He had managed to escape the clutches of Number Three only because he possessed the Earth Book, which was the ultimate counter to such formations.

However, Lu Yuan also clearly noticed that the further this top assassination squad progressed, the more formidable they became.

Numbers Two and One lay ahead.

Could he truly handle such overwhelmingly powerful opponents?

Lu Yuan’s heart tightened, but an immense surge of confidence immediately followed. No matter how strong the foe, he feared nothing, remained unperturbed and unconfused. Holding fast to his true nature, exerting his utmost strength—even if it led to his death and the shattering of his sword—he would have no regrets. Lu Yuan strode forward through the void.

At that moment, Lu Yuan realized his heart was beating relentlessly.

The faster it beat, the faster, until in what felt like an instant, his heart was pounding a thousand times.

Why?

This was certainly not due to tension; frankly, nothing in heaven or earth currently made him that nervous.

For his heart to beat so strangely now was abnormal.

Lu Yuan channeled his magic into his heart, trying to slow the frantic pace, but his heart was completely beyond his control, beating wildly faster and faster—at one point, ten thousand times in a flash. Moreover, it wasn't just the heartbeat; his blood was reversing, flowing backward uncontrollably, causing him extreme physical agony.

Which mighty being was attacking him? Lu Yuan felt a surge of genuine dread. His opponent was too strong. Was it Number Two or Number One from the top assassination squad?

By this point, Lu Yuan dared not hold anything back. He unleashed both the Zheng (Righteous) and Yuan (Round/Complete) characters. The presence of both symbols manifested, rendering his body fluid and integrated, preventing the strange force from tearing him apart. The Zheng character resisted the external assault, but even it seemed ineffective; the enemy’s power was strangely esoteric.

“Which friend shows yourself? Come out and meet me,” Lu Yuan roared.

“Amitābha.” A Buddhist chant echoed in the void, and a phantom image of an old monk appeared before him. The monk’s face was waxy yellow, etched with sorrow yet radiating a profound, boundless compassion. A monk! Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned. “From the Buddhist Ancient Civilization?”

“Indeed.” The old monk nodded. “This humble monk is the Vice-Master of the Wu Branch of the Buddhist Ancient Civilization, and concurrently, Number Two of the strongest assassination squad.” It was, as suspected, the Number Two figure.

Simultaneously, data regarding the Buddhist Ancient Civilization and this old monk flashed through Lu Yuan’s mind.

The Buddhist Ancient Civilization was one of the Five Great Ancient Civilizations, yet the most low-key among them. Its Master was acclaimed as the Supreme Buddha, and within that civilization existed numerous Buddha-Realm figures: Buddha of Reception, Buddha Zhunti, Buddha Bodhi, Buddha Shakyamuni—and certainly not to forget Lu Yuan’s mortal enemy, Buddha Sukra.

As for the Vice-Master of the Wu Branch, his origins were rumored to stem from the Wu Civilization, which had vanished epochs ago. He was an expert in the Wu Path of Evil, one of the Six Great Paths of Evil.

Lu Yuan had a clear impression of the Wu Path of Evil. The Wu Civilization was said to be a powerful and mysterious entity, though it had long since vanished from history, much like the Sword Ancient Civilization.

Regarding the magical power of this Vice-Master of the Wu Branch, it was said to be formidable, reaching the power level of the Nine Epochs—surpassing many leaders of ordinary civilizations.

It suddenly dawned on him why he couldn't defend against this dark art: it was the Evil Art of Wu. Among the Six Great Paths of Evil, the Wu Path of Evil was the only one he could not block.

Lu Yuan strode forward mightily through the void, but the Wu sorcery continued to plague him, while the phantom of the Vice-Master of the Wu Branch followed closely in the void. The Vice-Master smiled faintly. “Amitābha. Actually, this old monk has not come this time to slay Benefactor Lu Yuan, but to propose a deal.” The Vice-Master made a subtle gesture, and the feeling of the Wu sorcery afflicting Lu Yuan instantly vanished.

Lu Yuan looked toward the Vice-Master. “Oh? What proposal do you have for me?” Lu Yuan was still traveling at extreme speeds, covering over a hundred thousand miles with each step, daring not to stop; pausing might allow his opponent to catch up.

The Vice-Master pressed his palms together. “Although I currently reside in the Buddhist Ancient Civilization, I wish to restore my own Wu Civilization. In bygone eras, the Wu and Demon paths vied for supremacy as the head of the Six Great Paths of Evil. The Wu Civilization was broken and defeated by the Demon Civilization, subjugated by the hand of the Demon Civilization’s Master. At that time, the Buddhist Realm appeared, using Supreme Buddha methods to convert me to Buddhism. During this conversion, I was clouded, perpetually a Buddha, and though my memory of the Wu Civilization was perfectly clear, it felt overlaid, separated by a layer of spiritual mist. It was only in the last epoch, when I inadvertently acquired an artifact that shattered the Buddha’s barrier, that my original memories returned with perfect clarity.”

“Since then, this old monk has had but one goal: to restore the Wu Civilization. The greatest hurdle to restoring the Wu Civilization is one entity: the Master of the Demon Civilization. This figure has reached the level of Civilization Master; his power pierces the heavens and penetrates the epochs, with few capable of resisting him, and even fewer capable of killing him. And yet, you are a cultivator who practices the attribute of Righteousness. Therefore, this old monk certainly won't kill you; instead, I offer you a trade. If I do not attack you today and bestow upon you a divine artifact, you must later assist me in slaying the Master of the Demon Civilization and helping me escape the Buddhist Ancient Civilization. How does that sound?” The Vice-Master of the Wu Branch spoke, hands clasped.

This proposition had two difficult elements. The first difficulty was killing the Master of the Demon Civilization. The second was escaping the Buddhist Ancient Civilization—how could the Vice-Master of the Wu Branch leave so easily? But the Vice-Master saw that Lu Yuan was destined to grow to an astonishing degree, which is why he offered these terms. Of course, the Vice-Master was taking a gamble; he couldn't guarantee victory, but he had to wager. If he lost the bet and Lu Yuan never reached that potential, he would merely lose a single paramount divine artifact.

Lu Yuan was momentarily taken aback. Such a favorable situation—the Number Two of the top assassination squad not only refraining from attack but offering a paramount divine artifact?

However, if a paramount divine artifact was offered freely, how could he refuse?

Furthermore, the decisive battle for the Central Celestial Dynasty was fast approaching; everyone was scrambling to secure allies. Gaining even one ally was beneficial. Observe how even the Phoenix Ancient Civilization was being courted, and the Artifact Civilization faced annihilation for attempting neutrality—the situation was clear. The reason the Vice-Master of the Wu Branch sought Lu Yuan’s help was simple: the Buddhist Ancient Civilization had disappointed him. Though he possessed the myriad Buddhist scriptures, he no longer believed in Buddha. After all, the Master of the Buddhist Ancient Civilization had forcefully converted him back then. Now, the Primeval Desolation allied with the Demon race, and the Primeval Desolation also allied with the Buddhist Ancients; this meant the Demon race was currently aligned with the Buddhist Ancients, a profound humiliation for the Vice-Master of the Wu Branch.

Lu Yuan smiled. “I agree to those terms.”

“Very well.” The Vice-Master of the Wu Branch nodded. “Let me present this paramount divine artifact to you.” His semi-phantom, semi-transparent Buddha image suddenly blazed with light. After a wash of golden Buddha halo, a string of prayer beads materialized in his hand. The beads were the color of glazed tile, emitting an astonishing radiance that carried the aura of a divine object—still a low-grade divine artifact.

Lu Yuan accepted the low-grade artifact without hesitation. Possessing one was undoubtedly a great fortune.

Lu Yuan immediately began absorbing the prayer beads. Concurrently, the spiritual energy from the Ginseng Fruit Tree from the previous encounter, which he hadn't fully utilized, was now entirely consumed. Both paramount divine artifacts were absorbed into his body. After absorbing the two artifacts, Lu Yuan felt an overwhelming surge of power rising within him.

In a trance, Lu Yuan perceived an immensely vast threshold—the threshold to the Civilization Master realm. This threshold was unexpectedly high and majestically grand, seemingly seizing the essence of heaven and earth. The closer Lu Yuan approached it, the more he perceived the inherent difficulty of this barrier.

Boom!

Lu Yuan felt his magic power surge like a tumultuous ocean, as boundless as the Milky Way. As the galaxy writhed, Lu Yuan felt his magic relentlessly pushing forward. Boom! It seemed as if the surrounding heavens and earth shuddered violently, threatening to shatter completely.

This was the power of the Five Epochs!

Lu Yuan gained a sudden understanding: aided by the power of the paramount divine artifacts, he had reached the power of the Five Epochs.

And at the level of Five Epochs power, Lu Yuan vaguely sensed the Eternal Heaven and Earth!

That was a plane of existence transcending the Epochs! Although he could only glimpse a corner of that Eternal Heaven and Earth, even that mere glimpse brought immense benefit. It was an utterly exhilarating sensation, and Lu Yuan reveled in the feeling of Five Epochs power.

After a while, Lu Yuan immediately began consuming the Heavenly-Tier Spiritual Veins, one after another. Previously, he possessed three hundred and thirty Heavenly-Tier Spiritual Veins; this time, he burned through a full two hundred and fifty of them to push his magic power to the absolute peak of the Five Epochs realm—a peak utterly distinct from what he had achieved before.

. . . . . .

The Vice-Master of the Wu Branch watched Lu Yuan reach the power of the Five Epochs, pressing his palms together. “Congratulations, Benefactor, congratulations on reaching the power of the Five Epochs. It seems challenging the Civilization Master realm is only a matter of time.” These were, of course, purely flattering words. Five Epochs power was remarkable, but reaching the Civilization Master level was exceedingly difficult. Many were stalled at the Nine Epochs level, including the Vice-Master of the Wu Branch himself, Number One, the Vice-Master of the Heavenly Mother Civilization, and others.

Lu Yuan clasped his hands in return. “I must thank Master for your assistance.”

The Vice-Master of the Wu Branch looked at Lu Yuan. “This old monk won’t be so polite with you, Benefactor. Today, I have another important matter to discuss with Benefactor Lu.” His expression grew extremely grave as he spoke.

(First update delivered.)