From the common disciples, to the lowest-ranking true disciples, up to the elite among them; from the general elders, to the renowned Sword Immortals; even the Venerables of the Grand Dao realm, the peak masters, and those figures who had secluded themselves for years—all were locked in ceaseless combat, launching wave after wave of attacks against the demons before them. This was no ordinary battle; this was a struggle for life itself. A fight embraced with the absolute understanding of certain death. Because every single person was determined to protect Mount Hua. Even if there were minor internal grievances or disputes within Hua Shan, what did those petty matters amount to when facing an enemy bent on annihilation? Protecting Mount Hua was the single most important thing. Throughout the heights and depths of Mount Hua, sounds rose that made the very blood boil: “Our Mount Hua. We will guard it!”

And in this moment, Lu Yuan was still locked in battle against Fang Xie, Jing Huanzhen, Qiao Feidu, and the Elder Tianchou—four opponents—and he held the upper hand. His twin swords danced above and below, every stroke exhausting the transformations of heaven and earth, implicitly containing the Great Dao of Samsara, pressing down upon Fang Xie, Jing Huanzhen, Qiao Feidu, and Elder Tianchou.

Fang Xie’s technique was wicked and beautiful, carrying three parts longing, three parts sorrowful parting, three parts stunning grace, and one part killing intent.

Jing Huanzhen attacked with a power that utterly extinguished all human sentiment, radiating absolute darkness.

Qiao Feidu’s moves were a death-defying frenzy, every strike a life-or-death commitment.

Elder Tianchou simultaneously manipulated numerous puppets, his style a web of calculated maneuvers. The four giants of the Demonic Path, two of whom were Half-Grandmasters, combined forces of astonishing might, yet at this moment, they were being suppressed by a single sword from Lu Yuan. Inconceivable!

Fang Xie and Jing Huanzhen were both panting heavily, realizing their magical power was severely depleted. Their complexions shifted simultaneously. In truth, from the very beginning, when they recognized Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship to be exquisitely and impossibly superior—beyond resistance—and given that Lu Yuan had already manifested his full momentum, they knew a direct confrontation was impossible. Therefore, Fang Xie and Jing Huanzhen had agreed upon a strategy against Lu Yuan: attrition. They continuously defended, waiting for Lu Yuan’s magical energy to be almost entirely exhausted. Both possessed the magical reserves of the Sixth Layer of the Grand Dao, while Lu Yuan was at the Fourth Layer. They were four; Lu Yuan was one. Under these circumstances, Lu Yuan’s magical consumption must be faster than theirs combined. They were seasoned giants. How could they not see that Lu Yuan could absorb some ambient power from the ground? But facing the four giants of the Demonic Path simultaneously, absorbing a bit of power offered little advantage; Lu Yuan’s energy would inevitably drain faster. Yet now, they shockingly discovered that their own power was nearly spent, but Lu Yuan’s was still far from depleted. This… Why? Impossible!

Fang Xie, Jing Huanzhen, Elder Tianchou, and Qiao Feidu all heard the roaring shouts from the outside world—these shouts merging into a vast, overwhelming torrent. “Our Mount Hua. We will guard it!”

The faces of the four villains changed. They suddenly grasped the reason why Lu Yuan could still wield such vigorous sword techniques: because of an incomparably powerful belief, there was an inexhaustible supply of energy. Lu Yuan’s magic was long exhausted, but sustained by this belief, his power flowed endlessly, like the sea.

This Lu Yuan could not be defeated!

A profound sense of despair washed over Fang Xie and the others. Yes, they could not sense the slightest chance of victory now. Two Demon Emperors and Demon Sovereigns, plus two giants of the Demonic Path—four of them joined—could not overcome the new Master of Mount Hua. This was an immense humiliation, yet they were helpless. Helpless, they could only retreat. They understood: this battle was lost. Hua Shan’s faith had crushed the faith of the demons.

Fang Xie, Jing Huanzhen, Elder Tianchou, and Qiao Feidu retreated simultaneously. Though they could not defeat Lu Yuan, they were confident in their ability to withdraw. Who were they? Any one of them was a major figure capable of shaking the entire Jin State. To be unable to retreat would make them a living joke. If they failed this time, next time they would certainly destroy Mount Hua—though they knew this hope was extremely slim.

Fang Xie’s retreat posture was remarkably dashing and swift. His retreat maneuver, the "Ninth Moon Unborn Flower," was soundless and traceless. As he faded, infinite flower petals appeared, concealing his form as he utilized the magical artifact, the Prism of Separation, to escape at extreme velocity. There were always rumors that the Crimson Wing Demon King had the fastest speed, and that was true. But Fang Xie was certain that the Prism of Separation, which he acquired accidentally from an ancient relic, granted a retreat speed far surpassing even the Crimson Wing Demon King’s! Thus, in this escape, Fang Xie was supremely confident that not a single hitch would occur.

Whoosh! Fang Xie felt an overwhelmingly potent surge of magical force drag him and the Prism of Separation backward. What was happening? Peering through the transparent shell of the Prism, Fang Xie saw Lu Yuan in his direction, extending his right hand in a phantom claw grip. How was this possible? How could Lu Yuan possess such formidable magic? To pull him and the Prism of Separation back through empty space—he had only ever heard of Lu Yuan’s supreme swordsmanship, never of this ultimate technique.

Fang Xie struggled to resist, but now discovered his power was almost gone. He threw his remaining meager energy into the resistance, yet the Prism of Separation was still pulled swiftly toward Lu Yuan. He must think of something, Fang Xie frantically thought. Lu Yuan clearly intended to kill him now. Fortunately, the Prism of Separation was super-hard; it would take him a considerable effort to destroy it. He should have enough time to devise a plan; Fang Xie was a man known for his intricate strategies. But instantly, Lu Yuan condensed his phantom claw grip. With a crack, the super-hard Prism of Separation shattered explosively. Fang Xie, splattered with blood, was brutally hauled before Lu Yuan by the Void Claw. At this moment, Fang Xie could no longer maintain the suave demeanor typical of the Bright Demon Sovereign: “Why? Why? You could pull me back across the void. You couldn't possibly catch up to the speed of the Prism of Separation. You were said to be the foremost talent in Jin State, and the hardness of the Prism of Separation is such that even I cannot easily destroy it. Why could you shatter it with a single claw?” he screamed madly before his death.

Lu Yuan said lightly, “You’re dying anyway, so why the nonsense? I said before, I would crush you. What I say, I do. If I say I will crush you, I will crush you. Now, die.” The massive Void Claw pressed down violently, completely crushing Fang Xie’s body into a puddle of mindless flesh and blood. The Bright Demon Sovereign Fang Xie, one of the two great Demon Sovereigns of the Underworld, thus perished, slain by Lu Yuan, the new Master of Mount Hua Sect. What he said, he did. What he said he would crush, he crushed. Without any hesitation or dissatisfaction. This was Lu Yuan! Since becoming Master, Lu Yuan’s dominance had grown exponentially, displaying this very satisfying manner.

After crushing Fang Xie, Lu Yuan surveyed the area and found that Jing Huanzhen, Elder Tianchou, and Qiao Feidu had already retreated an immeasurable distance. They had long fled down the mountain, terrified by Lu Yuan’s previous onslaught. Hearing Fang Xie’s dying roar only amplified their terror, causing them to flee even faster.

Lu Yuan glanced around the battlefield. Among the remaining figures, only the Azure Scale Demon King had not withdrawn. Now, any sensible being knew the demons had lost. The tide had turned irreversibly. The major leaders, like Zhang Xuxuan and the Blood Sword Ancestor, had already vanished without a trace.

The Azure Scale Demon King desperately wanted to flee, but her opponent was the Venerable Yuanyang. Venerable Yuanyang, having undergone the specialized training at Deer Mountain across the Seven Kingdoms, had become increasingly ferocious. He encircled the Azure Scale Demon King, his dual-spirit swords dancing, preventing her from breaking free. However, defeating the Azure Scale Demon King was proving to be no easy task. After all, she was the supreme leader among the Four Great Demon Kings, and in terms of pure combat strength, she surpassed the Crimson Wing Demon King, the White Haired Eagle King, and the Ink Bamboo Demon King.

Just then, the Azure Scale Demon King felt an overwhelmingly potent battle intent pressing down from above. She looked up and witnessed the scene that would forever be etched into her memory: the new Master of Mount Hua. Holding a wine gourd in his left hand, he took a long drink, tossed the gourd aside, and held a single spirit sword in his right, descending from the Nine Heavens with unparalleled, tyrannical majesty. A single sword strike! This strike seemed imbued with boundless hegemony! This strike seemed filled with infinite celestial elegance! That young man in green robes seemed like a true immortal! A true god! One sword strike! Severing the limits of the world! One sword strike! Severing the roots of Samsara!

As the sword fell, his Nourishing Spirit Sword struck the ground heavily, splitting it open to create a ravine a hundred fathoms deep. The exquisitely beautiful head of the Azure Scale Demon King—the most beautiful in the Underworld—rolled away to one side. The leader of the Four Great Demon Kings of the Underworld, and the last among them, the Azure Scale Demon King, perished instantly, slain by Lu Yuan, the new Master of Mount Hua, with a single sword strike delivered amidst her entanglement with Venerable Yuanyang.

Above the sky.

Ren Du had long realized something was wrong, which was why he sought to retreat. Ren Du knew that this setback was far more severe than the previous two. The prior times were failures, but morale had not broken. This time, it was a direct confrontation of morale between the Heavenly Substitute Alliance and Mount Hua—a clash of faith. The faith of the Heavenly Substitute Alliance was nearly shattered. In the future, the Alliance might still challenge Wudang, Kunlun, or Qingcheng, or the Southern Sea, but their subordinates would likely never again possess the courage to face Mount Hua. And Mount Hua, having survived this baptism of blood and fire, would likely experience nirvana and rebirth. A reborn Mount Hua would be far more terrifying than before.

A thousand thoughts raced through Ren Du’s mind, but he immediately suppressed them. The most critical issue now was how to escape. The green mountains remain unchanged, the clear waters flow forever. But that adage assumed he would remain alive. Zhou Qingxuan was too terrifying!