As he fled, the Lord’s Prison began to manifest. His opponent, the Deputy Chief of the Integrity Civilization, did notice, but his gaze was first absorbed by the Lord’s Prison itself. Secondly, his strength was roughly equal to that of the Deputy Chief of the Annihilation Civilization, so if the latter wished to flee, he could not stop him.

The Deputy Chief of the Three Books Civilization’s attention was also completely captured by the Lord’s Prison, and he did not notice the escape of the Deputy Chief of the Annihilation Civilization for a moment.

Thus, the Deputy Chief of the Annihilation Civilization managed to escape quite smoothly for a time.

He may have escaped quickly, but others were not so fortunate. When the Lord’s Prison was fully formed, the Deputy Chief of the Three Books Civilization and the Deputy Chief of the Integrity Civilization were filled with unexpressed grief and fury. With a sweep of their hands, the two mournful Deputy Chiefs executed all the masters within the Heavenly Principles Civilization, locking up the weaker ones with threads of supreme Dharma power. Even in their rage, the two Deputy Chiefs of the Confucian Civilization did not engage in a massacre.

Next came the clean-up work, which mostly involved tending to the wounded and burying the dead.

These tasks were primarily handed over to those at the Heavenly Venerate level. The casualties suffered by the Confucian Civilization this time were not considered extensive.

Lu Yuan soared into the sky, and Kong Ni and Kong Mingde followed him up.

The Deputy Chief of the Three Books Civilization was now essentially the master of the Confucian Civilization; only a final ceremony remained. However, the Deputy Chief of the Three Books Civilization, whose position had risen slightly, was clearly not entirely pleased: "Thirty years. The time allotted to us is thirty years. Deputy Chief of the Integrity Civilization, you will handle everything over the next thirty years. I must enter secluded cultivation."

Kong Ni, Kong Mingde, and the others were momentarily stunned.

The Deputy Chief of the Three Books Civilization explained, "I served alongside the Deputy Chief of the Heavenly Principles Civilization for a period. He is a ruthless and extraordinary figure, and since betraying the Confucian Civilization, he has become even more so. The Lord’s Prison can only confine him for thirty years; after thirty years, he will be able to break free. He currently possesses the power of the Eighth Epoch, while I only have the power of the Sixth Epoch. To preserve the Confucian Civilization then, I must elevate my strength."

"Moreover, the Deputy Chief of the Heavenly Principles Civilization threatened to dismember the Deputy Chief of the Confucian Civilization and distribute the pieces to various masters. He is truly capable of such a thing, so I absolutely must increase my power." The Deputy Chief of the Three Books Civilization transformed into a streak of light and vanished instantly, clearly having departed for his seclusion; he could not afford to waste a single moment.

Lu Yuan felt like he was going mad hearing this!

This… this was actually true.

If so, the time remaining for him was only thirty years.

Within thirty years, he must surpass the Deputy Chief of the Heavenly Principles Civilization.

Otherwise, the Deputy Chief of the Confucian Civilization would be dismembered!

What utter rage this evoked!

The Deputy Chief of the Confucian Civilization had shown him some kindness.

He absolutely could not allow this to happen!

He must increase his strength!

Precisely because he felt the absolute necessity to advance his power, Lu Yuan did not linger in the Confucian Civilization. Time was running out for him—thirty years, and he needed to be able to surpass someone with the power of the Eighth Epoch. This was an impossibly monstrous difficulty, yet he had no choice but to attempt it! To enhance his strength now, he first needed to cultivate the Hundred Failures Scripture. He had already gathered sixteen failures; so, who should he approach next?

Among the five Ancient Civilizations and thirty general civilizations, he had made quite a few enemies, but very few true allies. Chang'e—she was a Deputy Civilization Chief, but he had missed the opportunity to spar with her back then, and now he couldn't find her easily.

Alternatively, he could go to the Wind Civilization.

His relationship with the Wind Civilization should be decent. He had good ties with Feng Xingxing, Feng Mingyi, and Feng Mingyue of the Wind Civilization. Feng Xingxing should be able to put in a good word for him. Having made up his mind, Lu Yuan flew directly toward the Wind Civilization.

While Lu Yuan was heading to the Wind Civilization, the news of the battle between the Heavenly Principles Civilization and the Confucian Civilization was spreading like wildfire. A war between civilizations had not occurred in this realm for a long time, and now that it finally had, the news was propagating everywhere with intense interest. This battle had three major points of fascination.

First, it was a long-awaited clash between civilizations, which the populace watched out of novelty and excitement.

Second, it was the fate of the Deputy Chief of the Confucian Civilization and the Deputy Chief of the Heavenly Principles Civilization. The emergence of the Lord’s Prison, which would confine the Deputy Chief of the Heavenly Principles Civilization for thirty years, fascinated many. Moreover, quite a few individuals striving to break through to the Civilization Realm heard that they could claim a portion of the Civilization Grade after thirty years. Indeed, obtaining even a fragment of the Civilization Grade—say, an arm or an eye—could significantly boost one's power. Countless people were thrilled by the prospect of acquiring these fragments in thirty years and were eager to participate in the division.

Third, there was the battle involving Li Taishi against Zhu Tianren and Wang Xueze. Although Zhu Tianren and Wang Xueze were insignificant compared to the Deputy Civilization Chiefs, they were absolute behemoths in the World Realm—giants on the Heavenly Ranking. Simply uttering their names could make the Heavens tremble. To see two Heavenly Ranking giants engage in battle, or even just one, was enough to effortlessly crush anyone not listed on the Heavenly Ranking. The gap between a Heavenly Ranking giant and those not listed was immense.

It was entirely plausible that Li Taishi, who had defeated the Demon Son, could be crushed.

But what was the outcome of this battle?

The result was astonishing: Li Taishi had slain the two Heavenly Ranking giants, Zhu Tianren and Wang Xueze!

The fall of Heavenly Ranking giants—two of them!

This was almost unbelievable.

Yet, facts were facts. Following the event, everyone began to analyze the background of this Li Taishi, who hailed from the Light Civilization. Could he possibly be the legendary Dark Son? Where there is Light, there is Dark; just as there is the Desolate Son, the Son of the Epoch, there must be a corresponding darkness.

However, it was commonly known that the Dark was slightly inferior to the Light and held far less fame.

This Li Taishi had previously remained obscure. Could he be the Dark Son? The long-awaited Dark Son had finally appeared. Following this, various parts of the Central Heavenly Dynasty were already calling Li Taishi the Dark Son. Legends of the Dark Son Li Taishi were spreading everywhere.

......

A certain area within the Lost Land.

This was a relatively peaceful place, covered in vibrant green grass. Such tranquil, beautiful grassy expanses were common in the Central Heavenly Dynasty but rare in the Lost Land. Here, a fight had just begun.

The combatant was an extremely enchanting woman, known as the Fox Enchantress Hu Yunyan, ranked fiftieth on the Fifty Heavenly Ranking. Her opponent was a middle-aged man clad in snow-white robes.

The battle had barely started, yet Hu Yunyan realized she was completely outmatched by this middle-aged man in white. She was utterly shocked: how could such a powerful figure have emerged so suddenly? Furthermore, he wielded a sword—the Heavenly Sword Yan Cangtian! Hu Yunyan had heard the name Yan Cangtian before but never imagined he could be this formidable.

Hu Yunyan was at an absolute disadvantage from the start, but being a master on the Fifty Heavenly Ranking, she immediately deployed the Fox Heart Sutra. She cultivated it to its peak, and as soon as she channeled it, a faint fragrance drifted through the air, enhancing the almost supernatural allure of her movements.

"Scram!" a sharp shout erupted from the handsome, perfectly featured middle-aged man in white. "You dare use such a seductive technique in front of me?"

Hu Yunyan’s face instantly turned pale; her technique had clearly been neutralized.

"My sword does not enjoy cutting women. You have three breaths to leave," Yan Cangtian stated calmly.

Hearing this, Hu Yunyan felt a surge of relief. If she left within one breath, she might survive. She clearly sensed that lingering would lead to her being slain by this handsome man. His power was terrifyingly immense; her rank of fiftieth on the Fifty Heavenly Ranking offered no resistance against him. This handsome man's strength was likely ranked in the teens, or even higher, on the Heavenly Ranking.

Heavenly Sword Yan Cangtian—what a terrifying name.

Since this fight occurred outside the main area of the Lost Land, and Hu Yunyan had not been utterly defeated but merely overpowered and had her technique broken, the Heavenly Ranking Jade Tablet did not register the battle. On the tablet, Hu Yunyan remained ranked fiftieth, not Yan Cangtian.

Yan Cangtian sat down and took a long swig from a wine flask. He was not a heavy drinker but occasionally indulged.

At that moment, he heard the faint sound of an erhu.

"Ah, Junior Brother Zhou? Come out," Yan Cangtian said.

A melancholy scholar holding an erhu appeared nearby—it was Zhou Qingxuan.

Yan Cangtian smiled slightly. "I heard you were pursued by the Desolate Son recently and couldn't win against him."

"That is correct," Zhou Qingxuan nodded. "The Desolate Son is truly a Son of the Epoch. His current strength should place him in the mid-teens on the Heavenly Ranking, and he is still improving."

"Oh, is that so? Then I truly look forward to it." A light flickered in Yan Cangtian's eyes; he clearly anticipated a duel with the Desolate Son. Of course, he more ardently wished to take the Desolate Son's head with his sword. In Yan Cangtian's view, since he was close to ascending to the Civilization Realm, a mere Desolate Son was nothing to concern himself with.

"Additionally, there seems to be a Dark Son named Li Taishi who recently appeared, the one who killed the two Heavenly Ranking giants, Wang Xueze and Zhu Tianren," Zhou Qingxuan reported.

Yan Cangtian’s expression immediately grew peculiar. "The Dark Son Li Taishi?"

"Indeed." Zhou Qingxuan’s lips curled into a smile, suggesting some amusement.

Yan Cangtian questioned, "But shouldn't the Dark Son be... me?"