After some time had passed, the Lord of the Civilization of Speed still had not returned. The assembled crowd gradually began to believe that Lu Yuan had spoken the truth.

The absolute truth.

That Lu Yuan had actually managed to slay the Lord of the Civilization of Speed from the Weak Fourteenth Era was truly incredible.

Time slowly trickled by.

With a loud boom, the Gate of Eternity swung open, and the twenty-first and twenty-second Heavenly Treasures shot forth. The numerous figures present had long since taken flight, streaking toward these divine artifacts. Lu Yuan also flew directly ahead, but as he approached, about ten Lords of Civilization moved to intercept and surround him.

Yes, they were targeting Lu Yuan specifically.

Previously, the faction aligned with the Civilization of Instantaneity had been unable to match the speed of the Lord of the Civilization of Speed, and so, in desperation, they had deployed numerous experts to block and intercept him. They ultimately succeeded in stalling the Speed Lord. Of course, this created vulnerabilities, leaving no one to block the figures from the Undying Faction, resulting in the other members of that faction obtaining the Heavenly Treasures.

At that time, the Lord of the Martial God Civilization and others had arrayed themselves in that manner to deal with the Lord of the Civilization of Speed.

Now, the members of the Undying Faction had adopted the exact same formation to deal with Lu Yuan.

Among them, several individuals stood out as leaders.

For instance, this figure from the Fourteenth Era was none other than the Lord of the Civilization of True Desolation. He represented the truth of the Great Dao, a presence far beyond ordinary conception: "Lu Yuan, I have long heard of your reputation. Allow me to engage you." The Lord of the True Desolation revealed his Halberd of Truth, forged using the primordial character 'Truth' (Zhen). With Truth in hand, I am real, and you are false.

His Halberd of Truth was not forged from one-tenth of the Iron Rule of Destiny. Rather, through sheer serendipity, he had once glimpsed the Eye of Truth—an artifact equivalent to one-tenth of Destiny itself. Though he could never obtain the Eye, the impression of that vision remained etched in his heart, condensing into this Halberd of Truth. Coupled with the many halberd techniques of the Desolate Ancient Civilization, he had honed it into his strongest halberd art.

Instantly, the halberd shadows surged like mountains, shifting like phantoms, ceaselessly flickering between reality and illusion, making it impossible to grasp what was true and what was false.

Such was the nature of reality and illusion. Take, for instance, this other figure, also from the Fourteenth Era: the Lord of the Buddhist Sect Civilization, the root of myriad Buddhas, whom all Buddhas worshipped. He too was a major figure of the Fourteenth Era. As the Lord of the Buddhist Sect Civilization stood there, thousands felt an urge to kneel in homage. He uttered a single Buddhist invocation: "Amitabha, Benefactor Lu, you have already fallen into demonhood. It is not too late to turn back now." He employed the Myriad Buddhas Summoning Heart technique. This technique was like ten thousand Buddhas calling out; as soon as someone felt they had strayed into darkness, their spirit would become bound, revealing a flaw in their mind, allowing him to inflict damage.

The Buddhist Lord’s pair of hands transformed into two Minor World of Buddha, suppressing down upon Lu Yuan.

And then there was the Lord of the Grand Unity Civilization. This was a figure embodying the effortless flow of the Great Dao, radiating ethereal, immortal grace. He smiled faintly. The Lord of the Grand Unity Civilization hailed from the Immortal Ancient Civilization, second only to the Lord of the Grand Completion Civilization in status, so his power and methods were naturally extraordinary. His fingers danced in the void, becoming ever more transient. This move by the Grand Unity Lord was called the Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens, capable of sealing the soul by attacking the spirit. Artifacts like the Platform of Conferring Gods and the List of Conferring Gods originated from him; once inscribed upon the List, one could not escape for myriad ages, becoming akin to Heavenly Will. And his Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens was far more potent than the List itself.

These three were the representative figures, all belonging to the Fourteenth Era.

Of course, the others present could not be underestimated.

For example, the Lord of the Heaven Civilization, a figure from the Thirteenth Era, had previously traded a move with Lu Yuan and ended up at a disadvantage. But that was then; the Lord of the Heaven Civilization was unwilling to show weakness now, determined to fight Lu Yuan again. Naturally, he was no longer attempting a one-on-one duel but attacking alongside the other dozen-plus individuals.

And there were numerous other figures of astonishing genius.

This lineup was almost identical to the formation the Lord of the Martial God Civilization had used to surround and stall the Lord of the Civilization of Speed. Back then, the Speed Lord could only activate his Step of Speed, darting around East and West, unable to hold his ground. Now, facing the same level of force, what could Lu Yuan do? Could he possibly handle it?

It was likely that his safety was guaranteed; if Lu Yuan activated his Sword Step and fled, it shouldn't be difficult.

But to seize the twenty-first and twenty-second Heavenly Treasures? That would be a pipe dream, utterly impossible.

Lu Yuan’s figure shifted.

Indeed, it was the Sword Step!

He was indeed planning to rely on speed to maneuver. However, this meant Lu Yuan would have to forgo acquiring the two high-level divine artifacts.

Just as this thought crossed the mind of one observer, Lu Yuan had already arrived beside the Lord of the True Desolation, unleashing a sword strike brimming with pure dominance. All one hundred and forty-one limits of his attack techniques were unleashed. The encirclement was not yet complete, yet Lu Yuan chose the Lord of the True Desolation as his first target. The True Civilization Lord was not surprised; he had long sought this confrontation. His Halberd of Truth thrust directly toward Lu Yuan.

Sword clashed against halberd!

Hwa!

The Halberd of Truth, whether real or illusory, was shattered in an instant.

And Lu Yuan’s longsword pierced toward the Lord of the True Desolation.

In a single move, the Lord of the True Desolation was injured.

The Lord of the True Desolation cried out in immense shock: How could this be!

He quickly moved to defend, but Lu Yuan always managed to pierce through his defenses with ease.

Five moves!

The dignified Lord of the True Desolation from the Fourteenth Era lasted only five exchanges under Lu Yuan’s assault before falling dead. This feat caused the surrounding Lords of Civilization, who were busy wrestling for the Heavenly Treasures, to freeze in astonishment. A Fourteenth Era master slain in five moves! These two facts simply did not compute. Was Lu Yuan truly this powerful?

In truth, this record was achievable only against the Lord of the True Desolation. Lu Yuan himself was now established in the Fourteenth Era, and while the True Desolation Lord was also Fourteenth Era, the True Desolation lineage was inherently countered by Lu Yuan's power, leading to his demise in five moves.

Of course, the Sword Step played a significant role. Its speed was so blinding that the Lord of the True Desolation couldn't react in time, resulting in his swift demise. He died too quickly, not even managing to trigger his self-detonation upon death. That self-detonation was normally immensely powerful, capable of wounding a Fifteenth Era Lord, but no one had anticipated it. No one at all.

Lu Yuan’s Sword Step shifted, his speed electric. The Sword of Nurturing Life in his hand struck out again, its light flashing like lightning, thunder, rain, and mist, closing the distance to his next opponent almost instantaneously. This time, he pursued the Lord of the Grand Unity Civilization. The Grand Unity Lord's Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens was formidable, and Lu Yuan subtly sensed a threat from it, which is why he selected the Grand Unity Lord as his next target. The Grand Unity Lord immediately activated his technique: once struck, one was sealed, and the technique simultaneously restrained everything around them. Lu Yuan felt his own spirit gradually being locked down; the speed of his soul's operation slowed. What a troublesome Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens—it sealed the spirit slowly if it missed, but instant sealing if it connected.

Lu Yuan abruptly drew his sword.

The Lord of the Grand Unity Civilization sneered coldly: "One hundred and forty-one limits of technique? Impressive, but you cannot overcome me." He truly possessed a degree of confidence because his Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens would weaken the opponent's technique limits. A reduction from one hundred and forty-one brought it down to around one hundred. Even if he couldn't defeat Lu Yuan, he was confident he could hold him off for a while. If he could stall until the other members of the Undying Faction caught up, Lu Yuan would be doomed.

He was brimming with confidence.

But immediately, he realized something was terribly wrong.

His Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens could not seal Lu Yuan’s technique limits.

What was happening?

After weakening Lu Yuan's spirit, his Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens should have been able to suppress Lu Yuan’s technique limits.

One hundred and forty-one, it should have held him for a moment!

No, that wasn't one hundred and forty-one limits of technique.

It was one hundred and sixty-one!

What in the world?

Lu Yuan clearly possessed one hundred and forty-one technique limits; why had they suddenly jumped to one hundred and sixty-one?

Due to this momentary lapse, his Finger of Conferring Gods upon the Heavens was violently broken, and Lu Yuan's sword light struck his shoulder.

Lu Yuan instantly pressed his assault. If the death of the Lord of the True Desolation had stunned others, Lu Yuan’s focused slaughter of the Lord of the Grand Unity Civilization was witnessed by everyone. Hong Jun prepared to move, but the Lord of the Ancient Law Civilization smiled faintly: "There is an established understanding here; neither of us can interfere in the second stage. Have you forgotten this understanding, Hong Jun? Furthermore, if you insist on acting, I would not mind taking this opportunity to spar with you." The Lord of the Ancient Law Civilization was by no means inferior to Hong Jun. Hong Jun glanced toward the Lord of the Undying Civilization, who was idly playing with his blood-red hair. For him, the death of a Fourteenth Era Lord like the Grand Unity Lord was insignificant; observing Lu Yuan’s potential for growth was far more meaningful.

As Lu Yuan pressed his attacks on the Grand Unity Lord, the Lord of the Heaven Civilization, the Lord of the Buddhist Sect Civilization, and others joined the fray, overwhelming Lu Yuan with a multitude of enemies.

What was even more terrifying was that Lu Yuan, alone, was managing to dominate this multi-front battle, forcing all the supreme techniques unleashed by the various Lords of Civilization into a disadvantageous position.

Lu Yuan—he hadn't been in the Eternal Star Domain for very long, had he? How could he be this savage?

This rate of improvement surpassed even that of Ancestral Dragon in his prime.

And one must not forget the one hundred and sixty-one technique limits.

One hundred and forty-one was already a record-breaker.

Now, he was breaking his own self-imposed record once again.

(First update delivered. A rare early update today, sending cheers.)