Just as the Ghostly Secret Immortal Mace of the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son surged down, Lu Yuan was looking up.

Looking up toward the heavens, toward the very apex of the sky.

Up there, a top-tier battle was raging.

The Seven Star Grand Array, centered around Hua Fa Sheng, was locked in confrontation with the Desolate Son, alone.

The Desolate Son was so strong; the current Desolate Son was already ranked among the top fifty on the Heavenly List of Powers, yet he himself was still far from enough.

When would he be able to challenge the Desolate Son, and defeat him?

The Immortal Mace Emperor's Son sneered inwardly when he saw Lu Yuan daring to be distracted while fighting him. Lu Yuan’s strength was already inferior to his, and now he still dared to lose focus—truly courting death. He activated the ultimate technique of his Mace Art, the Ghostly Secret Immortal Mace streaking directly toward Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan couldn't help but evade a blow or two. He had truly been shaken by the Desolate Son's might. Since entering the Sacred Land of Civilization, his own strength had been steadily advancing, but he realized the Desolate Son’s strength was also progressing relentlessly. The Desolate Son was definitely the greatest nemesis of his life, truly a formidable opponent. However, Lu Yuan felt no fear; on the contrary, he felt a surge of invigorating excitement.

Excellent!

Desolate Son, you are strong, but I will be stronger!

You are destined to fall by my hand.

It was only then that Lu Yuan snapped back to his senses. Unconsciously, countless eerie mace shadows had materialized around him. The Ghostly Secret Immortal Mace of the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son spanned ten thousand zhang, capable of continuous redirection and transformation. It had now woven a net of maces around Lu Yuan, pinning him in the center.

What bizarre mace shadows! The last time he encountered the Mace Art, he had felt its uncanny strangeness, and now it was confirmed. Lu Yuan slowly adapted to this Mace Art. The Myriad Manifestations Forest of Swords Dao was the most adaptable of sword doctrines against all forms of attack. The mace shadows swept past in the void, one after another.

Finally, he had adapted almost completely. Lu Yuan discerned the key characteristic of the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son's Mace Art: it was inherently strange and elusive, its myriad changes defying pattern recognition. However, there was a minuscule thread of rule: after every sharp turn, the joints of the mace would momentarily "catch" or pause. Though this pause was extremely brief, it was enough to exploit for many purposes.

The voice of the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son echoed: "Lu Yuan, daring to be distracted while fighting me is truly seeking death. Now, die for me." In that instant, the Mace transformed into countless phantoms—this technique of Mace Phantoms had been pushed to its absolute limit, intended to deliver a fatal blow to Lu Yuan. In the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son’s view, Lu Yuan’s persistent distraction merited his demise; it was Lu Yuan's own fault. Of course, even if Lu Yuan hadn't been distracted, the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son was certain he could have killed him anyway.

In that crucial moment, the Death Mace Shadow arrived directly at Lu Yuan's brow.

"Distracted? What a joke. That was composure." Lu Yuan's sword rested horizontally before his brow, blocking the strike.

"Oh? You blocked that blow?" The Immortal Mace Emperor's Son showed a flicker of surprise. Lu Yuan had actually blocked his killing strike. But he quickly dismissed it: "You will still die by my hand." He suddenly accelerated his Mace Art, making it even more bizarre and elusive, like countless thrashing snakes dancing around Lu Yuan.

Kill Lu Yuan!

He must kill Lu Yuan!

Lu Yuan was the great enemy of the Mace Dao!

And everyone could see Lu Yuan's rate of growth.

If allowed to develop further, he would surely bring about a great catastrophe for the Mace Civilization.

So, die!

His mace technique was pushed to its absolute zenith.

Furthermore, given his own strength as the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son, dealing with a mere Lu Yuan should be incredibly simple.

Just as the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son’s attack peaked, Lu Yuan’s sword light instantly sprang forth.

This sword carried three parts sorrowful parting, three parts yearning affection, three parts breathtaking brilliance, and one part supreme arrogance! This sword was named, Inquiry of Emotion!

This sword technique had been forged recently while he was in the Confucian Civilization, born from his longing for Mount Hua and the Sword Spirit Empress Ji. This sword contained the sentiment of mentorship and the emotion between a man and a woman, thus forging the Inquiry of Emotion! Once unleashed, the sword momentum flowed like a continuous drizzle, autumn wind and rain soaking to the bone, making evasion impossible.

This technique was also categorized among the Strange Sword Doctrines, ranking as its third sword.

And now, as Lu Yuan executed this Inquiry of Emotion, the sword light—composed of three parts parting sorrow, three parts yearning, three parts splendor, and one part hubris—seemed to cleave through the thirteen joints of the Ghostly Secret Immortal Mace with the very force of the parting sorrow. These thirteen joints were normally invisible, only manifesting as a brief catch during the mace's turns, and Lu Yuan struck violently during that exact moment of pause, piercing all thirteen joints and crippling the Ghostly Secret Immortal Mace.

Having succeeded with that single strike, the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son had not yet reacted. Lu Yuan followed up immediately, sword light after sword light erupting. Facing a Half-Step Civilization Realm master, Lu Yuan showed no contempt. These successive strikes were faster than the last, and speed was not their only virtue; each was a masterful sword move.

Sword One, Ephemeral Splendor Flashing Past the Eye! New Sword Two, Guardian! Sword Four, Void! Sword Five, Sole Sword! Sword Six, Deterring Heaven!

Lu Yuan’s current output, enhanced by the Wind-Sucking Shadowless Worm, was already two tenths faster than before, and now it was astonishingly quick.

Before the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son could even register a response, he was heavily battered, heavily pierced, heavily wounded, and heavily killed by Lu Yuan!

Yes, death!

Sword Six, the tyrannical Deterring Heaven! This strike utterly annihilated the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son. The Mace Emperor's Son let out a final scream as the massive sword light blasted into his body. He finally realized he had reached the end of his life. He truly never expected to die at the hands of a sword wielder. He hailed from the Mace Civilization, habitually looking down upon those from the Sword Sects. Due to the innate relationship between the mace and the sword, he had hunted countless sword practitioners in his life, none of whom could withstand three moves of his Mace Art. He utterly disdained swordsmen, yet in the end, he perished by the sword.

What is this? That was his final thought as the body of the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son crashed heavily to the ground, dead.

And all of this happened too fast, so fast that no one present could react.

Clearly, at the very beginning, the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son had been suppressing Lu Yuan; how did Lu Yuan suddenly counterattack and slay him? The speed at which the situation reversed stunned everyone present. After a long pause, people finally remembered: the figure Lu Yuan had just slain was a Half-Step Civilization Realm expert!

Half-Step Civilization Realm! That was the absolute pinnacle below the Civilization Realm.

Yet, he had been brutally executed by Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan, how strong is he really? How could he kill a Half-Step Civilization Realm master in the blink of an eye?

Many people now harbored doubts. The Son of the Sword was clearly far weaker than Lu Yuan. How could Jian Wenchang be the Son of the Sword? The true Child of the Sword Dao must be Lu Yuan, possessing the demeanor of such a prodigy. In terms of strength, he was certainly no inferior to the Sons of Immortality, War, or Law.

Lu Yuan lightly flicked his sword: "The Immortal Mace Emperor's Son? Nothing special. Not worth mentioning."

What imposing might! What grandeur! What formidable presence!

Lu Yuan raised his hand and swept the assets of the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son into his own new Sword World. As a distinguished Emperor's Son of the Mace Civilization, his wealth was naturally immense.

"You—you dare kill the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son of our Mace Civilization," stated an Emperor's Son standing nearby named Jian Yue Di Zi.

Lu Yuan retorted sharply: "Why shouldn't I kill him? Your Mace Civilization and our Sword Dao have long been mortal enemies. Whether I kill him or not, the deep feud is already set. What difference does it make?" There was, perhaps, a slight difference: from now on, the Mace Civilization would relentlessly pursue Lu Yuan until death. Unless they were within the Ancient Civilization, Lu Yuan could be hunted down and executed by the Deputy Master of the Mace Civilization wherever he appeared. But Lu Yuan truly didn't fear this. Yes, the Deputy Master of the Mace Civilization was powerful, but he intended to kill the Immortal Mace Emperor's Son regardless. That was his nature.

With the slaying of an Immortal Mace Emperor's Son, the pressure on the Anti-Desolation Alliance suddenly eased, and the situation marginally stabilized.

Now, at this juncture, who dared to claim Lu Yuan was not a frontline combatant?

He was solid, ironclad frontline strength!

Previously, some senior Half-Step Civilization Realm experts within the Anti-Desolation Alliance had looked down on Lu Yuan, but now they dared not. Lu Yuan’s performance was utterly brutal, savagely beyond description.

At the very top, Feng Xing Xing, the youthful-faced figure in the Seven Star Grand Array, still had the leisure to glance below. Oh, this is actually interesting; Lu Yuan has become so powerful.

The Emperor's Son of Law also felt regret. He had initially opposed the Emperor's Son of Fa Sheng and confronted Lu Yuan. Now that Lu Yuan was this formidable, the Emperor's Son of Law regretted not cultivating a good relationship with him. It seemed he would need to visit his sister, the Sword Spirit Empress Ji, more often in the future to build rapport with someone like Lu Yuan.

The Desolate Son observed the battle below. Lu Yuan’s current combat power still didn't truly enter his sight, but he did note Lu Yuan’s astonishing growth. This growth rate was only slightly slower than his own—promising, but alas, he was destined to die within the Sacred Land of Civilization. The Desolate Son violently swung his Primordial Desolation Halberd again, and the pressure on the seven members of the Seven Star Grand Array increased.

Heng Zhan looked at Lu Yuan, filled with boundless emotion. Also hailing from a Supreme Great Sect, Heng Zhan had broken through once in the Sacred Land of Civilization, reaching the Ninth Heaven of the World Realm, finally qualifying to participate in the final battle, albeit as a mere pawn in that grand confrontation—an honor rarely seen even among Supreme Great Sects, quite prestigious.

Yet Lu Yuan, also from a Supreme Great Sect, had forcefully ascended to frontline status in the final battle and could even slightly shift the tide of conflict. How ferocious!

The Celestial Saint Empress Ji, a Half-Step Civilization Realm expert from the Heavenly Mother Civilization, looked at Lu Yuan. She had previously heard from her younger sisters in the Civilization that Lu Yuan was an excellent candidate for becoming a stud for the Heavenly Mother Civilization. Now it seemed to be true; she needed to find an opportunity to make Lu Yuan their stud.