Lu Yuan suddenly recalled a question. In the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, even a Lord of Civilization had appeared.

A Lord of Civilization! That was the supreme existence embodying the entirety of a civilization.

Mastering the cosmos, standing above all creation, shattering the long river of history. Such a being!

Although Ancestor Yan was immensely formidable, hailed as the Unrivaled Heavenly Sword, comparing him to a Lord of Civilization was simply out of the question. So why did Ancestor Yan ascend, while the Lord of Civilization remained upon this very earth?

Lu Yuan was utterly perplexed. He posed this question to Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Zixia, but they could only shake their heads.

They were major figures in the Jin State, yet understanding the secrets of the [Central] Celestial Dynasty was beyond their reach. Their knowledge of the Unrivaled Heavenly Sword, Yan Cangtian, was likely no greater than Lu Yuan’s.

If these two did not know, there was only one person left to consult. Contemplation Peak.

Entering Contemplation Peak now was remarkably simple for Lu Yuan; the myriad restrictive talismans of the peak were already known to him. Reflecting on the time he was punished and sent here, now standing as the acting Head of Mount Hua, a sense of melancholy washed over him.

The highest reaches of Contemplation Peak were barren, devoid of grass, trees, or any growth. Zhou Qingxuan sat there, clad in a simple grey robe, existing with an effortless serenity.

“Greetings, Martial Uncle-Grandmaster…” Lu Yuan sat down. “What brings you to me?” Zhou Qingxuan asked casually.

“I seek your guidance on a matter. I have just learned that in the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, there exists a Lord of Civilization—the supreme entity of a civilization collective.

Ancestor Yan, despite being the Unrivaled Heavenly Sword, likely cannot compare to a Lord of Civilization. Why, then, did Ancestor Yan ascend while the Lord of Civilization remains here?” Lu Yuan voiced his confusion.

“To explain this requires tracing back billions of years,” Zhou Qingxuan stated. “Between Heaven and Earth, the highest existence should be termed the Lord of the Eon.

One Eon can encompass numerous civilizations. What is called the Immortal Realm, or the Heavenly Court, are relics from the previous Eon.

Billions of years ago, that preceding Eon was shattered…” “This is what is referred to as the Great Annihilation, the Great Silence. Even a Lord of Civilization might not survive such a cataclysm, though a Lord of the Eon could endure it.” “This current Eon has begun.

But for some strange reason, the Lord of the Eon has been slow to emerge. Only numerous Lords of Civilization have appeared so far.

The current Lord of Civilization in the [Central] Celestial Dynasty is the foremost power presently. Of course, there are inherent variations in strength even among the Lords of Civilization…” “The term ‘Immortal Realm’ is terminology from the preceding Eon.” “This Eon, strictly speaking, has no Immortal Realm.” “There are some residual worlds, remnants left over after the previous Eon’s collapse.

These Lost Lands are not situated upon the terrestrial plane but reside far beyond the Outer Heavens. Some are lethally dangerous to an unimaginable degree.

The [Central] Celestial Dynasty, unified by the destiny of the terrestrial plane, naturally avoids these Lost Lands, which lack inherent fortune…” “As for why Martial Brother Yan ascended, that also traces back to ancient karma,” Zhou Qingxuan continued. “From antiquity to the present, the four strongest figures born in the Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, and Northeast directions—namely Yue Nü A’Qing, Ximen Chuixue, Ling Donglai, and Yan Kuangtu—form a lineage…” “Yue Nü A’Qing was reincarnated.

Ximen Chuixue perished while pursuing the path of the Sword God. Ling Donglai offended a Lord of Civilization, entered secluded ascension, and departed to the Lost Lands.

As for Yan Kuangtu, he once slew hundreds of figures from the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, causing great upheaval. Ultimately, the [Central] Celestial Dynasty issued a strict decree: anyone reaching the fifth layer of the Primordial Chaos Realm must either enter the [Central] Celestial Dynasty or ascend to the Lost Lands; they could no longer remain on the surface.” “And Martial Brother Yan, during his time cultivating in the [Central] Celestial Dynasty in his youth, had offended the son of the Lord of Civilization of the Immortal Civilization.

He could certainly not return to the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, which is why he was forced to ascend to the Lost Lands back then…” This… Lu Yuan was profoundly shaken. The [Central] Celestial Dynasty was actually that powerful?

“The [Central] Celestial Dynasty is indeed the nucleus of this current Eon,” Zhou Qingxuan confirmed. “Of our nine hundred and ninety-nine nations, Jin State, with its one hundred million square kilometers, is considered relatively small.

The total area of those nine hundred and ninety-nine nations is likely several hundred billion square kilometers.” Several hundred billion square kilometers sounds abstract, but consider that a single China on Earth is less than ten million square kilometers. This means these nine hundred nations equate to ten thousand Chinas in size.

“When compared to the expanse of the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, the nine hundred and ninety-nine nations are pitifully minuscule. The [Central] Celestial Dynasty is the vastness within the great, the breadth within the broad, far exceeding the size of these external nations.

The nine hundred and ninety-nine countries are, at most, mere frontier settlements. You have not yet reached the [Central] Celestial Dynasty and cannot grasp its true might.

Here in Jin State, we primarily establish our Immortal Sects upon mountains, but the [Central] Celestial Dynasty is different; many of their sects use captured stars as their foundational pillars!” Using captured stars as foundational pillars! Lu Yuan was struck dumbfounded.

He knew the [Central] Celestial Dynasty was powerful, but he never imagined it reached such a degree. Furthermore, Lu Yuan never dreamed that the seemingly omnipotent Ancestor Yan also encountered insurmountable obstacles.

Having offended the son of the Lord of Civilization of the Immortal Civilization, he was barred from the [Central] Celestial Dynasty and reluctantly ascended to the dangerous, desolate Lost Lands, which lacked fortune. The [Central] Celestial Dynasty!

Having been informed, Lu Yuan understood the reasons, yet this knowledge only deepened his desire to reach the [Central] Celestial Dynasty. Yes.

He yearned to go to the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, to witness the heart of this Eon. The Lord of Civilization, and the Lord of the Eon.

According to Martial Uncle-Grandmaster Zhou, this Eon had not existed for an immense duration yet, hence the lack of an Eon’s Lord. All the various Lords of Civilization were vying for that apex position.

“If you go to the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, be wary of that son of the Lord of Civilization of the Immortal Civilization…” “Also, I can only guard Mount Hua for two hundred years at most,” Zhou Qingxuan said as Lu Yuan prepared to depart. “In two hundred years, I too will ascend to the Lost Lands.” “Understood.

Even if I go to the [Central] Celestial Dynasty, I promise to return within two centuries,” Lu Yuan replied. The two swords of Mount Hua—the Earth Sword, Peerless Zhou Qingxuan, and the Drunken Sword, Formless Lu Yuan—exchanged a knowing smile.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. During these six months, Lu Yuan’s sole command had been to seal the mountain.

Mount Hua’s strength had severely diminished, ranking fifth among the five Superior Immortal Sects. Under such circumstances, venturing out was clearly unwise.

Thus, Lu Yuan issued a strict order to close the gates. Everyone was to focus on cultivating diligently on Mount Hua to restore their power.

As for the supposed lack of resources for cultivation, Mount Hua, having been the premier Immortal Sect of Jin State for so long, possessed vast reserves that could not be exhausted in a mere half-year. Lu Yuan himself was, naturally, also cultivating.

Reincarnation Peak. The residence of the Acting Head—The Free and Easy Abode.

He sought only a haven of absolute freedom, like a wandering cloud adrift in the sky. He deliberately did not name his dwelling the Everlasting Spring Abode, as that place resided deep within his heart, requiring no constant outward display.

The arrangement of the Free and Easy Abode was exceedingly simple. Naturally, his official work was not conducted here but in another pavilion, the Inquiry of Heart Sanctuary, seeking only a heart unashamed before Heaven, Earth, and Mount Hua—that was enough fulfillment.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on the lawn of the Free and Easy Abode. The setting here mirrored that of the Everlasting Spring Abode.

Behind him, a pale Flood Dragon vaguely materialized, its Cloud Dragon transformation reaching its eighth shift. Simultaneously, thirty-six ancient talismans gathered above Lu Yuan’s head.

These thirty-six ancient talismans bore distinct inscriptions: wind, flame, ice, lake, or sea—each unique ancient character representing a different ancient spell. The thirty-six talismans seemed poised to merge into one.

They drew closer, closer, and closer. Just as they appeared about to coalesce, snap!

The thirty-six ancient talismans scattered widely. Lu Yuan opened his eyes; another failure.

To unify the thirty-six ancient talismans was exceedingly difficult. These thirty-six talismans represented fundamentally distinct natural laws.

Each law possessed its own characteristics, and some directly conflicted. For instance, the water-elemental talisman would clash with the fire-elemental one, and the earth-elemental talisman would conflict with the water-elemental one.

Once brought near, they repelled each other. To force them to merge, to unify disparate laws—the difficulty was truly extraordinary.

Lu Yuan accepted the failure once more. Attaining the fourth layer of the Great Dao Realm was inherently challenging, especially since he commanded thirty-six ancient talismans—far exceeding the typical ten possessed by others.

This made his progression vastly, unimaginably harder than for ordinary cultivators at the Great Dao Realm. Upon concluding his seclusion, Lu Yuan received numerous updates.

The situation in the cultivation world had drastically changed over the last six months. The five Superior Immortal Sects had previously unified the entire Jin State, their prestige soaring after eradicating the subterranean demons.

But all of that had changed. Putting aside Mount Hua’s initial decline, the Heaven-Defying Alliance had risen forcefully.

Previously, the Heaven-Defying Alliance was like a hidden mouse, incapable of achieving anything significant. Now, the Heaven-Defying Alliance was terrifyingly strong.

Five months ago, Zhang Xuxuan of the Alliance killed Zhang Huayu, the Vice Head of the Azure City Immortal Sect. It was rumored others participated in the ambush, but Zhang Xuxuan, a defector from Azure City, delivered the final blow.

Four months ago, Qiao Feidu of the Alliance slew Qiao Geng, Vice Head of the South Sea Immortal Sect. This Qiao Feidu was also a traitor hailing from the South Sea Immortal Sect.

Two months ago, the elderly Tian Chou, originally from the Kunlun Immortal Sect and now part of the Alliance, killed the Vice Head of Kunlun. One month ago, the Alliance renegade Zuo Heng annihilated the Head of the Iron Sword Immortal Sect, effectively destroying the sect.

In short, their demonic aura surged, their momentum overwhelming. Previously, Lu Yuan could ignore such events; if the sky fell, the taller men would hold it up.

But now, as the Acting Head of Mount Hua, he could no longer adopt that detached attitude.

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