Beyond the borders of the Central Heavenly Dynasty lay myriad Lost Lands. The shattering of the previous Era had not been entirely absolute, leaving behind quite a few of these forgotten territories.

Some of these Lost Lands swore fealty to the Central Heavenly Dynasty, and in return, the Dynasty granted them varying numbers of slots for the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment; this was how Huo Yibu and others gained entry. However, many Lost Lands refused to submit to the Central Heavenly Dynasty, and Yan Cangtian's ascension originated from one such territory.

The Lost Lands were layered, overlapping spatial domains. Within the Central Heavenly Dynasty itself, no other spatial domains existed, nor were they permitted to exist.

Yet, a strange necessity arose when advancing from the sixth to the seventh layer of the Great Dao Realm: a requirement for a certain amount of space. Since no external space was available within the Central Heavenly Dynasty, only one recourse remained—to pilfer the space belonging to the Central Heavenly Dynasty itself.

And the act of stealing space inevitably invited the backlash of Heaven and Earth. The space Lu Yuan had appropriated was not exceptionally vast, but the counterforce from Heaven and Earth was already descending.

The small barrier above his head felt on the verge of shattering under the immense, crushing power. At this critical moment, Lu Yuan flicked his hand, unleashing a shower of silver-white sand, which flowed into the small barrier above him.

This was Barrier Sand! The Barrier Sand scattered, adhering to the space, releasing an invisible force that began to stabilize the small barrier.

The small barrier overhead was continually reinforced, gradually enduring the pressure exerted by the world outside, seemingly becoming accustomed to it over time. In that instant, Lu Yuan knew his spiritual power had advanced one celestial layer, reaching the peak of the Great Dao Seventh Heaven, the realm of the Apex Canopy.

This specific layer was critically important; achieving this state meant one could be called a Grandmaster within the Jin Kingdom. He distinctly recalled the battle at Mount Hua in the past, where both Chu Duan and Dongfang Yao had summoned their Apex Canopies; he had envied them intensely.

Now, it was finally his turn to manifest his Apex Canopy. The so-called Apex Canopy was, in essence, a semi-independent micro-space; only upon reaching the Chaos Cave Realm would one possess a fully independent Chaos Cave Space.

At this moment, he felt his spiritual power surge upward, and more than that, his physical body had also become significantly more robust. Of course, the most substantial change resided in the Apex Canopy above his head.

Lu Yuan sent his divine sense into his Nascent Soul and was immediately situated within his Apex Canopy. Was this truly his Apex Canopy?

Lu Yuan observed that the small space, the small barrier formed by his Apex Canopy, was far from diminutive—it possessed the vague expanse of the entirety of Hua Shan Residence. In truth, a normal Great Dao Seventh Heaven Apex Canopy was not that large, perhaps only the size of two rooms.

However, Lu Yuan’s Canopy was condensed from fifty Ancient Talismans, naturally making it far larger than those condensed by others, reaching the scale of the entire Hua Shan Residence, several times larger than others. This was an intensely stable, semi-alien dimension.

He couldn't help but recall a statement made by his current master, Taishi Kong: once he reached the Great Dao Seventh Heaven and condensed his Apex Canopy, he could move the Second-Tier Spirit Vein into it. With a mere thought, displaying his spiritual power, hundreds of thousands of mid-grade spirit stones were drawn into the Apex Canopy, and immediately, Hua Shan Residence returned to its original state.

Looking back into his Apex Canopy, the two main entities—the Five Elements Dominator situated below, and the Life and Death Dominator positioned at the very top—formed a perfect whole. Furthermore, within the Apex Canopy lay an exceedingly long Second-Tier Spirit Vein.

Only now did Lu Yuan realize that spatial artifacts like Qiankun Pouches held little utility once one reached the Great Dao Seventh Heaven. It was rumored that those in the Chaos Cave Realm would carry a personal Chaos Cave Space, potentially the size of a city.

And those in the World Realm could carry a Minor Thousand World—a space even vaster than the Jin Kingdom. But by that stage, a person’s power would be nearly unimaginable, perhaps they could no longer truly be called human.

That was a matter for the distant future, best left unexamined for now. This Apex Canopy could be summoned forth or retracted; no abnormality was visible externally.

Having only just cultivated the Great Dao Seventh Heaven Apex Canopy, he was about to pour a celebratory drink when Le Shuang arrived at his door. Upon arrival, Le Shuang exclaimed, "Junior Brother, this is terrible!

We heard that Martial Brother Thirty, Zhao Tu, is fighting with people from Duke Duanmu's lineage. We must hurry to save him!" Lu Yuan was momentarily confused but couldn't help asking, "Wouldn't it be better to report this matter to Master?" "Master left on an outing not long ago, didn't you know?" Le Shuang replied.

"Then let's hurry!" Martial Brother Thirty, Zhao Tu, wasn't someone he was exceptionally close to, but the nine disciples under Master Taishi held good relations. If one was in trouble, naturally the other eight would go to the rescue.

"What about the other Senior Brothers?" Lu Yuan inquired. "They left ahead of us," Le Shuang said.

"They said the location is North Sun Mountain." Le Shuang and Lu Yuan both swiftly summoned their sword lights, pinpointed North Sun Mountain on their jade tokens, and immediately flew toward it. North Sun Mountain, the shaded slope.

A fierce battle was unfolding here. Thirteen disciples from Duke Duanmu's lineage were arrayed against six from Master Taishi's lineage.

Or rather, it had not been a fierce battle from the start; the outcome was predetermined: Master Taishi's disciples were destined to lose. Although the Taishi faction possessed considerable courage, the gap in absolute strength was too vast, making the confrontation resemble a game rather than a true fight.

Duanmu Congrong, heralded as the foremost expert beneath the Chaos Cave Realm under Duke Duanmu, was a man dressed as an effeminate middle-aged scholar. Every sword strike he delivered seemed gentle and devoid of power, yet Qin Shuangcheng, engaged with him, cried out in misery.

Fighting such an opponent was torturous; he felt his sword techniques were rendered almost useless. Qin Shuangcheng practiced a technique called the Star Frost Sword Art.

When mastered, this art could shroud an entire star in frost, eradicating all life upon it. It was inherently a devastating supreme technique, but when countered by Duanmu Congrong’s exceedingly yielding swordsmanship, its power was almost entirely neutralized.

"The game is nearly over. Now, collapse," Duanmu Congrong smoothly closed the distance to Qin Shuangcheng and lightly pressed out a palm strike, yet Qin Shuangcheng immediately vomited blood.

Bang, Bang, Bang—the six disciples of Master Taishi fell in succession. Duanmu Congrong casually waved a hand and took out a handkerchief to wipe his fingers, as if the palm strike had dirtied them.

"There. The game is over." Zhou Nuchi roared in fury, "You framed Zhao Tu and then deliberately set up this ambush for us!" Duanmu Congrong nodded.

"Indeed. How could a waste like Zhao Tu possibly have assaulted Duanmu Li?

But now that he is in our custody, if I say he assaulted her, he assaulted her—it simply failed. According to sect rules, assaulting a fellow disciple means death.

Incidentally, you six, wishing to save the alleged assailant Zhao Tu, your transgression is not minor." As soon as Duanmu Congrong finished speaking, Zhou Nuchi and the others erupted in continuous rage. However, Duanmu Congrong remained unconcerned.

Duanmu Congrong smiled faintly. He was acting under the command of the Xuanyuan Token, which sought to suppress Master Taishi's faction, particularly Lu Yuan.

Rumor had it that the Xuanyuan Token had failed in suppressing him through resource allocation, but well, the Xuanyuan Token was stronger in raw power, yet far inferior to a strategist like himself. Taking advantage of Master Taishi’s absence from the Sword Gate, he had falsely accused Zhao Tu of assaulting Duanmu Li and then captured the six disciples of Master Taishi in one sweep.

At this point, even if it were mud, it would look like excrement. Master Taishi's faction’s reputation would surely plummet after this incident.

This was his strategy. Of course, the ultimate goal was dealing with Lu Yuan—to capture him.

Once Lu Yuan was apprehended, he would certainly be severely tortured, perhaps even subjected to special methods to erode some of his spiritual power, forcing a drop in his cultivation level. Alas, the big fish, Lu Yuan, had not yet arrived...

Duanmu Congrong felt a slight regret. If this big fish, Lu Yuan, hadn't shown up, capturing the eight smaller fish of Master Taishi’s faction wouldn't have been a bad consolation.

In fact, it was a pity; if Lu Yuan could have defected to Duke Xuanyuan’s lineage, it would have been excellent. Unfortunately, he belonged to Master Taishi’s faction.

Few realized that the figures within the Sword Gate had long schemed to eliminate Master Taishi; this Supreme was truly an eyesore, and his removal would yield considerable benefits, at least in terms of standing with the Immortal Ancient Civilization. Lu Yuan was a prime example of talent lacking foresight, failing to grasp the principle of a wise bird choosing its perch.

He had run toward wood that was about to catch fire. The current situation in the Sword Gate was perilously tense, approaching a state where water and fire could not coexist.

"What a pity. You are all finished," Duanmu Congrong declared.

"Who said they are finished?" A voice descended from the sky, followed by a young man in green robes and a beautifully dressed woman appearing to be in her early twenties. That beautifully dressed woman was Le Shuang; she required no special notice.

Duanmu Congrong involuntarily narrowed his eyes—Lu Yuan had arrived. The big fish had taken the bait.

Le Shuang, upon seeing the situation below, had initially hesitated to descend. It wasn't that she disliked her fellow disciples, but she felt it necessary to strategize how the fight should proceed, perhaps seeking aid from Duke Xiahou while their Master was away.

Before arriving, she hadn't expected the gravity of the situation; she thought it was a simple brawl, not realizing it was an obvious ambush. When Lu Yuan abruptly pulled her down, Le Shuang couldn't help but voice a tender complaint, "How are we supposed to fight this?" Her expression instantly shifted.

Duke Duanmu must be targeting Junior Brother; they could not tolerate the rise of a genius in Master Taishi’s faction. Thus, she shouted, "Junior Brother, their conspiracy targets you!

I will hold them off!" Duanmu Congrong smiled faintly. "Don't you think it’s a little late to realize that now?" "It's not late.

In fact, I knew long ago that you would eventually target me," Lu Yuan stated calmly. "And I already decided how this fight will go." "I'll beat you all away, one by one," Lu Yuan said quietly.

"Alright, I'm a bit hungry; I haven't had lunch yet, and I recall some wine I haven't finished. I'm rather pressed for time, so how about this: all thirteen of you attack me at once?" Lu Yuan smiled, a genuinely gentle expression on his face.