Meanwhile, Lu Yuan swiftly charged towards the Passage of Fate.

Boom.

Lu Yuan struck the Passage of Fate with his sword.

The Passage of Fate remained utterly still.

What was happening?

"Hahaha, three lives, three worlds, fascinating, truly fascinating. I must have a good long struggle with this Array of Three Lives and Three Worlds; I cannot let Ancestor Dragon's painstaking effort on the Great Array of Three Lives and Three Worlds go to waste," the Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal exclaimed with a long laugh. At the same time, he declared, "Lu Yuan, even for me to shatter that Passage of Fate would take a significant effort. With your strength, it might take you a full shichen—don't even dream of doing it in the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

A shichen!

That was absolutely impossible given the time constraints.

What to do?

Lu Yuan’s heart calmed. At this moment, Ancestor Dragon could hold on for a maximum of one incense stick’s time. The other three fronts—the Lord of the Primeval Civilization, Yan Cangtian, and Chang'e—were not in immediate, critical danger. What to do? Lu Yuan suddenly summoned the Six Great Iron Rules of Fate and bombarded the Passage of Fate with roaring force.

Truth, Theorem, Heavenly Mandate, Unyielding, True Reality, Nihility.

The six unleashed simultaneously!

This simultaneous release carried the profound mysteries of Fate, striking the Passage of Fate.

And immediately, ripples appeared on the Passage of Fate.

This—this meant a change was happening.

Indeed, using the Six Fates unleashed together, Fate against Fate, it was possible to shatter the Passage of Fate.

Having grasped the method, Lu Yuan struck relentlessly, battering it with the fastest possible speed.

While Lu Yuan continued his relentless assault, fierce battles raged at several other locations. Beneath the Eternal Heavenly Palace, figures led by the Lord of the Heavenly Fate Civilization and the Lord of the Divine Dragon Civilization were attacking the palace. Intense battles were breaking out everywhere; this conflict was nothing short of world-shattering, incredibly fierce.

On his shoulders and back rested the hopes of countless beings—billions upon billions upon billions of souls. This battle must be won.

Lu Yuan focused completely, channeling all his spirit toward the Passage of Fate.

Once, twice, thrice.

A hundred times, two hundred times, three hundred times.

A thousand times, two thousand times, three thousand times.

Ten thousand times, twenty thousand times, twenty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine times.

Boom!

The interception offered by the Passage of Fate finally shattered!

Lu Yuan moved with the quickest sword-steps, diving in, entering the Passage of Fate.

Was this the Passage of Fate?

Inside the Passage of Fate, Lu Yuan witnessed waves upon waves of futility, of things withered away in helplessness, like swallows returning to scenes familiar of old.

Flowers bloom and then must fall; life easily ages.

If life were always like the first meeting, why should the west wind bring sorrow to the fan?

My heart was offered to the bright moon, yet the bright moon shines upon the ditch.

The spring blossoms fade too fast, oh so quickly; alas, the morning rain and evening wind bring inevitable decline.

All these were helplessness, an essence that caused long, sorrowful sighs and ended in gloom.

Of the ten Iron Rules of Fate, one part was Helplessness, because helplessness is intrinsically a part of Fate itself—it was the seventh Fate Lu Yuan had cultivated.

Lu Yuan witnessed bursts of death, and he also saw portions of new birth.

No matter who it was—mighty or weak, plant or animal, long-lived or short-lived—none could escape death. Death is the ultimate conclusion for all things, the end of everything. In the long river of history, countless cultivators sought to evade death, but none succeeded. Whether you cared or did not care, death was simply there.

Death, too, is a form of Fate, inescapable by anyone, at least before the Desolate Antiquity era arose. This was the eighth Fate Lu Yuan had cultivated.

And accompanying death was always new birth.

New life, born from the mother's body; new life, born from the earth; new life, born from death. This is Life, and this was the ninth Fate Lu Yuan cultivated. At this point, nine Fates were complete; only the last one remained. What could the final Fate be?

Lu Yuan searched repeatedly within the Passage of Fate, yet he could not find the tenth portion of Fate. Could this have been false information? Were there only three Fates here, not four, or was this a trap? No. Lu Yuan could already feel the tenth Fate, seeming to fall into his heart like spring rain, nourishing his core.

Lu Yuan finally understood what the tenth Fate was: the tenth Fate was Emotion. Within the destiny of living beings, emotion exists in all forms—all manner of feelings, whether those related to sect, friendship, love, or even hatred, are all part of emotion. This was the tenth Fate.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and absorbed the tenth Fate, Emotion, into his body.

Thus, all ten Iron Rules of Fate were completely integrated within his body.

These ten were: Truth, Theorem, Heavenly Mandate, Unyielding, True Reality, Nihility, Helplessness, Emotion, Death, and New Birth. These ten Iron Rules, representing different aspects of Fate, converged and coiled within Lu Yuan’s body. Innumerable latent thunders burst in the void, marking an event unseen across countless epochs: the convergence of all ten Fates within a single body.

The Great Iron Rule of Fate was complete!

Having mastered the Great Iron Rule of Fate, Lu Yuan’s entire being radiated an aura of supreme destiny, as if infinite fate was now held within his hands. My finger represents the Rope of Fate. My eyes represent the Thread of Fate. Every inch of my body exudes the very scent of destiny.

This is I, Lu Yuan, the Incarnation of Fate.

At the same time, Lu Yuan understood that he had successfully cultivated the Ten Great Iron Rules. Lu Yuan instantly summoned these Ten Iron Rules: Samsara, Time, Space, Karma, Order, Strength, Heart, Yin and Yang, Adaptation, and Fate. These Ten Iron Rules, which he had labored over for untold years, were finally mastered. At this moment, Lu Yuan vaguely sensed a Sword Intent existing within the void.

Yes, it was this Sword Intent.

This Sword Intent transcended all other Sword Intents.

No, it shouldn't be called transcendence, but rather inclusion.

This Sword Intent could encompass every single Sword Intent Lu Yuan had previously learned.

And it was not only that; it could also embrace every Sword Intent between heaven and earth.

This was the Ultimate Sword Intent.

He had finally perfected the legendary Ultimate Sword Intent.

He recalled being sixteen years old at Mount Hua, resolving to seriously practice the sword. Back then, his master, Li Yuanbai, had told him about the Ultimate Sword Intent. After introducing the concept of Sword Intent, the master had jumped straight to the Ultimate Sword Intent. At that time, he thought the Ultimate Sword Intent must be incredibly simple, yet after experiencing so much, he had finally achieved it.

It had not been easy.

The current him could finally be called a Sword God! Feeling the power of the Sword God, sensing the Ultimate Sword Intent, and reminiscing about his early practice brought forth boundless emotion.

However, there was no time for sentiment now; the situation was too urgent. Lu Yuan took a long breath. The next step was to merge the Iron Rule of Fate with the Dao Character True Body. Only this combination offered a chance to defeat the Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal. The Iron Rule of Fate—entirely void yet tangibly real—and the Dao Character—representing all methods under the heavens—ranked second and third in the heavens. Now, Lu Yuan was fusing these two. Instantly, countless fragments of light exploded, followed by countless storms of energy, and an array of magnificent, illusory shadows clashed and collided in the void. Countless powerful truths, countless realities, and countless principles were colliding.

In such energy storms, in such storms of confrontation, the spirit and soul could easily be annihilated. Lu Yuan, having just attained the status of Sword God, possessed the Soul of a Sword God. With the Soul of a Sword God, he anchored his essence. A swordsman should stand unbiased, neither leaning left nor right, but perfectly centered—this was the best way to maintain oneself.

"By my command, fuse!"

......

Meanwhile, at the very apex of the Eternal Heavenly Palace, that fierce battle was still raging.

The Lord of the Primeval Civilization was pressing hard against the Lord of the Buddha Civilization, but pressing hard didn't guarantee victory.

The Lord of the Primeval Civilization and the Lord of the Buddha Civilization had fought countless times, yet the latter could never be definitively defeated, largely due to the formidable defensive techniques of the Lord of the Buddha Civilization.

The combat between Yan Cangtian and the Lord of the Immortal Civilization continued, the outcome undetermined for the moment. Yan Cangtian was young and driven, while the Lord of the Immortal Civilization was cunning and experienced; both possessed their own advantages.

As for Chang'e versus the Lord of the Undying Civilization, Chang'e was slightly at a disadvantage. After all, the Lord of the Undying Civilization was a veteran from the Nineteenth Epoch, immensely powerful, and he held the trump card of immortality. Compared to him, Chang'e's strength was somewhat inferior.

But the most crucial battle was the siege laid by Ancestor Dragon, Feng Gu, and Fa Gu, the lords of three civilizations, against the Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal. That was the absolute key. The fighting there was progressing with incredible ferocity as time slowly ticked away. More than half an incense stick’s time had passed.

"Three lives, three worlds! I have a past life, but it was annihilated by my own Eternity. I have no future life, for I myself am Eternity. Past life extinguished, future life cut off; in this life, I am Eternal, imperishable through myriad tribulations, indestructible across countless epochs! Three lives, three worlds, break for me!" The Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal roared, his great saber seeming to sever the past life and the future life in the void, crashing down to shatter the final life with booming force.

He then unleashed a single, peerless strike that dominated ages.

Beneath that strike, the Array of Three Lives and Three Worlds was destroyed.

And now, the Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal radiated a unique aura.

He was without origin or destination.

No past life, no future existence.

He simply was—the unbreaking Eternal.

With several powerful blows, the Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal sent the Lord of the Fa Civilization flying backward. The Lord of the Fa Civilization sputtered out a mouthful of blood. The Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal laughed, "Old friend Fa Gu, you have opposed me for so many years. You were once stronger than me, yet look at you now."

The Lord of the Fa Civilization felt intense pain throughout his body; he had lost all fighting capability and could not muster even a single potent spell.

The Lord of Desolate Antiquity's Eternal struck several more times, heavily scattering the Lord of the Feng Gu Civilization: "Feng Gu, I dislike fighting women. I even advised you to stand with me back then. Since you refused, do not blame me. Those who do not follow me die! Why should my blade not sever a beauty's head? You shall be that beauty's head severed by my blade, hung high upon the Eternal Heavenly Palace." (The second chapter is delivered. The final battle is reaching white heat; please continue recommending my new book, Invincible Martial God.)