How could the Son of Demon not feel the sting? Fifty thousand Heaven-tier Spirit Stones! That was an immense fortune. “Just who was it?” The Son of Demon, who had maintained a façade of calm composure, was now anything but serene. He mulled it over carefully in his mind, linking it to the character Zheng (), and he immediately understood the principles of demonic energy. In that instant, he knew who was most likely responsible. Without a doubt, it had to be the Sixteenth Person. “Sixteenth Person, whoever you are! You have ruined my grand scheme and stolen fifty thousand Heaven-tier Spirit Stones and the Icy Flame from me. I, the Son of Demon, will surely seek vengeance upon you.” The Son of Demon was truly enraged, unable to contain it; he had been genuinely provoked by the Sixteenth Person. He wasn't worried about not finding the Sixteenth Person. Whoever possessed the character Zheng would be exceptionally easy to track down. Finding them would be the strange occurrence.
Inside the stomach mountain within the Chaos Civilization Beast's body.
As soon as the Son of Demon departed, a significant amount of demonic energy dissipated. Kong Ni, Kong Mingde, and the others felt their internal mana flow smoothly again. With a slight circulation, they broke free from the restraints of the Demonic Energy Tree, and all fifteen managed to escape. Upon breaking free, all fifteen turned their gaze toward the Sixteenth Person. The Sixteenth Person—who were they, to possess the Primordial Character Zheng?
When the Sixteenth Person first confronted the Son of Demon, they had maintained a sphere of white light around their body to ward off the corrosive demonic energy. Only after the Son of Demon retreated did this light recede. The fifteen finally got a clear look at the Sixteenth Person’s appearance. The Sixteenth Person was rather handsome: sharp sword-like brows and star-like eyes, exuding an air of scholarly refinement, with slightly wavy hair—a figure of almost ethereal grace, like a wandering scholar.
This is! Li Taishi! Yes, it was indeed Li Taishi. How could the Sixteenth Person be Li Taishi?
If it were Li Taishi, then his possession of the Primordial Character Zheng made perfect sense. Last time, the Vice-Master of the Heavenly Principle Civilization, Zhu Ren, had attempted to seize Zheng, only to be repelled by Li Taishi. Furthermore, based on the transmission conditions set by the Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization, Li Taishi should have been the one to inherit Zheng. Everyone understood this, but it seemed Zheng had not been transmitted previously. Now, it appeared the Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization had, after all, passed the Primordial Character Zheng on. The greatest puzzle now was how Li Taishi, even with the power of Zheng, managed to outmatch the Son of Demon in terms of techniques and defeat him in a direct confrontation. Although Li Taishi relied on the power of Zheng, defeating the Son of Demon head-on still demonstrated extraordinary strength.
This!
What were Kong Ni, Kong Mingde, Meng Wei, Su Yuemian, and the others feeling now? All of them had been defeated by the Son of Demon, yet Li Taishi, their junior martial brother who had only recently joined, had surpassed the Son of Demon, defeating him in open combat. With this single battle, Junior Brother Li Taishi was assured fame throughout the world.
“Greetings to all senior brothers and sisters,” Lu Yuan offered a bow. “Junior Brother Li, how did you end up in the Civilization Sanctuary? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be coming?” Su Yuemian inquired. “There was a last-minute change, and Master also divined a celestial omen, faintly sensing danger, so he asked me to come and see if I could resolve this impending catastrophe,” Lu Yuan offered a casual excuse. “Junior Brother Li, how did you manage that just now!” Kong Ni was the most agitated. He had clashed directly with the Son of Demon and knew his terrifying power, especially within the Myriad Demon Extinction Array, where his demonic might was unparalleled; Kong Ni himself was no match. He never expected Li Taishi to succeed. “That is the merit of Zheng,” Lu Yuan decided to attribute everything to Zheng. The alias Li Taishi meant he didn't need too much fame; any credit should be pushed onto Zheng. Since the others had no experience with Primordial Characters, they couldn't possibly know their true might. In truth, while Zheng deserved credit, so did Lu Yuan’s own capabilities. If it had been another Ninth or Tenth Heaven World Realm cultivator wielding Zheng, they still might not have overcome the Son of Demon. After all, Lu Yuan possessed incredibly potent personal mana and formidable combat power, coupled with Level Ten Righteous Qi, allowing him to perfectly channel Zheng—something others could not manage. Therefore, this victory was equally a testament to his own substantial contribution and the power of Zheng.
The Myriad Demon Extinction Array finally vanished completely. The residual demonic energy from the array was transformed by Lu Yuan into ten thousand Heaven-tier Spirit Stones, increasing his current stash to fifty-two thousand. It was an absolute windfall. With the array gone, the remaining individuals returned to normal. Once normalized, the news spread quickly from the many mouths present: the Son of Demon had appeared. And the tale of Li Taishi, wielding the Primordial Character Zheng, defeating the Son of Demon in a frontal assault, naturally spread throughout the Civilization Sanctuary.
“Did you hear? The Son of Demon has appeared.” “What? The Son of Demon is here too? He is the most mysterious among the Seven Sons of Fortune. I heard his strength is certainly not inferior to the Son of Immortal, the Son of Martial Arts, or the Son of Dharma.” “And I heard this person is extremely cunning and hard to deal with. With someone like him appearing, he must have a grand plot, right?” “You aren't entirely wrong. The Son of Demon first targeted Kong Ni and Kong Mingde of the Confucian Civilization. He set up the Myriad Demon Extinction Array, defeating Kong Ni and Kong Mingde, and reportedly has an even more shocking conspiracy brewing. Rumor has it the Son of Demon intends to challenge the Son of the Wilderness.” “Then the Son of Demon is sure to succeed.” “You’ve underestimated things there. The Son of Demon failed.” “Kong Ni and Kong Mingde are remarkable, but for the most mysterious among the Seven Sons of Fortune, the Son of Demon, to plot against them with the Myriad Demon Extinction Array, they surely couldn't stand a chance.” “Normally, that would certainly be the case, but apparently, a Li Taishi suddenly appeared—the newly accepted disciple of the Vice-Master of the Confucian Civilization—and actually repelled the Son of Demon in direct combat.” “That’s impossible.” “The Son of Demon is one of the most powerful of the Seven Sons of Fortune; how could he be so easily defeated?” “That Li Taishi held the Primordial Character Zheng, which perfectly counters the Son of Demon, which is why he won.” “I see.” For a time, this news spread like wildfire in the surrounding regions. The defeat of a figure like the Son of Demon in open battle was an earth-shattering event; naturally, everyone was shocked. Instantly, the name Li Taishi became widespread. Previously, Li Taishi had almost no reputation. However, people also focused on the key element: the Primordial Character Zheng. Many credited the victory entirely to Zheng, unaware of the immense battle strength Li Taishi displayed in this engagement, which had deeply startled and impressed the Son of Demon himself.
Not far away, atop the Gall Bladder Mountain, the Son of Immortal stood, possessing an aura of transcendent purity. The demeanor and temperament of the Son of Immortal were actually quite similar to the Son of Demon—one represented the celestial, the other the demonic—but in other respects, they were alike. The Son of Immortal stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “Even the Son of Demon has been defeated. I didn't expect the Confucian Civilization to produce such an extraordinary figure. This person named Li Taishi seems to possess great potential. This time, the Civilization Sanctuary has indeed drawn many masters.” The Gall Bladder Mountain suppressed an endless, surging torrent of toxic water; the Gall is known for detoxification. Although the Son of Immortal stood above it, he had not truly claimed the benefits of the Gall Bladder Mountain, as there was an old rival present: the Son of Dharma.
Endless, profound sorceries exploded in the void. These spells were like the fundamental principles of heaven and earth, slightly superior even to those cast by the Imperial Son of the Dharma Sage. “Ah, ah, Son of Dharma, you truly are impatient.” In the void, the Son of Immortal and the Son of Dharma battled fiercely for ownership of the Gall Bladder Mountain. A clash between two of the Seven Sons of Fortune was certainly a spectacle to behold, though there were virtually no onlookers nearby; the others had long been swept down into the toxic waters below the mountain. In essence, both the Son of Immortal and the Son of Dharma utilized spells. The former merely layered them with the profound essence of immortality, calling them Immortal Arts—a subtle difference, but not a significant one. Fundamentally, this battle was between the two strongest spellcasters among the Seven Sons of Fortune. ……
Atop the Willpower Mountain, Lu Yuan conjured infinite flames, refining a patch of exquisitely beautiful Chaos Civilization Fragments, similar to those refined from the Lake of the Stomach. Now it was time for division. Kong Ni and the others had contributed somewhat to securing this area; at least they had repelled others attempting to reach the Willpower Mountain. Furthermore, Lu Yuan felt grateful that Kong Ni had once lent him the Kong Sage Heart Sutra, so the division was straightforward: Lu Yuan took eighty percent, and the others took twenty percent. These people owed their lives to Lu Yuan, and the debt of salvation was immense; they expressed no dissatisfaction with this division.
After dividing the Chaos Civilization Fragments, Lu Yuan treasured and secured them deeply within his new Sword World. These would be invaluable after reaching the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm, able to boost his combat prowess and assist in his ascent to the Civilization Realm. How could they not be important?
Kong Ni asked, “Junior Brother Li, we are heading to the other important strongholds now, like the Gall Bladder Mountain and the Sea of Guts. Will you join us?” Masters from the same faction usually traveled together for mutual support. Lu Yuan shook his head. “I have other matters to attend to, so I will not be moving with you senior brothers and sisters.” How could he travel with them? He hadn't even found the Chaos Gall Crystal yet. He needed to remain on the Willpower Mountain to search for it. Naturally, he couldn't accompany them. His current goal was to break through to the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm.
Hearing Li Taishi refuse, Kong Ni and the others offered a few more words of persuasion before leaving, only cautioning, "Junior Brother Li, be exceptionally careful." And Lu Yuan began his renewed search for the Chaos Gall Crystal. (Second update.)