The Emperor of the Franks naturally scoffed at the emptiness of the East, immediately dispatching the most powerful warriors of the Frankish Empire to strike down Dugu Qiubai. Yet, Dugu Qiubai didn't spare him a glance, simply drawing his iron sword and unleashing the single move: Myriad Swords Vanish...

In that instant, everything between heaven and earth disappeared, for only the sharpest sword energy remained...

Sword energy was everywhere—indestructible sword energy. Steel, stone, iron plates, armor, and shields could not withstand that piercing aura; all were perforated...

A full tens of thousands of sword streams surged into the great army of the Frankish Emperor. The ruthless energy gave the Westerners no chance to react. Whether they were common soldiers, powerful generals, or even the Emperor of the Franks, who had reached the Martial Saint realm, none could resist that terrifying sword force...

With a single stroke, at least seventy or eighty thousand men were pierced through, their blood staining the earth crimson, and scattered flesh carpeting the ground...

The might of that one sword shook heaven and earth; even ghosts and gods would have needed to temporarily avoid its edge...

Seeing this terrifying figure slay so many of their comrades with a single strike, and even witness the ruthless execution of their Emperor, the remaining hundreds of thousands in the army lost all will to resist. Each one turned tail and fled backward...

Nearly a million soldiers—what a massive force they were. When they arrived, they had long supply lines, sustained by the Frankish Emperor's strategy of living off the land. But once intimidated by Dugu Qiubai's single sword, they scattered as if seeing a demon, knowing only how to run...

West of the Tiangang Mountain Range lay an endless desert; without a supply line, it was a place where those who went were almost certain to die. Only a fraction managed to escape to the grasslands in the northwest. However, the majority were enslaved by the warriors inhabiting those plains...

In the end, merely a few thousand out of that million-strong army managed to escape back to the Western Continent. From that day forward, the East became a land of hell in the eyes of the Westerners, a place inhabited by the most powerful devils in the world...

And from then on, no matter how wise a ruler on the Western Continent might be, they dared not cast their gaze toward the East...

After that battle, Dugu Qiubai vanished completely. Some said he died of old age; others claimed he tore open the void and reached another plane. Regardless, his move, Myriad Swords Vanish, was passed down, becoming one of the four supreme skills of the Dugu family...

Three hundred years ago, the head of the Dugu family once used this very technique to force Xuanyuan Jue to intervene personally. Although he was defeated in the end, he inflicted massive casualties upon the Xuanyuan family...

Of course, Dugu Qian's execution of this move could not compare to the Dugu family head from three centuries prior, much less achieve the realm of Dugu Qiubai. But when one saw the ever-increasing number of sword streams and the accelerating speed of the blades, one understood the terror of this technique...

At least in this moment, not only was Ye Jingyu completely enveloped by the sword energy, but the entire arena stage was covered as well. Unless Ye Jingyu abandoned the platform, he could not possibly withstand this terrifying barrage...

When she saw the sky filled with sword energy, Luo Ling'er shot up from her seat, her wide eyes filled with horrified worry. She instinctively clamped a hand over her mouth, afraid to cry out too loudly...

Many present knew the terror of this move. Seeing the sword energy suffuse the entire stage, only one thought remained in their minds... Ye Jingyu was doomed...

Were the four supreme skills of the Dugu family merely boasting fame?

On the stage, Ye Jingyu felt countless sword streams closing in. Yet, his heart sank into a state devoid of sorrow or joy. Though he didn't know how Dugu Qian knew the Thunderous Splitting Slash, nor why she attacked so abruptly, as he watched the myriad sword streams rush toward him, a technique from the thirty-six forms of the Thunderous Splitting Slash surfaced in his mind: "Absolute Blade Slashes the Void."

The true Qi within his body surged wildly. The Broken Blade in his hand hummed under the impetus of the vital energy, while his figure vanished from where he stood...

When he reappeared, he was already in front of Dugu Qian, for that was the only area not yet covered by the sword energy...

The Broken Blade in his hand whistled through the air, striking Dugu Qian like a bolt of lightning!

"Absolute Blade Slashes the Void... You... You actually know the Thunderous Blade Art?" Seeing Ye Jingyu break through layer upon layer of sword energy to reach her, shattering her Myriad Swords Vanish, the astonishment on Dugu Qian's face deepened...

However, facing the fierce strike from Ye Jingyu, she swung her iron sword, intercepting the terrifying blow...

With a light clang, the Broken Blade struck the iron sword heavily, and Dugu Qian instantly flew backward—as light as a fleeting swallow...

"At noon tonight, outside Yunjing City, at the Bodhi Temple. Be there or be square..." A faint transmission entered Ye Jingyu's ear, and Dugu Qian’s figure had already landed outside the arena...

At this moment, the omnipresent sword energy descended entirely upon the stage, falling like countless golden needles onto soft tofu. The bluestone slab floor was instantly riddled with holes, kicking up clouds of dust...

Yet, the ground where Ye Jingyu stood remained perfectly intact, and he stood there unharmed...

Everyone—the noble officials, Luo Xiaoyuan, even the guards maintaining order nearby—stood up, staring blankly at Ye Jingyu upon the platform...

He... How was he not dead?

And... and Dugu Qian actually landed outside the stage? What... what was happening? Could it be that Dugu Qian, after unleashing Myriad Swords Vanish, had failed?

Luo Xiaoyuan had always believed he could grasp most things. That was why he never contended for the throne; he knew it would belong to him eventually...

But today, for the first time, he felt completely unable to grasp the situation, even unable to comprehend it... Facing a peerless technique like Myriad Swords Vanish, even he might not retreat unscathed. Yet Ye Jingyu, a mere Martial Master realm fellow, how could he be completely fine? And that final sword strike—others might not have seen through it, but Luo Xiaoyuan certainly knew that Dugu Qian had intentionally held back, seemingly waiting for Ye Jingyu to pierce through the myriad sword energies and ambush her at close range...

Was this her mistake?

Impossible. Judging by her graceful movement, even if Myriad Swords Vanish was not fully mastered, she had ample time to kill Ye Jingyu just now. She could not have been forced out of the ring. All these outcomes indicated she was holding back...

But why would she hold back?

The Dugu family always pursued absolute victory. No matter the opponent, once they accepted a challenge, they would exert their full strength, never holding back an ounce of effort. Their swordsmanship, their martial arts, were tempered through ceaseless challenge. For years, there had been no news of a Dugu family member having an unresolved duel. Yet now, this individual, who clearly executed Myriad Swords Vanish and was undeniably from the Dugu family, was clearly going easy...

Why? Luo Xiaoyuan felt... utterly bewildered...