He Yuan didn’t underestimate Zou Feng in the slightest just because he was only at the Fourth Grade.

After all, the very fact that Zou Feng’s poison had killed Gentleman’s Sword Zhao Ke days after being administered was proof enough of how vicious and potent his Poison Skill was.

Therefore, He Yuan was treating Zou Feng as a full-fledged Third Grade Poison Cultivator.

The moment he appeared, he had already unfurled his Snow Night Sword Domain.

A moment later, "snowflakes" formed from specks of True Qi began to drift slowly down around them.

These "snowflakes" might have looked harmless, but in reality, they were manifestations of extremely condensed Sword Intent. Once unleashed, they could instantly form a Sword Blade Storm.

And yet, these terrifying "snowflakes" were merely the prelude to He Yuan’s real move.

Zou Feng, of course, already knew that He Yuan, the Flying Snow Sword, was also known as "One Sword Annihilation."

There was no probing, maneuvering, or war of attrition when fighting him.

The outcome was decided in a single move.

’So, there’s no need for any fancy tricks. I’ll just enter my True Man State and unleash my strongest attack.’

The two thus entered a silent standoff.

The surrounding disciples couldn’t possibly interfere. Not wanting to be killed by a stray attack, they could only retreat to a safe distance.

Although the disciples from Hundred-legged Ridge and the female disciples who had fled from Silk Cave all hoped Elder Zou could turn the tables and kill He Yuan...

...their reason told them this was likely an unrealistic hope.

He Yuan, the Flying Snow Sword, was no ordinary Third Grade cultivator. The man was a ferocious figure within the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, boasting a brilliant combat record.

As the standoff continued, the atmosphere quickly grew to an unbearable level of tension.

Although Zou Feng had entered the True Man State, he was in no hurry to strike. Instead, he activated the Toad Stance and began Charging Power.

Strengthened by the Toad Gu King Poison, the "Gathering Strength" effect of his Toad Stance had naturally been elevated by a large margin.

Not only that, but under these circumstances, the Spider Gu King Poison could also provide an even more powerful "Critical Strike" effect.

In truth, each of the Five Poison Pile Skill stances had its own strengths, providing different types of buffs.

The Toad Stance was for "Charging Power" and "Gathering Strength," providing immense Burst power.

The Spider Stance provided "Concealment" and "Critical Strike."

The Scorpion Stance provided "Piercing" and "Armor-Piercing" effects.

The Centipede Stance buffed his "Multiple Attacks" ability and could generate an addictive Poison Miasma on demand.

As for the Snake Stance...

Because he had yet to complete the Refinement of the Snake Gu King Poison, the only buff the Snake Stance currently offered was the tricky "Snake Skin Movement."

’So it’s fine if He Yuan wants to have a showdown of Big Moves.’

’After all, under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be so easy to charge for this long and integrate the buffs from all the Pile Skills into one technique.’

’For one, an opponent would never just stand there foolishly and wait for me to finish my preparations.’

’But this special duel, where everything is decided in a single move, has given me the perfect chance to see if my strongest attack, fully charged in this ideal state, can... instantly kill a Third Grade expert!’

Both men remained motionless, Gathering Strength and waiting while searching for the perfect opportunity to strike.

At first, He Yuan was in no hurry. After all, his Snow Night Sword Domain was already in place. If this dragged on, the only one at a disadvantage would be Zou Feng, who couldn’t create his own Domain on short notice.

But as he waited, he instinctively sensed the situation was gradually slipping out of his control.

His Snow Night Sword Domain wasn’t having any significant debilitating effect on Zou Feng.

On the contrary, as the man continued Gathering Strength, the atmosphere grew increasingly strange.

He even began to feel a strange reluctance to attack.

It was as if killing Zou Feng would be destroying something precious and irreplaceable...

Although the feeling wasn’t overwhelming, it was enough to make He Yuan lose his composure.

He made a snap decision. No longer would he wait for a better opportunity. He drew his sword.

Thirteen Swords!

This was the "Sword Drawing Technique" among the twenty-three Sword Techniques of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect.

He Yuan, of course, knew more than just this one technique, but it was basically the only one he ever used. He had long since practiced it to the Peak Realm.

He even had a good chance of one day cultivating this technique to the Realm of Transcendence and Sanctity.

In truth, the twenty-three Sword Techniques of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect were both complementary to each other and could each stand alone as a complete "Skill."

A single technique, if isolated and expanded upon, could become an independent Sword Dao Skill.

However, adhering to the principle that the great Dao is found in simplicity, the Celestial Essence Sword Sect ultimately kept only these twenty-three Sword Techniques.

And He Yuan was a faithful practitioner of this very principle.

The moment he drew his sword, all the snowflakes within his Domain froze in place, as if time had stopped.

Immediately, the entire area covered by the Sword Domain plunged into darkness.

In an instant, the area was plunged into a pitch-black night where one could not see their hand in front of their face.

Just before the "night" completely swallowed him, Zou Feng finally moved.

He shot toward He Yuan with a Body Skill like Shrinking Earth, his palms pressed together before his chest.

Faint flames coiled around his body.

After Gathering Strength for so long, Zou Feng finally had the opportunity to test a technique that had, until now, only existed in his mind.

Five Poison Heart-Burning Palm.

Unfortunately, no one present could witness the spectacle of this palm strike. After all, the Snow Night Sword Domain had created an effect like someone had "turned off the lights."

But even with the "lights out," as the two unleashed their Big Moves, strange noises and flashes of sword light soon flickered in the darkness.

Within the snow-filled night, a Sword Blade Storm had clearly formed.

These Sword Blade Storms periodically flashed with sword light within the "snowy night."

Even Gang Qi Realm Martial Artists would find their eyes stinging with pain if they stared too long at these flashes of light.