The Tianjiang River, originating from the Tian Gang Mountain Range, flowing through Lanzhou and Yanzhou, and later passing the boundary of Yunzhou and Haizhou, is the largest river in the entire Jiuzhou. Stretching over ten thousand li, it resembles a colossal dragon traversing the whole land...

Downstream of the Tianjiang, about fifty li from Miao City, there stand two peaks, like a natural gateway, hence named the River Mouth...

And now, two figures stood atop their respective mountains, gazing across the expanse of the river at each other...

The one on the south side of the Tianjiang wore a long, white robe. Handsome in appearance, his hands were clasped behind his back. The white robe fluttered as if stirred by an unseen wind, and an ethereal aura emanated from him, giving an impression of lightness and detachment from the mundane...

Opposite him stood another figure, clad entirely in black. His long hair was snow-white, a striking beacon against the deep night. Yet, what drew the eye most were his eyes; in the darkness, they shimmered with a piercing, dazzling light, appearing from a distance like two brilliant stars, overwhelmingly radiant...

These were Huangfu Buyue and Ye Jingyu, poised for battle...

"Brother Ye, draw your blade!" Gazing into Ye Jingyu’s piercing eyes, Huangfu Buyue spoke softly, yet a flicker of excitement danced in his own gaze. This confrontation was one he had anticipated for a long time. Since the day Ye Jingyu defeated him, he had dedicated himself to rigorous cultivation over the years. He never believed his innate talent was inferior; his loss, he concluded, stemmed only from insufficient diligence. Now, having strived with equal effort, he desperately wished for another duel with Ye Jingyu. Regardless of the outcome, it would finally settle the great regret of his life...

"Brother Buyue, although I know your Qinlong Sect excels in fist and palm techniques, I must still offer a word of caution: once I draw my blade, you might not even have a chance to counterattack," Ye Jingyu stated calmly from the mountaintop, looking across the hundreds of zhang expanse at Huangfu Buyue. His voice brimmed with supreme confidence—a confidence born of absolute power.

He had felled no less than a dozen Martial Saints. Huangfu Buyue, however, stood only halfway into the Martial God realm, not yet a true Martial God. How could he possibly match up? Even if Ye Jingyu had just concluded a series of intense battles and tended to Lin Xiaoyi’s wounds...

"Heh heh, Brother Ye, draw your blade as you please!" Hearing Ye Jingyu’s confident, almost arrogant words, Huangfu Buyue felt no anger. From the depth of Ye Jingyu’s penetrating eyes, he perceived the man's formidable strength. Yet, his own eyes showed not a trace of fear. Even though Ye Jingyu had attained the Martial God status, he possessed the strength to fight him...

The Martial God realm was not terrifying; he was separated from that boundary by merely a thread. This very encounter would serve as the opportunity to fully break through into the Martial God realm...

"Since you insist, any more words from me would seem affectatious. My Master taught me the Three Forms of the Thunderclap Blade Art. Today, I shall use these three forms to test Brother Buyue's skills. Jinglei... Liezhan (Thunderclap... Rending Slash)!" Ye Jingyu let out a cold snort and swiftly drew the Tianzun Saber from his back...

In an instant, a streak of purple blade light tore through the heavens, shooting straight toward the firmament. Then, an enormous blade projection materialized across the sky—a magnificent purple swath easily a thousand zhang long. Its dazzling purple luminescence illuminated the entire sky...

The surging waters of the Tianjiang instantaneously turned a dreamy violet. The ordinarily blue-green peaks blushed purple under the blade's radiance. Everything became purple; it seemed as if only this most brilliant violet remained between heaven and earth...

Purple light, purple blade, purple projection...

Huangfu Buyue’s pupils constricted violently. Seeing the blade projection, towering as high as the mountain itself at nearly a thousand zhang, his heart was filled with profound shock...

Is this the true might of the Thunderclap Blade Art? Is this the same technique that once matched the Xuanyuan Sword Style?

Jinglei Liezhan...

For the first time, Huangfu Buyue felt a sense of utter helplessness. Under this single strike, it seemed all techniques, all forms of power, would pale into insignificance...

Was this truly a blade projection unleashed by a single man? Could one person unleash such a strike? Had he truly reached the Martial God realm?

Was I truly inferior to him?

No, that couldn't be! I carry the revival of the Qinlong Sect, the heavy responsibility entrusted by my Ancestral Master. I absolutely cannot let down the Ancestor's expectations...

This is only his first move! Could I truly not even withstand this initial strike?

Within Huangfu Buyue's heart, the fiercest desire ignited—the desire to fight, an unceasing thirst for combat...

"Crimson Dragon Roar..." Huangfu Buyue roared, channeling all his vital jing energy into his right fist. A crimson light flared across his knuckles...

Vaguely, the spectral outline of a massive dragon seemed to materialize behind him. Then, with a mighty punch, the spectral dragon image surged out following his strike...

A tremendous dragon's roar echoed, and the massive spectral dragon rushed headlong towards the giant blade projection, seemingly determined to meet the immense purple light head-on with its very essence...

"Rumble..." A deafening crash followed. The dragon shadow, formed from Huangfu Buyue's jing energy, was cleaved into two halves by the massive blade projection, and the giant blade itself fragmented soon after...

Terrifying energy tore at everything nearby. The very peak Huangfu Buyue stood upon began to shake violently, threatening to be utterly destroyed by the sheer force...

The trees on the mountain were shredded by the explosive power of the collision. Countless rocks tumbled down the slopes, plunging into the rushing river and kicking up huge plumes of spray...

As for the fish in the river, they could not endure such a catastrophic impact; countless large and small fish flipped belly-up, floating to the surface...

Many high-level savage beasts dwelling in the river sensed the immense energy shockwave and retreated far away, fearing utter annihilation...

Fortunately, this area was not deep wilderness; few true experts cultivated nearby. Were the collision this fierce to occur elsewhere, it would surely draw the attention of many powerful figures. As for ordinary martial artists, sensing such overwhelming auras, they would flee to safety rather than risk approaching to watch the spectacle...

This was merely the first exchange between the two, still tinged with the element of probing...

The rampant energy caused Huangfu Buyue’s long robe to rustle violently, but his body was already surging high into the sky. Having witnessed Ye Jingyu’s terrifying power, he could no longer remain static.