The Martial Arts of this world center around Qi Blood. All Methods rely on its circulation, including the ’Five Elements Fist Scripture,’ hailed as the greatest Divine Skill in the world.

The Red Blood Sect’s legacy Method, the Blood God Skill, takes the transformation and application of Qi Blood to its absolute extreme.

When the Cultivation Technique is unleashed, it not only dramatically boosts one’s own Qi Blood and its enhancement of the Physical Body, but it can also affect an opponent’s Qi Blood circulation.

To the point...

Of causing an opponent’s Qi Blood to surge to their heart, killing them instantly!

The closer the proximity, the greater its power.

As one of the top powerhouses of his generation, Dugu Wuwang holds an overwhelming advantage when he fully channels the Blood God Skill.

Even the old Patriarch of the Ye Family, the one known as the Sword God, could only briefly contend with the Blood God Skill by using a Secret Technique.

Alas,

He was ultimately no match and died on the spot.

However, all things in the world have their counters. A few Cultivation Techniques can ignore the effects of the Blood God Skill.

These include the Five Elements Fist Scripture, which suppresses all foreign auras, and Jinlun Temple’s Great Sun Heart Sutra, which embodies harmony and unity...

And Ye Liuyun knew both of these Divine Skills!

On the mountaintop.

Sword Qi shot toward the heavens.

The piercing Sword Qi, thick with killing intent, descended upon Dugu Wuwang like a hail of blades, a veritable Sword Rain.

Sword Meteor!

The Ye Family’s Sword Technique emphasized intent over form. Its core was Nurturing Sword Intent and the Sword Heart; the moves themselves were nothing special.

But once a Sword Heart was nurtured, their Sword Technique could turn the mundane into the miraculous. Furthermore, each generation’s Patriarch developed their own signature techniques. Passed down through the ages, the number of top-tier Sword Techniques in the Ye Family’s Sword Concealment Pavilion was now countless.

Any descendant who learned even a few could make a name for themselves in the Martial World.

Sword Meteor was the signature move of the previous Patriarch, one that used vigorous Qi Blood to fuel its boundless killing intent.

"Good!"

Dugu Wuwang raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that someone as young as Ye Liuyun possessed such a deep foundation. A cold sneer then crossed his face as he met the attack with a wave of his palm.

Red Blood Divine Gang!

BOOM!

The incoming Sword Qi was shattered by a single palm strike.

As the ultimate expression of Qi Blood transformation, Red Blood Divine Gang possessed a terrifying power that no other Gang Qi could withstand.

Before the Five Elements Fist Scripture appeared, the Blood God Skill was, in truth, the greatest Divine Skill in the world.

"Die!"

His eyes snapped open, and Dugu Wuwang instantly appeared at Ye Liuyun’s side, his five fingers forming a claw as he struck.

Evil Fire Tribulation Gang!

The terrifying Gang Force tore through the air with a HISS, powerful enough to easily shatter solid rock.

His Claw Skill was even more terrifying than that of Black Impermanence, Du Zai.

It didn’t just produce yang from extreme yin; it achieved true Yin Yang Unity.

CLANG...

The Longsword spun to parry, and the sword form changed again. An aura of mutual destruction—of jade and stone burning together—erupted from Ye Liuyun.

Killing Move—Earth-Shattering, Heaven and Earth Burn Together!

This was a Sword Technique of his own creation.

Upon witnessing his elder’s tragic death, powerless to intervene, boundless grief and indignation had flooded his heart, evolving into this Sword Technique meant to take both him and his enemy down together.

BOOM!

The two streams of Qi Force collided head-on. A fierce gale erupted from the mountaintop and swept downward, forcing the spectators to retreat repeatedly. The two combatants, meanwhile, were already dashing toward the mountainside.

"Quick!"

"Keep up!"

...

The crowd of martial artists scrambled to follow, but how could they possibly keep pace with two top-tier Limit-Breaking Powerhouses?

.....

At the foot of the mountain.

A lake.

Zhu Ju stood on a small skiff, facing into the wind. Below him, the water’s surface rippled amidst shattered planks of wood.

SWOOSH!

A dark figure shot out from beneath the water, its target not Zhu Ju, but the boat beneath his feet.

BOOM!

A violent force erupted, and the wooden boat instantly splintered into pieces, sending countless splinters flying through the air.

Zhu Ju twisted in mid-air. Like a hawk soaring through the sky, he shot through the chaos toward the figure at the center of the explosion.

SWISH!

A long whip had appeared in Mui Beiting’s hand at some point. With a wave of his arm, he sent a flurry of whip shadows striking forward.

The long whip in his hand had been forged by weaving together dozens of Poisonous Flood Dragon tendons. It was incredibly tough and had a special property: a single lash would inflict unbearable pain.

His Whip Technique was equally impressive.

Five Dragons Whip!

The layers of whip shadows, infused with vigorous Qi Blood Gang Force, suddenly constricted, wrapping around Zhu Ju’s body.

CRACKLE...

Mui Beiting’s expression darkened.

Even a Limit-Breaking Grandmaster would avoid a direct confrontation with the Qi Blood Gang Force of an expert at the same Realm if possible.

And yet, Zhu Ju...

His body was so unbelievably tough that he simply ignored the Gang Force attack, swatting the long whip aside with his palm and rapidly closing the distance.

BOOM!

A roar of Powerful Qi erupted.

Mui Beiting was once again blasted into the water.

The water surged and the planks rocked. Zhu Ju’s figure landed lightly on a piece of a shattered board.

He looked down into the water, his brow furrowed slightly.

Mui Beiting had dominated the seas for decades. His underwater combat skills were unparalleled; likely no one in the world could match him.

Not even Dugu Wuwang!

WHOOSH...

An invisible Qi Force erupted from underwater, pushing the planks on the surface away into the distance.

Once the vast lake was clear of footholds, Zhu Ju would have nowhere to retreat.

"Heh..."

Watching the figure busying himself underwater, Zhu Ju chuckled and shook his head.

"Senior, no need to trouble yourself. I will be on my way."

As he spoke, he tapped his foot, landing on a nearby plank and using it as a springboard to leap toward the shore.

SWISH!

While he was in mid-air, a long whip shot out of the water, wrapped around his ankle, and began to drag him down.

Zhu Ju gathered his Qi in mid-air and yanked upward.

The two forces strained against each other. Zhu Ju fell toward the water’s surface, and Mui Beiting was forcibly pulled out from beneath it.

This time,

Mui Beiting didn’t retreat.

His goal was to stop Zhu Ju from ascending the mountain, so he had to keep his target here at all costs.

"Hah!"

With a furious roar, the long whip in his hand became a blur of afterimages. The extreme speed made the air crackle, like a string of firecrackers going off all at once.

BOOM!

Zhu Ju raised his hand. The terrifying Palm Force was enough to make one despair. A mere three palm strikes forced Mui Beiting to cough up blood again; his Whip Technique, Gang Force, and other techniques seemed utterly useless.

However...

The two of them had already plunged into the lake.

SPLASH!

Bubbles surged to the surface as two figures, tangled together, sank downward. Blood poured ceaselessly from one man’s mouth, but he held on to the other with a death grip, refusing to let go.

SWISH!

Underwater, the long whip was almost unrestricted. It moved as nimbly as a Swimming Fish, coiling around Zhu Ju.

Zhu Ju’s body trembled as Strength erupted All Over his Body. But with the water diffusing his power, he couldn’t even use ten percent of his full might.

A smile appeared on Mui Beiting’s face.

’Underwater, no one is my match!’

SWISH!

A palm shot out, moving with the current. With a light press forward, a terrifying Giant Power erupted.

Covering Water!

Five Elements Fist!

Possessing the Five Elements Fist Scripture, despite the great inconvenience of being underwater, he could still use the water’s momentum to his advantage.

"Pfft!"

Mui Beiting’s body trembled, his face filled with vicious determination. Instead of retreating, he surged forward, coiling around his opponent like an agile Swimming Fish. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

With one hand, he tightened the long whip, aiming to lock it around Zhu Ju’s throat. With the other, he unleashed bursts of Dark Force in a relentless assault.

The two fought madly at the bottom of the lake, trading blow for blow, neither giving an inch. Their bodies gradually sank deeper.

The lake bottom was dark and deep.

Plumes of fresh blood billowed out.

Mui Beiting’s wrist trembled, the long whip cinched tight around Zhu Ju’s neck. For a moment, they were locked in a stalemate.

After a long time.

SPLASH...

A figure burst from the water. He stumbled across a few broken planks, his footing unsteady as he finally reached the shore.

"Haaa..."

Zhu Ju clutched his neck, gasping desperately for air.

"That old man was truly a handful. Luckily, I wounded him badly before we went into the water. Otherwise, I would’ve had to flee."

It had looked like a desperate struggle, but in reality, he’d had an escape route the entire time. If he was truly about to lose, he could have returned to the Main World. Mui Beiting, on the other hand, had truly been fighting for his life.

The result was obvious.

"Cough, cough!"

After a few light coughs that brought up mouthfuls of lake water, Zhu Ju leaned back and collapsed on the ground. He felt as though he didn’t have an ounce of strength left in him.

Go up the mountain?

Going up the mountain was impossible now.

"Old man, you completed your mission."

*

*

*

「Halfway up the mountain.」

On a certain plateau.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

The clang of metal on metal was incessant. Two figures crisscrossed, their Qi Force surging without end.

Ye Liuyun brandished his longsword, Sword Qi hissing as he unleashed one exquisite Sword Skill after another as if they were free.

Heaven-Stealing Day-Changing Form!

The longsword twisted, stabbing out from an impossible angle.

TING...

Dugu Wuwang flicked his finger, sending the longsword flying back. He seized the opportunity to unleash a relentless barrage of fierce finger strikes.

Finger-Clap Thunder Shock!

BOOM!

Ye Liuyun spat blood as he was knocked back.

"Junior!"

Dugu Wuwang charged forward.

"Give you another ten years, and you might stand a chance against me. But unfortunately... you’re still far too green!"

Slash!

Sword Qi, sharp as a saber, descended from the heavens.

Dugu Wuwang frowned slightly. As if sensing something, he abruptly retracted his projected Gang Qi.

Celestial Sword!

The scattered Sword Qi suddenly converged. A strange aura emerged, and then five rays of Sword Light lanced out.

"Five Elements Fist?"

Dugu Wuwang’s eyelid twitched.

"No!"

"You actually learned the Fu Family’s Five Elements Fist Scripture and transformed the Five Elements Fist into a Sword Technique! Incredible!"

"And not just the Five Elements Fist, but also Jinlun Temple’s Ming King Slash..."

"How did you do it?"

Ye Liuyun remained silent, his sword a relentless blur. Within his mind, the Ye Family’s ancestral Heart Method, the Celestial Sword, hung high. He used it to drive the Five Elements and the Ming King, merging numerous Sword Techniques into five final Sword Formulas.

Mountain and Sea Sword!

BOOM!

A deafening roar shook the heavens as terrifying Gang Force collided relentlessly. Two figures were sent flying out of the chaos one after another.

"Pfft!"

Dugu Wuwang spat out a mouthful of blood. His face was a mask of first madness, then wild arrogance. He laughed as he staggered forward.

"Ye Liuyun!"

"Truly a Sword Dao prodigy the likes of which is seen only once in a century! If you had a few more years to fully master and integrate your Sword Techniques..."

"I might actually have lost!"

He shook his head slowly. Blood flowed freely from the wounds on his body, torn open by the sharp Sword Qi, but he was still standing.

Ye Liuyun, however, lay motionless a short distance away.

"But unfortunately, there are no ’what ifs’ in this world. This battle is my victory!"

Dugu Wuwang roared with laughter.

"I am the greatest in the world!"

"Is that so?" Just then, a soft, gentle voice drifted over from a short distance away.

"This king does not think so."