The Heaven's Law World, a realm not far removed from the Confucian Civilization. The Heaven's Law World, a place of absolute solemnity. Within this sphere, the Three Bonds and Five Constants were rigidly upheld, these feudal dogmas strictly binding this minor world, compelling every soul within to adhere to their principles.

Men were eternally shackled by the maxims of sovereign to subject, father to son, husband to wife; all were required to unconditionally worship and look up to the Palace of Heaven's Law. For women, the constraints were even more intricate: foot-binding, prohibition from ever meeting other men outside the home, and the penalty for any skin-to-skin contact—wherever contact was made, that part of the flesh would be severed. It was a world tediously, severely uninteresting.

The Palace of Heaven's Law, the nexus of this entire domain. The Palace of Heaven's Law, connected to the Eighteen Heavens of Heaven's Law. The Palace had been silent for countless years, as its Master was imprisoned within the Dungeon of the Sovereign.

Now, however, the Palace of Heaven's Law was buzzing with activity once more. Under the dominion of the Palace, an immense magical restraint held two figures captive: one deceased, the other grievously wounded. Though dead, the first exuded an aura of pure integrity—none other than the physical remains of the Vice-Lord of the Confucian Civilization.

The living captive was the Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization, seized while gravely injured. The two titans of the Confucian Civilization had fallen to this state: one dead, one maimed, both bound by supreme magical power. The Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization sighed, deeply vexed.

His own demise held little consequence, but what of the Confucian Civilization? The Vice-Lord of Integrity would surely be unable to defend it; must the Confucian Civilization simply perish? Wait, there was one ember left: Li Taishi!

Li Taishi was destined to revive the Confucian Civilization, provided he could escape the relentless pursuit of the Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization. The Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization managed a shallow breath. From the Palace of Heaven's Law, laughter echoed—the coarse, conspiratorial cackle of the wicked.

Seated upon the highest dais of the Palace was a somber, middle-aged man: the Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization himself, now freed from the Dungeon of the Sovereign. If anything had changed about him, it was his temperament; he was now infinitely more ruthless than before. The Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization had several guests seated at his table.

Among them was one figure crackling with boundless lightning bolts and serpentine electricity. This man was enormous, resembling some primordial deity; he was the Vice-Lord of Thunder Civilization, Lei Bao, possessing the power of Three Epochs, renowned for his unparalleled offensive might. Trailing behind Vice-Lord Lei Bao was a figure at the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm named Lei Siwen.

It was an oddity that Lei Bao, called 'Thunderstorm,' had named his son Lei Siwen, who, true to his name, was soft-spoken and delicate in appearance. Vice-Lord Lei Bao was not a guest for pleasantries; he was here for the remains of a Civilization Realm expert. Obtaining even a portion of the remains of the Confucian Vice-Lord would immensely boost his son Lei Siwen’s strength, increasing his chances of breaking into the Heavenly Rankings and potentially reaching the Civilization Realm.

Acquiring a piece of a Civilization Realm body was, after all, the fastest path to cultivating a master of the Heavenly Rankings. Not far from Vice-Lord Lei Bao sat a figure defined by sheer, immense strength. This man was towering, seemingly reaching impossible heights; he was the Vice-Lord of Strength Civilization, Li Bao.

Vice-Lord Li Bao was also a figure of Three Epochs. Behind him followed a man at the Tenth Heaven of the World Realm, named Li Youzidi. Vice-Lord Li Bao, too, sought a piece of the eminent corpse to aid his son in his ascent to the Heavenly Rankings.

Another guest was a gloomy old man, draped in black robes, possessing a sharp, aquiline nose. This was the Vice-Lord of Poison Civilization, Du Wo. Vice-Lord Du Wo was entirely enveloped in toxic miasma, and his power level was formidable, reaching Four Epochs.

As he sat there, Vice-Lords Lei Bao and Li Bao instinctively took a slight step away. Only a hunchbacked youth standing close behind the elder dared approach the venomous aura. This youth was named Lin Mu; he was the meticulously chosen disciple of Vice-Lord Du Wo, currently possessing the power of the Ninth Heaven of the World Realm.

Vice-Lord Du Wo intended to use the remains of the Confucian Vice-Lord to elevate Lin Mu’s strength to the level of the Heavenly Rankings. At the very end of the seating arrangement sat a white-haired elder with a white complexion, his eyes holding a primordial quality. This elder seemed ancient beyond measure.

Indeed, he possessed an essence of 'beginning' in this epoch, for his name was Gu Shi. He was the former number one on the Heavenly Rankings. Back when Lu Yuan, the Son of Desolation, and the Kunpeng King vied for supremacy, Gu Shi was already striving toward the Civilization Realm, never crossing paths with Lu Yuan and the others.

Later, Gu Shi attained the power of the Civilization Realm. Upon reaching that echelon, he chanced upon a low-grade Divine Artifact, elevating his power to that of Two Epochs. Present here was Gu Shi, the former paramount figure of the Heavenly Rankings.

Gu Shi stood without any disciples; he never took any. The Palace of Heaven's Law displayed all manner of delicacies, yet none of those present showed any genuine interest, merely taking a few perfunctory bites. The Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization waited.

He was awaiting news from the Vice-Lord of Annihilation Civilization regarding the dismantling of the Confucian Civilization. He himself had intended to personally obliterate it, but after slaying the Confucian Vice-Lord and crippling the Three Scrolls Vice-Lord, the remainder of the Confucian Civilization seemed too weak to warrant his personal attention, so he delegated the task to the Vice-Lord of Annihilation. Now, he felt like a hunter whose long-pursued quarry had suddenly been caught, requiring a new, grander objective.

That next target was already set: to exploit the chaos of the Central Celestial Dynasty's Epoch War to bolster his own strength and fortify the Heaven's Law Civilization. Vice-Lord Lei Bao spoke first: "I require the hands of the Confucian Vice-Lord." With those hands, his son Lei Siwen’s own hands could be made vastly stronger, capable of wielding billions of thunder serpents without difficulty. Vice-Lord Li Bao replied, "Since Vice-Lord Lei Bao claims the hands, I shall take the feet." Li Bao and Lei Bao generally maintained a good rapport, often referred to as the 'Double Evils of Thunder and Strength.' Vice-Lord Du Wo let out a series of sharp, hissing laughs before stating, "The body of the Confucian Vice-Lord—everything except the hands and feet—I shall claim." The Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization nodded.

"This division seems fair. Then, after the Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization dies, his remains shall go to you, Gu Shi." The distribution was essentially settled. The primary beneficiary of this arrangement was Gu Shi.

As an unaffiliated cultivator whose strength was the weakest present, he stood to gain the most. Why? The reason was simple: the Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization and the other three were securing alliances with their respective civilizations.

But with Gu Shi, the goal was to draw him into the Heaven's Law Civilization, a proposal Gu Shi had accepted. Consequently, Gu Shi became a subordinate of the Heaven's Law Vice-Lord, who naturally intended to foster his growth. By receiving the remains of the Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization, Gu Shi also gained an opportunity for advancement, perhaps even reaching the strength of Three Epochs.

As this assembly happily debated the logistics of dismemberment in a short while, a figure rushed in breathlessly: "Bad news, bad news! Someone has come to attack us!" "What? Someone dares attack us?" the Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization started, demanding, "Who?" "People from the Confucian Civilization," the messenger reported.

"Go and see at once!" the Vice-Lord of Heaven's Law commanded. Immediately, Vice-Lords Lei Bao, Li Bao, Du Wo, and the elder Gu Shi all rose to their feet. Vice-Lord Du Wo chuckled strangely, "We shall accompany you.

Let us see which fool dares assault the Heaven's Law Civilization." When these five Civilization Realm experts stepped outside, they stopped dead, stifling bewildered laughter at the sight of the so-called invaders. The attackers from the Confucian Civilization numbered thirty-five in total, the most prominent being the Vice-Lord of Integrity, who possessed the power of One Epoch, standing at the forefront. The rest were merely 'riff-raff' at the World Realm Heavenly Venerate level—truly, mere minions.

To attack the Heaven's Law Civilization with such paltry strength was utterly laughable. "Hahahaha! A swarm of riff-raff dares assault the Heaven's Law Civilization?

They truly do not know death!" the Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization boomed. Indeed, this lead minion and his thirty-four smaller minions wore white headbands, and their bodies radiated an air of passionate resolution and tragic nobility. But so what?

Minions were minions, nothing more. They were destined for instant annihilation. It was hilariously absurd that they had delivered themselves to their doom.

A flicker of amusement crossed the perpetually grim face of the Vice-Lord of the Heaven's Law Civilization. Though naturally stern and dark, the scene was simply too amusing now. "Oh, I see.

They have come after learning that the Vice-Lords of the Confucian and Three Scrolls Civilizations are about to be dismembered. Are you here to die? Since you seek death, I will not be entirely unfeeling.

I shall grant you one last audience with them." With a gesture in the void, he summoned the restrained body of the Confucian Vice-Lord and the captive Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization into view. The Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization instantly grasped the situation. He had anticipated this outcome and felt no surprise, yet seeing Li Taishi among the group plunged him into despair.

Must the last spark of Confucian revival be extinguished here? The Vice-Lord of the Three Scrolls Civilization could not help but cry out in condemnation, "Integrity, you are foolish!" He did not explicitly name Li Taishi, clinging to the desperate hope that Li Taishi might yet retain a sliver of life, even though he knew such hope was probably futile. The Vice-Lord of Integrity lowered his head, and the other thirty-four men followed suit.

Thirty-five heads bowed in unison. Then, they raised them together. "The Confucian Civilization, thirty-five Gentlemen, meeting our fate with composure.

Present!" This was not the sound of a single voice, but thirty-five voices rising and merging into one declaration. Yes, this time they had come to meet death calmly. Thirty-five Gentlemen, thirty-five currents of majestic righteousness converging in the air.

In the territory of the Confucian Civilization, there were those who died in battle, and those who were gravely wounded. But there were none who surrendered, none who fled when their comrades were about to be carved up. Better to die standing than to live kneeling.

This was the Confucian Civilization. The Majestic Righteousness shall endure! Flesh may perish, and blood may flow, but the Majestic Righteousness shall not be severed here.

They were faces etched with tragic heroism! They were hearts brimming with fierce loyalty! They were men who delivered themselves to certain doom, unhesitatingly!

What joy is there in living? What fear is there in dying? We fear nothing!

(The second update is delivered; the atmosphere shifts beginning here.)