Lu Yuan was utterly dumbfounded. He had never imagined that the opponent he faced possessed such a profound background.

And this was a myth stretching back so very far.

Five epochs prior, the two Lords of Civilization had engaged in a great contest for supremacy. In that struggle, Hong had defeated Chang'e and slain her. However, Chang'e had laid groundwork for her return; this was the sixty-fifth iteration of her hundred reincarnations, and in this life, she had not been fooled by the myth of Chang'e, the Moon Goddess, fabricated by Hong four epochs ago—her spiritual wisdom was fully restored.

Precisely because of this, she had delayed ascending to the World Realm.

The moment she reached the World Realm, she would be erased by Hong.

If that were the case, then his Fleeting Life as a Dream being on the brink of shattering in an instant was perfectly understandable. After all, his opponent was no ordinary person; in her previous life, she had been on the level of a Lord of Civilization.

Lu Yuan found this revelation utterly staggering. The truth from five epochs ago—such an event had actually occurred. Indeed, in the preceding four epochs, there had been the legend fabricated by Hong of Chang'e flying to the moon, as well as the conflicts of the Investiture of the Gods and the Journey to the West campaigns. Of course, these events had only transpired within one domain of the world, as the influence of the Xian Ancient Civilization was limited to just a single domain; it could not affect too many others, for the Lords of several other ancient civilizations still existed, each occupying their own domain.

The fourth epoch stretching backward was spectacular.

But, looking at it another way, every single epoch was incomparably spectacular.

In these epochs, countless exceptional individuals, ambitious figures, heroes, and geniuses displayed their brilliance, hoping to leave their mark upon the long river of history.

The silver-haired maiden Chang'e’s voice sounded once more: “In this life, I intend to defeat Hong. Naturally, I have prepared extensively for this life as well, leaving behind many stratagems from that lifetime as a Lord of Civilization, and I have also sown numerous seeds throughout the previous sixty-four reincarnations. However, I still lack just a bit. Your destiny and fortune are incredibly potent; you will certainly become one of the supreme figures in this realm in the future. Furthermore, you carry a great responsibility: you must overthrow the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization and re-establish the Way of the Sword.”

Lu Yuan was startled. He had never spoken those words to anyone.

“There is no need to deny it, for we both carry great responsibilities,” Chang'e stated. “My duty is to fell the Lord of the Xian Ancient Civilization, and yours is to fell the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization. That is why I can see through you.” The silver-haired girl, appearing twelve or thirteen years old, spoke calmly. “Thus, we can cooperate. You will aid me when the time comes, and I shall certainly aid you. Let me join you in overturning the old world and establishing a new one together.”

What a spirited maiden!

A surge of shared ambition rose within Lu Yuan’s heart as well.

“However, how shall we cooperate?” Lu Yuan inquired.

“The specifics of the cooperation are still undecided,” Chang’e smiled faintly, her silver hair fluttering. “In any case, it will be up to you then. If you disagree when the time comes, that is also your prerogative.” She seemed utterly confident in securing Lu Yuan’s alliance.

“For now, allow me to trade blows with you once. Your current techniques are indeed powerful, but compared to an ordinary Celestial Venerable, they are not overwhelmingly strong, and they are far inferior to those of a Lord of Civilization.” The silver-haired girl reached out her slender hand toward Lu Yuan. As this palm strike descended, her mere five delicate, snowy fingers seemed capable of grasping the very firmament.

Lu Yuan was alarmed. His Fleeting Life as a Dream seemed rendered nearly ineffective. He hastily summoned his sword to parry, but found blocking that single, delicate hand exceedingly difficult.

Simultaneously, her silver hair lashed out, piercing in like a vast dragon weaving through time and space.

Lu Yuan responded with sword maneuvers, yet discovered that even when altering his techniques, he could not match Chang'e.

So strong!

Too strong!

While sparring with Chang'e, despite facing what looked like a mere twelve or thirteen-year-old silver-haired girl, Lu Yuan found himself completely restrained. This suffocating feeling truly made him want to vomit blood. Every move and technique from his opponent seemed to exhaust every possible permutation of change between heaven and earth.

He felt utterly incapable of matching that pristine hand.

Is this truly the reincarnation of a Lord of Civilization? She is only half a step into the World Realm, yet she has me completely cornered.

It seems obtaining this token will be difficult.

“Oh, right. I shall gift you this token,” the silver-haired maiden Chang'e said lightly.

Lu Yuan felt a surge of delight but still couldn't help but ask: “You don't want it?”

“Why would I need this token? This token might increase the probability of breaking through to the World Realm by about twenty percent, but for me, after my spiritual wisdom is fully restored, breaking through to the World Realm is as simple as eating or drinking. Why would I need such a thing?” the silver-haired girl stated flatly, her snow-white skin radiating an air of looking down upon all sentient beings.

Just then, several other cultivators surged forward, attempting to seize the token.

The silver-haired maiden let out a cold laugh, sweeping her slender hand through the void. A colossal, immense palm print shot out, sending those several charging individuals flying backward. Dealing with several cultivators at the Tenth Heaven of the Chaos Hole Realm required only a single move from the silver-haired maiden! It was overwhelmingly dominant!

Since Chang'e offered it, Lu Yuan naturally wouldn't refuse. This silver-haired girl was the reincarnation of a Lord of Civilization, making the breakthrough to the World Realm trivially simple for her, but it was far from easy for him. Moreover, hearing that the token carried a twenty percent chance of World Realm breakthrough made his heart soar with joy.

Having a twenty percent chance of reaching the World Realm was an exceptionally rare boon.

Under normal circumstances, achieving such a probability was unheard of.

This token was extraordinary.

Lu Yuan examined the token in his hand. It was about the size of his palm, forged from a material that felt remarkably soft. Its surface was indistinct, nothing truly clear, giving it a peculiar sensation.

“Oh, and your technique, Fleeting Life as a Dream, is exquisite. If you continue to upgrade it, and if you ever manage to reach the level of a Civilization Lord, this technique will become your ultimate weapon—useful even at the Civilization level. It is a fascinating technique; you must upgrade it diligently,” the silver-haired maiden’s voice chimed, crisp and sweet, like a girl next door.

“You must work hard on it; at the very least, aim for the level of a Civilization Grandmaster,” the silver-haired girl suddenly appeared beside Lu Yuan. A faint fragrance reached his nostrils. This scent was intensely pleasant. Lu Yuan had been in close proximity to the Sword Spirit Empress before, but even that girl's fresh scent was not as delightful as this. The Heavenly Mother Civilization and the Su Civilization were known for their beautiful women, especially the Fox Civilization, famous for its allure, but the difference compared to this silver-haired maiden was too vast. It was as if she were an extremely sacred enchantress, yet simultaneously possessed the aloof, queenly aura of one who presides over all beings—a perfect contradiction.

Lu Yuan shrugged. Nonsense, did he need her to tell him that? He was determined to reach the level of a Civilization Grandmaster or even a Lord of Civilization; he was meant to pioneer the Supreme Grand Dao of the Sword.

The silver-haired girl, looking twelve or thirteen, stood opposite the youth of seventeen or eighteen years old.

Such were the appearances of Chang'e and Lu Yuan.

They stood facing each other.

In that instant, they both felt as if they stood against the world, arrayed against Heaven itself.

A Lord of Civilization undeniably commanded the awe of Heaven.

For some inexplicable reason, at that moment, guided by some strange impulse, their backs brushed against one another, as if seeking mutual reliance in their defiance of Heaven.

The silver-haired girl blushed slightly before immediately stepping away.

At this juncture, all fighting ceased. There was a regulation concerning the World Volcano: any miraculous item ejected from it, once obtained by whosoever, belonged entirely to that person. Within the boundaries of the World Volcano, no further contention was allowed. Without this rule, countless people would have perished in endless struggles over whatever treasure was claimed.

Of course, battling over it outside the World Volcano remained fair game.

Now that Lu Yuan had secured the token in his possession, the battle involving nearly ten thousand combatants had concluded.

Although everyone present was deeply dissatisfied with this outcome, ultimately, there was no other recourse.

Lu Yuan flew back at top speed to the Sword Gate camp. As soon as he landed, Venerable Dongye said, “Lu Yuan, you obtained the final token. Remarkable!”

“Indeed, truly remarkable. Of the five supreme experts of the World Volcano—Chang'e, Hong Le Wang, Martial Yang Emperor’s Son, Zhang Cang Li, and Mu Bing Yi—four have been defeated by you. Even the profound and unfathomable Chang'e has been subdued by you.”

Lu Yuan froze for a moment. “Chang'e was not defeated by me.”

“How was she not defeated by you? If she hadn't been defeated, would she have allowed you to take the token?” Venerable Dongye insisted. In truth, this was what had happened: while the battles between Lu Yuan and Mu Bing Yi were somewhat comprehensible to the onlookers, the fight between Lu Yuan and Chang'e had occurred while everyone else was fiercely engaged, and they couldn't clearly discern who had the upper hand. Thus, when Lu Yuan ended up with the token, they assumed he had defeated Chang'e.

What a massive misunderstanding! He was nowhere near Chang'e’s equal.

At that moment, the silver-haired girl’s voice echoed in his ears: “Just accept the victory, for now. I need to maintain my cover; I don't want people to know my spiritual wisdom is fully restored. There are too many spies monitoring me near the Xian Ancient Civilization.”

Since the entity in question said so, Lu Yuan could only shrug and accept the premise.

As a result, the title of the foremost expert at the World Volcano naturally fell upon Lu Yuan. This was the first time in millions of years, perhaps even longer, that the top expert spot had fallen to someone from a mere Supreme Great Sect. Even the Son of Sword from the World Volcano in previous eras had never achieved this.

In an instant, the prestige of the Sword Gate soared, and Lu Yuan became famous throughout the Central Heavenly Dynasty.

Lu Yuan, however, paid little attention to these matters. In the following days, he naturally continued challenging opponents throughout the World Volcano, still accumulating his ten thousandth consecutive victory. Once he completed this streak, he was promised a valuable item.

And now, achieving consecutive wins at the World Volcano was far too easy; his opponents were completely outmatched. He continued this winning streak, and the ten thousand victories were fast approaching completion.