Was that... just a game? To face an opponent at the Great Dao Realm with such a playful attitude. Rise up! "...This is too presumptuous!" Someone at the Longevity Realm dares to adopt this demeanor toward a Great Dao Realm expert.

The Azure Earth Demon Marquis couldn't help but laugh in exasperation: "Youngster, cease your arrogance." He immediately summoned the Myriad Earth Barrier. As the "Venerable of Myriad Earths," his earth element power, the strongest in defense, manifested instantly. Countless ramparts shot up around him, sheltering him completely.

"Arrogant? Then let me show you." Lu Yuan propelled himself forward with a lightning-fast kick.

The Wind moved.

It was an incessant, violent gale.

The ferocious divine wind instantly slammed into the Myriad Earth Barrier, tearing more than a dozen holes in it almost instantaneously. The immense wind surged through the gaps, and the Divine Wind howl of the Wind Saint Kicking Technique struck the Azure Earth Demon Marquis, sending him flying backward.

Lu Yuan immediately shifted his leg, executing the 'Swift as Wind and Thunder' move. This technique, 'Swift as Wind and Thunder,' was the most potent strike in the Wind Saint Kicking Technique—its force was like the wind, its speed blindingly fast. It landed heavily upon the Azure Earth Demon Marquis.

With the Wind Saint Kicking Technique's 'Nine Heavens Wind Surge,' Lu Yuan launched a single kick, sending the Azure Earth Demon Marquis soaring to an incredible height. The Demon Marquis couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Then came the 'Winding Down Wind' of the Wind Saint Kicking Technique. Lu Yuan delivered a magnificent kick, driving the Azure Earth Demon Marquis down from the heavens once more. The Marquis attempted to rally a defense.

The 'Heavenly Revolving Wind'—Lu Yuan’s exquisite kick—tossed the Azure Earth Demon Marquis back and forth wildly in mid-air. The Marquis kept trying to resist, but he was continuously kicked away.

The Wind Saint Kicking Technique's 'Wind and Rain of the Jianghu' followed—a kick as swift and pervasive as a shower, leaving the Azure Earth Demon Marquis dizzy and disoriented.

'Moving Wind and Cloud'—Lu Yuan’s incredibly fast kick—stole any thought of resistance from the Azure Earth Demon Marquis. He was now passively accepting the assault; he simply couldn't fight back and could only let Lu Yuan keep kicking.

Lu Yuan delivered kick after kick, one strike following another. These techniques shifted constantly: sometimes the leg felt like a mountain, sometimes like driving rain, sometimes spinning like a whirlwind, and other times passing by like a gentle breeze. Every variation was a supreme art within the Wind Saint Kicking Technique.

As for the Azure Earth Demon Marquis, Lu Yuan was tossing him up, driving him down, swinging him left, and looping him back and forth endlessly. In every imaginable manner, he was being used as a plaything, kicked around without pause. The Azure Earth Demon Marquis felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

After all, he was the Azure Earth Demon Marquis, a figure of the Great Dao Realm. Yet, he was being kicked around by a junior as if he were playing shuttlecock, treated like a rag doll—a rag doll of the Great Dao Realm. How could this be borne? Tears streamed down the Azure Earth Demon Marquis's face, but they immediately dried up.

He realized that whenever he cried, in the midst of this ceaseless kicking, the tears would simply spray outwards.

"Then, for this final life, the Wind Saint descends." Lu Yuan unleashed his final kick. With this last strike, a vision of a Saint of Wind seemed to faintly materialize above Lu Yuan’s head. A colossal Saint of Wind hovered there. This move incorporated the essence of nearly every preceding technique.

Wind Saint Descends!

Void of Azure Nothingness!

There was a brief pause just before the 'Wind Saint Descends' struck. In that instant, the Azure Earth Demon Marquis scrambled to flee. While escaping an opponent in the Longevity Realm was shameful, survival was paramount. Having been thoroughly beaten by Lu Yuan’s Wind Saint Kicking Technique, the Marquis now had only one option: escape.

If he hadn't fled, it might have been better, but now that he turned his back to the incoming 'Wind Saint Descends'…

Perfect wind momentum, rapid wind momentum, unpredictable wind momentum, ferocious wind momentum, lingering wind momentum—countless winds coalesced into a single strike. The Saint of Wind slowly manifested behind Lu Yuan.

Bang!

The torrent of leg-shadows, heavy with wind force, enveloped the Azure Earth Demon Marquis. He had already sustained severe injuries when treated like a rag doll. Now, facing a technique more terrifying than any before, he could not endure it. With a loud bang, one powerful leg-shadow slammed into his chest.

The Azure Earth Demon Marquis didn't manage to utter a single complete dying word. This Great Dao Realm expert was utterly annihilated by Lu Yuan. The dignified Great Dao Realm master was reduced to scattered straw by that final kick, devoid of any remaining life force.

Finished. Lu Yuan casually relaxed his legs. Having grown accustomed to using his longsword, trying out a kicking style was quite enjoyable.

Lu Yuan had, in fact, already discovered the second difference between using his legs and his sword.

The first difference was naturally the matter of drinking wine with both hands versus one. The second difference was that when using his legs, he could directly kick people, tossing them about—that feeling was quite good, entirely different from the sensation of stabbing with a sword. He might try kicking people more often in the future.

Lu Yuan shrugged.

The spoils from the Azure Earth Demon Marquis must be substantial; let’s see what there is.

The Azure Earth Demon Marquis's strength was at the first level of the Great Dao Realm, equivalent to Xuan Huazi and Ming Jianzi. Therefore, the spiritual beasts and spirit stones he possessed were comparable. There was one Exotic Beast-level spiritual beast, plus thirty-two Giant Beast-level spiritual beasts. In terms of spirit stones, there were one hundred and thirty mid-grade spirit stones. Furthermore, there was a cultivation manual, Mountain Zenith Art. Lu Yuan wasn't sure what use it had, so he'd keep it for now—perhaps he’d host a secret technique exhibition someday.

Huh? What is this? Lu Yuan looked curiously at an item in his hand. It was a pallid yellow ring, engraved with the ancient seal characters for 'Azure Earth.' It contained a peculiar energy Lu Yuan had never encountered before. What was this thing? It could truly be described as profoundly mysterious. Lu Yuan was quite perplexed but decided to set it aside for later.

Huh? What manual is this? Lu Yuan spotted an ancient volume. The characters on the cover were scrawled quite messily but were still recognizable: it was the Earth Dragon Transformation Art.

This manual actually had some use.

Lu Yuan now understood that after mastering the strength of one dragon, he needed to cultivate new dragon powers. He needed to collect corresponding techniques, such as the Profound Darkness Dragon Transformation Art. Although the Earth Dragon Transformation Art was inferior, it was still a transformation art for a lesser dragon form, so he should collect it; it might come in handy later.

That was essentially all the spoils after utterly defeating the Azure Earth Demon Marquis.

It could be considered generous, roughly equivalent to what he gained from defeating Xuan Huazi and Ming Jianzi.

Lu Yuan shrugged. After collecting everything, he noticed the surrounding gazes were strangely fixed upon him. Everyone present was a top figure among the Longevity Realm experts, aware of the gulf between the Longevity Realm and the Great Dao Realm. They truly hadn't expected Lu Yuan, in the Longevity Realm, to completely obliterate the Great Dao Realm's Azure Earth Demon Marquis.

It was incredible!

This atmosphere of astonishment didn't last long.

Because at that moment, the red light above had reached its zenith. In that instant, the sky, the ground, the trees, the distant white mud of the earth—everything dissolved into a bloody radiance. Within the endless crimson, it seemed as if a divine bird was about to reawaken.

The Immortality Herb was completely mature. As soon as it ripened, it immediately detached from the branch and began to fall. With a whoosh, Lu Yuan shot upward. His Void Mana transformed into a giant hand, seizing the Immortality Herb. Simultaneously, his left hand flickered, bringing out a box radiating intense, fire-like heat. This Crimson Burning Box was perfectly suited for fire-elemental spiritual medicines, and the Immortality Herb was precisely that.

Lu Yuan finally clutched the Immortality Herb in his hand, touching it with an inexpressible surge of excitement.

Good. The Immortality Herb was finally obtained.

Now he possessed the Great Dao Law Pill, which offered a fifty percent chance of success, the Dragon-Crested Chicken Crest, offering a ten percent chance, and the Immortality Herb, offering a twenty percent chance. This raised his total probability of breakthrough by thirty-five percent. Since his innate chance of reaching the Great Dao Realm was already higher than that of other cultivators, coupled with these three items, he had an extremely high probability of succeeding.

That should be enough. By all normal calculations, he wouldn't need to search for any more such rare treasures.

He could now attempt to break through to the Great Dao Realm. He could sense that if he broke through now, success was attainable.

Once he reached the Great Dao Realm, the world would tremble; it would be completely different from his current state.

The Immortal Tree location offered only this one benefit—the Immortality Herb. There were no other spoils. However, looking at it another way, this single item was more than sufficient. The Immortality Herb was so precious that in the cultivation world, it could be exchanged for ten Exotic Beast-level spiritual beasts—that's how exaggerated its value was!

Outside the Immortal Land, the six Great Dao Realm experts were in a frenzy. Four were continuously bombarding the layers of barriers outside. One Great Dao Realm expert was attempting to contact the main force of the Righteous Immortal Sects. The remaining expert from the Azure City Immortal Sect was intently studying the formation, as the Azure City Sect possessed some mastery in arrays.

The six Great Dao Realm experts were sweating now. They had been ordered to protect the peak Sword Immortals of the Longevity Realm. They never expected trouble to arise, and now they couldn't even enter the Immortal Land. They knew this was a major crisis. If half the Sword Immortals inside perished, the Righteous Immortal Sects would suffer a crippling blow, a loss none of them could afford.

These six Great Dao Realm figures, veterans of countless storms, were truly terrified now.

These were the future pillars of the Righteous Immortal Sects.

The stakes were too high.

What if... what if... and this possibility of 'what if' was growing by the second.

Just then, countless formations shattered simultaneously. The six Great Dao Realm experts shot forward like lightning. The situation was too critical; they had to proceed with utmost caution and concern, hoping no unforeseen accidents occurred. The heart rate of each of them spiked to two hundred beats per minute in that single instant.