The Lord of the Fowu Civilization spoke with solemnity, "What I must tell you concerns the strongest assassination squad."

"The strongest assassination squad—not a single member is simple."

"Tenth in rank is Number Ten, the Deputy Lord of the Lei Wang Civilization. He specializes in attacking opponents with terrifying speed and destructive power, wielding the magic of the Sixth Epoch."

"Ninth in rank, Number Nine, is the Deputy Lord of the Hu Zhi Civilization, the Fox Tail Civilization. She specializes in enchantment and illusion, possessing the magic of the Sixth Epoch. One misplaced step and you’ll be trapped in her gentle embrace. However, as your heart is devoted to the sword, and you have the Righteousness to guard you, you should be quite wary of this woman, though caution remains paramount."

"Eighth in rank is Number Eight, the Deputy Lord of the Fu Zhou Civilization. The Deputy Lord of the Fu Bao Civilization is a remarkably troublesome figure. His specialty is explosion, utilizing various talismans to detonate with immense power. Even those of the Seventh Epoch have perished at his hands. He too possesses the magic of the Sixth Epoch."

"The Deputy Lord of the Huang Feng Civilization, ranked seventh, the Deputy Lord of the Xian Feng Civilization, ranked sixth, and the Deputy Lord of the Du Jue Civilization, ranked fifth—you have encountered them all. None of them are simple commodities."

"Fourth in rank is the Deputy Lord of the Xing Sha Civilization. This person specializes in lurking in the shadows to assassinate. Once he begins his strike, few can cope. However, this time he was not deployed because he could not match your speed. When he acts, his methods are utterly treacherous; he once assassinated a Deputy Lord of the Eighth Epoch."

"Third in rank is the Deputy Lord of the Zhen Jue Civilization, who kills by relying on formations. His array techniques are complex, and even this old monk does not know how you would overcome the Zhen Jue Civilization Deputy Lord, but you should remain cautious of this individual in the days to come."

"The second-ranked figure is, in fact, this old monk."

"The strongest assassination squad—not a single member is simple. Each person's magic exceeds yours at present, and every one possesses a peculiar, specialized skill. Only your unparalleled speed has prevented them from having a direct confrontation with you. Should they secure a chance for a head-on engagement, your probability of victory is indeed slim."

Hearing the Lord of the Fowu Civilization speak of nine out of the ten members of the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance's strongest assassination squad, Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a secret jolt of alarm. What a formidable squad; they truly lived up to the title of the strongest assassination squad.

However, the most critical question now arose.

If those ranked from Nine downward were already this terrifying, what about Number One?

Number One—what kind of person was that?

The Lord of the Fowu Civilization's expression grew grave: "The identity of the Number One figure is the Deputy Lord of the Jian Zhi Civilization, the Arrow Civilization. His specialty is to pierce through ten thousand li with a single arrow. Within ten thousand li, anyone he locks onto generally cannot escape his arrow. There was once an Eighth Epoch figure pierced through the heart and killed by him."

"Concurrently, his speed is frighteningly erratic. His velocity is no less than that of the Xian Feng or Huang Feng, perhaps subtly exceeding them. Paired with his peerless technique, the Ten Thousand Li Arrow Piercing the Clouds Divine Arrow, very few can evade his shot. He is the Number One of the strongest assassination squad, and simultaneously, its captain."

"He possesses the peak magic of the Ninth Epoch and has recently been striving toward the realm of the Civilization Lord."

Lu Yuan listened, his heart pounding. An arrow that travels ten thousand li, coupled with extreme speed, and the peak magic of the Ninth Epoch.

Lu Yuan was certain that if this Deputy Lord of the Jian Zhi Civilization came for him, his chances of escape would be exceedingly small.

The Deputy Lord of the Fowu Civilization spoke, "You need not worry. The current Deputy Lord of the Jian Zhi Civilization has entered seclusion to break through to the Civilization Lord realm, and I will stall for time to facilitate you. Furthermore, the strongest assassination squad of the Fa Wu Alliance is nearly assembled. Once they are ready, dealing with you will not be easy for them either."

Hearing these three points from the Deputy Lord of the Fowu Civilization, Lu Yuan finally set his mind at ease. This was good.

Lu Yuan now fully grasped the formidable nature of the strongest assassination squad. Although he had managed to slip away from their grasp this time, the sheer terror of the squad felt even more profound. Lu Yuan clasped his hands: "Thank you for informing me. You aid me today; I shall repay you when the time comes."

The Deputy Lord of the Fowu Civilization smiled faintly: "Then this old monk shall await the Benefactor's good news."

The Deputy Lord of the Fowu Civilization had given up on dealing with Lu Yuan, but he would not share the secrets of his sorcery with him. No one willingly divulges their ultimate techniques. The Wu Civilization was divided into two major schools: the Sorcery School, renowned for its bizarre and unpredictable techniques, and the Battle Wu School, known for its robust physique and high combat prowess.

The Deputy Lord of the Fowu Civilization paused briefly, then vanished without a trace.

After the Deputy Lord disappeared, Lu Yuan continued toward the border between the Central Celestial Dynasty and the Lost Land. This time, no further trouble arose; there was only the occasional staged pursuit and counter-pursuit performance with the Deputy Lord of the Fowu Civilization, until he smoothly reached the frontier between the Lost Land and the Central Celestial Dynasty.

Upon arriving here, Lu Yuan sensed a dense surge of sword energy—lofty and overlooking all living things—the aura of the Heavenly Sword. Lu Yuan immediately projected his own sword energy, which was all-encompassing, absorbing all rivers like the ocean. The two streams of sword energy flickered at each other across the void.

Simultaneously, Lu Yuan detected an incredibly evil sword energy, one that was profoundly wicked, utterly strange, and profoundly deceitful. It was also overwhelmingly vast, far exceeding his own powerful sword energy.

Lu Yuan instantly analyzed that the Heavenly Sword aura belonged to Yan Cangtian, and the utterly evil aura must belong to the Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization. Who else could it be? This Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization possessed an astonishing aura. Lu Yuan had recently encountered many masters, having seen numerous figures of the Eighth and Ninth Epochs, yet he still felt the formidable might of the Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization—truly powerful!

Sensing Lu Yuan’s sword energy, the Heavenly Sword energy flickered in the void, leaping out of the Lost Land, traversing countless planes, and descending into the Central Celestial Dynasty. As soon as he landed in the Central Celestial Dynasty, an immensely powerful Heavenly Tribulation materialized in the sky. What a powerful Heavenly Tribulation it was, possessing an aura capable of directly confronting, or even surpassing, that of the Eighth and Ninth Epochs—an aura meant to annihilate everything. This was very similar to the Heavenly Tribulation Lu Yuan faced when he was at the second level of the World Realm, but it was tens of thousands of times more potent than what he experienced then. No, more than ten thousand times—perhaps a hundred thousand or a million times more terrifying.

When Lu Yuan was at the second level of the World Realm, the Heavenly Tribulation had accumulated in the void above for a long time, but now it felt as if this terrifying tribulation was about to descend instantaneously.

For this kind of Sword Dao Heavenly Tribulation, the longer one delayed, the greater the reactive backlash.

This was precisely why Yan Cangtian had dared not come to the Central Celestial Dynasty.

Seeing the Sword Dao Heavenly Tribulation about to descend with overwhelming force, sweeping away everything, Lu Yuan flipped his hand and hurled the Great Seal of Desolation toward the person radiating the Heavenly Sword aura. That person sensed it, raised a large hand, and grasped the Great Seal of Desolation: "The Great Seal of Desolation, acknowledged by Heaven and Earth." Rays of light emanated from the Seal, colliding with the Sword Dao Heavenly Tribulation. The Seal itself was not particularly powerful, but due to a subtle, mysterious attribute clash with the Heavenly Tribulation, a deafening thunderclap exploded in the sky, and the boundless tribulation vanished into nothingness.

With the Sword Dao Heavenly Tribulation dissipated, the person with the Heavenly Sword aura finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, in the void, another claw of dense, sinister energy emerged. Within this sinister, grasping claw, a terrifying and bizarre minor world seemed to churn, slicing through countless planes as it descended.

"Go!" The person with the Heavenly Sword aura and the swordsman with the all-encompassing aura fled together. Now, even joining forces, they could not contend with the sinister claw following them, so their only option was temporary evasion. They had to flee.

Lu Yuan also sensed that the Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization likely possessed the magic of the Eighth Epoch; he could not handle that entity by himself for the moment.

As Lu Yuan and the Heavenly Sword aura deliberately moved forward, a figure appeared in the void. This person was shrouded in rolling evil energy, his features obscured: "Damn it, this is the jurisdiction of the Fa Wu Alliance."

He was hesitant to pursue the other two, as the Fa Wu Alliance territory was not easily trespassed. This figure, whose face was completely hidden by swirling evil energy, muttered, "The battle lines are only just forming; the world is not yet in chaos. I cannot act rashly now. But in a few months, when the conflict erupts, I can charge into the Central Celestial Dynasty and wreak havoc." He held back for another reason: this area was under the jurisdiction of Wu Gu Civilization, where a Ninth Epoch powerhouse had struck down the Martial Emperor Venerable.

....

"Hoo!" The man with the Heavenly Sword aura let out a long breath.

Lu Yuan looked with some surprise at this middle-aged man radiating the Heavenly Sword aura. What Lu Yuan saw was a man with disheveled white robes, some bloodstains visible, his hair messy, and stubble beginning to appear on his chin. He truly looked battered. The Yan Cangtian Lu Yuan had known previously always maintained a perfect, lofty, all-seeing image.

Now, for the first time in his life, Lu Yuan saw the Heavenly Sword Yan Cangtian looking so wretched—a rare encounter indeed!

Haha! Lu Yuan chuckled inwardly. The main reason was seeing Yan Cangtian look defeated for the first time; Yan Cangtian always seemed invincible. Seeing him look so miserable brought Lu Yuan immense mirth, and he laughed outright. Lu Yuan could clearly see that Yan Cangtian currently possessed the magic of the Fifth Epoch, equivalent to his own power level.

Yan Cangtian exhaled a breath of frustration: "The Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization." He had committed that name to memory.

"Thank you this time..." Yan Cangtian said with a casual acknowledgment. He and Lu Yuan were long past the need for constant mutual gratitude. He simply stated casually, "I lost to the Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization this time, but it won't happen again. I must exact this vengeance myself. I will go into seclusion for a period. When I reappear next time, I will certainly slay the Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization." "Good. When you slay the Deputy Lord of the Xie Jian Civilization next time, I shall slay the Deputy Lord of the Tong Zhi Civilization. Together, along with Senior Brother Zhou Qingxuan, we will jointly revive the Supreme Sword Dao and establish the Civilization of the Sword." "Agreed!" Yan Cangtian nodded.