The boundless power had been unleashed to its absolute limit! Within a single palm strike, it felt as though colossal Primordial Mountains were descending.
And that dazzling beam of light gradually transformed into a sword gleam.
Though it appeared to be merely a sword thrust against a palm strike, the feeling suggested a colossal sword several zhang in length, assailing the Primordial Mountains in an incredibly subtle manner.
Sword gleam! The War Beast Ancestor naturally saw this change, but he let out a cold snort; his Primordial might was the very thing that suppressed swords. What use was a sword gleam? His palm strike grew even more formidable. He intended to crush the sword-wielder entirely with this one blow. Daring to use a sword before him—truly laughable.
Finally! The sword met the palm, and innumerable rays of light erupted, scattering torrents of immense magical power in all directions. This momentary clash was like the collision of stars.
A moment later, everything subsided.
The War Beast Ancestor looked at his own palm in disbelief. A bloody gash had been torn across it. The wound itself was not severe, but the War Beast Ancestor was profoundly shaken. He had clearly seen the sword gleam; in the entirety of the Central Heavenly Dynasty, there was still a sword cultivator capable of meeting his force head-on and causing him to be the first injured party.
How could this be possible!
The Manifest Sword Sect had no such person, and the Hidden Sword Sect seemed not to have one either.
The War Beast Ancestor, who held himself in high regard, couldn't help but tremble upon seeing the injury on his hand.
He desired to see clearly who it was that had wounded him.
Finally, he saw the person who had injured him.
It was a young man in azure robes, gripping a bright, gentle longsword. Could such a radiant sword gleam originate from such a mild-mannered sword?
The War Beast Ancestor looked at Lu Yuan: "You are Lu Yuan? You can injure me?"
Two questions, countless doubts.
Lu Yuan currently held considerable renown in the Central Heavenly Dynasty. The War Beast Ancestor had intended to seek out Lu Yuan from the start, but this was the first time he had laid eyes on him, hence his initial confusion. This was Lu Yuan. This was only the first perplexity. The second was that Lu Yuan could actually withstand his attack and wound him. This deepened the War Beast Ancestor's confusion layer upon layer; even the Sword Annihilation Ancestor of the Manifest Sword Sect might not possess such ability.
The wind blew, and the azure robes fluttered.
Lu Yuan nodded: "Yes, it is I. I, Lu Yuan, am here, and my sword is here. Whatever instruction the War Beast Ancestor has, present it. Watch as I level you with a single sword strike."
Arrogant! Lu Yuan's words were anything but conventional arrogance.
The War Beast Ancestor couldn't help but let out a peal of angry laughter: "Hahahaha, hahahaha! Truly too ridiculous! In all these years, never has a sword wielder dared to be so audacious before this Ancestor, including Sword Annihilation Ancestor of your sect. The Child of the Sword, who had greater fame and superior talent, showed me deference back then. I never expected you, this mere brat, to be so ignorant of heaven and earth. Truly laughable."
"So be it, so be it. Since you seek death, I shall grant your wish."
The War Beast Ancestor lashed out a palm strike toward Lu Yuan, filled with infinite magical power. Lu Yuan met it with a single sword slash, but in that instant, Lu Yuan sensed something was amiss. Beyond this surge of magical power, there seemed to be some other currents of energy. This strange energy struck his body, causing his entire form to begin to change.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yuan transformed into a white crane.
What was this?
The surrounding onlookers had initially only witnessed the overwhelming power of the War Beast Ancestor’s strike. Then they saw Lu Yuan appear, and immediately after, Lu Yuan inflicted an unbelievable wound upon the War Beast Ancestor’s palm with his sword gleam. Although it was difficult for sword cultivators to contend with the Desolate Arts, Lu Yuan’s string of victories had instilled some confidence in the crowd, making them believe this would be an exciting battle, perhaps one Lu Yuan might even lose.
But in a sudden turn, Lu Yuan became a white crane.
What kind of transformation was this?
Qiu Qingshan immediately recognized it: "This is the ability of the Fourth Heaven of the Chaos Hole Realm, the Transformation Realm—the power to change a person's form, to convert matter into a different state. Teng Ba Ancestor should have possessed this ability, but he seemed rushed back then and did not use it."
This was the power of the Fourth Heaven of the Chaos Hole Realm, the Transformation Realm! Actually, Teng Ba Ancestor had intended to use it, but how could he when he was struck by Lu Yuan's Third Sword, the Sword of Forgotten Dust? His thoughts and calculations diminished, and he nearly forgot this technique during the fight. Sword Wind Ancestor also intended to use this ability when battling Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan seemed to possess something around him that faintly restrained it, preventing him from using this power.
And now, for the first time, Lu Yuan had been hit by this ability and turned into a white crane.
Sword Ru Hai and Sword Ru Dun watched the battle from the sidelines. Sword Ru Hai was momentarily stunned: "Ah, Lu Yuan cannot break the form transformation of the Transformation Realm? Didn't he fight both Sword Wind Ancestor and Teng Ba Ancestor?" Sword Ru Hai had assumed Lu Yuan could counter this ability of the Transformation Realm, but seeing Lu Yuan transformed now left him utterly mortified.
Sword Ru Dun immediately asked: "What do we do now?"
"Wait, wait for an opportunity to see if we can save Lu Yuan," Sword Ru Hai said glumly. He had initially expected Lu Yuan to resolve the situation easily, but he never anticipated such a sudden mishap. It was truly demoralizing.
The War Beast Ancestor glared at the white crane like a clap of thunder, laughing triumphantly: "You think you can fight me, Lu Yuan? You are too naive."
The War Beast Ancestor was indeed imposing at this moment. He had severely wounded Zhu Yan, severely wounded Qiu Qingshan, captured Ji Qianyu within his personal dimension, and transformed Lu Yuan into a white crane. The highest-ranking figures present had either been wounded or captured by him, rendered incapable of fighting back.
"You all shall die!" The War Beast Ancestor looked toward the people of the Sword Gate, Thousand Water Gate, and Fire Control Gate.
The War Beast Ancestor waved his hand and struck out a bronze cauldron, instantly engulfing the white crane within: "Lu Yuan, oh Lu Yuan, now that you are a white crane, I shall 'burn the zither and cook the crane'—eating you, such a peerless genius, must bring great nourishment. Daring to oppose this Ancestor is laughable. No sword cultivator in the entire Central Heavenly Dynasty is my match."
"Oh, there are others nearby—Sword Ru Hai of the Hidden Sword Sect." The War Beast Ancestor seemed to notice something. Under normal circumstances, given Sword Ru Hai's concealment skills, the War Beast Ancestor should not have detected him. But when Lu Yuan was transformed into a white crane just now, Sword Ru Hai was momentarily shocked, his aura faltered, and he was discovered by the War Beast Ancestor.
The War Beast Ancestor laughed heartily: "Sword Ru Hai, you once assassinated my subordinate and escaped from my grasp once. Now, you will not escape again." The War Beast Ancestor raised his hand, and a massive palm struck toward Sword Ru Hai. Sword Ru Hai had not expected to be discovered due to the momentary lapse in his aura, and he was startled.
He immediately kicked Sword Ru Dun far away, simultaneously revealing his Hidden Immortal Sword. His Hidden Immortal Sword was superb for assassination, being formless and traceless, but facing the War Beast Ancestor’s overwhelmingly fierce attack, such a subtle and tough immortal sword could barely hold up. Although both the War Beast Ancestor and Sword Ru Hai were at the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm, the advantage of Desolate power countering the sword meant the War Beast Ancestor had always held the upper hand against Sword Ru Hai.
Where Sword Ru Hai moved, the War Beast Ancestor followed.
Sword Ru Hai used sword techniques, while the War Beast Ancestor directly unleashed boundless Primordial power. He played no games or tricks with Sword Ru Hai, relying purely on Primordial force to suppress him, slowly pushing Sword Ru Hai to his limit.
"Boom!" Sword Ru Hai’s shoulder was struck by the War Beast Ancestor, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The War Beast Ancestor pressed his attack, delivering several more palm strikes that left Sword Ru Hai lying on the ground, continuously spitting blood until he had completely lost all fighting capability.
"Hahahaha! Those who fight this Ancestor all end up defeated," the War Beast Ancestor declared with a laugh.
Indeed, everyone who opposed him had been defeated.
Zhu Yan, at the Third Heaven of the World Realm, was severely wounded. Qiu Qingshan, at the Third Heaven of the World Realm, was severely wounded. Sword Ru Hai, at the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm, was also severely wounded. Ji Qianyu, at the Third Heaven of the World Realm, was captured. Lu Yuan, at the Third Heaven of the World Realm, was turned into a white crane. As for the rest, they were no match for the War Beast Ancestor; he was currently in a state of invincibility.
All the experts on Dragon Earth Star had fallen!
And the Sword Gate, Thousand Water Gate, Fire Control Gate, and Hidden Sword Sect—these four factions had plunged into despair. What profound, deep despair this was.
"Sword Ru Hai, you killed my subordinate, so I shall kill you first." The War Beast Ancestor strode toward Sword Ru Hai, intending to kill him first.
Meanwhile, inside the bronze cauldron, Lu Yuan was also vexed. What kind of situation was this? He had actually been turned into a white crane. This was definitely not a transformation through illusion; it was a complete restructuring of his entire body. Damn it! What was going on! Lu Yuan had never dealt with this kind of power before.
Right, use the Sword that Counters Desolation! Start immediately with the Sword that Counters Desolation. This ability of the Fourth Heaven of the Chaos Hole Realm, the Transformation Realm, was also unleashed using Primordial magical power. The Sword that Counters Desolation directly absorbed the Primordial magical power entirely. Lu Yuan felt his body constantly shifting, and finally, he reverted to his original form.
This experience of being a white crane was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event!
But for now, the War Beast Ancestor needed to be dealt with first.
Seeing the War Beast Ancestor bearing down on Sword Ru Hai, Lu Yuan instantly appeared before the War Beast Ancestor. He swung his sword identically, blocking the War Beast Ancestor's palm strike with a sword gleam: "War Beast Ancestor, being turned into a white crane just now was an error. Let us fight again properly."
"Oh, you’ve changed back." The War Beast Ancestor was momentarily stunned. He was indeed somewhat surprised.
To be turned into a white crane by his Transformation Realm ability, and to revert so quickly—Lu Yuan was not simple.
"Very well. Since you insist on courting death, I shall transform you once more." The War Beast Ancestor activated his Transformation Realm ability again. This time, he intended to turn Lu Yuan into a pig, and he wouldn't just 'burn the zither and cook the crane'; he planned to slaughter Lu Yuan completely once he became a pig.
However, when he unleashed his Transformation Realm ability, it had absolutely no effect.
Lu Yuan had used the Sword that Counters Desolation to absorb the War Beast Ancestor's Primordial magical power, causing his Transformation Realm ability to fail: "War Beast Ancestor, is this all the trickery you have? I am here, my sword is here. Prepare to die."