The ground where Dugu Bachen and Xuanyuan Jue fought had dissolved into sheer nothingness, a void so absolute that it left behind a chasm plunging tens of thousands of feet deep—everything had been utterly annihilated.

When Xuanyuan Jing finally arrived, he saw Dugu Bachen’s solitary, proud figure suspended silently in the air. His coarse cloth shirt was tattered rags, and his long hair was a wild mess, yet there wasn't a single mark on his entire body.

And his own ancestor, Xuanyuan Jue, floated nearby, equally unharmed. A faint smile graced the elder’s lips—a smile tinged with relief, a touch of happiness, and something like release?

Release? What was there to be released from? Xuanyuan Jing gasped, suddenly realizing that his ancestor was nothing more than a wisp of residual soul; his physical body had long since vanished...

"Ancestor..." Xuanyuan Jing cried out, his form flickering as he instantly appeared before the remnant soul of Xuanyuan Jue. With a sweep of his hand, a golden light spilled out, carefully enveloping the fragile soul.

"I finally understand. Thank you, Dugu Bachen. I finally grasp the true meaning of the Sword. Thank you..." Xuanyuan Jue ignored the golden barrier Xuanyuan Jing had cast, instead speaking toward Dugu Bachen hovering not far away.

"Understanding what good does it do you now? You have no opportunity left!" Dugu Bachen’s tone carried a hint of sorrow. His destined rival was gone just like that; he felt an odd sense of shared grief, the sorrow of the fox mourning the death of its companion.

He also felt a profound regret. What should have been a battle for the ages between them had been curtailed by diverging fates, leading to an insurmountable gulf in their power. Even with Xuanyuan Jue giving his utmost, he was no match for Dugu Bachen.

"Indeed, I have no opportunity left, but he does!" Xuanyuan Jue smiled faintly. Then, to the astonishment of both Xuanyuan Jing and Dugu Bachen, his residual soul shattered. Immediately, an intangible stream of divine consciousness poured into Xuanyuan Jing's mind.

It was his understanding of the Yu level—the comprehension spanning from the Zhou level to the Yu level. It was the law he had comprehended through the strongest sword strike he could unleash, paid for with his very life: the Law of Creation.

Only by completely internalizing this law could one become a true master of the Yu realm.

Xuanyuan Jue was dead, but his enlightenment was wholly absorbed by Xuanyuan Jing. Xuanyuan Jue had already reached the peak of the Zhou level; now, accepting his ancestor's spark of insight felt like a sudden, massive infusion of spiritual energy, instantly clarifying all principles.

His divine sense surged like a tidal wave, and his cultivation ascended like a rocket, nearly pushing him over the threshold of the Yu realm in one step.

Dugu Bachen's expression darkened. He could sense the aura of the Xuan Yuan Water Control Banner within Xuanyuan Jing. They had indeed been plotting something; they had seized the Xuan Yuan Water Control Banner from the hands of Jiu Feng.

With that asset in play, he absolutely could not allow Xuanyuan Jing to escape. He flicked the stone blade in his hand, preparing to cleave down upon Xuanyuan Jing.

Xuanyuan Jing was on the brink of breakthrough, sensing Dugu Bachen’s killing intent. With no time for contemplation, he instantly manifested the Taiji Diagram and stepped onto the golden bridge that formed from it.

The Apricot Yellow Banner, the Xuan Yuan Water Control Banner, and the Earth Light Flame Suppression Banner materialized around him, firmly shielding him. He settled cross-legged onto the bridge, silently absorbing the trace of enlightenment bestowed by Xuanyuan Jue.

Success in this absorption meant he would shatter the Yu level and become a premier master; failure meant he might never take that final step.

The massive blade light struck the Taiji Diagram, only to be ground into dust by the four primal forces—Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind—that the diagram manifested. It failed to inflict the slightest harm on Xuanyuan Jing.

Seeing this result, Dugu Bachen roared in anger. His body blurred, and he charged directly into the Taiji Diagram. To dare step inside the Taiji Diagram—a supreme artifact of the Three Pure Ones, the treasure of Lao Tzu, counted among the innate supreme treasures alongside the East Emperor Bell, the Pangu Banner, and the Immortal Slaying Swords—only Dugu Bachen, perhaps aside from Tongtian Jiaozhu in ages past, would attempt such a feat.

As soon as he entered the grand formation, the diagram shifted, and he felt as if he had plunged into a world of fire, where countless flames surged toward him. Dugu Bachen merely sneered and cleaved down with his blade.

Swish... This sea of fire was instantly split in two, the world shattering. He next found himself in a world of wind, where countless wind blades howled—gale-force winds capable of shredding steel into dust—yet Dugu Bachen struck again.

The dazzling arc of his blade was blinding within this realm; the savage world of wind was shattered by that single cut.

At this point, Dugu Bachen realized he was in a world of water, where immense waves crashed toward him. The pressure of the water alone could crush a near-Immortal being, but Dugu Bachen didn't even look, bringing his blade down once more.

This realm, too, broke apart. Finally, he landed in a world of earth, where countless mountains erupted toward the sky, hurtling down upon him like baseballs. Yet, relying only on the blade in his hand, he cleaved them down one by one.

The formation then shifted again. Countless flames, water currents, wind blades, and stones interwove, manifesting a new, composite world. Innumerable heavenly demons, fiends, exotic beasts, and immortals appeared. Some sought to ensnare him with dance, others with physical contact, and yet others with speed—all desperate to reach Dugu Bachen. Facing this comprehensive array, Dugu Bachen once more unleashed a single strike...

The world shattered yet again. Dugu Bachen’s aloof figure now stood beneath the golden bridge.

Sensing the immense blade energy radiating from Dugu Bachen, Xuanyuan Jing did not open his eyes at all. His eyelids remained firmly shut, his brow furrowed in apparent agony.

Dugu Bachen ignored his posture, took a step, and prepared to mount the bridge, when suddenly tens of thousands of razor-sharp sword energies erupted forth.

Accompanying these sword energies came golden dragons, multicolored phoenixes, fierce Qilin, and beasts like the Kui Niu, Qiongqi, Bi’an, and Suanni—all manner of divine and fierce beasts sprang out, charging Dugu Bachen simultaneously.

Seeing these creatures manifesting, these genuine divine beasts conjured from the essence of this world, Dugu Bachen's face remained impassive. He slowly raised the stone blade in his hand and brought it down. The blinding blade light enveloped every single beast.

No matter the army, no matter the myriad changes, no matter the totality of creation—one blade from me is enough!

The divine beasts wailed in agony as their bodies ruptured. Not a single divine or fierce beast could withstand Dugu Bachen’s strike.

The Taiji Diagram was indeed one of the most potent artifacts. If Lao Tzu himself had wielded it, Dugu Bachen would have died countless times over. But here, it was wielded by Xuanyuan Jing, and worse, a Xuanyuan Jing who could not afford to be distracted. How could he hope to halt Dugu Bachen’s advance?

He strode forward, step by step, toward the golden bridge. Anything that sought to impede him, be it illusion or true manifestation, was cleaved to dust by his single blade—shattering space, shattering everything, shattering the blade itself.

Just as Dugu Bachen stepped onto the golden bridge and neared Xuanyuan Jing, the latter, who had kept his eyes shut, suddenly flung them open. A sharp beam of sword light shot directly from his eyes, followed by countless beams erupting from his body, coalescing into a world—a world composed entirely of swords.

This was his world, truly his own, formed entirely by him. The sword energies transformed into massive Heavenly Swords, each seeming to possess a life of its own, hacking down toward Dugu Bachen.

Seeing these tangible Heavenly Swords, Dugu Bachen’s eyes brightened. Had he truly attained enlightenment? Even the profound truth grasped by Xuanyuan Jue, even after reaching the peak of the Zhou level, to comprehend that layer of rule—which took many others tens of thousands of years—in such a short time? His talent was indeed formidable. Even he, after inheriting the mantle of the blade, had spent considerable time after reaching Zhou peak before taking that final step, a process spanning a thousand years.

That Xuanyuan Jing achieved it so quickly left Dugu Bachen astonished.

However, facing this nascent world, Dugu Bachen merely sneered, unleashing his World Power. An even vaster blade energy instantly formed, easily smashing the world conjured by Xuanyuan Jing into fragments.

Xuanyuan Jing coughed out a mouthful of blood, but his eyes burned with the fiercest fighting spirit. He stood up, shook his body, and the Taiji Diagram shifted. Their figures left the golden bridge, relocating to an entirely new world, one manifested by the Taiji Diagram itself.

The Xuan Yuan Water Control Banner and the Earth Light Flame Suppression Banner dissolved into twin beams of light, merging into his body. The Apricot Yellow Banner radiated swathes of yellow light, enveloping him entirely, while the purplish-gold Xuanyuan Sword appeared in his hand.

With the Apricot Yellow Banner protecting him and the other two banners providing continuous energy integration, Xuanyuan Jing was practically born into an invincible position. Furthermore, this world was of his making via the Taiji Diagram, meaning everything within shifted according to his will—he commanded the perfect confluence of timing, location, and influence.

The Xuanyuan Sword in his hand was a supreme divine artifact. In essence, apart from his lower cultivation base compared to Dugu Bachen, Xuanyuan Jing held every advantage.

Yet, even so, Dugu Bachen remained utterly composed. As long as the blade was in his hand, he feared nothing. Forget the newly ascended Xuanyuan Jing; even beings like the Five Immortal Sages, possessing such a collection of innate supreme treasures, would not make him retreat.

He tightened his grip on the stone blade and stepped forward, cleaving down toward Xuanyuan Jing.

Seemingly aware of Dugu Bachen's superior cultivation, Xuanyuan Jing made no move to meet the blow head-on. With a thought, a massive mountain materialized before the incoming blade light. Xuanyuan Jing himself stepped into the void, vanishing from his spot only to reappear instantly behind Dugu Bachen.

By then, the materialized mountain was already cleaved in two by Dugu Bachen's strike.

The Xuanyuan Sword in Xuanyuan Jing's hand ignited with an awe-inspiring purple sword radiance, descending directly above Dugu Bachen’s head.

Facing this strike, Dugu Bachen sneered, turning his blade to meet the purplish-gold sword light with a backhand chop. The immense force sent Xuanyuan Jing staggering backward. Before he could regain his footing, the second strike followed, and to Xuanyuan Jing’s shock, the blade landed upon the trembling yellow light emanating from the Apricot Yellow Banner.

The fierce blade energy made the yellow light quiver violently, but it showed no sign of fracturing. Instead, the shockwave threw Xuanyuan Jing’s body backward, forcing him to evade Dugu Bachen’s follow-up attack.

Understanding his weakness, Xuanyuan Jing continuously mobilized the power of the Taiji Diagram, manifesting various stones and debris to hurl at Dugu Bachen, while he himself used the Xuanyuan Sword to project wave after wave of sharp sword energies.

Dugu Bachen felt no irritation at Xuanyuan Jing’s almost infuriating fighting style. A person who could assimilate the profound essence of the Yu level so quickly was no fool; he naturally knew to attack his opponent’s weakest point with his own strongest asset.

However, with so many treasures surrounding the opponent, even with his peerless combat strength, victory would not be immediate. Seeing Xuanyuan Jing charge toward him once more, Dugu Bachen swayed his body and transformed entirely into a soaring column of blade energy.

He was unleashing his world once more...

A world composed entirely of blades erupted. The chaotic, rampant blade energy scattered everywhere, instantly shredding the world manifested by the Taiji Diagram. Xuanyuan Jing dared not be careless and manifested his own world in return. But knowing his world could never match Dugu Bachen's, he perfectly merged his own world with the one formed by the Taiji Diagram.

In addition to the sky-piercing sword intent, this combined reality now also contained the four primal energies of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. It was only through this tremendous energy source that Xuanyuan Jing could tenuously resist the endless torrent of blade light.

Yet, even so, as time wore on, Xuanyuan Jing began to feel overwhelmed. After all, the time he had spent grasping the World Power was far too short. Moreover, whether it was the Taiji Diagram, the Apricot Yellow Banner, or even the Xuanyuan Sword, he could not exert their fullest potential. How could he possibly withstand Dugu Bachen’s relentless, inexhaustible blade storm? Just as his world was about to be torn apart again by Dugu Bachen’s power, the voices of the Five Sages suddenly echoed in his mind.

"The Divine Banners are secured. Withdraw!" The moment the words faded, a black vortex appeared within the world formed by Dugu Bachen. Like a black hole, the vortex instantly sucked Xuanyuan Jing in, and he vanished without a trace.

Dugu Bachen tried to pursue, but the black vortex vanished just as quickly. Sensing the presence of that dark vortex now intruding upon his own domain, Dugu Bachen frowned deeply. Had those others somehow deduced something? Were they attempting to gather all five Divine Banners? Thinking of this, he remembered Jiu Feng and the others still in the canyon and spun around, dashing toward the valley.

(Two chapters combined, blasting out over twelve thousand words! Brothers, please lend your full support!)