Burn the Books and Bury the Scholars, the Three Bonds and Five Constants, Feudalism, the Heavenly Principle! The four besieged him! Lu Yuan fiercely unleashed a blast of white light, and concealed within that radiance, he abruptly summoned the Formless Devouring Dragon.

This dragon first devoured the initial two characters: Tian (Heaven) and Li (Principle). These two foundational characters proved incredibly nourishing; his Dao Character Clone, which was only around thirty percent complete, felt a massive surge of replenishment after consuming them. Yet, even with such a great infusion, it didn't reach forty percent.

Elevating the Dao Character Clone to that next level was no easy feat. Around him, countless burning books wept—this was the Endless Archive. The ultimate technique, Burn the Books and Bury the Scholars, could never be used lightly.

Lu Yuan understood the sorrow emanating from those volumes. In that case, books, return to me. Lu Yuan activated the sixty-fifth layer of Righteous Qi, absorbing the endless lamentations of the Archive.

The Book of Documents, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The I Ching, Han Feizi—all the books were crying out. "Return." The Righteous Qi, having absorbed the content of countless incinerated texts, began to ascend. Righteous Qi sixty-sixth layer.

Righteous Qi sixty-seventh layer. Righteous Qi sixty-eighth layer. Righteous Qi sixty-ninth layer.

This technique, prepared with countless tomes, unexpectedly became a massive boon for Lu Yuan, forcefully raising his Righteous Qi to the sixty-ninth layer. Now, the Burn the Books and Bury the Scholars technique only remained in appearance. The Tian and Li characters were absorbed.

Feudalism posed virtually no pressure on him. He had already shattered the civilization of the Vice Lord of Disordered Ethics once with Three Bonds and Five Constants; breaking it again was now far simpler. These attacks held no difficulty for him anymore.

It was time for the true counterattack. The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization had unleashed Burn the Books and Bury the Scholars, Three Bonds and Five Constants, Feudalism, and Heavenly Principle. He had brought out his most guarded, ultimate attacks.

Surely, Li Taishi was now awaiting death. Just as the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization believed he had finally succeeded, he saw Li Taishi step forth from the very flames. Boom!

Feudalism shattered! Boom! Three Bonds and Five Constants were torn apart!

Boom! The flames ignited by this Boom iteration of Burn the Books and Bury the Scholars were entirely extinguished! And what about Heavenly Principle?

Huh? Where are the characters Tian and Li? The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization stared in utter astonishment; all four of his ultimate techniques had been broken.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly and said calmly, "Now, it should be my turn. Heaven and Earth are vast, but Reason is greatest." Lu Yuan shouted, instantly transforming the books into a torrent of illusion, trapping the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization within the bound volumes. The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization roared, "Heaven and Earth are vast, but Reason is greatest!

Break for me!" Lu Yuan roared back, "Heaven and Earth are vast, but Reason is greatest! Close upon him!" The books slammed shut together. When they met the first time, the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization forced them apart with supreme magical power, but blood trickled from the corner of his mouth; his Heavenly Principle World had been destroyed by about one-tenth.

Lu Yuan’s lips curved into a subtle smile. Ignoring the man’s resistance, he continued with Heaven and Earth are vast, but Reason is greatest, closing the books a second time. The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization managed to push them open again, but the damage sustained was far worse.

"Struggling? Then keep struggling," Lu Yuan stated lightly. The third convergence of Heaven and Earth are vast, but Reason is greatest, the fourth, the fifth—each time the books closed, the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization suffered heavier and heavier injuries, struggling on the verge of death.

The sixth convergence! The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization was clearly running low on power. No, I cannot die like this!

I am the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization! The seventh convergence! The Heavenly Principle World of the Vice Lord was already seventy percent annihilated.

He roared, unwilling to perish, launching one final counterattack, channeling every last reserve of strength toward the books. But the Reason contained within the books grew ever mightier. The eighth convergence!

Eighty percent of the Heavenly Principle World was destroyed. The Vice Lord realized death was inevitable. What an irony—he had only recently defeated his long-time nemesis, the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization, and then crushed the Vice Lord of the Zither Civilization.

On the verge of complete triumph, he was being defeated by Li Taishi. This was indeed a cycle. Li Taishi was the disciple of the Vice Lord of the Confucian Civilization.

The ninth convergence! The Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization knew he was doomed, consumed by unwillingness. The tenth convergence!

Everything concluded. The life of the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization ended there. Lu Yuan let out a breath.

Using Heaven and Earth are vast, but Reason is greatest ten times was quite taxing, as the resistance from the Vice Lord was intense with every iteration. But the opponent was finally dealt with. Those nearby watched Lu Yuan with utter amazement.

He had actually slain the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization. Only moments ago, the Vice Lord had stood there arrogantly, radiating the aura of an ultimate deity capable of sweeping away the heavens, intent on slaughter, only to be finished by Li Taishi. This drastic reversal was hard for them to accept.

But victory was secured. The Vice Lord of the Zither Civilization breathed a profound sigh of relief; everyone preferred life to death. The Vice Lords of the Three Scrolls and Integrity Civilizations watched Li Taishi with immense satisfaction—he was the new hope for the Confucian Civilization, accomplishing what their former leader could not.

Kong Ni, Meng Wei, Su Yuemian, and others were filled with emotion. When Li Taishi first entered the Confucian Civilization, he was far weaker than they were. To subdue a giant like the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization in such a short span was truly demonic progress.

The other thirty-odd Gentlemen felt relief; they would live, surviving victoriously, emerging with honor. Lu Yuan suddenly smiled faintly. "Oh, still trying to flee?" Lu Yuan shifted his steps instantly, arriving beside the Vice Lord of the Thunderstorm Civilization, who had attempted to escape upon sensing the turn of events.

Lu Yuan brought down a palm strike like a descending heaven. The Vice Lord activated his ultimate move, Thunder Extreme Nine Heavens, but Lu Yuan swatted him away without mercy. How could a Vice Lord of the Three Eras, already heavily wounded, withstand Lu Yuan's casual blow?

The Vice Lord of the Toxin Civilization also saw danger and attempted flight. Lu Yuan merely smiled faintly, not bothering to approach. He raised the Divine Book of Transmitted Truth in his hand and unleashed the strongest technique associated with this identity: Heaven and Earth are vast, but Reason is greatest.

The book instantly transformed into an infinite expanse, trapping the Vice Lord of the Toxin Civilization within its pages. With a single closure, the wounded Vice Lord of the Four Eras was eliminated. Lu Yuan then moved slowly to stand beside Gu Shi.

Gu Shi immediately begged for mercy. "Don't kill me! Your Confucian Civilization is short of manpower now.

I can join you." Now holding the status of a Vice Lord, he hoped this would save his life. Lu Yuan shook his head. "Our Confucian Civilization only needs those who are truly united in heart and mind.

You are not one of them, not to mention your earlier attempt to kill us. So, die." Lu Yuan pressed a palm down, and with that single action, Gu Shi was slain, the former number one on the Heaven Ranking, who had sat supreme for half an era, reduced to dust. Lu Yuan felt a twinge of contemplation; Gu Shi had once been such an exalted figure.

Along this path, Lu Yuan had killed five Realm-level existences—five Vice Lords in total. After dispatching them, Lu Yuan collected their accumulated wealth. The spoils were considerable.

Together, these five individuals possessed eight hundred Celestial-grade Spirit Veins, bringing his total, including what he already had, to nine hundred. There were also divine artifacts. Two low-grade divine artifacts, which he couldn't use immediately, so he stored them temporarily.

There was one mid-grade divine artifact, left by the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization: a writing brush radiating the aura of a mid-grade artifact. Unfortunately, Lu Yuan clearly sensed that this brush was insufficient to help him break through to the Eighth Era; it was still lacking. He shelved it for later.

Additionally, there were numerous other items. From the Vice Lord of the Forceful Storm Civilization, he acquired methods for tempering the physical body. From the Vice Lord of the Toxin Civilization, he obtained materials for enhancing the Sword Dao of the Azure Civilization.

Gu Shi, being rather poor, yielded nothing of value—a pity. Wait, Gu Shi did possess a key, emitting an aura distinct from that of a divine artifact. Etched upon it was the character Ji (Era).

He didn't know what it was, but he decided to keep it, as Gu Shi was, after all, one of the earliest beings in this world. From the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization, he gained knowledge regarding books and Righteous Qi, which could also be utilized. However, the most crucial acquisitions were the Vice Lord of the Heavenly Principle Civilization's own Book of Theorems and the Brush of Truth.

These items were remarkably strange, and Lu Yuan couldn't quite decipher their purpose. He felt this capability was overwhelmingly powerful. Lu Yuan began to study the Book of Theorems and the Brush of Truth.

The Book of Theorems required only brief refinement to be usable; the Brush of Truth was similar. Lu Yuan examined the Book of Theorems, which resembled bamboo slips, while holding the wolf-hair-like Brush of Truth, beginning his research. Are these related to the Iron Rule of Karma?

Could he refine the Iron Rule of Karma to the degree of 'Slaying the Past'? Slaying the Past meant erasing the childhood of an individual after they had grown, thereby removing the foundation for their subsequent boundless power—the most potent aspect of the Iron Rule of Karma, yet one no one had ever mastered. As Lu Yuan contemplated this, a seed within his New Sword World suddenly stirred, seemingly attempting to merge with the Book of Theorems and the Brush of Truth.

Lu Yuan was surprised. That seed was the remnant of the Minor Destiny Art that Zhou Qingxuan had given him long ago. It was said that mastering the Minor Destiny Art was equivalent to possessing half an Iron Rule, but he had never found the proper opportunity to cultivate it.

Now, the seed was moving. Perhaps this seed wasn't related to the Iron Rule of Karma at all, but rather to the Iron Rule of Destiny. Transitioning from Theorem to Truth—it sounded like Destiny itself was compelling this transformation.

In that light, a connection to the Iron Rule of Destiny made sense. This might be the perfect chance for him to master the Minor Destiny Art. Lu Yuan released the Minor Destiny Art seed.

The seed instantly struck the Book of Theorems and the Brush of Truth, triggering a transformation too subtle for immediate understanding. (Second update delivered, requesting monthly votes.)