He had thought Lu Yuan breaking through from the Seventh Epoch to the Eighth Epoch mid-battle was already absurd enough. But it didn't matter much; the Son of the Desolation was also the foremost son of fortune, and breakthroughs mid-battle were not uncommon for him. However, the Son of the Desolation rarely achieved two successive breakthroughs, yet Lu Yuan had just done it, reaching the power of the Ninth Epoch.

Still, the Son of the Desolation remained utterly fearless. Who was there for the Son of the Desolation to fear?

But at this moment, the power flowing through Lu Yuan’s body underwent another transformation. That color of eternity across his form seemed to deepen. Could it be that the Color of Eternity had also advanced as Lu Yuan ascended to the Ninth Epoch? The Son of the Desolation watched Lu Yuan’s Eternal Force genuinely increase.

Half a percent!

Zero point six percent!

Zero point seven percent!

Zero point eight percent!

Finally, it stalled at zero point eight percent.

Zero point eight percent didn't seem much more than half a percent, but the Son of the Desolation deeply understood that every increment in the Eternal Force meant a tangible increase in strength. To think that after reaching the Ninth Epoch, Lu Yuan’s Eternal Force had already reached zero point eight percent—how profound must his foundation be, how immense his fortune, how incredible his fortuitous encounters, to achieve such a level?

Lu Yuan, indeed worthy of being his destined nemesis.

Impressive!

The Son of the Desolation was one who grew wilder in battle. He violently shook the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd in his hand, blasting Zhou Qingxuan and the Nine Heavens Xuannü aside: "You two buzz off. I have no interest in dealing with cannon fodder." Zhou Qingxuan was once the Vice Lord of the Sword Suffering Civilization, and after his current reincarnation, his strength was formidable, having essentially recovered his peak power. The Nine Heavens Xuannü was a Ninth Epoch figure herself. Yet, in the eyes of the Son of the Desolation, they were mere fodder—a declaration of arrogance taken to the extreme. But to be fair, the Son of the Desolation’s previous attack had indeed left both Zhou Qingxuan and the Nine Heavens Xuannü reeling, both suffering non-trivial injuries.

It wasn't that Zhou Qingxuan was weak; it was that the Son of the Desolation was too strong.

But reflecting on it, even the Vice Lord of the Axe Civilization, a Ninth Epoch powerhouse renowned for sheer strength, had been suppressed by the Son of the Desolation. The current might of the Son of the Desolation was truly earth-shattering.

The Son of the Desolation gripped the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd, his Qilin Black Battle Robe deep and terrifyingly profound.

Lu Yuan wielded the Nourishing My Divine Sword, his azure robes billowing in the wind with an ineffable air of dashing freedom.

The Son of the Desolation looked toward Lu Yuan: "Your current strength is not bad, reaching the Ninth Epoch. Our grievances must be settled once and for all today."

Lu Yuan nodded: "Good, let us settle our grievances in one go." Yes, years of accumulated resentment were to be resolved this day.

The Son of the Desolation roared: "In our last fight, I was first injured by King Kunpeng, and then ambushed by you. My techniques couldn't be fully unleashed. Now, I will show you my true moves." With a great shout, the Son of the Desolation thrust his first strike like a war god—this strike possessed the aura of an Emperor.

Precisely, a straightforward, regal Emperor.

What is an Emperor? The sovereign of all under heaven; thus, Emperor. Imperial grace is vast, spanning the Heavens and Earth.

Above the white, below the king—a monarch unprecedented before.

The Emperor reigns above, and all things lie below.

The ultimate boundary imbued in this spear thrust from the Son of the Desolation was the Limit of the Emperor.

As previously mentioned, techniques at the Civilization Realm level all play with limits. For instance, Sword Round is Roundness, Sword Suffering is Suffering. Likewise, Desolation Warmth is the Limit of Plague. Everyone has their own limit. Unexpectedly, the Son of the Desolation employed the Limit of the Emperor. The Emperor is a more difficult limit to grasp. Truly, it was remarkable that the Son of the Desolation could achieve this. Impressive.

Lu Yuan’s Nourishing My Divine Sword unfurled, showing no inferiority whatsoever. Confronting the Limit of the Emperor, the imperial aura was indeed formidable, naturally imposing a sense of restraint.

Seeing that Lu Yuan could still withstand the Limit of the Emperor, the Son of the Desolation roared again, and the Heaven’s Mandate Divine Halberd pierced forth once more. This time, he unleashed the Limit of the Sovereign. The Sovereign is similar to the Emperor, yet not entirely the same. The Sovereign once referred exclusively to the Emperor of Heaven, while the Emperor governs all under heaven. The Sovereign is the chief among the celestial beings.

The Sovereign reigns supreme over all living beings.

What a feat! The Son of the Desolation, with a mere turn of his hand, manifested a second ultimate limit—the Limit of the Sovereign. The difficulty in cultivating the Limit of the Sovereign is no less than that of the Emperor. As soon as this Sovereign Limit was unleashed, it inspired despair. The Sovereign above the heavens, the Emperor below the earth. Zhou Qingxuan and the Nine Heavens Xuannü couldn't help but admire the Son of the Desolation in their hearts.

Most Civilization Realm experts cultivate the limit of a single technique, yet the Son of the Desolation deployed two.

How powerful!

Lu Yuan also admitted this inwardly. Lu Yuan had initially been eager to counterattack, but now he felt no rush.

Didn't Lu Yuan possess an Eternal Heavenly Dao Hall? Within it, there were currently four limits: the character 'Suffering,' the character 'Change,' the character 'Round,' and the character 'Flood.' This time, Lu Yuan swept his divine sense into his Eternal Heavenly Dao Hall and discovered a fifth limit there—a remarkably clear character for 'Learn' (Xue). The Limit of Learning? Where did this come from? Lu Yuan pondered briefly and immediately knew the source: the Limit of Learning was inherently his own.

Lu Yuan finally understood one of the possible origins of his Myriad Manifestations Universe: every Civilization Realm possessed an inherent limit, and his was one with no direct combat power but the ability to learn the limits of others—the Limit of Learning in technique. This was a massive surge of good fortune! Such a Limit of Learning had never appeared in recorded history; it was a first for Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan’s Eternal Heavenly Dao Hall now held five limits. Since the Son of the Desolation casually unleashed two, Lu Yuan felt no need to rush. He decided to wait patiently, to see how many limits the Son of the Desolation could deploy. He would learn every limit the other displayed, and only then resolve the Son of the Desolation. Lu Yuan had a vague feeling that his Eternal Heavenly Dao Hall would play an extremely crucial role later on.

Meanwhile, the Son of the Desolation continued his relentless assault. After failing to subdue Lu Yuan with the Limit of the Sovereign, the Son of the Desolation roared: "The Limit of the King!"

The ruler of the heavens is called the Sovereign.

The ruler of the earth is called the Emperor.

Above and below heaven, traversing the Six Directions, that is the Sovereign-Emperor.

But whether Sovereign or Emperor, their energy is finite; they cannot command all lands stretching billions upon billions of miles. Thus, the existence of the King was necessary at times. The King is inferior to the Sovereign-Emperor but can govern a domain on behalf of the Sovereign or Emperor, making it a decidedly troublesome limit. Yet another limit! How many limits did the Son of the Desolation possess?

The onlookers watched with their hearts in their throats. The Son of the Desolation had completely surpassed the other Civilization Vice Lords by far. Lu Yuan, however, secretly rejoiced.

After unleashing the Limits of the Sovereign, the Emperor, and the King, the Son of the Desolation struck again. This halberd thrust was incomparably domineering, practically reaching the Limit of Hegemony. It was an unbridled, absolute dominance; the Hegemon commands all directions to submit and dare not move rashly, for rash movers are slain—this is the Supreme Hegemon.

The Son of the Desolation roared: "Lu Yuan, take another one of my limits!" This strike was the Limit of Wildness, boundless in its fervor. The Son of the Desolation was a figure who grew madder the longer the fight went on. This single strike of boundless wildness instantly released terrifying destructive power: A madman across all heavens, across eternal ages, there is only I!

The Son of the Desolation roared once more: "Lu Yuan, I still have limits!" This time, the halberd thrust radiated boundless pride—the pride of the Son of the Desolation as the Epoch's foremost son, the pride built from a life spent largely undefeated, the pride that once brought despair to the Sons of Immortals, Demons, Dharma, and Martial Arts.

Yes, this was the Son of the Desolation's sixth ultimate limit: the Limit of Arrogance.

At this point, the Son of the Desolation had unleashed six ultimate limits: the Limit of the Emperor, the Limit of the Sovereign, the Limit of the King, the Limit of Wildness, the Limit of Arrogance, and the Limit of Hegemony. A typical Civilization Vice Lord possessed one limit, but the Son of the Desolation directly unleashed six—a feat beyond measure.

Too terrifying!

The Son of the Desolation was indeed worthy of his title.

The Son of the Desolation roared: "Lu Yuan, you are truly astonishing to be able to withstand my six ultimate limits consecutively. Against a normal Ninth Epoch figure, I can win with just one limit. You have reason to be proud, but everything ends here. Six Limits Unified, Invincible in the Six Harmonies!"

The several strikes the Son of the Desolation had just delivered—the limit imbued in each one had not dissipated. Now, the Son of the Desolation struck again. This halberd thrust possessed the momentum of ten thousand origins returning to the source, of all origins paying homage. Instantly, the six previously unleashed limits merged into one—this was the strike of Invincible in the Six Harmonies. This strike could be named: Emperor Sovereign King Wild Arrogant Hegemon! Of course, it could also be called Invincible in the Six Harmonies!

Witnessing this single strike of Invincible in the Six Harmonies from the Son of the Desolation, Zhou Qingxuan and the Nine Heavens Xuannü both changed expression. Their combined force held extraordinary power, like isolated rain and cold winds, but seeing this unified strike from the Son of the Desolation, they inwardly realized its terror. If such a strike were directed at them, both Zhou Qingxuan and the Nine Heavens Xuannü felt certain they could not block it. The Son of the Desolation had not used his true power when facing them both; only now, against Lu Yuan, was he deploying his true might.

The Vice Lord of the Ice Civilization, engaged in battle elsewhere, was fighting the Primordial Heavenly Venerable of the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance. The Heavenly Venerable's strength also reached nine-and-a-half Epochs. While the Heavenly Venerable activated the Pangu Banner impressively, he was still at a disadvantage against the Vice Lord of the Ice Civilization. The title of the Second Son of Fortune of the Upper Epoch was not claimed in vain.

The Vice Lord of the Ice Civilization, currently in the lead, was most concerned with the battle between the Son of the Desolation and Lu Yuan—the contest for the foremost son of fortune of this Epoch. Upon seeing the Son of the Desolation’s strike, the Ice Civilization Vice Lord was stunned. He too had cultivated limits but had only managed to reach three limits after so much time. Yet, the Son of the Desolation, with his short lifespan, had cultivated six limits and unified them into a single move, which was far stronger than six separate limits. The Vice Lord of the Ice Civilization judged that even his nine-and-a-half Epoch power might not withstand this strike. The Son of the Desolation was outrageously powerful!

Could Lu Yuan survive this attack?

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