Besides the twelve figures previously mentioned, four others would also be participating. These four were the Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization from the Nine-and-a-Half Epochs, the Vice-Chief of the Martial Excellence Civilization from the Eight Epochs, the Lord of the Dharma Concealment Civilization from the Nine Epochs, and the Imperial Son of Dharma One from the Nine Epochs. Yes, the Imperial Son of Dharma One was none other than the immense and unparalleled powerhouse, Fali of the Nine Epochs. A gathering of masters, a veritable cloud of experts. There were a total of sixteen figures. No, there should be seventeen figures, as Lu Yuan was also included. Among these seventeen, save for Lu Yuan whose seniority was slightly less established, every other figure was an earth-shattering heavyweight; any casual stomp from them could send the entire Central Celestial Dynasty reeling three times over.

The Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization cleared his throat and began, "Let me briefly explain what the Seventeen-Layer Plan is. The final decisive battle of the Epoch War is about to commence. This decisive battle means a direct confrontation between the two factions, involving countless troops clashing—five Ancient Civilizations against twenty-nine, no, twenty-eight general civilizations." Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a slight confusion. Wasn't a great war supposed to be just a clash between civilizations? Forces below the Civilization level were too far apart in power to make any real difference; why involve the others in a fight?

Seeming to sense Lu Yuan’s confusion, the Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization elaborated, "The battles fought by figures below the Civilization realm are also crucial. There is the concept of the Civilization Weapon—an armament forged by the combined power of all members of a civilization. A Civilization Weapon can unleash destructive power equivalent to the Civilization level, making those below the World Realm significantly important as well." "Precisely because everyone is important, we must research the enemy civilization's methods of breaking laws to prepare our forces for the decisive battle." "The so-called Seventeen-Layer Plan... is prepared specifically targeting the three Ancient Civilizations and fourteen General Civilizations belonging to the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance. It involves researching their civilizational characteristics and devising countermeasures to crack them," stated the Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization. "The more targeted solutions we develop, the better our combat results will be during the final war." "Of course, to be accurate, it shouldn't be called the Seventeen-Layer Plan, but the Twenty-One Layer Plan." The Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization continued, "In addition to the original seventeen civilizations, we have added the Fire Civilization. Furthermore, the Demon Civilization, the Fiend Civilization, and the Evil Sword Civilization from the Lost Land basically stand with the opposition, making this the Twenty-One Layer Plan, targeting twenty-one civilizations."

He had now explained the Twenty-One Layer Plan with absolute clarity. Lu Yuan listened and understood perfectly. In essence, it was about targeted research to prepare for the decisive battle. This was the Twenty-One Layer Plan! A plan of utmost and profound importance.

The Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization clapped his hands, and in the darkness ahead, twenty-one doors appeared. On each door, a name was displayed: one door read 'Desolate Ancient Civilization,' another read 'Fox Civilization,' and yet another read 'Thunder Civilization,' and so on. "Behind these twenty-one doors lie the characteristics of the opponent's twenty-one civilizations. Each door has a completion status, and you can choose to exit any door at any time," said the Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization. "And if you make a breakthrough contribution, finding more methods to restrain the enemy civilization, you will be rewarded with Divine Artifacts and other prizes, including Mid-Tier Divine Artifacts," the Vice-Chief added.

The number of participants in this Twenty-One Layer Plan totaled only seventeen. It seemed truly few, but these seventeen individuals were overwhelmingly formidable—seventeen people carrying far more might than seventeen billion. Moreover, this was a critically important phase in preparing for the decisive battle. Among this group of seventeen, the two strongest were the Vice-Chief of the Martial Saint Civilization and the Vice-Chief of the Celestial Mother Civilization, both possessing the power level of the Nine-and-a-Half Epochs. The others were mostly centered around the Eight and Nine Epochs. Relatively speaking, Lu Yuan possessed the weakest cultivation base, currently only at the Seven Epochs level. The Twenty-One Layer Plan was about to begin.

However, there was a brief pause because the intelligence system delivered a message stating that the allied forces of the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance were expected to make a move soon, requiring analysis by the Supreme Operations Room. This was top-tier intelligence, demanding immediate prioritization. Such analytical work naturally did not fall to Lu Yuan, as he was not skilled in it; thus, he temporarily sat aside to amuse himself.

Lu Yuan actually found the combat operations within the Central Celestial Dynasty to be highly formalized—practically over-formalized, far more so than what he experienced on Mount Hua. Look at this: the Last Operations Room, responsible for combat analysis, from which all orders were issued. Then there was the Intelligence System, centrally controlling all data—a massive system in itself. There was also the Assassination System, an independent and formidable entity. He had heard there were various other systems; this level of warfare was immensely professional, something the fighting in the Jin Kingdom utterly lacked.

As Lu Yuan pondered, he picked up a bottle of wine and began to drink heartily. The wine was 'Light Breeze Wine,' acquired from the Vice-Chief of the Wind Scar Civilization. The Wind Civilization had two signature wines. One was Light Breeze Wine, which felt like a gentle breeze caressing the face as it went down, possessing a mild and comfortable flavor. The other was 'Storm Wine.' Storm Wine was truly fierce; its taste struck like a tempest. Only true alcoholics dared to drink such a brew.

Sipping the Light Breeze Wine, Lu Yuan ambled about, observing the Supreme Operations Room. Besides the twenty-one doors, the room was immensely vast. As he walked, he bumped into a silver-haired, handsome man. This silver-haired, sword-bearing handsome man lightly brushed back his hair: "Lu Yuan, greetings." Lu Yuan recognized him as the Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization, whom he had met only recently. He smiled faintly, "Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization, greetings." The Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization said coolly, "I was the Second Son of Destiny from the previous epoch." Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned. The Second Son of Destiny from the previous epoch! No wonder he was so formidable. He heard this man was born near the end of the previous epoch and had already reached the Ninth Epoch—his reputation was certainly earned. Lu Yuan asked with some curiosity, "If you were the Second Son of Destiny of the last epoch, then the First Son, the Epoch Son, where is he?" "The Epoch Son is dead," the Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization stated flatly. "Dead?" Lu Yuan was truly taken aback. Dead? Well, Lu Yuan genuinely hadn't processed that information. "Yes, dead," the Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization nodded. "Epoch Sons can die. This world is vast, hiding many supreme masters. It’s normal for an Epoch Son to die due to excessive pride and arrogance." Such a simple reply. Lu Yuan found this answer acceptable now; indeed, anyone could perish, accidents could happen. Otherwise, too many figures at the peak of strength wouldn't be constantly dreaming of the Gate of Eternity.

The Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization spoke calmly, "I am the Second Son of Destiny of the previous epoch. You are heralded as the Eighth Son of Destiny of this epoch, but in reality, you should be this epoch's Second Son of Destiny. Thus, our statuses are quite similar. I am very eager to see how you, the Second Son of Destiny of this epoch, compare to me. We shall see who performs better in this Twenty-One Layer Plan, and who performs better in the future decisive battle." Lu Yuan felt a monumental surge of fighting spirit ignited by the Ice Civilization Vice-Chief's challenge: "Good, let's compete." In this age, when the spring breeze blows and war drums sound, who fears whom in a real fight? The Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization nodded slightly, spoke no more, and walked away with his hands behind his back. ......

Lu Yuan hadn't taken many steps before he encountered another figure: a noble, middle-aged man in purple robes—the Vice-Chief of the Dragon Civilization. Where the Ice Civilization Vice-Chief’s voice was cold and stern, the Dragon Civilization Vice-Chief’s voice was mighty and profound. The Dragon Civilization Vice-Chief stood with his hands behind his back and spoke, "Lu Yuan, I bring a message for you from Ancestral Dragon." Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned. Ancestral Dragon! Ancestral Dragon—wasn't he rumored to have been missing for ages? And now, news from Ancestral Dragon himself. Ancestral Dragon was one of the most formidable figures over the past twenty epochs. But then again, the Vice-Chief of the Dragon Civilization was the head of that civilization, which Ancestral Dragon himself founded. Therefore, it was entirely normal for Ancestral Dragon to instruct him to pass a message to Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan politely clasped his hands: "May I inquire about the matter?" The Vice-Chief of the Dragon Civilization said, "Ancestral Dragon wishes to find a true successor. One must be chosen between you and me. According to Ancestral Dragon, the cultivation technique you practice was created by him." The Formless Devouring Art—Lu Yuan certainly understood this point. A fierce fighting spirit flared in the eyes of the Dragon Civilization Vice-Chief: "Ancestral Dragon's condition is based on this Twenty-One Layer Plan... through to the decisive battle. We will see which of us performs better to determine Ancestral Dragon's true heir. I am determined to claim the title of Ancestral Dragon's true successor." So that was it! Lu Yuan finally understood. Ancestral Dragon had been watching him all along and intended to cultivate him as his true successor—that was rather interesting. Excellent! Lu Yuan let out a long cry: "Vice-Chief of the Dragon Civilization, let us clash!" By this point, Lu Yuan’s fighting blood had been thoroughly roused by both the Vice-Chief of the Ice Civilization and the Vice-Chief of the Dragon Civilization. Truly, when the spring breeze blows and war drums sound in this age, who fears whom in a real fight? Meanwhile, Imperial Son of Dharma One and the others had already thoroughly analyzed the recent troop movements of the Desolate Immortal Buddha Alliance—it appeared to be a deliberate feint. After settling this matter, the Twenty-One Layer Plan officially commenced. While the plan could theoretically start at any time, having all seventeen people begin simultaneously would provide greater stimulation, more easily stirring up fighting spirit, and thus better facilitate the cracking of the enemy’s twenty-one civilizations. (Second update delivered, please subscribe, please vote for monthly tickets.) (To be continued.)