It was the second day of the second lunar month, the "Dragon Raises Its Head" day. A fine drizzle dampened the air.

Lu Yuan followed closely behind Martial Uncle Fang Ru toward the Void Battle Array, intending to observe a classic—a battle between Grandmasters. Lu Yuan had finally grasped the situation: across the Jin and Yuan nations, discounting the reclusive figures, there were only eight Grandmaster-level experts in total. And these eight Grandmasters rarely took action themselves; mostly, they served as deterrents. In essence, they were kept around for show. Under normal circumstances, a faction's Grandmaster strength was not deployed.

But Dongfang Yao had no choice. If he didn't act, once the Five Great Immortal Sects finished dealing with their current troubles, he would be in serious jeopardy. Rumor had it the beast tide in the South Sea was nearing its end, and the Seven Sages of Wudang had reportedly decided on a distant expedition. This implied that if the two Demon/Devil Sovereigns of Light and Darkness didn't yield, the Seven Sages were prepared to engage them directly. Thus, Dongfang Yao was compelled to enter the fray.

As for Chu Duan, he too was cornered. He was deeply concerned about the Heaven-Aiding Alliance, especially their enigmatic leader. This concern was why he agreed to the decisive battle. Now, Zhou Qingxuan maintained no contact with the rest of the Mount Hua contingent; consequently, others remained unaware that he had located the Alliance Leader and was preparing for a final showdown. In the end, both sides felt cornered, leading to this Grandmaster confrontation.

It was still the Void Battle Array. On Mount Hua’s side, all nominally important figures from the Five Peaks were present, while several figures at the Great Dao Realm lay hidden in the shadows. Trailing Fang Ru, Lu Yuan felt someone scanning him. He glanced over and saw a slender man dressed in crimson, possessing a strikingly handsome face, with a small red mole between his brows. Tucked behind him were a pair of crimson wings, currently retracted. Just being stared at by this individual exerted immense pressure, as if one were plunged into a flame and subjected to ceaseless burning. The Crimson-Winged Demon King! Without needing to think, the name flashed in Lu Yuan's mind. Glancing further, he noticed several other men and women standing nearby, each exhibiting a distinct bearing, their auras profoundly imposing, regardless of gender.

At that moment, the unrivaled and overwhelmingly authoritative Sect Master of Mount Hua, Chu Duan, finally appeared. Clad in robes the color of deep azure, his presence seemed powerful enough to cleave the heavens. Chu Duan ascended the Void Battle Array, positioning himself before all the Mount Hua disciples. He was the foremost figure of Mount Hua. While the auras of the Crimson-Winged Demon King and his companions were astonishing to Lu Yuan, the combined presence of the Four Great Demon Kings was utterly suppressed by Chu Duan alone.

"Where is Dongfang Yao?" Chu Duan roared.

"I have naturally arrived." Countless pink flower petals drifted down from the sky, and within this endless shower, a mesmerizing man in pink slowly descended, settling upon the Void Battle Array. His posture was as exquisitely graceful as a goddess descending to earth. And this man's features—they were utterly demonic, so feminine that he looked like a woman, with an impossibly slender waist. Lu Yuan gasped! This was Dongfang Yao! The legendary powerhouse, reduced to looking like a woman? At this moment, it wasn't just Lu Yuan; very few on Mount Hua were not stunned.

"Dongfang Yao, you have indeed come. Accept my sword." Above Chu Duan's head, a Nascent Cloud appeared, roughly a li wide. Inside this cloud, a blazing sun pulsed like fire, radiating immense, searing sword intent. Above Dongfang Yao’s head, a Nascent Cloud of similar magnitude materialized, filled with countless fine needles.

Chu Duan unleashed a sword strike, a blow powerful enough to split heaven and earth, generating whistling sword energy stretching fifty zhang long—such colossal energy was earth-shattering. Dongfang Yao twisted his body, and countless embroidery needles shot forth from his sleeves. These needles moved too quickly for the eye to follow.

Chu Duan did not attempt to parry. His entire body was enveloped in a defensive magic treasure, radiating brilliant light. Before the battle began, Chu Duan had heard word: Dongfang Yao’s speed was unrivaled in the world, but his greatest weakness was insufficient offensive power. Chu Duan had prepared hundreds of defensive treasures, intending to cycle through them, replacing one the instant Dongfang Yao pierced it, while using the time bought by these items to swiftly dispatch Dongfang Yao.

What a magnificent battle! Watching from the side, Lu Yuan found it utterly thrilling. The combat was ferocious. Both Grandmasters held Nascent Clouds above their heads. Chu Duan’s swordplay was expansive and dominating. Such a style normally wouldn't pose much trouble for a swift-moving expert like Dongfang Yao, yet Chu Duan’s sword strikes were imbued with immense fire power, incinerating the sky around them. The entire Void Battleground, spanning hundreds of li, was engulfed in raging flames. Truly worthy of a Grandmaster; one fight had turned hundreds of li into an endless inferno.

In terms of pure spectacle, this battle even surpassed the fight Lu Yuan had witnessed between Xiaoyaozi and Yan Cangtian. That previous duel was too high-level; Lu Yuan had understood almost nothing. But here, Chu Duan and Dongfang Yao’s fight was less abstract, allowing Lu Yuan to grasp more. Observing the movements of such experts was itself a method of improvement, though such opportunities were exceedingly rare. How could he miss watching a Grandmaster battle like this?

Soon, however, he couldn't see clearly anymore. Chu Duan’s techniques generated so much flame that the figures of both combatants were swallowed by the inferno, rendering them indistinct.

Lu Yuan stared at the endless flames, lamenting his inability to witness the Grandmasters' exchange. What a pity. Now, he could only wait for the result. As he thought this, a spark ignited in his mind, and he suddenly fell into deep contemplation. What was the Emperor of Fire Sword Dao?

Undoubtedly, Chu Duan had mastered the Emperor of Fire Sword Dao; otherwise, he couldn't unleash such dominant sword techniques. Lu Yuan himself had comprehended seven types of fire sword intent. Could he leverage Chu Duan’s Emperor of Fire Sword Dao to awaken his own understanding of it? Lu Yuan watched and experimented continuously in his state of deep thought.

There were too many people here, so he casually chose a spot where the crowd was sparse, as the greatest feature of the Void Battle Array was its vastness.

Lu Yuan observed while testing his theories. He manifested his seven fire-attribute sword intents one by one—Scorching, Magma, Sun, Dawn, Dusk, Joy—the seven intents appeared in his hands. He focused on finding the commonalities and unifying point among the seven intents, aiming to integrate them into a single Sword Dao. If successful, it would be the Emperor of Fire Sword Dao.

For a time, his mind was filled with his own sword intents, Chu Duan’s moves, and the torrent of flowing fire covering the sky.

He didn't know how long passed before Lu Yuan abruptly snapped back to reality. He had ultimately failed to grasp the Emperor of Fire Sword Dao. He had felt the pathway, but at the most crucial juncture, the Emperor of Fire Sword Dao vanished from the sky—there was nothing left to reference. The absence of the Emperor of Fire Sword Dao meant the battle had concluded.

What was the outcome? Lu Yuan couldn't help but open his eyes.

Who had won?

Upon opening his eyes, the sky remained filled with vast, blazing fire. The Emperor of Fire Sword Dao was no longer being exerted, but its wielder was still present, standing there, with ten thousand flames forming his backdrop, burning fiercely, his presence utterly imposing.

"Over there, it seems there is a result," said the white-haired Zhou Qingxuan, hands clasped behind his back, from an inconspicuous corner of Mount Hua.

"Indeed." The Heaven-Aiding Alliance Leader struck immediately with a signature move: a long sword shimmering with lightning thrust directly toward Zhou Qingxuan. This strike twisted like a thunderous serpent, and as lightning flashed, a massive electrical field materialized beneath the sword, enveloping Zhou Qingxuan. Above the Alliance Leader’s head, a colossal thundercloud appeared, packed with electricity, spanning nearly a li. The power of lightning! Fierce attack! Extreme speed!

Zhou Qingxuan casually raised his hand. Above his head, a massive Clear Wind Nascent Cloud formed, with countless gusts of wind whipping outward centered on him. With a flick of his wrist, the Clear Wind Immortal Sword appeared in his hand, swinging down to fiercely clash against the Alliance Leader’s lightning sword.

Both combatants utilized the full extent of their techniques. If Lu Yuan were present, he would realize that his own proud techniques were utterly inadequate before these two figures. Their intricate, fully developed moves converged; the two swords met in mid-air—the lightning struck the wind, creating the sensation that two separate spaces were colliding.

Innumerable flashes of fire erupted!

In that initial clash, neither gained an advantage.

A rapid succession of exchanges followed, so intense that their momentum might even slightly surpass that of Chu Duan and Dongfang Yao.

"Heaven-Aiding Alliance Leader, so it was you," Zhou Qingxuan seemed to have guessed the identity of the Alliance Leader. "I heard you disappeared for so long, only to secretly form the Heaven-Aiding Alliance. A true powerhouse, indeed. As long as you don't die, you will never stop stirring up trouble." His tone suggested he had already deduced which figure stood behind the mysterious Alliance Leader.

Zhou Qingxuan smiled lightly: "Since I have guessed who you are, I have no further interest in playing games with you."

"Yes, you are confident. Don't forget, when you were young, you were defeated by me once," the Heaven-Aiding Alliance Leader sneered.

"Youth is youth; the present is the present." Zhou Qingxuan gently stroked his Clear Wind Immortal Sword, then executed a swift change in motion. The sneer on the Alliance Leader's face instantly froze. The sword move was exquisitely subtle, almost unimaginable, perfectly comparable to the ultimate form of Yan Cangtian's Samsara Sword Dao.

One Sword Splits Yin and Yang! Life and Death contained within the duality of Yin and Yang! One of the Ten Iron Laws: Yin and Yang.

The Heaven-Aiding Alliance Leader retreated hastily, urgently: "Damn it... You are at the Sword Emperor realm! You actually cultivated to the Sword Emperor realm!" With utter disbelief, the second Sword Emperor realm expert in the Jin nation since Yan Cangtian had finally emerged.

The Heaven-Aiding Alliance Leader finally understood that the foremost figure in the Jin nation was no longer himself, but the Zhou Qingxuan standing before him. He dared not remain complacent; all his previous plans had to be abandoned.