Within this secluded snow valley, protected by arrays, Lu Yuan crouched in a remote corner, focusing the Sword Intent of Snow upon himself until he seemed as indistinct as the fallen drifts. His hand rested on his hilt as he silently strained to catch the conversation of the two guards.

Slowly, he pieced together the narrative in his mind, trying to deduce the full scope of the affair.

"The matter, in truth, is like this," one guard began. "It was over half a year ago, the very night I was attacked by Tong Baìnian, that Reverend Yuan Ling suddenly appeared on the North Peak. Simultaneously, he unleashed pre-prepared magical artifacts, trapping Reverend Yuan Yuan with extreme speed. Furthermore, utilizing a plot concocted with Sima Changbai, he transported Reverend Yuan Yuan through a pre-set two-way teleportation array positioned in the void next to the Hall of Moderation, bringing him here to Beiling Mountain."

"At the same time, Reverend Yuan Ling had already arranged personnel—namely, his old partner, Elder Tian Chou. The original plan was for Yuan Ling and Tian Chou to jointly assault Reverend Yuan Yuan; victory would have been assured then."

"The result? Reverend Yuan Yuan was also prepared. He had long carried with him a peculiar formation native to the North Peak—the Grand Array of Unbounded Cloud Evasion. Once this array was deployed, for an extremely long duration, no outside force could breach it, allowing Reverend Yuan Yuan to engage Reverend Yuan Ling in a duel to his heart's content within the formation."

"Reverend Yuan Ling intended to scheme against Reverend Yuan Yuan, but Yuan Yuan also sought a life-or-death confrontation with Yuan Ling long ago."

"And so, for these past six months, Reverend Yuan Yuan and Reverend Yuan Ling have been locked in combat inside the Grand Array of Unbounded Cloud Evasion."

"The outcome, surprising both of them, is that they remain perfectly matched, even now."

"Reverend Yuan Yuan had held back many trump cards, expecting to surpass Yuan Ling, only to find that Yuan Ling had also concealed numerous techniques. Conversely, Yuan Ling believed he had already outmaneuvered Yuan Yuan, only to discover Yuan Yuan had been feigning weakness, and his true strength was far more terrifying."

"When they fought back then, the result was inconclusive; now, in this confrontation, they are still equally matched."

"Both had schemed against the other, only to realize they had underestimated the opponent."

"However, the current problem is that this is Beiling Mountain's territory. Although the Grand Array of Unbounded Cloud Evasion is invincible, the time it can sustain itself is nearly up. Once that duration expires, Reverend Yuan Ling, possessing reinforcements on Beiling Mountain, will likely secure victory, meaning Reverend Yuan Yuan might perish. Thus, the final battle will go to Reverend Yuan Ling."

"And at this very moment, Lu Yuan infiltrated the vicinity outside Beiling Mountain's cavern."

Listening to this exchange, Lu Yuan estimated he had grasped five or six tenths of the entire situation.

He immediately attempted to send a telepathic message to the other three, only to discover that the communication stone was useless here. This must be due to the strange interference from the surrounding arrays.

If the communication stone failed, then he would have to storm Beiling Mountain himself.

Lu Yuan, however, felt no apprehension whatsoever.

Meanwhile, at the main gate of Beiling Mountain, a disturbance broke out.

The two guards were idly chatting while keeping watch over the cavern entrance when a streak of blood-red sword light abruptly arrived.

The two guards started in surprise, but as the crimson light drew closer, they burst into laughter: "It turns out to be Senior Brother Bai."

The blood-red light descended, revealing a figure. This was an exceedingly sinister young man, clad in strangely elaborate silver garments, his eyes flashing with an eerie light—he was almost a miniaturized version of Yuan Ling. This person was named Bai Wuji, the foremost among Reverend Yuan Ling’s personal disciples.

Of course, Bai Wuji was not like an ordinary direct disciple. Though his apparent age was only one hundred and fifty years—an age that would typically place someone in the ninth generation—Reverend Yuan Ling insisted on taking him as a true disciple. What could be done about it?

And this Bai Wuji possessed terrifying strength, having already reached the Fourth Layer of Longevity.

His cultivation stemmed partly from his exceptional innate talent and partly from the various unorthodox arts Reverend Yuan Ling employed to boost his power. In orthodox immortal sects like Wudang Xianmen, a cultivator of one hundred and fifty years would, at best, be at the Third Layer of Longevity.

Bai Wuji, Bai Wuji—'Hundred Without Taboos.'

Bai Wuji landed his sword light, still holding captive a delicate young maiden. This girl had a melon-seed face and was exquisitely beautiful, clad in a white fur cloak the color of snow. Describing her as possessing an ethereal, otherworldly quality would not be an exaggeration. Lu Yuan rarely attended gatherings of young cultivators, or he would have recognized this person as Murong Yingxue, the little princess of Kunlun.

This woman was the daughter of the Kunlun Immortal Sect Master. Her skin was so fair it seemed like congealed jade, earning her the title 'Little Princess Ningzhi' (Congealed Jade).

Little Princess Murong Yingxue struggled fiercely: "Release me! Release me, you insolent brute! I am the little princess of Kunlun!"

Bai Wuji laughed heartily: "Release you? Don't be absurd. Do you think I'd let you go just because you're the little princess of Kunlun? Why should I fear Kunlun? My master, Reverend Yuan Ling, is wanted by the Five Great Immortal Sects, yet he lives well enough. My name is Bai Wuji—it means 'Hundred Without Taboos.' I am currently practicing the Grand Cultivation Method of the Sea of Blood to Plant Demons. You will obediently serve as my furnace."

"Hahaha, after finally capturing you, why would I ever let go?"

It was rumored that in extremely powerful nations, there existed colossal immortal sects where a technique called the Heavenly Art of Planting Demons of the Dao Heart resided. After his rebellion, Reverend Yuan Ling had traveled to other realms and, based on the Dao Heart Planting Demon Great Method, independently created the Sea of Blood Planting Demon Great Method, which he had Bai Wuji practice to observe its effects.

This Sea of Blood Planting Demon Great Method required beautiful, virgin female cultivators to be refined into a furnace, which was why he had abducted the little princess of Kunlun, Murong Yingxue.

Murong Yingxue froze upon hearing this. This man was a disciple of the infamous wicked cultivator, Reverend Yuan Ling. Yuan Ling had always exuded wickedness, yet he evaded death despite being hunted by the Five Great Immortal Sects. If he were Yuan Ling’s disciple, there was indeed no need to fear the Kunlun Immortal Sect. Could she truly be destined to become this villain's furnace?

Seeing Murong Yingxue momentarily stunned, Bai Wuji laughed even more wildly: "Hahahaha! Who can kill me? I, Bai Wuji, have a hundred taboos I cannot break, meaning no one can kill me! I know many young talents among the Tenth Generation are pursuing you, Princess Murong, but no matter how talented they are, none can match me, Bai Wuji! My power is the Fourth Layer of Longevity, hahaha! Therefore, all the Tenth Generation disciples will be slain by me."

"Is that so?" A cold sound echoed, seeming to resonate deep within Bai Wuji's soul.

Bai Wuji started in shock, and in that instant, his head flew off.

Blood surged upward.

Bang! The headless corpse dropped onto the snow, staining the ground crimson.

What a stark contrast—Bai Wuji had just declared that no one could kill him, only to be instantly slain. The two guards were aghast and immediately looked toward the attacker. The person who emerged wore a bamboo hat and was dressed in plain cyan robes. His right hand had already returned his sword to its sheath, while his left held a wine gourd.

"Who are you?" The two guards, seeing the Fourth Layer of Longevity Bai Wuji felled in a single move, realized the attacker’s strength must be terrifying. Being practitioners of the wicked path themselves, they dared not strike.

"Lu Yuan." After the young man in cyan announced his name, he instantly unleashed two sword strikes, killing both guards.

After dispatching the guards, Lu Yuan noticed the maiden he had rescued was staring at him with profound astonishment. The delicate girl stammered slightly, "Are you Lu Yuan, the genius renowned in Huashan?"

"Yes," Lu Yuan nodded.

The beautiful girl continued to gaze at him with intense curiosity, which put Lu Yuan under some pressure. Being stared at so intently by such a stunning maiden was disconcerting. He had originally intended to force his way into the interior of Beiling Mountain, but now it seemed unnecessary, as a considerable number of people were already rapidly gathering near the cavern entrance, ready to intercept him.

The current situation was almost comical.

Outside the mountain cavern of Beiling Mountain, Lu Yuan stood alone, wearing his bamboo hat, holding his Yangwu Sword.

Inside the cavern, dozens, perhaps even a hundred, immortal cultivators were assembled, yet not a single one dared to advance.

Among the hundred cultivators inside the Beiling Mountain cavern were numerous ones who had reached the Longevity stage, but none dared to move an inch.

"Is that Lu Yuan?"

"How did he find this place?"

"Since he found us, shouldn't we charge him?"

"Our Beiling Mountain and the North Peak have always been mortal enemies; naturally, we should charge and eliminate him."

"Right, Lu Yuan is merely a mere disciple of the North Peak."

"Forget it. If you want to charge, go ahead, but don't drag me into it."

"Yes, some of us don't even know who Lu Yuan is."

"Not long ago, on Huashan’s North Peak, Lu Yuan fought one-on-one against Sima Changbai of the Ninth Layer of Longevity and won."

"Even a cultivator of the Ninth Layer of Longevity lost to him?"

"Are you kidding? If we charge, we are definitely seeking death."

"Agreed, agreed."

Murong Yingxue watched the scene with immense fascination. One person against a hundred; naturally, the hundred should hold the advantage, and the single person should be at a disadvantage. Moreover, among the hundred were many men with long beards, clearly not young, and Murong Yingxue even recognized some of them as infamous figures listed on the Kunlun Immortal Sect's wanted roster. So many fiends and heretics—any one of them thrown out could defeat the combined might of the top ten true disciples of Kunlun. Yet, here was the amusing reality: facing the single figure of Lu Yuan, these aged evildoers dared not move, and instead, they trembled.

The balance of power had completely reversed.

Murong Yingxue began to study Lu Yuan’s appearance. He looked merely ordinarily handsome, but standing there, armed with his sword against hundreds of fierce villains, he exuded such imposing spirit. Suddenly, Murong Yingxue realized she was falling for Lu Yuan. Many male disciples pursued her, from Kunlun and other sects, but now, none seemed to compare to Lu Yuan.

Murong Yingxue made up her mind. Once she returned to Kunlun, she would command her father to visit the North Peak and see if there was any possibility…

The little princess of Kunlun had always been one to love and hate fiercely.