The Heavenly Ranking Jade Tablet! A monumental battle! Lu Yuan fighting the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization, who is at the Civilization Realm. Watching this fight, all the other Heavenly Ranking giants were left utterly dumbfounded. At this moment, including Murong Honglei, not a single person had the inclination or interest to spare a glance for Li Taishi, because this battle was simply too spectacular. Wanqi Jimo, on the other hand, was only able to curse under his breath, thinking, "Damn it!"

How could he not want to curse? He had occupied the third spot on the Heavenly Ranking for a very, very long time, and in that time, he found even the slightest increase in strength agonizingly difficult. Yet, Lu Yuan was relentlessly boosting his power. Even at the very peak of the Heavenly Ranking, engaging a Civilization Realm expert, he could still advance his strength. How could anyone bear this reality? Wanqi Jimo usually possessed a degree of arrogance.

The reason his name was Wanqi Jimo was because he considered himself a supreme master, a genius rarely seen in ten thousand ages; and masters are often lonely, so he originally wanted the name Wanshi Jimo (Ten Thousand Ages Lonely). But then he reconsidered, thinking one should remain humble, so he chose Wanqi Jimo instead. Now, however, he realized his supposed loneliness as a master of ten thousand ages was utter nonsense. Neither Lu Yuan nor the Son of Desolation were lonely; he, being far inferior to them, had absolutely no qualification to feel isolated.

The other Heavenly Ranking giants were equally stunned. The splendor of this battle had long surpassed the limits of their understanding.

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization was furious. He considered using the move "Twin Kill of Eagle and Swallow Civilizations." However, upon a second thought, this technique was his ultimate, most powerful secret art, reserved specifically for killing the Vice Lord of the Swallow Civilization. If he used it now, unless he annihilated every surrounding Heavenly Ranking giant, the move would inevitably fall into the hands of the Swallow Civilization Vice Lord. At that point, his ultimate secret technique would be exposed.

As for slaughtering all the surrounding Heavenly Ranking giants, that was certainly achievable—what were these giants against the might of the Eagle Civilization Vice Lord? But he dared not, and could not. Most of these giants had the shadow of their respective Civilizations standing behind them; he could not afford to offend so many Civilizations alone, so this move had to be shelved for the moment.

Although he decided against deploying the Twin Kill of Eagle and Swallow Civilizations, his rage was incandescent. At this instant, his fury reached its absolute zenith.

Good. The time has come.

Lu Yuan noticed that the usually composed Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization finally revealed the first faint crack in his composure. Without hesitation, Lu Yuan unleashed his ultimate killing sword—a strike guaranteed to connect if the opening was close enough. But Lu Yuan wondered if this maxim truly applied when facing a Civilization Realm expert. At this very moment, Lu Yuan made a gamble.

That’s right, after defending for thirty-six moves, how could he not contemplate striking back? Lu Yuan had always possessed a reckless, audacious nature, so he counterattacked ferociously.

This was a sword born of ultimate solitude, extreme desolation, profound cold, absolute bleakness, unparalleled cessation, and ultimate annihilation. This was a sword of supreme speed, deepest darkness, absolute terror, ultimate limitlessness, and utter death. Beneath this single strike, there was no path of retreat.

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization also recognized that this sword offered no escape route! What kind of strike was this?

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization was abruptly struck. This sword cleaved directly across his left cheek. Success! Lu Yuan knew in that instant that he had succeeded!

At that moment, he channeled all his mystic energy into this single sword—ten-tenths of his power. No, it had to be more explosive than usual—eleven-tenths, twelve-tenths! Unleash it all! Lu Yuan roared, exploding every shred of his mystic energy directly onto the Vice Lord’s left cheek.

All mystic energy discharged!

Lu Yuan felt the point of impact was hard as iron, yet he had erupted with everything he had. He managed to break through a layer of skin, but after piercing the epidermis, the flesh beneath proved impossible to strike cleanly. He was wounded! He wounded him! Lu Yuan had injured the Vice Lord of a Civilization!

This!

The previous highest record for engagement against a Civilization Realm expert was set by Gu Shi, who lasted thirty-three exchanges before being defeated. However, in that confrontation, Gu Shi, the supreme figure of the Heavenly Ranking's first seat, could not manage to scratch the Vice Lord of the Strength Civilization or the Sacred Civilization, no matter what means he employed. Now, Lu Yuan not only endured past the thirty-sixth exchange but actually injured the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization. The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization was certainly no weaker than the Vice Lord of the Sacred Civilization. Lu Yuan proved stronger than Gu Shi had been at the peak of the Heavenly Ranking.

But just how deep was the wound?

The assembled Heavenly Ranking giants inevitably looked over. They saw that Lu Yuan had already retreated after his single sword strike. Lu Yuan dared not linger; if he hadn't retreated, his sword would have been shattered. This was only mitigated by the enhancement of the character Zheng (Righteousness). Without that blessing, his Myriad Nourishing Immortal Sword would have been nearly destroyed. The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization also paused, touching his left cheek.

There was a sword scar on his left cheek. The injury itself was not severe—only a tiny bit of skin scraped off, creating a shallow slit from the extreme sharpness of the blade. However, for the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization, this was a profound humiliation, an insult he had never suffered before, and one that could never be erased. In future gatherings of Civilization Realm experts, someone would inevitably say, "Look, there is the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization whose face was grazed by a World Realm cultivator."

"That is truly too embarrassing."

The gap between the Civilization Realm and the World Realm was vast. The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization could already foresee being mocked forever.

He wanted Lu Yuan dead, and to die horribly. This time, he would forgo the Twin Kill of Eagle and Swallow Civilizations, saving that ultimate move. Instead, he intended to use his other great technique: "Myriad Eagles Civilization Kill." This technique was equally devastating, capable of tearing a person into ten thousand pieces. Its only drawback was that it had been witnessed twice by his old adversary, the Vice Lord of the Swallow Civilization. It was slightly weaker than the Twin Kill, but the Myriad Eagles Civilization Kill was still astonishingly ferocious.

Now, the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization prepared to unleash this move.

His hands seemed poised to grasp the civilization of heaven and earth, gathering endless, fierce currents of civilized energy. All surrounding traces of civilization converged, and even the Celestial Tracks of the surrounding region began to tremble under the sheer momentum of this ultimate technique. The Celestial Tracks were a signature move employed by Civilization Realm experts.

This Celestial Track was generally used against those significantly weaker, mostly World Realm cultivators.

What was the function of this Celestial Track? Typically, when a Civilization Realm expert descends upon a location, they spend time setting up a Celestial Track. Within this track, anyone who has not reached the Civilization Realm is fundamentally unable to break out; it is a guaranteed path to death. World Realm cultivators absolutely cannot breach the Celestial Track.

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization had also spent time establishing a Celestial Track before arriving. This track was impassable for Lu Yuan. However, now that he was provoked by Lu Yuan into using a supreme technique, the Celestial Track itself began to shake.

It was precisely during this tremor of the Celestial Track that Lu Yuan instantly moved. In a flash, he left a residual image, which multiplied into several afterimages. Before anyone could react, Lu Yuan had burst out of the Celestial Track and arrived in the free space outside where no track existed. This sudden maneuver caused the surrounding Heavenly Ranking giants to pause in astonishment. What was this? He was running away mid-fight?

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization was momentarily stunned, but as a Civilization Vice Lord, he quickly grasped the situation.

Indeed, Lu Yuan’s confrontation with a Civilization Realm expert had been astonishingly brilliant!

"Brilliant, truly brilliant," the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization exclaimed. "Well done, Lu Yuan."

Seeing the baffled looks on the faces of the other Heavenly Ranking giants, he smiled faintly. "A true figure has emerged from the Heavenly Ranking. Wanqi Jimo, you should begin to understand the nature of Lu Yuan’s performance in this battle." Wanqi Jimo was still utterly perplexed, but with this reminder from the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization, understanding dawned instantly.

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization stood with his hands behind his back. His demeanor, moments ago ferocious, now settled into one as profound as an abyss: "From the very beginning, Lu Yuan knew he was absolutely no match for me. Moreover, he likely sensed the surrounding Celestial Tracks with his divine sense, knowing he could not break through them. At that point, he had already finalized his strategy."

"Step one: He engaged me first, employing every technique in his swordsmanship arsenal, saving only the final strike that injured me. Under such pressure, he was nearly at his limit, yet he refused to use that final blow, instead pushing through thirty-six exchanges without defeat, thus surpassing Gu Shi's old record of thirty-three. This was done solely to enrage me."

"Though my anger burned fiercely, I was not yet prepared to use a grand Civilization-level technique. Therefore, when I became enraged after the thirty-sixth exchange and exposed a flaw, he unleashed his ultimate, wound-inflicting sword strike. In truth, those preceding thirty-six exchanges were all groundwork, all designed to provoke me."

"And by using that killing blow to injure me, he pushed my rage to its absolute peak. His goal in using that sword was to force me to deploy a grand Civilization-level technique. Once I initiated my ultimate move, it naturally created a fissure in the surrounding Celestial Track, allowing him to escape smoothly."

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization spoke fluently: "One step after another, one link after another. What a brilliant tactic, Lu Yuan. To devise such a strategy the moment he saw me, to orchestrate this chain of events just to trick me into letting him flee—well done, Lu Yuan."

"Furthermore, his swordsmanship is extraordinary. Swordsmanship of this caliber, even placed among Civilization Vice Lords, is considered remarkable. In terms of inherent technique, he surpasses even me," the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization stated calmly, having admitted this fact.

"Well done, Lu Yuan, what astonishing swordsmanship." "Well done, Lu Yuan, what formidable strategy."

The Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization praised Lu Yuan sincerely. "Slaying such an individual is one of life’s great pleasures. I feel incredibly energized now. Lu Yuan, I won’t let you go so easily."

Hearing the Vice Lord of the Eagle Civilization’s analysis, the others finally understood the depth of Lu Yuan's strategy during the fight, coupled with his swordsmanship! The Heavenly Ranking giants finally recognized that Lu Yuan was overwhelmingly powerful. The defeat of the Son of Desolation, the Son of this Era, was certainly not unwarranted. If the Son of Desolation had been in Lu Yuan’s place, he could never have achieved such a record.

This achievement was truly terrifying!