This was the greatest decisive battle of this entire epoch—the Epoch War. It was unprecedented in the history of this age. All the high-tier powers of the Central Heavenly Dynasty were locked in desperate struggle.
The First Emperor’s Son was fiercely engaged with his adversary, who was none other than the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao, one of the Three Pure Ones from the Ancient Immortal Civilization. The Heavenly Venerable Shangqing Lingbao was a figure from the Nine Epochs, renowned for mastering an array of bizarre and numerous spell arts. He claimed to possess the greatest collection of techniques, a collection even surpassing that of the Civilization Masters.
Furthermore, he didn't merely possess these spells; he could perfectly coordinate them to unleash overwhelmingly powerful effects—a truly formidable opponent. The techniques of the First Emperor’s Son, however, were far more singular, yet within that simplicity, there lay a profound, subtle essence. One begets two, two begets three, and three begets ten thousand.
No matter how many spells you possess, they all derive from this. The battle between the First Emperor’s Son and the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao raged with cataclysmic force, making it impossible to discern a victor for the time being. Of course, this confrontation wasn't isolated; battles raged elsewhere.
For instance, the Deputy Master of the Medicine Civilization was locked in combat with his old rival, the Deputy Master of the Poison Civilization. One represented medicine, the other poison. The Deputy Master of the Poison Civilization unleashed thousands of toxins, while the Deputy Master of the Medicine Civilization manifested thousands of remedies.
As one cast poison and the other countered with medicine, countless herbs and toxins exploded in the void. The area where they fought was utterly cleared, and no one else dared trespass there inviting death. The high-tier powers were fighting, and the low-tier powers were fighting as well.
For example, Xiao Fengxiong currently faced an opponent at the Seventh Heaven of the World Realm, whose power level was equal to his own. That man felt utterly outmatched by Xiao Fengxiong, whose palm shadows seemed as imposing as mountains. He immediately called upon several other Seventh Heaven World Realm experts to surround and attack Xiao Fengxiong.
But Xiao Fengxiong, always the type who grew fiercer the longer he fought, paid them no mind. Thrilled by the combat, he drank and fought simultaneously. Meanwhile, in the void, a girl as pure and beautiful as an immortal was wielding the Sword of Color and Emptiness against someone next to her.
This breathtakingly beautiful girl’s swordsmanship was extraordinary; she possessed the power of the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm, and her sword strikes were lethal. Beside her stood a strange girl clad in white, barefoot, whose form flickered like an illusion, ceaselessly thrusting out white diamond slivers from her sleeves, sharpened into swords to kill: “Senior Sister Fei Xian, it seems my pace in dispatching enemies is faster than yours.” Mistress Fei Xian offered no word, too disdainful to argue. “Boom!” Yan Qianfa’s right hand was severed at the wrist.
Yan Qianfa had once contended with Lu Yuan over Yun Xiuxue, but times had changed, and they were now allies, fighting for the victory of the Dharma-Martial Alliance. The high-level fighters were engaged, and the lower-level fighters were also locked in combat. However, there was one area in the void shrouded in absolute silence.
The Son of Desolation and Lu Wu stood opposed. This confrontation was crucial, concerning the struggle for the foremost destiny child of the epoch. The battle had not yet begun, but the tension was already excruciating.
Everything around them seemed paused, save for the wind whipping fiercely at the robes of the Son of Desolation and Lu Yuan. The Son of Desolation let out a long laugh, shaking the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd in his grasp: “Lu Yuan, last time I was defeated because I was injured first and then ambushed by you. But today is different.
Now I command the power of the Nine Epochs, boundless in its might. I will definitely slay you here.” Indeed, the Son of Desolation arrived with formidable bearing this time! His power had reached the depths of the Nine Epochs.
Even the Deputy Master of the Axe Civilization from the Nine Epochs had suffered a crushing defeat under his hands, and the Deputy Master of the Dark Night Civilization had also tasted bitter defeat. He presented an arrogance suggesting no one from heaven to earth could subdue him. In contrast, Lu Yuan appeared significantly weaker now; he was still at the power level of the Seven Epochs, and his greatest recorded achievement was defeating the Deputy Master of the Desolate Warmth Civilization from the Six Epochs.
By any measure, Lu Yuan seemed destined for total defeat. The foremost destiny child of the epoch seemed destined to be the Son of Desolation. The Son of Desolation gripped the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd: “Today, Heaven’s Mandate is mine.
Lu Yuan, prepare to die.” The Divine Halberd, imbued with the aura of the Ancestral Dragon, struck directly. Lu Yuan immediately felt as if destiny itself intended to extinguish him. The Son of Desolation, wielding the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd, seemed to subtly command fate itself—what kind of ability was this?
Mandate! It was a form of Destiny! Lu Yuan even faintly sensed the aura of the Great Destiny Iron Rule.
The Great Destiny Iron Rule had once fractured into ten pieces; perhaps the Son of Desolation held at least one of them. This was an induction between the Great Destiny Iron Rules. Lu Yuan stabilized his mind with the Zheng Seal, achieving perfect clarity, and simultaneously summoned the Yang Wu Divine Sword.
Clash! This was the second confrontation between Heaven’s Mandate and Yang Wu; they had clashed once during the World Realm, and now they clashed again. In the wake of this collision, Lu Yuan was violently thrown back a thousand zhang.
What power the Son of Desolation possessed! After this probing strike, the Son of Desolation had a clear understanding of Lu Yuan’s power level and wasted no more words. The Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd struck again, representing destiny, controlling heaven and earth, balancing a domain, and commanding myriad realms—enveloping the six directions and extinguishing the four corners.
Lu Yuan’s Yang Wu Divine Sword pulsed erratically within the attack, trying to ward off the Son of Desolation’s assault. But clearly, with his current Seven Epochs power, Lu Yuan could not contend with the Son of Desolation; the Son of Desolation held an absolute advantage. “Ascending to heaven or diving to earth, I am invincible!” The Son of Desolation was naturally the type who grew more frenzied in combat, and now he was clearly in a wild state, causing his combat power to soar even higher.
While blocking the Son of Desolation’s advance, Lu Yuan discovered that every time he managed to parry a strike, the spiritual power within his body became momentarily uncontrollable, nearly forcing him to vomit blood. Lu Yuan thought to himself that he absolutely could not defeat the Son of Desolation right now; he could only wait for the five Mid-Grade Divine Artifacts to take effect. The Delaying Divine Stone could hold its effect for a maximum of two days, usually resolving within a day or a day and a half, allowing the artifacts to activate.
It had already been one day since Lu Yuan consumed the five artifacts. By rights, the effect should manifest in about half a day, or perhaps a day at most, allowing him to reach the Nine Epochs. Of course, this required consuming a significant number of Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins; fortunately, he was not short on those, possessing nine hundred Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins.
Under these circumstances, he only needed to delay the fight a little longer to match the Son of Desolation in power. Therefore, stalling was his current objective. The Son of Desolation aggressively pursued Lu Yuan, who immediately activated the Suo Di Cheng Chen (Shrink the Ground to Dust) technique, shooting forward at an astonishing speed—one of Lu Yuan’s methods of escape.
The Son of Desolation sneered: “Thinking of escaping with speed? Not so easily done. Heaven’s Mandate War Wheel!” He roared, and a pair of war wheels, blazing with fire and imbued with the aura of Heaven’s Mandate, appeared beneath his feet.
His speed instantly shot up to its maximum, pursuing Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan's Suo Di Cheng Chen was already incredibly fast, but the Heaven’s Mandate War Wheel artifact the Son of Desolation used was slightly faster. Were there not many people here?
Lu Yuan’s Suo Di Cheng Chen technique would not affect bystanders, ignoring everyone. But the Son of Desolation’s Heaven’s Mandate War Wheel was terrifying; once it gained momentum, anyone in its path, whether from the Dharma-Martial Alliance or the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance, was ground into dust. Bang!
The ill-fated Son of Struggle, flying forward, was struck by the charging Son of Desolation. He was violently thrown about, but miraculously survived. When he collided with the Son of Desolation, he felt the terrifying might emanating from him.
Surviving under such a fearsome figure was fortunate enough; he had nothing to complain about, but this Son of Desolation was too brutal. Lu Yuan and the Son of Desolation were now in a chase, the latter faster and closing in rapidly. Lu Yuan had no intention of switching to the Jiu Tian Ji Feng Shu (Nine Heavens Swift Wind Art), as it offered a similar speed that couldn’t surpass the Son of Desolation’s pace.
Boom! The Son of Desolation’s Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd struck Lu Yuan heavily. Was Lu Yuan dead?
No. The Son of Desolation immediately realized that the Lu Yuan he hit dissolved into a pile of mud—a Earth Ancestor Clone. The Son of Desolation coldly spat: “The Earth Ancestor Clone of Zhen Yuanzi?
Even Zhen Yuanzi himself wouldn't dare act arrogantly before me, or I would annihilate him within ten moves. Lu Yuan, what use is using Zhen Yuanzi’s technique?” The Son of Desolation had never directly fought Zhen Yuanzi, but in his eyes, who was Zhen Yuanzi? Never mind Zhen Yuanzi; he didn't hold even the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao or the Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi from the Three Pure Ones in high regard, only showing some reservation toward the inscrutable Grand Supreme Elder.
The Son of Desolation instantly located Lu Yuan’s true body and drove the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd toward him. Lu Yuan’s hands were already faintly numb, and the web between his thumb and forefinger was fractured. The Son of Desolation’s Nine Epochs power was too ferocious.
Lu Yuan sensed that the quality of his Nine Epochs power was distinctly higher than others at the same level—it was an extremely pure essence of Desolation. After weathering one direct blow from the Son of Desolation, Lu Yuan felt his blood surge again. He knew he couldn't afford another direct impact.
Lu Yuan instantly unleashed Yun Wu Xiang (Cloud Without Form), a peerless profound art ranked eleventh in the Ancient Immortal Civilization—truly remarkable. The Son of Desolation sneered: “Yun Wu Xiang? Too bad, I researched its countermeasures long ago.” After his cold laugh, the Son of Desolation unleashed dozens of strikes in rapid succession.
These few dozen blows completely shattered the much-vaunted Yun Wu Xiang of the Ancient Immortal Civilization, showcasing the absolute dominance of the current Son of Desolation. What a formidable Son of Desolation! To break Yun Wu Xiang so easily.
Lu Yuan vaguely felt that the Delaying Divine Stone within his body was beginning to fuse. He knew he wouldn't have to wait much longer to reach the Nine Epochs—perhaps only an hour. However, many of his top techniques had already been broken by this brutal foe.
Therefore, Lu Yuan deployed the Fu Sheng Ruo Meng (Floating Life, Like a Dream) of the Civilization Realm, recently upgraded, one of the top three ultimate skills he possessed. Though he was at a disadvantage in this fight, he must win! He had to win!
At this point, he and the Son of Desolation were in a situation where only the boldest would triumph; there was no retreat! Lu Yuan was filled with an overwhelmingly intense fighting spirit! (Second chapter delivered, please subscribe.)