Now it has been battered to pieces. And the Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization is merely struggling to hold on. There was no choice; the Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization was facing four adversaries alone.

One Child of Immortality nearing the Civilization Realm, two figures from the First Epoch—the Deputy Master of the (Arrogant Eagle) Civilization and the Deputy Master of the (Eight-Sided) Civilization—along with the Deputy Master of the (Strength Saint) Civilization from the Second Epoch. Against such a four-pronged assault, the Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization didn't stand a chance. If it weren't for the Grand Circle Ancient Sword Formation, she would have been slain long ago.

But even with the Formation, the Deputy Master could only delay the inevitable, and now, she was reaching her limit. The Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization felt immense pressure settling upon her, four imposing auras, like the heavens themselves, bearing down on her. Damn it!

Must I truly perish here? The Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization gritted her silver teeth tightly! Has Lu Yuan not yet broken through to the Civilization Realm?

The Deputy Master of the Arrogant Eagle Civilization roared with laughter, "Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization, die for me!" He finally unleashed his ultimate move: The Eagle-Swallow Dual Kill. Instantly, infinite killing intent manifested in the void, taking the forms of an eagle and a swallow. The Civilization Eagle devoured heaven and earth, while the Civilization Swallow struck with lightning speed.

One eagle, one swallow—the might of two civilizations merged in the void. Transforming into a grander civilization, forging an even more potent killing force. The Eagle-Swallow Dual Kill!

This move was conceived for one purpose: to obliterate the Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization! The Deputy Master of the Arrogant Eagle Civilization intended to end her life in this single strike. The Child of Immortality unleashed the Immortal Art: Hundred Great Earths!

This technique conjured a hundred layers of earth in the void, pressing down upon the target. The Hundred Great Earths was no ordinary spell. For instance, a single layer of earth encompassed endless mountains, countless plains, swamps, and more.

One layer of earth represented infinite weight. The Immortal Art: Hundred Great Earths was exaggerated to the extreme. Upon the casting of such a spell, even the seasoned experts nearby gazed upon the Child of Immortality with admiration.

They never expected him to master a technique like the Hundred Great Earths. Even many in the First Epoch might struggle to wield this spell, yet the Child of Immortality managed it before reaching the Civilization Realm. The reason the Child of Immortality could use this technique was simple: he inhabited the body of the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, which granted a certain boost to all earth-elemental spells, thus allowing him to execute the immensely powerful Hundred Great Earths.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Master of the Eight-Sided Civilization and the Deputy Master of the Strength Saint Civilization held back. The Deputy Master of the Eight-Sided Civilization had remained on the sidelines all along, observing the surroundings to prevent the Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization from escaping; his intermittent control over space made escape nearly impossible. The Deputy Master of the Strength Saint Civilization simply felt that a four-on-one battle lacked satisfaction, so he refrained from striking temporarily.

However, he was determined to claim Lu Yuan’s head. After all, Lu Yuan had been too audacious, slaying his disciple, the Imperial Son Li Xiong. The Imperial Son Li Xiong killed by Lu Yuan in the Sacred Land of Civilization was, in fact, the personal disciple of the Deputy Master of the Strength Saint Civilization—and his most outstanding one.

To have such a talent perish by Lu Yuan’s hand, the Deputy Master naturally sought vengeance. Of course, an Eagle-Swallow Dual Kill combined with the Immortal Art: Hundred Great Earths was more than enough to vaporize the heavily wounded Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization. Although the Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization desperately managed defensive moves, in reality, she had little power left to counterattack.

I really am going to die here! The Deputy Master of the Wuyan Civilization thought grimly to herself. Just then, a single sword extended into the void.

This was a sword whose mere emission caused a wrenching pain in the heart. The sword light flashed through the void, carrying an air of profound, desolate loneliness, an arresting sense of heartbreak, as it pierced toward the Eagle-Swallow Dual Kill and the Immortal Art: Hundred Great Earths. What a sorrowful streak of light it was!

As the light shimmered, it punctured the Eagle-Swallow Dual Kill before its full momentum could build and before its aura could fully mature, and it cleaved through the Hundred Great Earths before it was fully utilized. One sword strike shattered two ultimate techniques! Both were broken before they reached their peak manifestations.

Who? Who made the move? A wave of questions rose among the combatants.

“Who?” The Deputy Master of the Eight-Sided Civilization felt a momentous, unforgettable adversary stir within the darkness of the void—an adversary seemingly destined as the natural enemy of Heaven itself! “Me,” a middle-aged man playing the erhu appeared from the gloom of the void. The man was remarkably handsome, with a subtle air of melancholy diffusing across his features.

“Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization!” The Deputy Master of the Eight-Sided Civilization immediately cried out the man’s name. The Deputy Master of the Strength Saint Civilization and the Deputy Master of the Arrogant Eagle Civilization also recognized the man’s origins. This was none other than the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization, a former Deputy Master of the Jiangu Civilization.

His sword intent was steeped in extreme bitterness and solitude; engaging him was a nightmare. Of course, the former Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization was a senior master from the Eighth Epoch, far surpassing the nascent stages of the Deputy Masters of the Strength Saint and Arrogant Eagle Civilizations at that time. However, wasn't the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization long dead?

The Child of Immortality, the Deputy Master of the Strength Saint Civilization, the Deputy Master of the Arrogant Eagle Civilization, and the Deputy Master of the Eight-Sided Civilization all scrutinized him, finally confirming one fact: the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization’s current cultivation base was not high; he possessed only the power of the First Epoch. This implied that the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization had likely cultivated anew after death. For a normal person, reincarnation and rebuilding cultivation is incredibly difficult.

For the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization to achieve this level, he must have recovered his ancient Civilization Relic. Nevertheless, even so, he currently only wielded the might of the First Epoch. The might of the First Epoch—who should fear him now?

The Deputy Master of the Strength Saint Civilization looked at the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization. “Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization, your past self was a great senior to me. Unfortunately, in this life, you have rebuilt your path and possess only the strength of the First Epoch.

If you insist on intervening, you will perish here today. To slay a great predecessor—how exhilarating!” His earlier axe strike had felt routine, but now his axe throbbed intensely. He yearned to kill the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization; his blood burned and boiled.

The Deputy Master of the Eight-Sided Civilization glared at the Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization. “I. Will.

Kill. You.” He articulated the four words slowly, each separated by a deliberate pause. This wasn't to emphasize his tone; it was simply his manner of speaking.

He didn't need emphasis, as there was utterly no need for it—the mace and the sword were inherently sworn enemies. Zhou Qingxuan shrugged. The Deputy Master of the Jianku Civilization was, in fact, Zhou Qingxuan’s previous incarnation.

Zhou Qingxuan truly did not wish to face these four masters now; a one-against-four confrontation with his current First Epoch power level was undoubtedly a losing battle. Yet, he had to act, for the hope of the revival of the Way of the Sword rested entirely on Lu Yuan. ...

Lu Yuan was deep in the process of breaking through to the Civilization Realm, bringing forth all the preparations he had meticulously arranged earlier. Within the depths of his Divine Soul, the characters for Wine, Sword, Rectitude, and Sloth glowed with a chaotic light. Success!

This time, he was finally going to succeed! However, Lu Yuan dared not allow the slightest carelessness, for he could already sense a Heavenly Tribulation accumulating in the void billions of miles above him. This was his Civilization Heavenly Tribulation—the second most feared tribulation in existence.

The first was the Heavenly Tribulation of the Master of Civilization. The second would not be simple. The deeper one’s accumulation, the more terrifying the Heavenly Tribulation.

Furthermore, he was a swordsman; swordsmen are deemed incompatible by Heaven and Earth, meaning the tribulations faced by sword wielders are always exceptionally terrifying. He had no idea how horrifying his current tribulation would be. The Heavenly Tribulation finally manifested.

Billions of miles away in the depths of the void, as soon as it appeared, torrents of filthiest black clouds descended between heaven and earth. This exceedingly foul black cloud, should even a speck contaminate a Half-Step Civilization Realm expert, would doom them entirely, plunging them into the ultimate depths of evil. This was the Source of Ten Thousand Evils.

In his past life, when Lu Yuan was forging the Sword Intent of Evil, merely brushing past the Source of Ten Thousand Evils with his spiritual sense nearly resulted in his complete engulfment. Fortunately, his sword could restrain it. Now, this manifestation was the actual core of the Source of Ten Thousand Evils, falling from the sky.

This Source of Ten Thousand Evils possessed power nearly equal to that of the Civilization Realm. The Source of Ten Thousand Evils enveloped Lu Yuan. Immediately following, a mass of white cloud descended from the heavens, bearing countless benevolent thoughts—this was the Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences.

The Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences rained down from the void, enclosing Lu Yuan. While this Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences would not destroy a Half-Step Civilization expert, if Lu Yuan were to touch even a sliver of it now, he would become lost within its embrace, unable to pursue the Dao of Civilization. Lu Yuan had always leaned toward righteousness, making him more susceptible to being drawn in by the Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences.

Although the Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences itself possessed low offensive power, its potential to corrupt Lu Yuan was no less than that of the Source of Ten Thousand Evils. The Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences and the Source of Ten Thousand Evils formed a shape resembling the Yin-Yang fish in the void, trapping Lu Yuan between them. Precisely because the Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences had descended, Lu Yuan dared not utilize the character for Rectitude (Zheng).

Should he resonate the character Zheng with the Source of Ten Thousand Benevolences, his breakthrough to the Dao of Civilization would be utterly impossible this time. Above, countless threads of Destiny descended toward Lu Yuan. These threads of destiny were infinitely thick and long, representing the fate of life itself.

Infinite principles were woven into these threads, attempting to wrap around Lu Yuan and drag him into the singular path of destiny. This was the Tribulation of Destiny, originating from the Source of Destiny. Legend held that in the vast void between heaven and earth existed the infinite Source of Destiny, from which the fate of all beings originated.

And within the Civilization Heavenly Tribulation, rivers of Feng Shui also appeared, flowing down from the sky. Feng Shui (Wind and Water) constitutes a crucial element of the cosmos; many matters are related to it, and now the Great Tribulation of Feng Shui manifested. The Great Tribulation of Wind represents the limit of wind; the Great Tribulation of Water represents the limit of water; and when combined as Feng Shui, all things in creation are contained within.

The Great Tribulation of Feng Shui descended. (Ugh, so tiring, but I finally managed to type it all out. Although the power went out until 7:30 PM today, both chapters were completed smoothly, with no backlog.) (To be continued)