World version update

Chapter 264 The Everlasting Sword, Seeking the Path to Immortality

The fear that the Celestial Venerable of Immortality has of the fragments in the Xianxia version is not unfounded.

As the strongest being standing at the pinnacle of this world, when the Eternal Celestial Venerable was plotting the Great Collapse version, his true spirit subtly warned him.

Even though the Celestial Venerable of Immortality surveyed cause and effect and searched the river of time, he could not trace the source of the True Spirit's warning. He could only vaguely sense that the crisis came from the Xianxia version.

This is why the Celestial Venerable of Immortality did not actually take action until the fragments of the Xianxia version were completely destroyed.

Even after the fragments of the Xianxia version were destroyed, the Eternal Celestial Venerable first tested the waters with an army of demons and monsters. Only after confirming that the Xianxia version had no backup plan did he truly take action to suppress the Great Collapse Heavenly Dao.

He thought he had figured everything out, but in the end, the Celestial Venerable of Immortality discovered that he had still fallen into Jiang Zhiwei's trap.

Back in the fantasy version, when Jiang Zhiwei uttered those words, the cause and effect of everything was already set.

Even though He had a complete understanding of this world and had calculated every trick in the book, He could not escape this sword strike that had been destined from the past.

"Ugh"

As a long sigh resounded, Lu Yan raised his broken sword on the ground, and the supreme sword intent that transcended time and space slashed down.

Where sword light crisscrosses, time freezes, space folds, and the ancient Milky Way flows backward.

The entire Great Collapse version seemed to have transformed into a blank sheet that could be painted on at will, with supreme sword intent probing down from higher dimensions, correcting everything in this world.

In an instant, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered.

The sky shattered like an ancient mirror, countless fragments of starlight shimmering in the void, reflecting the primordial light of the beginning of chaos. The earth groaned in agony, mountains rose and fell like waves, and abysses formed and vanished in an instant, the power of heaven and earth losing its balance under the supreme sword intent.

The divine hand that covered the entire realm was reduced to ashes by this sword.

The immense power that even the entire realm could not withstand under the Great Collapse Heavenly Dao withered under this sword light. Its once mighty power, which controlled the life and death of all things and dominated the flow of time and space, dissipated into nothingness, and its immortal true spirit light transformed into countless falling stars.

However, the power of this supreme sword intent is far more than that.

The sword mark, its momentum undiminished, pierced through the sky, splitting the Eternal Heaven reflected in the heavens in two.

Rivers and mountains ceased to flow, heaven and earth collapsed, and an unstoppable destruction swept across the entire Eternal Heaven. The Eternal Heaven, which symbolized the final fragment of this world, disintegrated under the supreme sword intent.

Amidst a scene of annihilation, Lu Yan closed his eyes slightly, savoring the supreme sword strike he had just unleashed.

The broken sword in Lu Yan's hand was just a rusty iron sword, with nothing special about it.

Even the power of that sword strike was not much beyond Lu Yan's current capabilities.

Tracing its origins, only the great will that carries the cause and effect within, seemingly interfering with higher dimensions, is the essence of supreme sword intent.

It is precisely because cause and effect coexist with will that this sword was able to sever the hand of heaven, destroy the Eternal Heaven, and thwart the conspiracy of the Eternal Heavenly Venerable.

"Is this the will of the only one in this world?"

Lu Yan slowly opened his eyes, a hint of regret flashing in them.

Even though he had personally mastered the supreme sword intent, the gap between himself and the unique being in this world was still too great, and he was simply unable to touch this great will.

If he hadn't possessed the Great Dao Golden Core and wielded supreme divine powers, Lu Yan wouldn't even have been qualified to unleash this sword strike.

"How did you manage to evade my gaze and bring Jiang Zhiwei's Sword of Eternity?"

Just as Lu Yan was feeling sentimental, a voice rang in his ear.

Lu Yan was startled, and when he turned his head, he found that the pair of eyes that had been hanging high in the sky had appeared beside him at some point.

However, the projection of the Eternal Celestial Venerable's will was clearly not in good condition at this moment. His eyes, which seemed to pierce through all realms, had shrunk to the size of an ordinary person and were now covered with cracks. The projection of his will was on the verge of collapse, as if it would shatter completely at any moment.

Lu Yan gripped the broken sword tightly in his right hand, staring intently at the projection of the will, fearing that this wisp of will projected by the Eternal Heavenly Venerable might launch a counterattack.

"Don't worry, this wisp of my will has been struck by Jiang Zhiwei's Sword of Eternity. The only reason I've survived is that the Eternal Heaven hasn't completely collapsed yet. You don't need to worry that I will attack you."

The projection of will spoke, but Lu Yan remained vigilant and silent.

Facing an old monster of this caliber, a single word or phrase could fall into his trap, leaving Lu Yan no choice but to be vigilant.

The projection of will chuckled upon seeing this.

"As expected of someone who has escaped my chess games several times, young friend, you are truly cautious."

The Great Collapse Heavenly Dao is about to fully recover and take control of the version. This wisp of my will, projected within the Great Collapse version, is about to dissipate. Even if I know some secrets, I will be unable to pass them on to my main body.

Seeing that Lu Yan remained silent, the projection of his will spoke instead:

"Since you don't believe me, why don't we make a deal?"

You answer my questions, and in return, you can ask me questions. What do you say, young friend?

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan's pupils trembled violently.

The person before him was the Celestial Venerable of Immortality, a being standing at the pinnacle of existence in this world. If he could obtain some answers from him, it would greatly help Lu Yan's future cultivation.

In comparison, even if the Celestial Venerable of Immortality's questioning reveals some of his secrets, it's worth the risk.

Lu Yan was not one to hesitate; after a moment's thought, he immediately replied:
"Sure! But I have two conditions."

"But it doesn't matter."

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and said:
"Since your purpose is to know where this sword came from, you can only ask about this battle. Questions beyond this scope will not be answered."

Furthermore, no misleading or concealing information is permitted during the responses from either party.

“Of course.” The projection of will seemed to have no other intentions and immediately agreed.

Having reached a simple agreement, the projection of will immediately continued:

"I still have the same question. I want to know how you were able to receive Jiang Zhiwei's Everlasting Sword?"

Lu Yan raised the broken sword in his hand.

"because this."

"Impossible!" the projected will declared categorically.

"The causal connection between this sword and Jiang Zhiwei is too close, making it almost impossible to carry over from the Xianxia version to the Great Collapse version."

And even if it really does carry over to a major collapse version, I will immediately detect the causal link; it's impossible for me to remain completely unaware!

Lu Yan did not answer, but instead asked, "Is this the second question?"

The projection of will remained silent for a moment, but still answered, "Yes!"

Lu Yan opened his palm, and the broken sword in his hand unleashed supreme sword intent. Now, having lost the support of supernatural power, it began to decay rapidly.

Cracks began to appear on the sword, as if thousands of years had passed in an instant.

In the end, the broken sword shattered, with most of its blade long gone, leaving only a broken piece of iron.

"because this."

The projection of will silently watched the broken pieces of iron left behind after the broken sword shattered.

Having been eroded and decayed by time, the connection between the above and Jiang Zhiwei is almost negligible. Even if Jiang Zhiwei is exceptionally talented, he cannot use such a shallow thread of cause and effect to transcend the version and unleash the sword of the mortal world.

After a long silence, the projection of will flickered in its eyes.

"Is it related to your supernatural powers?"

"Yes!" Lu Yan gave an affirmative answer.

The projection of will said quietly:
"No wonder! No wonder!"

"His supreme divine powers manipulate creation, capable of creating something from nothing and reversing the course of fate. He controls all things in the Jambudvipa world; he knows everything and is omnipotent!"

"First, bring this fragment to the Great Collapse version. At that time, you did not have the power to manipulate creation, so I was unaware of the cause and effect."

After I appear, you will use the power of creation to repair this broken sword. Even if the broken sword is repaired by conventional means, it will only be an ordinary piece of iron. However, the power of creation is to summon this broken sword from the past history. Once the broken sword is fully restored, it can take over Jiang Zhiwei's karma and cut out this eternal sword for him.

What a profound plan, what a brilliant scheme!

Lu Yan remained silent, knowing that speaking more in front of such an old monster would only lead to more mistakes.

However, I am truly grateful to Jiang Zhiwei for gifting me this broken piece of iron that anchors the Great Collapse version, which allowed me to win this game by sheer luck.

Without any one of the three—broken iron fragments, the Great Dao Golden Elixir, and supreme divine power—victory is impossible in this battle.

Lu Yan even suspected that Jiang Zhiwei had foreseen today's outcome back in the Xianxia version, and that even his own reaping of the benefits of the Creation was within Jiang Zhiwei's expectations.

When the fantasy version came out, Lu Yan's doubts flashed through his mind again.

"Is Jiang Zhiwei really Zhao Huowang?"

Before Lu Yan could think it over carefully, the projection of his will spoke:

"I now know the cause and effect. Please ask your questions, young friend!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan's spirits lifted, and countless questions flashed through his mind, wanting to be blurted out, but he swallowed them back down.

When facing such an old monster, there is a proper way to ask questions; rashly asking questions may expose your own weaknesses.

Moreover, although the agreement forbids concealment or answering the wrong questions, the only one in this world has countless ways to circumvent the promise.

If you entrust the question of your life and fortune to the answer of the Celestial Venerable of Immortality, you are more likely to fall into the old monster's trap.

One should never rely too much on the answers of the Celestial Venerable of Immortality.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan spoke earnestly:

"My first question is, since the Great Collapse version is isolated from the other versions, and even the only other beings in this world can hardly interfere, how did you manage to project your will?"

The first question was both an explanation from Lu Yan and a test of the Eternal Life Celestial Venerable.

This major collapse version has encountered such a calamity, and perhaps similar crises may occur in other versions as well.

If we understand the hidden secrets, we might be able to avoid it in advance.

"It's easy!"

The projection of will said calmly, "At the very beginning of the Great Collapse version, we only need to carve out a sliver of the projection of will and hide it in the realm of the Immortal version that is about to collapse."

After the major version wars, when many versions are torn apart, this wisp of will can descend upon the Great Collapse version along with the version fragments.

"impossible!"

Lu Yan's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He initially thought that the Eternal Celestial Venerable had discovered some kind of loophole in the Great Collapse version, but little did he know that he had already begun planning before the Great Collapse version was even born.

"How is it impossible?"

The words projected by the will carried a profound sense of lament.

"For the one who controls the version in this world, the time dimension within the version is merely a tool for anchoring themselves."

Only when interfering with other versions will there be a price to pay.

Lu Yan took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

What the Celestial Venerable of Immortality said is most likely true, which also indirectly confirms why the other unique beings in this world did not intervene in the Great Collapse version.

The Celestial Venerable of Immortality knew the secrets hidden within Lu Yan and was willing to make a heavy bet, while the other unique beings in this world had already lost their opportunity and might not be willing to make such a heavy bet as the Celestial Venerable of Immortality.

"My second question is, why are you so insistent on having me go to the immortality version?"

Lu Yan had obtained some answers to this question through Jiang Zhiwei's words and his past experiences, but now that he had this opportunity, he still wanted to seek confirmation from the Celestial Venerable of Longevity.

The projected will, its eyes on the verge of shattering, looked at Lu Yan and said meaningfully:

"Some have said that above all else in this world, there are two paths that offer hope of breaking through the cycle of reincarnation in all realms."

Some people embarked on the journey only to find that the road ahead was blocked.

When I first met my friend, I seemed to see a second path in him, but I wasn't sure at the time and just casually made a move.

But this defeat, coupled with the fact that my friend had already claimed the opportunity through strategic maneuvering, made me even more convinced of the legitimacy of the second path.

The Celestial Venerable of Longevity did not explicitly state it, but Lu Yan already understood that the second path He spoke of was the only one in all worlds.

But compared to that, Lu Yan was even more curious about who this person was who the Celestial Venerable of Immortality had mentioned about someone having embarked on half of the path.

He wanted to ask, but Lu Yan had already prepared for the third question, so he could only suppress his curiosity.

"The third question."

Lu Yan took a deep breath and asked solemnly:
"I want to know, how can I quickly gain the ability to fight against the only being in this world?"

The first two questions had already addressed his doubts; the third question was about how Lu Yan wanted to maximize his value and enhance his strength.

The key issue is that the words of the Celestial Venerable of Immortality are not entirely credible, and if Lu Yan asks for specific details, there might be a trap.

Lu Yan's true purpose was to pose a big question directly and then seek some ideas and inspiration from the answers.

Even the projection of his will was taken aback by Lu Yan's arrogant question.

After a long while, a hoarse laugh slowly broke out.

"The younger generation is truly formidable! The younger generation is truly formidable!"

"Even the unique beings in this world are divided into strong and weak. The weak unique beings in this world can barely control a barren world. If we disregard their status, their cultivation level might just reach the Nascent Soul stage."

The powerful One of This World has already ascended to the Immortal Realm, and with the added blessing of the One of This World's unique status, his strength even surpasses that of most other immortals.

To contend against the one and only in this world, one must ultimately possess a sufficiently high status.

Possessing a unique position in this world, even a Nascent Soul cultivator has the chance to kill this unique being.

Lu Yan's expression shifted slightly. He had already realized this before: there were obvious differences in strength among the unique individuals in this world.

Powerful beings like the Supreme God or the Eternal Heavenly Venerable control far more than just one or two versions, while the weaker ones are like the supreme will that invades the apocalyptic version, which can even hold its own against an apocalyptic Heavenly Dao.

"To attain the unique status in this world, one must see through the essence of all realms and realize supreme transcendence."

However, you are special. Although you have seen through the essence of all realms, you have other special qualities that prevent you from achieving the unique status in this world.

However, there are countless variables within each version, and obtaining the unique status in this world does not guarantee invincibility. There are still things in the world that suppress this unique status.

The projection of will paused slightly, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"For example, the Heavenly Dao, the supreme treasure of creation, and the Divine Court of the Heavens!"

(End of this chapter)