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The two figures were a man and a woman. The man radiated a pure, snow-white holy light, vast as a solar corona, while the woman was enveloped in layers of mist and swirling vapor, with water vapor rising around her. They were none other than Xi Luo, the newly appointed Pope of the Radiant Temple, and Tan Yueer, the Moon Celestial Maiden of Moonlight Tower. Originally partners in joint sword practice, their bond grew stronger over long periods of training and battle together. After their joint assault on Fontainebleau City, they had returned to Moonlight Tower to practice together, hoping to combine their abilities to develop a martial art capable of rivaling Chen Xuanfeng’s divine sword-and-sabre technique, to be used in future battles. However, the difficulty of this task far exceeded their expectations—how could they make progress so quickly? Before they could even find a clue, word came of Chen Xuanfeng’s surprise attack on Sacred Dragon Mountain. The werewolf lord had destroyed most of the teleportation arrays from the outset, and within hours, he had completely sealed off all teleportation routes to and from Sacred Dragon Mountain. This left the outside world, caught off guard, unable to organize effective reinforcements, forced to watch helplessly as the sacred mountain, rivaling even the Radiant Temple, was utterly destroyed.

Amid their frustration, someone now dared to forcefully intrude upon Moonlight Tower—how could this not ignite their fury? The moment they emerged, they unleashed lethal attacks.

Hero Emperor Sword — Frost Snow Style — Ten Thousand Frozen Snows ————

Nameless Heaven Sword — Starry Chessboard — Floating Clouds, Scattered Rain ————

This was the rudimentary form of their joint swordplay, conceived in a short time, inspired by the "Six-Star Demon-Slaying Array" once deployed by the six great Sword Saints to besiege the old lion Leimen. Twin swords rose, one sealing frost, the other summoning mist, their edges singing in unison. Their powers resonated, amplifying the combined lethality by half, instantly forming an icy mist field that locked onto the intruder’s form.

Yet the intruder’s reaction far surpassed their expectations. A single slender, ashen sword flash later, their perfectly synchronized swordplay was effortlessly dismantled. Frost remained frost, mist remained mist—once separated, not only did they lose their mutual amplification, but they even interfered with each other, involuntarily revealing gaps both large and small. However, the intruder did not press the attack further. Instead, their figure twisted slightly and slipped past the duo’s defense line, landing on the surface of Nameless Lake behind them, standing on the water’s surface without sinking or wavering.

Xi Luo moved to pursue, but Tan Yueer, recognizing the intruder’s swordplay, swiftly pressed down Xi Luo’s Hero Emperor Sword with her Nameless Heaven Sword while kneeling in reverence. "Forgive our disrespect, Ancestor. We did not realize it was you."

The intruder was clad in black robes, their skeletal frame shrouded in thick, dark miasma, wielding a slender gray rapier. This undead swordsman’s attire, coupled with the ability to effortlessly breach Nameless Lake’s defenses, could belong to none other than Leinster, the "Ancestor of Sword Saints," now existing as undead.

Though Xi Luo had ascended to become the Pope of the Radiant Temple, he was unaware of Leinster’s existence as undead. This was largely due to the deep-seated enmity between the Radiant Temple and the Isle of the Undead, as well as Leinster’s own lingering hostility toward the Temple, which had once nearly conquered the entire human world. Thus, seeing Tan Yueer kneel before an undead left Xi Luo momentarily stunned.

Tan Yueer quickly explained Leinster’s identity. Xi Luo, not a zealot, instantly grasped the significance of the "Saint Domain pioneer" to humanity—and naturally overlooked his undead nature.

"May we ask why you have come in person?" Tan Yueer inquired respectfully. Unlike others, she understood the temperament of this Saint Domain pioneer. Unless the matter was of utmost importance, he would never appear so openly in his undead form at Nameless Lake.

Sure enough, Leinster’s first words left them both breathless.

"Lord Blizzard, that werewolf, has become a Sword Saint." The hollow voice of the undead delivered a bone-chilling message.

"What?!" Cold sweat drenched Xi Luo’s forehead.

"How could it be so soon?" Tan Yueer’s face paled.

Ever since the Beastman King and the Dragon Saint fell in battle, and Holy War Martial Emperor Catherine hovered near death, the remaining human experts had regarded Lord Blizzard as their greatest future adversary. They had repeatedly deliberated on how to counter this warrior wielding dual combat energies should he ever ascend to Sword Sainthood. Yet none had anticipated this terrifying news arriving so swiftly—so abruptly that it left them utterly unprepared. After all, Xi Luo and Tan Yueer’s new tactical drills hadn’t even taken shape yet.

"Then… how strong is he as a Saint?" Xi Luo, collecting himself, was the first to ask. No matter how dire the situation, they had to face it. Since the Ancestor of Sword Saints had brought news of their enemy’s breakthrough, he must also know some details.

Leinster paused before answering. "Extremely strong. Even disregarding combat skill and weaponry, the Starry Abyss power he commands surpasses both mine and Leimen’s."

"How is this possible?"

"Do not forget—both I and Leimen only grasped the mysteries of the Saint Domain after cultivating a second combat energy. Thus, our dual energies were not perfectly attuned to the Saint Domain’s requirements. That werewolf, however, first comprehended the Saint Domain’s secrets, then chose—or even created—his second combat energy. One holy, one dark, diametrically opposed. Though the process was perilous, its success unleashed astonishing power."

This was dire news indeed. In the past, to defeat the previous Beastman Sword Saint Leimen, humanity had first ensnared him with the soul of the Great Devil King, then besieged him with the Six-Star Demon-Slaying Array formed by six Sword Saints, even deploying the extravagant might of the "Sighing Holy Bow" and the "Seraphic Arrow." A century of effort had culminated only in mutual destruction. Now, an even younger, stronger, more cunning and ruthless Beastman Sword Saint had emerged. Who in the world could possibly counter him?

Tan Yueer steadied herself and pressed Leinster for details. The Ancestor of Sword Saints summarized the key events, omitting the beginning and end. He did not conceal his own defeat and retreat but never mentioned the Great Devil King Bato, attributing Chen Xuanfeng’s breakthrough to sheer luck in the heat of battle. After all, explaining the connection between the Saint Domain and the Great Devil King would raise too many complications—some secrets were better left buried forever.