In the dim Quiet Chamber, footsteps echoed, heavy and powerful, as if they had merged with the Lay Lines of Heaven and Earth. Every movement carried an invisible, immense pressure.

Without a doubt, this was a formidable enemy.

He had ruby-red lips and pearly-white teeth, and in his hand, he held an iridescent Magical Sword. Clad in a white robe and a Golden Crown, his very bearing radiated an air of looking down upon the world.

As his gaze fell, an invisible killing intent instantly locked onto Lü Yang and Progenitor Tingyou, as if two lethal swords had hacked directly into their Spiritual Spaces!

"CLANG! CLANG!"

Lü Yang's expression grew grim as he unleashed his Sword Intent, dissipating the Mighty Power contained within the other's gaze. This kind of invisible killing gaze was clearly a peak application of Sword Intent. A Foundation-Stage Cultivator with a lower cultivation would likely be slain by a single glance from this man!

'He's stronger than Great Undertaking...'

Although Great Undertaking was also at Foundation Establishment Perfection, he didn't have a Gold Attribute or a Blessed Land. He was a complete blank slate, so his combat strength wasn't considered very high for his Realm.

But this sword-wielding youth was different.

He had a Gold Attribute from True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde, and he was a True Monarch Incarnation himself, making it a perfect match that greatly boosted his combat power.

No matter what, this was a formidable enemy!

"You... Who are you?"

Finally, the sword-wielding youth spoke, his voice low. "What in the world has happened outside? How dare you trespass on the Ye Family's restricted grounds... What is Ye Guangji doing?"

"Still hoping for the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected?" Lü Yang sneered. Although the matter had nothing to do with him—and he didn't much approve of the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected's stubbornness himself—it didn't stop him from despising the people of the Sword Pavilion. "Daoist, you'd best give up hope. No one can save you today!"

After speaking, Lü Yang didn't forget to drag the Saint Sect into it as well.

"This time, my Saint Sect has stormed the Sword Pavilion for the sake of Exorcism and Protection of the Dao, to bring justice to the world! After today, there will be no Sword Pavilion in Jiangnan!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere turned murderous.

"...Ignorant junior, you court death!" The sword-wielding youth's gaze turned frigid. Without any perceptible motion from him, a flash of white light suddenly streaked across Lü Yang's vision, accompanied by a gust of chilling, rustling wind.

"ZWING!"

The crisp ring of a sword echoed through Lü Yang's mind, stopping the very instant before it would have struck, a mere three inches from his throat.

Behind Lü Yang, a ring of jade-white Splendid Light expanded outward, branching into countless spiderweb-like patterns that took root in the surrounding Heaven and Earth. It firmly bound Lü Yang to Heaven and Earth, and it was this connection that made the sword-wielding youth stop his attack at the last possible moment.

[With the World]!

'What a pity...'

Seeing the sword-wielding youth pull back at the critical moment, Lü Yang couldn't help but sigh inwardly. 'As expected of someone who could cultivate Sword Intent. His control over his Sword Technique is perfect, allowing him to unleash and withdraw it at will.'

'He's much harder to trap than Celestial Python.'

And given the precedent set by Buddha's Son Guang Ming, Lü Yang had no doubt this youth could break through [With the World]. It would only be a matter of time.

Just then, however, Progenitor Tingyou suddenly stepped forward.

"Let me handle this."

Progenitor Tingyou's voice was calm now, but his tone was incredibly firm.

"...Alright."

Seeing this, Lü Yang nodded and took a step back. He slammed his Myriad-Soul Banner onto the ground, and a golden halo immediately pulsed outward.

[Incense and Candle Divine Dao]!

In an instant, the scent of Sandalwood Incense filled the Quiet Chamber. Illusory figures materialized as a torrential wave of Incense blessed Progenitor Tingyou.

"Huuuh..."

Although the Foundation Establishment Perfection he reached through the Incense and Candle Divine Dao was far from his peak state, Progenitor Tingyou's Position was now at least on the same level as the sword-wielding youth.

That was all, but it was enough!

After all, back then, he hadn't even been qualified to stand on the same level as his opponent when his sect was annihilated by a single sword strike... Only now could he finally face him as an equal in the same Realm!

"You are not your true self, and I am not at my peak."

"So it's fair."

Before the words even faded, Progenitor Tingyou struck! He didn't use any of the many Daoist Skills he had previously mimicked, instead forming a simple Daoist Hand Seal.

"[Demon Yin Thunder]!"

Lü Yang recognized it at a glance. It was a Little Divine Technique of the Wu Ghost Sect that specialized in countering the Soul. Progenitor Tingyou had even used this very technique against him in the past.

The next second, lightning crackled and shadowy demons howled as the attack smashed down toward the sword-wielding youth's head. However, even though Progenitor Tingyou had pushed this Thunder Skill to its highest Realm, the technique's foundation was still what it was—a method from the Layers of Qi Refining. How could it possibly compare to a Divine Communication Technique?

"BOOM!"

With a loud bang, the sword-wielding youth lunged forward. His Sword Light ripped through the thousands of yin thunderbolts. Before the Sword Qi even arrived, the Sword Intent alone had already carved bloody lines across Progenitor Tingyou's face.

At that very moment, however, Progenitor Tingyou's figure abruptly dispersed.

"[Immersion Village]!"

His dissolving form transformed into roiling Zi Water, perfectly aligning with the principle that "Gold is cold and Water is frigid; the child flourishes while the mother withers." It was an Ability designed to bury Gold and Iron!

The sword-wielding youth fell into the water; though surprised, he remained composed and unleashed a Divine Power Radiance of his own:

[Ji Jinhui]!

Under the Ability's light, the youth's severe, killing aura of Geng Metal transformed into Xin Metal. Xin Metal is born from Zi Water; it requires the lapping waves of Zi Water to wash away the silt and reveal its brilliance. He had actually broken the predicament using the principle of "water aiding gold's brilliance."

Progenitor Tingyou was not surprised. He retreated a safe distance and spat.

And what he spat was a Divine Light that seemed as ethereal as Feixia yet was heavier than a mountain range, revealing the Profound Mysterious harmony of coexisting water and fire, of Yin and Yang in unison!

[Gold Melting Vault]!

This was an Ability of the Earth of Chou!

The Earth of Chou is Yin Earth. It is saturated with cold, damp water, yet it also coincides with the bursting forth of the second yang qi, and thus contains the fire of the warm sun. Therefore, it combines the profound mysteries of both water and fire.

Water can give birth to Gold, but it can also trap Gold.

Fire can forge Gold, but it can also destroy Gold.

The outcome depends entirely on the user's Cultivation. With Progenitor Tingyou's Realm, this ability naturally became the nemesis of Sword Qi made of Gold and Iron.

In an instant, the sword-wielding youth froze. His boundless Sword Qi melted away like ice and snow. First drowned by water, then smelted by fire, it shattered inch by inch in a flash. All of its killing intent vanished, forcing the youth to withdraw his sword and retreat. Several new scars, born from the clash of water and fire, appeared on his body. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"You... you cultivate Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth as well?"

Only now did the sword-wielding youth truly look at Progenitor Tingyou, because their clash had been a contest not just of Divine Power, but of their very Cultivation.

The result was self-evident.

He had been forced to retreat.

More importantly, his opponent's combination of Abilities was clearly also [Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth]. But when it came to Cultivation in [Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth], he was supposed to be number one in the world!

How could this be?

"What, does Fellow Daoist Zhengde not recognize me?"

Progenitor Tingyou sneered, wiping away the mist concealing his face to reveal his true features. At the same time, he let his own karmic links become visible, no longer hiding them for the first time.

And then Lü Yang saw it:

In an instant, the previously composed sword-wielding youth froze solid. His eyes widened in shock, as if he had just seen a ghost in broad daylight.

He then took an involuntary step back.

"Tingyou..."

Of course the sword-wielding youth recognized Progenitor Tingyou. He had inherited a sliver of the Gold Attribute from True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde and had also been instilled with a vast number of related memories.

Memories of the culprit who had cast a psychological shadow over his Perfected Lord for the better part of a lifetime, the one who had become a Heart Demon that prevented any progress in cultivation for a very long time... The entire reason True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde had created him in the first place was to transfer that very Heart Demon onto him!

How could he possibly not recognize him!?