Crack! The massive ice sword conjured by the Binghan Lingjian shattered as the ice layer broke, revealing the sword's snow-white body—a sign that Xuan Huazi’s magical power had finally been completely depleted at that very moment.

It was sheer coincidence; who could have predicted that at this precise instant, the magical reserves of both Xuan Huazi and Lu Yuan would be entirely exhausted?

Xuan Huazi threw back his head and laughed, “You are formidable, Lu Yuan. A junior in the Longevity Realm—though you started with a sneak attack—you are the first to push me to this point. To deplete our powers simultaneously with me, you have every reason to be proud.” To have battled someone in the Great Dao Realm to this extent was a genuine miracle for Lu Yuan; if others knew, they would surely be stunned speechless.

“But alas, I am in the Great Dao Realm; my natural rate of magical recovery is inherently faster than yours.” Xuan Huazi chuckled, his eyes alight with predatory intent. Now that he had captured Lu Yuan, he would hold him fast and immediately use him to forge the Xuan Zhi Ji.

Xuan Huazi believed victory was assured.

But at that moment, Lu Yuan smiled and, with a slight lift of his hand, unleashed the Puppet Token.

Instantly, over a dozen skeletons converged, each animated with the magical power equivalent to the Tenth Level of the Longevity Realm.

Seeing this, Xuan Huazi’s expression shifted sharply. He never imagined that Lu Yuan still possessed such a card at this juncture. Gritting his teeth, Xuan Huazi knew that as a figure of the Great Dao Realm, he couldn't be completely without recourse. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a small box and threw it open in an instant.

The dozen skeletons were closing in on Xuan Huazi with frightening speed.

In his hand, Xuan Huazi now held a plump, perfectly round elixir, glowing with golden light, no larger than a thumb. As soon as the pill materialized, it released a rich, exotic fragrance. Without hesitation, Xuan Huazi swallowed the golden orb, and a flash of divine light erupted around him.

Xuan Huazi, moments before depleted of power, was suddenly rejuvenated. With a casual flick, the Binghan Lingjian swept out, and the dozen skeletons rushing him instantly scattered to meet the attack. Though clearly not at his peak, Xuan Huazi was still a Great Dao Realm master, and these skeletons, with their inherently weak defenses, possessed an attack power only matching the Tenth Level of Longevity. Crack, crack! They shattered completely.

“Lu Yuan, I had to use my Supreme Spirit Recovery Pill just for this! I will kill you!” Rage burned in his chest. The item he had just consumed was a rare spiritual medicine called the Wushang Huishen Dan, capable of instantly restoring thirty percent of one's magical power. Normally, unless facing certain death, one would never use such a precious item.

But he hadn't accounted for Lu Yuan possessing such terrifying means.

Lu Yuan merely raised his hand again and deployed his final reserve: fifteen Dragon Sharks, each possessing the strength of the Tenth Level of Longevity. These creatures were entirely different from the earlier puppets; their attack and defense matched the peak of the Longevity Realm. Unleashing fifteen at once was more than even Xuan Huazi, with his recovered thirty percent power, could easily handle.

Xuan Huazi once more waved his hand and consumed his absolute last resort. Just before the fifteen Dragon Sharks could engage, he flicked his wrist, producing a box—this one lacquered deep black. As the box opened, a dense black elixir emerged. After swallowing it, Xuan Huazi began to exude demonic energy, and his combat power surged noticeably.

This pill had been a congratulatory gift from the Subterranean Demon, one of the two Gate Masters of the Xuanming Sect, named the Heaven Demon Pill (Tianmo Dan). It could stimulate latent human potential, temporarily boosting fighting ability significantly, though its after-effects were disastrous. When he first received this gift, he had no intention of ever using it, but now Lu Yuan had forced his hand. He was so enraged that he now felt he might as well eat Lu Yuan himself! Both the Wushang Huishen Dan and the Tianmo Dan were priceless elixirs, now squandered in this fight.

Xuan Huazi radiated dark energy, his speed increasing substantially. Yet, despite consuming both elixirs in succession, his current combat strength still fell short of his peak. The ice surrounding the Binghan Lingjian intensified, and every strike was aimed squarely at the sea beast kings, engaging in a furious, head-on clash.

The Dragon Sharks, having only recently been puppets, had not lost too much of their inherent combat instinct.

...

A bolt of extreme cold sliced through the body of a Dragon Shark, instantly freezing it solid. A moment later, with a sharp snap, the creature’s body shattered into thousands of fragments. This was Xuan Huazi’s ultimate technique: the Xuanming Zhi Sha. After dispatching the shark, Xuan Huazi gasped for breath.

All fifteen Dragon Sharks were annihilated.

Xuan Huazi, however, was utterly exhausted. His magical energy was severely depleted, and his body bore multiple injuries.

Under such sustained assault, after such meticulous plotting, he had still managed to win. The might of the Great Dao Realm was truly terrifyingly powerful.

It was no wonder that across ten thousand years, no one in the Longevity Realm had ever managed to defeat a Great Dao master; the difficulty was simply too immense.

His magical energy was chaotic, his consciousness even slightly unstable due to the Tianmo Dan. “Lu Yuan, I want you dead!” he snarled through clenched teeth. All he desired now was to tear Lu Yuan into a thousand pieces. Of course, if he truly captured Lu Yuan, he probably wouldn't kill him immediately—he still intended to use him to forge the Xuan Zhi Ji.

At this juncture, Lu Yuan had indeed recovered some power, but fighting Xuan Huazi remained incredibly difficult.

A wave of frustration washed over Lu Yuan’s mind; his trump cards were spent. Defeating a Great Dao Realm expert in this state seemed insurmountable. It appeared his only option was to use his substitute artifact and flee.

Xuan Huazi felt an indescribable surge of triumph, as if he had vanquished his nemesis, Ming Jianzi. But then he shook his head; how could the mere Lu Yuan compare to the formidable Ming Jianzi? Never mind; first, capture Lu Yuan. As Xuan Huazi prepared to move, a deafening boom shook the world.

This cavernous dwelling, built upon an island, began to shake violently. What was happening?

Before anyone could react, a column of fiery red flame violently burst forth as the earth cracked open. Molten rock and shattered debris were carried within the plume. Immediately following came a second column, a massive surge of lava erupting from the ground. Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth fiery pillar.

Innumerable jets of flame tore through the island's surface, engulfing the land and the entire dwelling in a sea of fire.

The colossal lava plumes rocketed into the sky, falling back down onto the earth as molten rivers. The ground began to buckle and collapse, entirely covered in lava. The intense heat scorched the island, filling the air with magma, searing temperatures, and billowing steam, creating an environment as hot and agonizing as the Red Lotus Purgatory.

It was a volcanic eruption!

It turned out that this dwelling, this island, rested atop a dormant volcano. The volcano had been showing minor signs of activity recently, but usually, such mild tremors posed no great threat. The problem was today: first, the battle between the Great Dao master Xuan Huazi and Ming Jianzi—the sheer magnitude of their fight had agitated the dormant volcano, though it hadn't fully triggered. Then, the subsequent battle between Lu Yuan and Xuan Huazi, an engagement nearly as devastating as the first, finally brought about the full eruption!

In moments, this place would become a vast sea of fire.

Xuan Huazi, a master of the Great Dao Realm familiar with the rules of heaven and earth, would normally be unconcerned by such an eruption if he were at his peak. However, currently in a state of extreme weakness, he was utterly incapable of resisting such a cataclysm. He could only seek temporary refuge.

But before fleeing, he had to secure Lu Yuan. He lunged toward Lu Yuan with speed, deftly weaving around several erupting fire columns in his path.

—————— The sky above was a shocking crimson, punctuated by rising pillars of fire.

Seeing Xuan Huazi hurtling toward him, a flurry of thoughts raced through Lu Yuan’s mind.

Should he flee? His sword control granted him incredible speed, and in this chaotic environment, relying on the White Emperor Sword Dao might offer him a chance to escape.

But he could risk one final gambit.

This was a volcanic eruption, and if he employed the Fire Emperor Sword Dao now, Lu Yuan’s mind cleared of all distractions. He felt the surrounding, blazing, infinite Fire elemental energy—its magnificent, fierce, all-consuming potency. Lu Yuan felt as if his own magical power was igniting.

The Suanni Transformation from the Ten Cloud Dragon Changes is a method to convert one's magical power into Fire elemental power. At this moment, Lu Yuan almost spontaneously grasped the principles of the Suanni Transformation. This was a manifestation of latent ability; the closer one approached the Great Dao Realm, the more likely such flashes of insight would occur, as the Great Dao Realm was fundamentally about comprehending the laws of nature.

Lu Yuan realized that as he absorbed the surrounding fire essence, he had, in that very instant, mastered the Suanni Transformation among the Ten Cloud Dragon Changes. This meant he had now mastered the seventh transformation, with only three remaining.

The Ten Cloud Dragon Changes were rapidly approaching completion.

Lu Yuan activated the Suanni Transformation. In this form, all his magical power converted from Cloud energy into Fire energy, circulating through his body with extreme ferocity. Simultaneously, behind his figure, the shadow of a monstrous beast engulfed in flames appeared—a creature resembling a fiery lion, incomparably brave.

Lu Yuan drew forth his Zhenyue Spiritual Sword.

“FIRE—EMPEROR—SWORD—DAO—” Lu Yuan roared, and boundless Fire elemental essence gathered upon the Zhenyue Sword. It grew larger and larger until it was no smaller than the blue-water sword from before. Moreover, the attack power of the Fire Emperor Sword Dao was vastly superior to the Water Emperor Sword Dao, as the Fire Emperor Sword Dao was the most aggressively potent among the Five Emperor Sword Daos.

Now, Lu Yuan’s entire body blazed with fire, manifesting the lion-like Suanni spirit behind him, wielding a colossal, raging sword of flame.

This single strike was destined to shake the heavens and split the earth.

Lu Yuan felt his entire reservoir of magical power being fiercely drained, focusing every remaining ounce of energy into this final sword strike.

(Only two chapters today; the continuation of this final sword strike will arrive tomorrow.)