Every single one of the Civilization Realm masters commanded awe and inspired earth-shattering feats! Yet, now, the four great Civilization Realms, united, held for only five exchanges.

So powerful! Just how powerful is Grand Historian Li!

“Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha, Grand Historian Li, truly impressive strength. I truly never imagined you had reached this level,” the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles Civilization chuckled. “However, I have seen through your power with my Eye of Heavenly Principles—the magic power of the peak of the Six Epochs. This level of power is indeed remarkable, but that is all it is. You are doomed to die.”

As he spoke, it seemed as if he were uttering the very truth of the cosmos. This was the ultimate technique possessed by both the Vice Sovereigns of the Heavenly Principles and the Scholarly Civilization. The Writing of Heaven and Earth! The Writing of Heaven and Earth—if he deemed Grand Historian Li was to die, then Grand Historian Li must die.

The formidable aura Grand Historian Li had briefly summoned was instantly flattened by the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles using his ultimate skill, The Writing of Heaven and Earth. What the Vice Sovereign decreed was the supreme law of the universe, and in an instant, the imposing presence surrounding Li vanished. Everyone present felt that Grand Historian Li possessed no dominating aura, nor was he particularly terrifying.

The Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles straightened his posture, emitting an atmosphere of Feudalism! Feudalism! Feng (), the enfeoffment of vassal states. Jian (), the establishment of a nation. This was Feudalism. But the Feudalism projected by the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles was one that molded the hearts of men into being conservative, steeped in obsolete customs, and utterly closed-off. It was an aura of extreme conservatism, extreme adherence to the old ways, and extreme inflexibility.

Within this oppressive atmosphere, everyone felt immense pressure; their very spirits were compelled to become conservative, antiquated, and unadventurous. Simultaneously, everyone felt like a mere subject, while the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles was the Son of Heaven seated on high—if the ruler demands a subject die, the subject must die; if the ruler demands the common folk die, they must die. This was Feudalism!

As this aura of Feudalism radiated outward, the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles had already seized a considerable advantage in the clash of wills. Such contests of spirit are crucial; experts vying against each other are separated by a hair’s breadth, and the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles had now secured an absolute upper hand through this spiritual confrontation, compelling everyone toward submission.

Whether it was Grand Historian Li or the thirty-four other individuals from the Scholarly Civilization, all trembled beneath this immense pressure. What good were thirty-five surges of majestic righteousness? Under the overwhelming magic power of the Eighth Epoch coupled with the Feudal aura, the righteousness of these thirty-five gentlemen was suppressed and compressed. Though the thirty-five scholars maintained eyes that refused to yield and hearts brimming with fearlessness toward death, what did it matter? Under such a colossal spiritual projection, their so-called fearless hearts and unyielding resolve were about to be ground to dust by the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles.

The Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles roared decisively, “Book of Axioms! Pen of Truth! Appear!” He revealed his weapons: a book radiating established principles, and a pen radiating absolute truth. The Book of Axioms: it defines the established order. The Pen of Truth: it inscribes civilization, turning defined principles into eternal truths. This was the essence of Axiom and Truth.

And the ultimate technique of the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles was precisely this: under the suppression of Feudalism, he used illusory deception to transform mere axioms into absolute truth. This might be possible within the Book of Axioms, but once inscribed by the Pen of Truth, it was guaranteed to manifest. Of course, the Book of Axioms and the Pen of Truth had certain limitations; they could not be used without restraint, but the numerous restrictions were known only to him. Because he possessed the Book of Axioms and the Pen of Truth, the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles was an exceptionally troublesome figure among those of the Eighth Epoch.

On the Book of Axioms of the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles, five characters shone brilliantly: “Grand Historian Li Shall Die!” These five words radiated a golden light, while the Pen of Truth of the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles rapidly described above them: “Grand Historian Li Shall Write.” This manifested as a white light, and the convergence of gold and white light coalesced into a chaotic, swirling hue.

“You will die,” the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles stated calmly. “This is the power of my Book of Axioms and Pen of Truth.” He possessed this confidence because such was the nature of his artifacts; of course, he could not simply write anything. If his opponent were of the same Epoch, or even possessed the magic power of the Seventh Epoch without being injured, he could not make such an assertion. It was only because the gap between him and Grand Historian Li was so vast that he could write this decree.

Having finished the inscription, the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles immediately launched his attack—an assault as swift as lightning. The Book of Axioms swung down to smash, while the Pen of Truth darted through unseen gaps. Book and pen aimed directly at Lu Yuan, his book filled with doctrine, his pen piercing through eons.

Lu Yuan immediately summoned the Divine Book of Tradition to meet the assault. The opponent was too strong; the principles held within the book and the pen were truly troublesome, manifesting in maneuvers that were bizarre, severe, or terrifying. Lu Yuan continuously met these strikes. Block, block, block, block.

You possess the Book of Axioms and the Pen of Truth. I possess the grandest truth of all: The Greatness of Heaven and Earth is supreme.

In terms of maneuvers, Lu Yuan certainly did not suffer a loss; in fact, he gained some advantage. But in terms of magic power, the gap was truly too vast. The difference between the Eighth Epoch and the Sixth Epoch was enormous. It was precisely because of this disparity that he was at a disadvantage, and Lu Yuan dared not engage in a direct, brute-force clash. Yet, avoiding direct confrontation was difficult; if he wished to avoid it, the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles forced him into it, and every collision resulted in a loss for Lu Yuan.

Clang!

Another unavoidable, direct collision ensued. The Book of Axioms struck heavily against the Divine Book of Tradition, while simultaneously, the Pen of Truth lashed out at the opposite side of the Divine Book of Tradition. Under this dual assault, Lu Yuan was struck as if by electricity throughout his body, forced backward, and he spat out a mouthful of blood—the first time he had bled since the battle began.

If the situation continued thus, it was estimated that within another hundred exchanges, Grand Historian Li would be slain by the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles.

“Kill Grand Historian Li; I want his head. I want to crush that pretty face of his; I’ve long been sick of looking at his pretty face,” declared the Vice Sovereign of the Violent Storm Civilization.

The Vice Sovereign of the Thunderstorm Civilization sneered, “Truly, you ignore the clear path in the Central Heavenly Dynasty only to crash into a dead end in the Lost Lands—how laughable. Grand Historian Li, Vice Sovereign of the Sixth Epoch, your corpse will be carved up by us; we each take a piece. It seems I can cultivate another Heaven Ranking expert. Thank you.”

The Vice Sovereign of the Toxic Self Civilization whispered menacingly, “You managed to break my Book Worm Poison and instantly shatter my Poison Shield. I must study you closely, little pretty face, to see what tricks you have that can advance my toxic arts.”

Gu Shi harbored an even deeper hatred for Grand Historian Li. He had always believed himself the strongest on the Heaven Ranking, only to be surpassed by the newcomer, Grand Historian Li, and defeated by him twice. His hatred was profound; he was determined to kill Grand Historian Li.

The Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles laughed grandly, “My lords, rest assured, I will absorb this man’s fortune; the rest of the remains are for you to handle.” The Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles and the others had already decided Li’s fate, which, naturally, would be the same as that of the Vice Sovereign of the Scholarly Civilization and the Vice Sovereign of the Three Books Civilization. Total dismemberment of the corpse! This was the cruel method of the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles.

Lu Yuan’s heart filled with utter rage. The methods of the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles were too cruel, too wicked. Lu Yuan felt, for the first time, a genuine impulse to destroy such a civilization. This civilization was truly disgusting beyond measure! Utterly repulsive!

However, though his heart raged with the desire to annihilate the Heavenly Principles Civilization, he currently lacked the power to do so. He was being overwhelmed. Block! Block! Boom! He took another hit from the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles. At this moment, nearly twenty percent of Lu Yuan’s New Sword World had been destroyed—damnation! Lu Yuan felt he had few options left. If this continued, he would truly have to draw his sword. His combat power was higher when using the sword than when using the book, but Lu Yuan secretly suspected that even with his sword, he might not be a match for the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles.

What to do?

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Was that a heartbeat? No, it wasn't a heartbeat. It was the sound of a qin—a zither of extreme sorrow and complaint! How clear! How lamenting!

“Dong. Dong… Dong. Dong…………… Dong…” The sound of the qin playing in irregular rhythms suddenly emerged. The moment the music appeared, everyone felt discomfort, though the pressure on the Scholarly Civilization side eased slightly. Conversely, the pressure on the Heavenly Principles side grew heavier. Some Celestial Venerable masters felt as if their hearts were about to leap out along with the music; the sound was threatening to drive them to death.

Gu Shi was knowledgeable in music theory. He naturally recognized the piece: Autumn Moon over the Han Palace (Han Gong Qiu Yue), a melody depicting the loneliness of the imperial harem, emphasizing sorrow and melancholy. Gu Shi was a connoisseur, having heard many versions of Autumn Moon over the Han Palace, but never one this terrifying. He felt an intense, gnawing discomfort himself.

“A qin sound, some trifle from women—what are you afraid of? Loose cultivators are just loose cultivators, lacking insight,” the Vice Sovereign of the Violent Storm Civilization laughed, trying to sound brave. He had only just mocked Gu Shi from the Second Epoch, but then he realized he, too, was suffering intensely. “What kind of demonic woman is playing this zither? It sounds utterly vile.”

The Vice Sovereign of the Thunderstorm Civilization looked thoughtful; he was beginning to guess the identity of the newcomer.

The Vice Sovereign of the Toxic Self Civilization had never encountered anything so bizarre. He commanded millions of poisons, yet upon hearing this qin melody, his poisons actually began to twitch uncontrollably. Someone capable of playing music that could disrupt his poisons was truly formidable. Could the newcomer be her?

Even the Vice Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles was affected by the music, leading to successive errors in his movements and openings in his attacks.

The Vice Sovereign of the Three Books Civilization and the Vice Sovereign of Integrity raised their eyebrows. Has she arrived?

Lu Yuan pondered in his heart: Who could possess such a magnificent entrance? He suddenly recalled Murong Honglei from the Kunpeng World, and then, reflecting on past events, he instantly understood the identity of the arrival. The arrival must be her!

She has come!

If it wasn't her, whose qin music would share similarities with Zhou Qingxuan’s sword style? Her profound sorrow echoing Zhou Qingxuan’s anguish. Of course, she and Zhou Qingxuan might not know each other, but their experiences were tragically similar.

(First update delivered.)

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