As the Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization brought down that strike brimming with the aura of epochal destruction, Lu Yuan also drew his sword.

What emerged was the Primordial Circle Divine Sword. His own Nourishing Immortal Sword was proving increasingly inadequate at this level; he simply hadn't found the time to upgrade it, so for now, he had to use the Primordial Circle Divine Sword against the foe. With the Primordial Circle Divine Sword in hand, he carved a circle in the void—a starkly simple strike, devoid of any special characteristics.

Lu Yuan’s strike was almost insultingly plain.

Could such a simple cut truly block the world-shattering blow from the Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization? It seemed utterly ridiculous. Just as the crowd was about to scoff, the Deputy Chief’s heaven-toppling blade slammed into Lu Yuan’s sword.

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

The Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization certainly thought so.

As his strike descended, he initially felt it cut into Lu Yuan’s sword net with relative ease. But immediately, it became ensnared by the dense, intricate mesh of the sword net. The force he had unleashed was slowly dissipated, until a moment later, it vanished entirely. The entire power of that blow was deflected aside, carving an immense gash into the Azure Fig Platform. This platform was no ordinary wood, having been reinforced by the magic of the previous Sixth Epoch's Azure Maiden, yet it still suffered a colossal gouge, testament to the terrifying power of the strike. But why had Lu Yuan managed to siphon off its force?

Moreover, Lu Yuan had actually intercepted his blow, emerging completely unscathed.

The Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization was startled: “Lu Yuan, very well. You withstood that strike, but I possess the Hundred Destructions of Annihilation. Can you withstand even one?” The Deputy Chief assumed Lu Yuan had employed some subtle trick to deflect the blow and was certain he could decipher that technique and subsequently break it.

The Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization continued his assault.

This was the second strike, embodying the dawn of destruction—a technique born from the Deputy Chief observing the very end of an epoch. This initial strike was not terrifying, but its continuation was endlessly ferocious, subtly hinting at ten thousand thunders about to erupt, ten thousand extinctions poised to commence, ten thousand calamities demanding ruin. This was the strike he wished to see Lu Yuan parry.

The result? Still just a simple sword strike from Lu Yuan!

The Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization sneered inwardly. To block his might with a blow almost identical to the last seemed preposterous. He unleashed the strike with furious intensity, but that terrifying power was once again deflected, landing entirely upon the neighboring Azure Fig Platform, causing a massive section of it to fissure violently.

His attack was blocked again!

The Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization muttered inwardly, Good on you, Lu Yuan; you certainly possess some skill. But thinking you can get away with just this is far too easy. He immediately unleashed his Hundred Destructions of Annihilation, one strike following another. No matter how many blows he delivered, each was neutralized by Lu Yuan’s deceptively simple sword play.

This sword strike traced an arc, forming a complete circle.

Lu Yuan was continuously drawing circles.

Indeed, by now, everyone could see it: Lu Yuan was painting circles.

Some Deputy Chiefs, observing this familiar circular motion of the sword, began to ponder.

The Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization, however, could not breach the defense. No matter how wildly aggressive his slashes were, they were all intercepted by Lu Yuan’s circular swordsmanship. The Deputy Chief finally became furious. He already knew the sword technique Lu Yuan employed, as this set of skills was famous in the previous epoch. He intended to break this technique and brought his blade down toward the sword again.

The Blade of Destruction versus the Sword that Draws Circles—the clash continued, blow after blow.

The Deputy Chief of the Miao Gu Civilization, who had initially been observing from the rear, also intervened when he saw the Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization failing to subdue his opponent. What was one-on-one combat? What was fairness? As a Deputy Chief who had survived for ages, he knew only one thing: success is the ultimate way. Annihilation means nothing. How great was the fame of the Jian Gu Civilization in the past? What did it amount to now that their renown was utterly extinguished?

The hands of the Deputy Chief of the Miao Gu Civilization remained tucked within his wide sleeves; he had no intention of bringing them out. But with a slight twitch of his cuff, boundless, infinite swarms of Gu insects appeared, covering the entire sky and earth, turning the space into a realm dominated entirely by them. These Gu insects were innumerable, and their quality was not low, with most possessing the combat strength of high-tier World Realm experts. Furthermore, these Gu possessed myriad unique traits: this one could only use lightning, that one could injure targets from a distance, another could launch wind needles. Hidden within this dense ocean of insects were several Civilization Gu that proved particularly troublesome.

These Civilization Gu possessed combat power nearing the Civilization Realm.

One among them was known as the Myriad Toxin Gu. This entity began as a massive cluster of Ten Thousand Toxin Gu, each of which had been nourished by ten thousand different poisons. When ten thousand of these Ten Thousand Toxin Gu were gathered and forced to fight one another, the single survivor became the Myriad Toxin Gu. This creature was terrifyingly potent. Even the Poison Civilization acknowledged that the Miao Civilization possessed a Myriad Toxin Gu that could not be easily trifled with. Once, a Poison Beauty Deputy Chief from the Poison Civilization suffered a minor defeat against the Myriad Toxin Gu. After that battle, the Myriad Toxin Gu earned its terrifying reputation across the world. This specific Myriad Toxin Gu was exceedingly minute, blending seamlessly into the endless swarm, making it virtually impossible to detect.

Another possessed a colossal body enveloped in chaotic light, boasting sixty-four legs. Its immense form spanned a hundred Zhang. This was the Ironclad Civilization Gu. It possessed an extremely durable body, capable of withstanding an epoch’s worth of attacks, and its defense was even greater. This Ironclad Civilization Gu was now ceaselessly ramming itself against Lu Yuan’s sword light, attempting to forcefully shatter his defense with sheer mass—a truly enormous creature.

There was also an extremely slender insect called the Ten Directions Blood Manipulation Gu. This creature could control an opponent's blood flow at will. As long as the Ten Directions Blood Manipulation Gu managed to approach a body, the consequences were dire. A Civilization Realm expert powered by a full epoch of magic had once been tormented to near submission by this single Gu insect wielded by the Deputy Chief of the Miao Gu Civilization, eventually leading him to concede defeat and submit. It must be noted that this Ten Directions Blood Manipulation Gu...

Beyond these, countless other bizarre Gu insects lay hidden within the swarm. If even one managed to penetrate Lu Yuan’s sword net, his entire defense could collapse. Even without direct impact on the net, an overwhelming number of these insects were capable of inflicting injury from afar.

Lu Yuan was currently enduring a combined assault from the Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization and the Deputy Chief of the Miao Gu Civilization. The destructive power generated was simply terrifying. The combined might of a Three-Epoch expert and a Two-Epoch expert would certainly equal the combined strength of two Three-Epoch masters. This level of sustained attack would make even a Four-Epoch expert blanch.

And yet, facing this onslaught, Lu Yuan continued to draw his sword, ceaselessly tracing circles!

Strike after strike, he painted circles. Lu Yuan was gradually comprehending the true Way of the Sword Circle.

The so-called Way of the Sword Circle wasn't just about deflecting physical attacks; it extended to neutralizing states of poison, manipulating blood, and the various assaults from the Gu insects. At first, Lu Yuan struggled under the Gu attacks, but he quickly realized the Sword Circle Way could counter even these specialized methods. Regarding invisible attacks like poisoning or blood control, Lu Yuan was now vaguely perceiving that he could seemingly block them in another dimension using his sword.

From the very beginning of the exchange, Lu Yuan understood that both Deputy Chiefs were formidable opponents. Together, they were essentially equivalent to two Three-Epoch masters combined. Once one reached the Civilization Realm, surpassing them with ease, as in earlier stages, was impossible. Dealing with these two posed a genuine challenge. Therefore, Lu Yuan was in no rush; he chose to defend first before counterattacking. This was, in fact, pragmatic. There were only a few hundred Civilization Realm entities in the cosmos, and none were easy to handle. Lu Yuan used defense to drain the magical energy and stamina of both opponents while simultaneously mapping out their strengths and weaknesses. Only then would he unleash a thunderous counterattack. During this continuous defense, Lu Yuan was slowly discerning the merits and flaws in the attacks of both the Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization and the Deputy Chief of the Miao Gu Civilization. Seeing the situation unfold, he knew he would initiate the decisive counterattack soon—and once that started, it would be a single, fatal blow. Lu Yuan continued to wield his sword.

... ...

While Lu Yuan battled the Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization and the Deputy Chief of the Miao Gu Civilization, the other Deputy Chiefs observing the fight were utterly astonished. Initially, they assumed Lu Yuan would struggle immensely just against the Miao Blade Deputy Chief’s annihilating strike, yet Lu Yuan deflected it effortlessly—this was the first shock. During that initial exchange, they had dismissed it as luck.

But when the Deputy Chief of the Miao Blade Civilization immediately followed up with a continuous series of powerful attacks, and Lu Yuan blocked every single one, they understood this was not fortune; it was pure capability. Lu Yuan, merely a newly ascended Civilization Realm expert, managed to withstand the chained assault of the Miao Blade Deputy Chief without taking a scratch. This was truly remarkable.

When the Deputy Chief of the Miao Gu Civilization joined the fray, unleashing myriad Gu insects and even attacks that struck invisibly from afar, all of which were blocked, Lu Yuan was successfully holding off two opponents simultaneously. This led to even greater shock—Lu Yuan could actually maintain his guard against such an assault!

None of the observing Civilization Realm experts were blind. Most gradually recognized the sword technique Lu Yuan was employing, as well as the sword itself.

The Way of the Sword Circle, the Primordial Circle Divine Sword!

The Sword Circle Civilization Deputy Chief!

It appeared Lu Yuan had inherited the legacy of that Eighth Epoch Civilization Deputy Chief.

“Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship has received the true transmission of the Sword Circle Civilization Deputy Chief; he is certainly no weaker than the former Sword Circle Civilization Deputy Chief,” stated the Wind Scar Civilization Deputy Chief.

“Indeed,” affirmed the Integrity Deputy Chief of the Confucian Way Civilization, nodding in agreement. He was the representative of the Confucian Way Civilization for this event, and he felt Lu Yuan’s strength far surpassed his own. Successors nowadays were truly astonishing.

“That is incorrect.” The Martial Glory Deputy Chief of the Martial Ancient Civilization shook his head, refuting the claims of the Wind Scar Deputy Chief and the Integrity Deputy Chief.