At the personal contribution leaderboard of the three-faction alliance, quite a crowd had gathered, filled with countless discussions.

"The top spot is still held by Elder Zhu Yan, the Grand Elder of the Fire Control Sect. Elder Zhu Yan's power is astonishing; his Fire Control Art is boundless and peerlessly dominant. Even Old Man Fu from the Unrivaled Sect would absolutely not dare to clash head-on with Elder Zhu Yan. It's only reasonable and just that he holds the first contribution spot."

"Second place is still Grand Elder Ji Qianyu of the Thousand Waters Sect. Elder Ji Qianyu's profundity is truly extraordinary. Even Xiong Baili from the Thousand Mountains Sect, who claims earth can suppress water, cannot suppress Elder Ji Qianyu's water."

"Indeed, three sects against three sects. The Fire Control Sect won't suffer against the Unrivaled Sect, and the Thousand Waters Sect won't suffer against the Thousand Mountains Sect. It's just the Sword Sect that's missing. The Sword Sect is definitely no match for the Savage Beast Sect."

"So the Sword Sect's strength wasn't that bad. It's a pity that after several internal conflicts, their power has greatly diminished. Now they've only sent one person, Lu Yuan, to this place. What can a single Lu Yuan accomplish?"

"The Sword Sect is running low on people."

"Speaking of which, Lu Yuan is also quite a famous figure. He arrived here ten days ago; I wonder how many contribution points he has accumulated by now?" someone asked curiously.

"Can't you just check and find out?" another person sneered.

The first person immediately started checking, but he repeatedly couldn't find Lu Yuan's name anywhere. How could that be? There were only one hundred and sixty-three names in total; why couldn't he locate Lu Yuan's name? Finally, the person who had sneered couldn't stand it anymore: "Last place."

"Last place." The person checking looked toward the bottom of the list.

"'One Hundred and Sixty-third: Lu Yuan, Zero Points, Sword Sect.'" Seeing such a ranking stunned the checker. He had heard of Lu Yuan's reputation long ago, so he hadn't even bothered to look at the bottom ranks. Lu Yuan had been here for ten days; surely, he would have earned some points, right? Yet, here he was, firmly in the very last place—having earned not a single point.

"What is going on? No matter what, Lu Yuan shouldn't have zero points."

"Tsk, what's impossible about that? No matter how famous Lu Yuan is, he's just a young man. I heard his cultivation isn't that high, only appearing to be at the second layer of the World Realm. And yet, Qiu Qingshan, who is at the third layer of the World Realm, was captured by people from the Savage Beast Sect. Is he going there to seek death? I think Lu Yuan is just here to make an appearance, perhaps having been ordered by the Sword Sect's higher-ups to just float around until the agreed time passes, thus avoiding any danger."

Lu Yuan's few supporters naturally couldn't agree with this view. However, the ironclad fact remained: Lu Yuan had been here for ten days and had earned no points—still ranking last on the personal contribution board. This was an undeniable truth.

"Alas, Lu Yuan from the Sword Sect is a weakling. With our side essentially pitting two sects against the Thousand Mountains Sect, the Unrivaled Sect, and the Savage Beast Sect—a two-against-three scenario—how can we possibly win and reclaim the Earth Dragon Star?"

"It's not that we aren't strong enough; it's that the Sword Sect is too useless."

"Sigh!" All the final murmurs coalesced into a single, heavy sigh.

There was nothing to be done! Truly nothing! The Sword Sect was utterly disappointing!

Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the three-faction alliance assembly, Lu Yuan sat in quiet meditation. The Ancient Sword Dao had been forged. It was time to begin the rescue operation. Then, let's set off. Lu Yuan rose, gathering his sword and his wine—and departed immediately.

Beast Soul Mountain was a colossal mountain range on the Earth Dragon Star. Its shape resembled a convergence of countless wild beasts, hence its name. Currently, personnel from the Savage Beast Sect were garrisoned on Beast Soul Mountain. This location served as one of the three key strongholds on the planet, mutually supporting the other two points.

There were fifty-five people from the Savage Beast Sect stationed on Beast Soul Mountain. In addition, there were twenty-one prisoners captured from the Sword Sect. The Sword Sect had originally deployed over forty individuals here, but more than half had been massacred, leaving only twenty-one.

One of the pastimes for the Savage Beast Sect members when they were bored was the abuse of the Sword Sect prisoners. For instance, at that very moment, Xiong Zhan, the Grand Elder of the Savage Beast Sect, was tormenting Qiu Qingshan, the Grand Elder of the Sword Sect.

Xiong Zhan stood about ten feet tall, his body a mass of defined muscle. He possessed six hundred and thirty-nine distinct muscle groups, and it was certain that every single one of his muscles had been rigorously trained. In stark contrast stood Qiu Qingshan, now incredibly weak and pale-faced.

Xiong Zhan laughed boisterously: "Qiu Qingshan, Qiu Qingshan! You dared to oppose me? Didn't you know that your Sword Sect is naturally restrained by us? The Sword Sect! Recently, you've had some sensational figures, like the Son of the Sword, and Lu Yuan—said to be geniuses among geniuses! And what was the result? I tell you, it’s all nonsense! Your Sword Sect has no future because you are inherently counteracted! This era belongs to Us, the Savage Ones! Although the Savage Beast Sect's reputation is far weaker than yours, this era is ours, not yours! Hahahaha!"

Xiong Zhan laughed heartily. Qiu Qingshan wanted to retort, but he lacked even the strength to speak. After days of capture, he had already suffered every conceivable form of torture at Xiong Zhan's hands. Xiong Zhan belonged to the Savage Beast Sect; anyone connected to the 'Savage' affinity was like the Ancient Desolate Civilization—they harbored a fanatical hatred for those who wielded swords.

And Xiong Zhan was a pervert in this regard, having devised countless methods to torment Qiu Qingshan.

Xiong Zhan chuckled, but his expression suddenly shifted. Behind him materialized a colossal, semi-transparent black tiger—no, not merely a black tiger, but a Black Tiger Creature, possessing wings and scales of profound blackness across its body, radiating an aura of sinister dread under the sunlight.

The Chi Beast! One of the primordial monstrous beasts of ancient times, possessing immense power and a unique characteristic: the ability to devour opponents to enhance its own strength.

Xiong Zhan practiced the cultivation techniques of the Savage Beast Sect, whose arts were centered around the primordial ancient beasts as their core souls. Through cultivation, the practitioner acquired partial power and traits of these ancient beasts. For example, Xiong Zhan possessed incredible speed and immense strength, much like the Chi Beast itself, and he also inherited the Chi Beast's ability to devour the strength of opponents for growth—though it only absorbed vital power, not actual magical essence.

The spectral image of the Chi Beast behind Xiong Zhan had already been summoned. As for why Qiu Qingshan had been tortured to this state: firstly, due to the inherent hatred for the sword, and secondly, because it was a habit of the ancient Chi Beast. Just as Qiu Qingshan was about to perish under Xiong Zhan's hand, it wasn't just Xiong Zhan; among the remaining twenty Sword Sect members on Beast Soul Mountain, almost all were undergoing similar treatment—either torture, planned consumption, or active consumption.

The screams of countless sword cultivators echoed across the entirety of Beast Soul Mountain.

Hahahaha!

"Yo! Someone's here! Someone using a sword! Enemy attack!" someone roared. As soon as that person yelled, those among the Savage Beast Sect on Beast Soul Mountain who were immersed in the excitement of torture snapped back to some semblance of attention. Upon realizing their surroundings, they saw a figure in green robes standing suspended in the void parallel to Beast Soul Mountain.

This figure carried a sword on his shoulder and held a wine gourd in his left hand, drinking deeply.

The wind whipped his green robes, making them snap, while simultaneously lifting the long hair flowing from his head, lending him an air of unrestrained elegance. A swordsman! A sword cultivator! Who could this be?

Innumerable people were intensely curious, unsure of this person's identity. However, someone immediately recognized him.

"That person looks like Lu Yuan from the Sword Sect—quite famous. He was invincible at the World Volcano previously." This recognition came from a figure at the Cave Profound Realm tenth layer who had been defeated by Lu Yuan at the World Volcano in years past—he was the quickest to identify Lu Yuan.

"Lu Yuan? Has he come to die?"

"See if there are any others! Where is the ambush?" Xiong Zhan immediately commanded. If this were a large-scale counterattack by the Sword Sect, caution was necessary. Although the Savage affinity countered the Sword affinity, they couldn't afford to be careless against a full assault. Xiong Zhan, despite his rough appearance, was actually quite shrewd beneath the surface.

Under Xiong Zhan's direction, the entire contingent of the Savage Beast Sect sprang into action, searching the surrounding areas for any other Sword Sect members, wary of an ambush. But no matter how much they searched, they couldn't find a second Sword Sect member.

There was only the figure in green robes floating in the void, his robes fluttering, his long hair streaming, elegant and unrestrained, carrying a sword and clutching wine.

No ambush? This was strange! No matter how foolish Lu Yuan was, he wouldn't charge the Savage Beast Sect's main line alone. Absolutely not; no one was that foolish.

"Stop looking. I came alone," the young man in green robes standing in the void stated calmly.

Hmph, what a joke. He says he's coming alone to penetrate an enemy formation? There's no one that stupid. There must be another ambush. The Savage Beast Sect members immediately began searching again, but no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find a single other person. Could it really be just Lu Yuan?

Now that they had confirmed only Lu Yuan was present, the Savage Beast Sect had no choice but to accept the fact: it was indeed only Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan dared to come here all by himself! He must have taken leave of his senses! This Lu Yuan is definitely seeking death!

As these thoughts crossed their minds, Lu Yuan erupted in fury. Yes, a surge of sheer rage! What he had witnessed upon arriving at Beast Soul Mountain was the Savage Beast Sect members relentlessly tormenting the Sword Sect prisoners—all manner of abuse imaginable. And it wasn't just abuse; they were preparing to kill them through agonizing methods afterward. These were his comrades in the Dao of the Sword! Yet, they were now suffering these various torments upon their bodies and minds. How could he not be enraged!

Killing enemies was normal; imprisoning enemies was normal. But to imprison and ceaselessly abuse enemies—this fueled Lu Yuan's burning wrath. The usual Lu Yuan drank with composure. But now, he was not drinking calmly; he was drinking with his chest full of fury. Calm drinking was slow and leisurely; drinking fueled by rage was incredibly fast. Lu Yuan, who rarely killed on a grand scale, intended to unleash slaughter this time.

The wine was being consumed, the sword rested on his shoulder, the blood was boiling, and the man was moving.