"I wonder where Lu Yuan has gotten off to?" the Wine Immortal murmured, his brow furrowed in thought. "Indeed. Lu Yuan is quite adept at hiding," Fei Wei remarked.

"But we are all searching for him within the Kunpeng World, so he can't hide for long. Furthermore, the Curse Master Ouyang Tuo of the Wu Clan seems to have acquired a sample of Lu Yuan's blood," Fei Wei continued. "Ouyang Tuo excels at blood curses, so Lu Yuan won't escape for much longer." Lu Yuan, overhearing their discussion, showed little reaction.

It was time to practice the character 'Lazy' (Lan). With a casual wave of his hand, he declared, "Gentlemen, I have other matters to attend to. I shall take my leave now." Fei Wei, eager to curry favor with this rising figure from the Confucian Civilization, couldn't help but smile.

"Brother Li, aren't you joining us to capture Lu Yuan?" Capturing himself—Lu Yuan felt a cold sweat prickle his neck. "No, I have pressing matters elsewhere." Lu Yuan vanished instantly. Mu-rong Honglei watched him go, her expression perfectly blank.

Internally, however, she seethed with frustration, furious that she had been slightly bested by this person from the Confucian Civilization. According to the ancient teachings of the Qin Civilization, she should never lose to anyone from the Confucian camp. Mu-rong Honglei clenched her hand tightly, her palm turning slightly pale.

....... Meanwhile, after bidding farewell to these five Heavenly Ranking giants, Lu Yuan wandered about aimlessly. His current strength placed him roughly around the fifth position on the Heavenly Ranking.

Next on his agenda was the character 'Lazy' (Lan). How should one cultivate the character 'Lazy'? He decided to recall the days shortly after first arriving at Mount Hua—the laziest period of his life.

His master, Li Yuanbai, hadn't been overly strict. He often just ambled around, idly exploring and enjoying a life of ease. Back then, his days were spent sleeping in or foraging for wild game across Mount Hua with Ye Fang and Ye Yuan.

That period was certainly disastrous for Mount Hua's local wildlife. As he was deep in recollection, a sudden, deep tremor resonated from the core of his being. This throbbing intensified, exploding outward; his very blood began to surge.

What was happening? Lu Yuan immediately activated the Great Karma Iron Law, causing a spectral Karmic Disc to materialize before him. His mastery of the Iron Law of Karma was deepening, and upon summoning the disc, he sensed the shadow of sorcery.

It felt as if someone was cursing him. He immediately recalled Fei Wei's earlier words about Ouyang Tuo possessing his blood. If the curse was indeed blood-based, his suspicion was correct.

It must be Ouyang Tuo, the Fourth on the Heavenly Ranking, the Curse Master. He had indeed secured a sample of his blood. Since Ouyang Tuo was a Curse Master, he was likely using the blood sample to track him now.

A sharp alarm pierced Lu Yuan's mind. If that were the case, his disguise as Li Taishi was now useless. What should he do at this juncture?

Lu Yuan struck out into the void, commanding, "Reverse Karma, Invert Heaven and Earth!" He launched the Iron Law of Karma, intending to sever the curse being cast by Curse Master Ouyang Tuo. The sorcerer's curse was currently stimulating his blood, but Ouyang Tuo likely hadn't seen through his current guise—the identity of Li Taishi. However, Ouyang Tuo was ranked fourth on the Heavenly Ranking and renowned for his sorcery.

While his Karmic Iron Law could block the curse temporarily, holding out for long might prove impossible. How did he lose blood to Ouyang Tuo? Ah, during the sect ranking battles, he must have coughed up a significant amount of blood.

It was likely from that time. For now, he needed to revert to his original identity from the Li Taishi persona. If he didn't change back soon, he would be exposed.

Lu Yuan instantly detonated a vast amount of Primordial Qi, disrupting the surrounding environment. Moments later, he fashioned a dummy of Li Taishi to fly away, while Lu Yuan himself casually reappeared, finally reclaiming his true identity. Barely had he resumed his own form than a gigantic, peerless grey bird, blotting out the sky, hurtled toward him with lightning speed.

As the immense grey bird descended, it instantly transformed into a man—handsome, possessing an imposing aura, a middle-aged figure standing as resolute as a peak and as deep as a mountain. Beside this man was Ouyang Tuo, whom Lu Yuan had seen through the Great Karmic Disc, and another figure, a middle-aged diviner seated atop a tortoise shell. "I am the Kunpeng King," declared the middle-aged man with the most commanding presence, his voice deep and powerful.

Ouyang Tuo chuckled slyly, "I am Ouyang Tuo." The diviner seated on the tortoise shell finally introduced himself, "I am Fang Zhou." The lineup: the Kunpeng King, ranked second on the Heavenly Ranking; Ouyang Tuo, ranked fourth; and Fang Zhou, ranked seventh. What a dazzling assembly. Facing this trio, Lu Yuan could only curse his bad luck.

His current strength was slightly inferior to both the Kunpeng King and Ouyang Tuo, but superior to Fang Zhou. Ouyang Tuo fixed his gaze on Lu Yuan, his sly laugh returning. "You are indeed good at hiding, but alas, you left blood behind.

With that sample in my possession, you cannot remain hidden for long." The Kunpeng King looked at Lu Yuan. "Lu Yuan, withstand my strike." He brought his palm down in one movement intended to blanket the heavens and shroud the earth—the opening move of his ultimate technique, the Kunpeng Palm. Lu Yuan summoned his Yang My Immortal Sword to meet the attack.

Upon impact, Lu Yuan was forced back several steps. The Kunpeng King was visibly surprised. "Eh?

Your ranking on the Heavenly List isn't even in the twenties, yet you possess such strength?" Previously, the strongest opponent Lu Yuan had defeated in this guise was the Heavenly Soul Mage, leading everyone to assume Lu Yuan ranked in the low twenties. The Kunpeng King had expected to capture Lu Yuan in a single move, but his initial contact revealed Lu Yuan's profound martial skill. Ouyang Tuo and Fang Zhou were equally astonished, having never expected Lu Yuan to possess such power.

However, Ouyang Tuo let out a series of strange laughs; with Lu Yuan's blood in hand, he had many tricks up his sleeve. He began to chant, "By the power of the Wu Clan, Ancestral Gods of Wu, all Wu worship—offering blood sacrifice..." As Ouyang Tuo chanted, Lu Yuan felt his own blood undergoing a transformation, one entirely beyond his control. He couldn't fully exert his strength, and he was currently engaged in combat with the Kunpeng King, ranked second.

Already weaker than the Kunpeng King, the curse dragged his strength down further, making him no match at all. The Kunpeng King unleashed one devastating Kunpeng Palm after another. Fang Zhou also joined the fray, and with Fang Zhou's addition, Lu Yuan's pressure mounted tremendously.

In mere moments, he was struck by a palm from the Kunpeng King, and before Lu Yuan could react, countless feathers lashed out and bound him completely. After capturing Lu Yuan, the Kunpeng King reached out with both hands, but stopped short, groaning in annoyance. "You also used the Life-Tethering Lock spell." Damn it, the Kunpeng King had previously captured the Son of Desolation, only for him to use the Life-Tethering Lock; now Lu Yuan had done the same.

Fang Zhou asked, "What now?" The Kunpeng King sighed. "What else can we do? Lu Yuan is the son-in-law of the Lord of the Fa Ancient Civilization; we cannot afford to offend him.

We are only seeking the Divine Splendor of Civilization. If we kill Lu Yuan now while the Life-Tethering Lock is active, we won't get the Divine Splendor. So, we can only capture him for now." The reasoning was much the same as with the Son of Desolation: this struggle was about securing resources, and now there was a chance to obtain the Divine Splendor.

Killing him would eliminate that opportunity. An epoch rarely produced more than two bodies of Civilization; killing the host without profit while incurring the wrath of numerous Civilization Lords was not something the Kunpeng King would foolishly do. Ouyang Tuo sidled over with a sinister grin.

"It doesn't truly matter. I can employ the Wu Swarm Technique. Although this technique takes longer to execute, once complete, both the Son of Desolation and Lu Yuan will obediently hand over their bodies of Civilization." This was precisely why the Kunpeng King and the others hadn't delivered a killing blow; they had Ouyang Tuo's backup plan.

Ouyang Tuo continued, "We also need to guard against the third and fifth ranked individuals. We must find a secluded, undiscovered location quickly to enact my Wu Swarm Technique." "That is simple," replied the Kunpeng King. It was simple because they were in his Miniature Thousand World—his domain, his law.

Such hidden spots abounded, for instance, the Kingdom of the Extreme Sea. This nation lay at the very bottom of the Kunpeng World, accessible only after navigating numerous Fish Nations. It was heavily fortified, guarded by many of the Kunpeng King's lieutenants, and comprised of labyrinthine defenses.

Even the third and sixth ranked figures on the Heavenly List would find entry difficult. The Kunpeng King, Ouyang Tuo, and Fang Zhou flew downward. Upon reaching the water's surface, the Kunpeng King manipulated the Water Barrier.

In moments, the three of them vanished without a trace. At that precise moment, a figure materialized within the watery realm. This person was exceedingly thin, so frail he looked as if a gust of wind might topple him.

He possessed virtually no presence. This was in fact Fang Zhui Shou, the Shadowless Man, ranked fifth on the Heavenly Ranking. Fang Zhui Shou frowned deeply.

"The Kunpeng King truly has skill within his own world. Even I couldn't keep up. If this weren't the Kunpeng World, he couldn't achieve this feat either." Ever since the Kunpeng King and the others had fought the Son of Desolation, the Shadowless Man had been searching for an opening, but even after the Son of Desolation was defeated and captured, he found not the slightest opportunity.

Yet the Shadowless Man persisted, hoping to find some future chance. He never anticipated that Ouyang Tuo would utilize Lu Yuan’s blood to pinpoint Lu Yuan's location—clearly, this maneuver had been prepared in advance, waiting only for the capture of the Son of Desolation before being deployed to ensnare Lu Yuan. During that process, Fang Zhui Shou hadn't found even a sliver of an opportunity.

Fang Zhui Shou felt deep dissatisfaction. Must he allow both bodies of Civilization to fall into the hands of the Kunpeng King's trio? If that happened, he would be utterly displeased.

It seemed he too needed to seek an alliance—Mu-rong Honglei was one candidate, and the third-ranked figure was another. ....... Lu Yuan realized he had encountered an acquaintance, the Son of Desolation!

And the Son of Desolation was in a most peculiar state! (To be continued)