Amidst the void of heaven and earth, Lu Yuan stood alone. The distant stars, though immensely vast. Yet Lu Yuan knew he could shatter them with a casual flick of a finger. This was true, undeniable power. Not far off, a black hole seemed to be devouring something. Lu Yuan saw someone about to be sucked in, and in that instant, he flicked a finger. The speed of this strike surpassed light itself. Boom! The black hole shattered.

Lu Yuan sat down, taking the two High Heaven-rank divine artifacts acquired from the Lord of the Desolate Dao Civilization into his hands. He promptly swallowed them down. Boom! At this moment, the connection to the Gate of Eternity vanished, yet Lu Yuan could feel his mana ascend to another echelon, reaching the Nineteenth Epoch. The Nineteenth Epoch. Excellent. Lu Yuan believed that even if the Lord of the Undying Civilization—that entity famed for never truly dying—faced him head-on now, he could still blast him into dust. Even the Lord of the Lost Civilization, a figure he had never encountered, Lu Yuan felt confident he could slay. This was his current self-assurance. Lu Yuan estimated his current strength to rank second in all of existence, second only to the Lord of the Primeval Eternity.

Right, there was one more advantage he hadn't claimed. Lu Yuan's sword steps shot him swiftly to a certain location. This place housed nineteen layers of mechanisms, each terrifyingly formidable. This was the very place the Lord of the Desolate True Civilization had dared not tread in his time. Within it resided the True Eye, one of the ten segments of the Iron Rule of Destiny. These nineteen layers of mechanisms had given even the Fourteenth Epoch Lord of the Desolate True Civilization pause, demanding utmost caution. But to the present Lu Yuan, what were they? He breached them effortlessly, seizing the eyeball, starkly divided into black and white. The Eye of Truth. White represented reality; black represented nothingness. More accurately, the Eye of Reality and Nothingness. According to the memories inherited from the Lord of the Desolate True Civilization, this was one segment of the Iron Rule of Destiny. But after Lu Yuan obtained the black and white orb, he realized it was not one segment, but two. One was Truth, the other, Nothingness. Whether Truth or Nothingness, both were ultimately Destiny itself. Thus, Lu Yuan now possessed six of the ten segments of the Iron Rule of Destiny: Truth, Theorem, Heavenly Mandate, Reality, Nothingness, and Defiance.

His Dao Word Avatar had advanced to seventy percent completion. His Eternal Might was at twenty percent. This power was immense, yet clearly insufficient to contend with that bald figure from the Primeval Era. Where else could he elevate his strength? Lu Yuan was not considering reuniting with family, friends, or fellow disciples right now. Time was life; the priority was a rapid surge in power. Only by defeating that bald man of the Primeval Era could he secure boundless time for leisurely pursuits later.

How should he devise a strategy to face the Lord of the Primeval Eternity? In this era, the three strongest entities were the Gate of Eternity, the Iron Rule of Destiny, and the Dao Word. Currently, the Primeval Lord had merged with the Gate of Eternity, achieving invincibility across heaven and earth—attaining Eternity. If that were the case, could he, by merging the Iron Rule of Destiny and the Dao Word, stand against the Eternal Lord? This seemed to be the only conceivable path.

Lu Yuan had recently heard a tale: in the past, the Lord of the Primeval Eternity shattered the Gate of Characters to seize the Dao Word, the first character of the myriad heavens, only for the Dao Word to escape. Could he possibly locate that Dao Word now? Lu Yuan pondered, activating his seventy-percent Dao Word Avatar, intending to use the clone to sense the main body and locate the true Dao Word. However, this alone was insufficient.

Lu Yuan then activated the six segments of the Iron Rule of Destiny: "Oh, ephemeral destiny, seek the true body of the Dao Word." The Iron Rule of Destiny erupted instantly. At this moment, Lu Yuan vaguely sensed the location of the true Dao Word's essence. He immediately flew toward it, employing his fastest sword steps. Preparation for the final decisive battle demanded haste—faster, even faster.

Lu Yuan's speed skyrocketed as he flew onward. After an immeasurable period of flight, Lu Yuan faintly sensed the presence of the Dao Word Avatar ahead. This location was deep within the Lost Lands. Although the Lost Lands had submitted to the Imperial Dynasty and obeyed the rule of the Primeval Dynasty, the environment remained largely unchanged. The true ruler here was the Lord of the Lost Civilization of the Primeval Dynasty, another entity of the Nineteenth Epoch. Others who refused submission, like the Lord of the Underworld Civilization and that "Light God," had all been suppressed and dealt with. Disobedience meant death; this had always been the creed of the Primeval Dynasty.

Lu Yuan flew straight ahead. The Dao Word's true form seemed to be right there. Yes, precisely there. Wait, there was another person there—an overwhelmingly powerful figure, standing about a zhang tall, exceptionally lean, yet radiating vibrant energy. He wore robes of myriad colors, his eyes possessing a demonic allure; a single glance would cause one to lose themselves entirely within those pupils. His entire body exuded a potent aura, intertwined with an energy of confusion and loss. He lay in wait, silently observing, also hunting the true body of the Dao Word, Lu Yuan judged in an instant. Moreover, this person seemed extensively prepared; Lu Yuan sensed that within a radius of ten thousand li, he had laid down nine hundred and ninety-nine layers of mechanisms, primarily traps designed for entanglement. Clearly, he had prepared for a long time. In the void above, the true body of the Dao Word struggled. The true body of the Dao Word was an immensely powerful primordial character; once mastered, it could unleash unimaginable strength. However, its innate combat capability, when unmastered, was less potent than that of a Nineteenth Epoch entity, falling slightly short. Of course, the true Dao Word understood all laws and possessed endless means of escape. But now, the true Dao Word was tightly bound within innumerable vast nets. The light of the Dao Word flickered amidst the endless webbing.

"The true body of the Dao Word, I finally have you, hahahaha!" The middle-aged man of the Nineteenth Epoch, whose being exuded that alluring, confusing essence of the Lost, usually devoid of strong emotion, could not help but feel an extreme surge of triumph upon grasping the true Dao Word. This individual was none other than the Lord of the Lost Civilization. The Lord of the Lost Civilization was a highly capable, resourceful, and mysterious lord of a civilization. When the Lord of the Primeval Eternity first conquered the Lost Lands, the Lord of the Lost Civilization had no choice but to submit. When the Lord of the Primeval Eternity shattered the Gate of Characters to capture the true Dao Word, the Lord of the Lost Civilization used a unique secret technique to leave behind traces of the Dao Word's essence. From that point onward, the Lord of the Lost Civilization began tracking the true Dao Word; this pursuit spanned over four hundred years. As a figure known for his secrecy, this lord rarely appeared, so his lengthy four-century chase did not arouse suspicion. For such an entity to nearly capture the true Dao Word after four centuries was remarkable.

And Lu Yuan arrived at this very moment. Just as the Lord of the Lost Civilization was preparing to subdue the true Dao Word, he suddenly sensed an intrusion within a twenty-thousand-li radius. He started, unwilling to risk any error at this critical juncture. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, he first paused, then immediately showed an expression of suspicion, finally confirming: "You are Lu Yuan." He did not phrase it as a question; it was a certainty. Although Lu Yuan hadn't shown himself for five hundred years and the Lord of the Lost Civilization had never met him, Lu Yuan ranked second on the wanted list, and the Primeval Dynasty frequently studied his profile, allowing for instant recognition.

After acknowledging Lu Yuan, he relaxed. A mere Lu Yuan. Records from five centuries prior placed Lu Yuan at the Fourteenth Epoch. Even with five centuries of improvement, he might reach the Fifteenth or Sixteenth Epoch, but certainly not a match for a seasoned expert of the Nineteenth Epoch. "Lu Yuan, we have no enmity. As long as you do not interfere with my affairs, leave immediately. I shall pretend I saw nothing. I don't concern myself much with the Primeval Dynasty's wanted lists."

The Lord of the Lost Civilization smiled and continued, "My joining the Primeval Dynasty was out of necessity. Had I refused back then, the Lord of the Primeval Eternity would have surely killed me. I am old, I cherish my life, and I wish to survive, so I submitted. But in truth, I offered only token service." While explaining, the Lord of the Lost Civilization was secretly circulating one of his divine abilities, called the Blade of Loss. It was the ultimate technique for assassination, instantly lodging itself within the opponent's body without any prior sensation—thousands of times superior to the assassination methods of the Star Civilization or Night Civilization.

The Lord of the Lost Civilization had indeed offered only minimal effort to the Primeval Dynasty. However, Lu Yuan witnessed him seizing the true Dao Word. This intelligence could not be revealed, or countless others would rush to seize it, with the Lord of the Primeval Eternity being the first. To prevent the news from leaking, the Lord of the Lost Civilization needed Lu Yuan dead. Only the dead cannot reveal secrets. The entire pretense and conversation from the Lord of the Lost Civilization had only one goal: to deceive Lu Yuan. Indeed, Lu Yuan was momentarily fooled.

The Lord of the Lost Civilization instantly unleashed the Blade of Loss, piercing Lu Yuan in an instant. The Blade of Loss, carrying the essence of loss and bewilderment, tore through Lu Yuan's heart. The Lord of the Lost Civilization laughed triumphantly, "Lu Yuan, die! You have only yourself to blame for witnessing my actions." Just as the Lord of the Lost Civilization reveled in his success, he felt a thin, long divine sword thrusting toward his heart. In a flurry of panicked evasion, he managed only to deflect it, grazing his shoulder, inflicting a non-trivial injury instantly. Someone else? No—the attacker was unmistakably Lu Yuan. Shouldn't Lu Yuan have perished from the strike of the Blade of Loss? No, Fleeting Life Like a Dream. The technique Lu Yuan used just now must have been Fleeting Life Like a Dream.

The Lord of the Lost Civilization realized he had miscalculated. In attempting to kill Lu Yuan, he had been outmaneuvered, sustaining serious injury and suffering a minor loss. While Lu Yuan and the Lord of the Lost Civilization battled, the true body of the Dao Word, still bound by nets in the distance, continued to pulse. The situation was now clear: whoever won would claim the true Dao Word.

(Second update delivered. Still published very early today. Continuing to recommend my new book, Martial God Invincible.)