The Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns Sword Dao! This sword path, created by Yan Cangtian, allows one who masters it to be called a Sword Sovereign. The Sovereign among Swords! Ten Thousand Slashes of Submission! To this day, only one Sword Sovereign remains extant in Jin State—the reclusive Zhou Qingxuan of Mount Hua’s foremost sword school. All other great experts, even those at the Grandmaster level, are merely Kings among Swords. Lu Yuan had naturally not reached the level of Sword Sovereign, but now, within the Samsara Sword Dao of the Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns, including the recently mastered Black Emperor Sword Dao, he had completed the Three Emperors and Two Sovereigns Sword Dao. It could be said he had already walked about halfway down the path to Sword Sovereign. The higher one climbed the path of the sword, the steeper the ascent became. Nevertheless, Lu Yuan possessed unwavering resolve to continue forward. Sword Sovereign, Sword Saint, Sword God—he would proceed step by step.
Naturally, an introduction to this Black Emperor Sword Dao is in order. The black sword light of the Black Emperor Sword Dao is like the black waters of the Nine Hells; any light cast into it is absorbed. It is a sword light utterly devoid of illumination, a barrier even the Great Sun Sword Light cannot penetrate. The function of the Black Emperor Sword Dao is the exact antithesis of the White Emperor Sword Dao. The White Emperor Sword Dao accelerates one's sword speed. The Black Emperor Sword Dao, once unleashed, causes everything nearby to slow down—be it sword techniques or spells. This is truly formidable. The previous 'Slow' Sword Intent could only decelerate sword strikes, not spells, whereas the Black Emperor Sword Dao can slow down even magical arts. A sweep of his divine sense gathered the black sword light.
Lu Yuan pondered. Most of the ample resources currently in his possession were plundered from the treasuries of the Xuanming Immortal Sect. Much of it was unnecessary for him. He would need to find a larger immortal cultivation market to exchange for what he required. He felt he had spent enough time in the South Sea; it was time to return to the Central Plains region.
While Lu Yuan practiced the Black Emperor Sword Dao on this nameless islet, he remained oblivious that the entire South Sea was in an uproar. The Xuanming Immortal Sect had existed for seven thousand years, ranking second among the many immortal sects in the South Sea. For such a sect to be annihilated in a single day—this news spread with considerable speed. Of course, given the vast and sparsely populated nature of the South Sea, the propagation was not swift. In truth, quite a few people witnessed Lu Yuan destroying the Xuanming Immortal Sect. However, immediately afterward, these witnesses clashed with the remaining members of the Xuanming Immortal Sect, and few survived the ensuing conflict. Furthermore, in a place like the South Sea, the transmission of information is notoriously difficult. As the news trickled along, it became distorted. Some claimed Lu Yuan destroyed the Xuanming Immortal Sect, but many subsequent transmitters found this unbelievable and altered the story to say it was some hermit residing within the South Sea. Others believed that for a power from the Central Plains to destroy a South Sea sect was an embarrassment, so they claimed it was an indigenous South Sea figure. Few survived the battle, and coupled with the unique environment of the South Sea, by the time the news reached the other South Sea immortal sects, they heard at least five different accounts as to who destroyed Xuanming. Naturally, the report that Lu Yuan annihilated the Xuanming Immortal Sect was among them.
Yan Xue, the Vice Sect Master of the South Sea Immortal Sect, received all five messages. Yan Xue was a tall, beautiful woman, her 'Sleeve Snow Spirit Sword' always at her side. She most enjoyed idly playing with her favorite South Sea pearls, each the size of a dragon's eye, radiating brilliance and possessing a chill in her grasp. The five reports lay before her. Xuanming Immortal Sect was gone, but by whom? These five accounts were utterly impossible to discern between truth and falsehood. The possibility of Lu Yuan being responsible seemed slim; Lu Yuan was merely a cultivator at the Longevity Realm. In the history of Jin State, for at least ten millennia, no Longevity Realm cultivator had ever defeated a Great Dao Realm expert. The other four reports generally attributed the deed to Great Dao Realm hermits. As the Vice Sect Master of the South Sea’s foremost immortal sect, Yan Xue knew it was entirely plausible that reclusive masters inhabited the vastness of the South Sea.
The South Sea was extremely, extremely far from the Central Plains. However, regardless of the distance, the annihilation of a mid-tier immortal sect like Xuanming was such earth-shattering news that it could eventually be traced, even across vast distances. Eventually, the news finally reached the Central Plains. The Central Plains erupted into commotion.
The Central Plains had always operated under a structure of five superior immortal sects and ten mid-tier immortal sects. Previously, the Blood Sword Immortal Sect had merely relocated. Now, things were even more dramatic: the Xuanming Immortal Sect was utterly destroyed! The orthodox immortal sects rejoiced at the demise of a mid-tier demonic sect, but the question remained: who accomplished it? The further the message traveled, the more chaotic it became. By the time it reached the Central Plains, there were at least dozens of theories regarding the reason for Xuanming’s destruction. The news that Lu Yuan destroyed the Xuanming Immortal Sect was just one of dozens, making it difficult to verify, especially since most sects knew little of the South Sea’s internal power dynamics. Ultimately, only by relying on the analysis provided by the South Sea Immortal Sect were the scores of confusing reports filtered down to just the final five. That Lu Yuan’s account was among these five caused considerable speculation among the various sects of the Central Plains.
At Mount Hua, Chu Duan reviewed the intelligence report: "The possibility of Lu Yuan destroying the Xuanming Immortal Sect is exceedingly small. It involves a Longevity Realm cultivator overcoming the Great Dao Realm, which even Yan Cangtian failed to achieve in his time. Although Lu Yuan is exceptionally talented, he should not surpass Yan Cangtian’s limits." He stated this conclusion with absolute certainty. At Wudang, the Sect Master Song Qingqiao smiled wryly upon seeing the five reports: "The Xuanming Immortal Sect is currently in a rare period of decline, historically speaking. However, their remaining mountain protection formation presents a considerable nuisance... Who managed to neutralize that?" Even Song Qingqiao was perplexed. The Kunlun and Qingcheng immortal sects, being far less familiar with the South Sea's structure, naturally could not deduce the truth.
Meanwhile, at the Heaven-Supporting Alliance, the Venerable Yuan Ling murmured, "Xuanming Immortal Sect destroyed? An extremely important ally... The reason..." He scrutinized the reports carefully before deciding he must personally travel to the South Sea; this mattered too much to ignore. There was, of course, another reason for the Central Plains' fervor: with Xuanming Immortal Sect, one of the ten mid-tier sects, gone, the structure was now short one for the integer ten. Which sect would be next in line to be selected as the tenth mid-tier power? This coveted slot would likely trigger fierce competition among the stronger minor sects of the Central Plains. Consequently, the exploit that could have propelled Lu Yuan to fame throughout Jin State, officially marking him as one of Jin’s powerhouses, was utterly and magnificently overlooked.
Not far from Mount Hua, at an inn alongside the official road, stood a humble establishment. This was a simple roadside spot, its banner bearing a grease-stained character for 'Wine.' At Shan Zhi Guo, the wine flag fluttered in the wind along the official road.
"Have you heard? The Xuanming Immortal Sect has been wiped out." remarked a well-traveled patron. "Impossible! The Xuanming Immortal Sect is one of the mid-tier immortal sects, reputed to have clouds of cultivators and rains of experts—a colossus in the cultivation world. How could they be destroyed?" another asked. "That’s where you lack insight. Anyway, the rumor is that some mysterious figure from the South Sea struck and exterminated them. Xuanming brought this upon themselves through excessive wickedness," the knowledgeable traveler asserted.
A dust-covered young man drinking in the inn laughed softly upon hearing the surrounding discussion. This young man had ordered twenty jin of wine immediately upon entering, startling the innkeeper, but the youth drank with great gusto. The young man in blue clothes smiled at the chatter. The journey was long, and news traveled slowly. The earth-shattering deeds he committed in the South Sea were unknown here. But Lu Yuan cared little. He never sought fame anyway, and his reputation in Jin State was already substantial enough.
Returning from the South Sea to the Central Plains involved another considerable stretch of travel. Upon his return, he found that nothing significant had occurred in the Central Plains during his absence. His brief abduction by Xuan Huazi, for instance, was unknown even to Mount Hua, as it was perfectly normal for cultivators to disappear for several months. It must be nearly the New Year now.
Lu Yuan finished his wine, warmed his body, and left the inn. Walking along the official road, he was now very close to Mount Hua. Spotting the snow-dusted peak in the distance, Lu Yuan summoned a streak of sword light, soaring toward the falling snowflakes, which danced wildly around the light. Finally back at Mount Hua, back to his Changchun Residence. Lu Yuan needed to take stock: he intended to exchange his current collections of spirit beasts for those of the Cloud element.
Lu Yuan took inventory of himself. He currently possessed five Cloud-element dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and various other types. He had thirty-one giant spirit beasts. Originally, he only had three Exotic-grade spirit beasts, but by trading two hundred giant spirit beasts, he now had five Exotic-grade Cloud-element dinosaurs. Regarding spirit stones, he now possessed a staggering three hundred and twenty pieces. This amount was terrifying; even cultivators at the second or third layers of the Great Dao Realm might not surpass Lu Yuan’s net worth. This was unsurprising, as Lu Yuan had emptied the Xuanming Immortal Sect's vaults, making three hundred and twenty mid-grade spirit stones normal for him. A cultivator with power equivalent to Lu Yuan’s would typically possess twenty mid-grade spirit stones at most. As for Soul Essence Crystals, he had thirty-one.
His Sword Intents were also numerous. His Metal element Sword Intents included: Sword Intent of Metal, Sword Intent of Speed, Sword Intent of Slowness, and Sword Intent of Autumn. His Wood element Sword Intents were: Sword Intent of Wood and Sword Intent of Wind. His Water element Sword Intents comprised nine types: Sword Intent of Cloud, Sword Intent of Rain, Sword Intent of Water, Sword Intent of Snow, Sword Intent of Ice, Sword Intent of Lake, Sword Intent of Sea, Sword Intent of Wine, and Sword Intent of Mist. His Fire element Sword Intents numbered seven: Sword Intent of Morning Sun, Sword Intent of Day, Sword Intent of Dusk, Sword Intent of Blazing Heat, Sword Intent of Lava, Sword Intent of Joy, and Sword Intent of Fire. His Earth element Sword Intents included the Sword Intent of Earth and Sword Intent of Defense. In total, he possessed twenty-four different Sword Intents.
With so many Sword Intents and such vast resources, even the necessary preparations for impacting the Great Dao Realm were present, such as the Great Dao Law Pills and the Flood Dragon Crested Cockscomb. Yet, Lu Yuan understood that he was still exceptionally far from the Great Dao Realm. The difficulty of attaining the Great Dao Realm was akin to ascending to the heavens!