A Xian Sect, generally, maintains a mountain gate. This mountain gate is, without a doubt, its very face. Sealing a Gate is a rare feat, seldom performed.

Because very few people possess the capability to achieve it. For a single individual to confront the entirety of a rival Xian Sect—what impossibility is that! Furthermore, the issue now is that the Xuanming Immortal Sect is at least a mid-tier power.

In the entire Jin Kingdom, throughout countless millennia, there has never been a case where someone from a mid-tier sect had their mountain gate sealed. Perhaps Yan Cangtian in the past could have managed such a thing, but he never attempted it, and whether he could is uncertain even now. Wu Zhao had expected Lu Yuan to plot meticulously, perhaps planning a lesser scheme to rescue his wife.

Who could have imagined Lu Yuan intended to use brute force, to bluff, to directly demand the sealing of their gate? This was a blatant slap in the face, and to deliver such a blatant slap, the requisite strength demanded was astronomical. Wu Zhao couldn't help but cover his face.

It was over, utterly finished. He was facing a lunatic. However, he was already resigned to despair.

His wife was in the hands of Ming Jianzi, beyond his reach, and all pleas for aid had failed. To die alongside this madman was no great difference; he had lost all will to live. Lu Yuan remained utterly unconcerned.

“Let’s go.” The Ten Thousand Zhang Ice Ladder, while called so, was perhaps only a few thousand Zhang in length and a few hundred Zhang high. Lu Yuan and Wu Zhao soon arrived before the massive doors of the Ice Palace. Several disciples of the Ice Palace stood there, their demeanor as cold as statues, observing the pair with faint interest.

“Who sent you? Wait here.” Waiting, of course, meant waiting indefinitely. Naturally, one could name a major figure within the Xuanming Sect or present a sufficient pile of spirit stones, and an immediate announcement would follow.

In these times, guarding the gate was a lucrative post, one for which many spirit stones had been spent to attain. To not extort something back would be a loss. Standing before the immense Xuanming Ice Palace, Wu Zhao felt his teeth begin to chatter uncontrollably.

Lu Yuan merely shrugged, unperturbed. “It’s nothing much. We are just here to seal the gate—to seal the mountain gate of the Xuanming Sect.” His casual tone made the words sound as light as drifting clouds, and hearing this, the guards, cold as ice sculptures, were completely stunned into silence.

Seal the Gate! The history of the Xuanming Immortal Sect was long, stretching back into the distant past when they supposedly held sway in the Great Yong Kingdom. Their current history spanned a full seven thousand years, even longer than the Huashan Immortal Sect.

Over these seven millennia, the Xuanming Immortal Sect had never once experienced the disgrace of having its mountain gate sealed. Even now, though the Xuanming Immortal Sect rested at the lowest ebb of its historical tide, it remained one of the Ten Great Mid-tier Immortal Sects. Yet, someone had dared to march up and declare they intended to seal their gate!

It was utterly ludicrous! The ice-sculpture guards’ first reaction was pure amusement. “This is absolute nonsense.

He must be mad,” one muttered. “Definitely crazy.” “This person’s mind isn't right.” “Our Xuanming Immortal Sect—born from the mingling of Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Ming qi—and someone dares to come here talking about sealing the gate? What do they take our Second Southern Sea Immortal Sect for?” Lu Yuan smiled, a gentle, almost warm expression.

“Are you done speaking? If you are, then you may die now.” Uttering this with such cloud-like detachment, a casual burst of sword qi instantly dispatched the guards who stood stiff as ice sculptures. These guards had cultivated the Xuanming Qi, a specific method of cultivation Lu Yuan recalled clearly from Xuan Huazi’s records, which required the taking of ten lives just to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

The alarm bells erupted immediately, and within moments, the entire expanse before the Ice Palace erupted into activity. Wu Zhao was numb. Since the trouble had already started, death was imminent.

His only hope was to see Yun Meng one last time before passing; then, death would be acceptable. Wu Zhao watched as wave after wave of experts streamed out from the Xuanming Ice Palace. Those who emerged first were unremarkable, but among those following, Wu Zhao recognized several formidable figures.

For instance, the first: Situ Yuan, known as Ice Freezing a Hundred Miles. He was famed for once freezing an entire hundred miles of sea to annihilate his opponents; a powerhouse at the Second Level of the Longevity Realm. Then there was Yu Danfeng, called Bone-Chilling Cold.

A bloodthirsty woman who delighted in capturing opponents, freezing their bones until brittle, and then hammering off the frozen fragments piece by piece, savoring the resulting screams for supreme satisfaction. She too was a master at the Second Level of Longevity. And standing there was Nie Conglong, the Arrogant Cold Blade Master.

He excelled with a singular style of bladesmanship and possessed cultivation at the Third Level of Longevity. Wu Zhao knew that any one of these three could easily overcome him. Yet, facing these opponents, Lu Yuan did not even draw his sword.

Transforming his hand into a sword, he unleashed torrents of finger-sword qi, finishing the engagement with a few swift, clean moves. How powerful! Sometime during the clash, a great wind began to blow.

Drip, drop. Drip, drop. The sound of blood striking the ice surface.

The usually pristine expanse before the Xuanming Ice Palace was now awash with pooling gore. Many Elders of the Xuanming Ice Palace surrounded Lu Yuan, their bodies trembling. So many had rushed him, only to be defeated so effortlessly.

These were experts who knew true skill; seeing how easily Lu Yuan dispatched their comrades, none dared to charge forward again. Lu Yuan, meanwhile, lightly toyed with an ice bead formed between his fingers, looking perfectly relaxed and at ease. A stalemate ensued, but the people of the Eastern Palace were, after all, part of the Xuanming Ice Palace.

Before long, they instinctively parted to form two clear pathways. Down these paths marched two truly momentous figures. Of these two, one was a scholar holding a Yao Qin (a type of zither), and the other was a burly man carrying eight spirit swords on his back!

The one bearing the Yao Qin was Yan Qin Ke, the foremost master under Xuan Huazi. The large man with eight swords was Ming Ba, the top expert serving under Ming Jianzi. Both Yan Qin Ke and Ming Ba stood at the peak of the Tenth Level of the Longevity Realm.

In this era, individuals at the Half-step Great Dao Realm were exceedingly rare. Generally speaking, the Tenth Level of Longevity marked the apex of the Longevity Realm. Yan Qin Ke regarded Lu Yuan.

“Which junior are you, displaying such arrogance?” “To dare come here and attempt to seal the mountain gate of our Xuanming Immortal Sect is truly laughable,” Ming Ba sneered. Yan Qin Ke turned back to Lu Yuan. “Very well, I shall step forward and teach you a lesson.” Ming Ba scoffed.

“Forget it, Yan Qin Ke. At best, you can just strum your zither; I should handle this…” Ming Ba and Yan Qin Ke had always been at odds. In fact, the factions under Xuan Huazi and Ming Jianzi had never truly aligned, splitting into endless conflict ever since Xuan Mingzi died at Yan Cangtian’s hands.

Yan Qin Ke countered Ming Ba. “Ming Ba, your eight spirit swords are better suited for impersonating crabs. Crabs have eight legs, which aren't ideal for fighting.

This battle is mine.” Yan Qin Ke was no pushover himself and was quick with his verbal assault. Ming Ba laughed heartily. “Hahahaha!

My eight spirit swords won the bout by half a move the last time we sparred.” “Nonsense! It was clearly I who won by half a move!” Yan Qin Ke usually prided himself on grace, but he never bothered with pretense when facing Ming Ba. Yan Qin Ke and Ming Ba immediately began hurling insults at each other, vying to make the first move.

They were long-standing mortal enemies who perpetually fought and argued. This time was no different. They argued so fiercely that they completely sidelined the main target, Lu Yuan, causing the surrounding Xuanming Immortal Sect members to clutch their heads.

Both of these crackpots could defeat the other, but if they fought amongst themselves, Lu Yuan might exploit the situation. However, once these two started squabbling, no one could stop them unless the Sect Masters Xuan Huazi and Ming Jianzi were present. But Sect Master Xuan Huazi had been missing for months, and Sect Master Ming Jianzi was currently in seclusion—no one could intervene.

“Actually, neither of you needs to argue. Both of you can attack together.” This statement drew every eye toward Lu Yuan, looking at him as if he were utterly mad. Lu Yuan didn't look like a fool, yet he proposed facing two opponents at the Tenth Level of Longevity simultaneously?

Was he truly insane? “Very well. Let’s see how many moves you two can withstand when fighting me together,” Lu Yuan stated casually.

That declaration carried an unparalleled destructive weight. Yan Qin Ke and Ming Ba immediately ceased their quarrel, both planning to eliminate Lu Yuan first before continuing their own rivalry. Yan Qin Ke moved his hand, plucking the strings of his zither, producing a series of sharp notes.

This music was famed: “The Five Stanzas of Qin Barrier—the first stanza freezes vital blood, the second freezes bone, the third freezes magic power, the fourth freezes the heart, and the fifth sends one to death.” These Five Stanzas possessed mysterious, ghost-like efficacy, attacking the mind through sound. The melody soared and dipped, swelled and faded, plunging the entire surrounding space into an extreme, chilling cold, as if endless glaciers were plummeting toward Lu Yuan. Meanwhile, Ming Ba’s eight spirit swords launched sequentially.

He could only control two swords at a time, but his switching was lightning fast. His eight swords represented the eight extremes of Ice. Under his command, Ice Swords, Ice Blades, Ice Elephants, Ice Tigers, Ice Snakes, and Ice Peacocks materialized all at once, like a detonation of ten thousand layers of ice, filling the air with billions of ice shards, each capable of slaying a man.

Having sparred often, Yan Qin Ke and Ming Ba noted during their coordinated assault that their opponent’s magical power had improved, and their strength had noticeably increased. They concluded that this long-standing rival truly was formidable, and they did not take Lu Yuan seriously. The members of the Xuanming Ice Palace also murmured in awe.

The third and fourth strongest experts of the sect truly possessed unfathomable power. As for who ranked third or fourth? Sorry, they would have to settle that amongst themselves later.

The juvenile attacker, they were certain, would surely be annihilated without a trace. At that very instant, a flash of fire erupted. This flame displayed no intricate technique; it radiated an overwhelming, searing intensity, majestic and terrifyingly vigorous.

The Sword of the Fire Sovereign’s Heavenly Might slashed down with boundless momentum. Within this single strike, a faint shadow of a Fiery Qilin could be glimpsed. This sword!

Domineering! Ferocious! Bright!

Possessing the might of Heaven’s Sovereigns! It was as if an ancient fire beast had materialized. The massive blaze consumed Ming Ba and Yan Qin Ke in a single instant.

One move! Just one move! In a single strike, this unknown youth had defeated both Yan Qin Ke and Ming Ba!

This result was unbelievable not only to Yan Qin Ke and Ming Ba but to every single person watching the scene.