The Sixth Sword! It was the Sword of Serene Clarity! The Sixth Sword was the Sword of Righteous Majesty!

Serene Clarity is the Celestial; Righteous Majesty is the Martial Hero! This sword, then, was the Sword of the Immortal Hero! Part Immortal, part Hero—this was the teaching of his former master, Li Yuanbai, a lesson Lu Yuan had kept close to his heart.

Lu Yuan had always intended to live a life of unburdened freedom, and whenever faced with demons and fiends, he had always slain them, just as he had in the past. Yes, though the years had been filled with trials and constant wandering. The lazy yet upright youth from beneath Mount Hua in those early years had never truly changed.

The Blood God King had slain so many figures, mastering arts fueled by blood—such a being was undeniably a demon, and precisely for this reason, he had to be purged. And this sword—this was the moment of its unsheathing. The Immortal Hero Sword!

This strike, the Immortal Hero Sword, he had continuously refined. Though it did not strictly belong to the Ancient Dao of the Sword, it was undeniably a heaven-shaking blow. Facing the Immortal Hero Sword, the heavily wounded Blood God King still managed to summon a vast sea of blood, but his momentum had long since waned.

This Immortal Hero Sword cut through the blood sea without mercy, and in doing so, pierced the King’s very soul. Nourish My Immortal Sword! It halted directly between Lu Yuan and the Blood God King!

The life-force blood of the Blood God King still sought to constantly devour Lu Yuan’s blade. He possessed a great technique called Blood Transfer; if critically injured, he could shift his essence onto the opponent’s body and seize their soul. But Lu Yuan’s sword was inherently a blade of righteousness, and the Immortal Hero Sword was the bane of all evil.

Under these circumstances, the Blood God King’s last-ditch effort, the Blood Transfer technique, proved useless. The Blood God King could only watch as his vitality and soul slowly dissipated. He attempted to scatter his essence as a mere smear of blood to escape, but the Immortal Hero Sword erupted with endless white light, transforming into searing white flames that fiercely trapped the stray blood essence while ceaselessly scorching it.

If the Blood God King hadn't encountered Lu Yuan—a wielder of an inherently righteous immortal sword—with such a righteous strike, he might have escaped using his Blood Transfer or Blood Shadow Dispersal techniques, perhaps suffering a great decline in power, but certainly not facing complete annihilation here. Yet, he had the terrible misfortune of meeting Lu Yuan, and the even greater misfortune of Lu Yuan choosing this moment to conclude matters with the Immortal Hero Sword. Hiss!

The evil blood writhed, struggled, and twisted. But in the end, it completely vanished. "Aargh!" The Blood God King let out a final shriek as his soul scattered to dust; his wicked existence had finally reached its terminus.

The Blood Gate Master, the Blood God King—a figure of such magnitude, a Heavenly Venerable—was utterly dead, slain by Lu Yuan’s hand. This was also the first Heavenly Venerable Lu Yuan had ever executed. The spectators watching nearby were all frozen in disbelief.

When Lu Yuan first declared he would win against the Sword Gate in ten sword strikes, everyone had dismissed it as a joke. But then followed Sword Five: Solitary Blade! This strike was the epitome of pure power, dazzling the eyes.

Following that was Sword Six: Heaven’s Terror! This move absorbed the very essence of fairness from the Flat Continent and unleashed an attack far more potent than the first. Then came the third strike, Sword Seven: Minor Sword Realm!

This very sword directly shattered the Blood God King’s ultimate technique, his World of Blood. The preceding three moves had built up wave after wave of climax, but if the first three were so formidable, could the following ones possibly surpass them? Could such momentum possibly be sustained?

But the crowd was wrong; the momentum absolutely carried on. The fourth strike, Sword Eight: Ten Thousand Swords Return to One! This move unleashed a thousand techniques within a single slash, bringing the peak of swordsmanship and the peak of atmosphere to a simultaneous zenith.

The final two strikes, Sword Zero: Heart Piercer! and the Immortal Hero Strike, served as the perfect concluding maneuvers. Lu Yuan’s rhythm was flawless, utterly perfect.

The onlookers’ eyes shone brightly. Many were furiously jotting down the names of the string of moves Lu Yuan had just unveiled during this Sect Ranking Battle: Sword Zero, Heart Piercer! Sword Two, Protection!

Sword Three, Dust Forgetfulness! Sword Four, Void! Sword Five, Solitary Blade!

Sword Six, Heaven’s Terror! Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm! Sword Eight, Ten Thousand Swords Return to One!

These sword techniques were truly exquisite. Where did this set of swordsmanship come from? It certainly wasn't from the Sword Gate; the Sword Gate could not possibly possess such terrifying skills!

If they did, they would have been famous long ago. So, where did this technique originate? Could Lu Yuan have created it himself?

That seemed unlikely; this set was too powerful. It must be a supreme heritage left over from the previous Era of the Sword; otherwise, it couldn't be this potent. These onlookers naturally had no idea that Lu Yuan had created this set himself, nor could they fathom that Lu Yuan possessed an even stronger move, Sword Nine: the Sword of Seven Emotions!

"Cough, cough!" Lu Yuan suddenly began coughing violently. At that moment, the crowd finally remembered that the battle was not over. Indeed, the Blood God King was dead, but the Blood Gate still had four hundred and ninety-nine members, including a staggering one hundred and ninety-nine World Realm cultivators among them.

Lu Yuan was only permitted ten swords, and he had already used six, leaving only four remaining. Four swords could not possibly eliminate four hundred and ninety-nine members of the Blood Gate. Firstly, Lu Yuan’s injuries were worsening, and secondly, among the remaining experts of the Blood Gate were six individuals at the peak of the Sixth Heaven of the World Realm.

If Lu Yuan failed, the Sword Gate was doomed. The remaining members of the Sword Gate were too weak. At the level of Ancestor Jian Mie, there were still ten to twenty similar figures in the Blood Gate.

A great sect with deep foundations remained a great sect with deep foundations; they would not simply surrender just because their leader was slain. Thus, this fight was far from concluded. The Sword Gate still faced a perilous situation.

"Four swords remain," stated a young, pale-faced man in a blood-red robe from within the Blood Gate. This man's appearance, clad in crimson, could easily charm countless women; he seemed like a prince from the dark night. "Lu Yuan, your four swords can achieve nothing.

You cannot win." This pale-faced man in the blood robe was known as the Right Blood King, one of the Blood Gate's Deputy Masters. "This time, it seems our Blood Gate will claim the final victory," said a completely pale woman beside him. She was exceedingly noble and breathtakingly beautiful, dressed in robes the color of blood-hued clouds and mist that seemed capable of swaying the hearts of every man with a slight turn, compelling them to willingly drain their blood for her.

She was known as the Left Blood King, another of the Blood Gate's Deputy Masters. The Right Blood King, Gan Dao, and the Left Blood King, Luo Wei, were the two most powerful figures in the Blood Gate beneath the Blood God King. They were also individuals qualified to contend for the Seventh Heaven of the World Realm and ascend to Heavenly Venerable status.

Yes, although Lu Yuan had fought with desperate ferocity, shattering the Blood God Drum, enduring the Supreme Blood Soul Pearl, breaking the Cocoon of Blood, and slaying the Heavenly Venerable Blood God King, the injuries he sustained were too severe. He could only summon four more strikes, yet his opposition numbered four hundred and ninety-nine, while the Sword Gate’s current strength was pitifully low. Even at its peak, the Sword Gate’s strength vastly trailed that of the Blood Gate—one was merely a standard Supreme Great Sect, the other one of the Ten Strongest Sects.

How could the gap not be immense? "Cough, cough." After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Lu Yuan placed his hand on his sword hilt. "That is correct, my physical condition only permits four more strikes at most; you are not wrong about that.

But who said I have lost? Who said the Sword Gate has lost?" The Right Blood King Gan Dao looked at Lu Yuan. "The current situation is obvious, Brother Lu.

As one of the world's foremost talents, you should understand the logic here." The Right Blood King Gan Dao now believed victory was assured and was already contemplating how to secure the opportunity to enter the Sanctuary of Civilization over the Left Blood King, Luo Wei. Luo Wei was no easy opponent. When the Blood God King was alive, the opportunity belonged to him.

Now that the King was dead, this splendid prospect of entering the Sanctuary would fall to that woman, Luo Wei, he calculated inwardly. Lu Yuan smiled, a bright, spring-breeze-like expression. "If I recall correctly, during the Sect Ranking Battles, if the highest leader concedes, then the entire sect concedes.

Is there such a rule?" That rule certainly existed. And everyone knew it well. For instance, in Lu Yuan’s battle against the Peerless Gate, Lu Yuan had forced the Peerless Gate Master, Elder Fu Lao Shuangfa, to cry out, "I concede," with a single move, the Swan's Return Flash, before dying under Lu Yuan’s sword.

Why would Lu Yuan bring up this rule now? The Right Blood King Gan Dao and the Left Blood King Luo Wei, both established figures of many years, reacted quickly. They sensed something elusive in Lu Yuan's statement, and their complexions shifted slightly.

Lu Yuan laughed, brilliantly like the spring wind. "That’s right. The current highest leaders of the Blood Gate should be the two of you, correct?

Ancestor Jian Mie?" Lu Yuan, having been focused on breaking through to the Sixth Heaven, the Qi Condensation Realm, before the battle, hadn't gathered much intelligence. Ancestor Jian Mie nodded. "That is correct.

One is the Right Blood King, Gan Dao, who specializes in the Blood Shadow Clone technique, capable of transforming into thousands of blood bats to fight. Among those of the same realm, few can match him." "The other is the Left Blood King, Luo Wei, who favors drinking the fresh blood of men. Due to her inherent beauty, even some cultivators at the Seventh Heaven of the World Realm have given her their blood for a single night’s pleasure.

Her power is immense; she has the potential to strike the Seventh Heaven of the World Realm." Lu Yuan nodded. "So, the Right Blood King Gan Dao and the Left Blood King Luo Wei. I haven't heard your names before.

You are now the highest leaders of the Blood Gate. I still have four swords left. Let me consider—killing the two of you with four swords shouldn't be difficult.

Two strikes per person should suffice." Killing opponents of the same realm, one after the other, was an exceedingly difficult, almost impossible feat. But given Lu Yuan’s record of slaying the Blood God King with six strikes, who dared to doubt him now? "Originally, I never show mercy to fiends and heretics like you.

However, sometimes one must be flexible," Lu Yuan stated calmly. "How about this: you two willingly concede, and I will not unleash these four remaining strikes. Otherwise, I will execute my final four strikes immediately, and right after, I will declare my own concession—and your Blood Gate will win." Lu Yuan said, smiling sweetly.

(The rewarding third update is delivered! How many updates will there be today? If your subscriptions are strong enough, maybe I’ll keep going!)