The Qin piece, "Autumn Moon over the Han Palace," was steeped in clear resentment and melancholy, its lingering notes laced with bitterness.

The chariot crushed fallen blossoms; the jade maiden ceased her flute beneath the moon. Before meeting the palace women, how many heads had turned silver? I see your brows swept dark with dye, your temples piled like crow feathers, your waist like a swaying willow, your face flushed like dawn’s glow. Where can the Zhaoyang Palace find a place for you? Who inquires after your burdens—the shared duties of field and stream? It is also you whom imperial favor has kept upon silk sheets, Heaven allowing dew and rain to nourish the mulberry groves. If we do not despair, across my thousands of miles of empire, I shall seek you out, even to two or three humble cottages.

Her intent, however, differed greatly from that of the woman in "Autumn Moon over the Han Palace."

Yet, the sorrow interwoven within held a familiar thread. Deep, faint sorrow, sorrow turning to hatred, hatred mingling with resentment, gloom upon gloom. It finally dissolved into an unending Qin melody.

"I can't take any more of this," finally roared someone at the Eighth Heaven of the World Realm, and with a boom, they ruptured.

The music drifted down from the swirling mist. As the melody pulsed, the clouds gradually dispersed, revealing a face veiled in white gauze. The beauty beneath the veil remained unseen, but the skin above was exquisitely delicate, framed by eyebrows that slanted slightly upward—a sign of profound arrogance. Most women’s brows favored softness, rarely possessing such prideful arches.

Though they could not discern the figure’s full form, those with insight recognized the woman as the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization.

The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization faltered. He naturally knew the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization was also an entity from the Eighth Epoch: "Oh, Sister-in-Law. Has Sister-in-Law come to save this unfaithful man?" The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization had once been close with the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization, and the latter was the lover of the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization, necessitating the address of "Sister-in-Law."

The Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization stated coolly, her voice razor-sharp, "You are mistaken. I have come to extract the heart of the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization. His heart is mine." Her declaration caused stunned silence throughout the assembly. What was the meaning of this? Why would she utter such words?

The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization chuckled dismissively. "If Sister-in-Law desires the heart, that is simple enough. I shall extract it for you." "You need not bother; I shall take it myself," the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization sneered. "Furthermore, the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization, that faithless wretch, indeed deserves death, but when has it been the turn of these useless fools to carve up his corpse?" She gestured toward the Vice Lords of the Force Blast Civilization, the Thunder Blast Civilization, the Poisoned Self Civilization, and Gu Shi.

These four Vice Lords were naturally indignant, yet they had already suffered injury under Li Taishi’s hand. Given that the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization was a famed figure of the Eighth Epoch, they dared not object, lest they carelessly perish under her power, which would be a poor end indeed. The Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization was among the absolute pinnacle of women in the cosmos.

The Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization scoffed again. "I am taking the remains of the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization, that unfaithful dog." She thrust out a hand, and a great palm of snow-white magical power shot toward the corpse. The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization laughed heartily. "Sister-in-Law, if you want the heart, I can dig it out for you, but you cannot simply seize the body by force."

The eyes of the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization flashed, radiating an inherent killing aura. "You intend to stop me?" The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization laughed again. "If Sister-in-Law insists on outright seizure, then I have no choice but to block you." "Very well. Let us exchange blows and see just how potent your so-called Book of Theorems and Brush of Truth are—the power to transform axioms into established reality." The Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization smiled coldly. With a flip of her hand, a seven-stringed Qin appeared before her. This Qin was named Lüqi.

The instrument was entirely black, faintly emanating a deep green hue, as if verdant vines were coiling around ancient wood, hence the name "Green Brocade" (Lüqi). It was said that within the Qin Civilization existed the Hall of Ten Thousand Qin, and within that hall resided ten ultimate, famous instruments. These ten—Lüqi, Jiaowei, Chunlei, Bingqing, Dasheng Yiyin, Jiuxiao Huanpei, and others—were nearly equal in stature, yet the Lüqi Qin was deemed the most suited to the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization.

"Good. Allow me to test your Ten Qin Melodies of Lüqi." The ten renowned melodies mastered by the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization included Guangling San, Gaoshan Liushui, Xiyang Xiaogu, Meihua San Nong, Guangling San (repeated), Yue'er Gao, Jiaochuang Yeyu, Yuzhou Changwan, Yangguan Sandie, and Han Gong Qiu. It was rumored that uniting these ten pieces could manifest the most terrifying composition, the Dabei Xiaohèn Fu.

The Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization invoked her music, beginning with Gaoshan Liushui. Instantly, everyone felt the sound of high mountains and flowing waters—no, it wasn't just a sound; the reality of it manifested.

Simultaneously, the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization inscribed upon his Book of Theorems: "Mountains break, rivers dry." He then prepared to invoke his Brush of Truth to write these six characters, but the Qin melody of the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization continually interfered, disrupting his attempt to write the six characters. Once completed, they would become irrefutable truth, and truth could not be broken. The conversion of axioms into reality was inherently an immensely powerful ability. Someone had long ago remarked that if the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization were allowed to advance further, he would become terrifying, given the sheer power of this capability.

At this moment, on the sidelines, Lu Yuan managed to seize a rare moment of respite. He had been utterly unable to contend with the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization earlier, but now he finally had a chance to catch his breath. However, Lu Yuan did not leave, for he perceived just how terrifying the Heavenly Law Vice Lord's ability to convert axioms into truth truly was. Because of this terrifying power, Lu Yuan was far from certain that the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization could defeat him. He needed to find a way to become stronger, urgently, to save the remains of the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization and the Vice Lord of the Three Books Civilization.

And time was running short!

But how to become stronger? Since entering the Civilization Realm, his method for advancement had remained singular: relying on divine artifacts to boost his strength. He recalled what the Vice Lord of the Martial Yan Civilization had said: there were three ways to improve in the Civilization Realm: endless arduous cultivation, reliance on heavenly-earthly divine objects, or receiving power infusion from established seniors. The second was impossible; there were no mid-tier divine objects available. The third was also out; no one was there to grant him power. That left only the first path: endless, arduous cultivation!

But endless cultivation required endless time, and he had none. What then? Lu Yuan fell into deep contemplation, though deep thought alone rarely conjured a solution.

Then, a memory surfaced. He recalled the period in the Artifact Civilization when everyone had been calling out to him—the trust, the anticipation of countless people channeling into him, which had made his state more valiant. Later, Lu Yuan had vaguely suspected that perhaps the Dao of Eternity did not lie upon the Gate of Eternal Ascent, but rather within the hearts of people; the conviction of those in a Minor Thousand World could indeed make one stronger.

This was merely a line of thought for Lu Yuan.

Now, lacking the time for endless cultivation, lacking divine artifacts, and lacking power infusions from seniors, he could only seek his own method. He believed there was a sliver of possibility in this idea, so he resolved to act upon it. However, the first thing Lu Yuan needed to do was establish a connection with the Confucian Civilization.

Lu Yuan had conceived of this possibility previously, so he had left behind an Earth Ancestor Clone in the Confucian Civilization. With the clone present, he could deploy the Water Mirror Technique. A long-distance Water Mirror Technique could already be executed now; it merely required spatial positioning. Without spatial positioning, everything was moot. But since Lu Yuan's Earth Ancestor Clone was in the Confucian Civilization while his true body was here in the Heavenly Law Civilization, spatial positioning was not an issue.

Lu Yuan immediately began his action. The Earth Ancestor Clone, currently wearing the guise of Li Taishi in the Confucian Civilization, suddenly soared into the air, his voice thundering out, "Everyone, I am Li Taishi’s clone." Most of the experts at the Celestial Sovereign level and above in the Confucian Civilization had departed, but others remained steadfast at their posts. Indeed, the people of the Confucian Civilization knew well that once the Vice Lord of the Integrity Civilization and Li Taishi and those thirty-five individuals left, it meant almost certain death. They had gone forth to meet death willingly. If those thirty-five gentlemen perished, the Confucian Civilization would likely fall to the Heavenly Law Civilization.

Most people grasped this, yet a portion of the Confucian Civilization populace had not fled. True, a few had escaped, but very few indeed. The majority remained steadfast. Although they lacked the sheer power of the thirty-five champions who went to meet fate at the Heavenly Law Civilization, they possessed the same fervent heart and the same unyielding will. They were equally determined. What if their strength was lesser? They always held an unwavering, righteous spirit. That spirit must endure eternally!

Seeing the sudden appearance of Li Taishi’s form, these people were startled. Only upon hearing it was Li Taishi's clone did relief wash over them—so, Li Taishi’s double was here.

Li Taishi’s clone roared in the sky, "You here in the Confucian Civilization must also be concerned about the battle unfolding at the Heavenly Law Civilization. I will now copy the situation over here for you to observe." Lu Yuan had already recorded the preceding events using the Magnetic Mirror Technique and then transmitted the information via long-distance teleportation, spatial locking, and other means to this location. Spiritual thoughts, lacking physical substance, were relatively easy to transmit, whereas physical objects were exceedingly difficult. The Magnetic Mirror Technique, naturally, constituted an assemblage of non-physical information.

Immediately, the people of the Confucian Civilization witnessed the current conflict in the Heavenly Law Civilization: they saw the remains of the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization bound and were struck by sudden, immense rage and frustration. Upon seeing the Vice Lord of the Three Books Civilization also bound and about to be dismembered, their fury reached its peak. Next, they watched the Vice Lord of the Integrity Civilization defeated by Gu Shi, followed by Li Taishi engaging multiple opponents and defeating four in succession, only to ultimately fall to the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization. Finally, the Vice Lord of the Qin Civilization appeared amidst the strains of "Autumn Moon over the Han Palace," confronting the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization. Once the Magnetic Mirror recording ended, the live broadcast began via the long-distance Water Mirror Technique.

Lu Yuan, speaking through Li Taishi's Earth Ancestor Clone, shouted, "You have all seen the battle situation on the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Law Civilization’s side. Yes, this is the current reality. Do you wish to save the Confucian Civilization and strike down the Heavenly Law Civilization?" Lu Yuan bellowed.

"We do!" The answering chorus was like thunder.