A short distance from Mount Hua, several figures were observing the battle. These observers were mostly members of the Wudang, Qingcheng, Kunlun, and South Sea sects.
"Mount Hua is finished." This was the conclusion drawn by the man from the Wudang Immortal Gate. Yet, even so, there was nothing that could be done; the righteous Immortal Sects were currently so battered by Ren Du that they could only defend, not attack.
Moreover, after the recent battle where Ren Du struck Qingcheng, Wudang, and Kunlun, these sects were terrified of ambushes, and now traveled to other Immortal Sects with trembling hearts. Ren Du's strategic mind was terrifyingly deep, his strange schemes like an abyss.
Even if Lu Yuan stepped forward, he was merely a junior—though an unparalleled genius—facing so many great figures of the Demonic Path; it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. A Demonic Tribulation had already begun, destined to sweep across the Jin Kingdom, potentially altering the structure that had stood for five thousand years.
At Mount Hua, snow fell like goose feathers, but a burning passion was ignited within the blood. Lu Yuan extended a single finger, igniting the will of both the Heavenly Vexation Alliance forces and those of Mount Hua.
The difference was that the Heavenly Vexation Alliance side burned with anger, while the Mount Hua side surged with excitement and fervor. "Mount Hua will not fall." These five words struck like thunder, resolute and final.
One man, with a three-foot green edge, stood before the breach. With me here, Mount Hua will not fall.
My Mount Hua, I shall protect it. Lu Yuan did not look at his opponents, but rather at his sword—the Nourishing Spirit Blade.
Master, you worried about the changes at Mount Hua in those years; rest assured, your disciple will guard it. Ancestor Yan, you worried about the chaos among the Three Clans of Hua in those years; rest assured, your disciple will defend Mount Hua.
Amidst the resounding cries of 'The Sect Leader is mighty,' Lu Yuan noticed that the breach was slowly expanding, growing larger. Although the speed wasn't overwhelming, it was relentless.
This was clearly the work of Grandmaster of Formations, Zhang Xuanyuan. This traitor, originating from Qingcheng, had monopolized seventy percent of Qingcheng's foremost talent in formations.
With one man, he was managing to break Mount Hua’s defensive formation—the Dawn Jade Maiden Cloud-Mist Purple Haze Array—and continue its expansion. Remarkable.
However, calculating the time... as long as he could defeat a few opponents at the Fifth Level of the Great Dao Realm, the power of balance would be absorbed by him, allowing him to reach the Fourth Level of the Great Dao Realm.
What would there be to fear then? "So, who will be next?" Lu Yuan stood firm, fixing his gaze on his adversaries.
The opponents were formidable! Every single figure was a renowned Demonic Path giant; any one of them could easily shake the great powers of the Jin Kingdom with a mere stomp.
But so what? If the opponents weren't strong, it wouldn't be interesting.
Only sufficiently powerful figures were worth playing with. A thrill of exhilaration surged through Lu Yuan’s heart.
Battering Flower Kai Fang Xie, Seeking Dao through Wife-Slaying Jing Huanzhen, Speed Incarnate Scarlet Winged Demon King, Ice Canopy Ten Thousand Li Purple Qilin Demon King, Calibrating the Heavens Yuan Ling Shangren, Heartless and Cold Elder Tian Chou, Grandmaster of Formations Zhang Xuanyuan, South Sea Single Sword Qiao Feidu. These were the absolute top tier.
Below them were figures like Old Ancestor Blood Sword, Celestial Master Star Nest, Demon Marquis Blazing Fire, and Demon Marquis Sharp Wood. One man, one sword, facing so many Demonic Path titans.
The wind surged in violently. "I shall come," said the short, thin Scarlet Winged Demon King, bearing massive wings and clad entirely in dark crimson.
Though short and slight, a terrifying aura radiated from him. The fastest among all the Eastern Demons, save for Dongfang Yao himself, finally stepped forward: "Lu Yuan, allow me to cross blades with the disciple of the man you once defeated." The Scarlet Winged Demon King and Lu Yuan had deep enmity.
Lu Yuan's master had died by the Scarlet Winged Demon King’s hand, and the Demon King’s disciple, Elder Bat, had died by Lu Yuan’s. The Scarlet Winged Demon King had long sought to kill Lu Yuan, but never found the opportunity.
And Lu Yuan was just as eager to kill the Scarlet Winged Demon King. The breach had now widened enough for three people to pass through simultaneously.
Regrettably, this space still only allowed for one-on-one combat; bringing two through at once would still limit maneuverability. But having space for three meant the fastest of them, the Scarlet Winged Demon King, would have room to execute his arts.
"Lu Yuan, your master died by my hand. It's a pity.
You too must die by my hand. A master and disciple, both falling to me.
What a pity," the Scarlet Winged Demon King cackled eerily. Swish!
Lu Yuan reacted almost instinctively, bringing his sword up to parry. A clang echoed in the air, sparks erupting.
A sharp pain shot through Lu Yuan’s right shoulder, and a spray of blood followed, leaving a shallow gash. In that instant, the Scarlet Winged Demon King was already behind Lu Yuan: "Brat, did you see my speed?" What incredible speed!
It utterly surpassed the limits of velocity. In a flash, Lu Yuan activated the Five Emperors Sword Dao!
And in that same instant, the Scarlet Winged Demon King had attacked Lu Yuan hundreds of times. Too fast!
This speed was astonishing, far exceeding anyone's imagination. Hundreds of strikes in a mere instant—and that was just one instant—while Lu Yuan could manage only a few dozen strikes per instant.
The disparity was vast. If Lu Yuan hadn't activated the Five Emperors Sword Dao, he would have been shredded, bearing countless wounds.
The naked eye couldn't see it! Sixth sense couldn't detect it!
Only the nascent stage of the Seventh Sense—the Shi—could perceive the faintest, most ethereal sensation. This speed had transcended human limits.
The Scarlet Winged Demon King, reputed to be the fastest in the Jin Kingdom, truly lived up to his name. Against such speed, who could possibly win?
Perhaps only a Half-Step Grandmaster. It was completely understandable that Li Yuanbai had been severely wounded by the Scarlet Winged Demon King and ultimately perished by his hand.
The Scarlet Winged Demon King’s figure materialized again in the void: "Your defense is interesting, but alas, your magical power is inferior to mine. This defense requires mana to sustain.
How long can you maintain it? Furthermore, how many of your Mount Hua disciples can withstand my attacks?" His speed was so overwhelming that he could bypass Lu Yuan to strike the Mount Hua personnel.
In the void, eight Scarlet Winged Demon Kings instantly appeared! In truth, only one was the main body; the speed was so immense that it allowed eight afterimages to flicker simultaneously.
This was... the Eight Winged Movement!
The Eight Winged Movement! The supreme movement technique of the legendary Celestial Bat Clan.
Yet, rumors suggested that no one in the Celestial Bat Clan had mastered the Eight Winged Movement for at least ten thousand years; the most advanced reached only the Six Bat stage. Unexpectedly, the Scarlet Winged Demon King, possessing innate talent, had managed to cultivate this technique to its highest level, the Eight Winged stage.
Seven of the eight Scarlet Winged Demon Kings lunged at Lu Yuan, determined to shatter his defenses. The eighth veered toward Mount Hua Elder, Yuan Yang Shangren, executing the 'A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains in a Single Day' technique, which was fast indeed.
But compared to the Scarlet Winged Demon King, it was significantly slower, unable to intercept him. It seemed Elder Hua would be injured by the Demon King’s assault.
And at that moment, Lu Yuan closed his eyes. The Scarlet Winged Demon King's speed was too fast, far exceeding what humans could conceive.
Even with his Water Sovereign Sword Dao, he couldn't significantly slow him down. What method could counter such a super-speedster employing the highest stage of the Eight Winged Movement?
Wait—when he was at Demon Wood Cliff, he had seen some remnants of Dongfang Yao’s teachings. And Dongfang Yao was truly the fastest person in the entire Jin Kingdom.
Dongfang Yao himself was the pinnacle of speed, and he possessed unique methods for dealing with speed-based cultivators, such as the... Web-Net Grand Technique.
Lu Yuan could transmute the water from his Water Sovereign Sword Dao into countless webs. Once this Web-Net Grand Technique was deployed, the entire surrounding area became his web.
No matter how fast an opponent, unless their mana far surpassed his own, they would be entangled in his net, unable to break free. This Web-Net Grand Technique was one of Dongfang Yao’s divine arts, the other being the Dragon Transformation Art of Thunder.
"Hahaha, die!" One phantom image from the Eight Winged Movement pierced the chest of the Mount Hua Sword Immortal, Minor Sword Immortal Ximen Luan, flooding his body with immense magical power. The Scarlet Winged Demon King grinned cruelly and rapidly closed in; in the next instant, he would snap Ximen Luan’s head off.
"Lu Yuan, little brat, watch how long you can hide in that five-colored sword light while I butcher your people from Mount Hua." The first one, Ximen Luan. Smack!
A giant hand formed from the void seized the Scarlet Winged Demon King and slammed him violently back onto the ground. Bang!
A massive sound erupted, leaving the Scarlet Winged Demon King in utter disarray. Lu Yuan held his hand suspended in the void.
The water from the Water Sovereign Sword Dao had transformed into countless webs hanging in the air. The void-hand formed by Lu Yuan’s Water Sovereign Sword Dao had physically slammed the Scarlet Winged Demon King down.
"Scarlet Winged Demon King, I have seen through your speed," Lu Yuan stated calmly. "Under my hand now, you will live for at most five moves." Five moves!
To deal with the Scarlet Winged Demon King! What a joke.
The Scarlet Winged Demon King naturally didn't believe it. He still didn't understand why he had been captured so easily by Lu Yuan and smashed into the earth.
He whooshed instantly, transforming back into eight figures—the Eight Winged Movement! He lunged toward the Mount Hua elders, intending to kill Elder Yuan Yang to establish dominance.
But the next moment, he was seized again by Lu Yuan’s Water Sovereign Hand and violently crashed back to the ground. "Four moves left," Lu Yuan stated matter-of-factly.
The Scarlet Winged Demon King finally realized something was wrong. He moved again, but this time he abandoned the Eight Winged Movement.
The Eight Winged Movement was the limit of speed; this time, the Demon King employed the Spirit Bat Movement, the limit of evasion, which could sometimes even foresee an opponent's attack trajectory to dodge it preemptively. With one flicker of the Spirit Bat Movement, his silhouette vanished from the heavens and earth.
The next instant, bang! The Scarlet Winged Demon King was brutally seized once more and slammed heavily onto the ground.
"Three moves left," Lu Yuan continued speaking with nonchalance. The Scarlet Winged Demon King was shocked and uncertain!
What was happening? He had used both the Eight Winged Movement and the Spirit Bat Movement—the two supreme techniques of the Celestial Bat Clan—yet Lu Yuan was capturing and throwing him down like a rag doll, all without taking a single step himself.
In that instant, the Scarlet Winged Demon King perceived Lu Yuan as if he were a god or a demon! The Scarlet Winged Demon King realized that he was afraid.