There was a certain stone wall.

Upon this stone wall were inscriptions of the utmost vagueness, barely legible. Legend claimed this wall recorded the origins of the miraculous artifact, the Heart-Returning Stone, though the text had been blurred by wind and rain. Another tale suggested it contained fragments of an ancient alchemy scripture—a precious manual from an immortal’s craft—which attracted many researchers over the years. These scholars would find principles that seemed profound yet elusive, impossible to articulate fully.

This stone wall was known as the Obscure Engraving.

For many years the Obscure Engraving was famous, but as no one ever managed to decipher the scripture or locate the Heart-Returning Stone, people eventually dispersed, leaving the area desolate most of the time.

Yet, today, two figures stood there.

One was an elder with hair as white as frost, the other, a young man clad in green.

The Two Swords of Mount Hua!

The Earth Sword, and the foremost sword of Mount Hua, Zhou Qingxuan, alongside the newly rising Drunken Sword, Lu Yuan.

“The so-called Ten Iron Laws are actually the ten most potent forces in the cosmos. For instance, Senior Brother Yan’s concept of Reincarnation is, in essence, the power of Samsara. I presume you have gained some insight into this by now; life and death within the heavens and earth are bound by cyclical reincarnation, and all things exist within that cycle. My Yin-Yang, conversely, represents the force of Yin-Yang balance. In this world, solitary Yin cannot thrive, nor can isolated Yang generate life; everything requires equilibrium. Before long, you shall witness the power of Yin-Yang balance,” Zhou Qingxuan stated, hands clasped behind his back.

Lu Yuan immediately grew attentive. He had heard of the Yin-Yang principle among the Ten Iron Laws but had never witnessed it firsthand. Now, he finally had the chance to observe it.

The two most renowned and powerful swords of Mount Hua were exchanging insights on the Way of the Sword.

Zhou Qingxuan’s wide sleeves billowed, his white hair trailing in the breeze, presenting a captivating presence—a style distinct from that of Yan Cangtian.

As Lu Yuan pondered this, Zhou Qingxuan called out sharply, “Since Emperor Qitian has arrived, why not show yourself and greet us?”

“A worthy Zhou Qingxuan indeed.” A voice, brimming with unrestrained majesty, echoed across the peaks.

Emperor Qitian appeared, wearing a Yaksha mask, his frame powerfully built. As he strode forward, his gait was purposeful and imposing; every movement commanded the mountains and rivers, suggesting the very heavens and earth yielded before him.

Behind Emperor Qitian followed a host of peerless figures.

One, appearing to be around forty, possessed an incomparably dashing look and an ineffable aura. He held a folding fan, the front of which depicted a vibrant, emerald-hued Azalea blossom. A faint smile played on his lips, enough to enthrall countless women. This was a figure of demonic talent. Lu Yuan suddenly recalled someone: the Bright Demon Emperor, Fang Xie. Though Lu Yuan had never met Fang Xie before, the Azalea on the fan left too deep an impression, and combined with such a powerful field of energy, it was impossible not to recognize him.

Standing beside Fang Xie was a man of striking handsomeness, clad entirely in black robes, resembling a specter from the netherworld. This beauty perhaps surpassed Fang Xie’s, yet his expression was so frigid that approaching him felt like risking being instantly frozen into shards of ice. This must be the legendary Jing Huanzhen, who sought the Dao by slaying his wife. The cultivation world held many ruthless individuals, but one who murdered his wife to attain enlightenment was unique to him.

Trailing behind them were several others: the Purple Scale Demon King and the Crimson Wing Demon King, whom Lu Yuan already knew. As for the surviving Demon Marquises, Lu Yuan barely spared them a glance. This, perhaps, was Lu Yuan underestimating them. While the individual combat prowess of the Demon Marquises might be lesser, they commanded legions—the Sharp Wood Banner and the Fierce Fire Banner—whose combined formations and arrays possessed immense group combat strength, even augmenting their individual might. They were not to be casually dismissed by Lu Yuan.

This contingent represented the faction of the Subterranean Demons. Besides them was another group: the traitors from various sects. Elder Yuan Ling stood among them, bearing a gentle smile, looking as though he were out for an outing, exuding a sense of ease that nearly rivaled the aura of the Bright Demon Emperor, Fang Xie.

Then there was the extremely ugly, short old man, the Ugly Celestial Elder, and the plain-looking traitor from Qingcheng, Zhang Xuxuan.

In addition to these, there were five other traitors.

Each of these five defectors was individually formidable.

Counting meticulously, Emperor Qitian had brought no fewer than fifteen figures at the Great Dao Realm to this location. Furthermore, among these fifteen, aside from a few Demon Marquises, the rest possessed strength at the fourth, fifth, or sixth tier of the Great Dao Realm. And it was likely that Emperor Qitian had not even brought his full contingent. The sheer power arrayed by Emperor Qitian was astonishing.

With such strength, they could already challenge the very position of the First Immortal of the Jin State.

Unbeknownst to many, the dark underbelly of the Jin State had amassed such terrifying power.

However, Lu Yuan also understood that the strength of Jin’s shadows had not accumulated in a single year or even a few. It had merely been suppressed by a single sword strike from Yan Cangtian, forcing them into hiding. Only after Yan Cangtian ascended did the demons emerge en masse, leading to the current situation.

There was indeed a gap between the Heavenly Sword and the Earth Sword.

Had the Heavenly Sword, Yan Cangtian, been present, these individuals would likely have remained huddled in their corners.

But with the Earth Sword, Zhou Qingxuan, appearing, they dared to show themselves.

Of course, Lu Yuan understood one crucial fact: Emperor Qitian was Ren Du. Emperor Qitian had consolidated the Heaven’s Will Alliance, and Ren Du had consolidated the demons. Now, the combined forces of the former Heaven’s Will Alliance and Ren Du’s might were fully unleashed to crush Mount Hua. Who else could Ren Du be but Emperor Qitian?

This profoundly strategic figure, after being schemed against by the Eastern Demon, did not rush to counterattack the Eastern Demon immediately.

The truth was this: After Ren Du was defeated by Yan Cangtian, he realized he could never match or surpass the peerless Heavenly Sword, and he feared Yan Cangtian might eventually hunt him down for execution. Thus, he orchestrated the rise of the Eastern Demon but, wary of the Eastern Demon becoming uncontrollable later, deliberately left behind the Bride-Dyeing Divine Art.

He himself then began developing the Heaven’s Will Alliance.

Subsequently, everything unfolded according to his plan. Yan Cangtian ascended, and the Eastern Demon’s mastery of the Bride-Dyeing Divine Art proved to be the final preparation for Ren Du’s own ascent. That alone would have sufficed, but the most amusing development was the self-important fool, Chu Duan, whose vanity and desire for grand achievements provided Ren Du with an even more perfect environment. Not long ago, Ren Du successfully lured Chu Duan into a trap, resulting in the deaths of Chu Duan and Zhuo Budang, thereby intensifying the conflict among the Three Sects—a rivalry whose current intensity was also secretly orchestrated by Ren Du.

Now, Mount Hua, once the foremost immortal sanctuary, was on the verge of collapse under Ren Du’s meticulous machinations.

The notion that the junior Lu Yuan had become the acting Sect Master of Mount Hua was utterly laughable.

Lu Yuan, a mere junior, inheriting the mantle of acting Sect Master—it was beyond absurd.

Ren Du now knew that once Zhou Qingxuan was dealt with, Mount Hua would be finished.

The Two Swords of Mount Hua—Zhou Qingxuan and Lu Yuan.

Pitted against sixteen Great Dao Realm experts from the Heaven’s Will Alliance, including one confirmed Grandmaster and two Half-Step Grandmasters.

From the current situation, the Heaven’s Will Alliance held an undeniable advantage.

Ren Du raised his hand and removed the Yaksha mask, revealing a face of supreme authority. “Zhou Qingxuan, you must be aware of my strength from our last encounter. This time, having absorbed the entirety of the Eastern Demon’s cultivation base, my power has reached an absolutely formidable level. If you were content to retire peacefully on Reflection Peak, so be it. My ambition is the unification of the Jin State; I have no interest in someone as spiritually weary as you. Let this matter end here.” Indeed, the visitor was ill-intentioned. What a Ren Du. His current power was the fusion of his original self and the Eastern Demon.

Without such terrifying might, how could he have managed to slay Chu Duan, who was no easy foe?

Fang Xie and Jing Huanzhen, the two Half-Step Grandmasters, stood ready nearby to reinforce the pressure. Undoubtedly, should any hitch occur, these two would enter the fray.

Zhou Qingxuan smiled, utterly graceful and at ease: “All sixteen of you can attack together if you wish.” Such bravado! The combined strength of these sixteen could challenge the position of the First Immortal, yet Zhou Qingxuan proposed to face them all alone.

...

Zhou Qingxuan and Ren Du were the first to clash, but Ren Du immediately sensed something was amiss.

Zhou Qingxuan’s sword cleaved Yin and Yang asunder.

The power of Yin and Yang.

This dual force seemed to locate the inherent flaws within Ren Du’s cultivation techniques. Ren Du felt that the energies absorbed via his Blood-Dissolving Great Art were suddenly rebelling, turning against him in a massive backlash.

“The Yin-Yang principle of the Ten Iron Laws maintains balance. All beings are subject to the Dao of Yin-Yang equilibrium. If even the smallest flaw exists, the power of Yin-Yang balance will expose it. Ren Du’s Blood-Dissolving Great Art harbors a major defect; at a critical juncture, it backfires—that is his weakness. I noticed this flaw during our previous exchange,” Zhou Qingxuan explained to Lu Yuan.

Ren Du’s entire essence felt as if it were burning with agonizing pain as the chaotic energies furiously counteracted his control. He roared in agony: “Retreat!” He issued the command instantly, but having forces under Zhou Qingxuan’s command retreat was not so simple. This time, four Great Dao Realm experts perished before they could successfully withdraw.

Four Great Dao Realm lives! Ren Du had been forced to detonate their blood energy to secure their retreat.

...

News of the battle on Morning Sun Peak quickly spread throughout the Jin State’s cultivation world.

Naturally, those hearing the reports only spoke of the Morning Sun Peak engagement, unaware of Zhou Qingxuan’s victory over Ren Du at the Obscure Engraving.

After Chu Duan vanished, the Jin State was no longer led by the undisputed First Immortal, a title which passed to the Wudang Immortal. Then came the news of the Morning Sun Peak battle: Mount Hua suffered heavy losses, with significant casualties among its Great Dao Realm masters—some dead, others gravely injured. The subsequent ascent of the newcomer Lu Yuan to the position of acting Sect Master caused Mount Hua’s prestige to plummet dramatically, effectively relegating them to the bottom tier among the Five Upper-Ranked Immortals.

The former First Immortal had become the Fifth Immortal.

Moreover, many in the cultivation world mocked Mount Hua, finding it pathetic that they had to place a tenth-generation true disciple in charge of the sect.

Mount Hua had fallen.