The Son of Immortality did not rush to claim the Earth Scroll, as refining it into his possession would require an immense amount of time. After all, the Earth Scroll was already his, and no one could wrest it away.

The Son of Immortality walked to the rear of the Wuzhuang Temple. With a slight movement of his hand in the void, he performed an earthen magic gesture: "Ginseng Fruit Tree, appear!"

Immediately, a fruit tree materialized in the empty space.

This fruit tree towered about a thousand zhang high, its branches lush and thick, the dark green leaves concealing the shadows. The leaves resembled plantain foliage, reaching straight up for a thousand chi. Dangling from the branch tips were countless fruits, each shaped like a small infant. The tree was laden, impossibly full, perhaps bearing tens of thousands of fruits.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree, a divine object, differed significantly from ordinary divine artifacts.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree was, in essence, a low-tier divine object.

Low-tier divine objects could generally grant an elevation of one to five Epochs.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree, however, not only offered an elevation of one to five Epochs but also automatically generated Ginseng Fruits, which could enhance magical power—effectively acting like a Celestial-grade spiritual vein. Since Zhen Yuanzi already possessed the magical power of seven Epochs, the tree could not raise his Epoch level further. Thus, he opted not to consume the tree itself, instead allowing it to produce various Ginseng Fruits to increase his general magical strength.

Many were aware that Zhen Yuanzi possessed the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

However, firstly, Zhen Yuanzi maintained excellent standing; he had good relationships with many Civilization Realm entities, so most were unwilling to trouble him. Secondly, his use of the Earth Scroll to perform the Earthly Divine Evasion technique was vastly superior to standard earth arts, making it difficult to corner him even if someone intended to. Thirdly, Zhen Yuanzi himself was at the seven-Epoch level; anyone harboring malicious intent would first have to weigh carefully whether they were his match.

Consequently, the Ginseng Fruit Tree had remained in Zhen Yuanzi's keeping.

Knowing his mortal tribulation was approaching, Zhen Yuanzi had left both the Ginseng Fruit Tree and the Earth Scroll behind. The tree had been reproducing here for a long time, resulting in tens of thousands of Ginseng Fruits. These tens of thousands of fruits were themselves treasures; the Son of Immortality secretly calculated that they were equivalent to perhaps three hundred Celestial-grade spiritual veins.

The Son of Immortality laughed heartily: "With the Earth Scroll, the Ginseng Fruit Tree, and this abundance of fruits, it will be difficult for my strength not to rise." He felt immensely triumphant and elated. The Son of Immortality understood his own natural talent was inferior to that of the Son of the Wilds and Lu Yuan, but he was certain he would be the last one standing because he was the cleverest; neither the Son of the Wilds nor Lu Yuan possessed his cunning.

Just as the Son of Immortality was about to collect the Ginseng Fruit Tree—which was far easier to obtain than the Earth Scroll—a gigantic claw, reminiscent of both a whale and a dragon, lunged out of the void and snatched the tree away. The Son of Immortality had no time to react and roared in disbelief, "Who dares seize my Ginseng Fruit Tree?" He was genuinely stunned. He believed he was the only one within the Earth Ancestor's Treasury. How could another person suddenly appear and seize the thousand-zhang high tree? Was this perhaps a trial left behind by the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals from ages past?

But a voice immediately cut off that thought.

"It was I." Following a clear and resonant voice, a young man in cyan robes emerged, hands clasped behind his back.

The cyan-robed youth wore a faint, almost lazy, comfortable, and entirely self-possessed smile on his face. At this moment, Lu Yuan's aura was very similar to when he was first at Mount Hua; conversely, before reaching the Civilization Realm in the Central Heavenly Dynasty, he possessed a sharp, aggressive edge. Perhaps this was the return to simplicity.

"It's you," the Son of Immortality's pupils dilated. He never imagined Lu Yuan would appear at this juncture.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the Ancient Phoenix Civilization?" The world truly was vast, and for one person to locate another at an unspecified location was incredibly difficult. The Son of Immortality was completely unprepared for Lu Yuan's presence. He hadn't sensed anyone tracking him, and he had even used an Earth Ancestor clone—how had he still been found?

"What unfortunate timing; I happen to be right here," Lu Yuan said languidly. "I want both the Earth Scroll and the Ginseng Fruit Tree. And your life is forfeit to me." Lu Yuan had ample justification to kill the Son of Immortality, a man steeped in insidious cunning.

Initially, during the Sect Ranking Battles, he had deliberately used words to provoke Lu Yuan into seeking death at the hands of the Son of the Wilds—this was his first act of malice.

Next, at the Sacred Land of Civilization, he allied with the Jade Emperor and others to try and kill Lu Yuan—this was his second attempt to harm him.

Later, after Lu Yuan achieved the first rank on the Heavenly Ranking, the Son of Immortality merged with Zhen Yuanzi's body, becoming even stronger than Lu Yuan, aiming to strike him down—this was his third attempt to harm him.

And just moments ago, while pursuing the Son of Immortality, hearing his boast about wanting to sexually assault and kill the Vice-Master of the Martial Phoenix Civilization—who had shown Lu Yuan kindness—counted as the fourth hatred.

Furthermore, the Son of Immortality's hypocritical and tyrannical nature solidified Lu Yuan's resolve to execute him. Lu Yuan did not harbor such overwhelming hatred even for the Son of the Sword. If this man were allowed to live, Lu Yuan’s heart could never find peace.

Lu Yuan struck out with a palm, unleashing a blast of air that seemed capable of cracking the heavens and splitting the earth. The Son of Immortality dodged the palm wind with an exceptionally strange maneuver before glaring at Lu Yuan: "Lu Yuan, do you truly believe you can kill me? Yes, your strength surpasses mine, but my specialty, as the Son of Immortality, is evasion. You cannot kill me." He was brimming with confidence. The Son of Immortality's philosophy differed from others; he always believed his life was paramount and must be preserved, which is why he dedicated himself to mastering escape techniques. Even facing Lu Yuan, he was utterly certain he could flee.

The Son of Immortality sneered at Lu Yuan: "Lu Yuan, I possess the Five Immortal Evasion Arts. Every single one is an unparalleled secret technique for escape. Any one of them can shake off pursuers from two or three Epochs. If all five are deployed, even those from four or five Epochs cannot touch me." His tone was grand, but it was justified because his Five Immortal Evasion Arts were truly astounding—far beyond mere greatness.

These five arts were not only the essence of the Immortal Ancient Civilization but also the result of the Son of Immortality's unique fortuitous encounters combined with ultimate skills, fused into this set of five techniques.

The Five Immortal Evasion Arts: Immortal Body!

This was the Son of Immortality's own evaluation of his techniques. Lu Yuan's desire to kill him seemed utterly presumptuous, almost laughable.

The Son of Immortality first employed the technique of Shrinking the Ground to Dust. This was the very method the Son of Immortality had used to escape after Lu Yuan reached the Civilization Realm. His Shrinking the Ground to Dust technique was incredibly swift; in a single step, he could cover nearly a hundred thousand li, far surpassing the speed of normal Epoch Realm practitioners. Back then, when Lu Yuan witnessed the Son of Immortality use this move, he could only helplessly abandon the chase. At that time, when the four Civilization Realm experts besieged the newly ascended Lu Yuan, only the Son of Immortality managed to escape. The Son of Immortality was decisive; recognizing the immediate need to survive, he abandoned the Earth Ancestor's Treasury—in his mind, he was a favored child of destiny, and future opportunities abounded. Thus, he decisively utilized Shrinking the Ground to Dust, instantly vanishing into the distance.

Seeing the Son of Immortality deploy Shrinking the Ground to Dust, Lu Yuan could only let out a cold laugh. He had suffered a loss under this technique before, watching the Son of Immortality slip away in frustration. Consequently, during his time in the Ancient Phoenix Civilization, Lu Yuan had seriously studied how to break this move.

He recalled vividly that it was during his tenure in the Ancient Phoenix Civilization.

...

This was after the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden had taught him the Nine Heavens Wind Concealment Art. Fearing he might not leave the Ancient Phoenix Civilization, she imparted this ultimate skill to him. At that time, Lu Yuan had already considered how he would deal with the Son of Immortality; he couldn't allow such scum to escape repeatedly.

As the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden was about to depart, Lu Yuan spoke up: "I possess a Civilization Realm tracking method utilizing wind essence, and an ultimate sword technique. I wish to exchange them for one of your speed-enhancing methods."

Lu Yuan then manifested his ultimate sword technique. This move was none other than Sword Nine: Sword of Seven Emotions!

Sword Nine: Sword of Seven Emotions! This was an inherently perverse sword technique capable of discovering flaws within emotional states and amplifying them. Since ascending to the Civilization Realm, several Civilization experts had suffered under this move. When Lu Yuan displayed this sword strike, the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden immediately recognized its profound power.

As for the wind essence tracking method, it was derived from partial insights gleaned from the Wind Spirit Gu Gu. Gu Gu was unmatched in small-area tracking. When Lu Yuan offered the partial insights into tracking from the Wind Spirit Gu Gu, even the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden’s expression shifted. The first technique was sublime and skillful, but the subsequent wind-based tracking insights were immensely useful to her.

The Nine Heavens Profound Maiden did not deliberate for long before passing her Nine Heavens Urgent Wind Art to Lu Yuan.

In return, she acquired the method for practicing Lu Yuan's Sword Nine: Sword of Seven Emotions! and Gu Gu's partial insights.

In reality, once one reached the Civilization Realm, mutual exchange of exquisite skills among masters was quite common. If relations were decent, there was no need to quibble over minor gains or losses, as long as neither party was fundamentally disadvantaged. Lu Yuan's Sword Nine: Sword of Seven Emotions was world-shaking, and Gu Gu's tracking insights were supreme knowledge in the wind path, highly beneficial to the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden. While the Nine Heavens Wind Concealment Art and Nine Heavens Urgent Wind Art taught by her were not as potent as her own mastery, they carried about eighty percent of their initial power. Neither side lost out.

Lu Yuan was certain he would never find himself on opposing sides against the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden, which is why he dared to teach so openly and boldly. Indeed, Lu Yuan benefited greatly, as did she.

(Second update delivered. Requesting monthly votes. Fifty votes for tenth place in this category, currently at thirty-four votes.)(To be continued)

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