Due to the sheer number of people in the Sword Sect, many of whom were below the Chaos Cave Realm, Lu Yuan swiftly relocated the vast majority of the Sect members into his newly formed Sword World, keeping only a few familiar faces like Ancestor Jian Mie and Taishi Kong back for discussions.

As the Sword Sect members entered the new Sword World, a vast expanse of land hung suspended within it with a resounding whoosh.

“This is Lu Yuan’s world?”

“Lu Yuan actually has his own Minor Thousand World now.”

“Lu Yuan’s current strength must have reached the Eighth Heaven of the True Realm by now,” remarked someone from the Sword Sect—it was Jian Xiong. Jian Xiong was close to achieving the World Realm himself and thus possessed some understanding of the precise distribution across the Ten Heavens of the World Realm.

Jian Xiong’s assumption had basis: years ago, when the Sword Sect was attacked and Lu Yuan vanished, he was only around the Sixth Heaven of the World Realm. Several years had passed, so Jian Xiong estimated Lu Yuan to be at the Eighth Heaven.

“Ancestor Jian Mie is only at the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm. Lu Yuan is growing ever stronger, surpassing Ancestor Jian Mie by an immeasurable margin,” sighed a Supreme Elder. Those titled Supreme Elder within the Sword Sect possessed the World Realm cultivation. He was thrilled that such a powerhouse had emerged from their ranks. The Sword Sect was once considered among the Top Ten Sects; looking at the situation now, it seemed destined to become the undisputed foremost supreme doctrine of the Central Celestial Dynasty. How life changes.

“No.” Supreme Gongyang shook his head, hands clasped behind his back, his voice slightly hoarse. “Look at this world. The World Walls of this domain exude a sense of perfection, an aura that is difficult to grasp yet transcends all things. The sun, the moon, everything in this world—it’s all extraordinarily perfect. This world has no disasters, no calamitous fires, no floods, no hunger. Fruit trees and grain yield unending harvests; there are no pests, no ferocious beasts. Nothing at all. This is a perfect world. This likely means he has reached the Great Perfection of the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm. Only upon reaching Great Perfection can one achieve this.” Supreme Gongyang possessed deeper insight and recognized the state of the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm. Being the most learned figure in the Sword Sect, his word carried weight on such matters.

“Tenth Heaven of the World Realm!”

“Perhaps the First Ancestor of the Sword Sect was only at this level back then.”

“Lu Yuan’s cultivation has caught up to the First Ancestor of the Sword Sect.”

“The great flourishing of our Sword Sect is imminent.”

“Though our Sword Sect may not rival the Civilizations, being the foremost supreme doctrine beneath them is now firmly secured.”

“This is simply unbelievable.” Countless people whispered amongst themselves. For them, to reach the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm was almost unimaginable; this meant equaling the status of the Sword Sect’s First Ancestor.

The entire Sword Sect murmured Lu Yuan’s name. Although Lu Yuan had brought them countless surprises, this latest one ran deeper than anything before.

Just then, Shi Feixian stepped onto the continent of the Sword Sect.

Lu Yuan had not opened the entirety of the new Sword World; it was vastly, overwhelmingly large—thousands of times the size of the original three stars of the Sword Sect. He designated an area ten times larger than the former Sword Sect for the Sect members to inhabit. Lu Yuan’s ultimate goal was the revival of the Sword Dao, and the Sword Sect was merely one component of that future resurgence. Shi Feixian and Wanwan had been brought in during a rare quiet period, and as they were figures Lu Yuan intended to cultivate heavily, they were permitted access to far more regions within the new Sword World. Shi Feixian, having originated from the Sword Sect, naturally came over. Hearing the discussions around her, she couldn't help but smile. “Senior Brother Lu Yuan is long past the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm.”

Jian Xiong was startled. “What strength is that then? Half-Step Civilization Realm?” He caught the implication in Shi Feixian’s tone that Lu Yuan’s power surpassed that level; the Half-Step Civilization Realm was a legendary tier in itself.

Supreme Gongyang also drew a deep breath. “Half-Step Civilization Realm? That’s impossible, surely!”

Shi Feixian shook her head. “Not Half-Step Civilization Realm. If you remove the first two words, you’ll be close.”

“Remove the first two words—remove ‘Half-Step’—that means Civilization Realm,” Jian Xiong’s eyes widened. “What? Civilization Realm!”

The Civilization Realm was a height one dared not even dream of.

It was the exclusive domain of the Civilizations.

No supreme doctrine had ever produced a figure in the Civilization Realm.

But now, one had appeared. Lu Yuan, in the Civilization Realm.

Everyone in the Sword Sect who heard this statement found their minds momentarily frozen, ceasing function.

What did ‘Civilization Realm’ even mean?

It was the true combat prowess of the Civilizations!

As people who lived within the Central Celestial Dynasty, the Sword Sect members knew the endless legends surrounding the Civilization Realm.

The Civilization Realm signified a power that surpassed the utmost limits of the World Realm. Legend held that when an Era collapsed, Civilizations endured; when an Era was shattered, Civilizations persisted. The Civilization Realm transcended all things, stood above everything. When a Civilization Realm expert appeared, it commanded the worship of all gods, the homage of all Buddhas, the submission of all demons, the fealty of all beasts, and the congratulations of all Immortals.

There were countless legends about the Civilization Realm. A single expert at this level could extinguish ten supreme doctrines as easily as lifting a hand, let alone destroying one. The Sword Sect had never produced a Civilization Realm expert, nor had they ever dared hope for one. Hearing that their own Lu Yuan had reached this level, they felt ready to faint—a faint brought on by overwhelming joy. This was the Civilization Realm! With one expert at this level safeguarding them, who would dare claim the Sword Sect wasn't strong? As long as Lu Yuan continued to grow stronger, perhaps, just perhaps, the Sword Sect too could evolve into a Civilization of the Sword.

Jian Xiong had estimated Lu Yuan at the Eighth Heaven of the World Realm; Supreme Gongyang estimated the Tenth Heaven.

Now, they realized they had utterly, completely underestimated him.

Lu Yuan was, in fact, a Civilization Realm master whose might shook the myriad worlds and dominated the heavens.

For a moment, they could barely breathe.

As they struggled for air, a voice cut through the silence: “That is—that is the Vice Lord of the Eight-Pronged Civilization.”

This startled cry instantly alerted everyone. The Ingot Civilization was a nightmare for the Sword Sect; most members knew this well. The only reason the Sword Sect had survived the toxic clutches of the Ingot Civilization was the protection afforded by the Ancient Law Civilization. Even so, the Sword Sect members felt an abiding dread whenever figures from the Ingot Civilization were mentioned.

The Ingot Civilization was truly a legendary entity.

Even contemplating it was terrifying enough.

And its three supreme leaders were each figures that inspired utter dread.

As one who frequently took action, the Vice Lord of the Eight-Pronged Civilization had repeatedly harassed the Sword Sect. Merely seeing the Eight-Pronged Vice Lord caused the faces of everyone in the Sword Sect to change color. He was certainly one of the three Civilization Vice Lords the Sword Sect feared most. Hearing his name now sent a ripple of alarm through the assembly.

“Where is the Vice Lord of the Eight-Pronged Civilization?” The entire Sword Sect was agitated.

“This is Lu Yuan’s new Sword World. If the Eight-Pronged Vice Lord is here, has Lu Yuan suffered a grave injury?”

“These veteran Civilization Realm experts are truly ruthless.”

The Sword Sect members sensed immense danger looming, and those who had been shouting started to demand answers. The one who first cried out corrected himself: “No, the Eight-Pronged Vice Lord is dead; what lies there is a corpse.”

“What, the Eight-Pronged Vice Lord is dead?” For one of the three Vice Lords they feared most to be dead! Everyone in the Sword Sect rushed over to look. Upon viewing the body, they confirmed the Eight-Pronged Vice Lord was indeed deceased, completely devoid of life. Even in death, however, he still radiated an immensely powerful aura. Merely looking at it was enough to cause heart palpitations. This residual aura was so potent that anyone below the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm would be forced to retreat constantly. To be precise, without the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm, one could not even dare approach the wounded corpse of a Civilization Realm expert; the gap was that significant.

“Wait, what is that?”

“There’s another Civilization corpse.”

“Whose is that? The aura around him is very strange; it strongly resembles the energy that counters ours—the Wild energy. Is that the Vice Lord of the Ancient Wild Civilization?”

“The Vice Lord of the Ancient Wild Civilization is dead too?”

“Wait, there’s one more, radiating an aura of pure strength and vigor. Who is this?” The strongest in the Sword Sect was only Ancestor Jian Mie at the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm, meaning their breadth of knowledge wasn't vast. They recognized the Eight-Pronged Vice Lord because he was the figure who had troubled the Sword Sect most deeply and repeatedly threatened their annihilation. They didn't recognize the Vice Lord of the Azure Eagle Civilization but surmised he belonged to the Ancient Wild Civilization based on the specific suppression of their Huang (Wild) power. They couldn’t guess his exact identity. As for the third corpse, they couldn’t recognize it at all. If they could, they wouldn't be merely a supreme doctrine; the depth of a supreme doctrine’s knowledge was finite, and rarely profound enough for such high-level recognition.

“How can there be three Civilization corpses here? These are the remains of three Civilization Vice Lords.”

“What incredible fortune did Lu Yuan encounter to obtain the remains of three Civilization Vice Lords?”

“Could it be that Lu Yuan acquired multiple Civilization Vice Lord bodies and used the method of merging Civilization remains to ascend to the Civilization Realm?” Supreme Gongyang pondered. He had heard whispers occasionally that some individuals reached the Civilization Realm by merging the remains of other Civilization experts. The method used by the Child of Immortality was known to him only because he happened to overhear it, proving his extensive, though occasionally acquired, knowledge.

Supreme Gongyang, Jian Xiong, Jian Qian, and the others turned to Shi Feixian, realizing she might know the answer. Shi Feixian smiled faintly. “Those three individuals are the Vice Lord of the Eight-Pronged Civilization, the Azure Eagle Vice Lord of the Ancient Wild Civilization, and the Sage of Strength Vice Lord of the Force Civilization.” With every name Shi Feixian uttered, the eyelids of Supreme Gongyang and the others twitched. Which of these names wasn't associated with an awe-inspiring, heaven-piercing reputation?

“And Senior Brother Lu Yuan didn't gain some chance encounter. The Vice Lord of the Eight-Pronged Civilization, the Vice Lord of the Azure Eagle Civilization, and the final one, the Sage of Strength Vice Lord—all were felled by Senior Brother Lu Yuan recently,” Shi Feixian stated with a calm inflection.

(First chapter delivered.) (To be continued.)