The Eternal Layer of the Star Domain Gate possessed truly boundless might. The phantom image of that Gate of Eternity reigned supreme over all things.

These lights were on the verge of extinguishing.

But then, the Nine Great Iron Laws and the Twelve Great Limit Skills instantly fused with the Iron Law of Fate. Although it was only thirty percent of the Iron Law of Fate, it still wielded extraordinary power. Among the top three entities in the Heaven and Earth ranking, the first was the Gate of Eternity, the second was the Iron Law of Fate, and the third was the Dao Character. While the latter two did not possess the same might as the first, they were nevertheless formidable.

And the countless vestiges of inebriation and righteousness surged to empower that seventy-percent clone of the Dao Character.

The seventy-percent Dao Character clone, coupled with the thirty-percent Iron Law of Fate, collided with the true body of the Gate of Eternity. Naturally, they should have been instantly snuffed out like a candle in the wind, but when they met the phantom image of the Gate of Eternity, they erupted with immensely powerful force, transforming into an attack of extreme intensity that struck heavily against the Gate of Eternity's illusion.

What a sharp sword!

This very sword actually smashed through the fourth layer, the Eternal Layer, and continued its trajectory.

The sword was at the starting point of the Eternal Layer.

The sword was one-third through the Eternal Layer.

The sword was two-thirds through the Eternal Layer.

The pressure mounted, yet now the Dao Character clone and the Iron Law of Fate were unleashing their utmost power.

Boom!

The sword struck the very end of the Eternal Layer.

It had reached this point!

Lu Yuan felt that upon reaching the final limit of the Eternal Layer, the phantom image of the Gate of Eternity erupted with unimaginable power. This final impact was the hardest to breach. The strength in his sword was completely spent; he couldn't push through. He was agonizingly close, short by the merest fraction—was he truly to be halted at this last sliver?

Wait, he still had one thing unused.

The Power of Eternity—he possessed a measure of ninety percent of that very power.

The Power of Eternity was poured onto the sword, joining the might of the Dao Character clone and the Iron Law of Fate.

This confluence of powers, never before witnessed, erupted from Lu Yuan in a color never before seen. This hue was not one of the original seven, nor the eighth color, Chaos Color; it was an entirely novel shade. This color held the feeling of the essence of Heaven and Earth enveloping all things, yet simultaneously seeming to be nothing at all.

"This does not belong to the eighth color, the Chaos Color," stated Prince Fa Yi. "Could it be the ninth color, the Color of Eternity?"

Rumor held that nine colors existed in the cosmos, the ninth being the Color of Eternity.

And the Color of Eternity was rumored to be the ultimate color.

The Deputy Master of the Martial Saint Civilization nodded. "Yes, what Lu Yuan emits is the ninth color, the Color of Eternity—the color of the Gate of Eternity. However, his Color of Eternity seems somewhat disjointed."

At this moment, the Deputy Master of the Heavenly Mother Civilization, a veteran steeped in knowledge, startled slightly. "I fear it is more than just the Color of Eternity. And those stray hues are not chaotic. Those hues seem to have fused with power of the highest order, power no less than the Color of Eternity, perhaps even..." She harbored certain estimations, but these were too earth-shattering to utter. To speak them aloud would likely convince no one, perhaps not even herself, for she vaguely suspected the tenth color might be emerging. Never mind. If it truly was that, Lu Yuan's future achievements would be unimaginably vast, terrifying in their scope.

As Lu Yuan’s entire being erupted with inconceivable strength, with a resounding crash, the Eternal Layer of the fourth layer dissolved into fragments of starlight.

Yes, the Eternal Layer of the fourth layer was shattered!

With that single sword strike, Lu Yuan had pierced through four layers of the Gate of Eternity.

He had succeeded!

This time, Lu Yuan formally ascended from the rank of Epoch Genius to the echelon of Eternal Genius.

Throughout countless epochs, only three individuals had succeeded in breaking through the Star Domain Gate at the level of Civilization Deputy Master to enter the Eternal Star Domain. Now, the fourth had finally emerged. Countless eyes watched Lu Yuan. Yan Cangtian pondered thoughtfully. The Deputy Master of the Ice Civilization displayed admiration for Lu Yuan for the first time. Zhou Qingxuan drew his erhu (two-stringed fiddle), Prince Fa Yi stood in a daze, the Deputy Master of the Medicine Civilization stroked his beard and smiled, the Deputy Master of the Array Civilization’s face fell dramatically. The Deputy Master of the Arrow Civilization had originally intended to find an opportunity later to assassinate Lu Yuan—even if he failed to kill Lu Yuan, assassinating some members of the Sword Civilization was a sure thing. After Yan Cangtian intervened, he only considered Yan Cangtian and Lu Yuan of the Sword Civilization too formidable to provoke, believing Zhou Qingxuan was someone he could trifle with. Now, the Deputy Master of the Arrow Civilization had only one thought: Lu Yuan was untouchable, terrifyingly so. Furthermore, everyone now understood one thing: a new Lord of Civilization would soon appear in this world.

Since Lu Yuan had pierced the fourth layer of the Star Domain Gate, he was certain to enter the Eternal Star Domain and become a Lord of Civilization.

The infinite starlight generated by the Star Domain Gate coiled like a long serpent and flowed into Lu Yuan’s finger. As Lu Yuan internally processed this, he knew from this moment forward he could enter and exit the Eternal Star Domain freely. Lu Yuan looked ahead; in fact, everyone looked ahead. Before them lay the territory of the Eternal Star Domain. Everyone yearned to glimpse what the Eternal Star Domain truly looked like. Strangely, all influence from the Eternal Star Domain was unable to reach the outside world; it would completely annihilate upon exiting. Thus, even individuals at the nine-epoch or nine-and-a-half-epoch levels had never seen the appearance of the Eternal Star Domain. What they saw ahead was a world brimming with profound mystery, seeming to exude an aura of immortality everywhere—an aura positioned slightly higher than the aura of the Epochs. Merely gazing upon it allowed some to achieve minor enlightenment. But in an instant, a new Star Domain Gate materialized, obscuring the view from the crowd.

After a long pause, the crowd came to their senses, feeling a strange sense of loss.

Lu Yuan himself was impatient to rush into the Eternal Star Domain and elevate his strength to that of a Lord of Civilization. However, one matter needed tending to first. Lu Yuan turned to Zhou Qingxuan. "Senior Brother Zhou, I entrust the Seal of True Desolation to your management." His journey to the Eternal Star Domain was to contend for the pinnacle of power. Though he claimed to be a free spirit, harboring no ambition was impossible. He might spend countless ages in the Eternal Star Domain, and if the people of the Sword Civilization needed to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation of the Sword, he might not return. Thus, entrusting its management to Zhou Qingxuan was prudent. As for Senior Brother Yan Cangtian, asking him to oversee such meticulous matters was likely a pipe dream.

Yan Cangtian suddenly spoke up. "Right, when I killed the Deputy Master of the Evil Sword Civilization, I obtained an item, but I forgot to give it to you while I was cultivating." He casually reached out, sending an object flying toward Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan immediately caught it, realizing it was a map to the Ancient Sword Master's Tomb. He had already collected five such maps; this made it the sixth.

"Then, farewell."

Having settled all necessary affairs, Lu Yuan waved to the crowd and stepped into the Eternal Star Domain, where the absolute opportunity to attain the rank of Lord of Civilization awaited him. Meanwhile, amid the rushing sounds, several figures arrived. These were Yuan Shi Tianzun and Ling Bao Tianzun from the Immortal Ancient Civilization, and Zhun Ti Daoist and Bodhi Daoist from the Buddhist Ancient Civilization, arriving together.

These individuals were slightly late due to other commitments, and by now, Lu Yuan had already entered the Eternal Star Domain.

Currently, the Immortal Ancient and Buddhist Ancient Civilizations maintained a hostile stance toward the civilization remaining in the Central Heavenly Court. Thus, no pleasantries were exchanged; they only offered brief courtesies to the Deputy Masters of the Arrow Civilization and the Array Civilization.

Zhun Ti Daoist spoke first. "Let me go first." Zhun Ti Daoist possessed considerable strength. His body transformed, glowing with golden light—this was his Glazed Golden Body, a Buddhist technique nearly as potent as the Pangu Golden Body. Zhun Ti Daoist raised his hand and produced a bamboo stalk. The stalk was deep azure, the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo, a supreme innate spiritual treasure of the Buddhist school.

The moment the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo was manifested, Zhun Ti Daoist struck with his full power. Instantly, the bamboo pierced into the Star Domain Gate. Under the force of Zhun Ti Daoist’s attack, the first layer of the Star Domain Gate shattered with a bang. However, it only managed to break the first layer, getting stuck at the Central Layer of the second tier, unable to advance further.

Zhun Ti Daoist managed a wry smile. "It seems this is the extent of my power." In truth, this was an excellent result, as the Buddhist school was never known for its offensive capabilities.

Next was Bodhi Daoist. His offensive capability was slightly inferior even to Zhun Ti Daoist’s. He only managed to penetrate halfway through the first layer, the Lost Layer, before stopping, unable to enter the second layer.

It was then the turn of Ling Bao Tianzun. Ling Bao Tianzun activated his boundless array of magic treasures. Instantly, ten thousand treasures appeared in the sky, coalescing into a stream of pure treasure energy. Purely in terms of utilizing magic treasures, Ling Bao Tianzun surpassed even the Treasure Civilization, though the Treasure Civilization possessed certain secret arts unknown to him.

The treasure energy of the ten thousand artifacts condensed into a single current and blasted toward the Star Domain Gate. With a thunderous sound, the Lost Layer shattered into starlight. Ling Bao Tianzun's attack plunged into the starting point of the Central Layer of the second tier before getting stuck. Ling Bao Tianzun recalled his power; for him, this achievement was neither outstanding nor poor.

Finally, it was Yuan Shi Tianzun’s turn to act. Yuan Shi Tianzun’s robes fluttered as if moved by an unseen wind. Simultaneously, he raised a banner above his head—a massive banner imprinted with a faint phantom image. This image was indistinct, without color or form, yet it seemed to embody the very limit of force and ferocity. Upon seeing this phantom, the eyes of the Deputy Master of the Axe Civilization sharpened. This was the Pangu Banner, an artifact once wielded by Pangu himself, tragically now in Yuan Shi Tianzun's possession.

Yuan Shi Tianzun let out a sharp roar: "Break!"

As his shout ended, a massive boom followed. The Lost Layer shattered into starlight.

With another resonant shout, the Pangu Banner struck the final point of the Central Layer of the second tier before being halted.

This result was quite good!

Yuan Shi Tianzun could feel his strength rising. This time, he felt he was only a hair's breadth away from reaching the third layer, the Eternal Layer. Yuan Shi Tianzun casually asked the Deputy Master of the Array Civilization, "Who achieved the best result this time? Was it reaching the end of the second layer?"

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