The Civilization of Stars is an assassination civilization, and the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization cultivates Killing Intent, being one of the Illumination Realms of the Star Civilization.

Back then, what Lu Yuan learned in the Fagu Civilization—the so-called nine layers of Righteousness, the tenth layer—was merely a foundation.

Indeed, the tenth layer was just the beginning.

And the Killing Intent cultivated by the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization naturally far surpassed ten layers. To calculate it precisely, the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization currently possessed thirty layers of Killing Intent. Yes, a full thirty layers.

In the Mixed Cave Realm, having four or five layers of Killing Intent was already quite good.

At the peak of the World Realm, possessing nine layers of Killing Intent was already remarkable; rarely did anyone reach ten layers.

And this thing, Killing Intent, like Righteousness, grew exponentially harder to advance the higher one went; each layer was more difficult than the last.

Fifteen layers of Killing Intent were enough to vibrate to death an ordinary World Realm expert using sheer Killing Intent alone.

Twenty layers of Killing Intent were sufficient to vibrate a peak World Realm expert to death.

And the Killing Intent wielded by the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization was a staggering thirty layers.

Now, as these thirty layers of Killing Intent radiated outward, in the vast expanse centered on Lu Yuan, the space was saturated with a terror beyond measure. In the regions permeated by this Killing Intent, all living beings perished without exception, and space-time itself seemed to halt its rotation under the pressure—this was the pinnacle of Killing Intent.

The Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization sneered internally, thirty layers of Killing Intent; how could you possibly break it?

This immense, unparalleled Killing Intent controlled the entire Galactic Map.

Lu Yuan also released his Righteousness, but initially, the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization paid him no mind. As is widely known, Lu Yuan had cultivated for an exceptionally long time, and both Righteousness and Killing Intent required long, slow grinding and gradual accumulation. For instance, the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization’s own Killing Intent had been accumulated over a very long period.

Furthermore, it was common knowledge that Lu Yuan had never formally entered a Gate of Power to cultivate Righteousness. Lu Yuan originated from the Sword Gate, and a supreme great sect like the Sword Gate, even a minor sect, possessed absolutely no proper method for cultivating Righteousness. The Fagu Civilization hadn't pursued the path of Righteousness either; true cultivation of Righteousness belonged to the Civilization of Confucianism. Lu Yuan fundamentally lacked a cultivation methodology for Righteousness, so even though he was in the Civilization Realm, his Righteousness ought not to be strong.

Because of this, the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization believed Lu Yuan’s Righteousness could perhaps reach a mere dozen layers—certainly no match for his own power.

And Lu Yuan’s Righteousness continued to manifest.

Ten layers. Not bad, the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization mused internally.

Fifteen layers. Acceptable. To reach fifteen layers, the Vice Lord thought dismissively, but surely that must be close to the limit.

Sixteen layers...

Seventeen layers...

...

Twenty layers. The Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization jolted. Despite having no formal inheritance of Righteousness, how could Lu Yuan achieve this? This genuinely surprised the Vice Lord, but he scoffed at the idea that a mere twenty layers could overturn the situation.

Twenty-five layers. The Vice Lord paused, Impossible.

Thirty layers! What? Thirty layers? His Righteousness had actually reached thirty layers! Lu Yuan was clearly young and lacked any Righteous heritage; how could he advance his Righteousness to the thirtieth layer? The Vice Lord was inwardly shocked, but not overly concerned, because Righteousness, by nature, lacked the sheer destructive power of Killing Intent; thirty layers of Righteousness could not contend with thirty layers of Killing Intent.

Thirty-five layers. The Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization was suddenly alarmed. What was going on? How could a newcomer like Lu Yuan possess such high levels of Righteousness?

Forty layers! The Vice Lord froze in utter astonishment. This! This! This! Forty layers of Righteousness! How was this cultivated? Once Righteousness reached forty layers, it could be said that currently, in the cosmos, only one person could surpass Lu Yuan in Righteousness: the Vice Lord of the Three Books Civilization; no one else could manage it. Would he keep pushing further? The Vice Lord pondered nervously. Thankfully, Lu Yuan’s Righteousness stopped climbing after hitting forty layers. This brought the Vice Lord immense relief. Since Lu Yuan’s Righteousness didn't advance further, that must be his limit. Then, perish! After engaging with Lu Yuan, the Vice Lord’s apprehension toward the newcomer grew significantly, and he immediately unleashed a deluge of light and dark blades toward Lu Yuan, maximizing the imposing power of the Galactic Map.

In reality, Lu Yuan’s Righteousness had been steadily advancing. It was ten layers at the peak of the World Realm, and upon reaching the Civilization Realm, it leaped to twenty-five layers—that instantaneous promotion was transformative. Later, through the repeated breaking and reforming of his Yangwu Immortal Sword, Lu Yuan actually pushed his Righteousness to thirty layers. Finally, when he remade and re-sacrificed the Yangwu Immortal Sword into the Yangwu Divine Sword, his Righteousness soared to a staggering forty layers.

And yet, even forty layers of Righteousness could not seize control of the Galactic Map!

It seemed he had reached a dead end!

But Lu Yuan felt not the slightest concern; instead, he took a deep breath. In truth, after his Righteousness reached thirty layers, Lu Yuan had sensed a specific flow of Righteousness lingering in the cosmos—a profound energy that remained condensed and refused to dissipate, vastly superior to his own.

Lu Yuan naturally knew the origin of this Righteousness: it was none other than the Righteousness of the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism. The entire body of Righteousness possessed by the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism was unparalleled in the world, second to none. Moreover, the very nature of Righteousness was quite special; although its direct destructive force wasn't overwhelming, it resisted dissipation in the cosmos.

Furthermore, because the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism’s grand ambition remained unfulfilled and his heart could not rest, this reservoir of Righteousness would not easily disperse.

Lu Yuan had long sensed this boundless, immense wave of Righteousness, but he had refrained from truly absorbing it because he was unwilling to accept the reality of the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism’s death.

In combat, Lu Yuan had never feared anyone.

But emotionally, Lu Yuan was not particularly resilient. Li Yuanbai’s death had caused him to weep bitterly, he had been moved several times because of Mount Hua, he could not let go of the people of the Sword Gate, and his interactions with Yun Xiuxue had also stirred these feelings. Emotionally, Lu Yuan was not particularly strong.

But now, Lu Yuan knew it was time to absorb this flow of Righteousness.

Lu Yuan chanted silently in his heart: “Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism, though I never formally accepted you as my master, I will inherit your spirit, and I will inherit your dying wishes. Now, I thank you for your Righteousness; I will allow justice to permeate every corner of this heaven and earth.” Lu Yuan let out a low roar, already drawing the inexhaustible stream of Righteousness into his body.

Now, he had accepted the fact of the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism’s demise.

He would embrace the Vice Lord’s final mandate.

Lu Yuan’s Righteousness ascended ceaselessly, quickly surpassing the forty-fifth layer. When the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization had initially seen Lu Yuan’s Righteousness halt at forty layers, he had inwardly sneered, anticipating Lu Yuan’s death at his hands. But when he saw Lu Yuan’s Righteousness resume its climb—this final surge—the initial contempt vanished. What was happening? That had supposedly been Lu Yuan’s limit just moments ago, yet now his Righteousness reached forty-five layers, and the ascent was so smooth? What was this?

Fifty layers! Heavens, this level of Righteousness was too high! It had basically surpassed the Vice Lord of the Three Books Civilization by a significant margin, approaching the level of the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism.

Fifty-five layers. This—this was already close to the layer count of the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism. Impossible! The Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism had focused his entire existence on Righteousness, researching it for countless years to reach fifty-five layers. And now, how long had Lu Yuan been cultivating? How could he have pushed his Righteousness to fifty-five layers? Especially considering Lu Yuan had no formal Righteous inheritance—how was this possible?

Moreover, Lu Yuan’s Righteousness did not halt at fifty-five layers but continued its upward charge.

Fifty-eight layers...

Fifty-nine layers...

Sixty layers. Upon reaching sixty layers, the Vice Lord of the Galactic Civilization was nearly paralyzed with fear. Sixty layers of Righteousness, in terms of sheer quantity, was almost four times that of thirty layers. An explanation is due here: while the ratio appears sixty to thirty, the difficulty of advancement increases exponentially, meaning the volume of energy in later layers is vastly greater. Thus, sixty layers was functionally about four times the volume of thirty layers.

And after reaching sixty layers, the Vice Lord desperately wished Lu Yuan’s Righteousness would stop increasing, but it was useless; the Righteousness continued its relentless rise.

Sixty-one layers...

Sixty-two layers...

Sixty-three layers...

Sixty-four layers...

Sixty-five layers...

The ascent of Righteousness finally terminated upon reaching sixty-five layers. Lu Yuan let out a long breath. In truth, this extraordinary body of Righteousness was the fusion of Lu Yuan himself and the Vice Lord of the Civilization of Confucianism working in tandem. The late Vice Lord had essentially willed the majority of his Righteousness to Lu Yuan while alive, which is why Lu Yuan’s absorption resulted in only minimal loss.

With sixty-five layers of Righteousness secured, Lu Yuan felt this energy had reached the magnitude of the sun and the moon. Lu Yuan took a step forward, pointing into the void: “I will that this light shall no longer be invaded by Killing Intent. Righteous Light, return to its position!” Lu Yuan shouted loudly. The light beams, which moments before had been transformed into knives of Killing Intent, instantly shifted into rays that were majestic yet gentle, radiating the essence of life. Under the illumination of this light, where the surrounding stars were touched, strands of life grass and life flowers immediately sprouted, shades of cyan and crimson overwhelming the light, brimming with gentle vitality.

“I will that this darkness shall no longer be invaded by Killing Intent. Righteous Darkness, return to its position!” Lu Yuan roared again. The surrounding darkness, once filled with dread, now contained infinite Righteousness. The inherent malevolence within the darkness vanished, replaced by a solemn yet steady obscurity. This Righteous Darkness brought unparalleled tranquility and vitality to the earth.

“I will that this heaven and earth shall no longer be invaded by Killing Intent. Righteous Heaven and Earth, return to its position!” Lu Yuan called out once more.

“I will that this galaxy shall no longer be invaded by Killing Intent. Righteous Galaxy, return to its position!” Lu Yuan issued the most crucial command.