In a desolate corner of the Central Heavenly Dynasty, the Son of Immortals sat in meditation. Having been defeated by Lu Yuan this time was an utterly humiliating disgrace for him. He was now entering closed-door cultivation, intending to reach the Civilization Realm at the fastest possible speed. Once he attained that level, he could claim the Earth Scroll and the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

That Earth Scroll was a High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, among the highest tiers, no less significant than artifacts like the Pangu Banner.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree, in reality, was a divine object of Heaven and Earth capable of augmenting magical power. The Son of Immortals believed that acquiring these two items would lead to a massive surge in his strength.

Of course, after achieving such power, he would not confront Lu Yuan head-on again. Lu Yuan was too ferocious and brutal. At that time, he would ambush Lu Yuan from behind, vowing not to stop until he had completely destroyed him.

……

The Phoenix Ancient Civilization was one of the primordial civilizations.

This ancient civilization was not widely known among ordinary people, but it held immense renown among powers at the Civilization level. After all, this was an ancient civilization.

Furthermore, it was home to the Phoenix Empress, the ruler of the civilization, a figure comparable to the Ancestral Dragon in ancient times. Even if her power fell slightly short of the Ancestral Dragon’s, she remained among the absolute strongest beings in the cosmos.

The path leading to the Phoenix Ancient Civilization was called the Heaven-Treading Path. The name itself—trampling heaven beneath one’s feet—spoke volumes of the Phoenix Ancient Civilization’s lofty demeanor. Of course, what was being trod upon was the Heaven of the Epoch, not the Heaven of Eternity. The Heaven of the Epoch was the small domain of this current era, destined to last only for one epoch. The Heaven of Eternity, however, was boundless and infinite, spanning countless epochs.

The entire Heaven-Treading Path comprised ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps—an extreme odd number. Given that Yin favors odd numbers and Yang favors even numbers, and the Phoenix Ancient lineage belonged to Yin, the number of steps held a profound mystery. Every single one of the 999,999 steps on the Heaven-Treading Path was pure white, unblemished by any other hue; no color placed upon them could contaminate their purity in the slightest.

Each step of the Heaven-Treading Path was roughly thirty zhang wide, flanked by railings adorned with intricately woven blossoms of every description. The entire path was breathtakingly magnificent.

Ordinarily, the Heaven-Treading Path remained closed, rarely traversed. But now, the path was quite crowded with figures arriving to witness the grand ceremony: the formal emergence of Qing Nü from the Phoenix Ancient Civilization.

"Seven Women Rule the Heavens" was a well-known adage regarding the Phoenix Ancient Civilization. Qing Nü was one of those seven, holding an exceedingly high position. Now, many understood that two individuals were contending for the mantle of Qing Nü, and the victor would claim the seat. Moreover, many influential figures from mid-to-high tier Civilization powers knew this contest was not merely about the position of Qing Nü; it was also about the possible strategic direction of the great figure, the Phoenix Empress herself.

It was common knowledge that the ruler of the Phoenix Ancient Civilization had always maintained neutrality. Simultaneously, the current political climate within the Central Heavenly Dynasty was growing increasingly severe. The Fǎ Gǔ and Wǔ Gǔ factions were in direct opposition to the Huāng Gǔ, Fó Gǔ, and Xiān Gǔ factions. Anyone who wasn't blind could see the looming possibility of a massive war between the ancient civilizations, a thought that sent shivers down the spine. Yet, many others felt a thrill; after all, in times of prosperity, it was extraordinarily difficult for the ambitious to rise, requiring not just strength but connections and myriad other factors. In chaotic times, however, advancement became much easier. Turmoil brought manifold dangers, but it also offered abundant opportunities; for instance, if a Civilization Realm expert perished in chaos, their remains would be available for those below the Civilization Realm to use for ascension. In an age of peace, the fall of a Civilization Realm expert was incredibly rare.

Naturally, a great war was distant; the immediate concern was the struggle for Qing Nü among the seven women of the Phoenix Ancient Civilization.

Due to the Qing Nü contention, representatives from every major civilization had arrived to observe, including the Five Great Ancient Civilizations and the thirty standard civilizations.

"Who do you think will win this Qing Nü contest?" asked a pure, white-clad maiden, looking like a blooming flower bud, from the Flower Civilization, one of the thirty standard ones. Her white garment was subtly embroidered with a few faint floral patterns, lending her an aura of ethereal purity.

"Nonsense, of course, it will be Qing Lian from the Sprout Civilization," stated a young married woman from the Flower Civilization. "The contest for Qing Nü weighs every aspect. Xiao Qing and Qing Lian possess nearly identical innate talents. However, Xiao Qing originates from some remote, impoverished backwater, and her strength isn't formidable, whereas Qing Lian hails from the Sprout Civilization, already possessing World Realm cultivation, and she has backing. What backing does Xiao Qing have? Her sect is even inferior to a mere Supreme Great Sect—perhaps a thousand or even ten thousand times weaker. How can she compare to the Sprout Civilization?" The flower-bud-like maiden in white paused in surprise. "There are sects thousands of times smaller than Supreme Great Sects? That’s truly minuscule." This wasn't feigned ignorance; she genuinely hadn't realized that, in the perspective of someone from the Flower Civilization, Supreme Great Sects were already considered low-tier, and that there could be tiers far, far beneath them.

"When comparing personal strength and backing, the Xiao Qing from the outer regions is severely disadvantaged. However, I heard Xiao Qing has some connection with Lu Yuan, who has recently become famous across the world," the young married woman from the Flower Civilization remarked.

Hearing Lu Yuan’s name mentioned, the flower-bud maiden’s eyes lit up: "Lu Yuan?" She had indeed heard about this connection. The event where the Lord of the Desolate Ancient Civilization tried to kill Lu Yuan, gathering forces from numerous civilizations, was well-known in the Central Heavenly Dynasty. That battle also revealed that Lu Yuan’s luck with women was quite good.

Lu Yuan was the fastest to achieve renown. Among the younger generation in the Central Heavenly Dynasty, the ones with the most admirers were the Son of Desolation and Lu Yuan, followed by the Son of Immortals, the Son of Martial Arts, and the Son of Dharma. Some maidens with less conventional tastes also favored the Son of Buddha.

"Our Flower Civilization is aligned against the forces Lu Yuan belongs to. Be careful," the married woman warned sharply. The maiden stuck out her tongue. "Lu Yuan does have some strength, but without reaching the Civilization Realm, he is ultimately just an ant. Even as the strongest on the Heavenly Ranking, he remains only the strongest on the Heavenly Ranking. Lately, he’s been hunted by the Deputy Lord of the Eagle Civilization; he can barely protect himself. Even if he could, what good would it do? Can he stand against the Sprout Civilization? Although the Sprout Civilization is near the bottom among the thirty, it is still a civilization, far beyond what a mere Lu Yuan can contend with."

"It's a pity the Heavenly Ranking is currently in chaos; otherwise, the Son of Immortals, the Son of Martial Arts, and the Son of Dharma would likely have entered the rankings by now," the maiden murmured, biting her lip. This was a recent development: the Heavenly Ranking had become utterly disordered, with countless streams of information flooding in, causing its rankings to temporarily vanish for unknown reasons.

On this Heaven-Treading Path, the people present were not solely from the Flower Civilization; members of many other civilizations were also present.

There was also a young man dressed in cyan robes. As this cyan-robed youth walked, his magical power seemed remarkably faint. He casually pulled out a wineskin gourd. Gulp. He took a long drink of wine. Lu Yuan had now reached the Civilization Realm, specifically the Second Epoch, making him a rare powerhouse in the world. Yet, the higher his cultivation climbed, the more Lu Yuan embraced simplicity. With a slight gathering of his aura, all pretense vanished; he exuded the presence of an ordinary World Realm expert, completely lacking the terrifying aura the Deputy Lord of the Eagle Civilization had displayed previously.

Lu Yuan listened to the discussions around him. It seemed Xiao Qing’s situation was indeed precarious. But now that he was here, the situation would certainly not remain dire.

The Heavenly Ranking was in chaos? What exactly had happened to throw the rankings into disarray?

Lu Yuan continued ascending the steps, finally reaching the summit of the 999,999 steps. At that point, a massive, unparalleled Gate of Worlds materialized—a gate thousands of zhang tall and hundreds of zhang wide, immensely broad. The gate was adorned with carvings of the moon and a phoenix, its intricate engravings radiating extremely potent magical energy.

When Lu Yuan reached the grand gate, he noticed that entry required inspection. Every person entering the Phoenix Ancient Civilization had to declare their name and origin before being admitted. Not just any stray could enter the Phoenix Ancient Civilization; one needed affiliation with a Civilization-level force; Supreme Great Sects did not qualify.

Finally, it was Lu Yuan’s turn. He presented his identity jade plaque. The guards at this station were male; men held lower status within the Phoenix Ancient Civilization and were relegated to guard duty. The male guard accepted the identity jade plaque and, upon inputting his divine sense to check the details, exclaimed: "From a Supreme Great Sect? The Phoenix Ancient Civilization is not open to Supreme Great Sects. Wait—you are Lu Yuan of the Sword Gate." While other members of Supreme Great Sects lacked the qualifications to enter, Lu Yuan was different. He was the former number one on the Heavenly Ranking before its recent confusion. Those who occupied the top spot on the Heavenly Ranking were never simple figures; they were giants among those below the Civilization Realm, terrifyingly strong below that tier.

The gazes of everyone nearby instantly focused on Lu Yuan. His fame was enormous. The white-clad maiden from the Flower Civilization’s eyes shone brightly; she had found her idol. Even though the Flower Civilization and Lu Yuan’s faction were opposed, as a young maiden, she deeply admired him.

"Is that Lu Yuan?"

"His aura doesn't seem that strong."

"Indeed. He seems far weaker than Xiao Guan Cai, the eleventh-ranked giant on the Heavenly Ranking I once met."

"But first place on the Heavenly Ranking—he must be extraordinary."

"Didn't they say the Deputy Lord of the Eagle Civilization was hunting him?"

"This Lu Yuan is good at escaping; to evade the Deputy Lord of the Eagle Civilization is quite something."

"I heard the Deputy Lord of Wu Yan Civilization helped him. Otherwise, with Lu Yuan’s strength, how could he escape the Deputy Lord of the Eagle Civilization? Who can stop a Civilization Realm expert from killing someone, unless they are also a Civilization Realm expert?"

"Lu Yuan is here to help Xiao Qing win the position of Qing Nü, but what help can he offer? Qing Lian’s backing is too powerful, too immense."