Eight years later.

At the peak of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged on a giant rock.

The rain drizzled down from the sky, but the drops evaporated into thin air when they came within a few yards of Lin Yuan.

He opened his eyes, overlooking the drifting sea of clouds in the early morning.

"The pole of the moon and the pole of the sun seem like two completely opposite paths, yet they are essentially parts of the vast world. The moon can transform into the sun, and the sun into the moon."

In the depths of Lin Yuan's Qi Sea Dantian, the power of the moon and the power of the sun turned into black and white.

They constantly collided, dissolved, and were reborn, as if without end.

For these past eight years, Lin Yuan had immersed himself entirely in understanding the moon pole and the sun pole.

He hadn't even advanced his cultivation realm by a bit and still remained in the early Heavenly Phenomenon Realm.

To Lin Yuan, mastering the moon pole and sun pole made the difference between the early and peak stages of the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm negligible.

"This True Martial Sword..."

With a thought, the True Martial Sword floated before him.

The more he comprehended, the more Lin Yuan discovered the terrifying nature of the True Martial Sword.

It compressed the essence of moon power and sun power into a single sword, offering it for future generations to understand—a mastery that's truly unfathomable.

Without this sword, Lin Yuan's progress in comprehension would likely have been slower.

"Mastering the moon pole and sun pole isn't that difficult, but merging the two is as hard as reaching the heavens; for ordinary people, it would be a path to death."

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

No wonder even the Heavenly Phenomenon experts like the Cang Qing Daoist considered it a dead end.

Even those as strong as a Heavenly Master would face certain death by attempting this; the third generation Heavenly Master was proof of that.

"I'm different from the third generation Heavenly Master."

"The third generation sought to balance yin and yang after becoming a Heavenly Master."

"But by then, their foundation was set. I'm different; I'm not a Heavenly Master yet, so balancing and merging yin and yang is entirely possible."

Lin Yuan silently contemplated.

Of course, the 'entirely possible' here was specific to Lin Yuan's heaven-defying comprehension.

For anyone else, even with exceptional talent and the recognition of the True Martial Sword, managing to balance and merge yin and yang remained a distant hope.

Firstly, how to gain entry into either the moon pole or sun pole?

Secondly, how to merge the two during the process of balancing both? Any mistake could lead to an explosive disaster.

Lin Yuan's heaven-defying comprehension allowed him to seize any sliver of life unless it was a certain death situation.

The terrifying aspect of his comprehension was his ability to devise self-beneficial techniques in any circumstance.

Eighteen years ago, as a mere infant about to be discovered by wild beasts, Lin Yuan devised a breath-concealing technique.

When on the brink of starvation, he comprehended the Hibernation Breathing Technique.

These secret techniques required no inner qi or true qi, born purely from Lin Yuan's circumstances at those times.

As he merged yin and yang, he faced countless dangers, saved by his heaven-defying comprehension with relevant secret techniques.

"Just a bit more..."

"Just a bit more, and I can break through the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm with the power of the moon and sun."

Lin Yuan felt the incessant collision and weaving of moon and sun power in his Qi Sea Dantian, feeling a hint of anticipation.

According to his predictions, breaking through to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm with the power of the moon and sun would make him stronger than any past Heavenly Masters from the Heavenly Master's Mansion.

How could mere moon power or sun power compare to the combined force of moon and sun?

After examining himself, Lin Yuan's gaze drifted to the foot of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

"These years, the world outside hasn't been peaceful."

In truth, ever since over twenty years ago, when the Ten Thousand Demons Sect made a comeback, the world has known no peace.

Yet, with the suppression from righteous forces like the Heavenly Master's Mansion, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect dared not act too arrogantly.

However, five years ago, a sudden news spread about the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

The sect master had obtained the legacy of the Primordial Demon Sect.

The Primordial Demon Sect is an exceedingly ancient force, supposedly erased from history.

Since the founding of the Heavenly Master's Mansion 6,800 years ago, the Heavenly Masters of each generation were synonymous with invincibility.

But invincibility didn't mean others couldn't come close.

Six thousand eight hundred years ago, the first Heavenly Master emerged wielding the True Martial Sword.

That era belonged to him.

In that era, however, another formidable figure arose—the Primordial Demon Lord.

Although the Primordial Demon Lord was no match for the first Heavenly Master, the latter could not completely annihilate him.

Thus, in their ongoing stalemate, they founded the lineage of Dragon Tiger Mountain's Heavenly Master's Mansion and the Primordial Demon Sect.

In the end, the first Heavenly Master sacrificed himself in a final battle, ultimately killing the Primordial Demon Lord.

But though the Primordial Demon Lord perished, the Primordial Demon Sect did not.

Over the next few centuries, through the united efforts of the second and third Heavenly Masters, the Primordial Demon Sect was finally obliterated.

For several thousands of years thereafter, the sect was never seen again.

"There hasn't been a new Heavenly Master for too long at the Heavenly Master's Mansion—five hundred years, to be exact."

"Without the deterrent of new Heavenly Masters, the demonic forces have developed rapidly, leading to today's Ten Thousand Demons Sect."

According to the tradition of Heavenly Masters, after becoming one, the first task was to descend the mountain and purge demons, suppressing the demon path.

Now, with five centuries absent of a new Heavenly Master, even if righteous forces like the Heavenly Master's Mansion still hold the upper hand, it undoubtedly provided the demon path ample time to grow.

Compared to righteousness, demonic cultivation methods progress rapidly, even exploiting human blood and essence for swift improvements.

That's partly why Zhang Family Fortress was massacred—not only due to its wealth but also the abundance of population and even strong fighters.

In the eyes of demonic cultivators, such resources are as appetizing as delectable cakes.

"Whether or not the Ten Thousand Demons Sect's claim of having the Primordial Demon Sect's heritage is true, such news will undoubtedly elevate the voice and influence of the demonic path."

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Truth be told, he harbored grudges against the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

Eighteen years ago, just after Lin Yuan's birth, the entire Zhang Family Fortress was annihilated by eight helmsmen of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.

His biological parents perished that day.

"Senior Brother Shanfeng."

A voice suddenly called out.

A young Daoist came running over.

"I knew Senior Brother Shanfeng would be here."

Seeing Lin Yuan, the young Daoist grinned.

"So it's Qingping."

Lin Yuan turned to look.

The young Daoist was Qingping, once the little Daoist boy.

Eight years had passed, and Qingping had grown quite a bit.

With the advantage of cultivation, he looked no different from an ordinary adult man.