Chapter 230: Version Update

After the Supreme Sword Intent annihilated everything, Jiang Zhiwei merely cast a glance at Lu Yan before his figure completely vanished from the ancestral hall.

With his departure, this space-time finally descended into complete stillness.

In this silent, frozen world, only Lu Yan remained as the sole witness to it all.

Jiang Zhiwei destroying the Mysterious Female Gate came as no surprise to Lu Yan—but what did surprise him was that the gate had long since left behind a hidden countermeasure.

The three members of the Xiao family, and Moyangzi of the Mang Mountain branch, were merely a smokescreen. The true root of the contamination was the Mirror of Reflective Light used by the Azure Wutong Sect.

The mirror had reversed time and witnessed the Human Emperor Banner and the sealed Mysterious Female Gate, but any memory of the gate’s existence was silently wiped from its consciousness. Even the concept of the stone gate vanished from its cognition—this erasure was the conceptual pollution carried by the Mysterious Female Gate. It had started to spread in an invisible, undetectable manner.

From the Mang Mountain branch of the Taiyi Sect, to the Azure Wutong Sect, and countless surrounding areas, tens of millions of living beings had already been infected by this conceptual contamination.

It was intangible and formless, its only effect being the loss of any recognition of the “stone gate” concept. Under normal circumstances, nobody would ever realize such knowledge had been erased.

But over time, with tens of millions affected, the accumulated contamination had reached terrifying proportions. Once it exploded, the Human Emperor Banner, which had not yet fully matured, would be unable to maintain the suppression of the Mysterious Female Gate.

Lu Yan could easily imagine—had he not found Jiang Zhiwei in this Xianxia Version to eliminate the hidden threat, the moment he used his version designation privilege to select from the three Longevity Versions, the conceptual contamination would have been instantly triggered.

The eruption of the Mysterious Female Gate would have broken through the Human Emperor Banner’s suppression, forcibly twisting his version options. At that point, Lu Yan wouldn’t even be able to preserve his final trump card—the version designation right.

And what awaited him then… would be the inevitable outcome of falling into a Longevity Version.

Thinking this, a chill surged up from the bottom of Lu Yan’s heart.

He pressed a hand to his brow and muttered softly:

“No wonder I felt an inexplicable unease after exposing Moyangzi. Perhaps my true spirit sensed the hidden danger even then—the Mysterious Female Gate’s contamination had already begun spreading.

“But due to the limits of my knowledge—and the secretive nature of conceptual pollution—I couldn’t detect the threat.

“If I hadn’t completed the Seeking Immortal quest and found the Immortal mentioned in Zhao Huowang’s final words… this truly would’ve been a deadly, unsolvable trap!”

“…Wait, Zhao Huowang?”

The moment the name surfaced, Lu Yan instinctively froze.

Right before the version entered its update phase, he had caught sight of the words “New Treatise on the Heavenly Dao” on the book Jiang Zhiwei held.

The Treatise on the Heavenly Dao was an extraordinary work authored by Zhao Huowang. As a mere mortal, he had seen through the world’s inner workings and even touched upon the essence of “this world’s only one” and “the unchanging.” His level of insight surpassed countless living beings.

More importantly, Zhao Huowang, as an ordinary person, wasn’t bound by any version. No matter which world he entered, he could pierce through illusions and reach the truth. Lu Yan had already benefited multiple times from his final messages.

Now seeing that Jiang Zhiwei held the New Treatise on the Heavenly Dao, Lu Yan couldn’t help but question: could there be a connection between Jiang Zhiwei and Zhao Huowang?

“Tracing it back, Jiang Zhiwei only rose to power in the past few hundred years… and Zhao Huowang was also a commoner from a mortal dynasty around the same time. Their timelines are strikingly similar.

“But time alone doesn’t prove anything.”

As Lu Yan pondered, a sudden spark of insight flashed through his mind.

He thought of someone who had interacted with both Zhao Huowang and Jiang Zhiwei.

He Dongsheng! The sole person designated to search for Zhao Huowang’s relics!

“It was Jiang Zhiwei’s own arrangement that allowed me to meet him during the True Disciple Trial.

“But besides me, even He Dongsheng—who stumbled into the trial by sheer luck—was granted an audience and even gifted a precious technique.”

“Looking back, He Dongsheng’s participation in the trial was filled with suspicious points.”

“The teleportation array used to transfer the participants was deployed by the Tenth True Disciple—a master of formations likely above the Nascent Soul Realm.

“At that level, how could he possibly make such a ridiculous mistake and send a mere Foundation Establishment outsider into the core trial?

“Yet none of the True Disciples corrected this so-called ‘error.’ Even the Tai Xuan lineage’s Bitter Dao Lord was expelled from the Taiyi Grotto for raising objections.”

“I now have reason to suspect… sending He Dongsheng into the trial was the result of some kind of karmic interference.”

Lu Yan’s eyes flickered.

After the trial, when Lu Yan met with Mu Chunqiu, he recalled the man mentioning He Dongsheng, saying he accepted him as a disciple due to his profound fortune—and possibly due to his connection with Lu Yan.

But back then, Lu Yan was just a low-level Qi Cultivator. Even with his “Unchanging” trait, he lacked the depth to justify such immense fortune. The most likely explanation lay in another opportunity on He Dongsheng’s body—his karmic link with Zhao Huowang.

It was that karma that bestowed such fortune.

If Jiang Zhiwei had any connection to Zhao Huowang, and noticed this karmic trace on He Dongsheng, it would make perfect sense why he treated He Dongsheng so favorably—guiding him into the trial and bestowing a technique upon him.

Of course, all of this was still conjecture.

What truly connected Jiang Zhiwei and Zhao Huowang in Lu Yan’s mind came from a different, crucial clue—

“When Jiang Zhiwei introduced himself, he said: ‘I am Jiang Zhiwei… and also the Immortal you seek.’”

“On the surface, there’s nothing strange about this. But my journey to seek an Immortal was driven by Zhao Huowang’s final guidance.

“For Jiang Zhiwei to have waited here all along… could it be that this, too, was linked to Zhao Huowang’s words in the Demon Version?”

The more Lu Yan pondered, the more he realized something was off.

Had he still been in the Xianxia Version, he might’ve had the chance to question Jiang Zhiwei. Whether the man answered or not, he would’ve at least learned something.

But after severing the Longevity calamity, Jiang Zhiwei had vanished—leaving behind only this still space-time frozen in the midst of the version update. Lu Yan had no way to ask now.

“…Forget it. I’ll have to seek another opportunity.”

Lu Yan sighed quietly and swept his divine sense across his body.

The Mysterious Female Gate, once suppressed by the Human Emperor Banner, had already collapsed under Jiang Zhiwei’s Supreme Sword Intent. The banner was finally free from its stalemate.

This gate’s conceptual contamination had silently affected Golden Core Realms and even Nascent Soul cultivators.

In less than half a year, it had spread to tens of millions of lives and even drawn the attention of the Longevity Sovereign.

This alone confirmed Lu Yan’s earlier suspicion—

The Mysterious Female Gate was a treasure nearly matching the rank of “this world’s only one.”

Within the Dao Repository of the Taiyi Sect, Lu Yan had read many ancient texts. He learned that items like the Mysterious Female Gate—known in myths as World-Opening Treasures—could only be wielded by Immortals.

Of course, what Lu Yan carried wasn’t a complete World-Opening Treasure, but merely a fragment.

In order to entrap Lu Yan, the Longevity Sovereign had separated a piece of the gate and refined it into the Scripture of Mysterious Female Teachings—the third core technique of the Demon Version.

Anyone who cultivated this scripture would, through the Dao of the Mysterious Female, condense a version of the gate—disguised as a technique trait, secretly hiding a fragment of the Longevity Sovereign’s will.

Now that the gate had collapsed and the Sovereign’s will was severed, Lu Yan did not come away empty-handed.

As the root of all laws, the Mysterious Female Gate had been fused with countless world principles. This was why it could suppress all Daos.

Its destruction shattered those laws.

Normally, such fragments would scatter back into the world—but because the version update had begun and the world was in stasis, they had nowhere to return to.

So instead… they entered Lu Yan’s body.

Within him, there were two destinations:

The first was the Human Emperor Banner, which had been suppressing the gate for so long. It now held the embryonic form of a miniature world. By absorbing fragments of the broken laws, it could accelerate its completion.

The second was the seed of his Supreme Divine Ability, born of his Supreme Dao Foundation.

Most of the shattered law fragments had poured into the seed, which devoured them like a chaotic sun.

Though Lu Yan had already birthed the seed, it was still in early development. At best, it merely enhanced his existing arts to the tier of Heavenly Astral Abilities.

But now, having absorbed a vast portion of the gate’s broken principles, the seed began to gestate its true form—drawing significantly closer to becoming a complete Supreme Divine Ability.

And this… wasn’t even the most significant gain.

Lu Yan faintly sensed that once he fully digested the fragments, he could even reconstruct a Divine Ability akin to the Mysterious Female Gate!

Not the crude imitation of the Four Symbols Gate, nor the original World-Opening Treasure version—but one born from the fusion of the law fragments and his Supreme seed.

While it couldn’t match the original’s might—capable of polluting all beings and suppressing all laws—it could replicate a portion of its essence.

If he succeeded, he’d gain a new trump card—capable of suppressing even enemies with unfamiliar divine abilities.

“A reconstructed Mysterious Female Gate, through the Supreme Divine Ability seed, could likely reach the tier of a Heavenly Astral Divine Ability.

“It may share the name, but its essence differs vastly from the original World-Opening Treasure.

“But if I ever get the chance to shatter the original and absorb all its laws… perhaps my version could evolve into a true Supreme Divine Ability.”

This wild thought flashed across his mind—but Lu Yan quickly dismissed it.

That gate belonged to the Longevity Sovereign. Right now, he could barely avoid the man—no way he’d go looking for trouble.

He took a breath and began organizing the gains and effects from the collapse of the Mysterious Female Gate.

The Longevity Sovereign’s scheme had haunted him across three whole versions. The crisis had been a constant, looming threat. He had no choice but to grow stronger by traversing world after world.

Now that the danger was finally lifted, only the special version mentioned by Jiang Zhiwei remained. But Lu Yan felt no fear.

“According to Jiang Zhiwei, that version only allows those under a hundred years of age to enter.

“No matter the version update, anyone older cannot step foot inside. That’s a huge advantage for me.”

“Once the version update completes, I’ll find a chance to promote my Ghost Generals and pass on Tier 3 and Tier 4 formation knowledge. Then I’ll finally be qualified to face Nascent Soul powerhouses.”

“Nascent Soul under one hundred years old? There aren’t many in the entire Xianxia Version! In that special world, I might truly dominate!”

A surge of confidence burned in Lu Yan’s chest.

He turned his attention to the version update interface. Earlier, when Jiang Zhiwei destroyed the gate, the display had turned into a jumble of garbled text.

Only now, after a long wait, did the distortions from the clash between an Immortal and a sole existence finally settle. The interface refreshed with new text.

【This Xianxia Version has ended. Version Variation Value: 3%】

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise. The screen had previously displayed a settlement, yet now it had reverted—and the variation value had changed too.

“Does that mean Jiang Zhiwei’s clash with the Longevity Sovereign disrupted the prior version update and triggered a re-calculation?”

He made a mental note.

“A 3% variation—1% more than before, 2% more than the last Xianxia run.

“One percent likely came from me bringing the gate here, becoming one of the Thirty-Six True Disciples, or maybe my three-day lecture with Mu Chunqiu?”

“As for the final 1%, that must’ve been from Jiang Zhiwei destroying the gate and severing the Sovereign’s will.”

By this reckoning, his actions alone had caused a 2% variation.

That might not sound like much—but his previous 1% variation had already triggered a set of three hellish version choices.

Now at 3%, Lu Yan couldn’t even imagine how brutal the next batch would be.

And sure enough, just as he was steeling himself, the version update options appeared:

【World-Ending Version: Ninety-nine elements of destruction, twenty-four causes of decay, seven cataclysmic origins hang over all beings.

Microscopic physics ends at the molecular level, macroscopic technology is confined to planetary limits—any action may trigger the end. In this suffocating death-world, how can one survive?

Dreamscape Version: Countless transcendents seek liberation from this twisted, chaotic realm, unaware that the path they follow leads only to the dream of Huangliang Sovereign.

When the dream ends, all returns to silence. And when Huangliang slumbers again, the pitiful cycle begins anew.

** Version: Containment Breach!!!】

Upon seeing the three options, Lu Yan fell into stunned silence.

He instinctively looked up, trying to pierce the heavens of this frozen space-time—trying to catch a glimpse of the Xianxia Heavenly Dao.

He knew how strict the Dao of this world was. Even minor deviations could trigger its wrath and produce difficult version choices.

But these three? These weren’t just difficult—they were hell incarnate!

The World-Ending Version was terrifying in both name and nature. Unlike mere apocalyptic scenarios, it embedded destruction into the very laws of the world.

The moment one triggered a forbidden element or concept—boom. An extinction-level crisis.

Physics and tech were both stunted. A death-prison world.

And Lu Yan, as an outsider, could easily trigger catastrophe by simply existing. Total hell.

The Dreamscape Version seemed milder—until he saw the words “Huangliang Sovereign.”

The entire world was his dream.

And a being who could mold an entire version from his dream was definitely a “this world’s only one.”

As someone with the “Unchanging” trait, Lu Yan knew what that meant.

He was the perfect delicacy to such beings.

Choosing that world would be handing himself over gift-wrapped to Huangliang.

As for the final censored version—even its name had been redacted. But the warning “Containment Breach!!!” said it all.

It was probably a world with anomalies, redacted organizations, or black-ops rulebreakers.

Even with his Unchanging trait and preserved strength, he was just Golden Core. Among rule-breakers? That was asking to die.

Especially with that phrase… “Containment Breach.” It made his scalp go numb.

These three versions were more dangerous than even the Demon Version—and maybe on par with the Longevity one.

Clearly, this 2% variation had completely pissed off the Heavenly Dao of the Xianxia world.

“…Good thing I saved my version designation privilege. Otherwise, I’d be leaping from the tiger’s jaws into the wolves’ den.”

Lu Yan took out the rusty black iron piece Jiang Zhiwei had given him.

It seemed lifeless, and the version update interface didn’t react.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yan whispered:

“Activate version designation privilege!”

A beam of light flashed from the token. A long list of options appeared on the screen.

【Xianxia Version, Apocalypse Version, Demon Version, Spiritual Recovery Version…】

At last, the black token began to stir.

A glimmering point of space-time coalesced and merged with the interface—prompting a new, blurry option to slowly emerge.

Lu Yan closed his eyes, feeling the space-time resonance.

The token itself wasn’t valuable—but it carried the laws of that special version, making it a key to locate it.

Finally, the blurred text sharpened—

A single option presented itself before Lu Yan:

【Great Collapse Version: Xianxia. Mythic Pantheon. Western Fantasy. Cyber Martial Arts.

War rages across worlds—Immortals, God Kings, Old Ones, Great Powers, and this world’s only ones clash across versions. The Heavenly Dao shatters. Tremendous force tears the multiverse apart, creating a special world caught between versions.

Your mission is simple: Survive.】

(End of Chapter)