The fierce battle between the Sword Prodigy and Lu Yuan had been raging for quite some time. The entire engagement had been fraught with surging ups and downs.
Though no victor had been declared yet, the sheer brilliance on display was enough to make onlookers gasp for breath repeatedly. It was undeniably magnificent; every single moment was packed with excitement.
In their clash, a new trump card emerged with every passing second. And now, the Sword Prodigy unveiled his greatest and final gambit: the Cliff of Liberation.
Chanting verses from various scriptures in conjunction with the Cliff, he urged Lu Yuan toward self-slaughter and release. A spark of ecstatic light flared in the Sword Prodigy's eyes; he intended for Lu Yuan to be utterly extinguished by his hand.
Simultaneously, Lu Yuan was indeed wrestling with a profound urge toward self-destruction. However, if this was indeed the Cliff of Liberation, then Lu Yuan had a countermeasure ready.
Lu Yuan looked at the Sword Prodigy: "Your Cliff of Liberation, I claim that too." With those words, he unleashed the Minor Karma Iron Law, and behind Lu Yuan, a colossal Buddha Hand began to materialize slowly. This enormous Buddha Hand was a technique Lu Yuan rarely employed: Boundless Buddha Palm, learned from the Buddha Sword Cultivator.
This Boundless Buddha Palm technique was the treasured art of the Buddha Sword Cultivator’s Buddhist sect, one even the King of Souls Buddha did not possess. The Sword Prodigy sneered, "You actually think you can seize my Cliff of Liberation?
How laughable." He truly could not believe that a Dharma treasure of the Cliff of Liberation’s caliber could be snatched away so easily. But his expression immediately began to change as he realized his Cliff of Liberation was subtly, remotely, beginning to fall under the control of Lu Yuan’s Buddha Palm.
"You know Buddhist techniques!" The Sword Prodigy was utterly shaken internally. Lu Yuan coldly retorted, "Don't you as well?" The technique the Sword Prodigy mastered to control the Cliff of Liberation originated from the King of Souls Buddha, whereas Lu Yuan derived his command over the Cliff from the Buddha Sword Cultivator.
Back in the day, the King of Souls Buddha and the Buddha Sword Cultivator were evenly matched in strength, with the latter holding a slight edge. Yet, the King of Souls Buddha, having clearly ascended to the Civilization Realm, was now demonstrably more powerful.
However, how could the King of Souls Buddha impart his true inheritance to the Sword Prodigy? Lu Yuan, on the other hand, had received the genuine ultimate teachings of the Buddha Sword Cultivator.
Furthermore, Lu Yuan’s Minor Karma Iron Law exerted an immense attractive force upon the Cliff of Liberation. The Sword Prodigy watched as the Cliff of Liberation slowly slipped away from his grasp: "Damn it, how can this be?" He intensified his control over the artifact.
"Why wouldn't it be? I am claiming this Cliff of Liberation!" Lu Yuan roared, pouring his entire magical power into the Boundless Buddha Palm, locking horns with the Sword Prodigy in a struggle for dominance.
In truth, the Sword Prodigy had not initially intended to use this ultimate trump card. He was no fool and naturally knew the King of Souls Buddha would never teach him his core skills.
His original plan was to wait until he grew stronger, then imprison a Heavenly Venerate-level expert from the Ancient Buddhist Civilization to thoroughly extract their true martial arts, thereby truly mastering the Cliff of Liberation. This time, being forced into a corner by Lu Yuan, he had no choice but to reveal the Cliff of Liberation, which he had not yet fully grasped.
The Sword Prodigy’s eyes gradually shifted towards madness and despair as he felt the Cliff of Liberation steadily escape his control. Boom!
The Cliff of Liberation finally broke free entirely from the Sword Prodigy’s grasp and was drawn into Lu Yuan’s Sword Space. The moment it entered, the Minor Karma Iron Law spun furiously, and in a short while, it completely dissolved the entirety of the Cliff of Liberation.
As a byproduct, Lu Yuan’s Minor Karma Iron Law advanced further, seemingly approaching a new threshold; only the final component, the Sea of Universal Salvation, was needed to fully comprehend the Karma Iron Law—a law far superior to the Minor Karma Iron Law, one rarely mastered even within the Ancient Buddhist Civilization. It should be noted that most Heavenly Venerate-level figures master only four or five Iron Laws; mastering more is rare.
And a typical Civilization Realm expert commands six or seven Iron Laws; those who master eight or nine are exceedingly scarce. As for mastering ten Iron Laws, no one had ever heard of such a feat.
Simply put, there was an upper limit to the number of Iron Laws one could grasp. Lu Yuan’s push toward controlling six Iron Laws was exceptionally rare, placing him on par with those at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Venerate realm.
Lu Yuan was currently immersed entirely within the subtleties of the Minor Karma Iron Law, perceiving the secrets of heaven and earth. Lu Yuan opened his eyes and looked at the Sword Prodigy: "Sword Prodigy, your swordsmanship is countered by my Gate of Sword Dao, your texts have been confiscated by me, your Sword Master Token has been nullified by my Sword Master Token, and your Cliff of Liberation has been seized.
Now, what means do you still possess to harm me? Bring them forth." The Sword Prodigy looked at Lu Yuan, his gaze a mixture of surprise, shock, frenzy, and despair.
He had never imagined suffering such a crushing defeat at Lu Yuan's hands. Lu Yuan lashed out with a sword strike toward the Sword Prodigy—this strike was his lifelong ultimate technique, Sword Six: Singular Sword.
This Sword Six strike was supremely profound. When this sword manifested!
The sun sank, the moon vanished, and all brilliance was extinguished! When this sword manifested!
Mountains crumbled, and seas and rivers were annihilated. When this sword manifested!
Heaven and earth ceased to be; there was only the Sword! Witnessing this Sword Six, the Sword Prodigy felt true despair.
He had always believed his Azure Cloud Strike, Heaven Defiance, was peerless, and that Lu Yuan could only counter it due to the power of the Gate of Sword Dao, unable otherwise to execute such a strike. But now, facing Sword Six: Singular Sword, the Sword Prodigy realized Lu Yuan’s technique was absolutely on par with his Azure Cloud Strike, Heaven Defiance.
His Nourishing Immortal Sword and Tai’a Immortal Sword clashed once more. These two immortal swords had exchanged blows several times prior, always resulting in a stalemate.
However, this time the Tai’a Immortal Sword was clearly at a disadvantage. Countless sword lights vanished in a moment, and when the light dissipated, Lu Yuan and the Sword Prodigy had separated.
Lu Yuan remained clad in a flowing azure robe, gripping the hilt of his Nourishing Immortal Sword. The Sword Prodigy’s snow-white robes, however, were now stained with blood.
A massive wound slashed diagonally from his left shoulder almost split him in two; he could barely remain standing. By the looks of it, the Sword Prodigy had lost!
Lu Yuan raised his wine gourd and took a sip: "Sword Prodigy, you have lost." The Sword Prodigy violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. Though he hadn't verbally conceded, his defeat was undeniable.
A wave of astonished murmurs rose from the crowd. The Sword Prodigy was defeated!
Throughout the battle, countless intense moments and sudden shifts had kept everyone on edge, yet the confirmation of the Sword Prodigy’s loss still brought forth immense shock. The Sword Prodigy was one of the Seven Sons of Sword Dao Fortune, yet he had been decisively routed by Lu Yuan.
The Seven Sons of Fortune had never before been defeated by someone of their own generation. But now, the Sword Prodigy had lost.
This marked the opening of a precedent. Previously, when the Son of Buddha and Lu Yuan competed in the Elemental Tower, the Son of Buddha had actually cultivated for a shorter period than Lu Yuan—only forty years—and their conflict was limited to the scope of the Elemental Tower, not a true battle leading to defeat.
But the Sword Prodigy’s loss now was a direct, frontal defeat of one of the Seven Sons of Fortune. Among the spectators, the most crestfallen was Jian Wenhao.
He had always taken pride in having an overwhelmingly powerful, unrivaled elder brother, often invoking his brother’s name in the Sword Dao circle to quell dissent. But ever since his feud with Lu Yuan began, boasting his brother's name had been useless.
Now, the situation was more extreme: Lu Yuan had actually triumphed over his elder brother, Jian Wenchang. Jian Wenhao had never envisioned this day.
And the most dismayed of all was Ancestor Jian Xuzhong. Ancestor Jian Xuzhong had heavily invested in the Sword Prodigy, certain that, given his aptitude, talent, and fortune, victory was guaranteed.
He had expected this match to be a sure win, but the loss meant all his prior investments had gone down the drain. The Sword Prodigy’s master, Zhang Daosheng, felt a bitterness he could not express.
The defeat of the Sword Prodigy was truly unimaginable. Ancestor Jian Mie watched the fight and was left speechless.
He now understood that he was truly old; the strength of both the Sword Prodigy and Lu Yuan had surpassed his own. But so be it if he was old; the younger generation was rising, and he hoped they would forge a brighter future for the Sword Dao.
Ancestor Jian Yunzhong felt inexplicably that he had won against Ancestor Jian Xuzhong for no clear reason. Zhuge Zhi Shang and Taishi Kong were nearly bursting with excitement.
They had never imagined Lu Yuan winning. Since the Eight-Year Duel was fixed, they had assumed Lu Yuan’s defeat was inevitable, and even before the fight, they believed victory was impossible.
But now, Lu Yuan had truly won, a victory that felt as unreal as a dream. Supreme Xia Hou and Supreme Dong Ye instinctively slapped their own faces.
Was this real? Supreme Jian Xiong could only feel speechless tears streaming down his face.
He had advanced to the Supreme rank alongside Lu Yuan, yet now Lu Yuan was the strongest figure in the Central Celestial Dynasty's Sword Dao, having surpassed the Sword Prodigy. Lu Yuan's rate of progress was terrifyingly swift.
Lu Yuan's senior martial brothers under Taishi Kong, such as Taishi Bei and Yan Qiuyue, could not help but examine their own feelings. They had watched Lu Yuan win his way up, but truly, no one had anticipated he could defeat Jian Wenchang, the Son of the Sword Dao.
The Sword Prodigy had long been a legend among their generation, a legend beyond reach. In the beautiful eyes of Empress Ji Jian Ling, pride shone brightly.
Yes, her Lu Yuan had won. The Sword Gate, from top to bottom, experienced a multitude of feelings and realizations.
The Four Great Imperial Princes felt similar awe. In the eyes of the Desolate Plain Imperial Prince and the Bronze Saint Imperial Prince, a flash of killing intent crossed their gaze.
Lu Yuan absolutely could not be allowed to continue growing unchecked; otherwise, ascending to the Civilization Realm would be a certainty. Lu Yuan and the Sword Prodigy stood opposite each other.
The result was settled, yet neither had come seeking mere victory; they were fighting for their lives. After a brief pause, Lu Yuan’s Nourishing Immortal Sword spun sharply, its light like a silver thread, this brilliant sword beam aimed directly at the Sword Prodigy, intending to cut him down.
The Sword Prodigy also steeled himself, preparing to meet Lu Yuan’s strike. He was the Son of the Sword Dao, favored by heaven, with a vast future ahead.
He absolutely could not perish here. A fierce wind raged.