Book Burning and Burying Scholars, the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, Feudalism, Heavenly Principles! The four assailed him! Lu Yuan fiercely thrust forth a sphere of white light.

Concealed within this radiance, he abruptly summoned the Formless Devouring Dragon, which first devoured the initial two characters: Heaven and Principle. These nascent characters proved immensely nourishing. His Dao Word Clone was only around thirty percent potent, look up Huashan Immortal Sect on Baidu for updates.

After consuming these initial characters, he felt a surge of replenishment, yet even this great nourishment failed to elevate him to forty percent. Raising the Dao Word Clone to that level was no simple feat. Around him, countless burning books wept—these were the Endless Books.

The ultimate technique, Book Burning and Burying Scholars, could not be deployed lightly. Lu Yuan understood the sorrow of the books targeted by this very technique. If so, then books, return to me.

Lu Yuan activated the sixty-fifth layer of Righteous Qi, absorbing the lamentations of the Endless Books. The Book of Documents, the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the I Ching, the Han Feizi, and countless others, all cried out. "Return." The Righteous Qi, having absorbed the essence of the myriad burned volumes, began its ascent.

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 books, unexpectedly became Lu Yuan's great source of sustenance, forcefully elevating his Righteous Qi to the sixty-ninth layer. Now, the Book Burning and Burying Scholars technique was only superficial; the Heavenly Principles characters had been absorbed.

Feudalism posed no real pressure on him. He had once shattered the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues when dealing with the Vice-Lord of the Ethics Civilization; breaking it again now was even simpler. Such attacks held no difficulty for him anymore.

The time for a formal counterattack had arrived. The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization had unleashed Book Burning and Burying Scholars, the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, Feudalism, and Heavenly Principles. He had cast out his ultimate, most guarded attacks.

Surely, Li Taishi was now doomed to await death. Just as the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization believed he had succeeded this time, a figure stepped out from the flames: Li Taishi. Boom!

Feudalism was shattered! Boom! The Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues were torn asunder!

Boom! This time, the flames ignited by the Boom of Book Burning and Burying Scholars were entirely extinguished! And Heavenly Principles!

Wait, where were the characters Heaven and Principle? The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization was utterly stunned. All four of his ultimate skills had been broken.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly and calmly stated, "Now, it is my turn. Heaven and Earth are vast, but the Great Dao is supreme." Lu Yuan let out a long shout, yet he had already conjured the books into an illusion, instantly trapping the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization within them. The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization roared, "Heaven and Earth are vast, but the Great Dao is supreme; break for me!" Lu Yuan bellowed, "Heaven and Earth are vast, but the Great Dao is supreme; close for me!" The books slammed shut violently.

The first time they met, the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization used his supreme mystical power to forcefully push the books apart, but blood trickled from the corner of his mouth; his Heavenly Principles World had already been destroyed by about ten percent. Lu Yuan, with a slight smile, ignored the man's resistance and continued, using Heaven and Earth are vast, but the Great Dao is supreme, to close the books a second time. The Vice-Lord again forced them open, but the damage sustained was even heavier.

"Struggling? Then struggle on," Lu Yuan said coolly. The third clash of Heaven and Earth are vast, but the Great Dao is supreme, followed by the fourth, the fifth—each time the books closed, the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization suffered increasingly severe injuries, struggling near death.

The sixth clash! The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization clearly lacked the mystical power. No, I cannot die like this!

I am the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization! The seventh clash! The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization's world was shattered by seventy percent.

He roared, utterly unwilling to perish. He mustered his final reserves, launching a desperate assault against the books, but the principles etched upon the volumes were even greater. The eighth clash!

Eighty percent of the Vice-Lord's Heavenly Principles World was annihilated. He understood he was truly dying. What irony—he had only recently defeated his nemesis, the Vice-Lord of the Confucian Civilization, and crushed the Vice-Lord of the Zither Civilization.

On the cusp of complete victory, he failed at the hands of Li Taishi. What irony! Li Taishi was the disciple of the Vice-Lord of the Confucian Civilization.

Could this be some form of karmic cycle? The ninth clash! The Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization knew his end was certain; he was filled with resentment.

The tenth clash! All came to an end. The life of the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization finally reached its terminus here.

Lu Yuan exhaled. Using Heaven and Earth are vast, but the Great Dao is supreme ten times in succession was quite draining, as each resistance from the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization had been substantial. But the opponent was finally resolved.

Those nearby looked at Lu Yuan in astonishment. He had truly killed the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization. Just moments ago, that Vice-Lord had stood there arrogantly, radiating the aura of an omnipotent deity sweeping across heaven and earth, intent on slaughtering everything, only to be undone by Li Taishi.

Such a colossal reversal was hard for them to accept. But victory was finally achieved. The Vice-Lord of the Zither Civilization breathed a sigh of relief; everyone preferred living to dying.

The Vice-Lords of the Three Books and Integrity Civilizations watched Lu Yuan with deep satisfaction. He was the new hope of the Confucian Civilization, achieving what the former Vice-Lord of the Confucian Civilization could not. Kong Ni, Meng Wei, Su Yuemian, and others were moved.

When Li Taishi first entered the Confucian Civilization, he was nowhere near as powerful as they were. In such a short span, he could fell a giant like the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization. This pace of progression was truly aberrant.

The other thirty-odd Gentlemen were also relieved; they would not die. They had survived, survived victoriously, survived with their heads held high. Lu Yuan suddenly smiled faintly.

"Oh, still trying to escape." Lu Yuan shifted in a stride, arriving beside the Vice-Lord of the Thunderstorm Civilization. The Thunderstorm Vice-Lord had sensed the shift in fortunes and was attempting to flee. Lu Yuan's palm descended like a mountain.

The Thunderstorm Vice-Lord summoned his ultimate move, Thunder Extreme Nine Heavens, but Lu Yuan struck him down without mercy. How could a Civilization Vice-Lord from the Third Epoch, already gravely wounded, withstand Lu Yuan's casual blow? The Poison Me Vice-Lord also realized the danger and immediately tried to flee.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly, not pursuing. He raised the Divine Book of Transmission in his hand and unleashed the strongest move associated with that identity: Heaven and Earth are vast, but the Great Dao is supreme. Instantly, the book transformed into an immense force, trapping the Poison Me Vice-Lord within its pages.

With a decisive closure, the Poison Me Vice-Lord, a wounded Vice-Lord of the Fourth Epoch, was slain. Lu Yuan slowly moved again, arriving next to Gu Shi. Gu Shi immediately begged for mercy, "Don't kill me!

Your Confucian Civilization is short of personnel now; I can join you." His current status as a Civilization Vice-Lord made him believe this plea might save his life. Lu Yuan shook his head. "Our Confucian Civilization only requires those of one heart, united as one.

Look up Huashan Immortal Sect on Baidu for updates. You are not one of them, not to mention you previously sought to kill us. Therefore, die." Lu Yuan pressed his palm down, and with that single press, Gu Shi was obliterated.

The former Number One on the Heavenly Ranking, who had sat enthroned for half an Epoch, thus turned to dust. Lu Yuan felt a pang of sentiment; Gu Shi had once been such a lofty figure. Along this path, Lu Yuan had killed five Civilization Realm experts—a full five of them.

After dispatching these five, Lu Yuan collected their spoils, discovering the wealth was immense. Together, these five possessed a total of eight hundred Heavenly-rank Spirit Veins, meaning that, including what he already held, he now possessed nine hundred Heavenly-rank Spirit Veins. There were also Divine Artifacts—two low-tier ones, which were useless to him for now, so he merely stored them temporarily.

There was one mid-tier Divine Artifact, left by the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization: a brush exuding the aura of a mid-tier Divine Artifact. However, Lu Yuan clearly sensed that this brush was insufficient for him to break through to the Eighth Epoch; it still fell slightly short, so he shelved it for the time being. Additionally, there were numerous other items.

For instance, from the Vice-Lord of the Force Storm Civilization, he obtained methods for tempering the physical body. From the Poison Me Vice-Lord, he acquired items to enhance the sword dao of the Azure Civilization. Gu Shi, rather poor, yielded nothing of value—a pity, a pity.

Wait, Gu Shi did possess a key. Look up Huashan Immortal Sect on Baidu for updates. This key carried an aura distinct from Divine Artifacts, inscribed with the character 'Epoch.' He didn't know what it was but decided to keep it, as Gu Shi was one of the earliest beings in this world.

From the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization, Lu Yuan gained insights concerning books and Righteous Qi, which could also be utilized. However, the most crucial acquisitions were the Vice-Lord of the Heavenly Principles Civilization’s own Book of Theorems and the Pen of Truth. These items were bizarre, and Lu Yuan couldn't quite discern their nature, yet he felt their potential ability was too vast.

Lu Yuan began to study the Book of Theorems and the Pen of Truth. The Book of Theorems could be manipulated easily after a brief refinement, and the Pen of Truth was similar. Lu Yuan examined the Book of Theorems, which resembled bamboo slips, and the Pen of Truth, which looked like a wolf-hair brush, commencing his research.

Are these things related to the Iron Law of Cause and Effect? Could they elevate the Iron Law of Cause and Effect to the stage of Slaying the Past—meaning, after someone had fully matured, one could slay their childhood self? Without a childhood, there could naturally be no subsequent infinite power growth.

This was the most potent aspect of the Iron Law of Cause and Effect, yet no one had ever mastered it. As Lu Yuan contemplated this, a seed within the New Sword World suddenly stirred, seeming drawn toward the Book of Theorems and the Pen of Truth. Lu Yuan couldn't help but be surprised.

That seed was from the Minor Destiny Art that Zhou Qingxuan had given him in the past. It was said that once mastered, the Minor Destiny Art could equal half an Iron Law, but he had never found the chance to master it. Now, this seed was moving.

Could it be that this seed was never related to the Iron Law of Cause and Effect, but rather to the Iron Law of Destiny? To progress from Theorem to Truth felt like Destiny compelling things to be so. In that light, a connection to the Iron Law of Destiny was logical.

Perhaps this was his chance to master the Minor Destiny Art. Lu Yuan released the Minor Destiny Art seed. The seed instantly struck the Book of Theorems and the Pen of Truth, creating a change difficult to comprehend.