And with the victory of the Yue Maiden, Xiao Qing, as the ultimate result, in this fierce rivalry between Xiao Qing of Yue and Qing Lian of Miao, the figure behind Xiao Qing, Lu Yuan, actually proved to be even more formidable than Miao Zhiwenming, drawing gasps of astonishment. On the Azure Altar now, everyone was murmuring Lu Yuan’s name, and the news was already spreading throughout the entire Fenggu Civilization.

The Lord of the Fenggu Civilization pointed towards Xiao Qing of Yue: “From this moment forward, you shall be the Azure Maiden. You must now enter the Eighteenth Heaven of the Wood Mother, where you can comprehend the Great Dao of Azure, along with the legacies of numerous preceding Azure Maidens.” Baidu Huashan Immortal Gate Bar updates. Xiao Qing nodded, and the Lord of the Fenggu Civilization shot a beam of light from his hand directly at the nexus connecting the Eighteenth Heaven of the Wood Mother to this world. Instantly, the nexus released a surge of azure light, and Xiao Qing was enveloped within it, vanishing from the Azure Altar.

The Lord of the Fenggu Civilization swept his gaze across all directions: “Everyone, the contest for the Azure Maiden concludes today. Over the next few days, the Fenggu Civilization will host a continuous banquet for all of you to observe.” The Lord of the Fenggu Civilization offered a slight smile to several senior Deputy Lords of Civilization before turning and departing.

And so, the crowd dispersed; there was no longer any reason to linger.

After the dispersal, Lu Yuan intended to retreat temporarily to the Azure Inscribed Palace to rest. For the time being, he could not leave the Fenggu Civilization; if he left now, the Deputy Lord of the Miao Civilization would be the first to seek his death. Lu Yuan planned to spend some time exploring the Fenggu Civilization, which he found rather intriguing.

As Lu Yuan was musing to himself, a waft of delicate fragrance drifted near. Lu Yuan couldn't help but turn his head, recognizing the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden, clad in flowing, embroidered robes, exquisitely petite and surprisingly beautiful.

“May I ask why the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden has come?” Lu Yuan inquired.

“Jian Ku, is he well?” the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden asked.

Jian Ku—was that Zhou Qingxuan? Right, Zhou Qingxuan had mentioned some connection to a figure in the Fenggu Civilization. It seemed this must be the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden. Lu Yuan dared not blurt out informal titles like ‘sister-in-law.’ After all, Zhou Qingxuan’s mind never seemed to grasp matters of romance, so Lu Yuan answered straightforwardly: “He is quite well, though he is still playing his erhu.”

“His technique—Nights of Tears on the Xiang River, Cicadas Mourn, Hearts Break, have you learned it?” the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden inquired.

“I have indeed studied it,” Lu Yuan admitted with a nod.

“Then perform it for me,” the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden stated.

Alas, it seemed she was another soul bound by deep affection. Lu Yuan could only place his hand on his sword hilt. Instantly, a sword light—utterly desolate, chillingly sharp, deeply sorrowful, and profoundly lonely—flowed from his grasp. The Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden watched from the side, as if she saw a melancholy middle-aged man drawing an erhu, a sword concealed within the instrument, the sword returning to the erhu as its music faded.

For a moment, the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden was lost in rapture.

The sword light vanished moments later.

The Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden said nothing further, merely standing there in a daze. Lu Yuan then proceeded toward the Azure Inscribed Palace. He wasn't sure what to say. Just as he reached the entrance of the Azure Inscribed Palace, someone came to call upon him. It was a middle-aged man with a thin, wispy mustache. This man possessed the aura of a blacksmith, perhaps momentarily just an ordinary mortal smith, yet perhaps also a scholar steeped in ancient texts, radiating an intense air of research. But in the next instant, he seemed to be a Civilization Realm entity, capable of easily shattering gods and immortals.

This person seemed familiar. Among the dozens of Civilization Realm figures seated on the Azure Altar earlier, there had been someone like this, but Lu Yuan could not recall clearly and dared not be certain.

“And you are?” Lu Yuan asked.

“I am the Deputy Lord of the Artifact Civilization’s Defense Branch,” said the middle-aged man with the thin mustache.

The Artifact Civilization was largely a neutral power. When Lu Yuan first arrived in the Ancient Artifact Civilization, back when he pledged himself to Yun Xiuxue with the Nine Heavenly Crystals, the Treasure Princess of the Artifact Civilization had come to watch the spectacle. Rumor had it that the Treasure Princess and Yun Xiuxue were extremely close. And at the Sacred Land of Civilization—the Second Prince of Artifacts had supported the Son of the Wasteland. Because of its neutrality, the Artifact Civilization could associate sometimes with one faction and sometimes with the other. Of course, the neutrality of the Artifact Civilization was not as lofty as that of the Fenggu Civilization; the Fenggu Civilization maintained a supreme, detached neutrality, unlike any ordinary kind.

The neutrality of the Artifact Civilization was less carefree, often requiring them to bow to the whims of the (Huang) Faction and the non- Faction.

The reason for this was simple: strength.

The Fenggu Civilization was mighty and ancient, one of the primordial civilizations of this plane, and its Lord was a master whose power spanned epochs. However, the Deputy Lord of the Artifact Civilization was not nearly so imposing. Among the thirty standard civilizations, the Artifact Civilization ranked only mid-tier in strength, naturally compelling them to watch the moods of both sides—they had no choice.

Lu Yuan looked at the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch with the thin mustache: “May I ask the purpose of your visit, Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch?” Lu Yuan was genuinely curious; he had no prior entanglement with the Artifact Civilization, so why would someone from there seek him out now?

“I am the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch, and my greatest expertise lies in crafting defensive artifacts. When you dealt with the Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization, they deployed the Gu Insect Armor for defense, and you countered with that strike possessing multiple penetration attacks,” the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch explained. “As a student of defensive artifacts, I naturally have pondered how to counter multi-penetration attacks, but finding someone like you, skilled in them, is not easy. Since your swordsmanship is so exquisite, I possess a manual on penetration techniques here. Let’s see how far you can master it.”

“This manual on penetration attacks originates from a long-deceased Civilization Deputy Lord of the Heavenly Strike Civilization.”

“Oh? What price must I pay for this?” Lu Yuan inquired.

“You need pay no price. Just master it, perform several tens of thousands of strikes, so I can study the penetration effects and make corresponding adjustments to my defensive armor,” the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch said with fervor. He was a fanatic researcher of defensive artifacts, utterly different from ordinary Civilization Realm figures. Strife and battle meant nothing to him; his only goal was to research defensive artifacts. This was his innate talent, his passion, just as Lu Yuan’s talent lay in the sword, and his interest centered on the sword.

Lu Yuan understood the situation clearly. In essence, this man was offering him a secret manual to enhance his Sword Zero, and once enhanced, Lu Yuan would serve as a test subject for his artifact defenses. This was a windfall—gaining the chance to strengthen his Sword Zero—so Lu Yuan readily agreed.

...

It was a book, upon which were inscribed the eight characters: The Great Art of Heavenly Strike Penetration Civilization. This represented the accumulated insight of a Civilization Deputy Lord from several epochs prior. Lu Yuan opened the book. His previous penetration attacks were fundamentally based on radioactive elements, resulting in his original four-link penetration combo. However, the penetration techniques recorded in The Great Art of Heavenly Strike Penetration Civilization actually consisted of two types.

One type was developed based on radioactive elements—something Lu Yuan already understood.

The second type involved a characteristic of spatial penetration. Simply put, it utilized different alternate dimensions: the attack first entered an alternate dimension and then transferred from that dimension into normal space, bypassing the defense armor in normal space. Both techniques were exceedingly difficult to master, whichever path he chose.

However, Lu Yuan possessed a unique trait: anything related to the sword, he could always master with ease.

Lu Yuan began to continuously modify his Sword Zero. Had his Sword Zero not incorporated the Poison Gu of a Billion Poisons, he might not have been able to kill the Deputy Lord of the Gu Civilization.

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Five-Link Combo! So fast! When Lu Yuan mastered the five-link combo, the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch couldn't help but be startled. The speed of his progress was incredible.

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Six-Link Combo! Still mastered so quickly!

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Seven-Link Combo! The Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch was deeply shocked. This was too fast, but things would become much harder now. Each subsequent increase in penetration attacks was extremely difficult, with the true hardship beginning from the eighth link.

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Eight-Link Combo! Achieved! The eight-link combo was mastered just as rapidly.

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Twelve-Link Combo! The Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch took a deep breath. While the eighth link marked the beginning of difficulty, the thirteenth link was generally considered impossible for most practitioners. At least, among the Civilization Realm experts he had consulted, none had progressed beyond the twelve-link combo. He eagerly awaited Lu Yuan’s performance.

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Thirteen-Link Combo! Breaking the previous record! The Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch blinked in surprise; he had broken the existing record this quickly.

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Fourteen-Link Combo! Continuing to smash records!

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Fifteen-Link Combo! Logically, it should get harder after breaking records, but it seemed Lu Yuan didn't perceive any difficulty. The mouth of the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch fell wide open.

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Sixteen-Link Combo!

Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Seventeen-Link Combo! Now he was heading straight for the highest record. In his time, the Deputy Lord of the Heavenly Strike Civilization had only managed to master the ultimate eighteen-link combo. Was Lu Yuan aiming directly for that peak now? Could he possibly reach the level of the former Deputy Lord of the Heavenly Strike Civilization?

While the mouth of the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch hung impossibly wide and his eyes were stretched to their limits, Lu Yuan paused his sword movement. “The eighteenth link is somewhat challenging, but not insurmountable.” Lu Yuan’s sword light moved in swift succession, unleashing a single strike—it was precisely: Sword Zero, Heart Piercing Strike, Eighteen-Link Combo!

The common record stood at twelve links, while the founder of the technique, the Deputy Lord of the Heavenly Strike Civilization, had achieved eighteen links.

Lu Yuan had now shattered countless records, bringing this technique to the level of its originator. The Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch was utterly transfixed.

This! This! This!

They were all Civilization Deputy Lords, but how could there be such a vast gulf between one Deputy Lord and another? the Deputy Lord of the Defense Branch wondered in his mind.