Chapter 205: I

"What a heartless thing to do—your disciples and grand-disciples are standing right beside me. Are you really so willing to cut down without fear I'll use him as a shield?"

Wu Xian glanced at Wang Chonglou, whose face was ashen, as if he had lost all faith, then maintained his punching posture, spun around, and slammed his fist upward at the descending sword net.

Brutal, unyielding force took the shape of a fist imprint and surged upward.

In an instant, heaven and earth overturned, sun and moon wailed.

The tyrannical, overwhelming force tore through empty space, triggering ten thousand ripples of spatial distortion, causing the vast sword-light net descending from above to instantly shatter—so swiftly that Lü Dongxuan had no chance to react.

It should be so.

Never mind that Wu Xian's personal stats are off-the-charts, utterly dwarfing every living being in this world; even by cultivation realm alone, he is now a true Land Immortal, just one step away from the perfected Great Longevity realm—how could a mere Great Heavenly Phenomenon possibly compare?

Even if that Heavenly Phenomenon is named Lü Dongxuan.

Hummm—hummm—hummm—

Just as the child in the Daoist robe was about to be crushed under the boundless fist pressure, a chillingly fierce aura erupted from within him.

Immediately, a Yin-Yang fish diagram appeared behind him, expanding to a hundred zhang in diameter in the blink of an eye; Lü Dongxuan's appearance likewise transformed, shifting from a seven- or eight-year-old child into a young Daoist of about thirty.

Simultaneously, his cultivation broke through to the Earth Immortal realm; vast, rich qi surged forth with the rotation of the Yin-Yang diagram, like a grinding stone, blocking the seemingly sky-covering fist pressure, eventually dissolving into specks of starlight, vanishing into emptiness.

"Land Immortal? Not bad—but still not enough to save your life!"

Wu Xian grinned, his face filled with cruel delight.

"You hadn't yet reached fullness when I forced you to awaken your true spirit and enter the Heavenly Phenomenon realm. Now you've rushed into the Land Immortal realm in such a short time—you've exhausted every last ounce of potential in this body."

"Yet even so, you're still no match for me. After this battle, you'll either be forced to dissolve and reincarnate, or return to heaven—either way, you're destined to miss that red-clad figure, and seven hundred years of cultivation for love will be rendered worthless."

"Of course, you still have one last chance: wager all seven hundred years of fortune and heavenly Dao insight, force your way into the Heavenly Human Great Longevity realm, and unleash power beyond mortal limits to kill me… How about it? Will you take the gamble?"

Lü Dongxuan remained silent.

As Wu Xian said, he could indeed force a breakthrough using fortune, reaching—even surpassing—mortal limits, but at the cost of severe backlash against his true spirit, possibly damaging his original body and causing his cultivation to plummet.

This is the law of this world—even the power of an Emperor cannot defy it, unless one transcends reincarnation and the Heavenly Dao, as was done before…

"Why won't you speak?"

Sensing Lü Dongxuan's odd silence, Wu Xian raised an eyebrow and chuckled: "What, do you think no choice is worth it, so you want to make a deal with me, call a truce?"

"Not impossible."

Lü Dongxuan paused slightly, then slowly nodded: "I don't know your origins, but with your cultivation, ascending to the Immortal Realm is but a thought away. If you swear henceforth to leave each other alone, when you return to heaven, I can grant you the position of Emperor."

"And if you, like the First Sage of Confucianism, care for the future of mortals, I can intervene to sever the connection between heaven and earth—forever closing the divide, leaving no further ties between us."

His words were delivered calmly, yet the information contained within was immense, indirectly proving Lü Zu's high standing in heaven—otherwise, how could he make such a boast?

"Such an enticing offer—you've almost made me reconsider!"

Wu Xian's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Too bad—I'm used to being dominant. I can't stand sharing equal footing with anyone. If you want to recruit me, you'll need to offer at least the throne of Heavenly Emperor."

"As for severing heaven's ties with mortals… hah! If the Heavenly Gate can be closed, it can be opened again—even if I tear it down, who's to say you can rebuild it?"

"What do you intend?"

Lü Dongxuan frowned, a strange irritation rising in his chest.

"Simple—I'll kill you all! From now on, heaven will be ruled by me, and mortals will know no more worries!"

With that, Wu Xian's form flashed forward, boundless searing energy erupting from his body, forming a golden sun that charged straight at Lü Dongxuan.

Seeing this, Lü Dongxuan sighed, his cultivation surging further, reaching the Land Heavenly Human realm.

Instantly, he swung his sword, and a white sword pillar surged upward, growing into a tidal wave of swordlight, its piercing aura piercing the heavens as if ready to cleave the sky itself.

BOOM————!!

The two terrifying energy torrents collided violently, causing the sky above Mount Wudang to churn with wind and clouds, thunder and lightning roaring in bursts.

Moments later, blinding golden light shattered empty space, illuminating boundless darkness; metallic clangs rang out, sword-wave ripples layered endlessly, surging qi waves shook mountains and rivers, erasing all void.

Such celestial phenomena had already drawn the attention of Mount Wudang's disciples; several elders rushed to Lotus Peak, staring at the two flickering, colliding figures high above, their expressions filled with shock and uncertainty—unsure who these beings were, or why they chose Mount Wudang as their battleground.

"Just now I felt the vibration of Lü Zu's sword—could the sword-wielder be…?"

Among them, a young man spoke gravely—it was Wang Xiaoping, known as the "Sword Madman." He gazed upward at the Heavenly Human battle, especially at the sword-user, his eyes reflecting brilliant swordlight, utterly entranced.

The others froze, then turned to their sect master, silently seeking an answer.

Wang Chonglou only gave a bitter smile, recalling Wu Xian's earlier words—if they were true, then the phrase "Xuanwu Shall Rise" was nothing but a cosmic joke.

CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—CLANG————！！！！

BOOM!!!

Sword qi howled, golden light exploded.

The two figures flashed endlessly in all directions, trading blows at breakneck speed, exchanging millions of strikes in moments—yet still no victor emerged.

Though Lü Dongxuan had forcibly broken through to the Land Heavenly Human realm, his foundation was immense; seven hundred years of accumulated sword and Dao insight ran immeasurably deep—every move carried the weight of heaven and earth.

Coupled with the boundless sharpness of his immortal sword, even a Heavenly Emperor descending to earth would need to tread carefully.

But unfortunately, his luck was terrible—he faced a monster who could crush the Great Longevity realm with raw stats alone.

Facing Lü Zu's full-power sword assault, Wu Xian made no attempt to defend—he relied on his thick skin to endure effortlessly, matching every acceleration in battle pace, even leisurely stealing the opponent's exquisite sword techniques to refine his own sword Dao.

On the other side, seeing his attacks never gain the upper hand, Lü Dongxuan's heart grew heavy, and finally he made his decision: he unleashed a violent surge of aura, swung his sword to force Wu Xian back, then raised his hand and tapped lightly on his own head.

The next instant, two figures—once ethereal, now solid—stepped out from within Lü Dongxuan, both fixing their gaze on Wu Xian.

(End of Chapter)