"In that case, I will use fire to counter water."

"Vermilion Sun Incineration Art."

The sword in Li Yun’s hand whistled and trembled as bright crimson flames erupted along its edge. The flames carried eighty percent Flame Intent, and the scorching heat instantly pushed back the cold air spreading through the eighth floor.

Li Yun raised his sword and slashed down.

A blazing sword slash tore through the air and collided directly with the attack of the white-robed swordsman.

Crack! Crack!

In an instant, the boundless cold intent was scattered.

The layer of ice covering the ground melted rapidly, and the endless flame Sword Qi surged forward with unstoppable force. In the blink of an eye, it burned through the white-robed swordsman and evaporated his figure completely.

The eighth floor was cleared.

In the next moment, the environment around Li Yun changed once again.

A white-robed swordsman whose aura was even stronger than the previous guardian suddenly appeared before him.

"Kid, it is impressive that you managed to reach the ninth floor. However, this is where your challenge ends. It is impossible for you to clear this floor."

Unlike the guardians of the previous floors, this white-robed swordsman had an icy expression that carried almost no emotion. A sharp and oppressive sword aura radiated from his body, making the surrounding space feel heavy and suffocating.

Compared to the guardian of the eighth floor, this white-robed swordsman was on an entirely different level.

Generally speaking, only cultivators who stood at the peak of the 9th level of the Mortal Core Realm were qualified to challenge him.

"Is that so?"

Li Yun smiled faintly.

"Then show me what makes you so confident."

"Foolish."

The white-robed swordsman laughed coldly.

The sword in his hand suddenly moved.

Buzz!

The blade vibrated thousands of times within a single breath.

Countless sword shadows overlapped with one another before merging into a single river of Sword Qi. The moment that river appeared, an endless murderous aura filled the entire space.

It was as though countless battlefields had been compressed into a single sword strike.

"My Sword Dao is the Carnage Sword Dao."

The white-robed swordsman stepped forward.

"Once my sword leaves its sheath, blood must be spilled."

Boom!

The river of murderous Sword Qi tore through the air and descended toward Li Yun with overwhelming force.

The terrifying pressure caused the ground around him to crack apart. Even ordinary experts at the 9th level of the Mortal Core Realm would find it difficult to withstand such an attack.

However, Li Yun remained calm.

His gaze locked onto the incoming attack.

Then, slowly, he drew his sword.

The moment the sword left its sheath, the atmosphere of the entire ninth floor changed completely.

Boom!

A terrifying slaughter aura erupted from Li Yun’s body.

The sky seemed to darken.

The air became thick and heavy.

An overwhelming aura of death spread across the ancient battlefield.

The white-robed swordsman’s expression changed immediately.

"This aura..."

For the first time since the battle had begun, shock appeared in his eyes.

Li Yun’s Slaughter Sword Intent erupted without reservation.

Ninety percent source mastery.

Boom!

The slaughter aura instantly multiplied several times over.

An endless sea of blood seemed to appear behind Li Yun. Mountains of corpses rose within that crimson world, and countless broken weapons floated through the blood-red sky.

The slaughter intent released by Li Yun completely suppressed the murderous aura of the white-robed swordsman.

The difference between the two was like the difference between a narrow stream and an endless ocean.

The white-robed swordsman’s Carnage Sword Dao was merely a sword path centered on killing.

Li Yun’s Slaughter Sword Intent represented true slaughter itself.

It was a supreme intent born from endless death, destruction, and battle.

At that moment, the murderous aura of the white-robed swordsman began collapsing beneath the pressure.

"What kind of Sword Intent is this?"

The white-robed swordsman could no longer remain calm.

Li Yun did not answer.

Instead, he slowly raised his sword.

His calm voice echoed throughout the battlefield.

"Ten Thousand Slaughter Sword Art."

The moment those words fell, the slaughter aura covering the entire ninth floor began gathering together.

Countless strands of slaughter energy condensed above Li Yun.

One sword.

Ten swords.

A hundred swords.

A thousand swords.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten thousand blood-red slaughter swords filled the sky.

Each sword radiated enough killing intent to make a Mortal Core Realm expert tremble, and when all of them gathered together, they formed a terrifying sea of slaughter.

The entire ninth floor shook violently.

The white-robed swordsman’s expression finally changed completely.

For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.

"Impossible!"

He roared furiously.

The sword in his hand erupted with all its power.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Three devastating sword strikes were unleashed at the same time.

Each strike was stronger than the one before it. The three attacks merged together, forming a gigantic river of Sword Qi that seemed capable of destroying everything in its path.

The entire battlefield trembled.

The white-robed swordsman had unleashed every ounce of his strength.

Yet Li Yun merely looked at him calmly.

Then he swung his sword.

"Fall."

Whoosh!

The ten thousand slaughter swords descended.

The sight was like heavenly judgment.

It was a rain of death.

It was a catastrophe capable of destroying worlds.

The white-robed swordsman’s river of Sword Qi was instantly swallowed.

Boom!

The first collision shattered thousands of meters of Sword Qi.

Boom!

The second collision destroyed the remaining sword river completely.

Boom!

The third impact reached the white-robed swordsman himself.

His defensive Sword Qi collapsed instantly.

His body was pierced by hundreds of slaughter swords.

Then thousands.

Then tens of thousands.

The slaughter swords tore through every inch of his existence.

The white-robed swordsman’s body began breaking apart, and his expression was filled with disbelief.

"I..."

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

His body fragmented into countless pieces.

Then even those fragments were annihilated by the endless slaughter intent.

Not a trace remained.

The guardian of the ninth floor had been completely erased.

Silence filled the battlefield.

Li Yun slowly lowered his sword.

The sea of slaughter swords disappeared, and the overwhelming Slaughter Sword Intent gradually retreated back into his body.

Only the shattered battlefield remained as proof of what had happened.

The guardian who normally required the strength of a peak 9th level Mortal Core Realm expert to defeat had been utterly destroyed by Li Yun’s Ten Thousand Slaughter Sword Art and the full power of his newly created Slaughter Sword Intent at ninety percent source mastery.

There had been no prolonged struggle.

There had been no desperate battle.

There had only been absolute suppression.

With the destruction of the white-robed swordsman, the ninth floor of the Heaven-Ascending Pagoda had finally been conquered.

Meanwhile, outside the pagoda, the light on the ninth floor of the Heaven-Ascending Pagoda suddenly went out.

Immediately afterward, the tenth floor lit up.

"My heavens!"

It was as though a massive stone had been thrown into a calm lake. The entire area erupted in an instant, and everyone present could not help gasping in shock.

"The tenth floor. The light of the tenth floor actually lit up."

"Xing Chenfeng actually cleared the ninth floor of the Heaven-Ascending Pagoda. What kind of astonishing opportunity did he obtain? Clearing the eighth floor was already shocking enough, yet he even cleared the ninth floor."

"Incredible. This is simply too incredible."

At that moment, the entire crowd was shaken.

Everyone’s expression looked as if they had seen a ghost.

The ninth floor of the Heaven-Ascending Pagoda could only be cleared by top-tier experts even among those at the 9th level of the Mortal Core Realm. Anyone capable of clearing that floor could be considered a powerful figure throughout the entire Outer Sect.

Yet Xing Chenfeng had only cleared the seventh floor of the Heaven-Ascending Pagoda a month ago.

In just one short month, he had supposedly made such a massive breakthrough. It was simply too unbelievable.