The truth was, ascending from the First Epoch to the Second was no simple feat. Reaching the Civilization Realm meant that every step up in rank was incredibly difficult; otherwise, people like Wu Yanhuangying would not have been stuck in the First Epoch, unable to advance. Lu Yuan achieved a feat rarely seen across ten thousand eras by slaying three Civilization Realm experts in succession. Coupled with the fortune of possessing a divine artifact from the Deputy Sovereign of the Li Saint Civilization, he managed the lucky ascent to the Second Epoch.

Having reached the Second Epoch, Lu Yuan made no pause, continuing to burn the Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins incessantly. One by one, the Spirit Veins were consumed, and after burning through one hundred and twenty Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins, his own power finally reached the peak of the Second Epoch. Now, he was stuck, needing a divine artifact to advance further.

This meant he had used a total of one hundred and ninety Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins, leaving him with eighty remaining.

Lu Yuan had essentially figured it out now: to advance in the Civilization Realm, two things were normally required.

First, Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins. Second, Divine Artifacts.

Of these, the divine artifact was comparatively more important and harder to acquire. Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins were manageable; the problem lay with divine artifacts. Such items did not normally manifest; they only appeared during the genesis or destruction of an Epoch, and the majority were used up during those times. Only a very, very small fraction survived.

His cultivation complete, Lu Yuan rose to his feet.

The feeling of the Second Epoch was indeed wonderful!

And at some point, Zhou Qingxuan, who had gone to visit the graves of old friends, emerged with his hands clasped behind his back.

As Zhou Qingxuan approached, he looked at Lu Yuan: "Before I came here, I heard a piece of news: the Son of Desolation had already ascended to the Civilization Realm before my arrival. This means he entered the Civilization Realm before you, and he has the Ancient Desolation Civilization backing him, which is fully supporting his advancement."

"Moreover, the Ancient Desolation Civilization possesses quite a number of divine artifacts. After all, during the destruction of this Epoch, many divine artifacts, due to unforeseen circumstances, fell mostly into the hands of the Lord of the Ancient Desolation Civilization alone. He certainly cannot use up that many divine artifacts."

"Divine artifacts are divided into several tiers," Zhou Qingxuan continued. "Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, and Heavenly-grade."

"Low-grade divine artifacts can facilitate advancement from the First to the Fifth Epoch."

"Mid-grade divine artifacts can facilitate advancement from the Sixth to the Ninth Epoch."

"High-grade divine artifacts can facilitate advancement from the Tenth to the Fifteenth Epoch."

"Heavenly-grade divine artifacts can facilitate advancement beyond the Fifteenth Epoch."

"Innate Spirit Treasures are not counted among divine artifacts. Although Innate Spirit Treasures can greatly enhance combat power, they differ from divine artifacts. If one were to forcibly transform a Spirit Treasure into a divine artifact, it would significantly diminish its essence; it is better used in its Innate Spirit Treasure form."

"The Ancient Desolation Civilization likely has quite a few low and mid-grade divine artifacts," Zhou Qingxuan said, his hands clasped behind his back. "Of course, this doesn't mean the Son of Desolation can instantly boost his strength tremendously. While Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins and divine artifacts can indeed raise power, rapid advancement is usually avoided as it leads to an unstable realm. However, there is no doubt that the Son of Desolation is now ahead of you. Your greatest opponent remains the Son of Desolation; you must be cautious." Zhou Qingxuan held a deep memory of the Son of Desolation. Based on the experience of Jian Ku in the past, he knew that someone like the Son of Desolation was truly dangerous—a figure with a very high potential to challenge the realm of the Lord of Civilization.

Lu Yuan fell into a moment of silence upon hearing this. He naturally knew his opponent was not simple. The last time he managed to defeat the Son of Desolation in the Qing Peng World, the Son of Desolation had already been injured, and it was only after Lu Yuan used his ultimate sword strike that he was defeated. Now, the Son of Desolation had grown stronger. The Son of Desolation was not a sneaky type like the Son of Immortals who avoided direct combat; the Son of Desolation was tyrannical, arrogant, and seemed invincible.

But so what? He would still crush the Son of Desolation underfoot.

Zhou Qingxuan descended to the ground, landing softly, and began picking up the shattered pieces of the Sovereign’s Chains scattered there.

"I am about to perform a Soul Tracing spell," Zhou Qingxuan stated. Seeing Lu Yuan look surprised that a swordsman like him would use magic, Zhou Qingxuan let out a soft laugh. "Not everyone is as uniquely focused as you, never using any magic. I still know a few spells. This Soul Tracing spell tracks souls of the same nature."

"For example, the Sovereign's Chains, they actually contain the Will of the Sovereign between Heaven and Earth. To be precise, they are fundamentally different from ordinary dead objects; they possess a faint will, so a Soul Tracing spell can be used to track souls of the same nature."

"Souls of the same nature as the Sovereign's Chains?" Lu Yuan was momentarily startled. "Are you looking for Sovereign's Chains in other places?"

"Wait, the Sovereign's Prison?" Lu Yuan looked at Zhou Qingxuan.

"Yes, the Sovereign's Prison," Zhou Qingxuan nodded. "I was an acquaintance of the Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization in the past; we had some ties. I intended to check on his condition, but I never had any Sovereign's Chains. Fortunately, these chains appeared when you underwent your Great Civilization Tribulation. Although these chains are all broken now and serve no other purpose, they can be used one last time for the Soul Tracing spell." Zhou Qingxuan had some past friendship with the Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization.

Lu Yuan felt a stirring in his heart as well. Back then, the Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization had unleashed the Sovereign's Prison to trap the Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Principle Civilization, temporarily alleviating the crisis of the Confucian Civilization's demise. However, his Sovereign's Prison was incomplete and could not be maintained for long. It was said that the Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Principle Civilization would break free in thirty years. Lu Yuan also wished to know the current state of the Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization.

Zhou Qingxuan sat cross-legged. He silently circulated his magic power, and a plume of dark, eerie flame materialized between his fingers—a flame of absolute blackness radiating mystery. As this flame touched the Sovereign's Chains, thick clouds of black smoke rose from them. These smoke clouds coalesced into circles in the void.

Zhou Qingxuan closed his eyes tightly, his expression tense.

"Not this one."

"Nor this one." Zhou Qingxuan was using the Soul Tracing spell to filter through the traces, using the Sovereign's Chains as the tether to locate objects of the same kind. Anything similar in the world would be found. Zhou Qingxuan had to check them one by one. Fortunately, there weren't that many Sovereign's Chains or Sovereign's Prisons in existence, so Zhou Qingxuan's workload was not immense.

Segment after segment of the Sovereign's Chains vanished. When he reached this particular section, Zhou Qingxuan, who had his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open: "Found it."

Lu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "What is the situation?"

"The Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization is dead," Zhou Qingxuan reported. "The Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Principle Civilization is breaking out of the Sovereign's Prison, though it will take some more time. And the most troublesome part is that after killing the Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization, the Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Principle Civilization obtained the True Path of Confucianism, merging the dual Confucians; his strength might even increase." As expected...

Although he had long anticipated the death of the Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization, Lu Yuan still paused upon receiving the actual news.

After a long while, Lu Yuan exhaled.

He needed to work harder!

Because the Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Principle Civilization had once declared he would dismember the body of the Deputy Sovereign of the Confucian Civilization, distributing eyes, nose, hands, and other parts to various major powers, allowing those Half-Step Civilization Realm experts to advance their strength significantly with them. Lu Yuan absolutely had to prevent this. The Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Principle Civilization was currently in the Eighth Epoch; if his strength advanced further, it would be even more formidable.

Regardless of the circumstances, he had to increase his strength. He had about twenty-odd years left to reach the Seventh or Eighth Epoch.

His two main enemies at this stage were the Son of Desolation and the Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Principle Civilization; both were intensely detestable.

Zhou Qingxuan also remained silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "I almost forgot something important. When the Son of Desolation intended to destroy the Sword Gate, the Gate was within my Sorrowful Sword World. My world is not truly suitable for others to inhabit; it is too steeped in sorrow. Now that you are here, move the Sword Gate into your Minor Thousand World."

Zhou Qingxuan did not belong to the Sword Gate; he had joined the Hidden Sword Sect back then and was the reincarnation of the Deputy Sovereign of the Jian Ku Civilization.

Lu Yuan made a gesture, and a continent appeared in the void. This continent was not excessively large, merely the size of the Jin State, and the Sword Gate was currently situated upon it. Indeed, when the Sword Gate was in the Sorrowful Sword World, Zhou Qingxuan had specially encased them in a layer of magic power, lest the atmosphere of that world overwhelm them, causing them to become overwhelmed by grief and perhaps commit suicide.

"What about Mount Hua?" Lu Yuan inquired. Lu Yuan now knew that Mount Hua was also gone.

"It is in Senior Brother Yan's Heavenly Sword World," Zhou Qingxuan replied.

"Right, your current title as the Deputy Sovereign of the Sword Civilization is provocative and runs afoul of many people. The title 'Deputy Sovereign of the Sword Civilization' encompasses everything, even being more high-profile than Senior Brother Yan's Deputy Sovereign of the Heavenly Sword Civilization. As a result, the Copper Civilization and the Evil Sword Civilization from the Lost Lands might seek you out. Be prepared for the challenges ahead," Zhou Qingxuan advised from the side.

Lu Yuan nodded in understanding.

Immediately, Lu Yuan went to pay his respects. Meeting the members of the Sword Gate again, he paid his respects to each one individually. Among them were many of his elders and his second master, Taishi Kong. Yes, Lu Yuan was truly powerful now, having reached the Civilization Realm, far surpassing any figure in the history of the Sword Gate. However, his increased strength did not negate the necessity of established master-disciple rites.

Respecting one's elders was also part of the etiquette for a righteous cultivator.

The spear-wielding might be abandoned.

Ancestor Jian Mie, Taishi Kong, and the others now clearly understood that Zhou Qingxuan was the reincarnation of the Deputy Sovereign of the Jian Ku Civilization, a legendary figure in the way of the sword. They treated the reincarnation of the Deputy Sovereign of the Jian Ku Civilization with utmost respect, first thanking Zhou Qingxuan for saving their lives. Now, seeing Lu Yuan, they were secretly trying to gauge his strength. Lu Yuan’s current power had long exceeded their estimations, yet standing beside the Deputy Sovereign of the Jian Ku Civilization, his aura did not seem significantly weaker; his strength must have reached an incredibly formidable level. On this point, Ancestor Jian Mie and Taishi Kong were immensely delighted.

(Recently, Qidian launched an event called the 'Light of the Great God.' I discovered that someone among our 'Light of Mo Ling Bie Xue' had claimed one—it was our Vice Moderator, Moonlight. I am touched; I thought no one from the 'Light of Mo Ling Bie Xue' had claimed it.)