Consequently, Lu Yuan truly expended the most effort dealing with the Jade Emperor.

After defeating the Jade Emperor, dealing with Li Xiong Dizai, even though Lu Yuan was wounded, he scarcely gave it a second thought.

Lu Yuan did, in fact, conceal a killing move, one perfectly suited for the immensely strong Li Xiong Dizai.

This killing move was Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm.

Previously, he had never been able to truly unleash the might of Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm.

Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm, had the primary function of assimilating the surrounding world into a world of swords. But it possessed another crucial function: focusing the power of the Minor Sword Realm onto the sword for a sudden eruption. This technique required the Ninth Heaven of the World Realm, the Unity Stage, because only then could one project the power of a Minor Thousand World through the blade. The Minor Sword Realm, after all, was a Minor Thousand World.

Originally, Lu Yuan could have utilized this technique the moment he reached the Ninth Heaven of the World Realm, Unity Stage.

However, upon reflection, what was Lu Yuan doing when he attained that level? He was at the Lake of the Stomach. When he defeated the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son there, he had no need to employ this technique. Next, at the Mountain of the Gall, facing the Son of Demons, he relied primarily on the power of the character 'Zheng' () to sweep his foes; there was no necessity to resort to this sword strike either.

Thus, this strike was held back, and held back, and held back, until this very moment.

It was held back until Li Xiong Dizai relied upon his superior physical strength to cleave at him.

Lu Yuan merely scoffed at the display of brute force. Your strength may be immense, but can it withstand the power of my two Minor Thousand Worlds?

Wait, there was one other thing he had forgotten: the fragments of the Chaos Civilization.

Upon breaking through to the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm, he had heard rumors of the appearance of the Wheel of Civilization, which could house the Chaos Civilization Fragments and augment one's strength. He had heard long ago that every figure on the Fifty Heavenly Rankings possessed a Wheel of Civilization brimming with these fragments, resulting in a massive surge in combat power.

After reaching the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm, he had immediately rushed towards the Heart Mountain, fearing even a moment’s delay, and thus had no time to concern himself with the Wheel of Civilization.

Once combat erupted, there was simply no room to spare a thought for it. The pressure exerted by the Jade Emperor, that ambitious warlord of heaven and earth, had been simply too immense, too suffocating.

Only upon the Jade Emperor's death did the weight upon him suddenly ease.

It was precisely because of this ease that he now had the leisure to consider the matter.

Action followed thought. While parrying Li Xiong Dizai's attacks, Lu Yuan scrutinized his own Divine Soul. Amidst the essence of his soul, he discovered an object radiating brilliant light. This object resembled a disc, faintly imbued with the scent of civilization—this must be the Wheel of Civilization. Lu Yuan deposited all the Chaos Civilization Fragments he had gathered from the Lake of the Stomach and the Mountain of the Gall into it.

The moment they were introduced, a profound change began.

Lu Yuan faintly perceived an indescribable force emanating from the reaction between the Chaos Civilization Fragments and the Wheel of Civilization—a power so potent it nearly suffocated him.

That power could effortlessly extinguish Immortals, slay Gods, ruin Buddhas, and murder Demons.

That power could shatter Minor Thousand Worlds, and even contend against the very fabric of the Great Thousand World itself.

Immortal power, Divine power, Buddhist power, Demonic power, Monster power, Confucian power—even the power of the Great Thousand World—could not stand against this force.

Lu Yuan suddenly understood: this was the power of Civilization.

The reason those in the Civilization Realm were so formidable was that they commanded this power, which transcended all others.

The Chaos Civilization Fragments stored within the Wheel of Civilization faintly generated a minuscule trace of this power—perhaps one part in a hundred million. Yet, even that infinitesimal fraction was astonishing. Utilizing this sliver of energy carefully could yield immense benefits in battle.

His Wheel of Civilization had only absorbed such a small quantity of fragments, yet it already hinted at such strength, boosting his combat power.

No wonder the top fifty on the Heavenly Rankings could surpass the strength of other Half-Step Civilization Realm experts. Once the Wheel of Civilization was filled, this power could increase to one part in ten thousand. The resulting intensity would be unimaginable, certainly incomparable to any ordinary Half-Step Civilization Realm cultivator.

He resolved to fully stock his Wheel of Civilization first before attempting to break through to the Civilization Realm. He was profoundly intrigued by this power that reigned supreme over all beings and all energies.

Boom!

Li Xiong Dizai’s axe once again smashed into Lu Yuan’s sword. He watched Lu Yuan flung far away, feeling an intoxicating triumph. Lu Yuan had been too arrogant before; he yearned to devour Lu Yuan’s flesh, believing it would bring ultimate satisfaction.

A sharp gleam flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes. Now possessing the Wheel of Civilization and Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm, his strength had soared: “Li Xiong Dizai, you’ve enjoyed yourself, haven’t you? Do you feel incredibly powerful? In terms of sheer strength, I can’t match you. Your method of channeling the power of your Minor Thousand World into your axe for that strike was certainly exaggerated and impressive, but is it truly so remarkable?”

“Now, it is my turn.”

Lu Yuan sent forth a sword strike.

This strike was not fast; it moved at a speed comparable to Li Xiong Dizai’s.

But this sword strike was majestic. More than just magnificent, it was a blow that threatened to swallow the world! Infused within this single strike were his innate New Sword World and the Minor Sword Realm, two Minor Thousand Worlds woven together, hurtling toward Li Xiong Dizai. Li Xiong Dizai naturally perceived that Lu Yuan’s attack was extraordinary, but he was the Li Xiong Dizai, famed for his power, never afraid of a direct confrontation. How could he possibly fear a mere Lu Yuan?

The axe, weighing seven million catties, collided violently with Lu Yuan’s immortal sword.

Two forces, both powerful enough to defy the heavens, clashed with ferocious intensity. Boom! Li Xiong Dizai felt a monumental, cosmos-like power surge violently from Lu Yuan’s blade. The ferocity of this energy made him feel as if even his absolute limits were about to buckle.

Boom! Like a cosmic tide, Li Xiong Dizai was violently flung backward. His face was etched with horror: “How can your power and immortal energy possibly be more formidable than mine?” The Civilizations of Strength and Axe were renowned for having the most robust immortal energy. Li Xiong Dizai had always prided himself on this, yet here he was, utterly crushed in his greatest area of expertise. How could he accept this?

Lu Yuan blew lightly across his sword: “You always wanted to eat my flesh, so my killing you is hardly unjust. As for why my immortal energy is more robust than yours, why should I tell you?”

Lu Yuan pressed forward, sword following sword, engaging Li Xiong Dizai in a direct clash, blade for blade.

Boom! Lou! Boom!

Each sword strike elicited a booming sound as Lu Yuan relentlessly pursued Li Xiong Dizai: “Li Xiong Dizai, die for me!” This was a strike meant to end his life. Li Xiong Dizai could only defend and defend again, but now he realized that the strength he had always boasted about was utterly useless against Lu Yuan. He was being relentlessly suppressed, beaten back again and again.

The immortal sword, weighing mere thousands of catties, clashed against the seven-million-catty axe.

In terms of sheer weight, the axe held an undeniable advantage, yet it was the slender, narrow longsword that was gaining the upper hand.

This seemingly absurd event was unfolding as undeniable reality.

Li Xiong Dizai was battered all over; two distinct streams of immortal energy had invaded his body. Each was incredibly sharp, like two peerless divine swords continuously piercing deep within him.

Lu Yuan spun his hand, and his Nourishing Immortal Sword executed its supreme, tyrannical technique: Sword Six, Tyrannical Might Shakes the Heavens! As this sharp strike shot out, Lu Yuan discovered the sword was actively drawing in ambient vital energy. Countless experts were battling on Heart Mountain, causing the vital energy to fluctuate wildly, and at this instant, Lu Yuan actually managed to harness the energy from all those nearby into this single strike. At this moment, countless people on Heart Mountain stared dumbfounded—This is even possible?

Having absorbed so much vital energy into one blow, Lu Yuan’s confidence swelled. He now possessed two Minor Thousand Worlds, augmented by the ambient energy drawn from the numerous experts fighting nearby. This amounted to nearly three Minor Thousand Worlds. His current strength vastly surpassed Li Xiong Dizai’s.

This was a strike of unparalleled dominance, a blow whose terror exceeded all previous attacks. In terms of sheer majesty, this was the most magnificent and commanding strike Lu Yuan had ever delivered. Li Xiong Dizai, already gravely wounded from the preceding exchanges, felt a surge of despair facing this final assault.

Sword Six descended with brutal force. Li Xiong Dizai intercepted it with his axe, but this single blow ruthlessly shattered the weapon. Impossible! Li Xiong Dizai’s axe was no common artifact; it was forged from the Five-Colored Divine Stone—a material used by the secondary deity of the Celestial Mother Civilization, the Sky Mender, to repair the heavens. The secondary deity of the Celestial Mother Civilization was a unique position; when the heavens fractured, she was the one called upon to mend them. Thus, the Five-Colored Divine Stone was far from ordinary. Yet, Li Xiong Dizai’s axe, made of this material and immensely sturdy, was violently cleaved in two by Sword Six.

This strike, unmatched in its dominance, did more than break the axe; it continued with immeasurable grandeur, cleanly bisecting Li Xiong Dizai into two halves.

With this, the Li Xiong Dizai, one of the six great Half-Step Civilization Realm combatants, was dead.

It was incredible. A figure renowned for his brute strength, Li Xiong Dizai, was utterly suppressed and defeated by Lu Yuan in the very aspect he prided himself upon. This was beyond bizarre; achieving this feat was almost unbelievable. Below the Civilization Realm, very few individuals could manage such a thing.

Now, three of the six experts had perished: Zhu Renyu, Li Xiong Dizai, and the Jade Emperor. One had escaped: the Desolate Saint Emperor's Son.

Only two remained: Tong Yun Chou and the Son of the Immortal.

Undoubtedly, the battle was essentially over by this point. If he couldn't defeat all six before, how could the remaining two possibly succeed?

Lu Yuan was set to win this fight.

Lu Yuan allowed a faint smile to grace his lips, then coughed up a mouthful of blood. His own injuries were severe, though lighter than during the Sect Ranking Battle. “Tong Yun Chou, Son of the Immortal, are you two next?” There was a principle of repaying debts of gratitude and settling scores of vengeance, and now was the time for both. His opponents barely possessed the strength to fight back; merely two of them remained. (To be continued.)