Just moments before, Mo Zihe’s Ten Kings Sword Style had struck, unleashing ten distinct sword intents within a single furious blade movement. This was no ordinary strike; it was a single blow from the secret technique of Mount Jiuhua, the Ten Kings Sword Style. This one attack arguably exhausted the myriad variations possessed by Jiuhua Mountain; even Mo Yewang, the Sect Master of Jiuhua, privately offered his commendation.

Mo Zihe, for his part, held absolute confidence in this attack.

One sword thrust into the wrath of wind and thunder! One sword thrust out the violence of flint and stone! One sword thrust forth the scorching flame of obsidian!

And all of this was commanded by the intent of the Kingly Sword!

"I shall be King, and you shall be subject! If the King wills the subject dead, the subject must die!"

As Mo Zihe unleashed this strike, it was charged with the soaring spirit of a monarch: Lu Yuan, you wretch, perish by my hand.

But at that instant, Lu Yuan extended his palm and struck outward. Immediately, a spectral, Void Great Hand materialized in the empty air, aiming directly at Mo Zihe’s descending sword. Mo Zihe’s swordsmanship was exquisitely refined, yet this Void Great Hand appeared utterly simple, a mere casual slap. Then, the balance of power—who was strong and who was weak—became glaringly obvious.

Yet, in that precise moment, the immense, spectral magical palm slammed into Mo Zihe. Mo Zihe couldn't even grasp what had happened; he was nearly flattened into a meat patty.

"Rise…" Mo Zihe’s supporters were stunned into silence.

"Rise…" The spectators from the East, South, North, and West Realms were dumbfounded.

"Rise…" Mo Zihe's father, Mo Yewang, was speechless.

"Rise…" Even those supporting Lu Yuan from the Jin Kingdom were frozen.

What in the world had just happened?!

How could Mo Zihe, who was just fine moments ago, be nearly turned into a meat patty? He had just deployed the unparalleled, domineering, and utterly brilliant Ten Kings Sword Style; how could he instantly be reduced to that state? No one could process the sequence of events. Was Lu Yuan too strong? Was Mo Zihe too weak? Or had some anomaly occurred?

However, the probability of an accident was genuinely slim. This was an assessment held by the Central Celestial Dynasty; no one dared tamper with the proceedings, not even the Lord of the Great Yong Kingdom.

And to suggest Mo Zihe was weak? What kind of nonsense was that? Mo Zihe was, after all, at the early stage of the Seventh Tier of the Great Dao Realm. Though his power level within that tier might be considered somewhat 'watery,' his actual combat strength was certainly not.

So, was the only remaining answer that Lu Yuan was incredibly strong?

That shouldn't be right. He ranked over four hundred in the environmental adaptation phase, and in all his previous battles, he had deliberately stalled for the longest time. How could he possibly be the strongest? From any conceivable angle, it was impossible—yet, if he wasn't strong, this outcome defied explanation.

The entity resembling a meat patty began to writhe incessantly. After a moment, Mo Zihe’s true form reappeared. "That was close! Lu Yuan, you bastard, you dared to ambush me! Fortunately, I possess the secret treasure of the Jiuhua Mountain lineage—the Jiuhua Pill—which can restore my form." The Jiuhua Mountain lineage did possess a supreme treasure capable of restoration in such a state, but such items were exceedingly rare. Mo Zihe only carried two, and he had just consumed one.

"Lu Yuan, you wretch! Take this next!" Mo Zihe roared, his swordsmanship shifting instantly. He unleashed the pinnacle ultimate skill of the first peak of Mount Jiuhua—the Nine Flowers Seven Swords! Each strike of the Nine Flowers Seven Swords was a technique capable of shaking the world. This specific move he deployed was the supreme technique within that set: Jiuhua Hell.

Mount Jiuhua held legends of Hell!

Once this strike, Jiuhua Hell, was unleashed, it carried immense terror, the essence of great death, and profound fear. This single sword stroke sealed off everything above and below heaven. This form was the sixth sword of the Nine Flowers Seven Swords. Rumor had it the seventh was even mightier, but he hadn't mastered it. Still, the sixth was terrifying enough.

"The sixth sword of the Nine Flowers Seven Swords, Jiuhua Hell, is executed quite well," observed Mo Yezi, stroking his beard. Indeed, the strike was commendable.

"Annihilation in all ten directions, death for all creation."

That was Jiuhua Hell.

Then, with a sharp pa, he was once again slapped into a meat patty by Lu Yuan.

Transformed into a meat patty once more!

"Rise…" Mo Zihe’s supporters were aghast. The original Mo Zihe certainly had presence, but being smashed into a meat patty twice consecutively stripped away any semblance of form.

"Rise…" Mo Yewang was stunned, nearly driven mad. The Jiuhua Hell had clearly been executed perfectly; why was it batted away by Lu Yuan into a meat patty?

This… the people of Jin, especially those from Mount Hua, suddenly had their spirits ignited. Their Sect Master was too magnificent! What did it matter if he was at the Seventh Tier of the Great Dao Realm? He was still reduced to a meat patty with a single palm strike. Long live the Sect Master!

The meat patty resumed wriggling in the void. This was the last Jiuhua Pill, now used up. Mo Zihe was on the verge of hysteria. "Lu Yuan! This time, you must die! You probably don’t know this secret technique I’ve been holding back, a secret art left to me by Lord Nalan." He bit down and swallowed a pill, and his entire body began to change rapidly.

This was the Celestial Demon Disintegration Pill! A pill whose consequences, once used, were endless. Mo Zihe had been loath to use it, but necessity now demanded it. After ingesting the Celestial Demon Disintegration Pill, his body began to transmute, emitting eerie, shifting colors. He grew slightly larger, and his magical power surged uncontrollably, reaching the absolute peak of the Seventh Tier of the Great Dao Realm. More than that, he gained the Celestial Demon Consciousness, which made him exceptionally adept at combat. It was said that with this consciousness, he could unleash the fighting capability of the Sword King realm for a short duration.

The Sword King realm—was there any opponent left at this level?

Mo Zihe laughed maniacally, driven by the drug. His entire being was immersed in a frenzy, and his mental awareness was severely confused, focused only on swiftly killing Lu Yuan. Mo Zihe moved with unsettling strangeness; indeed, his current mind was nothing but battle calculation. The sword struck! This blow was far more terrifying than the last, and it wasn't just one sword, but two swords striking simultaneously with such terrifying power—dividing focus while operating at the Sword King realm! Nine Flowers Seven Swords! Ten Kings Sword Style! Celestial Demon Battle Intent! Burn! Burn completely and utterly incinerate Lu Yuan!

Countless sword techniques manifested in Mo Zihe’s hands. At this moment, he felt he was a god!

This is amazing!

It felt so good to use the Celestial Demon Disintegration Pill!

He felt his current execution was hundreds of times more refined than his previous movements! Effortlessly, he unleashed exquisite maneuvers that he could never have managed before. With such techniques, he was certain he could easily crush Lu Yuan.

As for the consequences of taking the Celestial Demon Disintegration Pill, once he reached the Central Celestial Dynasty and entered civilization, everything could be rectified. What was there to fear? This Celestial Demon Disintegration Pill had been prepared by Nalan De at great cost precisely for dealing with Lu Yuan.

But, but immediately, he sensed Lu Yuan’s palm striking toward him, the Great Palm sweeping through the air. Previously, he couldn't discern the subtlety of Lu Yuan's techniques, but now, having gained the Celestial Demon Consciousness and temporarily ascended to the Sword King realm, he finally realized how profoundly subtle Lu Yuan’s seemingly ordinary strike truly was.

Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! How could there be such an exquisitely refined technique in this world?

He was now at the Sword King realm, yet Lu Yuan’s moves were infinitely more refined than his own! What realm was that? Could it be the Sword Emperor realm?!

A Sword Emperor in his thirties? Was that even possible? Mo Zihe found it utterly unbelievable. He had thought reaching the Sword Marquis realm at over three hundred years old was exceptional, only to realize now how distant he was from Lu Yuan.

How could such a vast chasm exist? Mo Zihe instantly realized he didn't have time to ponder this theoretical gap, because every palm strike from Lu Yuan carried killing intent—he meant to eradicate him. Having gained the Celestial Demon Consciousness, he finally understood the distance separating them. No sword move he used could counter Lu Yuan; instead, they were effortlessly nullified by Lu Yuan’s casual movements. A single casual palm strike from Lu Yuan could shatter all his techniques and grievously injure him. Finally, he broke. "I surrender! I surrender!"

"You only think of surrendering now? Too late," Lu Yuan replied, unconcerned.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! If you kill me, you’ll lose a point!" Mo Zihe pleaded.

Lu Yuan sneered, continuing to press his palm down. This fly, Mo Zihe, was too annoying; what was losing one point compared to ending him?

"Don't kill me! I will have Xianhua Peak re-established in Mount Jiuhua, and I will serve you as the Lord of Jiuhua Mountain!" Mo Zihe cried out again.

Lu Yuan paid him no mind and brought the Great Palm crashing down.

And then, cleanly and decisively, Mo Zihe was pa-ed into a meat patty for the third time.

The third time as a meat patty, and this time Lu Yuan added extra force, flooding the mass with power until he was utterly crushed into a true, flat meat patty—one so utterly flattened that there was no hope of restoration. The previous two times he was merely rendered like a meat patty; this time, he was genuinely reduced to one. There was no more person named Mo Zihe in this world.

Lu Yuan stepped out of the small arena.

Now, securing the position from 150 down to the top 75 was a success. As he walked out, Lu Yuan felt an immense sense of satisfaction. A fly had been buzzing in his ear for a long time, and now it had finally been swatted dead. What a glorious release! He rarely killed, but when necessary for justice, a decisive strike brought such satisfaction. Without killing him, he couldn't have quelled that anger.

As Lu Yuan exited the arena, no one suggested he had succeeded through luck or fluke. He had effortlessly flattened Mo Zihe, who was at the Seventh Tier of the Great Dao Realm—even after Mo Zihe consumed the Celestial Demon Disintegration Pill and gained the Celestial Demon Consciousness, he was still reduced to a meat patty. Such a person succeeding through mere luck or fortune was too ridiculous to contemplate.

"Lu Yuan of the Southern Realm!"

The man who had kept an extremely low profile suddenly became the subject of intense scrutiny, with countless individuals launching investigations into every piece of data regarding him.

At this moment, Fu Ying smiled, and Xiao Fengxiong smiled too.

Having shared drinks with Lu Yuan, they understood the man through the conversation. Lu Yuan was certainly not someone without true capability. Now, had he finally revealed his true sharpness?

It had been a spectacular battle.