Chapter 228 – The One and Only Across All Worlds!

“Jiang Zhiwei?”

Lu Yan was certain he had never heard this name before. Nor had any mention of Jiang Zhiwei appeared in any historical record or tale from the Xianxia version he knew.

Yet this man, seemingly emerging from thin air, had appeared in the ancestral hall of the Taiyi Sect and claimed to be an Immortal. Anyone would harbor suspicion.

Noticing the confusion on Lu Yan’s face, Jiang Zhiwei didn’t grow irritated. He merely chuckled and continued leisurely:

“In the Taiyi Sect, they also call me—the First True Inheritor.”

The moment his voice fell, the ceiling of the ancestral hall transformed into a celestial sky, a boundless firmament from a hidden realm. Thirty-six stars representing the Taiyi Sect’s true inheritances blazed brightly.

Yet no matter how brilliant the other stars became, their radiance all converged upon the highest among them—the First Star, resplendent and vast like the sun illuminating all realms.

Within the Dao of Immortality, all Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation cultivators from the Taiyi Sect’s various branches were shaken. Their gazes all turned toward the First True Inheritor’s position in the heavens.

“The First True Inheritor… could it be that he’s returning to the world?”

“It’s been seven hundred years since I last saw the First True Inheritor. If I can meet him once more before the end of my lifespan, I’ll have no regrets.”

“Seven hundred years ago, after he slew the demonic outsiders with a single sword strike, he retreated into a hidden realm and never emerged again. Even the edicts he left behind have been few and far between.”

“The changes in the True Inheritor Trial… and the disturbance in the First True Inheritor’s position… perhaps this is the rise of our Taiyi Sect!”

Even the nine revered True Inheritors—existences akin to gods—now turned solemn gazes toward the First True Inheritor’s star, a trace of anticipation flickering in their eyes.

But in the end, all of the Taiyi Sect’s expectations were disappointed.

No matter how brightly the thirty-six stars shone, the First True Inheritor’s position remained unchanged, displaying only a simple straw cushion.

Inside the ancestral hall, Lu Yan looked up at the celestial vision, his gaze landing on the mat beneath the First True Inheritor’s star.

That seemingly messy straw cushion looked exactly like the one Jiang Zhiwei was sitting on.

This sight alone made Lu Yan begin to believe Jiang Zhiwei’s words—that this serene, otherworldly youth was truly the legendary First True Inheritor.

With that realization, Lu Yan respectfully bowed toward Jiang Zhiwei seated above the altar.

“Lu Yan greets the First True Inheritor!”

Jiang Zhiwei waved casually, smiling.

“Since you’ve entered the ancestral hall, you’re now one of the Taiyi Sect’s Thirty-Six True Inheritors. You and I are equals. No need for such formalities.”

Though Jiang Zhiwei spoke lightly, Lu Yan didn’t let down his guard.

By name, he was now a fellow True Inheritor alongside Jiang Zhiwei. But as Mu Chunqiu had once told him, those who hadn’t reached Divine Transformation were only provisional inheritors. Once they hit their hundred-year lifespan limit, their position and authority would be stripped away.

In comparison, the Divine Transformation True Inheritors were in an entirely different league.

And even those True Inheritors couldn’t compare to the Nine Great Inheritors.

As for the First True Inheritor—he stood far above even them. Some said his power was no different from an Immortal’s.

Lu Yan had once assumed this was mere exaggeration. But now, it seemed he had underestimated the true power of the First True Inheritor.

“I know you must have many questions in your heart,” Jiang Zhiwei said. “Today, you may ask them all. It’s your reward for stepping into the ancestral hall.”

Lu Yan blinked in surprise, and then his expression abruptly shifted.

Jiang Zhiwei’s words implied much.

Just days after returning to the Xianxia version, Lu Yan had reunited with Mu Chunqiu in the Mang Mountain branch and learned of the upcoming True Inheritor Assembly—an event supposedly held once every ten years.

Normally, older True Inheritors would relinquish their roles and powers to newcomers during these assemblies.

But this time, the assembly had not followed its usual schedule. The First True Inheritor had suddenly issued the decree, and based on the timeline, he had done so shortly after Lu Yan arrived in the Xianxia version.

Back then, Lu Yan had been focused solely on seeking Immortals and hadn’t thought much about the timing.

But looking back now… it all seemed too coincidental.

Even the change in the trial format—from a secret realm test to a survival battle in a hidden world—seemed tailored to suit Lu Yan.

Unable to suppress his thoughts any longer, Lu Yan asked:

“Was this True Inheritor Trial specially arranged for me?”

“Of course,” Jiang Zhiwei replied without hesitation, propping his face against one hand, his tone relaxed and lazy, yet still brimming with transcendent grace.

“Originally, the next trial was set for three years later. But I didn’t think you could wait that long, so I held it early.

“I only made that decision after seeing you once.”

Lu Yan’s heart trembled.

“We’ve met before?” he asked, rapidly scanning his memories.

“Let me give you a hint,” Jiang Zhiwei said, an impish grin playing on his lips. “Nine Nether City. The Palace of the Underworld.”

Lu Yan’s heart surged with alarm. He immediately remembered the moment he had left Nine Nether City—when he felt as though someone was watching him.

Back then, he thought it was the gaze of the Heavenly Dao.

But it was Jiang Zhiwei who had locked onto him. He had already guessed at Lu Yan’s connection with the Underworld.

For a moment, Lu Yan felt a deep urge to turn and flee.

Across all the versions he had experienced, this was only the second time he’d felt so utterly seen through. The first had been in the Longevity version, by the existence hidden behind it.

But he quickly steadied himself.

If Jiang Zhiwei had harbored ill intent, he would’ve acted the moment Lu Yan returned to the Xianxia version. There would’ve been no need for elaborate True Inheritor Trials just to create an opportunity for meeting.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yan said calmly:

“I’ve made a fool of myself before the First True Inheritor.”

“A fool? Not at all,” Jiang Zhiwei said, eyes gleaming with a peculiar light.

“That was a very interesting and very promising move. I sensed an essence from you that’s almost equal to my own.”

“You just don’t know how to tap into it yet.”

“But remember this—never use that power before the so-called Immortals of this world. If you do, they won’t hesitate to skin you alive and devour your soul.”

Jiang Zhiwei added that last part casually, but then lost interest in the topic entirely. His expression turned bored and impatient.

“You’re still young—don’t overthink it. I have no ill will toward you. If you have questions, ask.”

Lu Yan nodded slowly. At least for now, Jiang Zhiwei seemed sincere.

He sorted through his thoughts and asked the question that had been haunting him most:

“Why did you choose to help me through the True Inheritor Trial, instead of meeting me directly?”

“Good question,” Jiang Zhiwei said, his previous irritability vanishing as he clapped his hands and laughed.

“There are two reasons.”

“The first: every move I make is watched closely by those old monsters. If I met you directly, you’d immediately be exposed to their scrutiny. And who knows what they’d do to you?

“But the True Inheritor Trial and this ancestral hall—these are customs passed down through countless ages. Meeting you here avoids their attention.”

Lu Yan felt a chill in his heart.

The only ones Jiang Zhiwei could refer to as “old monsters”… were the other Immortals of the Xianxia version.

He had once thought that the biggest threat he faced was the Curse of Longevity. But now, it was clear that even without it, his secrets would place him in grave danger should they fall into the hands of Immortals.

Fortunately, the first Immortal he encountered was someone like Jiang Zhiwei—someone who bore him no ill intent.

“As for the second reason…” Jiang Zhiwei smiled, pointing at Lu Yan. “It’s because of you.”

“Me?” Lu Yan blinked, stunned.

“You sought Immortality. And you set your sights on Immortal Taiyi.”

“That old bastard should’ve died seven hundred years ago. But by anchoring his fate to your karmic thread, he managed to cling to life.”

“As long as you didn’t enter this ancestral hall, he could continue to survive.”

“But the moment you stepped inside and laid eyes on his plaque, the karmic cycle completed. He lost his anchor and perished for good.”

A chill ran through Lu Yan’s bones. He muttered instinctively:

“How is that possible?”

“I’ve never had any interaction with him! According to what you said, he was near death seven hundred years ago, and I only started seeking him a few months ago.”

“How could a cause-and-effect link exist across seven centuries?”

“Why not?” Jiang Zhiwei chuckled. “Just because he died before you sought him, that means you couldn’t be linked?”

“If you think that way, then you’ve seriously underestimated Immortals—and the true meaning of being this world’s only one.”

“To reverse time, reshape the future, forge cause from effect—it’s impossible for most cultivators. Even great cultivators must obey the order of this world’s Dao.”

“But Immortals are different. This world is chaotic, and Immortals are its only constants.”

“For seven hundred years after Immortal Taiyi’s fall, this ancestral hall decayed. No one dared to pursue his legacy.”

“You were the only one in seven centuries who sought his trail—the only one qualified to touch his fate.”

“In his dying moment, he foresaw you. He forged karma retroactively to cling to life, hoping for a sliver of salvation.”

“But destiny had already moved on. Divine powers can’t match the will of the heavens. No matter how many tricks he had, he couldn’t defy fate’s blade.”

“The moment you completed your karmic thread by entering this place, he was truly gone.”

Lu Yan’s heart shook violently.

All of this… from a simple return to the Xianxia version… had somehow entangled him in the final moments of a real Immortal’s life.

This… was the power of being this world’s only one.

This… was what it meant to be a true Immortal.

Only now did Lu Yan realize how terrifying the figure behind the Longevity version truly was.

If it weren’t for the barriers between versions, that being could likely twist reality with a glance and drag him into the Longevity version.

Just glimpsing the edge of an Immortal’s power made Lu Yan shudder.

He couldn’t help but ask:

“If he was that powerful… then who was it that killed him?”

Jiang Zhiwei’s lazy demeanor disappeared.

Still seated atop the altar, he kicked aside the broken plaque that had once borne Immortal Taiyi’s name. With narrowed eyes and a faint smile, he said:

“Who else but me?”

Lu Yan was stunned—but somehow, it also felt inevitable.

Immortal Taiyi had clung to life by reversing karma across centuries. In theory, Jiang Zhiwei should’ve been his ally, part of the same lineage.

But the ancestral hall lay in ruins. Jiang Zhiwei sat above Taiyi’s plaque with not a hint of reverence.

He hadn’t been guarding Taiyi—he’d been ensuring the old Immortal stayed dead.

Jiang Zhiwei’s answer only confirmed Lu Yan’s suspicions.

Seeing that Lu Yan didn’t react as expected, Jiang Zhiwei looked disappointed.

“Tch. Talking to sly little brats like you really isn’t any fun.”

“My mood’s still alright for now. If you’ve got more questions, ask them quick. This opportunity won’t come again.”

Lu Yan gave a wry smile.

If anything, Jiang Zhiwei’s answers had only raised more questions.

Taking a deep breath, he asked:

“Why… did you kill him?”

“By ‘him,’” he meant Immortal Taiyi. But after his death, even the concept of his existence had been severed by that ancient sword strike. Lu Yan couldn’t say his name.

Jiang Zhiwei didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he posed a question of his own:

“You’ve encountered foreign invasions. Do you know what the true nature of those outsiders is? And do you know why they crave invading other versions so badly?”

Lu Yan paused, thinking for a long moment before offering a tentative answer:

“To become stronger?”

“That’s true,” Jiang Zhiwei nodded. “But it’s not the whole picture.”

He smiled again, a mix of mockery and helplessness.

“Countless years ago, the Xianxia version was one of the highest-energy versions among all the realms. Under the Heavenly Dao, countless powerful cultivators either followed its flow or defied its laws to forge their own paths.”

“The strongest among them reached the end of cultivation and discovered their true selves, transcending the world. These beings were called… Immortals.”

“But once they achieved Immortality, they realized something—their fates were forever bound to the Xianxia version. They could never leave.”

“So they remained here, guiding the world, passing down Dao and laws, ruling the realm for countless ages.”

“Then, by chance, a weak being from another version managed to send a sliver of its consciousness into the Xianxia version.”

“This being was frail—but the Immortals sensed that it shared the same essence as them. It called itself ‘the only one of its world.’”

“They taught it cultivation, learned of its origins. It came from a poor, barren version where it was the supreme existence. It had come seeking greater power.”

Lu Yan’s expression shifted. He was starting to grasp what Jiang Zhiwei meant.

“That first outsider grew quickly—its Immortal essence and cultivation combined allowed it to rise to near-Immortal levels in mere centuries.”

“And more like it followed. Some sent fragments of their bodies. Others, a sliver of their wills.”

“Initially, the Immortals welcomed them, curious about the worlds beyond.”

“But soon, they noticed something troubling.”

“These ‘only ones’ grew too fast. In mere millennia, they reached heights that had taken Immortals countless ages. Yet they were never satisfied—they craved more.”

“Worse, the Heavenly Dao from their home versions was twisted. Some carried pollution so strong, it could even corrupt the Xianxia version’s Dao.”

“But the most dangerous part…”

“…Was that nearly all of them were trying to understand the Dao of this world.”

“One day, the first ‘only one’ revealed its true intentions.”

“It gathered others, spread alien laws, devoured sentient beings, twisted the Dao of the world—trying to fully descend and invade the Xianxia version.”

“The Immortals were far more powerful. But bound to this world, they couldn’t chase the outsiders across versions.”

“So the outsiders devoured like locusts, relying on their home versions and the Immortals’ constraints.”

“Eventually, they launched a full invasion—hoping to carve up the Xianxia version.”

“The war lasted ten thousand years.”

“Enraged, the Immortals created countless pocket realms to seal the alien laws. They wielded grand divine arts to annihilate the outsiders, scouring the world clean to rid it of their taint.”

At this, Lu Yan sucked in a cold breath.

He had experienced a version invasion firsthand. Even just facing a crisis from a post-apocalyptic version had pushed him to the brink.

But that was a low-level invasion. The Corpse Kings of that version were capped at the Golden Core Realm. Any Nascent Soul cultivator could sweep through them.

In contrast, the Xianxia version had faced countless versions… and invaders who had learned Immortal cultivation.

A war on that scale… was unfathomable.

“After that battle, the Immortals realized the truth,” Jiang Zhiwei said. “The Xianxia version had immense power—but its powerful Dao was also a prison.”

“The outsiders weren’t stronger—but they ruled their own versions. They could invade others. And every success let them devour new Dao and grow stronger.”

A sneer curled Jiang Zhiwei’s lips.

“Not every ‘only one’ is a mad invader. But in this absurd world, even holding your own version doesn’t guarantee safety.”

“The multiverse is a dark forest. Every ‘only one’ is a hunter with a gun.”

“When you discover a new version, you never know the attitude of its ‘only one.’ You have two choices.”

“Hope they’re peaceful.”

“Or strike first and seize your fate.”

“In this vast hunting ground, countless versions offer endless opportunities. Even the weakest ‘only one’ could find a way to become Immortal.”

“In this ever-changing world, there is no eternal victor. Anyone—including Immortals—can fall in the next invasion.”

Lu Yan shivered.

“So… is there no way to escape all of this?” he asked.

Jiang Zhiwei’s gaze locked onto him, voice firm and clear:

“Of course there is.”

“These ‘only ones’ may transcend the mundane—but they are still bound to their versions.”

“But if someone could pierce through the truth of all worlds… remain unchanged amidst endless change… they could attain supreme freedom.”

“They would transcend even the cycles of version reincarnation.”

“That path…”

“…is called—the One and Only Across All Worlds!”

(End of Chapter)