The presence was immense, portending spectacular phenomena. Crimson-white flames soared straight into the heavens.

Yet, within that vast firmament, snowflakes began to drift down in scattered flurries. “Putting on a show!” Lu Wushuang’s brow arched slightly, yet an inexplicable tremor of apprehension shook him internally.

That martial will was clearly capable of opposing him now. And observing his True Essence again, it seemed he had genuinely shaken off the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Art and was beginning to replenish it.

With only a moment's hesitation, Lu Wushuang thrust his spear forward. He had a distinct feeling that some ominous event was about to unfold; if he didn't stop it now, it would be too late.

The spear shaft was wreathed in white flames. As the silver lance moved, a single pear blossom quietly unfurled before Zong Shou.

First, they spread out petal by petal, then transformed into countless snow-white pear blossoms—endless, fiercely potent in their momentum! And utterly determined!

Behind Zong Shou, Lu Wubing also smiled, drifting forward in the same manner. He extended a finger lightly, aiming for the center of Zong Shou's back.

The heavily wounded Jiao Snake was still entangled with the Azure Fire Mystic Tortoise, locked in a stalemate. Lu Yantian, meanwhile, directly manipulated the pair of Water-Splitting Thorns with his intent, coordinating with the other two to drive in for the attack.

Everything descended into chaos, seeming to force Zong Shou’s surrounding Five Elements Spirits and the Laws of Heaven and Earth back into primordial nothingness in an instant. The three joining forces appeared to have cornered Zong Shou into a desperate plight in the blink of an eye.

Jing Yin subconsciously covered her cherry lips, suppressing the gasp rising in her throat. However, in the very next moment, dozens of magnificent, vast sword-lights suddenly erupted around Zong Shou, sweeping outwards in all directions.

Lu Yantian’s Water-Splitting Thorns were immediately repelled. And Lu Wubing also frowned slightly.

His figure rapidly retreated. Golden finger guards appeared on both hands, striking out sequentially to fend off the tyrannical sword radiance.

Only when a hundred zhang away did he finally halt his retreat, astonishment coloring his eyes. It felt as if every strike just now was equivalent to engaging a Saint Realm cultivator.

Thirty-six swords were tantamount to thirty-six Immortal-rank cultivators. Especially the main sword.

Hovering in the void above Zong Shou's head, it still projected immense threat, forcing him to hastily evade. This must be Zong Shou’s true reliance?

Truly formidable! “This is the Ten Absolutes Dao-Controlling Annihilation Sword Array.

It originates from the Artifact Cultivators above. Zong Shou has been preparing this for a long time—” Zong Shou’s crisp voice echoed through the air.

The Nameless Sword struck directly into the depths of the pear blossoms, and in that instant, thirty-seven streams of sword energy suddenly merged as one. Slashed out from the void, it cleaved the sky full of pear blossoms directly in half.

Clang! A sharp metallic resonance rang out as the sword body collided with the spear tip.

The power of a thousand Mount Sumerus erupted and clashed within that small space. With a deafening boom, countless fragments of rock flew apart, and the entire mountain peak was violently planed smooth by that supreme force!

Dust soared and swirled into the air. Lu Wushuang felt a searing pain in the tiger’s mouth of his hand.

His entire body lost control, buffeted by the impact, and he was thrown an unknown distance before finally stopping. Only then did he realize that Zong Shou undeniably possessed the strength to contend with him head-on.

Looking back from a distance, he saw a crimson-white flame standing out strikingly amidst the scattering dust. Though he could not see them, he could feel a pair of eyes fixed upon him, filled with icy killing intent and a fierce, absolute will.

Lu Wushuang first sucked in a sharp breath. For the first time, a sliver of dread surfaced in his chest.

But in the next instant, he thoroughly suppressed it. Instead, his battle spirit surged, waves of hot flames coursing through his limbs and veins.

His body stabilized, and he thrust his spear out again, sweeping like a dragon through the air, carrying the sound of countless winds and thunder, driving straight down! Just then, Lu Yantian once again urged the pair of Water-Splitting Thorns toward his rear.

Lu Wushuang’s eyes turned red as a thunderous sound burst from his mouth: “Get lost!” Do you want a fair fight? Then I will give you the chance for a fair fight!

Here and now, we will determine life or death! His voice carried true power, shaking the surroundings.

Others felt dizzy and disoriented, but Lu Yantian’s face paled slightly, and a thin trickle of blood seeped from the sides of his ears. Zong Shou, within the white flames, let out a cold laugh.

“Why send someone away? It’s better if someone offers a bit of help.

I fear you are no match for me alone at this juncture—” A piercing sword light suddenly wove out from the white flames, returning like a swallow to its nest, its trajectory exquisitely mysterious, and breathtakingly beautiful! Sweeping across the void, it appeared hazy and indistinct to everyone watching, as if time and space had been momentarily suspended.

The Chronos Sword of the Primordial Unity Sword Art! A sword that controlled time!

At the Spirit Realm, this technique could never be cast, nor could one endure its intent. But at this moment, it was being used effortlessly.

Beyond the Chronos Sword, a thread of Killing Dao sword intent was also subtly concealed. Zheng!

Spear and sword clashed again with a resounding tremor. Then, at the tip of the pear blossom, half of the silver-white spear point was cleanly shorn off and flung into the air.

Lu Yantian and Lu Wubing both stared at the scene with wide, incredulous eyes. The latter muttered softly to himself in a daze.

“Sword Intent Soul Realm, it’s actually the Sword Intent Soul Realm—how can this be?” If it were an ordinary Soul Realm intent, it wouldn't have caused such astonishment. But before him was the Sword Intent of Time!

One of the origins of the world, the foundation of the Three Thousand Great Daos— And it was subtly interwoven with the True Meaning of the Killing Dao. Though only in the initial stage of the Soul Realm, it displayed no awkwardness; it was utterly natural, as if he had been immersed in it for a very long time, his mastery profound.

In other words, this person comprehended this Soul Realm sword intent several years before undergoing his Tribulation! Truly unfathomable.

With mastery over such a sword intent, how could he have been chased so desperately by Young Master Wushuang? After a moment of stunned pause, Lu Wubing snapped back to reality, realizing Lu Wushuang’s situation was extremely perilous.

The spearhead was severed, and the surging torrent of spear shadows instantly dissipated. Zong Shou’s sword shadows shone again in the air, swift as a white colt flashing past, graceful as a swallow returning home!

Simple, yet containing the ultimate truths of heaven and earth! The entire Ten Absolutes Dao-Controlling Annihilation Sword Array was connected to his mind, without any gap.

Time, accelerated! Space, folded!

Causality, inverted! Fate, locked down!

Ding. A sharp sword light sheared off another length of the silver-white spear shaft.

Lu Wushuang’s physical body could not escape either; he was grazed by the tragic, beautiful sword light across his arm, causing a large gush of blood to erupt. At this moment, Lu Wushuang felt a mixture of fury and helplessness.

That blood-colored sword did not appear particularly sharp, yet now it seemed utterly otherworldly, causing the spear in his hand to break upon contact! He could not block it, nor could he evade it.

Lu Yantian, standing nearby, was utterly aghast, watching the scene unfold. For the first time since his birth, he felt utterly lost and at a loss for what to do— Moments ago, he thought they could easily subdue Zong Shou.

But now, seeing the situation, it seemed even Lu Wushuang, one of the most outstanding disciples of the Lu Family's eighteenth generation, was no match for Zong Shou, unable to serve as his support— His mind raced, and without much further thought, Lu Yantian raised his Xiaoyue in front of him again. He squeezed hard, nearly crushing the woman in his grasp beyond breath.

“Stop at once! Do you still want her life—” In the crimson-white flames, Zong Shou gave a cold sneer, showing no apparent regard for the threat.

He continued to step forward. “Sever!” The sword light in his hand flashed and vanished, tracing a path through the void before instantly returning.

The blood light was rich, having brought back a mass of vital blood essence. Just as Lu Yantian was about to exert force and press his advantage, he stared dumbfounded at his own hand.

His entire right arm was severed clean at the root! The muscle rapidly withered, and the bone turned ashen, as if all vitality had been drained.

Not only that, but a considerable portion of the true power and blood within his body had also been drawn out, leaving his body incredibly weak. And this strike had been so fast that he hadn't even registered his own severed limb.

First came terror, then panic. Lu Yantian wanted to curse, but found he lacked the strength even to speak.

All he could manage was a dry, barely audible sputter: “You demon—” Zong Shou paid him no mind at all. A demon?

He hadn’t even attempted anything more wicked yet. Within his Sea of Qi, a Golden Core was faintly coalescing, and the True Essences circled nearby like golden mercury.

The changes in his Sea of Soul were even more violent. The eighteen True Talisman Spirit Restrictions had vanished.

Only one incomplete, yet vast and majestic, Dao character hung suspended in the center of the Sea of Soul. Spirit light radiated outwards, illuminating the void within his heart.

And a human-shaped figure, formed from countless wisps of soul power, stood with a frown inside. This was his True Form, the Dao Character True Talisman, fixed upon his brow.

And in his left and right hands, he held black and white voids respectively, grasping Origin and Termination. When Zong Shou swung his long sword again, cleaving downwards, the blade brimmed with Dao resonance.

He, Zong Shou, was the Great Dao! The sword in his hand was the Punishment of the Heavenly Dao!

At this point, it was seen that Lu Wushuang opposite had already thrown aside his silver spear. In haste, he brought forth a Mystic-Scarlet Great Shield before him.

The descending sword light struck like rotten bamboo, cleaving a breach in the great shield, and amidst the spray of blood light, it simultaneously lopped off Lu Wushuang’s left arm! Yet, this final blow had avoided a vital point.

Even his Nameless Sword, along with the Heaven-Swallowing Primordial Transformation Art, had failed to inflict mortal damage. Indeed, this man’s defensive capabilities surpassed his offense— The Great Dao of Control?

At this moment, his Golden Core was gradually forming, and his power increased with almost every passing breath. The might of this sword strike was half again as potent as before, yet it only managed to injure Lu Wushuang, failing to harm his foundation.

Several more sword strikes followed, but Lu Wushuang still managed to desperately hold on, warding off the sword radiance. Zong Shou’s pupils contracted, then just as quickly returned to serenity.

As expected of the most outstanding disciple of the Burning Sky Lu Family, truly extraordinary, he had not disappointed. Today, only his swordsmanship proved insufficient.

Then— Three Thousand Stars Fall! Seventy-two Star Dao Seeds moved with the sword, slashing outwards.

Where they passed, heaven and earth shattered, as if worlds were being generated. That Mystic-Scarlet Great Shield also shattered in response, breaking into hundreds of pieces that scattered everywhere.

Where the sword met the man, there was no longer any obstruction. As the blood-colored sword light swept past, Lu Wushuang’s legs, from the knees down, were instantly severed!

But Zong Shou let out an "Eh," drawing the sword momentum back, returning it to his front. He crushed a fleeting streak of light and shadow into dust.