Countless streaks of lightning plummeted from the void, transforming into blades glowing with electric light. Each blade was hundreds of feet long, dense and overlapping, threatening to utterly annihilate the very heaven and earth...

Faced with such a violent and dense onslaught of blades, Huangfu Buyue showed not a trace of fear. His figure continued to charge toward Ye Jingyu, countless dragon shadows surging from his body, converging and attacking Ye Jingyu one after another...

"Boom..." A dragon shadow fist slammed directly into Ye Jingyu's chest. Ye Jingyu's body was forced to retreat a full step by the impact, followed immediately by a second punch, then a third...

The powerful surges of fist energy jolted Ye Jingyu backward repeatedly, causing him to spew blood wildly, yet he still showed no intention of dodging...

"Rumble..." At this moment, those endless blade strikes also mercilessly cleaved into Huangfu Buyue. The dragon shadows surrounding him shattered one by one...

But he, too, showed no inclination to evade, relentlessly pressing his charge toward Ye Jingyu...

"Wind and Clouds Shatter, Heaven and Earth Destroy, Break!" Huangfu Buyue roared, his entire being's jingqi erupting fully, an overwhelmingly powerful aura instantly diffusing across the night sky...

His body transformed into a divine dragon, pouncing toward Ye Jingyu like a flash of lightning, unleashing a punch directly...

Seeing the fist shadow, now several times more potent than before, Ye Jingyu swept his Heavenly Venerable Blade. Those countless lightning-laced blade streaks suddenly redirected, slashing toward Huangfu Buyue at full speed...

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..." Following several massive concussive sounds, the fist shadows coalesced by Huangfu Buyue were pulverized by the myriad blade strikes. His body was slashed open by the blades, torrents of fresh blood spurting wildly. By the time he managed to surge in front of Ye Jingyu, the formidable power he mustered had vanished without a trace; he lacked even the strength to remain standing...

This kind of fight, completely disregarding life and death, had nearly exhausted every reserve of his strength...

And now, the true might of the Furious Thunder Purgatory was fully unleashed. Blades shimmering with electrical energy completely enveloped the area for several li. Brilliant arcs of light fell from the sky, striking the mountain peaks, the river surface, and the ground...

With continuous booms, two mountain peaks were violently hammered into pieces by the blade strikes, utterly shattering and collapsing toward the river below...

The lightning continued unabated. Within the area enveloped by the storm, nothing could withstand it. Trees, grasses, rocks, animals—even the river water—cracked and snapped under the impact of the strikes...

An aura of utter devastation permeated the night sky. Even the common folk in the distant Miao City could witness the magnificent spectacle of endless blade-lightning falling from above...

Blades everywhere—gorgeous blades, beautiful blades, deadly blades...

Gazing upon those dazzling streaks of light, looking at those impossibly potent blades, Huangfu Buyue understood. He had lost; he had been utterly defeated...

Had Ye Jingyu not held back his hand, he would have already been shredded by the raging blade energy. Ye Jingyu had deliberately allowed him to close the distance, for only beside him could one find the greatest safety...

What terrifying swordsmanship, what terrifying power. The Thunderclap Blade Art, truly worthy of its reputation as the supreme martial art under heaven...

The roaring continued. Under this single move, the two mountains were completely pulverized, finally collapsing downward. Countless stones tumbled into the Tian River, sending the water surging and churning violently...

After an unknown length of time, the blade light slowly dissipated. Looking out, the area spanning several li had been razed to flat ground. The earth was now riddled with potholes and scars where the lightning had struck...

Beyond that was a swath of scorched blackness. Not a single trace of life remained in sight. The entire world was utterly silent, a stillness akin to death...

The figures of the two slowly settled onto the ground. A wry smile touched Huangfu Buyue's face. After striving for so long, he had believed he could defeat his opponent, only to realize the gap between them had only widened further...

Looking at Ye Jingyu, who bore no visible injury save for a faint trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, Huangfu Buyue conceded helplessly, "You won!"

"I didn't win; both you and I have lost!" Ye Jingyu shook his head, his eyes locked onto Huangfu Buyue's, as if trying to penetrate the depths of his inner world...

"Hm?" Huangfu Buyue looked genuinely confused. He had clearly been defeated, so why would Ye Jingyu claim he had lost too?

Seeing the sincerity in Huangfu Buyue's gaze, Ye Jingyu gave a slight shake of his head, then turned his attention in another direction and spoke, "Since you are already here, why not show yourself?"

"Hahahaha, I never expected my Hidden Escape Technique, unmatched under heaven, would be detected by you. Truly, a hero emerging from the youth!" At that moment, a figure materialized from the void—a man clad in a long robe but sporting short hair. Accompanying him was Xuanyuan Ruoxing, dressed in fine brocade robes...

"A hero emerging from the youth? Are you not a youth yourself, sir?" Ye Jingyu frowned deeply at the oddly dressed man before him. Beside him, Huangfu Buyue wore an expression of shock; he had not sensed the slightest aura from this newcomer...

"Hahahaha, you speak the truth. However, my status is not something you two can compare to. You are both quite capable; this Young Master grants you an opportunity: become my subordinates, how about it?" The man laughed heartily, speaking with extreme arrogance...

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Buyue instantly bristled with anger. He was a pinnacle figure among the younger generation. Though defeated by Ye Jingyu today, even Ye Jingyu would not dare address him with such insolence. Every strong individual possessed dignity; one could be killed, one could be defeated, but one must never be insulted...

However, Ye Jingyu pulled Huangfu Buyue back with one hand, his eyes sweeping over the man and the brocade-clad figure beside him, before slowly saying, "You are from the Primordial Spirit Cult?"

"Hm?" The man paused, clearly taken aback that Ye Jingyu had guessed his affiliation so swiftly...

"To have a prince of the Xuanyuan Empire serving as a mere follower, there is likely no one else in this world capable of such a feat besides the mysterious Primordial Spirit Cult, correct?" Ye Jingyu spoke as if guessing, but his words carried absolute certainty. Hua Manlou’s intelligence network was vast, deeply penetrating the Xuanyuan family. Figures like Xuanyuan Ruoxing were naturally under intense observation; it was impossible not to know his association...

Seeing him willingly stand behind this mysterious man now confirmed their identity...

"Hahahaha, correct, correct! You are quite intelligent, almost catching up to half of this young master's brilliance. But I repeat my offer: either become my subordinate, or die..." As the final word, "die," left his lips, a chilling wave of killing intent erupted from the man's body...

(Smash bricks, smash bricks~~ See if this can smash away my recent bad luck~ Sigh~)