In the present-day Central Heavenly Dynasty, the Epochal War was poised to erupt, yet the atmosphere was already heavy with dread.

Under such conditions, the various engines of war began to mobilize.

This was true for both sides, whether it was the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance or the Arcane Martial Alliance.

And at this very moment, within the intelligence network of the Arcane Martial Alliance.

“The enemy’s Vice-Lord of the Immortal Wind Civilization has relocated.” “The enemy’s Vice-Lord of the Desolate Wind Civilization has relocated.” “The enemy’s… has relocated.”

“The enemy’s… has relocated.”

“All these figures are moving toward the Pegasus Horn region.” “Among those under primary surveillance, a total of eight individuals have shifted their location to a single point.” “These personnel are the most likely candidates for the Apex Assassination Squad.”

“Their deployment means that the Apex Assassination Squad of the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance has mobilized.” Report after report flowed into the Arcane Martial Alliance’s intelligence system, where analysts immediately processed the data and arrived at this grim conclusion. Warfare, after all, was not merely a contest between supreme masters trading blows; that would merely be an exercise in supreme combat limits. True warfare was a grand campaign where every single entity contributed, such as the intelligence operatives who, despite lacking Civilization Realm masters among them, continuously analyzed the flow of information, pinpointing the adversaries' locations, thereby exerting a massive influence on the conflict.

For instance, through the succession of incoming intelligence, the news of the Apex Assassination Squad’s assembly was confirmed.

“The enemy’s Apex Assassination Squad has assembled. The Epochal War has begun.” The head of intelligence took a deep, shuddering breath. As he finalized this conclusion, a dizzying sensation washed over him; the most terrifying Epochal War was finally commencing, an ultimate clash that would inevitably demand countless sacrifices.

“Transmit this result immediately,” the Intelligence Captain commanded.

“Yes, sir.” Assistants immediately sprang into action.

“Furthermore, check the Pegasus Triangle region for any of our Civilization Realm experts. The Apex Assassination Squad always targets Civilization Realm figures—analyze which one might be their objective,” the Intelligence Captain instructed.

“Yes, initiating analysis.” Several intelligence personnel immediately began their work. The Pegasus Triangle was a vast expanse of the cosmos, studded with hundreds of thousands of stars. Based on analyses from various locales, the Arcane Martial Alliance had two Vice-Lords within this sector. However, the other, the Vice-Lord of the Sacred Snow Civilization, did not present a threat significant enough to warrant the deployment of the Apex Assassination Squad. This left only one possibility: Lu Yuan.

At the very outset of the Epochal War, the first target of the enemy’s fully mobilized Apex Assassination Squad was Lu Yuan.

This was easily explained by Lu Yuan’s terrifying potential for growth, coupled with the prophecy concerning the Desolate Dawn linked to Lu Yuan.

The Intelligence Captain immediately declared, “Transmit this result at once! Lu Yuan is a critical figure on our side; he cannot be allowed to perish at their hands.” Yet, even as he spoke the words, the Captain understood the grim reality: Lu Yuan’s probability of survival was zero, absolutely none. It was the Apex Assassination Squad confronting Lu Yuan; how could he possibly escape? This squad was equipped to take on figures from the Nine Epochs, and even those masters would face a near-certain death—Lu Yuan, at his current strength, faced an absolute certainty of utter annihilation.

These two crucial pieces of intelligence were relayed at maximum speed, shaking the foundations of power wherever they landed. The Epochal War had formally begun, and Lu Yuan was now under assault by the enemy’s Apex Assassination Squad, leaving him with no conceivable path to survival.

Lu Yuan was finished!

Indeed, the Arcane Martial Alliance would scramble to dispatch masters for reinforcement, but assistance would arrive too late.

Lu Yuan would be forced to face the Apex Assassination Squad alone for an extended period. Thus, there was only one conceivable outcome for him: he was doomed! Every level of the intelligence structure, and every great power in the heavens and earth that received this news, converged on the same conclusion: Lu Yuan was lost. Among the ten members of the Apex Assassination Squad, some were primeval masters born in this very Epoch, while the majority were terrifying veterans whose fame spanned multiple past epochs.

Meanwhile, in the void of the Pegasus Triangle region, a chilling, strange laugh echoed: “Hahahaha! Number Six, Number Seven, you two have always been famous for your speed, constantly bickering over who is the fastest in the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance. To be outmatched in velocity by a mere junior—hahaha! Too humiliating. If you two cannot assassinate Lu Yuan, then let me, Number Five, take the lead.”

...

...

Lu Yuan felt a tightening in his chest as the Apex Assassination Squad turned their focus upon him, a force whose reputation preceded it.

Despite the tension, Lu Yuan maintained his original objective: he continued toward the designated rendezvous point between the Lost Lands and the Central Heavenly Dynasty to deliver the Seal of Desolation.

As Lu Yuan flew, an unsettling sensation began to prickle his awareness.

Yes, something was undeniably, profoundly wrong.

There was a poisonous tang carried on the very wind.

It was not limited to the air; the void surrounding the surrounding stars, and even their very surfaces, were saturated with toxins. Yet, the most horrifying aspect was not the physical poison, but that the very light contained venom, and moreover, the darkness held poison too. Crucially, the poison within the light and the poison within the darkness were perfectly merged with the concepts of light and shadow themselves.

Lu Yuan was genuinely shaken. To weaponize poison within the fundamental elements of light and darkness—this technique, this level of power, was terrifying.

Such an opponent could only belong to one civilization: the Poisonous Cultivation lineage.

Lu Yuan pressed onward, but wherever he traveled, these toxins followed closely. He realized this phenomenon bore a striking resemblance to a legendary poison known as 'Ubiquitous Toxin.' The deadliest trait of this Ubiquitous Toxin was that the perpetrator need never physically appear; the poison merely adhered to the subject and transferred wherever they went. This was a supreme art of the Poisonous Cultivation faction, and given their inability to keep pace with Lu Yuan, it was likely the opposition had deployed this Ubiquitous Toxin.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly and challenged into the void, “And which member of the Apex Assassination Squad is gracing me with their presence now?” Suddenly, a line of script formed in the void, composed of endless, swirling toxins. These characters, dark and venomous, read: “Apex Assassination Squad, Number Five, Vice-Lord of the Toxin Absolute Civilization.”

Oh, this one. Upon reaching the Civilization Realm, Lu Yuan knew there were only a few hundred entities at that level, so he had simply absorbed the profiles of all of them into his memory. Divine sense retention was trivial for Civilization Realm experts. Thus, he recalled hearing of the Vice-Lord of the Toxin Absolute Civilization. In his records, this figure was the Vice-Lord of the Poisonous Cultivation Civilization, possessing seven Epochs of cultivation power. While his raw strength matched that of the Immortal Wind and Desolate Wind Vice-Lords, his skill in using poison to murder was considered even more terrifying than the speed-based assassinations of the other two, earning him the fifth rank.

Rolling, churning toxins enveloped Lu Yuan, surrounding everything within his vicinity. Every location Lu Yuan reached instantly became a realm saturated with poison—a world of venom, with Lu Yuan trapped at its epicenter as countless poisons sought his destruction.

Lu Yuan immediately activated the Azure Saint Sword Dao. As soon as it manifested, a multitude of toxins were repelled, but even so, layers of venom managed to surge inward.

What potent poison! Lu Yuan remembered the boast from the Vice-Lord of the Myriad Spore Civilization, who claimed his Myriad Spore Toxin was now comparable to that of the Poisonous Cultivation Civilization. Only now did Lu Yuan realize that the Vice-Lord’s claim was mere self-aggrandizement. In terms of sheer toxic purity, the Myriad Spore Civilization still lagged behind the Poisonous Cultivation lineage.

However, Lu Yuan’s Azure Saint Sword Dao, honed over time against the Myriad Spore Vice-Lord’s Billion Toxin Vessel, had seen considerable progress and was far stronger than before. The previous iteration of the Sword Dao would have been utterly incapable of withstanding this assault.

Lu Yuan remained unhurried, continuing to temper the Azure Saint Sword Dao while simultaneously maintaining his rapid movement. He dared not slow down; if he did, the Apex Assassination Squad would catch him, and with even the weakest member possessing Six Epochs of power, he would be utterly obliterated. His survival thus far had hinged entirely on unparalleled speed to evade the squad.

The Ubiquitous Toxin continued to manifest aggressively with his every movement, yet Lu Yuan's Azure Saint Sword Dao also progressed under the severe pressure of this targeted poison.

Swirling Ubiquitous Toxin shimmered in the void, and within it materialized the mocking script associated with the strange laughter: “Lu Yuan, under the Ubiquitous Toxin, one of the Poisonous Cultivation Civilization’s most terrifying killing moves, you have no path but death.”

Lu Yuan paid it no mind, focusing instead on the steady refinement of the Azure Saint Sword Dao, which was pushed to new limits by the onslaught of toxins.

The Ubiquitous Toxin unleashed a dreadful array of poisons, including Void Toxin, Demon Toxin, Treachery Toxin, Sky Toxin, Ice Toxin, Divine Toxin, Hell Toxin, Myriad Change Toxin, and Utter Ruin Toxin—a horrific medley where each substance was a composite of a billion toxins, making the combination exceedingly lethal.

Lu Yuan’s Azure Saint Sword Dao was not easily subdued; it radiated an intense cyan-green light, carving circles in the void to ward off the toxic incursions. Even so, it began to buckle under the strain of an attack of this magnitude.

For a moment, Lu Yuan’s situation was extremely perilous.

This was the signature technique of the Apex Assassination Squad’s Fifth Seat. Even with the defense of the Azure Saint Sword Dao, Lu Yuan was struggling fiercely. Any other individual lacking such a dedicated defensive art would surely find themselves in a far worse predicament. It was clear why this master held the fifth rank; he was truly formidable.

At that instant, a surge of cyan-green brilliance emanated from the Sword Dao Tree, injecting itself directly into Lu Yuan’s Azure Saint Sword Dao, causing the sword light to flare dramatically, as if a nascent azure dragon was about to burst forth.