Lu Yuan, you have finally emerged to meet your death. Today, we settle this completely. The Child of the Sword roared, "You usually claim victory over those a stage above you, being only at the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm. But I am no ordinary Fifth Heaven. I can defeat a Sixth Heaven while standing at the Fifth. Therefore, you can only lose. Your path of challenging those beyond your minor realm ends here."

Only after Sword Child spoke did the Tai'a Immortal Sword suddenly launch. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't a sudden launch. It should be said it had been prepared for a long time before being unleashed. This strike from Sword Child also had a name. This strike was called Severing the Cloud Qi, Bearing the Azure Heaven. In the Nanhua Sutra, there is a passage: "There is a bird there, its name is Peng. Its back is like Mount Tai, its wings like the trailing clouds of heaven. It rises ninety thousand li, spiraling on the mighty gale, severing the cloud qi, bearing the azure heaven, before setting its course south, towards the Southern Styx." And this strike from Sword Child, the moment it departed, manifested an extraordinary might, exactly like Mount Tai residing upon the sword, the sword's movement akin to trailing clouds; ninety thousand li condensed into a single slash. Truly worthy of the name Severing the Cloud Qi, Bearing the Azure Heaven. This strike represented the pinnacle of Sword Child’s ability. This attack was far more terrifying than the World-Ending sword techniques he had used before, even more terrifying than the Three Extremes Convergence Style. This strike was one where the ninety thousand li of the trailing heaven’s clouds and the world itself were forged into a single sword. This strike was so fearsome that it could not have been unleashed in haste. Sword Child had waited here for nineteen hours beforehand, constantly gathering momentum for this very sword technique. Now, the momentum was fully amassed, and this strike already surpassed Sword Child’s usual standard. Of course, ordinarily, no matter how long Sword Child accumulated power, it would be difficult to unleash such an above-standard strike. However, this time, stimulated by his formidable opponent Lu Yuan, the build-up was successful. And this strike possessed a unique flavor—Severing the Cloud Qi! Did you see the profound mystery within? Severing! Cloud! Originally, the name of this strike was Bearing the Azure Heaven. Sword Child favored the phrase 'Bearing the Azure Heaven' (Fu Qingtian); he felt those three characters echoed his own nature—looking down upon the heavens with disdain. As the Child of the Sword Dao, he felt entitled to scorn the azure sky. But after accepting the duel with Lu Yuan and observing his growth, Sword Child modified his ultimate move, originally 'Severing the Azure Cloud,' into the current 'Severing the Cloud Qi, Bearing the Azure Heaven.' This ultimate strike had become even stronger. The reason it grew stronger was precisely to defeat Lu Yuan. Now, Sword Child’s ultimate technique unleashed with dazzling brilliance. Beneath one sword stroke: Severing the Cloud Qi! Bearing the Azure Heaven! This was a perfect strike! This was an unparalleled strike! The sword light flashed directly toward Lu Yuan.

Seeing such a strike, the Martial Saint Emperor's Son, the Copper Saint Emperor's Son, and the Wasteland Emperor's Son couldn't help but have their eyes light up. They realized that even they might not be able to execute such a move. This strike was too exquisite, too absolute—a complete exhibition of Sword Child’s peak performance. If this strike landed, Lu Yuan would surely be unable to resist.

The Dharma Saint Emperor’s Son also frowned slightly. Sword Child’s strike was overwhelmingly powerful, and it had been gathering force for so long. Lu Yuan had only just deployed the Devouring Poison Mist; to block this blow in haste, he was bound to suffer some disadvantage. Considering he was already at a disadvantage against Sword Child, taking damage now would leave him with no chance later on. Lu Yuan must suffer a loss from this strike! This was the consensus among everyone present. In this battle, Lu Yuan's chance of winning was less than one in ten times one in ten. The probability of defeat was ninety-nine percent. From every conceivable angle, Lu Yuan had no avenue for victory. Sword Child was also brimming with confidence. The strike was nearing Lu Yuan’s chest, only two feet away. But in that instant, a massive beam of light erupted directly in front of Lu Yuan. What is this? Light! Light radiating supreme majesty! Sword Child discovered that his invincible, peak-level Severing the Cloud Qi, Bearing the Azure Heaven strike seemed to be dissolving like ice under the sun when illuminated by this light. What was happening? And then Sword Child immediately witnessed an astonishing scene. No, not just Sword Child. Everyone present, no matter where they were in the cosmos, everyone who witnessed this battle saw what that light manifesting before Lu Yuan truly was—an astonishing spectacle. This! How is this possible! Are we mistaken! How could such a thing happen! Appearing before Lu Yuan was unmistakably a gateway. Endless radiance poured forth from this portal. The sheer size and expanse of this gateway were immeasurable—lofty, majestic, ancient, venerable, terrifying, solemn. Upon this gateway seemed to be gathered the supreme mysteries of the Sword Dao, endless divine abilities, the zenith, the apex of the Sword Dao. What is this! The most profound wonder between heaven and earth is the Gate. Everything else ranks far behind it. And what appeared was a gate! What kind of gate could this be? But regardless of what kind of portal it was, any manifestation of a gateway was inherently terrifying. Lu Yuan had actually summoned a gateway now. Where did he obtain it from?

The sword light on Sword Child's blade intensified. He was only one foot away from Lu Yuan; piercing that final foot would allow him to severely wound Lu Yuan. He roared, "I don't care what your portal is! Give me that final foot of distance, pierce through!" He exerted every ounce of his strength, but all his capabilities dissolved into nothingness in that last foot. Severing the Cloud Qi, Bearing the Azure Heaven! Such a mighty technique was utterly useless against this gateway; it was suppressed as easily as an ant.

"It's useless. This portal of mine is the Gate of the Sword Dao." The Sword! Dao! Gate! Way! How could this be! No such gateway has emerged since this epoch of the Sword Dao. Generally, every major school of thought possesses a gateway, but the Sword Dao does not. This has always been a source of frustration for Sword Cultivators. But now, Lu Yuan revealed a gateway that was actually the Gate of the Sword Dao! If this is true, Ancestor Jian Mie felt an intense surge of emotion. He had a premonition: Lu Yuan wasn't lying, and he felt a subtle connection to this gateway, sensing its supreme authority over the Sword Dao. Ancestor Jian Yun, Zhuge Zhi Shang, Taishi Kong, and others were all simultaneously shocked and overjoyed, while Ancestor Jian Xu’s expression drastically changed. The Gate of the Sword Dao. If this is real, then this is the ultimate gateway of the Sword Dao. The impact this would have on those practicing the Sword Dao was simply staggering. Of course, this event caused shockwaves beyond just those of the Sword Dao lineage. The four observing Emperor's Sons—the Martial Saint, Copper Saint, Wasteland, and Dharma Saint Emperor's Sons—all changed their expressions dramatically. The emergence of any gateway in heaven and earth is an earth-shattering event, a major cosmic occurrence. No one had ever heard of a Gate of the Sword Dao before, and yet here it was, revealed by Lu Yuan in a casual gesture. This defied everyone's expectations. Where did Lu Yuan acquire it?

However, the Dharma Saint Emperor's Son considered a deeper angle. He had vaguely sensed a tremor in the world just moments ago, which he had assumed was the birth of a figure at the Civilization Realm. But could it be that Lu Yuan had just created this gateway? No, impossible. Every gate is a divine artifact of heaven and earth; even a Heavenly Venerate wouldn't dream of creating one. No matter how heaven-defying Lu Yuan was, how could he conjure something of that caliber? It was utterly impossible.

Meanwhile, the confrontation between Sword Child and Lu Yuan continued. Sword Child’s ultimate technique, Severing the Cloud Qi, Bearing the Azure Heaven, was blocked dead. Yet, Sword Child refused to yield. "You claim this is the Gate of the Sword Dao? I don't believe it." He launched countless other sword techniques and ultimate moves. He truly refused to believe Lu Yuan possessed the Gate of the Sword Dao. He, the cultivator with the greatest destiny in the Sword Dao, should be the one favored, not Lu Yuan. If there were a Gate of the Sword Dao, it should descend upon him. How could it fall into Lu Yuan's hands? However, no matter what profound sword maneuvers Sword Child executed, they were easily repelled by the Gate of the Sword Dao. The Gate of the Sword Dao was the Saint of the Sword Dao, the God of the Sword Dao, the King of the Sword Dao, the Emperor of the Sword Dao. Within the domain of the Sword Dao, life and death, existence and annihilation, glory and decay—everything was ruled by this portal. No sword technique, regardless of its power, could stand against the Gate of the Sword Dao. Sword Child finally fell into despair. He realized that relying on techniques would never allow him to defeat Lu Yuan. It truly was the Gate of the Sword Dao. Sword Child’s repeated tests clearly demonstrated the power of Lu Yuan’s gateway to all onlookers. Indeed, this was the Gate of the Sword Dao, genuine and undeniable.

Lu Yuan looked at Sword Child. "Sword Child, you claimed my record of defeating those beyond my minor realm would end here. What a pity; my record of surpassing minor realms will not conclude here." Since surpassing a minor realm was primarily based on swordsmanship, and now Sword Child’s sword intent was being suppressed almost entirely by the Gate of the Sword Dao, Lu Yuan could still achieve victories over those a stage higher. The tide of battle had reversed in a shocking manner. Lu Yuan, who had deployed an unexpected ultimate move, now held the absolute upper hand. At this juncture, Sword Child let out a cold laugh. "Lu Yuan, you don't think victory will be this easy, do you? I am the Child of the Sword Dao; I possess more than just these abilities. Now I'll show you my other methods. Today, the victor will still be me." Sword Child's words were filled with powerful self-assurance; he clearly possessed other trump cards, otherwise he wouldn't be called the Child of the Sword.

Lu Yuan roared back, "Sword Child, show me whatever trump cards you have! Let me see just how strong you truly are! But no matter how strong you are, I will be the one victorious." Sword Child raised his hand, and countless characters sprinkled from his fingertips. These are! Sword Dao Characters! That's right; the trump card Sword Child unveiled now was the Sword Dao Characters. The Sword Dao Characters were, naturally, slightly restrained by the Gate of Characters, but as they were primarily commanded by the Gate of Characters—which ranked just below the Gate of Eternity, far above Lu Yuan's newly emerged Gate of the Sword Dao—they weren't entirely suppressed. Only pure sword techniques were completely countered by Lu Yuan's gate. Sword Child intended to use his hidden strengths to crush Lu Yuan. The sheer quantity of Sword Dao Characters he summoned was enough to draw gasps of awe. And as the battle reached this peak, everyone watching was utterly engrossed; the fight was too spectacular!