The true spectacle, a massive confrontation involving over ten thousand people, commenced within the body of the Chaos Civilization Beast.

Among this vast multitude were figures of immense power: the supreme Sons of the Barren Age, enigmatic masters who considered themselves equal to the Sons of the Barren Age in arcane mastery, Imperial Sons of the Dharma Saint and Dharma Emperor, as well as individuals like Kong Ni and Meng Wei, and even someone like Tong Yun Chou was present.

The Son of the Sword was there.

The Son of the Immortal, the Son of the Martial, and the Son of the Dharma were also present.

Within this assembly were those famous for hundreds of thousands of years, alongside the most outstanding rising talents.

This was undeniably a monumental event for the Central Celestial Dynasty.

And Lu Yuan was among them, quite inconspicuous.

。。。。。。

The Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint, the Imperial Son of the Dharma, the Imperial Son of the Dharma Strength, and Lu Yuan stood upon the surface of a lake.

This lake was the stomach of the Chaos Civilization Beast.

With so many competing for resources, the Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint dared not delay. He immediately summoned a mass of Myriad Law Earth Fire, a composite flame forged from numerous elemental spell-flames, possessing an unimaginable, fierce purity. This mass of fire blasted toward the lake’s surface, aiming to refine the Chaos Civilization Fragments.

Though comprised of myriad flames, his fire was utterly pure.

In that instant, however, a profoundly savage, primordial flame erupted, forcefully countering the Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint's fire. The two flames collided in the void with a deafening explosion, sending massive shockwaves of energy cascading outward. Yet, the lake, which was the stomach, displayed its own extraordinary nature: a blast of this magnitude, which would normally evaporate an ocean, caused the stomach-lake to remain perfectly still, not a single ripple disturbing its surface level.

The Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint let out a cold shout: "Who dares?"

"I do."

A deep, resonant voice answered, and a mighty man with purple-gold features stepped forward. This man was imposing, clad in purple robes, radiating an air of irresistible majesty. Though Lu Yuan had never seen him before, he felt an instinctive, profound familiarity with the man—a feeling that he was inherently meant to despise him.

The Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint recognized him instantly: "It is you, the Imperial Son of the Barren Saint."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan finally understood the source of his aversion. If this man was the Imperial Son of the Barren Saint, then Lu Yuan's dislike was utterly justified. Years ago, when Tong Yun Chou plotted against him, leading Lu Yuan to furiously slay members of the Barren Ancient Civilization, the Imperial Son of the Barren Saint, the second-ranked Imperial Son of that civilization, had arrived to confront him. At that time, the Imperial Son of the Barren Saint possessed overwhelming, terrifying strength; his Half-Step Civilization Realm power had utterly shocked Lu Yuan, making the task of crushing the then-Hole-Chaos Realm Lu Yuan easier than crushing an ant.

Fortunately, the Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint had intervened then. Had he not, Lu Yuan would surely have perished.

The Imperial Son of the Barren Saint—he was Lu Yuan's sworn enemy!

No wonder Lu Yuan felt such immediate, deep discomfort upon seeing him.

The Imperial Son of the Barren Saint and the Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint already harbored enmity, and their current contest for the Chaos Civilization Fragments within the Chaos Civilization Beast’s stomach demanded a swift resolution. Thus, without further parley, they clashed. The confrontation between these two Half-Step Civilization Realm experts turned the heavens and earth dark, blotting out the sun and moon; Barren Qi swept wildly across the void as spells flew everywhere.

Lu Yuan could not help but recall that period when he was at the Hole-Chaos Realm, watching the battle between these two Imperial Sons with a gaze akin to watching celestial beings. Back then, each phantomically manifested an enormous fist, and their collision in the void had been an event that shook the world.

Now, watching them again, both Imperial Sons were stronger than before, yet the impact on Lu Yuan was less shocking than it was then. He had grown significantly stronger.

As the two Imperial Sons battled in the void—a rematch of the two Saint Imperial Sons—an entourage materialized behind the Imperial Son of the Barren Saint.

This group was naturally comprised of members of the Barren Ancient Civilization, led by Jiu Huang Zhui, the tracker renowned for his tracking arts, along with several others whose cultivation rested at the peak of the World Realm Tenth Heaven and Ninth Heaven. There were six or seven of them, slightly outnumbering the contingent accompanying the Imperial Son of the Dharma, the Imperial Son of the Dharma Strength, and Lu Yuan.

The situation looked grim.

Jiu Huang Zhui looked toward the Imperial Son of the Dharma: "Imperial Son of the Dharma, we meet again. This time, you will die by my hand." Jiu Huang Zhui and the Imperial Son of the Dharma already had a feud. In the past, when the Imperial Son of the Dharma sought to seize a magical treasure, Jiu Huang Zhui, hidden nearby, had attempted to ambush and rob him. However, the Imperial Son of the Dharma unexpectedly broke through mid-combat, severely wounding Jiu Huang Zhui. That incident forged their grievance, and now it was time to settle the score. Jiu Huang Zhui was filled with a murderous intent; within the Sacred Land of Civilization, no quarter was given. Opportunities for a kill would never be passed up, and according to established rules, hatreds formed here could not be carried outside the Sacred Land.

Similarly, Jiu Huang Ba addressed the Imperial Son of the Dharma Strength: "Imperial Son of the Dharma Strength, we too must properly settle our score." He intended to kill the Imperial Son of the Dharma Strength; the deep facial scar he bore was inflicted by the Imperial Son of the Dharma Strength long ago.

This left four individuals remaining on the Barren Ancient side.

On the side of the Imperial Son of the Dharma Saint, only one remained: Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan, facing four opponents alone.

Among the four from the Barren Ancient side, Jiu Huang Tai, whose cultivation was World Realm Eighth Heaven, regarded Lu Yuan: "You are Lu Yuan? I heard that more than two years ago, you were pursued by the Son of the Barren from our Barren Ancient Civilization, so frightened that you dared not show your face for another two years, becoming nothing more than a stray dog. How laughable! Now, the Son of the Barren is busy securing Chaos Civilization Fragments to assault the Civilization Realm and has no time for you, so I shall dispatch you." Jiu Huang Tai sneered heartily.

"Does Big Brother Jiu Huang Tai even need to act? I, Jiu Huang Ji, can handle this. At World Realm Seventh Heaven, slaughtering World Realm Sixth Heaven Lu Yuan is no problem at all," another laughed. This was an exceedingly arrogant youth, wielding a long saber. One should not blame these men for underestimating Lu Yuan. First, when Lu Yuan vanished, he was at the World Realm Sixth Heaven, the lowest tier of cultivation in the Sacred Land of Civilization. Second, Lu Yuan had been gravely wounded by a single casual strike from the Son of the Barren and then disappeared for over two years, lending credence to the 'stray dog' narrative. (Of course, this was unfair to Lu Yuan, who had been cultivating with the Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization.) Third, it was simply too ingrained: the Barren lineage always possessed an absolute psychological advantage over the Sword lineage, presuming victory was assured.

Thus, Jiu Huang Ji, at World Realm Seventh Heaven, swaggered toward Lu Yuan, projecting an aura that suggested he could cut Lu Yuan down with ease.

Jiu Huang Ji stepped forward: "This fight belongs to me."

He approached Lu Yuan and stated haughtily, "Lu Yuan, is it? A mere figure like you dares to oppose our Barren Ancient Civilization, truly ridiculous. Kneel down now and confess your guilt. I might consider petitioning Brother Son of the Barren to spare you." He was habitually overbearing, not just because of his status, but because he was the favored son of the Vice-Master of the Barren Sea Civilization, and the Son of the Barren often afforded him some courtesy.

Lu Yuan listened, his anger turning into a wild laugh. He was now among the world's foremost combatants. How long had it been since someone demanded he kneel and beg for mercy? The people of the Barren Ancient Civilization were increasingly arrogant and presumptuous. If he didn't teach them a sharp lesson, he would be failing himself.

Jiu Huang Ji swung his long saber, unleashing a dense, heavy energy that slashed directly at Lu Yuan.

This strike was magnificent and broad, seemingly carrying the crushing power of endless oceans within it. This was the Barren Sea Civilization Saber Technique, learned from his father, the Vice-Master of the Barren Sea Civilization. Unable to fully master the Civilization-level version, he had adapted it to the World-Ending level, and it carried formidable power and a unique style as it descended upon Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan immediately summoned his Nourishing Immortal Sword to intercept.

Boom!

The two forces collided in the void.

Lu Yuan was instantly knocked back, tumbling directly into the stomach-lake. Jiu Huang Ji immediately pressed his advantage. His saber technique grew more fluid now, one strike following the next, pursuing relentlessly until Lu Yuan was entirely on the defensive, unable to muster any counterattack. After relentlessly pursuing for over ten strikes, boom, Jiu Huang Ji smashed Lu Yuan into the Heart of the Stomach—the core of the stomach-lake.

The Heart of the Stomach! It was the very center of the lake.

It did not yield Chaos Civilization Fragments, but its acidity was terrifyingly potent. Even a Half-Step Civilization Realm expert would find it agonizing, and a Heavenly Venerate entering there was essentially committing suicide.

Victory!

Jiu Huang Ji casually flicked his saber: "Mere Lu Yuan, daring to stand against me without kneeling to beg for mercy—truly courting death! Consequently, under my blade, he managed only fifteen moves before perishing. How ridiculous." Jiu Huang Ji held his saber high, a slight smirk of satisfaction on his face.

Yes, what use was the world-famous Lu Yuan? Under his saber, Lu Yuan lasted only fifteen moves before being driven into the Heart of the Stomach. What utter uselessness.

Jiu Huang Ji felt a surge of pride. Having slain the globally renowned Lu Yuan, it was now his turn to become famous throughout the world.

Lu Yuan lost just like that?

The three Imperial Sons of the Ancient Dharma Civilization were taken aback. Their initial instinct was that Lu Yuan could not lose, but the current reality was undeniable: Lu Yuan had been defeated and plunged into the Heart of the Stomach within the fatal stomach-lake. Given the extreme acidity there, Lu Yuan was doomed. What could have happened? They wanted to rush to his aid, but they were immediately entangled by their respective opponents, unable to break free.

The members of the Barren Ancient Civilization were also momentarily stunned. Had Lu Yuan truly died so easily? For a moment, they felt a pang of incomprehension. After all, Lu Yuan was famous across the world. But then they reasoned it out: Lu Yuan’s strength two years ago was World Realm Sixth Heaven, and the Sword lineage was inherently countered by the Barren lineage. Thus, losing to the saber of Jiu Huang Ji in fifteen moves seemed, upon reflection, entirely normal.

How could Lu Yuan lose so soundly? Lost to Jiu Huang Ji of the Barren Ancient Civilization, who was only World Realm Seventh Heaven?

Lu Yuan’s actual strength was World Realm Eighth Heaven, and with his sword countering the Barren, he should have been able to contend even with World Realm Tenth Heaven experts of the Barren Ancient Civilization, save for the Son of the Barren. For him to lose to a World Realm Seventh Heaven expert felt profoundly strange.