The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son unleashed a civilization-grade saber technique, the Desolate Beast Civilization Saber Arts. This technique embodied the perfect madness of the beast; a single move contained boundless perfection. In that instant, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son transformed into the most primordial beast, every thrust and parry representing the raw essence, the perfection, and the sheer insanity of the beast.

The Desolate Beast Saber descended, aiming for Lu Yuan with an almost insane angle, a strike of absolute frenzy.

But at that very moment, Lu Yuan countered with an equally frenzied sword strike.

Lu Yuan didn't even bother to defend; he went straight for a furious counterattack.

This style of fighting was utterly insane.

It was as if he were deliberately allowing the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son’s long saber to cleave into his [Body], while simultaneously ensuring that if the Saint Emperor's Son struck down like that, he too would be impaled by Lu Yuan’s longsword. In that instant, both would suffer grave injuries—a mutually destructive exchange. The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son had never witnessed such madness in swordsmanship.

Faced with such a savage assault, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son had no choice but to temporarily yield ground.

Simultaneously, Lu Yuan seized the advantage offered by this exchange, unleashing a sword technique of extreme madness. Every strike was a life-risking maneuver, pure offense with no defense. In many of these openings, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son could have wounded Lu Yuan, but it was clear he would have paid the price of being wounded himself. Confronted with this reality, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son could only evade; he truly had no desire to perish alongside Lu Yuan.

Simply put, the current clash was: the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was mad, but Lu Yuan was madder. Both were fighting without regard for their lives, and in a contest where neither valued life, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was clearly falling behind.

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was inwardly startled. How had he never noticed Lu Yuan was a lunatic? He had heard rumors that this person relied purely on technique; how could he be this ferocious now? He glanced again at Lu Yuan’s eyes, which were completely different from usual—they were blood-red. The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son couldn't help but feel a cold knot forming in his heart.

Unknowingly, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son realized the madness in his own saber was being suppressed.

But the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was not one to surrender easily.

The Desolate Beast Civilization Saber Arts were not defined by mere madness; they encompassed the four concepts of Madness, Rampage, Evil, and Chaos (Feng, Kuang, Xie, Luan). For these four represent the true nature and essence of the beast. Thus, upon realizing 'Madness' wasn't enough, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son activated the second essence of the beast: 'Evil.' Instantly, boundless wickedness manifested within his blade.

His malevolence radiated outward, spreading in waves of surging, evil energy.

Yet, Lu Yuan’s sword instantly became equally wicked—a wickedness so profound it reached the limits of terror.

Evil Saber against Evil Sword; the competition became: who could be more wicked?

But this time, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son discovered that Lu Yuan was even more wicked than he was. Lu Yuan's swordsmanship carried the flavor of wickedness perfected to its absolute extreme.

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son shifted his blade again, still utilizing the Desolate Beast Civilization Saber Arts, but this time his strikes were utterly erratic. This was the true essence of the beast: Chaos (Luan). It was a technique of ultimate disarray, possessing no discernible pattern, moving from one unpredictable motion to the next. This fighting style was inherently highly threatening, as it was a blade art of extreme frenzy and complete chaos.

However, Lu Yuan’s sword instantly became even more chaotic—a sword technique of frantic, untamed disorder.

At this point, both the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son’s saber work and Lu Yuan’s swordplay were completely devoid of reason; they were defined by a single character: Chaos.

"Slash! Slash! Slash!"

"Connect! Connect! Connect!"

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was determined to force a head-on collision, pushing the essence of Chaos to its peak. But gradually, he realized that the injuries Lu Yuan sustained were significantly lighter than his own. Slowly, he began to lose ground.

In terms of 'Chaos,' he too was falling behind.

So, it came down to the last of the four essences: Frenzy (Kuang).

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son unleashed the Frenzy Strike, a blade imbued with infinite manic energy. Lu Yuan countered with the Frenzy Sword. Frenzy Strike met Frenzy Sword; it became a contest of who possessed greater frenzy, and in this bout, Lu Yuan's style was even wilder.

"Annihilate!" The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was struck by another sword thrust.

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was stunned to realize that he had employed the Desolate Beast Civilization Saber Arts, utilizing the four tenets of the beast’s essence—Madness, Frenzy, Evil, and Chaos—yet Lu Yuan’s madness surpassed his own, his frenzy was greater, his wickedness deeper, and his chaos more pronounced. He had used the beast’s true essence, only to find Lu Yuan was more mad, more frenzied, more wicked, and more chaotic.

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son began to harbor thoughts of retreat. As the beastly intent gradually receded, the urge to flee grew stronger. Simultaneously, he noticed he had been struck several times by Lu Yuan. Although he too had struck Lu Yuan multiple times, his own wounds were heavier.

Lu Yuan—this individual, whom he had always regarded as merely a junior.

And now, he could actually defeat someone like himself, who stood at the Half-Step Civilization Realm!

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was filled with doubt and shock; he truly couldn't fathom how Lu Yuan had accomplished this.

Moreover, achieving the Half-Step Civilization Realm was incredibly difficult. Even the sons of Civilization Lords rarely reached this stage, most failing to do so. The Half-Step Civilization Realm commanded awe across heaven and earth.

Precisely because this realm was so hard to attain, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son could not allow himself to perish here.

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son unleashed seven consecutive saber strikes. Each strike was faster and crueler than the last. After delivering the seventh strike, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son flew with astonishing speed towards Jiu Huangba, shouting fiercely: "Retreat!" He immediately executed a swift withdrawal, leaving as quickly as he arrived, vanishing instantly.

It was not easy to kill him. A Half-Step Civilization Realm expert was already notoriously difficult to slay; even a battle between two Half-Step Civilization Realm masters often failed to result in a definitive kill unless a true Civilization Realm expert intervened.

Therefore, when the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son realized he couldn't win, escaping was not an insurmountable task.

Of course, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son could escape partly because of Lu Yuan's current state. Lu Yuan was clearly not in a condition suitable for pursuit, still caught in a state of frenzy. As soon as the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son fled, Yuan Chixin and Yuan Chijue also bolted away at top speed. Lu Yuan's condition was unstable, and both Fa Xiaodi's Son and Fa Qiangdi's Son were severely injured; yet, these two managed to escape as well.

In this battle, three figures from the Desolate Ancient Civilization perished: Jiu Huangtai, Jiu Huangji, and Jiu Huangzhui—a substantial loss for the Desolate Ancient Civilization.

Meanwhile, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son, Jiu Huangba, Yuan Chixin, and Yuan Chijue flew straight ahead. Within the vast expanse of the Chaos Civilization Beast, the four of them traveled for a long time until they finally reached the Spleen region. As mentioned earlier, within the Chaos Civilization Beast, aside from the Heart, there were eight other areas where competition was fierce: the Feet, Lungs, Spleen, Gallbladder, Intestines, Stomach, Kidneys, and Liver. Many individuals had devoted themselves to contesting these eight locations.

The Heart was the most intense battlefield but was opened last.

The Son of Desolation was currently contesting the Spleen region.

The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son descended swiftly and observed that the Son of Desolation had not yet secured the Spleen Mountain—a vast, boundless mountain range that constituted the Spleen. The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son couldn't help but look surprised and asked someone nearby: "Why hasn't the Son of Desolation seized the Spleen Civilization Chaos Fragment yet? Does he have an opponent?" A nearby Desolate Imperial Prince answered calmly: "Indeed, there is one. His strength is not inferior to the Son of Desolation." This Desolate Imperial Prince was also a Half-Step Civilization Realm expert, currently serving under the Son of Desolation.

"What? There is someone whose strength equals that of the Son of Desolation?" The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son’s face immediately shifted. He had always assumed the Son of Desolation was practically invincible among them, possessing the power of the Half-Step Civilization Realm and terrifying techniques—who else could possibly challenge him?

"There is indeed one," the Desolate Imperial Prince confirmed. "That person is..." As he said this, he lowered his voice slightly.

"It's him! He came here too?" The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was greatly alarmed. He truly hadn't expected this person to reappear.

"Right, why did you come here? Weren't you supposed to be fighting for the Stomach Chaos Civilization Fragment at the Lake of the Stomach?" the Desolate Imperial Prince inquired.

"I ran into Fa Shengdi's Son and his group," the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son recounted the encounter briefly.

"What? Lu Yuan killed Jiu Huangzhui and defeated you? Severely wounded you? More than two years ago, he was merely a petty figure at World Realm Sixth Heaven," the Desolate Imperial Prince's expression changed drastically. He genuinely had not expected that Lu Yuan, who had been chased away like a stray dog by the Son of Desolation over two years prior, could now defeat the Half-Step Civilization Realm expert, the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son. This was simply unimaginable.

But the facts were laid bare before them.

......

At the Lake of the Stomach.

Fa Shengdi's Son, Fa Xiaodi's Son, and Fa Qiangdi's Son looked at Lu Yuan with incredulity.

What had Lu Yuan just accomplished?

If his initial feat of instantly killing Jiu Huangji, Jiu Huangtai, and Jiu Huangzhui, and heavily wounding Jiu Huangba could be barely understood, then Lu Yuan now defeating the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was completely unbelievable. The Desolate Saint Emperor's Son was a figure of the Half-Step Civilization Realm, essentially the strongest existence below the true Civilization Realm, yet he had been defeated by Lu Yuan.

The critical point was: just over two years ago, Lu Yuan was only at World Realm Sixth Heaven.

Had Lu Yuan become this powerful in just over two years?

This!

Fa Shengdi's Son looked at Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan had become this strong without anyone noticing. His younger sister truly had an eye for future husbands; this was a figure with immense potential, possessing a high likelihood of reaching the Civilization Realm in the future—and a Civilization Realm expert commanded authority over heaven and earth.

Fa Xiaodi's Son and Fa Qiangdi's Son felt intensely provoked. Both had outstanding talent and distinguished backgrounds, with countless resources awaiting them. One was at World Realm Tenth Heaven, the other at Ninth Heaven. Among the Imperial Princes of the Desolate Ancient Civilization, they were considered outstanding. But now, Lu Yuan had harshly spurred them. Lu Yuan had no resources, no backing, and achieved his strength purely through self-advancement. They truly couldn't compare; comparing themselves to him was infuriating.

Now, it was time to collect the Chaos Fragments from the Stomach. Such treasures wouldn't wait for anyone; they mustn't be snatched by others.