Presently... another colossal figure materialized between heaven and earth. This being’s features were obscured, the countenance unseen; one only perceived an expanse of azure, as if this being embodied the very essence of blueness in the cosmos. As this figure descended, an endless dominion of trees unfolded across the firmament—this was the Vice-Lord of the Tree Civilization, another paramount figure in the world: "Lu Yuan slew the Tree Saint Imperial Son. The Tree Saint Imperial Son was cultivated by this seat for many years; this matter cannot be dismissed so easily." Clearly, this was a demand for redress concerning past events. The Vice-Lord of the Tree Civilization, also a grand figure among the powers of heaven and earth, earned his fame in a battle where he faced two Civilization Realm entities simultaneously, managing to petrify both into trees before ultimately slaying them. Furthermore, he possessed a supreme technique called Rooting, or Luodi Shenggen. No matter how formidable the opponent, once he embedded a seed within their very body, it would sprout, and their essence, spirit, and vigor would flow into him through these nascent trees. Could such a person fail to inspire terror? The Vice-Lord of the Tree Civilization was exceptionally formidable and tenacious.

Across the void, a torrential, boundless tide of poison surged forth—the culmination of the universe’s venom, the very essence of a world's toxicity. A single drop of this liquid, landing upon Sword Gate, could utterly poison and eradicate the entire sect, leaving none remaining. Even Lu Yuan felt his Azure Saint Sword Dao instantly suppressed. Above the infinite waves of toxin floated a middle-aged man in black robes, who seemed to have absorbed all the cruelty, poison, terror, ruthlessness, and impossibility of the cosmos—an immeasurable horror. This was the Vice-Lord of the Poison Civilization, another key Vice-Lord of the Civilization Realm.

The Vice-Lord of the Poison Civilization descended, stating, "Lu Yuan, I hear you broke the poison of the Poison Saint Imperial Son in the Civilization Holy Land. My usual pastime is nothing more than relishing contests of poisoning and detoxification. I wonder if you are interested in a round with me?" For a Civilization Realm entity to challenge someone below that threshold would be a loss of face; such invitations were generally spurned. However, the Vice-Lord of the Poison Civilization cared nothing for propriety; his sole aim was to destroy Lu Yuan. To be precise, this entity had never cared for honor. Since his debut, he had built his reputation on black-hearted ruthlessness and shamelessness. Back then, people thought that upon reaching the Civilization Realm, he might temper his ways, as that level represented the apex of existence, demanding a measure of dignity. But they were wrong. This individual retained no shame, no face, nothing. Even after attaining the Civilization Realm, he continued his despicable actions, daring to poison and kill anyone lacking a monumental backing, regardless of how much lower their cultivation realm was.

"Lu Yuan, we finally meet." A voice rich with magnetic resonance sounded. Lu Yuan turned sharply toward his adversary. The figure was tall and slender, resembling a drawn sword! This was the strongest swordsman he had ever encountered. He had always believed the Vice-Lord of the Evil Sword Civilization was the supreme sword master he knew, far surpassing the Son of the Sword, himself, Zhou Qingxuan, and Yan Cangtian. But now he understood he had been mistaken. This one was the true pinnacle of the Sword Dao. This person seemed like a sword piercing upward, having cleaved open an entire epoch. The Sword Master of the Ancient Era! This aura of absolute sword mastery far surpassed Lu Yuan’s own. His brow and eyes were sharp as a blade, yet his presence exuded an intensely strange atmosphere. This man's sword seemed fundamentally different from ordinary blades. "Vice-Lord of the Copper Civilization!" Lu Yuan passed his judgment. "Indeed, it is I," the Vice-Lord of the Copper Civilization stated calmly. "I, too, have long heard your great name. The Copper Saint Imperial Son was my son, the strongest among them, and you killed him." The Vice-Lord of the Copper Civilization’s tone was light, but the hatred within ran deep. Unlike some other Civilization Lords or Vice-Lords, he had only lived for a single epoch, and the Copper Saint Imperial Son was his finest creation, painstakingly nurtured for the explicit purpose of breaking into the Civilization Realm, yet he was dead. Beneath that detached tone lay a bone-deep enmity for Lu Yuan. The feud between them required no embellishment; it had reached its absolute zenith. Given the slightest opportunity, the Vice-Lord of the Copper Civilization would assuredly grind Lu Yuan’s bones to dust and scatter them to the wind, killing him outright. Given the slightest opportunity, the Vice-Lord of the Copper Civilization would exterminate Lu Yuan’s entire clan, slaying all ten of his lineage branches.

And yet another figure descended abruptly. This figure represented the Lord of the Jade Purity, embodying the essence of Primordial Origin—this was the Vice-Lord of the Primordial Jade Purity Civilization, also known as the Vice-Lord of the Primordial Civilization. The Vice-Lord of the Primordial Civilization had flowing white hair and an ethereal, immortal countenance, radiating an inviolable majesty, as if anyone who crossed his will were doomed to be executed by his celestial might. The Vice-Lord of the Primordial Civilization landed, proclaiming, "Infinite Reverence. The Jade Emperor shared a long affinity with this Dao, and his untimely death here is a profound pity. In both sentiment and propriety, I must settle this matter with him." The arrival of the Vice-Lord of the Primordial Civilization was not insignificant; this was the second-highest figure in the Immortal Ancient Civilization, second only to Hong, the Lord of the Great Brightness of the Immortal Ancient Era. He typically represented the Immortal Ancient Civilization.

The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principle also shouted fiercely, "Lu Yuan, Zhu Renyu was a disciple I painstakingly cultivated, and you slaughtered him mercilessly." The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principle chose his words carefully. Though Lu Yuan faced six opponents simultaneously, he framed it as Lu Yuan cruelly murdering his disciple, making it seem as though he were the aggrieved party. The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principle excelled at sophistry; he did not fear Lu Yuan debating him—the more they argued, the more Lu Yuan would lose.

The Vice-Lord of the Power Civilization roared, "Lu Yuan, if you can withstand a single axe blow from me, I shall spare you and overlook the slaying of the Power Hero Imperial Son." He spoke as if offering mercy, yet a single axe strike from the true Vice-Lord of the Power Civilization guaranteed Lu Yuan’s absolute demise with no chance of survival. How could the current Lu Yuan possibly withstand even a finger from a Civilization Realm Vice-Lord? This highlighted the insurmountable gulf between the Civilization Realm and the World Realm.

The situation was now starkly clear. Represented by the Desolate Ancient Civilization, the Immortal Ancient Civilization had dispatched its second-in-command, alongside the Copper, Tree, Poison, Power, and Heavenly Principle Civilizations. This amounted to two Ancient Civilizations and five ordinary Civilizations all coming to exact a bloody vengeance upon Lu Yuan. The people Lu Yuan had killed in the Civilization Holy Land now demanded his death in the outside world. Indeed, the rule stated that events within the Holy Land could not be pursued outside for revenge. But rules were made by men, established primarily by the Five Great Ancient Civilizations. Now that two of the Five sought retribution, any pretense of rules was utter nonsense. Overwhelming power was the only true rule.

The voice of the Lord of the Dharma Ancient Civilization boomed through the void, "Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization, what is the meaning of this?" The Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization offered a faint smile. "It is simple. We have two Ancient Civilizations and five general Civilizations here, and what we demand is Lu Yuan’s life. Lu Yuan massacred too many in the Civilization Holy Land; he deserves to die. Naturally, for approaching the Dharma Ancient Civilization this way, my civilization offers amends: one Initial Character, the character 'Jing' (Stillness), along with an artifact of the Spell category from our civilization, how about that?" The Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization was remarkably generous. Every Initial Character was incredibly precious, yet he could afford to compensate one just like that—a rare display of magnanimity, all for the sake of killing Lu Yuan. Moreover, the character 'Jing' held little use for the Desolate and Martial Civilizations, who favored 'Dong' (Movement), but it was significantly important to the Immortal, Dharma, and Buddhist Civilizations. As for the artifact of the Spell category, it was a divine object usable by a Civilization Realm entity, rarely seen except during epochal transitions. Such artifacts were extremely scarce, and one tied to spells was even rarer; this single item might hold greater value than the character 'Jing'. This maneuver by the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization was twofold: simultaneously threatening the Lord of the Dharma Ancient Civilization with the combined weight of two Ancient and five general Civilizations, while offering a tangible bribe—the value of an Initial Character was considerable, as was a spell-related Civilization Artifact. The Desolate Ancient Civilization was truly willing to pay the price.

The voice of the Lord of the Dharma Ancient Civilization erupted again, "Oh? You demand this civilization hand over the beloved of our civilization’s daughter? Impossible!" The Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization roared back, "If that is the stance, is the Dharma Ancient Civilization prepared to face two Ancient Civilizations and five general Civilizations?" This was an enormous threat; few dared to ignore the combined pressure of such a formidable coalition. All these threats were mobilized solely to reclaim the debt owed by Lu Yuan alone. The Lord of the Dharma Ancient Civilization chuckled dismissively, "Stop dreaming yourselves silly. Bring whatever means you possess, whatever civilizations you command—let them all come. This civilization has never feared anyone, and the Dharma Ancient Civilization has never been the type of third-rate faction to surrender its own people due to threats." A truly bold declaration. Bring every tactic, every civilization; let them attack together. This civilization has never known fear; it will meet them all.

The Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization looked at the Lord of the Dharma Ancient Civilization, inwardly sneering. He certainly had his own contingency plans. He coveted something specific; perhaps this breakdown in negotiations with the Dharma Ancient Civilization was fortuitous, allowing for the formation of a solid alliance against it—that was his true aim. "You all intend to move against Lu Yuan? This Palace will not permit it," a clear voice, like the music of the heavens, suddenly rang out. Who—who dared to interrupt? In a confrontation among Civilization Realm powers, even amidst the discourse of Civilization Lords, someone dared to interject. Who possessed such audacity? From the darkness, a little girl with silver hair slowly emerged, holding a tiny umbrella and cradling a snow-white jade rabbit in her arms. "Regardless of the reasons, Lu Yuan is the person cherished by the jade rabbit in this Palace’s arms. I will not consent to all this shouting and killing." (The next chapter contains significant Yin content, please subscribe.)