Others might not have detected anything special about the Heartless Holy Son, but Su Han, with his powerful Divine Sense, naturally could.

At that moment, the Heartless Holy Son seemed to sense Su Han’s gaze. He said nothing, merely flashing a grin at Su Han before merging into the crowd and continuing his ascent.

"Let’s go. We’ll climb the mountain as well!"

With a step forward, Su Han stowed the Golden Chariot and led his companions to the base of Mount Hua.

As the Nineteenth Prince, a person of noble status, no one dared to approach, especially with the Crane Sword Saint acting as his protector.

Upon arriving, Su Han felt an unparalleled, sharp pressure, as if a sword hung over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

"Worthy of being the sacred ground where Great Emperor Zhan Kong became a Saint!"

Su Han was neither surprised nor afraid. This was merely the place where he had become a Saint; even if it had been the Emperor’s Ascent, where he became a Great Emperor, Su Han would not have retreated in the slightest.

Amidst the awestruck gazes of the crowd, Su Han stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a look of self-assurance on his face as he began to ascend the mountain.

As he took the first step, his expression suddenly changed.

All around him, everything vanished. The Sword Cultivators disappeared, the Crane Sword Saint was gone, and Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue were nowhere to be found. He was surrounded only by a profound darkness, as if adrift in the pitch-black cosmos, devoid of any light.

SWISH!

Suddenly, a tremor shot through Su Han’s Heart Spirit as he sensed a great disaster looming.

A streak of Sword Radiance ignited the darkness and slashed toward his brow, seemingly intent on cleaving his head in two.

This Sword Radiance was dazzlingly bright, like a star in the night sky, yet it carried with it a sense of the passage of time. It felt as if the strike had not been launched in the present but in ages past, only to fall upon him now.

Sword Intent of Ages!

This sensation of intersecting time and space allowed Su Han to instantly recognize the origin of the Sword Radiance.

Clearly, this was a wisp of Sword Radiance left by the Great Emperor, imbued with a dense Sword Intent of Ages. At this moment, its purpose was singular: to slay Su Han.

Defying Heavenly Demon Will!

An overwhelming sense of crisis flooded Su Han’s heart. The Great Emperor’s Sword Radiance triggered his Defying Heavenly Demon Will, causing black flames to erupt over his body, transforming him into a furious Demon Emperor.

To conform to heaven is to be divine; to defy it is to be demonic. Su Han was unwilling to submit to the Heavenly Dao or be manipulated by fate. He would defy the heavens and battle, turning to Demonification to slay the gods.

He frantically channeled the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, stimulating himself with his Defying Heavenly Demon Will. The black flames roared to life like his own raging inferno, capable of incinerating everything and annihilating all creation.

BOOM!

The black flames and the Sword Light of Time collided like two deities locked in fierce combat. The darkness churned, and the river of time itself seemed to fracture.

CRACK!

Finally, the darkness before Su Han shattered like a broken mirror, crumbling into pieces.

"Your Highness, what’s wrong?"

Li Mingliang’s concerned voice rang in his ear, followed by a rush of ambient noise that brought Su Han back to reality.

He looked up. The darkness was gone, the Sword Light of Time had vanished, and the crowd had reappeared around them. Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue were gazing at him with worry, while his own left foot was still resting on the first stone step.

Su Han came to his senses, having already guessed the cause of what had just happened.

Am I not welcome here? The moment I set foot on Mount Hua, I was attacked by the Sword Light of Time. If my Defying Heavenly Demon Will hadn’t been powerful enough, I might have been gravely injured. No other Sword Cultivators have ever encountered such a thing while climbing Mount Hua; this was clearly aimed at me. While Thousand Changes and Transformations can deceive others, it cannot fool the Sword Intent of Ages left by Great Emperor Zhan Kong. I cultivate the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, which makes me fundamentally different from a Martial Artist or a regular Demon Cultivator. I am the Descendant of a Demon Emperor. The Sword Intent of Ages left by Great Emperor Zhan Kong must have sensed my Demonic Intent and taken the initiative to eliminate me. Unfortunately for it, I am too strong, and the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art is no ordinary inheritance. In the end, the Sword Intent of Ages collapsed, and I returned to normal.

Su Han looked up, gazing at the towering Mount Hua. This incident was unexpected. He had originally planned to use this opportunity to comprehend Sword Intent and see if he could improve his own swordsmanship, but he never thought he would face such a crisis the moment he set foot on the mountain.

If the first step was this dangerous, ascending further would surely be even more terrifying. The wisest decision would be to retreat now.

My fate is mine to command, not for heaven to dictate! If you forbid me from climbing, then I shall insist on reaching the peak!

A sharp light glittered in Su Han’s eyes. His Defying Heavenly Demon Will filled him with an unyielding spirit. As powerful as Great Emperor Zhan Kong was, he could not make Su Han submit.

He lifted his right foot and took the second step.

BOOM!

An invisible Sword Intent landed upon him, and Su Han felt a bone-chilling cold, as if countless sharp Holy Swords were poised to slice him into pieces. Yet his expression remained unchanged as he withstood the assault with his Defying Heavenly Demon Will and Great Accomplished Holy Body.

He continued to climb. The higher he went, the fiercer the assault from the Sword Intent became, and the greater the pressure Su Han had to endure. Still, his expression never faltered as he continued onward.

Su Han was contending with Great Emperor Zhan Kong’s Sword Intent of Ages, but outsiders could neither see nor sense it. They only felt that the Nineteenth Prince was behaving strangely.

At this time, Li Mingliang and Li Qingyue also stepped onto the stone stairs, successfully beginning their climb of Mount Hua.

Li Mingliang was fine, showing no unusual reaction. Li Qingyue, however, trembled as her eyes grew dazed.

What was happening? Could she, like Su Han, have also been attacked by the Sword Intent of Ages?

SWISH!

Just then, a brilliant sword light burst forth from within Li Qingyue. It was like a clear, cold moonlight, making her resemble a celestial maiden from the moon.

The sword light was brilliant and her aura was cold, yet a sharp edge began to emanate from her. The pressure caused Li Mingliang to feel a stinging pain all over, forcing him to retreat rapidly, unable to remain by Li Qingyue’s side.

As for the others, they too felt this sharp edge, as if a sword were pointed right at them. The hair on their bodies stood on end, and a chill pervaded them.

"This... this is Enlightenment!" the Crane Sword Saint exclaimed in utter shock.

The Enlightenment State was profoundly mysterious. Apart from special treasures like the Tea of Enlightenment, it was rarely entered into voluntarily; most instances were a matter of luck.

For Martial Artists, every instance of Enlightenment was a heavenly blessing, something many might not encounter once in a lifetime. Yet here was Li Qingyue, who had achieved Enlightenment just by following Su Han and stepping onto the stone stairs of Mount Hua.

Her Yin Sword Body resonated with Mount Hua, and her Sword Intent was being recognized by Great Emperor Zhan Kong. Even if she couldn’t ultimately comprehend the Sword Intent of Ages, this experience would undoubtedly be of immense help to her own path of swordsmanship.

At this moment, the eyes of the crowd turned red with envy, each person wishing they were the one entering Enlightenment.

After his initial shock, Li Mingliang reacted quickly, drawing his sword to stand guard beside Li Qingyue.

I absolutely cannot allow anyone to disrupt her Enlightenment.

Thus, with Su Han leading the way and weathering the Sword Intent, and Li Qingyue following in the Enlightenment State, they continued their ascent. Protected by Li Mingliang and the Crane Sword Saint, they climbed step by step toward the Arena of Sword Discourse.