Lu Yuan’s popularity with women was astonishing! It was so overwhelming that countless people were left speechless.

In truth, setting aside Chang'e, the first among his admirers, the other two women had only come together through sheer coincidence. Yet, that coincidence had culminated in this very moment.

Furthermore, the Civilizations of the Confucian Way and the Way of Wind would also have supported Lu Yuan, had they happened to arrive at this precise juncture. And so, the situation stood as it was, completely dismantling the scheme of the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization.

The Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization, however, was remarkably open about it: "Very well, it seems we cannot bring ourselves to touch Lu Yuan this time. We shall depart.

Lord of the Ancient Law Civilization, and Mistress of the Phoenix Queen Civilization, feel free to visit the Desolate Ancient Civilization when you have time." He spoke with an extreme air of calm, as if the prior confrontation aimed at forcing his will had never occurred. Once the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization retreated, all the subordinate Deputy Lords of the accompanying Civilizations swiftly followed suit.

Especially the Deputy Lord of the Primordial Civilization, who needed to return immediately to the Ancient Immortal Civilization to inform Hong that Chang'e had been reinstated and had ascended to the rank of Deputy Lord of a Civilization. Though, this turn of events wasn't entirely unexpected; after Chang'e vanished some time ago, falling outside the Ancient Immortal Civilization’s surveillance, they had anticipated such a possibility.

The Ancient Immortal Civilization was, in fact, not entirely unprepared for this outcome. The retreat of the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization, however, allowed a host of poisonous stratagems to germinate in his mind.

These insidious plans were not solely directed at Lu Yuan, but against the Ancient Law Civilization and numerous other powers. At his level of existence, engaging in trivial threats against a mere ant like Lu Yuan would betray his dignity.

His initial coercion was merely a facade; his true objectives lay elsewhere. The singular, overarching goal of the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization was the re-establishment of the order between Heaven and Earth.

Indeed, to reimpose order upon the cosmos, and simultaneously, to strive toward the Eternal Lord realm. Others, perhaps, had absolutely no inkling of the secret concerning the assault on the Eternal Lord.

This included other Civilization Lords who had lived even longer than him, such as the Lord of the Ancient Law Civilization and the Lord of the Ancient Immortal Civilization. But he knew.

This entire trajectory began with the previous struggle of the Lord of the Ancient Sword Civilization and others fighting against the Heavens, which introduced a slight flaw, a crack, in the Heavenly Secrets. That subtle opening was not seized by those of the Sword Dao, nor did others grasp it; instead, the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization, a Civilization Lord born of this current Epoch, gained the greatest advantage.

It was precisely because of the battle against the Heavens that the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization was limited to acquiring the magical power of only five Epochs. Of course, the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization was not at a loss, for he had acquired a method, a pathway, toward challenging the status of the Eternal Lord.

To conceal this possibility, he required an outer layer of disguise—and this façade was the reinstatement of cosmic order, or, stated more plainly: War! A Great War!

The current Central Heavenly Dynasty had been peaceful for far too long. Naturally, he would not be foolish enough to rush into action himself; he would let those from the Lost Lands make the initial moves.

This was a vast, intricate game of chess. And Lu Yuan, at this moment?

He found himself in an exceedingly awkward predicament. The Lord of the Ancient Law Civilization, the Mistress of the Phoenix Queen Civilization, Chang'e, and the Deputy Lord of the Heavenly Mother Civilization—these four old acquaintances had gathered together and promptly left for tea.

Accompanying them were Empress Meng Hu and Prince Fa Yi, and reportedly, several other Deputy Lords of Civilizations; the Ancient Law Civilization alone boasted about ten such Deputy Lords. Lu Yuan discovered himself profoundly embarrassed, embarrassed to an almost unparalleled degree.

He was currently standing on a patch of grass within the Ancient Law Civilization’s domain. Not far off, Yun Xiuxue, clad in yellow silks, sported a sweet smile on her face—a smile that held a certain edge of sharpness.

Beside her, Zhong Ling, in pristine white, with bright eyes and charming features, also smiled gently, appearing utterly guileless. Yet, fundamentally, Zhong Ling was a woman of deep calculation; she had wielded significant authority in the Zhong family at a young age, and her previous incarnation had reached the level of Deputy Lord of a Civilization—one does not attain such a rank without enduring countless tribulations.

And Xiao Qing, clad in green, stood somewhat lost beside them. Among the three women, Yue Nu Xiao Qing was the most inexperienced.

Yun Xiuxue was the daughter of a Civilization Lord; Zhong Ling possessed the deepest cunning; Xiao Qing, despite her formidable innate talent, lacked any other substantial background, which is why she appeared the most at a loss. Yun Xiuxue, Zhong Ling, and Xiao Qing formed a triangular stance.

Faced with such a situation, what could Lu Yuan possibly say? Naturally, he slipped away to the side.

Lu Yuan realized he would rather engage in a life-or-death struggle against the Son of Desolation than remain standing there; the atmosphere was simply too stifling. Zhong Ling offered a pure smile: "So, it is Sister Yun.

I have long heard of a sister in the Ancient Law Civilization who possesses a truly elegant and intelligent spirit. Seeing you today, I find the rumors are true." Zhong Ling clearly opted for a non-confrontational approach.

Yun Xiuxue, far less experienced in guile than Zhong Ling, soon let the slight tension ease from her delicate features. Zhong Ling, possessing the deepest mind, was now serving under Chang'e, managing the former subordinates with consummate skill.

She mused inwardly that Yun Xiuxue was likely the one Lu Yuan truly favored, and thus, she must be ingratiated with. As for Xiao Qing, being one of the Seven Maidens of the Ancient Phoenix Civilization, she was also worth cultivating ties with.

The atmosphere between Yun Xiuxue, Zhong Ling, and Xiao Qing surprisingly became quite harmonious. Lu Yuan, meanwhile, was actually sweating.

He finally resolved himself to one thing: he must practice his sword arts. The Supremacy of the Sword Dao demanded absolute focus; he needed to dedicate himself entirely to his training.

Fortunately, after some time, Chang'e, the Deputy Lord of the Heavenly Mother Civilization, and soon-to-be Mistress of the Phoenix Queen Civilization, all departed. Chang'e could not linger long, lest Hong arrive on their doorstep.

With them gone, Zhong Ling and Xiao Qing naturally left as well, and Lu Yuan finally let out a deep sigh of relief. These trying days were finally over.

Life was about to return to normal, save for the occasional, knowing sideways glance from Yun Xiuxue. Next, continue cultivation—wait, the Scripture of a Hundred Defeats.

He suddenly recalled obtaining the Scripture of a Hundred Defeats. When he acquired it, the scripture was said to have been created by the First Ancestor of the Sword Gate, a figure possessing innate, magnificent destiny, certainly not ordinary.

He had ultimately perished at the hands of the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization. In his time, the First Ancestor of the Sword Gate had originally established the Scripture of Ten Thousand Defeats: possessing this, if one could be defeated by ten thousand Deputy Lords of Civilizations, one could then attempt to break through to the Civilization Realm.

Before his death, the First Ancestor felt that ten thousand defeats were too excessive, so he exhausted all his energy to revise the scripture, changing it to One Hundred Defeats—thus, the Scripture of Ten Thousand Defeats could actually be called the Scripture of a Hundred Defeats. According to the First Ancestor of the Sword Gate, one only needed to survive being defeated one hundred times by different powers within the Civilization Realm without dying to achieve success and challenge entry into that realm.

Initially, because the Civilization Realm seemed too distant, he had completely shelved the scripture. But now?

He had reached the tenth level of the World Realm; he was qualified to aspire to the Civilization Realm. Since he happened to be in the Ancient Law Civilization, which boasted around ten experts in the Civilization Realm, Lu Yuan decided to practice diligently.

His first choice for a sparring partner was naturally Prince Fa Yi; there was no other option, as he was most familiar with the Prince. Prince Fa Yi resided in a thatched hut.

This hut had no name and stood alone on a hillside. Lu Yuan had cultivated in this very hut before and was quite familiar with the location.

Lu Yuan arrived at the base of the hill: "Lu Yuan requests an audience with Prince Fa Yi." "Come up," came the voice. After ascending the slope, Lu Yuan saw a man dressed simply in white, utterly unconcerned with appearances, rocking a bottle of wine in his hand.

"You've come. What is it?" he asked casually, much like addressing a friend; in fact, the Prince had held the same attitude when Lu Yuan first cultivated there.

"I wish to challenge you," Lu Yuan stated. Prince Fa Yi let out a short, amused laugh: "Hey, hey.

The Ancient Sword Daoists have always been arrogant, and the ones I knew were no exception. But you aren't arrogant to this extent.

While your current strength is formidable below the Civilization Realm, you couldn't even withstand a single finger strike from me. I have no interest in effortlessly crushing you with one touch." Lu Yuan knew that Fa Yi was not exaggerating; he was merely stating the reality.

Lu Yuan then explained the matter of the Scripture of a Hundred Defeats. He reasoned that the key figures in the Ancient Law Civilization were his supporters; without their aid, he might well have been killed.

Therefore, these few could be trusted. Hearing this, Prince Fa Yi became intrigued: "Can you show me your Scripture of a Hundred Defeats?" Lu Yuan didn't hesitate, presenting the scripture—he had already made a copy.

Prince Fa Yi took the text and began studying the Scripture of a Hundred Defeats seriously. After a long period of research, he finally spoke: "This was created by your Sword Gate's First Ancestor?

He was only at the level of a Half-Step Civilization Realm back then. To create a scripture of this caliber, did he perhaps inherit the destiny of the previous Epoch, allowing him the fortune to conceive this Scripture of a Hundred Defeats?" The more he analyzed it, the more extraordinary the scripture appeared.

If an expert like himself could perceive its profound nature, he certainly couldn't believe a mere Half-Step Civilization Realm master had authored it. In truth, his guess was close.

This Scripture of a Hundred Defeats was not entirely the creation of the First Ancestor of the Sword Gate; it originated from the previous Epoch. When it reached the First Ancestor, it was only an incomplete fragment, which he then perfected.

Fearing the news would spread, the First Ancestor attributed its creation to himself. If it truly came from a previous Epoch, then countless entities would desire it.

Prince Fa Yi studied it further: "This Scripture of a Hundred Defeats requires that each defeat imparts a peculiar fortune specific to the Ancient Sword Epoch; thus, only those of the Sword Dao can utilize it. What a pity.

Of course, it is absolutely effective for you, but very few people in this world can employ it." While he called it a pity, Lu Yuan felt no such regret; it was enough that he could use it. Prince Fa Yi concluded: "The requirement of this Scripture of a Hundred Defeats is too stringent: one hundred defeats.

Unfortunately, I cannot reduce this number; it seems to be the absolute limit. However, my father, the Lord of the Ancient Law Civilization, might possess the ability to scale it back further."