Fei Wei and the Wine Immortal had essentially given up. They had initially set out to hunt down Lu Yuan, hoping to find him before any of the top ten on the Heavenly Ranking interfered. Knowing the vast gulf between themselves and the top ten, their plans were derailed when the Kunpeng King dragged them into the Kunpeng World, causing them to nearly abandon their pursuit then and there.
Murong Honglei played her zither, not for aesthetic pleasure, but to search for traces of Lu Yuan and the Son of Desolation. Although the Son of Desolation had fallen into the Kunpeng King's grasp, she had not surrendered. The eighth on the Heavenly Ranking possessed the strength befitting that rank. Her zither music spread out like an intangible hand moving through the void.
Just then, Murong Honglei abruptly stopped playing.
Because she perceived the sky was descending and the earth was cracking, and the vital energy (yuanqi) of this world was rapidly diminishing.
A moment later, Fei Wei and the Wine Immortal also noticed the strangeness of this world.
The sky was dropping, little by little, the ground split wider and wider, the rate at which the world’s yuanqi decreased grew ever faster, and numerous yuanqi vortexes even appeared in the heavens.
“What is happening?” Fei Wei asked in shock.
The Wine Immortal’s expression grew grim.
Murong Honglei was the first to reach a conclusion: “The Kunpeng World is collapsing.”
“Impossible! As long as the Kunpeng King lives, the Kunpeng World will not collapse.” Fei Wei exclaimed in horror. “The number one on the Heavenly Ranking, the Supreme Ancient Beginning, hasn't arrived here. Within his own Kunpeng World, the Kunpeng King should be invincible. Who could possibly kill him? Could it be Mo Qi Mo Su, ranked third? But Mo Qi Mo Su has been defeated by the Kunpeng King three times before, each time by the narrowest margin. It would be incredibly difficult for him to overcome the Kunpeng King, especially since the Kunpeng King has the fastest speed among all on the Heavenly Ranking. How could he be dead?”
“How is that possible?” the Wine Immortal gasped.
“Anything is possible,” Murong Honglei stated with utter calm. She gently raised her hand, and pieces of the World Wall fell one after another, landing softly in her palm. These were as light as feathers yet incredibly solid. Murong Honglei sighed softly; the Kunpeng King, second on the Heavenly Ranking, was erased.
The birds in the sky—all manner of Bird Cities and bird-like demon beasts—were going nearly insane.
These bird demons did not possess perceptions as swift as Murong Honglei’s, but the Kunpeng World was the birthplace of their generations. They naturally sensed the world’s impending collapse. Having lived here for generations, these bird demons were instantly thrown into extreme panic. Those World Realm bird demons with powerful demon strength unleashed their magical force to protect their cities, enveloping their domain. This was merely the collapse of a Minor World; it was not yet catastrophic. If an Era truly collapsed, that would be terrifying. In such an event, forget the World Realm; even the Civilization Realm experts could not shield others. That would be a universal catastrophe where only Civilization itself could escape unscathed; everyone else, without exception, would perish.
At that same moment, Mo Qi Mo Su, ranked third among the Heavenly Ranking giants, and Wu Ying Ren Fang Zhui Shou, ranked fifth, were also relentlessly pursuing the Kunpeng King’s trail.
Mo Qi Mo Su coughed up a mouthful of blood. He had challenged a Civilization Realm expert before the advent of the Civilization Body and sustained injuries that had yet to fully heal. Now that the Civilization Body had appeared, precisely because he was injured, he had refrained from a direct confrontation with the Kunpeng King, intending for them each to claim one Civilization Body.
He was spurred into action this time upon discovering that the Son of Desolation and Lu Yuan, both holding Civilization Bodies, had been seized by the Kunpeng King. Even if the Kunpeng King was powerful, a fight had to happen.
He and Fang Zhui Shou had been searching for the Kunpeng King, only now to witness the Kunpeng World begin to shatter.
His old rival, the Kunpeng King, was dead!
Mo Qi Mo Su was utterly stunned. He desperately wanted to know what had transpired.
Because the Kunpeng World was collapsing, many of the routes he had set up vanished. With Fang Zhui Shou present, they quickly reached the location of the Wu Zu Altar.
“The Kunpeng King really is dead! Look, the Son of Desolation and Lu Yuan are fighting!” Fang Zhui Shou shouted. “Hahaha! I never expected the Kunpeng King to die! Our fortune has arrived; both Civilization Bodies will fall into our hands.”
Mo Qi Mo Su shook his head. “Look closer at the battle between the Son of Desolation and Lu Yuan.”
Fang Zhui Shou scrutinized the fight, and after a long moment, he gasped in horror: “Their current strength is incredible! Disregarding his injuries, they already surpass the Kunpeng King.”
“Exactly. It seems the Kunpeng King must have died at the hands of the Son of Desolation, or perhaps Lu Yuan,” Mo Qi Mo Su stated. “With the injuries I currently bear, I cannot defeat either of them. Even if your combat strength were fully intact, you couldn’t defeat one of them while they are wounded. So, we can only wait, to see if an opportunity arises for us in the end.”
......
The clash between Lu Yuan and the Son of Desolation continued.
The third time they met, it was within the Sacred Land of Civilization. At that time, he, along with Hua Fa Sheng and others, fought eight against one, centered around Hua Fa Sheng, to finally defeat the Son of Desolation. Even so, the Son of Desolation managed to snatch away two-tenths of the Chaos Civilization Fragments before departing with ease, illustrating just how formidable he was.
Afterward, Lu Yuan had continuously cultivated and increased his strength, progressing from being able to withstand a single finger from a Civilization expert to constantly improving his ranking on the Heavenly Ranking. Throughout this ascent, he kept hearing news of the Son of Desolation, knowing he remained immensely powerful, consistently ranking above Lu Yuan on the Heavenly Ranking.
And now, this was their fourth encounter.
In their fourth meeting, the Son of Desolation was trapped by him.
Hahaha! After so many confrontations with the Son of Desolation, he had finally gained the upper hand for once.
Of course, in this instance, their power levels were nearly equal, but the Son of Desolation was already wounded before Lu Yuan struck with a surprise attack, leading to this situation.
Hahaha! How satisfying.
Lu Yuan felt elated, yet his sword hand was impossibly steady, without the slightest flaw. His mind was perfectly merged with the blade. Every strike was unexpectedly precise, perfectly aimed, and profoundly esoteric.
The Son of Desolation had no opportunity to counterattack, completely stifled by Lu Yuan’s steady swordplay.
A flash of sword light pierced the Son of Desolation’s chest in an instant; the long sword passed clean through.
The Son of Desolation was wounded again. However, now wounded for the third time, he showed no sign of panic. He merely looked calmly at Lu Yuan: “Lu Yuan, you are finished.” Instantly, the character ‘Swallow’ () manifested above his head, and simultaneously, he activated his Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Art. Instantly, Lu Yuan’s mana flowed endlessly out of his body and into the Son of Desolation’s.
“Such righteous mana! This is the most satisfying mana I have ever absorbed—so righteous, filled with a sharp feeling!” The Son of Desolation looked at Lu Yuan with a triumphant smile. “Though you pierced me, you have lost, because you fundamentally do not understand the might of my Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Art. Once activated, it can absorb the opponent’s mana. That is why the Bei Ming Feather failed; the mana on the Bei Ming Feather was completely absorbed by me. And now, you actually dared to stab your sword into my body? Your mana is now being drawn into my form.”
Lu Yuan was startled to see his mana being continuously drained by the Son of Desolation and immediately tried to withdraw his sword, but he couldn't pull it free. The Son of Desolation glared at him: “It’s useless. At this proximity, if you still hold your sword and don’t retract it quickly, it’s too late for you to retreat. You can only be completely drained of your mana and become a cripple. I won’t kill you. I will imprison you and watch as I ascend to the realm of the Lord of Civilization! Hahahaha, hahahaha!” The Son of Desolation was ecstatic. How could he not be?
He had been at a disadvantage, but this single move allowed him to completely turn the tables. By absorbing Lu Yuan’s entire supply of mana, his old rival would be ruined, while he might surpass the Ancient Beginning, potentially even leaping directly to the Civilization Realm.
Lu Yuan possessed the Formless Devouring Art, which could absorb written characters.
The Son of Desolation possessed the Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Art, which could absorb mana. Relatively speaking, the Son of Desolation’s technique was even more tyrannical than Lu Yuan’s.
And with their techniques being so similar, they were destined rivals.
Lu Yuan looked at the supremely smug Son of Desolation: “Do you truly believe you have won? Formless Devouring Art, activate!” Lu Yuan shouted and channeled the Formless Devouring Art. When the Ancestral Dragon transmitted the final half-step of this technique to him, he had been told that the latter part of the Formless Devouring Art held a tremendous attraction for the character ‘Swallow’ ().
Now, it was time to see if his Formless Devouring Art could contend with the Son of Desolation’s Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Art.
As Lu Yuan’s Formless Devouring Art activated, countless rays of light instantly began to spin.
The Son of Desolation’s ‘Swallow’ character started to drift towards Lu Yuan’s side.
The Son of Desolation naturally would not allow his ‘Swallow’ character to fall into Lu Yuan’s grasp. He was momentarily shocked by Lu Yuan’s profound ability. He temporarily stopped absorbing Lu Yuan’s mana, instead directing the Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Art toward the ‘Swallow’ character. Meanwhile, Lu Yuan focused the Formless Devouring Art toward the same character.
The two were locked in a tug-of-war.
Behind Lu Yuan, a dragon shadow slowly began to materialize. This signaled that the Formless Devouring Art had been pushed to its limit. This dragon shadow was not the Dragon of Civilization; judging by its aura and shape, even though faint, it seemed poised to tower above Civilization itself.
Behind the Son of Desolation, an image of an ancient civilization slowly manifested. This Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Art did not belong to the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization but was a miraculous technique the Son of Desolation had obtained through separate fortune.
The pulling continued. With a heavy boom, the ‘Swallow’ character was completely absorbed into Lu Yuan’s Formless Devouring Art. After absorbing the character, Lu Yuan’s Formless Devouring Art emitted an even fiercer light, reaching a state where it could devour even more characters. Now, even rudimentary characters could be consumed by the Formless Devouring Art.
The Son of Desolation’s face changed drastically. He hadn't expected Lu Yuan to steal an initial character from him. He immediately coughed out a mouthful of blood.