The Son of the Barrens, having already taken two strikes from Lu Yuan, compounded by the death throes of the Carp-Roc King at the start, was now gravely wounded with three injuries. This rendered his fighting strength, which had previously matched Lu Yuan's, completely inferior now.
Now that even the 'Swallow' character was absorbed, the Son of the Barrens’ expression shifted dramatically. He roared, “Lu Yuan, I’ll fight you to the death!” With that shout, he flipped his hand and brought forth a supreme treasure.
His magical power was nearly depleted, his body grievously wounded; relying on the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd alone, he could no longer best Lu Yuan. The Son of the Barrens had always eschewed using magical artifacts in battle, but that didn't mean he possessed none.
The item he now summoned was one such artifact—and not just any artifact, but a Primordial Spirit Treasure. What was a Primordial Spirit Treasure, after all?
It was no common item. Amongst all artifacts in heaven and earth, the most powerful tier was the Primordial Spirit Treasure.
These treasures were born of the primordial chaos, manifesting when each epoch first descended. And even among Primordial Spirit Treasures, there were tiers of strength.
The strongest were the Epochal Primordial Spirit Treasures; each held immeasurable might, capable of turning the heavens and overturning the earth in an instant. Take the Immortal Ancient Civilization, for example: in that era, there was only one Epochal Primordial Spirit Treasure—the Jade Disc of Creation.
The middle tier included items like the Pangu Banner and the Taiji Diagram from the Immortal Ancient Civilization. These were artifacts of that caliber.
There were also lower-tier Primordial Spirit Treasures. Although the one released by the Son of the Barrens was inferior to the Taiji Diagram or the Pangu Banner, it was still infinitely powerful.
“A Primordial Spirit Treasure!” Wanqi Jimò, ranked third on the Heavenly Ranking and observing from afar, found his throat dry. He never imagined the Son of the Barrens possessed such a thing—the absolute pinnacle of all artifacts!
Wanqi Jimò had held the third rank among the supreme Heavenly Ranking giants for so long, yet he didn't own a single Primordial Spirit Treasure. Only the first-ranked Gu Shi, who stood apart from everyone else on the Heavenly Ranking, possessed one.
Yet, the Son of the Barrens was now summoning one! What kind of Primordial Spirit Treasure could it be?
Fang Zhuishou, the Shadowless Man ranked fifth, also felt his mouth go dry. The Son of the Barrens actually had a Primordial Spirit Treasure!
This! Initially, when Wanqi Jimò and Fang Zhuishou arrived, they were both shocked to realize that the combat prowess of both Lu Yuan and the Son of the Barrens had surpassed that of the Carp-Roc King.
They were even more astonished when they observed that Lu Yuan seemed to be at a disadvantage while the Son of the Barrens held the upper hand. As the battle progressed and Lu Yuan neared victory, the unleashing of the Primordial Spirit Treasure meant the outcome was suddenly uncertain.
The treasure’s aura grew ever stronger. Finally, everyone could clearly discern what kind of Primordial Spirit Treasure it was.
It was a war chariot, easily a hundred zhang across, propelled by a hundred wheels—no, one hundred and fifty wheels. Each wheel possessed endless mysteries, seemingly representing the numerical significance of the Heavenly Dao.
The hundred wheels, fifty on each side, corresponded to the principles of Yin and Yang within the cosmos. Mounted atop the chariot was the tip of a spear, sharpened to an unimaginable degree.
The spearhead carried no profound mystical secrets; it was defined by just two words: sharpness! This spear tip seemed capable of piercing eternity, slicing through the firmament, and echoing across countless millennia.
Beside this spearhead were edges of blades! Edges of halberds!
And even the points of arrows. Every single one exuded boundless malice!
And there were at least several hundred thousand of these points! Infinite ferocity!
Infinite ruin! Infinite annihilation!
This was... the Primordial War Chariot!
The Primordial War Chariot! This artifact was steeped in mythology.
Legend held that the Lord of the Barren Ancient Epoch was born precisely when that epoch began its destruction. As he emerged, he inherited the destiny of heaven and earth, and simultaneously, a Primordial War Chariot was delivered to him.
Within this chariot was inscribed a single character: Zhàn (Battle). The Initial Characters held distinctions in power.
And the character Zhàn was undeniably among the top five most formidable of all Initial Characters. Even if it couldn't surpass the character Dào (Way/Dao), it was still a character that commanded terrifying might across the Primordial Era.
Evidently, the character Zhàn was far more precious than the Primordial Spirit Treasure known as the Primordial War Chariot. The Lord of the Barren Ancient Epoch rode this chariot, wielding the Zhàn character, into the Gate of Words to gain further boons, establishing his renown throughout that epoch.
Aside from a few of the most ancient Epoch Lords, he paid little heed to other civilization-level entities. The assembled crowd clearly hadn't expected the Lord of the Barren Ancient Epoch to pass on the Primordial Spirit Treasure, the Primordial War Chariot, to the Son of the Barrens.
Of course, given the Lord's current cultivation level, the chariot held little practical use for him, so passing it on was understandable. Nevertheless, the moment the Son of the Barrens manifested the Primordial War Chariot, everyone flinched in shock.
The Son of the Barrens looked at Lu Yuan: “Lu Yuan, I never use a Primordial Spirit Treasure unless absolutely necessary. You are fortunate enough to be the first target of the Primordial War Chariot after all these years.
You are destined to be crushed by it. The inherent wonders of a Primordial Spirit Treasure are not something you can contend with.
Die!” Instantly, the Primordial War Chariot barreled down directly upon Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan’s mind stirred instantly.
A Primordial Spirit Treasure? What was that?
He had never heard of it. Still, even without knowledge, Lu Yuan instinctively sensed the extreme danger this artifact posed—a deep, ingrained instinct.
When unsure of the opponent's true strength, Lu Yuan wouldn't act rashly; his first choice was evasion to test the waters. Lu Yuan moved with incredible speed, but the Primordial War Chariot was faster.
This was a battle-oriented Primordial Spirit Treasure, designed for incredible velocity. Lu Yuan attempted teleportation, but the chariot instantly predicted his trajectory and struck where he would materialize, offering no chance to breathe.
There was no choice; he had to meet it head-on. Lu Yuan parried with his Immortal Sword of Nurturing, a strike of profound subtlety.
However, the sheer overwhelming power of the Primordial War Chariot struck him. He felt a terrifying force bearing down—a power so immense, though seemingly unguided by a conscious wielder, that it approached the level of a civilization-grade entity.
Damn it, why didn’t the Son of the Barrens use this against the Carp-Roc King? The truth was, the Son of the Barrens currently lacked the cultivation to fully wield the chariot.
To fight Lu Yuan this time, he was burning a hundred thousand years of his lifespan to activate this treasure! A hundred thousand years!
Against the Carp-Roc King, he had already plotted his retreat and counterattack, which is why he held back. Right!
The Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation! The 'Subjugate' Character Clone!
Lu Yuan abandoned all pretense of holding back, pushing the Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation and the 'Subjugate' Clone to their absolute limits! No way, the level of the Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation and the 'Subjugate' Clone wasn't high enough!
He had realized this back in the Civilization Holy Land and intended to upgrade them. But he hadn't encountered anyone from the Barren Ancient Civilization, and his own affairs kept piling up, so he never got around to it.
Now, he faced the Primordial War Chariot. Bad luck!
Lu Yuan inwardly cursed his misfortune. Seeing Lu Yuan reeling and pushed back under the immense pressure of the Primordial War Chariot, the Son of the Barrens burst into boisterous laughter.
He raised the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd and shook his ink-black Jade Qilin Battle Robe, regaining his invincible War God demeanor: “Lu Yuan, you are fated to die by my hand! I am the Son of the Epoch; you are merely a crawling insect!
I am never defeated!” The life of the Son of the Barrens had indeed been marked by near-total victory, save for that mysterious individual who saved Lu Yuan—whom he still hadn't identified. He had defeated the eight geniuses in the Civilization Holy Land and killed the Carp-Roc King; thus, he tolerated no failure.
The Son of the Barrens spat a mouthful of blood; his injuries were not light, but defeating Lu Yuan would make them insignificant. He glanced toward Wanqi Jimò and Fang Zhuishou in the distance, a subtle warning in his gaze, before turning back to his great adversary, Lu Yuan.
“Lu Yuan, perish!” He stabbed his halberd downward, aiming directly for Lu Yuan’s heart. What to do?
There was only a fraction of time left. And the 'Subjugate' Clone hadn't even been upgraded—it was only at one-tenth strength.
No time. At the critical moment, enduring the crushing weight of the Primordial War Chariot, Lu Yuan forcibly shifted his position.
The Son of the Barrens’ halberd pierced straight through Lu Yuan's core, inflicting catastrophic injury. Worse, the Son of the Barrens’ magical energy continued to surge into Lu Yuan’s body.
His Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Art required either the 'Swallow' or 'Devour' character; the 'Swallow' character was neutralized, but the overwhelmingly ferocious magical power instantly flooded Lu Yuan’s frame, wreaking havoc. Damn it!
Lu Yuan, who had previously only suffered minor injuries since the battle began, was now seriously wounded. Wait!
The Son of the Barrens’ magic was entering his body, and Lu Yuan’s Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation could absorb Barrens-aligned magic! He would absorb it all!
Lu Yuan instantly mobilized the Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation, drawing in the Son of the Barrens’ magic. Back in the Civilization Holy Land, absorption had been impossible, as he was completely suppressed by the Son of the Barrens.
But the current suppression was not nearly as intense. While absorbing, Lu Yuan also quickly processed the relics of fallen Heavenly Ranking giants like Heavenly Soul Mage, Fang Tu, and Gao Jin.
He managed to find items imbued with Primordial Aura among their belongings. It was natural for these individuals to possess Primordial Artifacts; any artifact of this epoch that retained its origin would carry that faint impression, and the Heavenly Ranking giants were all born in this epoch—it would be strange if they lacked such items.
He had been too preoccupied with dodging pursuers earlier to deal with them, but now he refined them all at once. Instantly, the rank of his Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation began to climb.
Rolling waves of Primordial Aura flowed onto the Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation, causing it to grow ceaselessly. Correspondingly, the linked 'Subjugate' Character Clone also began to expand and brighten.
Two-tenths! In a brief moment, the Sword of Barrens’ Subjugation had advanced significantly, and the 'Subjugate' Clone had also reached about twenty percent strength.
Meanwhile, the Primordial magical energy and relics continued to stream into the weapon. Three-tenths!