And Xuan Yuanwang was ready to make his move.

Mount Hua was a massive treasure in Xuan Yuanwang's hands, and he intended to use this opportunity to uncover the secrets of luck surrounding Bi Cangtian, Zhou Qingxuan, and Lu Yuan, while simultaneously boosting his own fortune.

As for whether anyone would dare to obstruct him, Xuan Yuanwang truly didn't care much.

Even if Yan Cangtian was at the Celestial Venerable realm, his technique of projection cloning had its limits; what he performed just now must have been his absolute maximum, making it impossible for him to employ such a method again. As for Zhou Qingxuan, although one of the Three Myths of Mount Hua, Xuan Yuanwang had never met him and assumed he couldn't be that formidable, certainly not having reached the Celestial Venerable realm so quickly. If he hadn't reached that realm, projection cloning from the Lost Land to the Southern Realm of the Outer Domain was possible, but the projection's strength wouldn't be significant—certainly not enough to challenge him.

As for the last one, Lu Yuan, he hadn't even been a match for Xuan Yuanwang fifteen days ago. Lu Yuan possessed exceptionally high potential, but even the greatest potential had a ceiling, and the World Realm was the final, colossal stage, incredibly difficult to breach. Lu Yuan absolutely could not have broken through to the World Realm in such a short span.

Therefore, no one could stop him.

His current endeavor was bound to succeed.

Of course, Xuan Yuanwang was naturally cautious, taking the time to scan the surroundings for any sign of the enforcers.

The enforcers themselves weren't exceptionally powerful, but they were absolutely not to be offended, for behind them stood the Five Great Ancient Civilizations.

After this reconnaissance revealed nothing but peace, Xuan Yuanwang immediately laid down an Illusion Array in the vicinity, capable of stalling the enforcers for a time should they reappear. With these preparations complete, Xuan Yuanwang laughed heartily, leaping upward until he attained an altitude level with Mount Hua itself.

A massive aura instantly erupted!

An aura like that of a deity!

And nearly everyone on Mount Hua was instantly awestruck and silenced.

Fifteen days prior, the battle at the Great Capital of the Great Yuan Kingdom had drastically altered the balance between the Qin, Jin, and Yuan nations. After that conflict, the Yuan Nation suffered a near-annihilating blow, effectively collapsing, while the Qin and Jin nations carved up its territories. The Jin Nation naturally looked to Mount Hua as its head, and currently, many figures from the Wudang Immortal Sect and Qingcheng Immortal Sect were convening at Mount Hua to decide the territorial disposition of the former Yuan lands among the various immortal sects.

It was precisely at this moment that a gigantic and terrifying presence descended.

Innumerable eyes fixed upon Xuan Yuanwang floating above, resembling a god.

"That deity named Xuan Yuanwang!" someone managed to groan out. In the battle at the Great Capital, everyone understood Xuan Yuanwang’s true power. Ouyang Wang had been unrivaled across the Qin, Jin, and Yuan kingdoms, yet Lu Yuan, with a single sword strike, instantly annihilated Ouyang Wang—who was at the Void Shattering level—only to be utterly incapable against Xuan Yuanwang. Furthermore, Ouyang Wang, who had unified the three nations, was merely a puppet created by Xuan Yuanwang out of boredom.

The appearance of such a deity was sheer terror!

"We on Mount Hua still have the sword energy left by Uncle-Master Zhou," said Venerable Yuanyang. They were aware of their own powerlessness, but thankfully, Mount Hua possessed the residual sword energy left by Zhou Qingxuan, one of the two remaining Myths of Mount Hua, which they hoped could hold out for a while.

"Sword energy?" Looking at the barrier of sword energy rising above Mount Hua—the same energy that had rendered Ouyang Wang helpless—Xuan Yuanwang's lips curled into a look of utter derision. "Is it of any use?" He stepped forward and punched toward the protective sword energy. Instantly, the energy shattered.

One punch! Just one blow, and Zhou Qingxuan’s sword energy was gone.

The residual shockwave from the punch made Mount Hua tremble as if on the verge of collapse.

Xuan Yuanwang stood suspended in the void: "Rest assured, I won't make you suffer long. It's too troublesome to kill every single one of you individually. I will destroy you all at once and refine this entire Mount Hua." A flicker moved beneath his sleeve, and a gout of flame shot out.

This was a fire-elemental spell.

Naturally, the destructive power of this particular spell wasn't overwhelming.

However, it was more than sufficient to refine an entire mountain range in the Outer Domain.

Xuan Yuanwang was a swordsman, but not everyone was like Lu Yuan, knowing only the way of the sword and ignoring spells. Xuan Yuanwang had mastered quite a few different magical arts.

Immediately, a mass of fire soared toward the base of Mount Hua, enveloping the entire peak. The temperature on the mountain instantly soared to unbearable levels. Some tried to fly out, but Xuan Yuanwang merely flicked his sleeve, and those attempting escape were whipped back toward the mountain with his Sleeve Strike technique, sustaining severe injuries.

What Xuan Yuanwang intended was truly to refine Mount Hua in its entirety—both the structure and the people within it. Only by doing so would any secrets hidden beneath the mountain be revealed.

The heat on Mount Hua intensified relentlessly, rising higher and higher. Soon, deaths were inevitable.

Xuan Yuanwang paid no heed to the lives of these ants; he cared only for one thing: what secret lay hidden beneath Mount Hua.

At that precise moment, a chilling streak of sword light circled Mount Hua once.

The fire instantly extinguished, and a figure dressed in azure robes stood before Xuan Yuanwang.

The young man in blue carried a sword resting on his shoulder, a wine gourd held casually in his left hand.

When he returned to the Southern Realm from the Lost Land, he had landed in the Murong Kingdom. Fortunately, Murong *Li was not far, so he rushed back. Along the way, a craving for drink struck him, and he took a few swigs from his gourd, barely sating the urge. Lu Yuan felt a faint sense of melancholy; he had been too busy lately, so busy he hadn't even had time for a proper drink.

Luckily, taking a few sips hadn't wasted much time, allowing him to arrive just in time to halt Xuan Yuanwang’s flames. If he had been even a moment later, there might have been no Mount Hua left in this world.

Of course, a subtle anger was stirring in Lu Yuan’s heart.

Xuan Yuanwang attempting to harm Mount Hua naturally enraged him.

Lu Yuan looked at the figure in azure and was momentarily stunned: "Oh? You've returned from the Lost Land. It's only been fifteen days. Why the rush to come back? To court death?" He laughed heartily, "Very well, you too shall be captured by this Seat, and Mount Hua will be refined by me. Once I absorb all the destiny of the Sword Dao, I will become the foremost authority in the way of the sword, and even the Son of the Sword, the Celestial Sword Yan Cangtian, will be fit only to serve as my stepping stone." He utterly refused to believe that Lu Yuan could have improved significantly in such a short time. The World Realm was a notoriously difficult threshold to cross; even the Son of the Sword, once the foremost figure in Sword Dao destiny, had been stalled at that barrier for a considerable period. No matter how strong Lu Yuan became, he couldn't surpass the Son of the Sword.

Thus, his confidence was absolute. Furthermore, Xuan Yuanwang wasn't a fool; he had prepared an escape route, ready to flee immediately if the situation turned unfavorable.

Lu Yuan looked at Xuan Yuanwang: "Why I returned? Naturally, it is to kill you." Lu Yuan stated calmly.

Xuan Yuanwang burst into laughter: "Good. Let me see what strength you possess." Xuan Yuanwang was immensely self-assured, having held the position of the foremost supreme of the Sword Sect and controlled its authority for so long. He genuinely did not believe Lu Yuan could surpass him in such a brief period.

Xuan Yuanwang unleashed his Sovereign Immortal Sword in a single strike—the Sovereign Style. This move tore through the void, radiating an overwhelming dominance that claimed dominion over heaven and earth.

Lu Yuan addressed his Sustaining Immortal Sword: "Sustaining, oh Sustaining, the time has come to slay the traitor of the Sword Sect." He countered with a sword movement like a Green Dragon Snatching Claw. This move also displayed sheer dominance, clashing head-on with Xuan Yuanwang's Sovereign Immortal Sword in mid-air. With a resounding clang, both figures were thrown back a considerable distance. Only then did Xuan Yuanwang's expression change. Lu Yuan had actually achieved the cultivation of the World Realm—how could he have reached the World Realm so quickly!

Xuan Yuanwang was a decidedly cautious man.

If it had been any other initial-stage World Realm cultivator, he would have already annihilated them.

But he knew Lu Yuan was different. Back during the internal strife within the Sword Sect, when Lu Yuan spoke and Taishi Kong acted, Xuan Yuanwang had sensed something was amiss. Taishi Kong was initially losing a two-on-one engagement, but with Lu Yuan’s guidance, he gained the clear upper hand. Lu Yuan's swordsmanship was terrifying, so Xuan Yuanwang decided to flee.

And once Xuan Yuanwang decided to flee, he was naturally quite confident.

The World Realm comprised ten heavenly layers, and the gap between each layer was vast. Ordinary cultivators often took thousands or tens of thousands of years to advance a single level.

The magnitude of this difference between layers was almost unimaginable.

Even with exquisite swordsmanship, defeating an enemy a full realm higher was difficult; Xuan Yuanwang trusted this fundamental principle.

Moreover, Xuan Yuanwang wasn't planning to fight Lu Yuan now; he simply intended to escape.

Fleeing from an initial-stage World Realm cultivator while being in the second stage—this sounded incredibly simple.

If a second-stage World Realm expert couldn't escape from an initial-stage cultivator, they wouldn't deserve to be called a cultivator of that level.

Xuan Yuanwang acted on this very confidence as he began his retreat.

Stopping him? A pipe dream.

At that instant, he discovered himself enveloped by several thousand beams of sword light, as if an infinite assault was raining down. Xuan Yuanwang cursed inwardly: Ridiculous. Does Lu Yuan really think he can stop me? If I, a second-stage World Realm master, cannot even evade an initial-stage cultivator like Lu Yuan, what's the point?

The gap between the second and first layers of the World Realm was vastly greater than the difference between the tenth and ninth layers of the Chaos Cauldron Realm.

Clang! Sword lights intersected as the Sovereign Immortal Sword and the Sustaining Immortal Sword clashed once more.

In the void, Lu Yuan's myriad sword techniques flowed past like a torrent.

Nose Peck!

Swallow Flash! This was Yan Cangtian’s ultimate skill.

Continuous Sword Line! This was Lu Yuan’s own unique mastery.

Heaven and Earth Drunken Sword Strike! This was Taishi Kong's specialty. Taishi Kong executed this strike when appearing half-drunk, making it difficult for others to replicate. Regrettably for Xuan Yuanwang, Lu Yuan was also a lover of wine; after taking a sip, he unleashed this move, and Xuan Yuanwang was horrified to find that the power of Lu Yuan’s execution was no less than Taishi Kong's, perhaps even slightly superior.

Sword Tide Surge! A sword style Lu Yuan had synthesized himself.

Sword Master’s Rise and Fall! This was the Sword Master’s signature move.

Sovereign's Ultimate Strike! This was Xuan Yuanwang's own proprietary technique.

Xuan Yuanwang watched in horror as countless ultimate skills manifested under Lu Yuan’s command. How could Lu Yuan have mastered everyone’s signature moves? It was too terrifying! Furthermore, Xuan Yuanwang realized under the deluge of Lu Yuan’s sword light, he genuinely could not escape; he had fallen into an inescapable predicament.