The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Tao Hongjing looked at the soldiers in front of him, his heart filled with satisfaction.

He drew his sword, pointed it to the sky, and shouted, "The three armies, march forth!" With his command, the Heyang Sword Furnace soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of light and flying over the square.

Twenty-five thousand military swords soared into the sky, forming a towering sword array around the Heyang Sword Forge. The sword array emanated a powerful killing intent.

The city's 1.5 million residents all looked up at the sword formation, which shone brightly and exuded a chilling killing intent.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians knelt down, gazing up at this miracle with awe and hope.

Zhao Dun took the lead, drew his Wuji Blade, and shouted, "The three armies, march forth!" As soon as he spoke, 25,000 cavalrymen poured out of Heyang City and headed towards Hulao Pass.

Yu Youwei stood on the top floor of the Chamber of Commerce building, gazing at the massive sword formation in the distance. She sighed softly and said, "Do not laugh at me, drunk and lying on the battlefield; how many have returned from ancient battles?"

Jiang Chuan was alone in the room, the candlelight on the table flickering, illuminating his tattered black armor.

He had injuries on his arms and back, but thanks to his cultivation of the "Dragon Elephant Divine Demon Art," his physical body was strong and resilient, so the wounds weren't too deep.

Lu Hao had already treated his wounds, and although they were still slightly painful, they were not serious.

Qinglin clung to Jiang Chuan's shoulder, looking distressed, and kept asking him if he was in pain.

Jiang Chuan gently comforted her, tidied his clothes, and prepared to rest. Today's battle had truly exhausted him.

Just as he was about to blow out the candle, the door was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind swept Chen Yuanfang into the room.

Chen Yuanfang's expression was grave, clearly indicating that something was on his mind. "Jiang Chuan, let's talk about today's battle." As he spoke, he casually closed the door.

Jiang Chuan nodded and pointed to the chair next to him, "Yuan Fang, sit down."

Today's battle was truly hard-fought.

After the two sat down, Jiang Chuan said in a heavy tone, "Of the 60,000 troops defending Hulao Pass, 7,000 were lost in the first battle."

Those guys on the other side are tireless and fearless; they're a veritable army of the dead. The days ahead are going to be tough.

Chen Yuanfang crossed his arms, looking worried. "At this rate, Hulao Pass probably won't hold out for long. We have to think of a way, otherwise, if this pass falls, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Jiang Chuan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Yuan Fang, you don't need to worry too much. Lord Xie Xuan will definitely have a way to break this deadlock. Hulao Pass won't fall so easily."

As the two were talking, suddenly, a commotion came from outside the courtyard, followed by several screams.

Jiang Chuan and Chen Yuanfang stood up instantly, exchanged a glance, and both saw wariness in each other's eyes.

"Something's not right. I'll go take a look." Jiang Chuan said as he reached for the two swords on the table.

Chen Yuanfang also stood up, saying, "I'll go with you."

"No, you stay home to take care of Caiyun. Someone needs to stay here too."

Jiang Chuan said decisively, and then strode towards the door.

As soon as they stepped outside, the screams became clearer, mixed with someone shouting in terror, "There's a ghost!"

Jiang Chuan's first thought was whether Hulao Pass had already fallen. But he quickly realized that was unlikely, since there was no sound from outside; if the pass had been breached, it wouldn't be so quiet.

Without thinking twice, he leaped onto the wall. What he saw there astonished him.

Chaos reigned on the long street, with people scattering in all directions. Several dark figures were pinning people to the ground, seemingly devouring them.

"What is this?"

Jiang Chuan was startled and instinctively drew his Azure Frost Sword.

Hearing the noise, the shadowy figures turned around. By the faint moonlight, Jiang Chuan could see their appearance clearly; they were demon soldiers.

Jiang Chuan didn't have time to think it through. He pushed off with his feet and charged toward the nearest demon soldier.

The demon soldier turned and ran.

Jiang Chuan was faster, catching up in a few steps. With a swing of his Azure Frost Sword, the demon soldier was killed on the ground.

Jiang Chuan looked at the corpses of the demon soldiers on the ground, his heart filled with doubt.

How could the ghost soldiers suddenly appear in the inner city? And strangely enough, there wasn't a single alarm drum sounded in the outer city.

Just then, the sound of fighting came from not far away. Jiang Chuan looked up and saw Ye Xuan wielding a long sword, killing a demon soldier.

Ye Xuan also saw Jiang Chuan and shouted, "Jiang Chuan, these demon soldiers came in through the waterway of the moat!"

Jiang Chuan felt a chill run down his spine and immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

These demonic soldiers have silently infiltrated the inner city through the waterways. If the situation is not brought under control in time, Hulao Pass will surely be trapped in a desperate situation, besieged from both inside and outside.

Ye Xuan quickly ordered the messenger beside him: "Quickly, notify the entire city to be on high alert, and say that the demon soldiers have invaded through the waterways!"

The messenger received the order and immediately rushed off.

Soon, voices rang out from all over the city: "The demon soldiers are entering the city! Everyone be careful!"

At first, the city's garrison was in a state of panic, since no one expected that the demon soldiers would break in from such a hidden place.

But soon, someone reacted and shouted, "Don't be afraid, everyone! The waterways in the weapon workshop are narrow, and the number of demon soldiers is limited. We still have a chance to resist!" These words calmed everyone down a bit.

The drums sounded in the city, a signal to summon the soldiers.

Upon hearing the drumbeats, the soldiers donned their armor and weapons and rushed towards the armory.

Jiang Chuan naturally headed towards the weapons shop as well.

When he arrived, flames were raging, and demon soldiers were pouring out of the waterway in an endless stream. At a rough glance, there were at least a thousand of them.

"Xian Zhen's methods are truly ruthless," Jiang Chuan cursed inwardly.

Xian Zhen used the waterways to silently infiltrate the inner city, catching them completely off guard.

Just as Jiang Chuan was observing the battlefield situation, suddenly, a figure rushed out from the flames.

Jiang Chuan looked closely and realized it was a demon general.

The demon general carried a blood-stained spirit sword. As soon as he appeared, he killed a blacksmith next to him with a single blow.

Jiang Chuan and the demon general noticed each other almost simultaneously.

The two exchanged a glance, and Jiang Chuan recognized the demon general as Sun Weining, the young master of the Sun family in Yucheng.

However, Sun Weining now exudes a demonic aura and has completely transformed into a demon general.

"Sun Weining, you've actually fallen into the clutches of a demon general!" Jiang Chuan roared angrily.

Sun Weining was once the young master of the Sun family in Yucheng, and was a handsome and elegant young man from a prominent family.

It could be corrupted by demonic energy, its aura was disordered, and its body exuded a powerful sense of pressure, like someone about to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm in the late stage of the Knowledge Realm.

The spirit sword in his hand was now shrouded in black energy, as if it were controlled by an evil force.

"Jiang Chuan, today is your death day!" Sun Weining gritted his teeth, his words filled with hatred. With that, he kicked off the ground, and his spirit sword, wreathed in surging demonic energy, slashed down furiously at Jiang Chuan. Jiang Chuan coldly smiled and drew his sword from his waist.

"Hmph, you think you can take it?" With a low shout, he unleashed the Azure Wood Sword Qi from the Five Elements Sword Manual.

In an instant, a stream of emerald green sword energy burst forth from the tip of the sword, heading straight for Sun Weining's demonic energy.

Sword energy and demonic energy collided in mid-air, unleashing a powerful burst of energy.

This energy swept outwards in all directions.

The eaves beneath Jiang Chuan's feet could not withstand such an impact and instantly turned into countless dust particles, falling down in a flurry.

Impacted by this, Sun Weining lost control of his body and flew backward more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

When he landed, his feet sank deep into the ground, a full seven inches deep, and cracks spread out from the ground around his feet.

Jiang Chuan was also thrown backward by the powerful recoil, crashing straight into the sword-making workshop, where smoke and dust filled the air.

Sun Weining steadied himself and walked toward the workshop with his sword.

How could the young master of the prestigious Sun family of Yucheng be defeated by Jiang Chuan? His gaze was fixed on the direction of the workshop, as if he wanted to see through it.

Inside the workshop, Jiang Chuan slowly stood up from the ruins and patted the dust off his body.

He still wore that unruly sneer on his face, muttering to himself, "This is not enough." With that, he drew his sword and charged at Sun Weining once again.

This time, Jiang Chuan unleashed the Crimson Cloud Sword Qi from the Five Elements Sword Manual.

His sword instantly burst into flames, the true fire sword energy illuminating the night, and a fierce and domineering aura erupted from his body.

Sun Weining was equally ruthless, wielding his spirit sword with even more intense demonic energy swirling around it as he faced Jiang Chuan. Their swordplay clashed, sword energy crisscrossing the workshop, and demonic energy overflowing.

Each clash of swords was accompanied by a powerful burst of energy, shattering surrounding objects into dust.

The two exchanged blows more than thirty times.

Jiang Chuan's Azure Frost Sword became increasingly fierce in battle, his sword moves became more and more domineering, and his True Fire Sword Qi was unstoppable.

Sun Weining's spirit sword, enhanced by demonic energy, appeared dark and unpredictable, with hidden killing moves within its sword techniques.

Jiang Chuan gradually gained the upper hand thanks to his abundant innate pure yang true qi.

Cracks began to appear on Sun Weining's spirit armor, and finally, with a "bang," it was shattered.

Jiang Chuan seized the opportunity and unleashed three sword strikes in quick succession. The true fire sword energy scorched Sun Weining's demonic body, leaving wounds wherever it went.

Sun Weining was in pain and staggered back several steps.

But the demonic nature within him was fully unleashed, and he roared, "Jiang Chuan, I'll fight you to the death!" Ignoring his injuries, he once again drew his sword and charged at Jiang Chuan.

Although Jiang Chuan had the upper hand, he was also injured by Sun Weining's demonic energy. However, his innate pure Yang true energy circulated rapidly, gradually expelling the demonic energy that had invaded his body. His killing intent surged, and his soul sea became increasingly clear amidst his rage.

This is a life-or-death battle; we must go all out.

Just as Ye Xuan arrived at the scene.

He was immediately struck by the intense scene before him as soon as he stepped onto the battlefield.

Watching Jiang Chuan and Sun Weining engage in a fierce battle, he thought to himself, "What a wonderful duel!"

He stood aside, watching the two fight intently, not missing a single detail.

Jiang Chuan suddenly recalled Xie Xuan's words, "Concentrate your sword intent." He realized that he might be able to condense his sword intent in this intense exchange. He continued to fight Sun Weining while simultaneously trying to comprehend the meaning of the sword.

As the battle deepened, he gradually grasped some of the secrets of heaven, and was just a little short of comprehending the true fire sword intent.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chuan felt a surge of fighting spirit, roared, and his sword strikes became even more powerful.

His swordplay became increasingly fierce, each strike carrying an overwhelming force, completely suppressing Sun Weining.

Sun Weining sensed the change in Jiang Chuan's sword techniques and was greatly alarmed.

He knew he couldn't continue in this passive manner, or he would surely die today.

He exerted all his strength, gathering all his demonic energy into the spirit sword, which instantly turned pitch black, emanating a chilling aura.

Without hesitation, Jiang Chuan gripped his sword with both hands, leaped high into the air, and slashed down furiously at Sun Weining. This sword strike, imbued with all his strength, aimed straight for Sun Weining's face.

Sun Weining roared and raised his sword to meet the attack.

The two swords clashed in mid-air, unleashing an unprecedentedly powerful force.

This force sent everything flying, and half of the sword-making workshop was instantly flattened by its impact.

Ye Xuan couldn't help but say, "These two are absolutely insane! This weapons shop is in big trouble."

Jiang Chuan burst through the ruins and leaped out of the smoke and dust. The Azure Frost Sword in his hand turned a dazzling crimson red under the scorching heat of the True Fire Sword Qi. He laughed loudly and charged towards Sun Weining once again.

Sun Weining watched Jiang Chuan charge towards him, a wave of despair washing over him. But as a demon general, his inherent stubbornness prevented him from giving up. He raised his spirit sword once more, preparing for a final stand.

Just as the two were no more than three zhang apart, Jiang Chuan suddenly felt a strange spiritual connection.

Deep within his soul sea, a pair of blazing golden eyes slowly opened.

In that instant, he entered the Gate of All Wonders and saw a meteor falling from the heavens with a devastating force.

Jiang Chuan closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again the instant he clashed swords with Sun Weining.

His eyes were no longer ordinary dark pupils, but powerful, fiery golden dragon eyes.

In that life-or-death moment, he finally comprehended the true fire sword intent.

Having grasped the true fire sword intent, Jiang Chuan's sword techniques underwent a dramatic transformation.

His swordplay was like the blazing sun in June, fiery and volatile.

The Azure Frost Sword emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, transforming into a streak of light that pierced straight through Sun Weining's heart with lightning speed.

At that moment, the demonic sword in Sun Weining's hand was also broken in half, and the broken blade flew out.

A wisp of heat shot out from the ruins, but was quickly extinguished by the harsh winter of the North.

Ye Xuan watched all this in silence, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Jiang Chuan slowly drew his sword, and the fiery golden light in his eyes gradually faded.

A single page of the book seals the soul sea.

Sun Weining stared blankly at the broken sword in his hand, then slowly looked down at his empty chest. There, it felt as if scalding lava had been poured over it; flesh and bone were gone, leaving only a flowing wound.

Sun Weining, once the elegant young master of the Sun family in Jade City, has been completely corrupted by demonic energy, emanating a chilling aura. He is powerful, having reached the late stage of the Knowledge Realm, and is only one step away from breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm.

Just now, Jiang Chuan's Azure Frost Sword shone brightly as he unleashed a move called "Sword Two Meteor." The sword's momentum was swift and carried earth-shattering power, piercing straight through Sun Weining's heart. (End of Chapter)