The short sword hovered inches from Lu Yuan's throat, yet his Yangwu Spirit Sword remained a good two zhang away, still pursuing Elder Huo and unable to return in time. His other sword, the Zhenyue Spirit Sword, was still sheathed, unreachable.## For novel reading, you must visit ## This was the technique known as Blood-Devouring Night. This move possessed no discernible might, no imposing aura.

Yet, without Lu Yuan realizing it, it was poised to steal his life. Elder Bat's eyes held a flicker of satisfaction. This was the work of an assassin.

The assassin was nameless! The assassin's technique was silent and unassuming! Lu Yuan was doomed!

His throat could never withstand his blade! In that instant, however, Elder Bat felt as if a fiercely sharp sword qi had pierced him from sole to crown, instantly impaling him. As he was impaled, the sword meant to strike Lu Yuan naturally failed to continue its trajectory.

It was almost zero distance from piercing Lu Yuan’s throat. Lu Yuan raised a hand, and the scabbard of the Yangwu Spirit Sword flew into it. Yes, it was this very scabbard that had just struck down Elder Bat.

Seeing Elder Bat’s look of utter confusion, Lu Yuan shook his head: "You were waiting for me to reveal an opening, and I was waiting for you to strike. You guarded against the Yangwu Spirit Sword and the Zhenyue Spirit Sword, but you neglected the scabbard of the Yangwu Spirit Sword. That is your failure." Elder Bat was severely wounded, but he still struggled: "You dare not kill me.

If you kill me, my Master and you will be locked in an endless feud. If my Master wishes to kill you, Hua Shan will have to protect you, but the moment you step outside Hua Shan, you will die by my Master’s hand." Elder Bat played his Master’s ultimate card. The Crimson Wing Demon King was a troublesome figure indeed.

Amongst the demons, his speed was almost unparalleled. Across the entire Jin State, perhaps only a few Grandmasters could contend with this Great Dao realm expert renowned for his velocity. Fastest Updates And once he resolved to kill someone, evading him was nearly impossible—the risk was astronomically high.

A triumphant smile bloomed on Elder Bat’s face. Indeed, invoking his Master’s name would deter anyone from harming him. A streak of brilliant sword qi erupted, whisking away Elder Bat’s head, which transitioned from smugness to stark terror.

Lu Yuan gently flicked his hand, and the Yangwu Sword was back in his grasp. How ridiculous, threatening him. Back then, others had tried to use the Elder Council to threaten him, and in the end, those who threatened him were all dead.

Daring, reckless, and utterly unrestrained—these traits were inherent to his very being. Lu Yuan turned his gaze toward Elder White Fox. In truth, Elder White Fox had been poisoning him throughout, but Lu Yuan was utterly immune to all poisons.

Seeing Lu Yuan look over, Elder White Fox startled. Just then, Elder Bat’s severed head rolled to her feet. Without hesitation, she hurled an object away: "This is Bei Feng Qi Qiu’s antidote!" She immediately shifted her body, fleeing as far as she possibly could.

In the preceding series of clashes, Lu Yuan had defeated Elder Sword, Elder Bat, Elder Law, Elder Fire, Elder Snake, and Elder Tiger, while scaring off Elder White Fox. Of those, Elder Bat was dead, Elder Tiger severely injured, and Elder Snake gravely wounded. Lu Yuan casually swept his gaze again, his eyes landing on Elder Law.

Elder Law immediately retreated as far as possible. His gaze shifted to Elder Snake, who also backed away instantly, unwilling to linger for a moment longer. When his eyes flickered toward Elder Sword, he was already utterly terrified, retreating so far back he was almost invisible.

Even under Lu Yuan’s gaze, he continued to flee desperately. Merely with a glance, he had driven the Ten Great Demon Elders into a frenzy, making them scatter like frightened birds. Such imposing power left onlookers speechless!

Lu Yuan’s gaze then fell upon Elder Snake, noticing she was frozen in place. He thought she possessed courage. Lu Yuan secretly praised her internally: daring not to flee under such circumstances—a true display of guts.

In reality, Elder Snake was past tears; of everyone present, her injuries were the worst, having been pierced through by Lu Yuan, her heart half-destroyed. She couldn't move. Fastest Updates Lu Yuan knew nothing of this; assuming she was brave, he naturally pursued with a sword strike, killing her instantly.

He paused internally, wondering why such a seemingly courageous figure died in a single blow, thinking she might have lasted a few more strikes. Meanwhile, the five elders who had managed to retreat back into the demon ranks exchanged horrified glances, cold sweat plastering their backs. They hadn't imagined Lu Yuan’s strength had reached this realm, possessing abilities that seemed beyond mortal comprehension.

Thus, the seemingly unbelievable challenge—one man against seven of the Great Elders—concluded with Lu Yuan’s overwhelming victory. Those from Hua Shan watched in silence, not a single cheer rising. Witnessing Lu Yuan’s godly prowess, akin to a celestial being, most felt a profound sense of dread deep in their hearts.

Could this truly be the power attainable at the Longevity Realm? The foremost expert of the Longevity Realm! Lu Yuan!

From this moment on, everyone concurred: Lu Yuan was the number one expert in the Jin State’s Longevity Realm. It was unimaginable that anyone else could achieve this—single-handedly defeating seven of the Ten Great Elders. It was a record that seemed supernatural.

Ling Luoshi of the Sword Sect nodded: "Indeed. This is the result of mastering swordsmanship." Duan Qingzhi of the Qi Sect shook his head: "Not necessarily. Excellent mastery of spells would yield similar results." He said this without much conviction, as the Sword and Qi Sects had maintained a rough balance before.

Now, with Lu Yuan's sudden emergence, most younger disciples believed swordsmanship was superior to spellcasting. Since the Qi Sect lacked a figure like Lu Yuan, they could only accept it reluctantly. Ling Luoshi smiled: "Could the Qi Sect produce someone who, with the ninth level of the Longevity Realm, could defeat seven of the Ten Great Elders using only spells?

Forget the ninth level, even the tenth level couldn't achieve it." He scoffed, feeling supremely confident given Lu Yuan’s precedent. Duan Qingzhi countered: "Could Lu Yuan possibly belong to the Sword Sect? I recall Lu Yuan originating from the Sword and Qi Sect joint school.

You Sword Sect focuses solely on swordsmanship—how is it that none of you possess such remarkable skill? Is the very name of the Sword Sect merely an empty boast?" He had expertly caught a slip in Ling Luoshi’s statement. The friction between the Sword and Qi Sects had escalated to the point where they were arguing even at this moment.

Lu Yuan did not belong exclusively to the Sword Sect, yet he had become their ultimate banner. Sometimes, life was this inherently ironic. ...At this very moment, in an inconspicuous corner, a white-haired, white-bearded elder smiled and shook his head: "It’s passable.

This boy Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship is finally not as utterly nonsensical as it was before; at least now it’s presentable." To others, the techniques displayed were world-shattering masterpieces, but to this white-robed elder, they had merely moved beyond being completely rubbish. However, this white-haired elder certainly possessed the standing to make such a pronouncement. Behind this elder, four middle-aged men offered wry smiles.

Having followed their Master for so long, they now found Lu Yuan's swordsmanship terrifying, yet their Master deemed it barely acceptable. Their Master’s own swordsmanship, they mused, must truly be unmatched in the Jin State. The overt battles of the Hua Shan conflict were now concluded.

The most significant battle in the open had been the previous one, where Lu Yuan single-handedly defeated seven Great Elders and killed two. Through this engagement, Lu Yuan became famous across the realm, officially recognized as the foremost expert of the Longevity Realm. Clearly, however, the Hua Shan conflict still held secret battles yet to be fought.

Lu Yuan paid little mind to those affairs. He lacked the standing to interfere in the hidden battles—those were contests between Great Dao realm experts. His task was complete.

Now, it was time to examine the spoils. From the previous battle, he had slain two Elders, both extraordinary individuals. Lu Yuan first retrieved Elder Snake’s spatial necklace.

Indeed, Elder Snake, being fond of beauty, used a rare necklace as her spatial artifact. Probing it with his divine sense, Lu Yuan discovered seventeen gigantic spirit beasts stored within, seven mid-grade spirit stones, and a manual detailing mental cultivation techniques—items he had no immediate use for. Elder Bat, being the leader among the Ten Great Elders, possessed significantly more wealth.

He had a full thirty-one gigantic spirit beasts, fifteen mid-grade spirit stones—far surpassing the other Elders. Furthermore, he possessed three Soul Crystal formations. Truly a wealthy man, judging by this hoard.

Bat King Movement Technique, Lu Yuan started! This was the unique movement art of the Crimson Wing Bat King, famed throughout Jin State as the fastest movement technique available. Without question, this Bat King Movement Technique was a prize.

He immediately took it out to examine. Flipping through carefully, he confirmed it was indeed the Bat King Movement Technique. With this technique, his speed could increase considerably.

However, it frustratingly lacked the crucial ultimate move, Bat King’s Smile. Bat King’s Smile was the final stage of this art, capable of pushing the technique to its absolute maximum speed. Without it, the technique couldn't claim the title of the fastest in Jin State, but it would undoubtedly rank among the top few.

A rare find. Elder Bat didn't possess many other treasures, but acquiring this Bat King Movement Technique made the whole effort worthwhile. He immediately began testing the Bat King Movement Technique.

Circulating the Cloud Dragon Heart Method, he felt his speed increase slightly. If he then utilized the transformation of the Cloud Dragon Ten Changes, switching the Cloud elemental Heart Method to the Wind elemental Heart Method, he instantly felt a further, noticeable acceleration. With this level of speed, fighting multiple opponents would become significantly easier.

But something still felt off. He lacked wings. This Bat King Movement Technique needed to be paired with actual wings to achieve its peak potential.

He mused about finding some kind of wing-shaped magical treasure someday, but that was clearly a matter for the future, not an immediate concern. Right, there were two more items. One item was the recovered Swift Thunder Sword Art, gifted by the Sword Sect as thanks: one Soul Crystal and five mid-grade spirit stones.

This Swift Thunder Sword Art was a supreme technique of the Sword Sect. And the biggest prize of all was the Great Dao Law Pill he had obtained. The function of the Great Dao Law Pill was to increase the possibility of advancing to the Great Dao Realm by half a percent—this was the ultimate treasure, far surpassing everything else obtained.

(The third update is here, settling yesterday’s owed chapter, and I’ll shout out for monthly tickets—it’s the last day of the month, if you don’t give them now, they’ll be wasted.) To Be Continued)