"If only you had known this day would come, why did you ever act as you did?" A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him, and the beast-faced man appeared before Canglong, radiating imposing majesty. "Myriad Swords Canglong, you finally realize your error!"

"You... who are you?" Canglong tried to raise his sword to meet the challenge, but his strength failed him. "Who appears here veiled like this!"

The beast-faced man threw back his head and laughed, utterly triumphant. "Even Jue Tian Jing Hong has been broken, what right do you have left to call yourself a swordsman? What qualification remains for you to be the City Lord of Myriad Sword City?"

"That voice, this..." Canglong's heart sank; he seemed to have guessed the intruder's identity, and a wave of bitterness washed over him. "Tell me quickly, who exactly are you!"

"Very well! Today I will ensure you lose completely, and then I will never have to wear this hideous beast-clan mask again!" The beast-faced man slowly removed his mask, revealing a face that was both domineering and seasoned, stripping Canglong of even the will to stand.

"Second Brother! Wan Jian Xuanhu." Canglong never imagined that the one intercepting him would be his own younger brother. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to believe it. "You... shouldn't you be out fighting the beast-clan army? Why are you here!"

"Hahahaha, you still don't understand?" Xuanhu stepped forward, gritting his teeth. "The outcome you face today—I orchestrated it all. I have waited for this day for far, far too long."

"You..." Canglong asked no further questions. Xuanhu's tone and actions confirmed all of Canglong's past anxieties; Wan Jian Xuanhu had always been an overbearing man, incapable of truly submitting to his elder brother. It had all been an act.

"Today, I will make things clear with your death." Xuanhu drew the Luolei Jinghong hidden behind him and began to reveal the details of his scheme to Canglong. "Ten years ago, I urged you to wage war and eliminate the other three clans, but your womanly compassion led you only to issue some decrees. What good are those decrees? In the end, they even forced Duguyifang to betray you! Since you couldn't do what was necessary, I should be the one. Once you are dead, I can take your place. Only then can I lead the human army to crusade against the three clans and truly unify the Three Sword Realm. Should this not be something exhilarating?"

"Unification of the Three Swords cannot be achieved through brute force alone," Canglong said, feeling the malevolence radiating from Xuanhu. He understood his younger brother was fundamentally that kind of person.

"You still don't get it, even now!" Xuanhu leveled his sword at Canglong. "I saved Duguyifang's son, Dugu Bingchen, ten years ago for only one reason: the maddening meridian hidden deep within him. I collaborated with Elder Xie to cultivate this host body for the Shajun Tianmang parasite, precisely to create chaos. So today, you have witnessed what true power is. Only someone possessing this kind of power can unify the Three Swords by force."

"No, no! This is not power," Canglong moved closer to Xuanhu, staring intently and reprimanding him. "What you are doing will only plunge the people of the Three Swords back into the fires of war, and you, Wan Jian Xuanhu, are merely being used by Elder Xie. Look at what you will gain today!"

"Gain what!" Xuanhu looked bewildered. "I gain your position as City Lord, and the Mad Meridian!"

Canglong started, his entire being collapsing: "You intend to transplant the Mad Meridian. You want to merge with the Shajun Tianmang."

"As expected of my elder brother; you even know what I’m thinking," Xuanhu smiled, revealing a shocking secret. "Dugu Bingchen was merely a vessel for the Mad Meridian. His constant killing over the past decade was only to facilitate the meridian's growth. Today's battle has caused the Mad Meridian to fully awaken, and he has already succumbed to qi deviation. As soon as I kill him and transplant the Mad Meridian into my own body, I can harness the power of the Shajun Tianmang to unify the Three Swords. Then, I will wipe the other three clans from existence!"

"Huu..." Canglong gasped for breath, shaking his head, utterly refusing to agree with Xuanhu's path. "The ancient records state that transplanting the Mad Meridian only allows temporary control. But as its awakening progresses, you too will eventually suffer qi deviation. When that happens, the Shajun Tianmang will be reborn and inevitably destroy the Three Swords."

"You think someone of my strength can be taken down by the Mad Meridian's backlash?" Xuanhu no longer wished to explain himself to Canglong. He stepped back a few paces and adopted the sharp stances of the Myriad Sword Art. "One single strike will show you my power. I am not the only one who has mastered the eighth level of the Myriad Sword Art."

Canglong also raised his broken sword; Jue Tian Jing Hong shimmered with its last vestiges of golden radiance.

A battle between brothers, the final blow. The same sword move, yet diametrically opposed stances. The same Myriad Sword Eight Directions, plunging toward two different extremes. No one else in heaven or earth could breach this fierce, killing realm. Just one strike, just a flash of sword light—the struggle for supremacy between Luolei Jinghong and Jue Tian Jinghong. A streak of crimson blood instantly stained the blade, and an era’s ruler perished.

"Your age is over. Under my command, Wan Jian Xuanhu, the Myriad Sword Human Race will forge a new legend," Xuanhu turned his back, sheathing his treasured sword. He did not look back, for he knew the past was gone forever; a new chapter was opening just for him.

A dream? Illusion, slaughter, carnage. Lü Xu's yearning, Yuji's resilience, Ji Jiang's agility, Xue Nu's devoted sorrow—what else remained? The call from Shenying. Everything seemed submerged in deceit and war. No one could find lasting peace. All you would have now were missions, the clash of steel, and a pair of mysterious eyes watching everything from above.

"Yexiu, you are finally awake." Shenying spoke his name, tears of joy streaming down her face as she watched his eyes flutter open.

"Where is this place?" The gentle sunlight made it hard for Yexiu to open his eyes. He raised a hand to shield his forehead, only to feel a breath of fresh, clean air rush into his nostrils. "Is this the peak of Myriad Sword Peak? Wonderful, we are safe."

"Young man, are you awake?" A plainly dressed elder stood at the doorway, asking with concern. "You have been unconscious for three days. This young lady has cared for you entirely."

Yexiu sat up, placing Shenying's hand into his own palm. All gratitude required no words; the connection between their hearts was enough. Yet, what puzzled him was that someone else was on Myriad Sword Peak, especially an elder so aged. "It is all thanks to your saving grace, Senior. I, Yexiu, do not know your esteemed name?"

"Heh heh, it has been a long time since I spoke with anyone. I have no great surname; I am just an ordinary member of the Wing Clan," the elder stroked his beard, his smile faint.

Although injured, Yexiu's mind was perfectly clear. He remembered what Canglong had said that day: a Wing Clan elder had gone to challenge Myriad Sword Peak and had never been heard from again. Could this be the person before him? "I have heard that Myriad Sword Peak is a miraculous summit that no one can reach the top of. I presume only one Wing Clan elder succeeded. Could that be you, Senior?"