One side was the Desolate Alliance, the other, the Anti-Desolate Alliance.
The Desolate Alliance held the right flank, the Anti-Desolate Alliance the left.
Lu Yuan, initially disoriented, mistakenly flew toward the right, toward the Desolate Alliance, causing a major blunder. The fastest individuals from the Desolate Alliance were Xing Ruohe and Xing Ruohai, both at the tenth heaven of the World Realm.
These two instantly caught up to Lu Yuan.
“Lu Yuan, you are finished,” Xing Ruohe declared.
“Lu Yuan, running into us brothers is your misfortune. The title of Eighth Son of Destiny ends here,” Xing Ruohai added swiftly. To explain the ability to speak during such a rapid pursuit: everyone spoke at an extremely high frequency, unintelligible to ordinary people—it would merely blend into a single sound. However, the ears of those at the World Realm could decode these ultra-high-frequency sounds clearly.
The Xing brothers were supremely confident. Both were at the tenth heaven of the World Realm; how could they possibly fail against a mere Lu Yuan? Lu Yuan was famous before, true, but during his last recorded exertion before the Sacred Land of Civilization, he was only at the sixth heaven of the World Realm. While he might have improved over the last two years, his growth would be severely limited. How could they fail against a mere Lu Yuan? If they did, it would be the height of absurdity.
Furthermore, frankly, they didn't need to defeat Lu Yuan. They only needed to hold him for three breaths. Yes, just three breaths. Then, Jade Emperor, Son of Immortals, Moonlight Buddha, and the others would arrive to strike Lu Yuan down. Unless Lu Yuan was Hua Fasheng, there would be no escape.
The Xing brothers were certain they could kill Lu Yuan, and holding him for three breaths was utterly simple, devoid of any real difficulty.
So fast!
Lu Yuan also recognized the almost unimaginable speed of the Xing brothers.
And if the Xing brothers held him for just three breaths, he would be stalled by the Half-Step Civilization Realm experts of the Desolate Alliance. In that scenario, his demise was certain.
In that instant, Lu Yuan unleashed a terrifying reserve of potential.
“Explode!”
Lu Yuan almost instantaneously pushed his essence, energy, and spirit to their absolute limits, unleashing Sword Five, The Only Sword.
Sword Five, The Only Sword, was perhaps the purest sword strike imaginable.
When this sword emerged! The sun sank and the moon fell; all radiance was withdrawn!
When this sword emerged! Love, hate, sorrow, and joy—all passions vanished!
When this sword emerged! Souls were severed and spirits shattered; all memory extinguished!
When this sword emerged! Mountains collapsed; seas and rivers were annihilated!
When this sword emerged! Heaven and earth were overturned; the cosmos ceased to exist!
When this sword emerged! The cosmos was gone, leaving only The Only Sword!
Xing Ruohe and Xing Ruohai were instantly paralyzed by the sheer momentum. They had never conceived of encountering a sword technique so purely immeasurable. Xing Ruohe, naturally aggressive, unleashed his own ultimate move: the peerless Brilliant Star River of the Supreme Constellations. This technique erupted with the power of boundless constellations in that single instant, a truly awe-inspiring move.
In that moment, the world held only endless starlight and a single blade.
It was a direct clash between the infinite power of the constellations and the sword.
Bang! A massive sound of cleaving!
The sword’s momentum was unbroken; the starlight shattered!
Indeed, in that instant of impact, Xing Ruohe’s strongest technique, the Brilliant Star River of the Supreme Constellations, was violently broken by this single sword strike. The sword’s force unabated, it ruthlessly cleaved Xing Ruohe in two—his physical form and his being split instantly. World Realm Xing Ruohe died.
Only one breath had passed! Xing Ruohe, tenth heaven of the World Realm, was slain.
The other, Xing Ruohai, was utterly stunned.
He truly never imagined such a dramatic turn. He had expected Lu Yuan to be weak, believing the Son of Desolation could easily capture him and claim great merit. Who knew that the seemingly unremarkable Lu Yuan would suddenly become so terrifying, killing even Xing Ruohe of the tenth heaven of the World Realm?
Xing Ruohai was genuinely terrified now. But a far greater reward was at hand. Just two more breaths of entanglement, and Jade Emperor, Son of Immortals, could arrive, making it simple to eliminate Lu Yuan. Xing Ruohai instantly unleashed the Endless Starry Sky Technique.
Endless Starry Sky Technique! The sky was infinite; no matter how fierce the incoming attacks, they would struggle to penetrate this defense.
But in that same instant, Lu Yuan instantly switched his technique, changing to Sword Six, Tyranny That Overawes Heaven! Sword Six, Tyranny That Overawes Heaven—upgraded through its refinement in the Evil Sword Civilization—was now far more ferocious. Instantly, the surrounding Starry Sky Yuan Qi was seized for Lu Yuan’s use. Xing Ruohai’s Endless Starry Sky Technique lost most of its power. Lu Yuan, fueled by boundless tyrannical will, drove Sword Six forward. In that moment, incomparably domineering, he actually borrowed the energy from the boundless starry sky to instantly decapitate Xing Ruohai, while the sword energy plunged into his body, extinguishing all vitality.
“H-how…” Xing Ruohai managed only the beginning of a word. Before the full thought, “How is this possible?” could even form in his mind, he was executed.
Two breaths passed.
Seeing that Jade Emperor, Son of Immortals, and others were closing in—only one breath left—Lu Yuan did not linger. He instantly mounted his sword and flew toward the direction of the Anti-Desolate Alliance. Jade Emperor and the Son of Immortals dared not pursue further; crossing into that territory meant entering the Anti-Desolate Alliance’s domain, a place they would not easily trespass.
In a flash of lightning, a mere breath later, Lu Yuan landed on the Anti-Desolate Alliance side.
Most onlookers were only now processing what had transpired. In those two breaths, Lu Yuan had unleashed two swords to slay Xing Ruohe and Xing Ruohai, two experts of the tenth heaven of the World Realm, putting him beyond the reach of the Half-Step Civilization Realm powerhouses like Jade Emperor and the Son of Immortals.
Two breaths. Two swords. Two experts of the tenth heaven of the World Realm.
This!
It was an overwhelming shock, like a massive boulder dropped into a lake, sending ripples spreading everywhere.
Someone had earlier claimed Lu Yuan was reduced to a miserable stray by the Son of Desolation. Yet, this performance suggested no stray at all; rather, his strength had soared to an unimaginable level, approaching the apex of power just beneath the Civilization Realm. At this moment, countless gazes fixed upon Lu Yuan, scrutinizing this figure. Previously, few here took Lu Yuan seriously, but the power he just displayed forced everyone to seriously reassess him.
Lu Yuan settled among the Anti-Desolate Alliance, where he recognized several familiar faces, such as the Son of Fa, Feng Mingyi, and others. However, all of Lu Yuan’s attention was drawn to the middle-aged man standing at the center.
This man possessed naturally curly, slightly white hair and exceptionally bright eyes, holding an indescribable charisma that suggested his gaze embodied the true essence of sorcery. His face carried a sense of profound experience, and his stature was imposing. With the slightest movement, it seemed countless Yuan Qi currents stirred around him. Lu Yuan vaguely sensed that beside this slightly white, naturally curly-haired middle-aged man existed tens of thousands of formations—structures woven from magical arts.
“Senior Hua Fasheng?” Lu Yuan couldn't help but call out.
“Indeed, this is Hua. And you are Lu Yuan, the Eighth Son of Destiny,” Hua Fasheng replied, observing Lu Yuan with mild curiosity. He was aware Lu Yuan was a newly risen figure of immense potential, whose future achievements might rival those of the Son of Immortals or the Son of Fa.
After exchanging courteous pleasantries with Hua Fasheng—standard greetings about mutual support and striving together—Lu Yuan spotted another figure with an aura similar to Hua Fasheng’s, though much younger. After a brief conversation, Lu Yuan learned this was the Son of Fa, one of the Seven Sons of Destiny. The Son of Fa shared Hua Fasheng’s essence but was far more handsome, tending toward a slender build, pale-skinned, dressed in snow-white robes, appearing quite fragile. Yet, being ranked among the top of the Seven Sons of Destiny suggested he was far more formidable than his delicate appearance indicated.
Lu Yuan suddenly realized with a start that he had now met all Seven Sons of Destiny.
The domineering Son of War God, the effeminate Son of Immortals, the equally effeminate Son of Fa, the rough giant Son of Martial Arts, the bizarrely unpredictable Son of Demon, the arrogant and fierce Son of Sword, and the profoundly spiritual Son of Buddha—each possessed distinct characteristics. Among them, the Son of Desolation was overwhelmingly the strongest, far surpassing the other six. However, none of the remaining six were simple opponents.
Besides these, there were numerous other experts, clearly all Half-Step Civilization Realm cultivators. Lu Yuan scanned them; he recognized most but not all, estimating there were about twenty to thirty of them. There were even more at the tenth heaven of the World Realm, and a great number at the ninth heaven of the World Realm—this was the collective strength of the Anti-Desolate Alliance.
Conversely, the Desolate Alliance possessed a similarly robust force.
Currently, the overall strength of the Desolate Alliance and the Anti-Desolate Alliance was roughly equal.
Both factions awaited the activation of the Heart, intending to seize the Chaos Civilization Fragments contained within. The tension was extreme; this location was destined to be the final battleground for the Sacred Land of Civilization. How many fragments each side secured depended entirely on this confrontation. The previous skirmishes in the Lake of the Stomach, the Sea of Intestines, the Mountain of the Liver, and the Mountain of the Gallbladder were, in truth, nothing more than warm-ups. The prelude was over; the true event had finally arrived.
However, the battle had not yet commenced, so there was a period for discussion.
While chatting, Lu Yuan discovered that one of the hottest topics of conversation involved the figure named Li Taishi.
Li Taishi was genuinely sensational. A person previously unknown had suddenly emerged and, using the rudimentary Zheng character, directly defeated the formidable Son of Demon. Defeating the Son of Demon alone was enough to secure lasting fame.