The Seven Star Array, with seven people against the Son of the Desolation alone, had yet to decide a victor.

The ferocity of Lu Yuan's one-versus-six battle clearly paled in comparison to the Son of the Desolation’s one-versus-seven. The other six—the Son of Law and the Son of Martial Arts, among others—were not the issue; it was Hua Fasheng who was overwhelmingly powerful, and the Son of the Desolation was even stronger than Hua Fasheng.

Lu Yuan glanced at the massive fight overhead; it remained deadlocked.

The anti-Desolation Alliance members were still pursuing the Desolation Alliance members. Lu Yuan swallowed a draught of top-grade spiritual medicine called the Innate Righteousness Soaring Cloud Powder, obtained from the Confucian civilization. After consuming this supreme elixir, Lu Yuan felt his magical power recover significantly, and the restoration was still ongoing.

He immediately leaped upwards, arriving directly in the thick of the Seven Star Array battle.

Previously, it had been seven against one.

Hua Fasheng, the Imperial Scion of the Law Saint, the Son of Law, the Son of Martial Arts, Kong Ni, Feng Xingxing, and the Imperial Scion of the Great Axe—seven individuals arrayed against the Son of the Desolation.

Now, with Lu Yuan’s addition, it became eight against one.

The sudden inclusion of Lu Yuan caused the Son of the Desolation to remain formidable and utterly unafraid. He let out a long shout: "Those from the Desolation Alliance below need not panic. Once I have slain all eight of these above, victory will naturally belong to the Desolation Alliance." The Son of the Desolation, already radiating divine might, caused many of the Desolation Alliance’s Half-Step Civilization Realm experts, who had been fleeing, to return, reigniting the conflict. The anti-Desolation Alliance and the Desolation Alliance clashed anew, though this time, the latter was clearly at a disadvantage.

The Son of the Desolation faced eight opponents without fear: "Lu Yuan, you are quite remarkable to win a fight of one against six. You even killed the Jade Emperor. I underestimated you; you indeed qualify as my stepping stone." The Son of the Desolation still did not regard Lu Yuan as an equal opponent, viewing him merely as a necessary platform for his ascent. In fact, the previous Lu Yuan had been nothing more than an ant in his eyes.

Lu Yuan let out a cold sneer: "Son of the Desolation, you have been supreme for too long. Back in Jianmen, when you tried to kill me, you were majestic. Now, it is time for your end." Lu Yuan calculated that he was currently at the tenth level of the World Realm, while the Son of the Desolation was Half-Step Civilization Realm. Their moves were comparable, and with his Counter-Word Avatar, he should gain a slight advantage.

The Son of the Desolation scoffed: "You think you are worthy of ending me?" His Primordial Divine Halberd thrust out, resembling a Green Dragon lunging with its claws, bearing down upon Lu Yuan.

In that instant, Lu Yuan vaguely perceived a Dragon of Civilization roaring and charging toward him.

Nearly three years ago at Jianmen, a casual strike from the Son of the Desolation was only comparable to an ancient divine dragon; now, a casual strike hinted at the shadow of a Civilization Grade. Unbelievable!

Lu Yuan dared not take it lightly. He infused his Nourishing Self Immortal Sword with the Sword of Countering Desolation, causing the two blades to nearly merge into one. He unleashed his strongest strike yet forged against the Desolate Ancient Civilization! This sword encompassed all his accumulated rage against the Desolate Ancient Civilization and his anger toward the Son of the Desolation. Simultaneously, Lu Yuan channeled the tenth layer of Righteousness Energy into the blade to protect his sword, for his was an Immortal Grade weapon against a Divine Grade artifact—the enemy’s armament was superior in rank.

The Primordial Divine Halberd and the Nourishing Self Immortal Sword collided heavily.

Boom!

A massive force washed over Lu Yuan, forcing him back several hundred zhang. The Son of the Desolation, however, retreated by only a little over a hundred zhang.

Unacceptable!

A fierce shock jolted through Lu Yuan’s mind. He had used his Counter-Word Avatar and the Sword of Countering Desolation, yet he could not suppress the Son of the Desolation. Based on that single exchange, he was clearly not the Son of the Desolation’s match. What was happening? Lu Yuan was suddenly alarmed. While he usually managed to gain the upper hand against those from the Desolate Ancient lineage, facing the Son of the Desolation now, he gained no advantage whatsoever.

Lu Yuan immediately recreated that strike in his mind, analyzing the exchange, and finally understood. In that split second, his Counter-Word Avatar attempted to restrain the Son of the Desolation but found itself unable to function. The Son of the Desolation possessed an immense, boundless power that prevented his avatar from manifesting its full effect.

The Counter-Word Avatar’s rank was still insufficient! His avatar was only at ten percent potency; if it could reach around thirty percent, he should be able to suppress the current Son of the Desolation.

Despite cultivating for so long and engaging in decisive battles against numerous masters, he still fell short of the Son of the Desolation.

Before the next decisive battle with the Son of the Desolation, he absolutely had to advance the power of his Counter-Word Avatar to ensure the Son of the Desolation's demise.

The Son of the Desolation was also inwardly startled. Lu Yuan’s progress was astonishingly fast. Three years ago, Lu Yuan was someone he could dispatch in a single move; judging by the current display, Lu Yuan might hold out for a few dozen moves now. As the Child of the Epoch, having a contemporary last a few dozen moves against him was the highest form of praise. The Son of the Desolation gave Lu Yuan a deep look, clearly acknowledging the ant's status and no longer dismissing him as mere vermin.

Seeing this, Hua Fasheng also mused that Lu Yuan had become incredibly strong, even surpassing the Son of Law and the Son of Martial Arts. The original Seven Star Array could not handle the Son of the Desolation, but now, the combined effort of eight individuals would make dealing with him far less difficult.

Instantly, the eight united, launching an assault upon the Son of the Desolation. Lu Yuan's demonstration of formidable power ensured that their combined efforts held a significant upper hand.

Throughout this engagement, Lu Yuan clashed with the Son of the Desolation several times. With every exchange, Lu Yuan felt his sword struck by a massive iron hammer. However, as long as the opponent could not shatter his blade, Lu Yuan knew he would be stronger next time. Simultaneously, he keenly felt the Son of the Desolation’s peerless might.

Lou!

At that moment, his Heart Mountain throbbed violently.

Previously only partially activated, the Heart Mountain was now fully opened.

In a flash, the Son of the Desolation vanished, reappearing directly above the Heart Mountain. Hua Fasheng, Lu Yuan, and the other seven immediately gave chase. Everyone could now see the Son of the Desolation’s intent: to seize the Chaotic Civilization Shards from the Heart Mountain. What audacity! At such a critical juncture, the Son of the Desolation used his broad, mountain-like back to deliberately absorb a strike of law from Hua Fasheng and a sword attack from Lu Yuan, even as he snatched a portion of the Heart Mountain's Chaotic Civilization Shards and fled, disappearing without a trace.

The Son of the Desolation exhibited absolute strength in this move, claiming the shards and escaping; pursuit was now impossible.

Hua Fasheng descended. "Two tenths were taken." Lu Yuan felt a pang of frustration that even at this moment, the Son of the Desolation managed to seize two tenths of the Chaotic Civilization Shards.

Hua Fasheng smiled faintly: "The Son of the Desolation is the Child of the Epoch, possessing boundless destiny. However, this time, we forced him to secure only two tenths of that destiny. This must be the most humiliating event since his emergence. We ought to be pleased." This statement was undeniably true.

Next came the distribution of the Chaotic Civilization Shards.

Hua Fasheng contributed the most to this effort. Had he not pinned down the Son of the Desolation, the others would have been instantly obliterated by him—even the vastly improved Lu Yuan was no match for the Son of the Desolation. Hua Fasheng naturally deserved the largest share. Yet, after taking about two tenths, he ceased. Hua Fasheng smiled slightly: "My Civilization Plate is nearly complete; I don't require more." With that, he sat cross-legged, concentrating on refining his Civilization Plate. Moments later, his aura grew even more potent, imbued with an increasing sense of civilization, as if he were composing a hymn of magical civilization.

The second largest share went to Lu Yuan. By fighting six alone, he had changed the tide, and later, by joining the fray to force the Son of the Desolation away with an eight-against-one assault, his contribution was immense. Lu Yuan also received two tenths of the Chaotic Civilization Shards. This portion, about the size of a washbasin, far surpassed what he had gained from the Gall Bladder Mountain or the Stomach Lake; the comparison was not even relevant.

With such a large amount of Chaotic Civilization Shards, Lu Yuan made no ceremony of accepting them, integrating them into his Civilization Plate. After refining so many shards, he felt his soul undergo a subtle qualitative change, and his magical power grew stronger.

He was indeed stronger now.

Moreover, his Civilization Plate was now significantly filled—he estimated it was about forty percent complete. The Civilization Plate required less material than the amount of Chaotic Civilization Shards produced in a single Heart Mountain activation.

After distributing the shares to Hua Fasheng, the greatest contributor, and Lu Yuan, four tenths of the Chaotic Civilization Shards remained.

The other Half-Step Civilization Realm experts divided about three tenths among themselves, while the remaining one tenth went to the World Realm masters at the tenth and ninth levels. Naturally, this was not a massive amount, but it was sufficient to boost their strength somewhat. After refining the Chaotic Civilization Shards, everyone's power increased slightly.

This entire endeavor was an encouragement to their morale. By fighting together, they had managed to defeat the Child of the Epoch, the Son of the Desolation, and simultaneously triumphed over the Desolation Alliance, reaping numerous benefits. Although the Son of the Desolation managed to snatch away two tenths of the shards at the end, nothing is perfect; this was merely a minor blemish.

......

The benefits within the body of the Chaotic Civilization Beast began at the mouth and concluded at the Heart Mountain. The battle just fought represented the final climax within the Sacred Land of Civilization.

The Imperial Scion of the Law Saint landed beside Lu Yuan: "Two hours after the Heart Mountain opens, all of us will be automatically expelled from the Chaotic Civilization Beast’s body. Looking at the time, we still have a while left. We can move about individually for now, but we must remain cautious, guarding against a counter-attack from the Desolation Alliance." It was precisely because they feared a counter-attack from the Desolation Alliance—especially the boundless destructive power of the Son of the Desolation, against whom none, including Hua Fasheng and Lu Yuan, could stand in a one-on-one fight—that they did not venture far. The remaining two hours were not that long. When the two hours elapsed, an immensely powerful force struck. This overwhelming power instantly seized everyone at the Heart Mountain, and everyone else within the Chaotic Civilization Beast, pulling them back. Everyone realized they could no longer control their bodies; Lu Yuan too felt himself enveloped by an ineffable, powerful energy.

The strength of this force was unimaginably great.

Under its influence, Lu Yuan was swept along, ascending through the esophagus, moving backward along the path they had entered. They were on the verge of exiting the Sacred Land of Civilization.