That Heaven and Earth level of power was, in essence, the power of the Civilization Deputy Lord level.

And the power that transcended Heaven and Earth, the might of several epochs, suddenly pressed down. Although the distance was vast, Lu Yuan felt on the verge of suffocation.

The Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization—he had arrived!

And he intended to crush Lu Yuan across the void!

Lu Yuan wanted to evade, but Yun Xiuxue was beside him, and her strength was far inferior to his own.

Therefore, Lu Yuan proudly drew his sword, simultaneously realizing that the opponent’s attack was purely spiritual energy. Thus, he pushed the character 'Zheng' () to its absolute limit in that instant. 'Zheng' was the ultimate spiritual defense, yet even it felt like it could not hold.

It wasn't just Lu Yuan; throughout the entire Fagu World, this immense, ancient realm, this power detached from epochs was unleashing its might. What awe-inspiring force this was! It pressed down so heavily that everything below the Civilization Realm neared collapse. Only the Fayi Emperor Son and the Meng Hu Empress of the Civilization Realm were not suffering as severely.

Everyone felt it! This was it!

In that very second, a power emerged that was more weathered, more ancient, more magnificent, a transcendent force defying all description. This power, existing across countless epochs, erupted instantaneously, sweeping away the supra-epochal might of the Ancient Desolation Civilization.

"Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization, since when has the domain of this civilization been yours, a junior, to meddle in? You truly have guts." A voice boomed from the heavens. Although both were Lords of Civilizations, the Lord of the Fagu Civilization was vastly older than the Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization.

Of course, the Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization could not be underestimated either.

For here lay a secret.

The secret of the Epoch Lords.

Two boundless, supreme supra-epochal forces clashed and wrestled in the void.

"I was wondering what leverage you, Ancient Desolation, possessed to dare trespass upon my doorstep. So, you've comprehended more secrets of the Epoch Lords. No wonder." The voice of the Lord of the Fagu Civilization reverberated through the void, vast as the Milky Way. His words made Lu Yuan pause.

Epoch Lords!

The secret of the Epoch Lords!

This had always been a nagging question for him. He had heard before that each epoch had one Epoch Lord, but he had never encountered one. He often wondered if they were all hiding somewhere—but why would a cohort of Epoch Lords hide? That seemed too dull. This was a point of persistent doubt for Lu Yuan.

And now, the words of the Fagu Civilization Lord hinted at the secret of the Epoch Lords—it was certainly strange.

The Lord of the Fagu Civilization roared into the void: "Only if you fully master the secret of the Epoch Lords can you stand as my equal. For now, you are still too green, Ancient Desolation." These were words of immense arrogance; certainly, no more than ten people in the entirety of heaven and earth dared speak to the Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization in such a manner.

And the Lord of the Fagu Civilization was one of them.

Lu Yuan listened, completely baffled. Seeing his confusion, Yun Xiuxue, whose origins and experience were extraordinary, explained the context: "Above the World Realm is the Civilization Deputy Lord. Above the Civilization Deputy Lord is the Civilization Lord. And above the Civilization Lord is the Eternal Lord."

"What about the Epoch Lord?" Lu Yuan asked, momentarily stunned. If this hierarchy was true, did that mean Epoch Lords didn't exist?

"The Epoch Lord is the master of an epoch; only one can be born per epoch," Yun Xiuxue replied. "Once one reaches the Civilization Realm, their strength is measured by epochs—First Epoch, Second Epoch, Third Epoch, and so on. Each epoch increases one's power, but mastering the secret of an Epoch Lord grants an immediate boost of ten epochs worth of power."

"That is the Epoch Lord—an instantaneous surge of ten epochs of power. It's a pity that only one can exist per epoch." "In truth, the Epoch Lord is essentially a Civilization Lord. Those spanning one to ten epochs are called Civilization Deputy Lords, and those from ten to twenty epochs are Civilization Lords. Because the Epoch Lord benefits from a ten-epoch power bonus, they are usually direct Civilization Lords. However, this epoch seems to have an anomaly: the Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization only attained the power of five epochs, with the power of five other epochs lost somewhere. Thus, this epoch has never had an Epoch Lord. Nobody knows where those five epochs went, and countless powerful beings across all realms are searching for that five-epoch power, as possessing it means an immediate surge in strength." "The Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization only secured five epochs of power; despite his own immense cultivation, he is still no match for my father…" Yun Xiuxue murmured in explanation.

"Furthermore, both Civilization Deputy Lords and Civilization Lords can only live for a limited lifespan—say, ten epochs for a Deputy Lord, and twenty for a Lord. Hence, everyone hopes to become an Eternal Lord, who is invincible and incorruptible through all calamities. Yet, no Eternal Lord has ever existed since antiquity. Only the Gate of Eternity stands firm, so as time wore on, hope faded. It seems even Civilization Lords cannot become Eternal Lords; the Eternal Lord is merely a hazy legend, pursued frantically only by madmen or Civilization-level figures nearing the end of their lives." Lu Yuan listened to Yun Xiuxue, finally grasping the intricacies of the situation in a formalized manner.

Much of this knowledge was not taught in the Supreme Great Sects, as the people there simply wouldn't know so much.

Lu Yuan felt a surge of excitement. For now, he had to aim for the Civilization Realm first. Once there, he could then strive for the powers of the numerous epochs. That supra-epochal strength was truly overwhelming.

In the battle raging through the void, the Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization seemed to be at a disadvantage.

The Lord of the Fagu Civilization, a veteran Civilization Lord, was indeed exceptionally formidable.

The supra-epochal forces collided again in the void. Lu Yuan suddenly felt a stream of power engulf him. Before he could react, he found himself outside the Fagu World. However, Lu Yuan realized he wasn't among the enemy ranks; near him stood the Fayi Emperor Son, the Meng Hu Empress, and a supremely imposing middle-aged man.

This supremely imposing middle-aged man stood there, appearing only slightly taller than an average person, yet Lu Yuan instinctively felt this individual was as vast as a galaxy. Every part of him held the secrets of Heaven and Earth—no, he transcended the secrets of Heaven and Earth. This entire realm could not contain his greatness. His eyes were like twin stars, possessing a depth that even the Nine Nether Worlds could not fathom.

Greatness, magnificence, boundlessness—all adjectives failed to describe him.

This middle-aged man stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

A fingertip emerged. That single digit seemed to embody the highest truth of mystic arts. Everyone else—Hua Fasheng, Fayi Emperor Son, Meng Hu Empress—all understood mystic arts, but compared to this man, they were worlds apart. Hua Fasheng was far inferior to this man’s single finger.

The Lord of the Fagu Civilization!

Lu Yuan also noticed another middle-aged man standing not far away. This man was bare-chested, radiating an indescribable wildness, as if he himself represented the very essence of the Great Desolation. Every inch of skin on this bare-chested man possessed an ineffable perfection; not a single flaw could be found upon him—he was far more perfect than Heaven and Earth itself. The eyes of this bare-chested man were like twin flames—no, like two burning planets, seemingly intent on incinerating everything between heaven and earth. Indescribable, unimaginable.

This was the Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization!

The confrontation between these two Civilization Lords was the apex battle of the Central Heavenly Dynasty's might.

And in the skirmish just concluded, the Lord of the Fagu Civilization had clearly gained a slight advantage.

"Ancient Desolation, you dare act so arrogantly, daring to come to this Fagu Civilization World of mine and threaten the beloved of my daughter? Truly audacious." Clearly, even though the Lord of the Fagu Civilization had never shown himself, he was fully aware of the relationship between Lu Yuan and Yun Xiuxue, and not only aware—he approved of the union. This was a direct acknowledgment.

The Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization replied: "Your daughter's beloved has slain figures in the Sacred Land of Civilization, including the Jade Emperor of the Immortal Ancient Civilization, the Li Xiong Emperor Son of the Power Civilization, Zhu Renyu of the Heavenly Law Civilization, the Copper Saint Emperor Son of the Bronze Civilization, the Tree Saint Emperor Son of the Tree Civilization, and the Poison Saint Emperor Son of the Poison Civilization, among many others." Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned. He admitted killing the former figures, but the Tree Civilization and Poison Civilization—what involvement did they have? He hadn't realized that after he fought six opponents and before participating in the Seven Stars Battle for the Son of Desolation, he had struck twice more, slaying two Half-Step Civilization Realm experts: the Tree Saint Emperor Son and the Poison Saint Emperor Son.

Moreover, the individuals Lu Yuan had killed were no ordinary characters; even a Half-Step Civilization expert was meticulously cultivated by an entire civilization. Lu Yuan had killed so many.

Under normal circumstances, private feuds were prohibited in the Sacred Land of Civilization. But Lu Yuan had killed too many this time, and coupled with the Ancient Desolation Civilization's desire to annihilate him, they disregarded this rule. They mobilized numerous powerful figures across the realms to cause trouble for Lu Yuan. Furthermore, Lu Yuan utilized a power that could restrain the force of Desolation, which the Arid Saint Emperor Son had sensed twice. Hence, the Ancient Desolation Civilization could not tolerate Lu Yuan living.

Boom! A powerful figure descended. This giant was endowed with boundless strength, like Pangu reborn, carrying an immeasurably large axe on his back—the power to split heaven and earth with a single swing. And he truly possessed this ability. The Deputy Lord of the Power Civilization, being the direct disciple of Pangu, had arrived.

At some unknown point, another great figure materialized: the Deputy Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization, an equally troublesome entity.