At Mount Hua, the foremost immortal sect in the Jin Kingdom, the visible power structure comprised only one Dao Realm Peak Master per peak; those below them were all Sword Immortals at the Longevity stage. Hidden forces, like the Seven Elders of Chuyun, did not emerge casually.

An elder like Elder Hu was already nearing the pinnacle of what a premier immortal sect displayed openly.

At this moment, Elder Hu unleashed his most powerful strike—a single club swing that incorporated the force of the previous four strikes, creating an earth-shattering blow that seemed intent on shattering everything. Faced with such an attack, few present believed they could withstand it. What a formidable opponent!

Lu Yuan felt a tremor in his heart. Simultaneously, he drew his Spirit Nurturing Sword. The sword unleashed a streak of startling sword intent across the void, stirring up a froth of waves. These waves transformed into lake water, then into a vast ocean, forcefully separating Elder Hu and himself with an expanse of sea.

The Water Emperor Sword Dao!

Elder Hu, one of the Ten Great Elders of the Demon Horde, was a warrior forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He immediately recognized the sensation emanating from the sword intent. Upon encountering such a feeling, one must use every ounce of strength to smash through it. The strongest move in his hands, the Guiding Reception style, gathered all its might and hurtled toward Lu Yuan.

If water stood in the way, he would shatter the water. If the sea stood in the way, he would shatter the sea.

None of the Ten Great Elders of the Demon Horde were anything less than veterans of countless battles; their combat experience vastly surpassed any opponent Lu Yuan had previously encountered.

Lu Yuan also unleashed his strongest attack: the Water Emperor Sword Dao!

The pinnacle move of the Myriad Battles Club Technique, the Guiding Reception style, surged toward the ocean conjured by Lu Yuan's sword intent, smashing through countless layers of water, pulverizing everything as it bore down on Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan was entirely serious now; this was the first opponent at the Tenth Level of Longevity he had ever faced.

Boom!

The strongest Guiding Reception style of the Myriad Battles Club Technique finally halted before Lu Yuan. All its force had been expended smashing through the ocean formed by the sword intent. He had ultimately failed to break through Lu Yuan's Water Emperor Sword Dao.

In this contest of ultimate strength against ultimate strength, Elder Hu's peak Myriad Battles Club Technique yielded to Lu Yuan's Water Emperor Sword Dao; the defense of the Water Emperor Sword Dao remained unbroken.

Elder Hu’s momentum faltered. Anyone whose strongest blow was decisively blocked would suffer a dip in spirit. As Elder Hu’s aura wavered, exposing a fleeting opportunity, Lu Yuan pressed his attack. At that instant, Lu Yuan’s Spirit Nurturing Sword transformed into a torrent of lake water surging toward Elder Hu.

Every sword dao possesses its own unique characteristics.

The greatest feature of the Water Emperor Sword Dao is its connectivity—to put it plainly, the transitions between sword techniques are exceptionally fluid, leaving absolutely no gap in between. Under this near-perfect sequence, the offense advanced like relentless waves. Elder Hu, initially caught in the assault, found himself drawn deeper and deeper by Lu Yuan's exceedingly smooth, flawlessly linked swordsmanship, leaving him with little room to counterattack.

Elder Hu was unwilling to yield. After being confined for a moment and gathering some energy, he attempted to unleash another fierce attack—the Myriad Battles Club Technique's Myriad Clubs Toward Heaven! The ferocity of this move was not much less than the Guiding Reception style. He had waited this long precisely to execute it, but as he attempted the maneuver, he felt as if he had plunged into water of immense density, unable to muster any real power.

What kind of infernal sword intent is this!

Once trapped, escaping was difficult; erupting was even harder. He could only sink deeper.

Indeed, these were the inherent qualities of the Water Emperor Sword Dao: perfect connectivity, ceaseless, tide-like offense, and, once an enemy was ensnared, a slowing effect that made retaliation nearly impossible.

Elder Hu was utterly beaten into submission. All he could do was wield his staff continuously, parrying Lu Yuan's tidal assault, but the more he defended, the harder it became, and the more he realized his strength waning. Damn it, I am Elder Hu, one of the Ten Great Elders who has fought ten thousand battles.

"Be defeated," Lu Yuan commanded, thrusting his sword directly at Elder Hu. Elder Hu immediately raised his staff to block, but Lu Yuan’s blade suddenly dove downward, aiming straight for Elder Hu's heart. Elder Hu tried to counter, but his staff was held fast by the aqueous realm conjured by the Water Emperor Sword Dao.

A sword pierced the heart!

Lu Yuan settled back into his stance as Elder Hu fell downward with a thud.

Lu Yuan had won!

Lu Yuan had actually won! Elder Hu, one of the Ten Great Elders, a powerhouse at the Tenth Level of Longevity—an opponent whom even a resurrected Li Yuanbai would struggle to defeat—had now been bested by Lu Yuan. At this moment, countless onlookers were filled with emotion. Few had imagined Lu Yuan could triumph under these circumstances; it was utterly inconceivable.

A smile touched Fang Ru's lips. Senior Brother Li, your disciple Lu Yuan has officially surpassed you; you must be comforted in the nine springs below.

On the Demon Horde side, morale plummeted. A figure famous for hundreds of years had been defeated by a junior sword cultivator whose fame spanned only ten. The outcome was simply unbelievable.

Lu Yuan had gained some notoriety over the years, but no one had expected him to defeat a cultivator at the Tenth Level of Longevity this time.

The Tenth Level of Cultivation was incomparable to what came before.

This represented the strongest rank below the Dao Realm.

And for every premier immortal sect, this rank typically represented their strongest visible martial power.

Lu Yuan, a tenth-generation true disciple, had unknowingly risen to such heights, inspiring endless awe!

Lu Yuan achieved instant fame, leaping to the ranks of top-tier Sword Immortals.

Meanwhile, hidden among the crowds, the Dao Realm figures of the Demon Horde stared, momentarily stunned by the battle they had just witnessed. Recalling the fight, they confirmed it: Sword King Realm! Indeed, the Sword King Realm! Very few individuals in the Cultivation World reached the Sword King Realm. Even among Dao Realm experts, at most twenty had attained this level; a considerable number of Dao Realm masters had not reached it.

They had heard rumors of Lu Yuan's Sword King status.

Now that they had witnessed the Sword King Realm firsthand, it was certainly an enlightening experience.

...

However, Lu Yuan paid no mind to this. He wanted to see if he had an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Elder Hu. With countless Demon Horde experts lurking within the Void Battle Array, he knew delivering a single killing strike was impossible. That last thrust had been enough to sideline Elder Hu for years of recovery. Now, watching Elder Hu fall, Lu Yuan wondered if a chance for a finishing blow would present itself.

In that instant, a figure cloaked in deep black shot out from the Demon Horde array. This silhouette moved with terrifying speed; only when it stopped, grasping Elder Hu’s body, did its form become clear. Everything about it mirrored a human, except for its strikingly handsome features and a pair of black wings, matched by an expression of profound coldness.

"Elder Bat Two, thank you," Elder Hu gasped upon seeing the demon.

The arriving Elder Bat looked coldly at Lu Yuan. "I am Elder Bat, one of the Ten Great Elders. Your master died under the hand of my master, the Crimson Wing Demon King." With that, he vanished like a fleeting shadow, taking Elder Hu with him into the Demon Horde lines. Lu Yuan froze momentarily upon hearing those words.

His master had told him he fell on the main battlefield against the Crimson Wing Demon King. Since he entered the battlefield, he must have accepted the possibility of death. A Sword Immortal draws his blade knowing he might die upon it, which is why his master never sought revenge. However, now the disciple of the one who slew his master appeared, uttering such a provocation, and Lu Yuan’s expression tightened.

Excellent!

A mortal enemy! Elder Bat!

——————

The Heavenly Cycle Astrolabe was a magical artifact of Mount Hua, currently suspended above the summit of East Peak. The entire Astrolabe was structured with eight corners, each bearing a dragon holding a pearl in its mouth, situated above a cup designed to catch the falling pearls. The Astrolabe was crafted with incredible intricacy. Hovering above it was a scroll bearing numerous names, the foremost names displayed most prominently.

Lu Yuan looked up and scanned the list: all names belonged to cultivators at the Tenth, Ninth, or Eighth Levels of Longevity.

This list reflected the current battle achievements rankings. Occupying the foremost positions were several at the Tenth Level of Longevity. The total number of Tenth Level cultivators on Mount Hua wasn't excessive. Shi Chongtian, the Lone Sword Immortal of East Peak’s Sword Sect, ranked first; Zou Jing, the Stone Falling Sword of East Peak’s Sword Sect, ranked second; Mo Chuichui, the Thousand Mist Sword Immortal of South Peak’s Sword Sect, ranked third; and Bai Li Duan Qingzhi, the Purple Cloud of West Peak’s Qi Sect, ranked fourth. These four were all at the Tenth Level of Longevity. Originally, Fang Ru of North Peak, also a Tenth Level master, would have been listed, but as a Peak Master, he could not engage lightly, thus his name was absent from the roster. Those ranked lower were mostly Ninth Level Sword Immortals. Among them were people Lu Yuan knew who had taught him, like Nangong Hui, the Spring Sword Immortal. Hmm, and even the Miscellaneous Sword Immortal, Ximen Luan, who had apparently been released from the Contemplation Peak.

Lu Yuan then noticed the awkward situation on North Peak. Ye Yangrong should have ranked quite high, being a Ninth Level cultivator, but having been injured by Elder Hu, he was currently unable to fight, placing him twenty-seventh on the list. This was still the highest rank achieved by anyone from North Peak.

As for himself, due to his deep immersion in comprehending the Sword Intent of Defense, he hadn't fought with full focus previously, ranking forty-third. But after heavily injuring Elder Hu, he had leaped to twenty-sixth.

However, this was a comparison across the Five Peaks.

Among the Five Peaks, Lu Yuan, at twenty-sixth, was the highest for North Peak, followed by Martial Uncle Ye at twenty-seventh. This was somewhat embarrassing for North Peak, one of the five major peaks, to have such rankings.

Lu Yuan shrugged. It seemed he needed to put more effort into his performance.

With the Five Peaks competing against each other, he could not allow the North Peak that nurtured him to lose face. He didn't need to be the absolute best, but he needed to be respectable.