Ye Xiu glanced around and saw that the dark realm was already filled with thread-like substances, much like spider silk, which Yi Tiannan effortlessly controlled from high above: "They are nothing more than trifles. Watch my Myriad Concealment Slash."

Ye Xiu truly wished to avoid any harm in this pointless contest, so he immediately unleashed the ultimate secret technique of his demonic blade, instantly conjuring hundreds, if not thousands, of copies of himself. These phantoms shredded every single thread in the space: "Yi Tiannan, your speed is too slow; you hardly look like someone qualified for the final showdown."

"Damn, Brother Ye, must you be so absolute?" Lang Taotian felt exceptionally at ease, as if with Ye Xiu present, the famous Yi Tiannan was nothing more than average.

"Did you think that was the end?" Yi Tiannan clearly held a trump card. He instantly retracted his wings, and when they unfurled again, the countless threads seemed to have grown eyes, writhing and twisting as they descended in a torrent, intent on enveloping the two men.

"Dodge quickly!" Lang Taotian flipped and thrust his spear, attempting to break through the move, but the threads inexplicably tangled into something as soft as silk. Before he could react, they were already coiling around his arm.

Ye Xiu glanced back, finding no easy solution for Lang Taotian. With a soaring flip, he vanished using Ghost Step, reappearing above Yi Tiannan. Without hesitation, his sword in hand, he focused a single thought: the blade technique resembling a cascading waterfall descended from the heavens. With just a gentle crescent sweep, Yi Tiannan, without uttering a single word, vanished along with more than half of the arena platform.

"A master of the Three Sword Strikes, resolved just like that?" Lang Taotian, now free from the threads' restraint, stared dumbfounded toward Ye Xiu. Through the dissipating smoke, Ye Xiu stood firm, leaning on his sword and smiling at him.

"Brother Lang, now only the two of us remain," Ye Xiu chuckled foolishly, resting Hengchen across his chest. "Interested in testing this strike as well?"

"Hah!" Lang Taotian buried his head and smiled wryly, quickly pleading for mercy. "Forget it, Brother Ye, you win. I can’t compare to you at all. I forfeit!"

"Ah…" Only then did the crowd below begin to react. It was believed that no one in the entire venue, save perhaps Wan Jian Qinglin, could accept this outcome.

"I now announce Ye Xiu as the victor of the Three Sword Realm Martial Arts Tournament." Yuan Wencheng hadn't expected to step forward so soon. The final battle seemed less thrilling than the preceding matches. Who would have thought that Yi Tiannan, who always held the upper hand, would be so easily slain by Ye Xiu without even using his ultimate move?

"Good, Young Hero Ye has finally won." Wan Jian Canglong felt immense relief. Although still somewhat surprised, with Ye Xiu's support, Wan Jian City might yet see a resurgence.

And Chen Ying was practically in tears. She knew what this victory signified, and the love in her heart deepened; Ye Xiu could finally call her name openly in any setting.

"Since it was so easy, I won't be polite," Ye Xiu's thirst for victory stemmed from that lofty Beast Clan's Savage Sand Sword. He slowly walked over and grasped it. Just as he was about to raise the sword high to flaunt his triumph to everyone in the arena and beyond, a sudden, violent explosion erupted, and thousands of figures attacked him from the sky, the ground, above, and below.

"Not good! The Beast Clan members had long infiltrated the city!" Canglong realized Elder Xie's warning was true. He drew his sword and descended to join the fray. "Second Brother, you come with me. Third Brother, protect our younger sister."

"Yes, Big Brother!" Xuan Hu's lips curled into a faint smile. The chaotic age was finally here; he had waited so long for this day. Hahaha!

"Let's go, little sister." For some unknown reason, Qinglin’s lips also curved upwards. Perhaps he, too, had been awaiting such a moment. What scheme did he harbor now?

"I must go down to save Ye Xiu!" Chen Ying, worried for Ye Xiu, especially at this moment, urged, "Third Brother, don't mind me. Go save Ye Xiu!"

"Don't worry, he will be fine." Qinglin glanced down at the crowd. The vast Wan Jian Plaza was already in chaos, with Beast Clan members shrieking and darting everywhere. The once peaceful and solemn Wan Jian City had become an ocean of screams and blood.

Ye Xiu hadn't even gotten a firm grip on the Savage Sand Sword before he was surrounded by the fierce faces of the Beast Clan. He exerted himself, wielding his twin blades to ward off the onslaught, only to find that those creatures were shredded by a descending sword edge before they could even get close.

"Great City Lord." Ye Xiu stepped back, standing behind Canglong. "Is this the final warning from Beast Clan Elder Xie?"

Canglong faced the surrounding enemies, his sword held cold: "This is merely Elder Xie's vanguard. If I haven't guessed wrong, the main armies of the Beast Clan and the Wing Clan are already stationed on the flanks of Wan Jian City."

Ye Xiu nodded, and precisely at that moment, another wave of attacking forces surged forward. Even using his twin blades to defend, Ye Xiu struggled to hold them off. He was scratched by the rapidly attacking swarm of Beast Clan members. "Great City Lord, you must organize your forces quickly to rescue the innocent people. Don't concern yourself with me."

Canglong knew the priority. He immediately commanded the Red Robe Blade Guards to charge into the crowd to protect the others.

"Ah…" At that moment, A Jiao suddenly flew up from the crowd, spinning her trident and charging into the fray with vigor. Lang Taotian noticed his sister's action and rushed over to shield her. These two Water Clan siblings, relying on their splendid water mist inner strength and weaponry, rapidly weaved through the crowd, dealing a heavy blow to the Beast Clan's morale.

"Ah! Ah-oh." The Beast Clan members seemed utterly crazed. On the rooftops, beneath the stage, within the crowds—their figures were everywhere. Elder Xie's arrangement was astonishing; in just one night, the entire Wan Jian City had been silently infiltrated by the Beast Clan. Ye Xiu alone held off dozens, fighting his way toward Lang Taotian, while Canglong's contingent was gradually forced back toward the base of Wan Jian Pavilion.

Lang Taotian executed a sharp turnaround strike, fighting fiercely. In a flash of light beams, he managed to knock down several people trying to block him: "Brother Ye, killing them ceaselessly isn't the solution; the Beast Clan forces seem endless."

Ye Xiu found it hard to believe, but seeing the familiar Human Clan Blade Guards being dismembered and falling, he too had to retreat to the rear. The Beast Clan warriors were ferocious and powerful; the ordinary guards were no match for them. Worse still, some transformed into innocent citizens, secretly closing in on the Blade Guards before killing them in a surprise attack. Such sinister and despicable tricks could only have been conceived by Elder Xie.

"Red Blade Guards, form up!" In this emergency, Canglong gathered hundreds of Blade Guards, attempting to form an attack formation. Upon a single command, the guards raised their single sabers and advanced rapidly, arranging themselves according to the Eight Trigrams of the Sixty-Four Hexagrams. However, the Beast Clan continued to act as if nothing had changed, focusing their relentless charges entirely on Ye Xiu. Even though Ye Xiu used Myriad Concealment, he could not break free.

"Young Hero Ye, retreat behind the formation quickly!" Canglong unleashed a world-toppling sword strike, carving a bloody path for Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu nodded, used instant movement to drag A Jiao and Lang Taotian behind the Blade Guards, finally managing to catch a breath.

"Blade Formation Universe!" Canglong moved his sword to propel the energy, driving the hundred-man blade formation to unleash a world-shaking ultimate technique simultaneously. A crimson cloud swept across the formation, and a massive flame shot toward the masses of the Beast Clan. Success seemed imminent.

"Ten Thousand Swords to the Eight Directions!" The same call, the same posture, but lacking the previous excitement, Dugu Bingchen descended like the Grim Reaper. A single descending sword edge carved through, instantly slicing the crimson cloud above the blade formation, along with the hellfire, into fine dust. Not a single Red Blade Guard within the formation was spared.

"Ah!" Wan Jian Canglong coughed up a mouthful of blood in one go. He steadied himself, channeling energy to protect his vital organs, his eyes fixed in a furious glare at Bingchen. "Dugu Bingchen, you are also a warrior of our Human Clan, yet today you help the Beast Clan slaughter our people en masse. You truly are just like your father."

"Hmph! The strong devour the weak; you brought this upon yourself!" Bingchen did not cease his slaughter. He used not only his sword but also his half-moon blade, which formed a circular arc and was already thrown, exploding into fragments among the crowd. "Now I not only want you dead; I want everyone to pay the price for my father, for the Dugu family! Hahahaha!"

"Young Hero Ye, this place is for you to hold back. I trust Xuan Hu will arrive momentarily with reinforcements! I must personally sever Dugu Bingchen's head." Canglong pointed his sword at Ye Xiu, his expression resolute. "I grant you the royal status of Wan Jian City. From this day forward, everything in Wan Jian City is yours." Ye Xiu felt no stirring from the title of royalty, but Wan Jian Canglong's fearlessness and conviction deeply moved him; this was the temperament a true sovereign should possess.

"Hah!" With that declaration, Canglong activated the Sky-Splitting Astonishing Light, sending a surge of overpowering energy that echoed throughout the entire plaza. The frenzied, crazed Beast Clan chargers were instantly torn to shreds by this golden beam of sword energy.

"Hahaha, interesting! Today, I will finish you personally!" Bingchen had waited ten years for this day. Before even clashing with Canglong, his entire body trembled with excitement. He turned and retracted his half-moon blade, holding the blade in one hand and the sword in the other, unleashing both blade techniques and sword energy with a furious roar: "Blade Sword Hegemony: Sinking Blood!"

Canglong soared into the air, separating his battleground with Bingchen from the crowd. He spun his body, channeling the eighth level of the Myriad Sword Art through the Sky-Splitting Astonishing Light, condensing energy into a single point, and unleashing a golden, malevolent light in the form of Ten Thousand Swords to the Eight Directions.

Instantly, the wind and clouds changed color, the earth trembled, filled with light, dust, flying sand, and streaks of blood. After countless figures and blood shadows charged forward, two powerful rays of light surged up in response, cutting through the crowd. With a deafening "Rumble...," they canceled each other out, but then Dugu Bingchen let out a long, echoing laugh that filled the sky: "Hahahaha, this is your day of death!"

Wan Jian Canglong proved no match for Bingchen. The power of his final sword move was actually deflected by Bingchen's half-moon blade, injuring him. He hunched over, spitting blood, utterly dejected. "Could this be fate? To be the royalty of Wan Jian City and yet be defeated by the Myriad Sword Art—truly pitiful and lamentable."