Clang! Two swords met.

Hiss! The blades of the two swords slid past each other, almost perfectly parallel.

Clang! Three swords struck simultaneously.

Thud! One sword pressed down, dominating the other four.

This was a true sword fight!

Lu Yuan was thoroughly enjoying himself. Back in the Central Celestial Dynasty, combat was certainly adequate, even high-quality, but it always felt somewhat lacking. This was because swordsmen were exceedingly rare in the Central Celestial Dynasty, and since his passion was the sword—the clash between blade and blade—that scarcity naturally left a slight void.

Now, having sought out the Evil Sword Civilization, starting with Xie Fantian, every opponent wielded a blade. It was non-stop swordplay. Moreover, the Evil Sword Civilization’s sword techniques were entirely different from those of the Manifest Sword Sect or the Hidden Sword Sect, and demonstrably far superior. This novel and powerful swordplay intensely stimulated Lu Yuan. In one word: exhilarating!

Truly, it was exhilarating.

Lu Yuan fought with profound satisfaction.

While Lu Yuan was ecstatic, the four opponents battling him were miserable. They were all at the peak of the World Realm, tiers three and four in strength. Together, the four of them should have been formidable, yet this young man in green robes possessed seemingly infinite power. Furthermore, the sword techniques of this young man in green were impossibly potent, one strike dominating all four of them.

These four opponents shared a sensation with Lu Yuan: their opponent’s sword style was incredibly fresh. However, unlike Lu Yuan, they only perceived agony from this novelty. They detested swordplay so fresh, so completely unfamiliar. This contrasted sharply with Lu Yuan, who craved exactly that—powerful, unprecedented sword techniques.

Lu Yuan toyed with them for a while, realizing their moves were ultimately limited. Enough. Time to conclude this.

After all, this was merely an appetizer; the true feast—the Evil Sword Civilization itself—awaited him.

Lu Yuan’s longsword rotated once, its gleam sharp and clear.

As that light flashed forth, the four men fighting him were struck by an agonizing wrench in their wrists. All four of their swords clattered to the ground.

“It is rare that I hold back my killing intent against those who draw their blades against me,” Lu Yuan stated calmly. “Go quickly and report to your Evil Sword Civilization’s Vice Sovereign. Tell him someone has come looking for him.” How bold!

When the four rushed in to relay the message, the entire Evil Sword Civilization erupted into chaos. Such an uproar had never been witnessed before. Someone dared to provoke the Evil Sword Civilization to its doorstep, striking and injuring its guards right at the main gate? This was the height of recklessness, utter disregard for life.

Soon after, countless figures shot toward the gates of the Evil Sword Civilization, all eager to see who possessed such audacity. This included inhabitants from within the Civilization and those gathered from outside. The crowd gathering to watch was substantial, and anyone active in this region was inherently powerful.

The observers were uniformly stunned when they saw the figure standing at the gates: this person was astonishingly young.

They had anticipated some ancient demon or giant from the forgotten corners of deep forests, yet this man in green robes could not possibly be older than a century. For someone not even reaching that age to dare challenge the very gates of the Evil Sword Civilization was indeed fascinating, even bizarre.

“A youth this young dares challenge our Evil Sword Civilization? He courts death.”

“Let me go and extinguish him.”

“No, let me handle this. I’ve reached the Heavenly Venerate Realm and haven’t truly drawn my blade in ages. Now, finally, I get a fight,” sneered another sword cultivator at the Heavenly Venerate level. The members of the Evil Sword Civilization were aggressively arrogant, all clamoring to slay Lu Yuan for daring to provoke them here.

At that moment, a swirling, inky-black demonic aura manifested in the void.

Under this miasma, everyone—whether World Realm tier three, Heavenly Venerate World Realm tier seven, or even World Realm tier nine—felt their breath hitch painfully. Even Lu Yuan found his breathing suddenly constricted to an extreme degree.

What colossal demonic energy was this?

Lu Yuan had encountered Sword Demons before. If a Sword Demon’s aura was like a single river, this person’s power was akin to the collective energy of an entire planetary system. The difference was immeasurable. This massive surge of demonic frenzy instantly choked the sky above the Lost Lands into absolute darkness.

Those outside the Evil Sword Civilization retreated far back, terrified of proximity.

Even those within the Civilization, who had been shouting threats moments before, were now struck dumb with fear.

Such demonic energy could crush a Heavenly Venerate with a mere flick of the wrist.

Against this power, Heavenly Venerates were no better than ants.

“The Vice Sovereign of the Demonic Sword Civilization has arrived.”

“Yes, the Demonic Sword Civilization’s Vice Sovereign has descended! This intruder into the Evil Sword Civilization is seeking death.”

“The Demonic Sword Vice Sovereign’s aura grows more terrifying, deeper every time.” Hearing these comments, the newcomer was indeed of Civilization level, specifically the Vice Sovereign of the Demonic Sword Civilization. The Evil Sword Civilization housed several such supreme entities; though less famous than the Evil Sword Vice Sovereign, the Demonic Sword Vice Sovereign possessed terrifyingly high skill.

A colossal, ten-thousand-zhang-tall shadow materialized in the void. Every part of this figure thrummed with the profound secrets of the Demonic Dao; every line seemed inscribed with its essence. He appeared to be the incarnation of the Demonic Dao, its culmination, its very representation—the Dao itself.

“A mere World Realm cultivator dares approach the Evil Sword Civilization? You truly seek death…” The voice of the giant, Demonic Sword Vice Sovereign boomed like thunder. Simultaneously, a gigantic, mountain-like black palm descended upon Lu Yuan. In that instant, in the area covered by the massive dark palm, time ceased and space solidified. Lu Yuan could not move a single finger; he was utterly frozen. This was the power of a Civilization level being, capable of crushing Lu Yuan like an ant. The Demonic Sword Vice Sovereign did not crush him immediately; he intended to do so slowly, seeking a demonstration effect—killing the chicken to frighten the monkeys.

Such formidable strength. If Zhou Qingxuan hadn't taught him the secret technique, Lu Yuan would never have come here, he thought. “Oh? Has the Evil Sword Civilization completely degenerated, disregarding the rules of the Swordsmen of the Sword Era?”

The giant demonic hand paused in the void. “Boy, you know the rules of the last Sword Era?”

“Of course I know the rules of the last Sword Era. The Jian Gu Civilization of that time, and the Evil Sword Civilization, both adhered to these rules. This was a vow sworn before the Origin of the Sword. To dare violate these rules invites divine retribution and the annihilation of one’s civilization,” Lu Yuan stated calmly.

Zhou Qingxuan’s secret technique consisted of two points. The first taught him to adapt to the Iron Law, opening his mind to its general meaning. The second revealed a specific rule from the Sword Era.

During the Sword Era, the Jian Gu Civilization was not the sole Sword Civilization; there were several others, including the Evil Sword Civilization. These Sword Civilizations had all sworn an oath to abide by a rule established by the Jian Gu Civilization.

This rule governed challenges.

If an individual could successfully challenge certain Sword Halls within a Sword Civilization—such as the Closed-Eye Sword Hall, the Sitting-Meditation Sword Hall, or the Lying-Down Sword Hall—that Sword Civilization was obliged to grant the challenger one reasonable request. This rule existed because the previous era was the Sword Era; the higher one’s sword mastery, the more revered they were. The Jian Gu Civilization established this decree to motivate the drive for sword practice and to preserve talented swordsmen.

Zhou Qingxuan, despite being an old enemy of the Evil Sword Civilization’s Vice Sovereign, knew the Vice Sovereign would abide by this ancient rule, which is why he shared the information with Lu Yuan, guiding him to this solution.

However, in the previous era, although such challenges against the sword techniques of Sword Civilizations were frequent, victors were rare, as defeating the numerous Sword Halls of a Sword Civilization was nearly impossible.

The giant demonic palm in the void remained suspended. “You wish to challenge all the training halls of our Evil Sword Civilization? To challenge our sword techniques?”

“Correct,” Lu Yuan nodded.

“Very well. Since you understand the rules of the previous era, we shall proceed by those rules. But if you fail your challenge, you will be executed by me immediately. Do you object?” the Demonic Sword Vice Sovereign roared.

“No objection,” Lu Yuan affirmed.

“If a challenge is to be issued, count me in,” a voice suddenly rang out. It belonged to a handsome young man in white, radiating a faint aura of immortality. Lu Yuan turned his head and recognized the newcomer: Gu Qiushui. Yes, it was Gu Qiushui, the one who had once surpassed him with the Sword Intent of Heaven during the Central Celestial Dynasty assessment. After that assessment, Gu Qiushui joined the Immortal Ancient Civilization. Possessing immense potential and great destiny, he had countless fortuitous encounters there, elevating his cultivation to an extraordinary level—World Realm tier two. His swordsmanship had become increasingly profound; the young Gu Qiushui was famous for a single, world-shaking strike in the past.

His reason for being here was straightforward. He hailed from the Huanhua Sword Sect in the region of Da Rui in the Western Border. The Evil Sword Civilization’s recent attack was not just aimed at the Southern Border but targeted all Four Domains. Xie Fantian had gone to the South, while Xie Fanyun had attacked the West. Gu Qiushui arrived too late; everyone in the Western Border had already been captured. Possessing a self-reliant nature, Gu Qiushui was reluctant to rely on the Immortal Ancient Civilization, especially since he had made enemies there. Thus, he infiltrated the area alone, searching for a solution. He had been lurking near the Evil Sword Civilization for a long time, struggling to find a path, when Lu Yuan suddenly appeared.

Subsequently, the Demonic Sword Vice Sovereign appeared. Gu Qiushui recognized Lu Yuan and, while thinking Lu Yuan was recklessly throwing his life away against such a powerful foe, he heard the condition: challenging all the training halls of the Evil Sword Civilization could redeem his sect. Prompted by this, he immediately stepped forward, intending to participate in the challenge against the Evil Sword Civilization’s training halls as well.