The scene in Fa-Gang Heaven was overwhelmingly bustling. This was the joyous occasion of the Deputy Lord of the Fa-Gang Civilization taking a secondary wife from a World Realm figure of the Treasure Artifact Civilization.
Quite a number of people attended this time. Many from the Fa-Gu Civilization were present.
For instance, although the Lord of the Fa-Gu Civilization did not attend personally, he dispatched his sons, the Saint Emperor Di Zi and the Emperor Zi of Fa, to this happy event. Many Deputy Lords of other civilizations, whose seniority surpassed that of the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord, were also present or had sent their trusted confidantes; after all, this was merely the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord acquiring a concubine, not a true marriage, for which greater respect would have been shown.
From the Treasure Artifact Civilization, a Deputy Lord was also sent—the Deputy Lord of the Treasure Ship Civilization. This individual was clad in a purple robe, possessing a face perpetually wreathed in amiable smiles, appearing much like a merchant.
It is said that every member of the Treasure Artifact Civilization cultivates a Natal Artifact; the Natal Artifact of the Treasure Ship Deputy Lord is a magnificent treasure ship capable of unleashing endless water-elemental power to suppress all heavens and sweep across myriad realms. Naturally, the marriage of a mere World Realm individual would not usually necessitate the personal appearance of someone like the Deputy Lord of the Treasure Ship Civilization.
However, the recipient of the marriage was different this time: the Deputy Lord of the Fa-Gang Civilization, who belonged to the Fa-Gu Civilization. This matter was no longer simply a transaction between two individuals.
It had become an affair between two major civilizations. The Treasure Artifact Civilization occupied a delicate middle ground, occasionally leaning toward one great power and occasionally toward the other.
Consequently, neither of the two major factions could afford to offend it, which explained why the Deputy Lord of the Treasure Ship Civilization appeared in person. Besides the people from the Fa-Gu and Treasure Artifact Civilizations, there were also several friends of the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord.
The Fa-Gang Deputy Lord certainly had friends, including several close acquaintances at the Civilization Realm, such as the Heavy Axe Deputy Lord from the Axe Civilization. The Axe Civilization was renowned for its sheer power and fierce dominance.
The Fa-Gang Deputy Lord had always favored forceful, potent spells. Before they had both ascended to the rank of Deputy Lord, the two had once fought, but that clash did not lead to estrangement; instead, they became fast friends afterward.
Thus, the Heavy Axe Deputy Lord also came. The Heavy Axe Deputy Lord stood nearly ten feet tall, resembling a titan, though this was a body shrunk countless times.
Every inch of his form was sculpted muscle, brimming with explosive kinetic potential and streamlined power. In addition, several other notable figures were present.
The marriage rites had already concluded; now, the large gathering was engaged in drinking and camaraderie. The Fa-Gang Deputy Lord, the Heavy Axe Deputy Lord, and the Treasure Ship Deputy Lord were engaged in boasting, each recounting their own great achievements.
After exhausting their own exploits, they began discussing individuals who might potentially reach the Civilization Realm. After all, the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord and the Heavy Axe Deputy Lord had both surpassed the World Realm and entered the Civilization Realm, occasionally reminiscing about life at that higher plane.
They also mentioned that within the World Realm, they each had one or two rivals, though they were fortunate enough to ascend while those rivals remained stalled at the World Realm. The difference between ascending to the Civilization Realm and remaining stuck in the World Realm was vast, the gap immense.
As they conversed about those in the World Realm, the discussion naturally drifted to the Child of Desolation (Huang Zhi Zi) and Lu Yuan, acknowledged as the two figures with the sharpest edge currently within the World Realm. "The Child of Desolation grows stronger by the day.
His current strength has long secured him a spot within the Fifty Heavenly Ranks, and he now ranks in the middle tier of that list. The Child of Desolation is no simple figure.
Give him time, and reaching the Civilization Realm will be a certainty. Compared to our near-death struggles and sheer luck in reaching the Civilization Realm, the Child of Desolation’s ascent will truly be too easy." "No choice in the matter; he is the Child of the Epoch, the strongest Fortune-Wielder of this era.
We cannot compare." "Lu Yuan is also remarkable, a figure rising from an Unsurpassed Great Sect, striving to this level. Speaking of which, what is Lu Yuan’s current cultivation?" the Heavy Axe Deputy Lord inquired.
"Lu Yuan is indeed an unparalleled genius, but he is still slightly inferior to the Child of Desolation, making him the second greatest genius of this age. He has recently been challenging various Civilization Realm figures, but he is always instantly killed with a single finger.
It seems he still falls short of Hua Fa Sheng," the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord replied. Hua Fa Sheng was only recently able to withstand one of his own fingers.
"If he is inferior to Hua Fa Sheng, and Hua Fa Sheng is inferior to the Child of Desolation, then naturally, he is inferior to the Child of Desolation." Just as the group was immersed in their discussions, a Civilization Realm figure—seemingly the only one of his kind in the world—entered the venue. The white-robed Emperor Zi of Fa Yi descended into the area.
The others recognized the might of the Emperor Zi of Fa Yi and offered formal bows. As the Civilization Realm figures greeted him, they paid no mind to the pale-clothed youth accompanying the Emperor Zi of Fa Yi.
Below the Civilization Realm, all are but ants. They saw no need to exchange courtesies with an ant.
The Emperor Zi of Fa Yi spoke: "Deputy Lord of the Fa-Gang Civilization, Lu Yuan wishes to challenge you. Are you prepared?" This was not meant as provocation, as Lu Yuan stood no chance against the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord.
It was somewhat for show, and the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord was aware that Lu Yuan had been continuously challenging Deputy Lords recently, so he nodded: "Very well. Lu Yuan, are you prepared?..." The Fa-Gang Deputy Lord did not rise, as it was completely unnecessary.
To stand up to address a mere World Realm person would be laughable. Nor did he make any special preparations; dealing with a World Realm opponent did not require him to stand, and even those on the Fifty Heavenly Ranks were not enough to make him rise.
He merely asked if Lu Yuan was ready. Lu Yuan placed his hand on his sword hilt: "I am prepared." Yes, it was about to begin.
His magical power had increased substantially this time, and the quality of his power had also improved to a degree. It was time to see if he could withstand the single finger of the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord.
He did not wish to be unable to even receive one finger from a Civilization Realm expert again; his preparations were complete. Those from the Fa-Gu Civilization were long accustomed to it; recently, Lu Yuan had been issuing constant challenges to Civilization Realm figures.
They were used to it. Furthermore, some astute observers guessed that Lu Yuan might be aiming to successfully block a single finger from a Civilization Realm expert.
"To block one finger from a Civilization Realm master—that is not so simple." "Senior Brother Hua Fa Sheng is lauded as the foremost expert below the Fifty Heavenly Ranks; he has cultivated for unknown hundreds of thousands of years, and he can only withstand a single finger." "The Child of Desolation is a special case, the Child of the Epoch. If Lu Yuan can truly withstand one finger right now, I truly won't believe it." Indeed, no one believed Lu Yuan.
Even the Emperor Zi of Fa Yi held an air of tentative belief, neither fully convinced nor entirely doubtful. The Emperor Zi of Fa Yi was genuinely uncertain how much progress Lu Yuan had made after practicing the Great Art of Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Origin.
The preparation was finished! The Fa-Gang Deputy Lord thrust out a single finger!
As this finger shot out, it was like an iron strike of the utmost rigidity descending upon the world! Civilization Iron was a divine substance forged at the moment of an Epoch's collapse and rebirth.
It was iron imbued with the epic poetry of civilization! The hardness of Civilization Iron surpassed ordinary iron by ten thousand, perhaps even a million times; it was nearly regarded as the hardest substance in the cosmos.
The Fa-Gang Deputy Lord’s spells were always famous for their raw force. And now, his spell had reached the extreme of ferocity, seemingly like the very Civilization Iron striking down heavily.
What a devastating blow! This strike felt like the collapse of the heavens.
Lu Yuan found that everything around him—the countless guests—had vanished without a trace. Between heaven and earth, there was only the single finger of the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord.
That one finger struck as if it were the strongest, most rigid Civilization Iron. Lu Yuan took a deep breath.
This was Heavenly Might! The moment a Civilization Realm expert struck, there was an aura of Heavenly Might!
Heavenly Might, unfathomable! Heavenly Might, terrifying!
Heavenly Might caused trembling; this single finger could annihilate gods, make Buddhas fall, terrify all demons, and slay all monsters. This was the might of a Civilization Realm finger, a level of power transcending gods, immortals, demons, and Buddhas—a Heavenly Might level of strength.
With a long shout, Lu Yuan instantly struck out with his Nourishing My Immortal Sword! Nourishing My Immortal Sword, Cloud Stance!
The Cloud Stance! This was a sword form Lu Yuan created based on his existing swordsmanship!
It was also a very recent creation, capable of being classified under the Strange Sword Dao. Recently, when facing opponents whose strength undoubtedly surpassed his own by a massive margin in the Civilization Realm, where raw magical power and terror reigned supreme, the only result of meeting their force head-on was a faster death.
The Civilization Realm far outstripped the World Realm, and his previously created Ancient Sword Dao styles were almost all based on direct confrontation, lacking defensive maneuvers or parrying techniques. Therefore, Lu Yuan had recently devoted some thought to creating the Cloud Stance based on his characteristics.
Once this Cloud Stance was unleashed, it was entirely yielding and lingering, like the emergence of endless mist and clouds. Any power striking this sword strike would automatically be diverted in countless ways, weakening the final attack.
This was the principle of the Cloud Stance. The first sword of the Strange Sword Dao was the Sword of Ten Thousand Acids.
The second sword was the Sword of Five Flavors. The third sword was the Sword of Questioning Emotion!
And now, this Cloud Stance was precisely the fourth form of the Ancient Strange Sword Dao, the Cloud Stance! It was also Lu Yuan’s first defensive sword.
Lu Yuan had never needed defense before, except now, facing the Civilization Realm, where he realized their attacks were truly too terrifying, forcing him to employ the defensive Cloud Stance. Endless clouds appeared, momentarily transforming the space into a world of white vapor.
And the Heavenly Might finger heavily struck upon this world of white clouds. The attack from the Fa-Gang Deputy Lord finally landed squarely.
Whether Lu Yuan could withstand the single finger of a Civilization Realm master hinged on this move, a strike meant to shake the surroundings and establish his parity with Hua Fa Sheng. The Emperor Zi of Fa Yi, the Deputy Lord of the Treasure Ship Civilization, the Deputy Lord of the Heavy Axe Civilization—these Civilization Realm experts—along with the Saint Emperor Di Zi and the Emperor Zi of Fa, the World Realm figures, all watched intently.
The Saint Emperor Di Zi and the Emperor Zi of Fa were now filled with admiration for Lu Yuan; facing such a Heavenly Might finger and still drawing his sword with such composure put them leagues behind him. (Second update delivered.)