Within Lu Wu's mindscape, Lu Yuan witnessed mountain ranges rise and fall. It felt as though the aura of primordial desolation, vast and ancient, pressed against him.

He seemed to stand amidst that eon-old vastness. As far as the eye could see, there was only boundless, desolate land, peak after peak stretching away.

This primeval barrenness made one keenly aware of the immensity of heaven and earth, and how utterly insignificant humanity was. Standing there, one finally grasped the sheer, immeasurable, boundless power of the cosmos.

He was but a speck of dust in the sea. The mountains, one after another, began to move, surging toward him in an assault.

A shock coursed through Lu Yuan, yet he found himself utterly unable to move against such an onslaught. The colossal mountains crashed heavily upon him, but there was no sensation of suffering; instead, torrents of informational data flooded into his sea of consciousness—the Belief of the Earth Sovereign poured into his mind.

What was an Earth Sovereign? It bore the weight of incomparably deep history, existing as if since eternity; normally as still as a mountain, utterly silent, but once ignited, it could shatter the heavens and cleave the earth in two, its momentum so vast it seemed the sky itself must collapse and the earth tremble.

This was the Earth Sovereign. The mountains, in their stillness and in their motion, possessed distinct natures.

At this moment, Lu Yuan finally understood why he had comprehended the Earth Sovereign Sword Dao. The inherent defensive power of Mount Hua itself was akin to this Sword Dao.

After the Chaos of the Three Sects, they had ceased to make waves, fading from the limelight of the Cultivation World, much like the unmoving Earth Sovereign. Yet, when Ren Du attacked, nearly everyone on Mount Hua erupted, willing to tear heaven and earth apart to defend their home.

The Earth Sovereign Sword Dao! A desolate yet profound Dao of guardianship!

Whether it was Earth, Stone, Mountain, Mud, Sand, Guard, Moon, or Star, these were all manifestations of a guarding sword intent. Lu Yuan opened his eyes and unleashed a single strike.

This strike was not sharp. Yet, it could effortlessly instill a sense of utter despair.

This was the intent of protection. Lu Yuan knew that by mastering the Earth Sovereign Sword Dao, he had finally remedied a deficiency in his swordsmanship.

Lu Yuan’s nature had always been rather casual, and his swordsmanship reflected this randomness. In terms of aggression, having to overcome myriad powerful foes, his offensive sword techniques, though casual, were exceptionally formidable.

However, in terms of defense, he had always been lacking. It wasn't that he didn't need defensive moves against strong enemies, but he had grown accustomed to countering attack with offense, and thus had rarely practiced true defensive stances, leaving his guarding moves subpar.

Now, having mastered the Earth Sovereign Sword Dao, he had addressed this flaw in his path. Although, given his habitually lax nature, he might not employ the Earth Sovereign Sword Dao frequently, he supposed it would prove useful from time to time in the future.

When Lu Yuan awoke, the sun had already dipped westward. Though it was winter, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

He took a breath, and the air that filled his lungs was piercingly cold. Victory!

Even now, recalling this triumph filled Lu Yuan with exhilarating satisfaction. As for cleaning up the battlefield, there was no need for the Sect Master to issue orders; under the direction of the Deputy Sect Masters, the necessary tasks were already largely complete.

At this moment, the reactions from the Jin Kingdom, and even the Yuan Kingdom, must be quite spectacular. Closest to Mount Hua was the Wudang Immortal Sect.

Wudang had already been breached by Ren Du once before; their entire sect grounds had been burned, the iconic True Martial Great Hall incinerated, and even the most historic Chalice of Sword Dissolution had been destroyed. Fortunately, the True Martial Immortal Slender, the Wudang Sect Master's token, remained intact—a small blessing amidst great misfortune.

The current members of Wudang had already begun rebuilding, but this time, they consolidated their main forces atop Wudang's Heavenly Pillar Peak, fearing another surprise demonic raid. Concentrating their strength facilitated defense.

A new True Martial Great Hall had risen on Heavenly Pillar Peak, yet though it was brand new, it lacked the profound weight of history that the original possessed. The new Great Hall, everything new, represented the shame of Wudang—the mark of being conquered by Ren Du's forces.

This time, Wudang had suffered too severely; even three of the Seven Luminaries of Wudang had perished. Because of this, Wudang was powerless to aid Mount Hua during the demonic assault.

They were in the same predicament as Mount Hua—no strength to spare for rescue; to have intervened might have meant Wudang's own annihilation. Song Qingqiao sat within the rebuilt True Martial Great Hall and let out a long sigh.

The sky over Wudang was overcast, signaling impending snow. Song Qingqiao’s heart mirrored the weather.

Song Qingqiao was by no means incompetent; no one who attained the Grandmaster realm was simple. But against Ren Du, he always felt manipulated at every turn.

Regarding the tribulation of Mount Hua, one of the five major Immortal Sects had fallen, and the remaining four likely could not withstand Ren Du either. Was the Jin Kingdom truly on the verge of collapse and extinction?

Song Qingqiao stroked his long beard unconsciously. Just then, an intelligence operative knelt before him: "Sect Master, Sect Master, the news from Mount Hua… Mount Hua…" Song Qingqiao said with utmost calm, "The fall of Mount Hua was within my expectations.

However, I was helpless in the matter, no need to make a fuss. If any refugees from Mount Hua arrive here, lend them aid and direct them to this location." The intelligence operative gasped deeply, wheezing severely.

Seeing that Song Qingqiao had misunderstood, he tried to explain, but the sheer force of his breath made it impossible. After a while, his breathing steadied, and he managed to report, "Reporting, Sect Master, Mount Hua suffered a massive defeat against the Heaven-Abiding Alliance; the Alliance suffered countless casualties." "The Heaven-Abiding Alliance defeated Mount Hua?" Song Qingqiao's hearing was perfectly fine, but the ingrained assumption that Mount Hua must fall was so strong that his ears didn't process the words immediately.

After a long moment, he snapped back to reality: "What? What did you say?

Mount Hua severely defeated the Heaven-Abiding Alliance? Impossible.

Mount Hua’s current strength cannot possibly overcome the Heaven-Abiding Alliance." The operative replied, "We couldn't believe it either, but it is true. We hear that the missing Earth Sword Peerless, Zhou Qingxuan, reappeared, achieving a great victory over Ren Du, and Mount Hua's new Sect Master, Lu Gui—" Mount Kunlun.

At present, Mount Kunlun hosted not only the Kunlun disciples but also those from Qingcheng. Both were major Immortal Sects, and if their members were in close proximity, friction might be expected.

However, with Qingcheng and Kunlun gathered on Mount Kunlun now, they experienced virtually no conflict. Under the immense pressure exerted by Ren Du, anyone could face annihilation by the demons.

In such circumstances, indulging in internal discord seemed utterly idiotic. At the summit of Mount Kunlun, within the Palace of Azure Illumination, Kunlun Sect Master Zhuge Ge and Qingcheng Sect Master Ren Bining were engaged in a game of Go.

Neither was particularly fond of the game, but they were mimicking Ren Du’s current siege against the five major Immortal Sects. Zhuge Ge held the black stones, representing Ren Du, while Ren Bining held the white stones, symbolizing the Five Orthodox Sects.

As a black stone was placed, the cluster of five white stone groups were partitioned; the first segment was instantly removed. With subsequent black placements, the five segments of white stones were eliminated one by one.

After a long silence, Ren Bining finally sighed, "There is no way to win." Zhuge Ge nodded, "Indeed. No matter what we do, it is a predetermined loss; there is no chance for victory.

If only Mount Hua had not suffered the Chaos of the Three Sects." Previously, when Mount Hua was at its peak, everyone hoped the conflict among its Three Sects would intensify. Now that Ren Du had made a powerful resurgence, they wished Mount Hua hadn't overextended itself, preferably avoiding the Chaos of the Three Sects to conserve strength.

If Mount Hua had preserved its power, it might not have lost this game in the Jin Kingdom. But what had happened could not be undone by any amount of shouting or wishing.

The five major Immortal Sects were being cornered to the end of the board. Only now did they realize the formidable strength of Ren Du, and the peerless might of the Heavenly Sword.

At that moment, an intelligence operative burst in: "Reporting to the Sect Masters, the Heaven-Abiding Alliance's attack on Mount Hua ended in disastrous defeat…" "What!" Zhuge Ge, usually known as the Old Fox, was completely shaken. He cherished his beard above all else, yet in his shock, he clawed out a handful of it.

"What!" Ren Bining’s hand slipped, and with a burst of energy, she blasted the Go board and all its pieces into dust. The South Sea.

When news reached the South Sea, its Sect Master, Yan Er, was polishing a sword. The pressure on the South Sea was not as immense as in the central regions of Jin, as the South Sea was geographically separated, making its defense less immediately taxing.

Yet, upon hearing of Mount Hua's crushing defeat of the Heaven-Abiding Alliance, he was rendered speechless with shock. After a long pause, Yan Er burst into loud laughter: "Well played, Lu Yuan!

Truly worthy of the one Yan Cangtian chose. I won't need to wait so many years; in a few centuries, I shall surely be no match for you." This South Sea Sect Master, immensely proud of his own standing, now admitted that in the years to come, he would definitively be inferior to Lu Yuan.

The Yuan Kingdom. The three Grandmasters—Tian Yuan, Ouyang, and Shi Wutian—were currently discussing whether the current turmoil in the Jin Kingdom offered an opportune moment for the Yuan Kingdom to assert its influence and enter Jin.

The Yuan Kingdom had long coveted Jin, but attacking it was known to be anything but easy. While they were deliberating, an intelligence operative rushed in: "Reporting to Grandmasters Tian Yuan, Ouyang, and Shi Wutian, the Heaven-Abiding Alliance's attack on Mount Hua has failed." This revelation caused countless jaws to drop.

The Great Qin Nation. The Gate-less Immortal Sect.

Zhong Heming, a middle-aged man clad in flowing white, ranked second in the previous Yue Lu Mountain rankings, awoke from his seclusion. Zhong Heming now appeared even more ethereal and powerful than when he left Yue Lu Mountain.

Before he could even rest after emerging, he received intelligence from the Jin Kingdom. "Lu Yuan has grown to this extent?

Very good. I shall see you at the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment," Zhong Heming murmured with a slight smile.

The five strongest figures at Yue Lu Mountain previously were: Murong Huangfu, far ahead of the rest; and Zhong Heming, Murong Shi, Master Ku Chan, and Lu Yuan, whose strengths were roughly equal. The Hundred Kingdoms Assessment was about to commence.