizar Toxin, and Alkaid Toxin. Just one of these could shock the cultivation world, and all seven combined could fell even a Great Dao Realm expert. Now, five of these poisons have been unleashed upon you. It’s a miracle you can still muster any killing power."

The other man chimed in with a smile, "Precisely. Fang Ru, if you can defeat us, Zhaixingzi and Zhaiyueke, then we will concede to you."

These two were indeed figures from the Seven Kill Constellation Sea, neither of them Sword Immortals, but cultivators at the Seventh Level of Longevity. However, armed with their sect’s supreme toxin, they dared to attack Fang Ru.

The supply of such rare poisons from the Seven Kill Constellation Sea was exceedingly limited.

Fang Ru moved again, blocking an incoming strike from Zhaixingzi. But as he blocked the blow, a strange green glow flashed across his sword. It was clearly another toxin. Fang Ru’s Vast Righteous Spirit Sword, much like Lu Yuan's Nurturing Self Sword, was inherently a sword of pure righteousness, yet it was now utterly contaminated with malevolent energy. Fang Ru spat out a mouthful of green blood: "The Seven Kill Constellation Poison is potent, but even with it deployed, poisoning someone of my level is no simple feat. How did you manage it?"

Zhaixingzi chuckled, "The secret of our method is not for you to know. All you need to do is die quietly." Poison was effective, but it wasn't omnipotent. The reason Fang Ru was poisoned was that over a year ago, they had used extremely clandestine methods to introduce the Dubhe Toxin, one of the Five Kill toxins, into him. Then, moments ago, they added the Phecda Toxin. Using the sound of the thunder, they delivered the Megrez Toxin, and using the rain, the Alioth Toxin. During the close combat, they used the Alkaid Toxin, culminating in the five poisons uniting. Had they not first used the Dubhe Toxin, administered by someone Fang Ru trusted, introducing the subsequent four would have been nearly impossible.

Zhaixingzi and Zhaiyueke’s sole command was the assassination of Fang Ru.

The two men launched their assault, not just with flying swords but by spewing various toxins during their attacks. Fang Ru was saturated with an unknown number of poisons, his body marred by unnatural patches of red and green. Fang Ru grimly realized that this time, he was likely doomed.

No!

He could not die!

Fang Ru struggled to hold on.

Fang Ru’s life story differed somewhat from that of other Sword Immortals.

In his youth, Fang Ru was wild and unrestrained, a stark contrast to his present demeanor. Back then, he was reckless and, due to his impetuosity, mistakenly associated with villainous demonic cultivators without recognizing their true nature. This ultimately led to the horrific death of his master at the hands of those very cultivators, with Fang Ru only saved by his master’s final, desperate exertion of power.

From that moment on, Fang Ru’s personality underwent a drastic transformation. He became utterly withdrawn, shedding all traces of his former wildness.

As time passed, Fang Ru grew increasingly rigid and austere, holding himself and others to impossibly high standards. He lost all interest in pleasure, dedicating himself relentlessly to the daily grind of sword practice. His strength grew exponentially, and eventually, he became one of the Six Sword Immortals of the Huashan North Peak.

My Master died because of me.

Therefore, I must protect the Huashan North Peak—the thing my Master loved most.

Now, cultivators like Yuan Ling Shang Ren harbored sinister plots against the North Peak. He absolutely could not die; he had to defend the peak. Fang Ru forced out one last breath and parried a few more blows, but the poisons were sinking deeper. Seeing a cold glint approaching, it seemed his end was here.

Fang Ru sighed in resignation. Huashan North Peak, it seems my Vast Righteous Spirit Sword can no longer protect you.

At that precise moment, a cold light shot toward the sky!

Although Fang Ru’s magical power had significantly regressed due to the Five Kill Constellation Poison, his eyesight remained sharp. It was a sword light of astonishing power. This light executed thirty-one consecutive changes in angle while suspended in the air, each transition flawless, leaving no room for error.

Perfect!

Such a perfect sword strike!

Zhaixingzi and Zhaiyueke were, after all, cultivators at the Seventh Level of Longevity, so they reacted quickly when danger loomed. They were not initially afraid of the incoming light. The Alioth Toxin in the rain meant the opponent was already poisoned; they just needed to evade this single strike. Both men thought this way.

These two were veterans of countless battles and chose their specialized methods of evasion against this strike. However, their reaction time was too slow, and their ongoing fight with Fang Ru had already drained a considerable amount of their spiritual power. Faced with such a sword strike, they tried to shift constantly, but the sword light shifted with them.

Thirty-one perfect changes!

The two rolling heads of Zhaixingzi and Zhaiyueke fell to the ground.

Finally, Fang Ru saw the person who struck. Under the downpour stood a figure clad in black boots, white socks, a blue robe, and blue trousers, holding an exceptionally long sword, sporting a languid smile and an ordinary face.

Lu Yuan!

———————— "Martial Uncle Fang, Lu Yuan pays his respects," Lu Yuan stated.

"Remarkable. Though it was a surprise attack, slaying two cultivators at the Seventh Level of Longevity with a single sword strike containing thirty-one sequential changes—I cannot match such swordsmanship," Fang Ru praised.

"Martial Uncle exaggerates. Lu Yuan still has much to learn," Lu Yuan replied, humility toward elders having become almost instinctual.

Fang Ru nodded. "However, before you speak further, you must leave this area. You have only been touched by the Alioth Toxin; you should be able to hold on." He snapped out of the dazzling memory of that sword strike and immediately spoke. Lu Yuan shook his head. "Martial Uncle, I have several countermeasures for these toxins; you need not worry about me. I possess a method for detoxification."

Lu Yuan unleashed the Azure Emperor Sword Light, channeling it into Fang Ru’s body. The amount of poison within Fang Ru was truly excessive, requiring considerable time to purge it all. During the detoxification process, Lu Yuan noted Fang Ru's extremely poor physical condition: countless external injuries coupled with the toxins having severely damaged many internal systems.

Essentially, Fang Ru would be unable to exert ten-tenths of his combat strength for at least a year.

Within a month, Fang Ru could perhaps manage seven-tenths of his power.

If he could muster even half his strength within three days, it would be considered good.

Such severe injuries! Indeed, Fang Ru’s incapacitation greatly bolstered Sima Changbai’s competitive standing.

The next order of business was collecting the spoils. Zhaixingzi and Zhaiyueke were both Seventh Level Longevity cultivators, so their spoils were decent: five mid-grade spirit stones and four giant spirit beasts. Beyond that, they acquired a critically important piece of loot—a partial scroll of the Skill Dissolution Technique.

Deep beneath the Jin Kingdom lay the Demon Saint Emperor Ren Du, who possessed the Blood Dissolution Great Art, capable of absorbing everything within a person.

And in the Qin Kingdom, there was the Southern Darkness Great Art, which specialized in draining spiritual power—utterly heretical.

The Skill Dissolution Technique was rumored to have evolved from either the Blood Dissolution Great Art or the Southern Darkness Great Art. The current master of the Seven Kill Constellation Sea possessed this technique. While the Skill Dissolution Technique had numerous flaws, it was an astonishingly potent and profound method. Zhaixingzi, a man of considerable cunning, had managed to study and partially master parts of it in his spare time.

Now, the spoils had fallen into Lu Yuan’s lap.

It was inconsequential whether he practiced this Skill Dissolution Technique or not; he could at least study the principles of skill dissolution. That way, if he ever encountered the Blood Dissolution Great Art or the Southern Darkness Great Art, he wouldn't be entirely helpless.

Tossing the Skill Dissolution Technique into his spatial artifact, Lu Yuan felt he could now truly return to Huashan.