After bidding farewell to the Martial Son, Lu Yuan flew straight ahead. Now, with that bizarre weapon in hand, obtaining the other six Chaos Crystals would not be difficult. The next destination would be Kidney Mountain.

After all, Kidney Mountain was not too far from where he was. Lu Yuan flew straight on until he finally saw Kidney Mountain. It was an extremely towering mountain range, colored crimson, as if scorched by fire.

This was Kidney Mountain. He needed to find the Chaos Kidney Crystal here. Just as Lu Yuan was about to start working, he suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly powerful divine sense sweeping across the surroundings, as if the Four Seas were entirely under its dominion.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but raise his head, and in doing so, he saw an incredibly majestic figure. Standing atop Kidney Mountain seemed to be an incomparably mighty person whose aura was so profound it suggested sovereignty over all creation, as if he were the sole true god, the only existence between heaven and earth. The Four Seas, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Central Heavenly Dynasty, the Great Thousand World—all seemed destined to fall under this man's rule.

For anyone with slightly weaker magical power or a frailer spirit, encountering such an aura might instantly compel them to surrender at this person's feet. The one standing atop Kidney Mountain was an innate sovereign, an invincible ruler. Lu Yuan’s spirit was exceptionally strong, so he felt no urge to submit; instead, he appraised the man on the summit.

This figure on Kidney Mountain was clad in the Nine Dragon Imperial Robe, the nine dragons seeming ready to leap forth from the fabric. The man wore the Crown of Emperors, radiating endless majesty. Who was this man?

Lu Yuan had never encountered anyone with such an aura, such commanding presence—a rare sovereign indeed. A wave of energy shot down from the mountain peak, blasting towards Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan's sword slid halfway from its sheath, blocking the wave in the void, managing to withstand the blast.

However, the energy was still quite formidable. Lu Yuan surmised this man must be at the Half-step Civilization Realm. In this era, Half-step Civilization Realm experts weren't overly common, so which one could this be?

The figure on the summit let out a soft "Yi," acknowledging Lu Yuan’s display of formidable combat power during the block. "A sword wielder, not the Son of the Sword, yet so powerful. You are Lu Yuan." The one in the Nine Dragon Imperial Robe stated with certainty.

"Correct," Lu Yuan nodded. "And you are?" "The Jade Emperor," the figure in the Nine Dragon Imperial Robe replied. The Jade Emperor!

What a domineering name. Lu Yuan was unaware that this Jade Emperor was no simple figure. Many eons ago, during the era when Immortals reigned supreme and Immortal Dao destiny was flourishing, the Ancient Immortal Civilization established the Heavenly Palace.

The first master of the Heavenly Palace, the Haotian Supreme Deity, still survived, having reached the Civilization Realm, serving as a Civilization Vice-Lord, majestic through eternity. The second master of the Heavenly Palace was the Jade Emperor. During the Jade Emperor's reign, numerous major events transpired, the most notable being the disturbance caused by the Stone Monkey.

That affair caused quite a stir, involving many great figures, even those at the Civilization Realm, operating behind the scenes—the entire incident reeking of profound strangeness. Throughout the Jade Emperor's tenure, there were many inexplicable anomalies, many shifts in power, many incidents akin to the Stone Monkey affair. Under such circumstances, the fact that the Jade Emperor maintained his position as the Heavenly Emperor demonstrated his formidable means and capability.

And now, the Jade Emperor had reached the stage of the Half-step Civilization Realm, his strength considerable, surpassing even that of the Desolate Saint Imperial Son. The Jade Emperor gazed down at Lu Yuan below Kidney Mountain, and Lu Yuan looked up at the Jade Emperor in return. The Jade Emperor stood with his hands clasped behind his back and spoke casually, "I am now atop Kidney Mountain.

The Chaos Civilization Crystal of Kidney Mountain is here. If you have the ability, come and fight. Let me see the strength of the successor of the Eighth Child of Destiny—how many moves you can withstand under my hand." Lu Yuan shrugged.

He couldn't be bothered with the Jade Emperor. It was obvious that he couldn't defeat the Jade Emperor right now. Moreover, truthfully, his primary objective wasn't the Chaos Civilization Fragment, but solely the Chaos Kidney Crystal to break through to the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm.

This basically didn't conflict with the Jade Emperor, so wasting time fighting now would be pointless. Therefore, Lu Yuan didn't ascend the mountain at all. Instead, he moved to a location where the Jade Emperor’s divine sense could not sweep, brought out that strange weapon, and began mining the Chaos Kidney Crystal.

This bizarre weapon in his possession was too peculiar; its power within the body of the Chaos Civilization Beast was extraordinary. Such a priceless treasure was best kept hidden, lest others see it—what a waste that would be. Bang!

The first strike! The true power of this strange weapon was far, far weaker than that of the Myriad Blades Weapon of the past. It took a full three thousand two hundred strikes to chip off a single Chaos Kidney Crystal.

After securing the Chaos Kidney Crystal, Lu Yuan swept his divine sense into it. What a perfectly formed Chaos Kidney Crystal this was. Perfect!

Perfect! Utterly perfect! Its perfection was almost beyond description.

Compared to this, his own life form was too simplistic. Having obtained the Chaos Kidney Crystal, and sensing he stood no chance against the Jade Emperor above him, Lu Yuan left without another word, riding his sword away swiftly, cleanly, and directly. On the summit of Kidney Mountain, the Jade Emperor had been watching Lu Yuan the entire time.

Although there was a period when his divine sense couldn't penetrate, he had observed Lu Yuan's arrival. Lu Yuan came cleanly and left cleanly. Why did he come?

Why did he leave? The Jade Emperor mused internally. "He came because he likely intended to snatch the Chaos Civilization Fragment from Kidney Mountain.

He left because he likely couldn't defeat you, Your Majesty," the Grand White Venus suggested beside the Jade Emperor. The Grand White Venus was quite aged, with white hair, and possessed the strength of the Ninth Heaven of the World Realm. "Is that so?" The Jade Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, falling into thought.

This Civilization Sacred Land competition was far more intense than previous ones. In the past, the contenders were usually established and well-known figures, like the Desolate Saint Imperial Son or the Dharma Saint Imperial Son, who could generally dominate the scene. This time, however, things were entirely different.

The Seven Children of Destiny had all appeared, and most of them now possessed the strength to defeat the Dharma Saint Imperial Son and the Desolate Imperial Son. Furthermore, there was a super prodigy like the Son of Desolation, whom even the Jade Emperor himself could not defeat. Then there was Hua Fasheng, a figure renowned in the past, who had reappeared, along with numerous reclusive figures believed to be dead.

This session would be exceptionally brilliant! However, although Lu Yuan held immense potential, he must be suppressed by the Jade Emperor in this current Civilization Sacred Land; he absolutely could not surpass him. The Jade Emperor, an established Half-step Civilization Realm expert, was not joking.

Even the Desolate Saint Imperial Son and the Dharma Saint Imperial Son were slightly inferior to him. It would be laughable if even Lu Yuan couldn't be suppressed. ...

He had encountered two masters in succession: the Martial Son and the Jade Emperor. The Martial Son possessed the magical power of the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm, while the Jade Emperor was clearly a Half-step Civilization Realm expert. Both of their battle strengths surpassed his own.

Lu Yuan felt immense pressure. There were truly an unusual number of experts in this Civilization Sacred Land. Not to mention the figures at the very pinnacle, like the Son of Desolation and Hua Fasheng, but even the Martial Son, the Son of the Immortal, the Son of the Dharma, the Jade Emperor, and others all possessed combat strength greater than his.

He needed to rapidly increase his strength and reach the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm quickly; only then could he gain greater benefits within the Civilization Sacred Land. Now, only five locations remained. Lu Yuan immediately flew towards Spleen Mountain.

Few people were near Spleen Mountain; the vital energy there was exceptionally fierce, complex, and disruptive, as if super experts had clashed here. Occasionally, he heard some people discussing matters. "Did you hear about the battle that just took place?

It was incredibly fierce." "Indeed. The Son of Desolation against Hua Fasheng. Both of those are super powerhouses." Hearing this, Lu Yuan’s spirits lifted.

Hua Fasheng was known as the foremost figure below the Fifty Heavenly Rankings, while the Son of Desolation was called the Child of the Epoch. How fierce must their clash have been? He wondered who won.

Lu Yuan lingered to listen for a while, gathering intelligence. He learned that Hua Fasheng and the Son of Desolation had fought to a draw—neither managed to defeat the other. A draw!

Lu Yuan paused slightly. If these two were evenly matched, the subsequent situation in the Civilization Sacred Land would become even more volatile. Never mind that.

Regardless, he first needed to secure what he required here. He flew to an uninhabited spot and began digging. The strange weapon in his hand swung incessantly, and finally, he obtained the Chaos Spleen Crystal.

Securing another Chaos Spleen Crystal—truly excellent. Onward to the next location. The structure within this Chaos Spleen Crystal was simply perfect.

The life form it represented was magnificent, and the function of the spleen was maximized. From this, one could imagine how powerful the spleen of the original Chaos Civilization Beast must have been. The next location was Liver Mountain.

Liver Mountain was also a massive mountain range. On Liver Mountain, two great experts were currently locked in battle: the Son of the Immortal and the Son of the Dharma. Limitless spatial magic exploded outward.

Lu Yuan witnessed intricate magical techniques he had never seen before. This was the true manifestation of the strength of the Son of the Immortal and the Son of the Dharma—magnificent! Truly, truly spectacular.

Of course, Lu Yuan didn't linger long. His priority now was obtaining the Chaos Crystals; let others fight over the Chaos Civilization Fragments. Besides, truthfully, if he were to contend for them, he really couldn't defeat the Son of the Immortal and the Son of the Dharma.

Currently, the combat strength of those two likely surpassed his own. (Chapter One delivered. Uh, does the title of this chapter, and the Jade Emperor, give everyone the feeling of transitioning into a Hong Huang or Feng Shen novel?) (To be continued).