The three blades left there each emitted a faint glow. Each blade was an insignia token. The front was engraved with Shanglin!

The reverse, Jianzhe! They were, unmistakably, the Ancient Sword Holder Tokens. Lu Yuan had previously obtained five of these Ancient Sword Holder Tokens.

There were eight in total, and now he had finally secured the remaining three. The eight Ancient Sword Holder Tokens were now all gathered. Lu Yuan immediately drew the tokens into his nascent Sword World.

The eight tokens danced around each other, each one subtly distinct from the others. As they spun, each emitted a unique light until, finally, the eight merged, seeming to transform into a single, immense key. Lu Yuan projected his consciousness into the key.

Instantly, the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb in his mind roared open. What exactly lay within the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb? Lu Yuan was still pondering the nature of the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb when he realized what his mental connection actually linked to: it wasn't the Tomb itself, but an address—a location pointing to where the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb was situated.

Simultaneously, Lu Yuan grasped many things. What was this thing called the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb? The Ancient Sword Holder Tomb referred to the final resting place of a supreme master of the Way of the Sword.

However, the address in his mind did not lead to the primary Ancient Sword Holder Tomb; it pointed only to a subsidiary tomb. This address led, it seemed, to the tomb of the Vice-Lord of the Jian Yuan Civilization. Those dedicated to the Way of the Sword were characterized by their relentless drive and unparalleled sharpness.

This temperament, in fact, was rarely suited for the responsibilities of governance. But exceptions existed, particularly among the very pinnacle of the Sword Dao lineage. The primary exception was the Vice-Lord of the Jian Yuan Civilization.

This Vice-Lord held the primordial character Yuan (Circle/Round) of Heaven and Earth, making him diplomatic and adept at handling various political affairs. In truth, it was this individual who managed the governance of the Jian Gu Civilization. The Lord of the Jian Gu Civilization and the Lord of the Jian Ding Civilization would never concern themselves with such mundane administrative duties.

Because of this, the eight Ancient Sword Holder Tokens were, in essence, the personal insignias of the Vice-Lord of the Jian Yuan Civilization, signifying his authority. Due to the backing of the two Civilization Lords, these eight tokens carried immense prestige in the Era of the Sword, striking awe across an entire epoch. Now, the eight tokens pointed directly toward the tomb of the Vice-Lord of the Jian Yuan Civilization.

At the same time, Lu Yuan understood one more crucial detail. This detail was that if the Yuan character of the Vice-Lord of the Jian Yuan Civilization still resided within his tomb, obtaining it would allow his own four characters—Jiu (Wine), Jian (Sword), Lan (Languid), and Zheng (Righteous)—to connect, unleashing a chaotic, primordial light. Achieving the Civilization Realm at that juncture would become a certainty.

This was truly his opportunity to break through to the Civilization Realm. Having realized this, Lu Yuan’s spirits soared. “I must now go to a place,” Lu Yuan announced.

“The Ancient Sword Holder Tomb.” The Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization murmured, “The legendary Ancient Sword Holder Tomb.” “It is merely a tomb of a Vice-Lord, a subsidiary resting place, not the main tomb,” Lu Yuan clarified. “That of the Vice-Lord of the Jian Yuan Civilization.” “Senior Jian Yuan, he was a good man,” the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization replied, clearly recognizing the name. She had achieved the Civilization Realm near the end of the previous era.

Do not assume that the destruction of one era and the birth of another automatically grants an extra epoch of mana; it doesn't work that way. Everyone must cultivate diligently to increase their epochal power, and advancing that power is an exceedingly difficult feat. Having found his path to the Civilization Realm, Lu Yuan was ready to proceed to the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb.

Since the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization would be protecting him, there was no need for concealment. The next step was naturally the journey to the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb. The Ancient Sword Holder Tomb was not situated within the Central Heavenly Dynasty but lay within the Lost Lands.

Lu Yuan and the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization flew straight there. The Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization frowned deeply. “That fellow, Desolate Eagle, he just won't give up, constantly clinging on and refusing to retreat.” The Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization was slightly superior in strength to the Vice-Lord of the Desolate Eagle Civilization, but she could not kill him; she could only endure his relentless pursuit.

Lu Yuan, however, remained unconcerned. As long as he reached the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb and broke through to the Civilization Realm, he would become invincible. A mere Vice-Lord from one epoch would certainly leave without returning, perishing by his hand.

Therefore, letting the Desolate Eagle Vice-Lord follow was acceptable for now. The journey from the Central Heavenly Dynasty to the Lost Lands required a substantial amount of time. During this journey, the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization attempted several times to provoke the Vice-Lord of the Desolate Eagle Civilization, but he always managed to evade her.

One-on-one, she could win, but she certainly couldn't secure a kill. She stamped her foot in frustration several times: “That Desolate Eagle is a true rogue.” Lu Yuan, however, remained calm and unhurried. He knew he had arrived at the most crucial juncture for his breakthrough to the Civilization Realm.

Of course, during the travel, Lu Yuan did spar with the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization. He was soundly defeated by her decisive blows—this was necessary for practicing the Bai Bai Zhen Jing (Hundred Defeats True Scripture). He was still cultivating this scripture, and his current accumulation of defeats had reached a total of eighteen.

His previous fight with the Vice-Lord of the Tianli Civilization had yielded sixteen defeats. “I do have something I wish to inquire about: how does one increase epochal mana? For instance, how does one advance one’s epochal mana?” Lu Yuan asked.

He faintly sensed that he would soon reach the Civilization Realm, so he needed more understanding of it, not to remain completely ignorant. “Increasing epochal mana is an incredibly arduous task. There are fundamentally three methods.

The first method relies on endless, ascetic cultivation, which consumes an astonishing amount of time.” “The second method is acquiring divine artifacts. During the ebb and flow of an epoch’s birth and destruction, certain divine artifacts are generated. These artifacts have the potential to increase one’s epochal mana.

However, during these critical phases, such artifacts are almost invariably seized by the most powerful Civilization Lords. Those at the level of a Vice-Lord, being weaker, have virtually no chance of obtaining them. This is why the strong grow stronger and the weak grow weaker, a dynamic particularly pronounced within the Civilization Realm.

They offer little chance for the weak to ascend; those powerful figures dominate numerous epochs. Fortunately, there is the Twenty-Epoch Tribulation—no matter how strong they become, they can only survive for twenty epochs; exceeding that number spells their doom. For instance, the Lord of the Fo Gu Civilization does not have many epochs left.” Hearing the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization say this, Lu Yuan realized the Lord of the Fo Gu Civilization was nearing his end—a piece of significant intelligence.

In contrast, the Lord of the Huang Gu Civilization was like the rising sun; if nothing unexpected happened, he would undoubtedly dominate the world unchallenged ten epochs later, as the other Four Ancients were already old. This explained why many figures in the Civilization Realm now avoided provoking the Lord of the Huang Gu Civilization. “The third method involves receiving the transfer of power from an established, senior figure.

Although many Civilization Lords are known publicly now, there are still others who remain hidden in the depths of darkness. These individuals, nearing the end of their lifespans, often seek out a cultivator at the Civilization Realm to transfer their power. Such a transfer allows a lower-level Civilization Realm expert to advance rapidly, their strength skyrocketing.” “These are the methods for increasing epochal mana, but regardless of the path taken, augmenting epochal mana is never easy.” Chatting casually with the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization as they traveled, they finally arrived at the Lost Lands.

This was not Lu Yuan’s first visit to the Lost Lands, but this time, his purpose was the breakthrough to the Civilization Realm, filling him with a unique sense of emotion. Lu Yuan sent out a signal—the communication frequency shared among the Three Mythics of Mount Hua—but received no reply. It seemed Yan Cangtian and Zhou Qingxuan were currently unable to come.

He wondered how their own pursuits of the Civilization Realm were progressing. Lu Yuan, of course, did not know that Yan Cangtian was currently running for his life after running into the Vice-Lord of the Evil Sword Civilization, Feng. His current strength was clearly inferior, forcing him into constant retreat.

. . .

. . .

Lu Yuan traversed the void, flying through a desolate, lifeless corner of the Lost Lands. He flew straight until he located a specific piece of rock in that corner. Yes, this very rock.

Lu Yuan produced the key formed by the merged eight Sword Holder Tokens and unlocked the entrance hidden within the stone. He was fully aware that the Vice-Lord of the Desolate Eagle Civilization was tracking him, but there was no alternative; he simply couldn't shake him off. Therefore, he chose to ignore the pursuit.

Once his power reached the Civilization Realm, he could easily destroy everything. Lu Yuan asked, “Senior Wu Yan, do you know how to use a sword?” The Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization frowned in displeasure. “I told you to call me Sister Wu Yan.” “Alright, Sister Wu Yan,” Lu Yuan conceded, feeling helpless.

She was his savior, after all, and had assisted him throughout the journey, so he had no choice but to address her as such. “Of course, I know how to use a sword. One of the Ten Ultimate Martial Paths is the Way of the Sword.” Lu Yuan was familiar with the Ten Ultimate Martial Paths.

The Lord of the Wu Gu Civilization had mastered ten different weapons, creating the Ten Ultimate Martial Paths, which included saber, spear, sword, halberd, and chain. Since the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization cultivated the Ten Ultimate Martial Paths, her proficiency in the sword was entirely normal. Lu Yuan stated, “This is the entrance to the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb.

There is an Ancient Sword Formation of Yuan here. If the Vice-Lord of the Desolate Eagle Civilization attacks here, you can use the Ancient Sword Formation of Yuan against him, which will save you considerable effort.” Lu Yuan immediately imparted the knowledge of the Ancient Sword Formation of Yuan to the Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization. The Vice-Lord of the Wu Yan Civilization showed considerable interest in a sword formation from a previous epoch, becoming quite animated.

She began studying the Ancient Sword Formation of Yuan. Naturally, she didn't believe she needed the formation to deal with Desolate Eagle; she felt she was no weaker than him. After giving his instructions, Lu Yuan entered the Ancient Sword Holder Tomb.

Yes, it was time now—time to strive for the Civilization Realm.