As the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization struck forth with a blade imbued with the aura of epochal annihilation, Lu Yuan drew his sword.

The sword drawn was none other than the Primordial Sphere Divine Sword; his nurtured Immortal Sword was proving inadequate at this level. He hadn't found the time to upgrade it, so for now, he could only rely on the Primordial Sphere Divine Sword to face the enemy. With the Primordial Sphere Divine Sword in hand, he carved a circle in the void—a deceptively simple strike, utterly devoid of any special characteristic.

Lu Yuan’s strike was too simple.

Such a strike was meant to block the world-shattering blow from the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization? How laughable.

Just as everyone thought it was a joke, the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization's blow, which seemed capable of toppling the heavens, crashed down upon Lu Yuan’s sword.

Sword broken, man injured! That should be the most traditional and expected outcome.

The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization also believed this to be true.

As his strike landed, he initially felt it penetrate the sword net with ease. However, he was immediately ensnared by the dense, overlapping layers of the sword net, and the force he exerted began to dissipate slowly until, moments later, it vanished entirely. The entire power of his strike was shunted aside, carving a massive gap into the Azure Trough Platform. This platform was made of extraordinary wood, further reinforced by the power of the previous Sixth Epoch by Qing Nü; yet, it was rent by a monumental fissure, attesting to the horror of the blow. But why was Lu Yuan able to neutralize its force?

Moreover, Lu Yuan had blocked his strike completely, emerging unharmed.

The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization couldn't help but be startled: "Lu Yuan, very good. You can block this one strike, but I possess the Hundred Annihilation Slashes. How many slashes can you withstand?" The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization was convinced Lu Yuan had used some trick to deflect his blow and believed he could discern and then nullify that technique.

The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization continued his onslaught.

This was the second strike, named 'The Beginning of Destruction.' It was a technique the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization had conceived while observing the genesis of an epoch's ruin. This strike was not terrifying at its inception, but its continuation was infinitely menacing, subtly hinting at ten thousand thunders about to erupt, ten thousand annihilations pending, ten thousand calamities due for destruction—this was the nature of the strike. He wanted to see how Lu Yuan would block this one.

The result? Lu Yuan countered with another simple sword strike!

The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization sneered inwardly. To think such a basic sword move, almost identical to the last, could stop him was utterly ludicrous. The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization unleashed his terrifying power, but the sheer force was once again deflected, striking the nearby Azure Trough Platform and causing another large section to crack violently.

His attack was blocked again!

The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization muttered inwardly, Good on you, Lu Yuan, you do possess some skill. But thinking you can get away with this easily is too much. The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization immediately followed up with his Hundred Annihilation Slashes, one after another. As he delivered blow after blow, no matter how many he unleashed, each was neutralized by Lu Yuan’s deceptively simple sword technique.

This sword move traced an arc, perfectly forming a circle.

Lu Yuan kept drawing circles.

Indeed, everyone now saw it: Lu Yuan was drawing circles.

Some Deputy Lords of other Civilizations, witnessing this familiar circular sword movement, fell into deep contemplation.

Yet, the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization could not break through. No matter how overwhelmingly powerful his slashes became, they were all parried by Lu Yuan’s circular swordplay. The Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization grew ruthless; he now understood the sword technique Lu Yuan was using, as this style was renowned in the previous epoch. He aimed to break this style, and his blade struck toward the sword once more.

Blade of Destruction. Sword of the Circle. Engagement after engagement.

The Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization, who had initially been observing from the rear, could no longer stand by as the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization failed repeatedly to subdue his opponent. What was one-on-one? What was fairness? As Deputy Lords who had existed for ages, they knew only one thing: success is the supreme path. Destruction yields nothing. How grand was the prestige of the Sword Ancient Civilization in ages past? Now, their fame was utterly extinguished—what did it amount to?

The Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization kept his hands concealed within his voluminous sleeves, not intending to bring them out yet. He gave a slight flick of his sleeve, and boundless hordes of Gu insects emerged. They saturated the entire space, a tide of insects covering everything. This was an infinite number of creatures, instantly transforming the world into a domain of Gu. Their sheer quantity was overwhelming, and their quality was not low; most possessed the combat power of World Realm High Tiers. Furthermore, these Gu insects manifested various specific abilities: one could only utilize lightning, another could inflict injury from a distance, while a third could unleash wind needles. Hidden within this dense swarm were several Civilization Gu that proved the most troublesome.

These Civilization Gu possessed power equivalent to the Civilization Realm.

One of them was known as the Myriad Poison Gu. It originated from a massive swarm of Ten Thousand Poison Gu, each of which had been nourished by consuming ten thousand different poisons. When ten thousand such Ten Thousand Poison Gu were gathered, they were made to attack each other, and the sole survivor became the Myriad Poison Gu. This entity was terrifyingly potent; even the Poison Civilization acknowledged that the Gu Civilization possessed a Myriad Poison Gu that could not be taken lightly. Once, a Poison Beauty Deputy Lord of the Poison Civilization suffered a minor defeat at its hands, an event that cemented the Myriad Poison Gu's fame across the cosmos.

This Myriad Poison Gu was exceedingly minute, lost completely within the endless throng, making it impossible to spot.

Another possessed a gigantic body enveloped in chaotic light, supported by sixty-four legs, spanning a hundred Zhang in size—this was the Ironclad Civilization Gu. This creature boasted extreme physical durability; while its defensive power lasted an entire Epoch, its offensive capability did not. This Ironclad Civilization Gu ceaselessly charged toward Lu Yuan’s sword light, intending to smash through it with sheer brute force. It was enormous. There was a third, infinitesimally small insect called the Blood Control All-Directions Gu. This Gu could manipulate the blood flow within an opponent's body; merely allowing it to approach one's physical form was perilous. Once, a Civilization Realm expert with the power of a single Epoch was toyed with to the point of utter misery by the Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization using only this Blood Control All-Directions Gu, forcing the expert to submit and concede. Furthermore, besides this one, numerous other strange Gu insects were hidden within the insect tide; if even one managed to breach Lu Yuan's sword net, his entire defense could collapse. Moreover, too many of these insects could inflict harm from a distance, without even needing to engage the sword net.

Lu Yuan was now enduring the combined assault of the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization and the Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization. The sheer destructive power was terrifying. The combined force of a Three Epoch expert and a Two Epoch expert would not be less than two Three Epoch experts attacking together—an intensity that would make even a Four Epoch expert blanch.

Yet, facing this attack, Lu Yuan simply kept generating his sword strikes, drawing circles!

Circle after circle was etched into existence. Lu Yuan was gradually grasping the true Dao of the Sword Circle.

The so-called Dao of the Sword Circle was not merely about repelling various physical attacks; it extended to defending against states like poison, blood control, and the myriad attacks from the Gu insects. Initially, Lu Yuan struggled to withstand these Gu attacks, but he soon discovered that the Dao of the Sword Circle could counter them too. Poison manipulation, blood control—attacks he couldn't even see—Lu Yuan now vaguely perceived that he could block them in another dimension entirely using his sword.

In their initial exchange, Lu Yuan realized both the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization and the Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization were formidable. These two combined were essentially equivalent to two Three Epoch experts working together. Once one reached the Civilization Realm, overcoming opponents was no longer like chopping vegetables; dealing with these two presented genuine difficulty. Therefore, Lu Yuan was in no rush. He chose to defend first and counter later. This was standard practice; there were only a few hundred Civilization Realm experts in the cosmos, and none were easy to handle. Lu Yuan used defense to slowly deplete the spiritual energy and stamina of both Deputy Lords while simultaneously mapping out their strengths and weaknesses. Only then would he launch a thunderous counterattack. During this sustained defense, Lu Yuan was gradually discerning the advantages and vulnerabilities in the attacks of both Deputy Lords. Judging by the current situation, his decisive counterattack would begin soon, and once launched, it would be a killing blow. Lu Yuan continued to wield his sword.

.......

While Lu Yuan was engaged with the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization and the Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization, the many Deputy Lords observing the battle were utterly astonished. Initially, they all expected Lu Yuan to struggle immensely against the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization's destructive first strike, yet Lu Yuan blocked it effortlessly. This was the first shock. During that first clash, they attributed it to luck.

But then, as the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization relentlessly attacked, Lu Yuan blocked every single blow. Only then did everyone realize this was not luck; it was genuine power. Lu Yuan, only newly ascended to the Civilization Realm, managed to withstand the continuous assault from the Deputy Lord of the Blade Civilization without taking a scratch—a truly remarkable feat.

After the Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization joined the fray, watching the array of Gu insects, including those attacks that struck from unseen distances being nullified, Lu Yuan was single-handedly holding off the combined offense of the two Deputy Lords. This caused even greater shock: Lu Yuan could actually maintain his defense against such an onslaught!

None of the observing Civilization Realm experts were blind. Most of them gradually recognized the sword technique Lu Yuan was employing, and the sword he held.

The Dao of the Sword Circle, the Primordial Sphere Divine Sword!

The Deputy Lord of the Sword Circle Civilization!

It seemed Lu Yuan had inherited the legacy of that Eighth Epoch Civilization Deputy Lord.

"Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship has received the true teachings of the Deputy Lord of the Sword Circle Civilization; he is no inferior to that former Deputy Lord," stated the Deputy Lord of the Wind Scar Civilization.

"Indeed," affirmed the Deputy Lord of Integrity and Spirit of the Confucian Civilization, nodding in agreement. As the representative of the Confucian Civilization for this event, he felt Lu Yuan’s strength far surpassed his own. The younger generation nowadays was truly extraordinary.

"That is incorrect," the Deputy Lord of Martial Glory of the Martial Ancient Civilization shook his head, refuting the claims of the Deputy Lord of Wind Scar and the Deputy Lord of Integrity and Spirit.

(Second update delivered, so tiring, catching my breath, requesting monthly tickets! It’s the 28th now.) (To be continued)

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