World version update

Chapter 308 The Cause of the Main God
The gazes of the seven righteous gods, like seven invisible swords, converged on Lu Yan's majestic imperial image.

Their eyes flickered with divine light, concealing unfathomable depths.

With their unique insight, they could easily see through the true nature of this Emperor's image.

Although the Emperor's Dharma Form was enormous and exuded a remarkable aura, its true power level was at most comparable to that of a Sequence Two Hidden Evil God.

With such strength, it would be extremely difficult for them to even attract the attention of the gods in the material world, let alone set foot in the astral dimension where the gods reside.

But now, this seemingly weak Dharma form has brazenly come before them, claiming that it wants to share the authority and power left behind by the old corpses with them.

If it were any other Sequence Two being, daring to be so arrogant, they would probably have been crushed into dust by their great will that understands all cause and effect, leaving not even a trace.

But this Emperor's Dharma image is different.

He represents not only himself, but also the mysterious pantheon of gods in the underworld, and the Fengdu Emperor behind him, who has yet to appear but whose true nature has already been revealed.

What surprised and puzzled the seven righteous gods even more was that they clearly sensed from this Emperor's Dharma Image an ancient aura that was exactly the same as the ancient corpses that stretched across the star realm.

This aura was so pure, so ancient, as if it shared the same origin as the ancient corpses.

Furthermore, the cultivation system that the other party displayed was completely different from the existing one in the mysterious version, yet it was still able to move freely in this world and even condense such a unique Dharma form. All of this aroused a strong interest in these ancient gods who had lived for countless years and had long lost interest in ordinary things.

This image of the Emperor holds many secrets that pique their curiosity.

Previously, when the God of Storms tried to pry into Lu Yan's memories, he suffered a setback that made even Him feel uneasy, which made the other six righteous gods dare not use the will of the only being in this world to forcibly investigate again.

Otherwise, they would probably have thoroughly studied this Emperor's Dharma Image from the inside out long ago.

However, even if they temporarily acquiesced to the special nature of this Emperor's Dharma Image, it does not mean that a mere Sequence Two Dharma Image is qualified to sit at the table of this old feast and be on equal footing with them, the true unique beings of this world.

After a moment of silence, one of the seven true gods, whose body was surrounded by boundless divine light and who was as dazzling as an eternally burning sun, slowly spoke.

His voice was loud and majestic, filled with undeniable power:

"If you were here in person, you might still have the right to discuss with us how to divide up this old feast."

"However, what you have manifested here now is merely an incarnation. What right do you have to share in this former authority?"

The true God who spoke was none other than the eternal sun, who holds the power of light and order, among the seven major orthodox churches.

The moment His voice fell, an enormous golden sun suddenly rose from nowhere in this originally dark and deep astral dimension.

The blazing sun emitted endless light and heat, its radiance instantly illuminating the entire dimension, as if to completely dispel all darkness and evil, leaving them nowhere to hide.

Lu Yan's imperial image began to distort violently under the intense, eternal sunlight.

The Dharma body, which was barely formed from the divine order and the aura of the past, seemed to be being purified by this pure power of light, and showed a faint tendency to collapse.

"The Eternal Sun is right!" A voice filled with savagery and destruction followed closely behind, "You are but a mere avatar, what right do you have to hold a banquet here?"

It was the Storm God who had previously suffered a humiliating defeat at Lu Yan's hands.

After the Eternal Sun took the initiative to test the waters, He did not hesitate to join in the pressure.

"Boom!"

In an instant, a violent storm, accompanied by thunderous roars, descended from nothingness.

The lightning was no ordinary lightning, but a destructive divine lightning containing the power of natural disaster. Each bolt was a ferocious purple, like a raging thunder dragon.

Vast swathes of astral space collapsed amidst the thunder, producing a deafening roar.

Each of these lightning bolts possessed terrifying power enough to easily kill a Sequence Three deity or human in the mortal realm.

At this moment, in this astral dimension, the amount of lightning falling is more than billions.

They converged into a terrifying curtain of thunder and rain, as if it could pour down at any moment upon the swaying imperial statue under the blazing sun, obliterating it completely into dust.

One oppressed with the might of the blazing sun, the other intimidated with the destructive power of a thunderstorm. The purpose of these two true gods was self-evident: to force Lu Yan to submit and to compel the Great Emperor of Fengdu behind him to unleash his great will.

The other five gods remained silent, observing everything with cold eyes.

Their expressions varied; some held a hint of amusement, while others scrutinized them, but none of them showed any intention of intervening.

Faced with such a terrifying and world-destroying scene, Lu Yan, who was in the quiet room of the royal palace, did not show the slightest fear or panic. Instead, a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips, and an indescribable joy rose in his heart.

“They are wary!” Lu Yan murmured to himself, a hint of relief in his voice.

His worst fear was that the seven righteous gods would not give him any chance to explain and would directly obliterate his Emperor Dharma Form with thunderous means.

If that were the case, unless he could ascend to the highest position and become the only one of his kind in this world, he would only face certain death, with no chance of escaping unscathed.

However, although the Eternal Sun and the God of Storms spoke harshly and were intimidating, they did not directly kill him. Instead, they chose to test him by intimidating him with their power.

This means that Lu Yan's previous efforts to build momentum and leverage existing forces have begun to show results.

The ethereal sword that transcended time and space, along with the aura emanating from the Emperor's Dharma Image that shared the same origin as the ancient corpses, successfully planted a seed of doubt and apprehension in the hearts of these ancient deities.

They feared that if they easily killed this seemingly weak incarnation, they might completely offend a unique being in this world who possessed the ability to transcend versions.

This unknown risk is something that these old guys, who have lived for countless years, are unwilling to easily take on.

This slight apprehension was enough to give Lu Yan a chance to maneuver and retaliate.

Countless thoughts flashed through Lu Yan's mind like lightning, and in just a moment, he had already come up with a solution.

The next moment, the Emperor's Dharma Image, which was bathed in endless thunder and blazing sun and seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment, suddenly underwent an astonishing change.

"Hahahaha!"

The Emperor's Dharma form no longer maintained its previous majestic posture, but instead let out a loud, unrestrained laugh that resounded through the heavens. The laughter was filled with disdain and arrogance, causing the entire star realm to tremble slightly, and the billions of stars in the sky seemed to tremble in response to the laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" The Storm God's face, formed from lightning, clearly showed displeasure as he uttered a cold question.

However, the Emperor's Dharma Image merely glanced disdainfully at the God of Storms, his smile undiminished, and said in a booming voice:
"I laugh at you for seizing the power of the old corpses and being fortunate enough to ascend to the position of the only ones in this world. You clearly already possess the ability to traverse this world and see some of the truth, yet you still limit your vision to this pitiful, collapsing prison!"

"It's ridiculous!"

"Utterly pathetic!"

The voice of the Emperor's Dharma Image, like thunder from the heavens, echoed in the hearts of every righteous god.

Having lived for countless years, the seven righteous gods' minds were already as firm as a rock, so naturally they would not be swayed by Lu Yan's slightly sarcastic words.

However, the deep-seated contempt and disdain revealed in Lu Yan's words still prompted the most hot-tempered Storm God to retort:
"Utterly ignorant! Arrogant and conceited!"

The voice of the Storm God was filled with rage: "The great beings of other versions of the world, once they step into the realm of the One and Only in This World, it means that their path has come to an end, and there is little possibility of going any further."

"Within this mysterious version, the remains of the past still exist. We open the feast of the past, devour the authority of the past, the road ahead is clearly visible, and the future holds infinite possibilities."

Before the ancient corpses completely crumble, we still possess the hope of reaching a higher realm. What do you, a mere avatar, know?

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's Dharma Image surprisingly nodded, as if acknowledging the Storm God's statement.

"Indeed, the old corpses are a supreme opportunity unique to this mysterious version."

It allows beings of this world to relatively easily enter the realm of the One and Only in this world, by virtue of the authority and power they left behind after their fall—something unimaginable in other versions of the world.

But the next moment, Lu Yan's tone suddenly changed, and his voice became sharp:
"However, you have never realized one thing."

If the path once trodden truly led to the supreme, eternal path, then why did the once so powerful entity ultimately perish, its corpse serving as a sacrifice for a mysterious new form?

These words were like a thunderbolt striking a calm lake, stirring up huge waves.

The expressions of the seven righteous gods, which had been as calm as still water, finally changed noticeably at this moment.

A hint of surprise, a hint of contemplation, and even a barely perceptible wavering flickered in their eyes.

However, the Emperor's Dharma Image seemed oblivious to the change in their expressions, and continued to speak without any mercy:
"What you are doing now is nothing more than repeating the old ways."

No matter how much old authority you devour or how much old power you integrate, you will only be going further and further down the path that the old ways have already failed.

In the end, it could not escape being trapped in this version for countless years, and finally perished, its own flesh and blood nourishing all things, giving birth to a completely new version of the ending.

"Is this the path you've been waiting for, this doomed path with no future, truly the supreme path you've been pursuing?"

Every word spoken by the Emperor's Dharma Image was like the sharpest dagger, piercing the hearts of the seven righteous gods and revealing the secrets and worries they were unwilling to touch deep within their hearts.

"Then," after a suffocating silence, a calm and wise voice slowly broke the tranquility of this astral plane, "what exactly is the path beyond the One and Only in this world?"

The speaker was a god of knowledge and wisdom who had been silently observing, surrounded by countless runes of knowledge and starlight.

His gaze was deep and bright, as if he could see through all the mysteries of the world.

As the God of Knowledge posed his question, the gazes of the other six righteous gods once again converged on Lu Yan's imperial dharma image, awaiting his next words.

Lu Yan, in his true form, inside a quiet room in the Victoria Palace, smiled with a barely perceptible curve.

He knew the fish had taken the bait.

"Beyond the unique in this world, he shall be the unique among all worlds!"

"One who has attained the uniqueness of all worlds can completely transcend the constraints and limitations of a single version, freely traversing the infinite world of versions, while remaining eternally unique, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither defiled nor pure."

"Its will can illuminate all the heavens and myriad worlds, and its vision can perceive the essence of all things."

Past, present, and future are nothing more than a scroll turning in the palm of his hand! This is true eternity, true transcendence!

"Has anyone ever attained that unique realm across all worlds?" The God of Storms couldn't help but ask again, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of doubt.

Lu Yan glanced at the impatient Storm God, his voice still indifferent: "If someone truly attains the supreme realm unique in all worlds, their brilliance will surely shine upon this mysterious version."

"You who wield power in this world, how could you possibly be completely unaware?"

"Isn't this just a vague and unattainable fantasy?" Another God of War, who always exuded an aura of war and slaughter, couldn't help but question.

Lu Yan gently shook his head, his voice carrying a hint of unfathomable meaning:

"Although no one has truly stepped into the legendary realm of the one and only among all worlds, there are already people who have embarked on the right path to the one and only among all worlds."

Its accumulated strength and power far surpass those of ordinary individuals unique in this world.

"That revered deity's name is..."

Lu Yan paused slightly, his words carrying the weight of truth that transcended numerous versions.

"Lord God!"

The moment the words "God" fell from the Emperor's Dharma form, Lu Yan finally felt a hidden thread of cause and effect within himself being stirred.

He knew very well that it was a contingency plan left by the God of War in the Great Collapse version, and the closer it got to the version update, the stronger that causal connection with the God of War became.

The seven righteous gods present all sensed something in the darkness.

Above those stars, it seemed as if a gaze spanning countless versions was about to descend upon the mysterious version.

(End of this chapter)