The Central Cauldron of the Innate Spirit Treasure descended upon Lu Yuan. This was a force of immense weight. Ten billion eight hundred million portions of Primordial Chaos Qi pressed down on Lu Yuan, enough to crush all things, suppress eternity, and command the heavens and earth. This type of Central Cauldron, when categorized among Innate Spirit Treasures, generally sat between the mid-tier and high-tier, being considerably more potent than the average mid-tier artifact.

The Son of the Desolation certainly had many killing moves; now that he had unleashed the Central Cauldron, it seemed exceedingly difficult for Lu Yuan to break it. Many people secretly thought that if Lu Yuan were not careful, the Son of the Desolation might even use the Cauldron to turn the tables. As the Central Cauldron bore down, suppressing with its ten billion eight hundred million units of Primordial Chaos Qi, Lu Yuan let out a deep roar, unleashing his 'Subdue' Clone and empowering the Sword of Subduing Desolation with it. "Devour it for me."

The original Sword of Subduing Desolation had reached sixty percent completion after absorbing the Primordial Chariot of Desolation. Later, after battling others, it rose to seventy percent, and even after devouring some of the Desolation Plague’s personal effects, it had remained stubbornly at the seventy percent mark. But now, this Central Cauldron was vastly superior in grade to the Primordial Chariot of Desolation.

Ten billion eight hundred million portions of Primordial Chaos Qi—so much, so strong. But the more, the better; the stronger, the better. "Devour it for me!"

Lu Yuan pushed the Subdue Clone to its absolute limit. The ten billion eight hundred million portions of Primordial Chaos Qi, which had been pressing down on him, were now being continuously devoured by his Subdue Clone. The Clone flashed with brilliant light, consuming the Primordial Chaos Qi in increments of ten million portions at a time. Upon absorbing three hundred and ten million portions of Primordial Chaos Qi, Lu Yuan’s Subdue Clone advanced to eighty percent. Progressing through the stages was exponentially harder the closer one got to completion for a single-character clone. And when the absorption reached eight hundred and ten million portions, the Subdue Clone elevated to ninety percent. A ninety percent Subdue Clone was virtually indistinguishable from the true body.

Lu Yuan roared again, continuing the feast. He was now charging toward the ten-percent true form. Reaching ten percent would mean it was no longer a clone but the genuine article. However, the leap from ninety to one hundred percent was the most arduous of all. Even after devouring the entirety of the ten billion eight hundred million portions of Primordial Chaos Qi, the Subdue Clone remained stuck at ninety percent. The most crucial element of the Central Cauldron was those ten billion eight hundred million portions of Primordial Chaos Qi; the Cauldron itself merely served to suppress, collect, and store that massive amount, its own material being merely special, not rich in Chaos Qi. After the absorption, the Subdue Clone could only reach ninety percent.

As much as was said, the absorption was blindingly fast in reality. It took only a few dozen breaths for the Central Cauldron to be entirely consumed.

So fast! Initially, everyone had assumed that the Son of the Desolation could use the Central Cauldron to deal with Lu Yuan, perhaps even staging a comeback. Even if a comeback wasn't guaranteed, the Cauldron should have pinned Lu Yuan down for a considerable time. Who could have predicted that Lu Yuan would completely dismantle the Central Cauldron in an instant? This was an Innate Spirit Treasure bridging the gap between mid and high-tier—an item incredibly difficult to shatter. Even a Civilization Master would require a substantial amount of time to destroy a treasure of this caliber. The speed with which Lu Yuan utterly demolished the Central Cauldron was an astonishing surprise.

Lu Yuan is too strong! Many people had heard tales of Lu Yuan’s strength, but few had witnessed it firsthand. Now, seeing Lu Yuan act before so many observers, the power he displayed was terrifying to the core. Only now did these people truly comprehend the scale of Lu Yuan’s might. This level of strength far, far surpassed that of the average Ninth Epoch cultivator.

How would the Son of the Desolation react? Did he have any trump cards left? As the crowd waited to see the Son of the Desolation’s next move, they suddenly noticed something: where was the Son of the Desolation? The Son of the Desolation was gone? Onlookers peered left and right but could not spot him. Could the Son of the Desolation have a hidden assassination technique? That was possible; the Son of the Desolation was known for having countless unpredictable trump cards. Just as everyone anticipated what ultimate move he would spring next, they suddenly spotted the Son of the Desolation far, far away. Why was he so distant? Was it a long-range killing strike, like the Cloud-Piercing Arrow that spanned ten thousand miles, wielded by the Vice-Master of the Arrow Civilization? But the Vice-Master of the Arrow Civilization wouldn't constantly retreat after establishing distance. Why was the Son of the Desolation fleeing away?

“The Son of the Desolation is running,” someone finally declared. “Impossible, surely. The Son of the Desolation is the foremost son of Fortune. How could he flee?” “Indeed.” “But the reality is, the Son of the Desolation is undeniably fleeing right now.” The crowd debated, but seeing him continuously retreat, they reluctantly accepted the truth. It seemed the Central Cauldron had merely been a tactic to buy time. The dignified Son of the Desolation was being forced into retreat by Lu Yuan—how was anyone to process this?

Before the battle began, if anyone had claimed the Son of the Desolation would flee, they would have been laughed out of the room, considered utterly mad. This was an absolutely impossible, unbelievable scenario. Countless people’s jaws dropped and eyes widened; many were so astonished they forgot to cast the spells they were preparing, resulting in grievous injuries from opponents who reacted quicker.

Lu Yuan, however, was not surprised in the slightest. Without hesitation, he immediately cast the spell of Shrinking the Ground to Dust and gave chase. But as previously mentioned, when the Son of the Desolation activated the Heavenly Mandate War Wheel artifact, his speed surpassed Lu Yuan’s Shrinking the Ground to Dust spell. Under those conditions, the distance would only increase. Lu Yuan had severely injured the Son of the Desolation once before, only for him to escape. He would not allow it this time.

This time, Lu Yuan was determined to kill the Son of the Desolation. But to kill him, Lu Yuan first had to catch him. How to catch up when he was inferior in speed?

At that moment, someone appeared beside Lu Yuan: it was none other than the Vice-Master of the Wind Wounds Civilization, wielding an extremely long saber. He looked towards the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden: “Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, combine your Nine Heavens Gale Technique with my Unmatched Wind Speed. Two winds combined can generate a greater velocity to catch the Son of the Desolation. I truly, honestly wish to see the Son of the Desolation dead right now.”

Before the fight, no one believed the Son of the Desolation could die; he was too fierce, too cruel. But now, Lu Yuan was pressing him down so thoroughly that it was hard to believe. At this juncture, it forced people to consider a possibility: the possibility of Lu Yuan slaying the Son of the Desolation. When this thought first surfaced, the Vice-Master of the Wind Wounds Civilization thought he must have gone mad. How could the Son of the Desolation die? But upon reflection, why couldn’t he die? Wasn't it previously assumed he couldn't even be defeated? He immediately shook off his own opponent to lend his Unmatched Wind Speed to Lu Yuan. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden smiled lightly: “Lu Yuan already knows the Nine Heavens Gale Technique.”

“Can that catch the Son of the Desolation? Alright then.” Lu Yuan immediately activated the Nine Heavens Gale Technique, and the Vice-Master of the Wind Wounds Civilization instantly layered the Unmatched Wind Speed on top of it. Instantly, Lu Yuan experienced the essence of wind—it felt as if he was the omnipresent wind. Space was ordinarily composed of distance, but now it felt as though space itself was losing its concept of separation.

Lu Yuan shot forward instantly, chasing the Son of the Desolation. The speed was incredible; the torrents whipped up by the dual winds swept countless bystanders to the sides. Wind! The union of the Twin Winds!

The Vice-Master of the Wind Wounds Civilization stood with his hands behind his back: “Truly anticipated.” The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden nodded in agreement: “Lu Yuan is truly a figure of limitless potential. Perhaps the Son of the Desolation will indeed perish.”

Zhou Qingxuan gazed at the figure rocketing ahead. He was someone who had watched Lu Yuan grow step by step, and the sentiment he felt now was profound. ......

Lu Yuan pursued the Son of the Desolation, his speed now outpacing the Heavenly Mandate War Wheel. As he drew closer, Lu Yuan laughed heartily: “Son of the Desolation, where do you think you’re running? I plan to claim your Heavenly Mandate Divine Halberd. How can I let you escape so easily? Die for me!” Chasing down the Son of the Desolation felt utterly exhilarating.

The Son of the Desolation had intended to use the Central Cauldron to stall for time, then escape on the Heavenly Mandate War Wheel, certain his artifact’s speed would guarantee safety. Who could have imagined Lu Yuan’s speed would suddenly surge so dramatically? Damn it! For the first time, the Son of the Desolation felt a sensation of having nowhere to run and no way to hide. If he fought, he felt certain he couldn't beat Lu Yuan, especially after failing once already. Was he, the great Son of the Desolation, truly destined to die here? This was the closest the Son of the Desolation had ever been to death.

At this critical juncture, the battle between Lu Yuan and the Son of the Desolation drew even greater attention. Nobody had expected a figure like the Son of the Desolation to be chased around like this by Lu Yuan. Ha! Before the war, the Son of the Desolation had displayed his might to the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance, showcasing power that broke all metrics. Back then, the Alliance believed he could slay countless figures in this battle, but now...

Certainly, the figures of the Martial Law Alliance hadn't anticipated this outcome either. Now, they could only revel in the moment—it felt glorious to hammer the Son of the Desolation this hard; it was an unprecedented thrill.

Lu Yuan hunted the Son of the Desolation relentlessly. Few in the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance even considered helping. The Son of the Desolation had always been too solitary and domineering, having offended countless people both openly and secretly. While they dared not defy him before, now that he was in trouble, only a fool would rush to his aid. This was the common consensus.

And while the dozen or so Civilization Masters of the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance naturally wished to rescue the Son of the Desolation, the Civilization Masters of the Martial Law Alliance had also resolved to fight fiercely. If the Civilization Masters of the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance were allowed to intervene now, what would be the point? In an instant, these masters were locked down, unable to reach their comrade.

At this moment, the Son of the Desolation was truly trapped, with no one nearby who could or would save him.

Lu Yuan’s sword descended like the heavens themselves. His Nourishing Spirit Sword, infused with the power of Subduing Desolation, sliced downwards: “Son of the Desolation, your life is mine to claim.” This strike was utterly satisfying. (Hmm, it seems the Son of the Desolation will have to survive until the next chapter.)

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