This strike of the sword! It carried the endless, carefree essence of a wandering cloud or a wild crane. It was just like that white cloud.

Up to this point, among all the moves displayed, this one possessed the least trace of worldly dust. The First Layer of the Star Domain Gate, the Lost Layer, shattered instantly; it could not endure even a single breath beneath this sword. So fast!

The First Lost Layer was already quite difficult, having stumped quite a few figures from the Nine Epochs. The Star Domain Gate suddenly broke through one layer, and specks of starlight drifted out. Lu Yuan gained some insight in this instant; he had learned some Sword Techniques long lost deep within the Lost Lands.

These sword techniques came from an unknown origin beyond what was lost. Lu Yuan vaguely felt that mastering these techniques added to his capital for eventually forging Sword Eleven. Lu Yuan’s elegant sword strike continued forward, and what blocked his path was the Central Layer.

The Central Layer was exceedingly difficult; very, very few people could break through it. As Lu Yuan’s sword light arrived, boom! Countless starlights scattered.

Could such a formidable barrier as the Central Layer be broken so easily? Those in the Lost Lands who had not witnessed Lu Yuan's power before now gasped in cold air. Even those from the Central Dynasty, who already knew of Lu Yuan's might, had not anticipated he would be this powerful.

Up to this point, only two people had managed to shatter the first two layers: the Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization and Yan Cangtian. Everyone else was either stuck at the first layer or the second. Even for Yan Cangtian and the Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization, two individuals of astonishing genius, breaking the second layer had been arduous; they had finally managed to push through with great difficulty.

Where was their struggle compared to Lu Yuan’s nonchalance? Moreover, both of them stalled at the starting point of the third layer, the Eternal Layer. What would Lu Yuan do?

Lu Yuan now felt the increase in the Iron Laws. Originally, the Iron Law of Force comprised the four great fundamental forces of the universe: the Strong Force, the Weak Force, Electromagnetism, and Gravity. He had mastered two of these great forces and still lacked two others.

Now, after shattering the second layer, the Iron Law of Force was formally complete; he had mastered all parts. This meant that among the ten existing Iron Laws, he had mastered nine. The First Iron Law, the Law of Destiny, had also reached about thirty percent mastery.

And ahead lay the third layer: the Eternal Layer. The formidable nature of the Eternal Layer had already been proven to everyone. Even world-shocking talents like the Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization and Yan Cangtian could not advance beyond the threshold of the Eternal Layer.

Now, Lu Yuan stood before the Eternal Layer as well. The Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization and Yan Cangtian, who had been engaged in nearly a thousand exchanges without settling a victor, had since come to the Star Domain Gate. As fighting was forbidden at the Gate, they had moved farther away earlier, but now they returned.

The Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization’s gaze was incredibly sharp: “Lu Yuan, the Eternal Layer. How will you break it?” Yan Cangtian also looked towards Lu Yuan with interest. He wanted to see if Lu Yuan had truly surpassed him.

Entrusting Mount Hua to Lu Yuan back then was indeed the right choice; this was a person who gave him great anticipation. Lu Yuan straightened his posture and thrust his sword toward the Eternal Layer. Within the Eternal Layer resided endless subtle arts.

A significant portion of these subtle arts originated from the Central Dynasty or were defensive techniques from various civilizations across the myriad Lost Lands. They were all supreme defensive arts of every kind, and these defensive arts intertwined to form even greater defensive techniques. It was no wonder Yan Cangtian and the Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization could not break through this layer.

Lu Yuan had participated in the Twenty-One Plan and possessed considerable knowledge of the defensive arts of the major civilizations. Although these defensive arts tangled together to generate greater power, they could not hide beneath the Myriad Forms of All-Encompassing Phenomena. Lu Yuan’s sword was temporarily halted.

The moment the sword paused, infinite power surged from the void, attempting to push his sword away. But Lu Yuan forcefully stabilized it with the sword. The Myriad Forms of All-Encompassing Phenomena spun rapidly, simultaneously learning the defensive techniques within, mastering and then breaking them, all accomplished in a very short time.

Lu Yuan’s mind operated at its highest speed. After a moment, he exhaled. He had learned enough.

The Civilization of Thievery had not been destroyed in the ultimate final battle; after its collapse, Lu Yuan had visited the Civilization of Thievery and obtained a copy of the True Scripture of Thievery. By studying this scripture, the Myriad Forms of All-Encompassing Phenomena received considerable enhancement. Lu Yuan’s sword had been stuck at the starting point of the third layer, the Eternal Layer, for some time now.

“To hold his sword stationary at the threshold of the Eternal Layer, Lu Yuan possesses such formidable magical power.” “Indeed, getting stuck at the third layer is no small feat; the Eternal Layer exerts immense counter-force.” “But merely holding still is not the solution. This counter-force will only grow stronger. It seems Lu Yuan can only advance as far as the starting point of the Eternal Layer.” “His achievement should be the same as Yan Cangtian’s and the Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization’s.” “Of course, such an achievement is already excellent.” Some people were whispering, but Emperor Fa Yi, Yan Cangtian, Zhou Qingxuan, the Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization, and the Vice-Master of the Dragon Civilization were all exceptionally focused.

They had either fought Lu Yuan or were closely associated with him and did not believe Lu Yuan would stop here. The sword moved! This sword suddenly stirred, slicing against the rising tide.

A single sword stroke was unleashed. Hwa! Innumerable starlights shattered!

In an instant, truly in just one moment, the third layer, the Eternal Layer, was completely obliterated, turning into countless fragments of starlight. How powerful! Lu Yuan’s performance now made the figures from the Nine Epochs and Nine Half-Epochs gasp in awe.

Who could have imagined that the notoriously solid Eternal Layer would shatter so effortlessly? The Star Domain Gate now appeared quite thin, with only the last layer remaining: the Constant Layer. But even with only the final Constant Layer left, it inspired deep dread, as the Constant Layer itself was historically the most difficult one; only three individuals in countless epochs had managed to break through it.

Lu Yuan, at present, was merely a genius of an Epoch. If he could break through, he would become an Eternal Genius. The concept of an Epoch Genius versus an Eternal Genius was entirely different.

However, achieving the rank of Eternal Genius, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Zu Long (Ancestor Dragon), was no simple task. The Constant Layer stood before Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan, one man with one sword, stood before the Constant Layer.

Only upon reaching it did he sense the layer’s terror—a profound, deep-seated pressure bearing down upon him, as if demanding his immediate demise. Looking at the Constant Layer, Lu Yuan suddenly recalled an image—the ultimate diagram shown by the Vice-Master of the Diagram Civilization. The true form of the Constant Layer revealed itself before Lu Yuan.

Yes, this was an afterimage of the Gate of Eternity (Yongheng Zhi Men). In terms of power, it was far superior to the ultimate diagram of the Vice-Master of the Diagram Civilization. Facing the supreme power of the Gate of Eternity, Lu Yuan felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him.

This was merely an afterimage of the Gate of Eternity, yet it possessed such immense power. Lu Yuan felt his hand freeze beneath the shadow of the Gate of Eternity; his eyes were also frozen. His techniques seemed utterly useless now, and even his mind felt compelled to stop.

Everything about him seemed about to come to a standstill. Only the static exists eternally. Eternity, by its nature, can freeze everything.

Lu Yuan was frozen, even his very thoughts threatening to cease. At this moment, a massive force surged toward Lu Yuan from within the Constant Layer, attempting to eject him. The Fourth Layer was not easily breached.

If the Eternal Layer was a postnatal obstruction, the culmination of countless later-era defensive arts, then the Constant Layer represented defenses from the prenatal era—'prenatal' here meaning preceding eternity itself. Since very few had ever reached the Fourth Layer, many had only heard tales of the Constant Layer without ever seeing its true face. Under these circumstances, they now (starkly realized) that this was the Constant Layer: an afterimage of the Gate of Eternity.

Everyone sucked in a cold breath—how could one break through the afterimage of the Gate of Eternity? Freezing everything, even the very thought process of the mind? Was Zu Long’s achievement back then truly so magnificent?

The gulf between an Eternal Genius and an Epoch Genius was indeed vastly different. Even the usually arrogant Vice-Master of the Ice Civilization was struck with a loss of confidence. He never believed anyone could far surpass him; he felt he could chase down both the Son of Desolation and Lu Yuan, but now he recognized a fundamental disparity between an Eternal Genius and an Epoch Genius.

Of course, his hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his blade. Yan Cangtian’s hand unconsciously moved to his sword hilt! And then, before the Fourth Layer, Lu Yuan’s mind shifted slightly.

This was the movement of the Tree of the Sword Dao. The Tree of the Sword Dao in the New Sword World had long grown into a towering presence, far larger than the original version. The Tree of the Sword Dao was filled with sharp, vigorous life force; this tree had been nourished by numerous texts and even the words of the Dao.

Under the grip of absolute freezing, the Tree of Life exhaled a momentary burst of vitality, a split-second clarity that jolted Lu Yuan’s mind awake. Seizing this fleeting moment of lucidity, Lu Yuan furiously channeled all his power into this single sword strike. The Nine Iron Laws, appear!

Three-tenths of the Iron Law of Destiny, the Axiom, the Truth, and the Mandate of Heaven, appear! The limits of the Twelve Great Moves, appear! Seventy percent of the Dao-Word Avatars, appear!

Innumerable states of inebriation, appear! Righteous Qi, appear! Lu Yuan struck out with everything he possessed in that single instant!

He staked everything on this one sword. The Nine Iron Laws and the limits of the Twelve Great Moves, Righteous Qi, and Inebriation seemed on the verge of being extinguished upon collision with the afterimage of the Gate of Eternity. The shadow of the Gate of Eternity was too powerful, freezing all directions, all worlds, all living beings—everything.

(First update delivered.)

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