Chapter 252: The Growth of the Apocalypse Rule

“Version fragment?”

The Transcendent Psionic’s expression froze, his face full of confusion.

“With your strength, it’s understandable that you don’t know the truth behind it. Version fragments have another name.”

Lu Yan’s gaze swept past the towering tower that pierced the heavens—The Tower of the Universe—and a slight arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

“They are the core territories of the Tower of the Universe.”

The moment his words fell, the smiles on the faces of the many psionics who had been overjoyed instantly froze, their expressions filled with disbelief.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

The Transcendent Psionic’s expression changed drastically, and he refused without hesitation.

“Our Tower of the Universe still has three Soul Computing Simulation Hubs and several Rule Artifacts. We’re willing to offer them to you as a token of our gratitude.

“But the core territory is the foundation of our Tower of the Universe. I implore you not to make such jokes.”

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m joking?”

Before his words even finished, an invisible pressure descended from the Underworld Army in the sky above, rippling through the air like a stone dropped into water.

The Transcendent Psionic instantly felt suffocated, as if an invisible hand had seized his throat. Before the might of the Underworld’s formation, he was like a lone boat in a storm.

Behind him, the surrounding psionics all retreated in panic, their faces pale as sweat poured down their foreheads like rain.

Even so, the Transcendent Psionic gritted his teeth and said:

“I call you ‘Your Excellency’ because you destroyed those powerful demon beasts and avenged our Tower of the Universe.

“But that doesn’t mean we will submit to you.

“With the protection of our core territory, even without your intervention, those demon beasts wouldn’t have been able to set foot inside. No matter how fearsome they are, they’re powerless before it.

“That goes for the demon beasts… and for you as well.”

As he spoke, glowing streams of psionic code lit up on his battle suit, like a soul computer in full operation.

Then, a familiar presence surged from the Transcendent Psionic’s body, shielding him from the Underworld Army’s pressure.

Lu Yan raised his brow slightly, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The aura emanating from the Transcendent Psionic was none other than the Intelligent God he had encountered in the Cyber Version.

Back then, with his weak cultivation, Lu Yan only knew that the Intelligent God was akin to the Cyber Heavens—a transcendent entity—but didn’t understand its true nature.

Now, judging from this aura, the Intelligent God had already stepped onto the path of becoming this world’s sole existence. It was approaching the very essence of being this world’s only one.

Because of that, the Intelligent God was able to descend a portion of its Soul Computational Power through psionic code, forcibly enhancing the Transcendent Psionic’s strength.

Entering the God Mode of his battle suit, the Transcendent Psionic felt an unprecedented power surging from within.

Although he still wasn’t strong enough to challenge Lu Yan, who had just slain five Nascent Soul-stage demon beasts, it was enough to defend the core territory protected by the Cyber rules.

With that thought, a hint of anticipation appeared in the Transcendent Psionic’s gaze as he looked at Lu Yan.

But Lu Yan only shook his head and stepped toward the boundary of the version fragment.

“It seems your intel is severely outdated. You don’t understand the nature of this entire situation.”

Each of his steps landed on the very edge between void and reality. A tension that was hard to describe filled the air. At the boundary between the Ruined Domain and the version fragment, the core rules of the Cyber Version began to manifest, attempting to expel this intruder.

Layers of space rippled like the surface of a disturbed lake, yet no matter how the core rules shifted, they couldn’t harm Lu Yan in the slightest.

“The era of cowering within version fragments is over.

“The mid-sized version faction, the Superpower Metropolis, was destroyed by the demon horde. They built an altar to connect with Eternal Heaven, using it to consume that city’s version fragment.

“Your so-called core territory couldn’t stop them.

“And it won’t stop me either!”

With those words, Lu Yan stepped into the version fragment.

In an instant, ten thousand rays of light burst forth within the fragment, like shattered stars exploding in the void.

The core rules of the Cyber Version awakened. In that moment, an endless torrent of psionic energy surged into being, rushing in from all directions.

Psionic energy—the very foundation of the Cyber Version’s technological and transcendent systems—was the cornerstone of the entire version. As the tides of energy raged, the once-gentle power transformed into pure, devastating force.

This was the manifestation of the core rules—an instinctive rejection of alien entities, as ferocious and unrelenting as an immune system purging invaders.

The psionic tides glowed with a bluish luster, weaving into a vast, complex geometric network in the void. Each node pulsed with a rhythm that made one’s heart tremble.

The frequency of the energy pulses surpassed the limits of conventional understanding, as if attacking across multiple dimensions—enough to reduce any intruder to nothingness.

But the moment these waves of destruction touched Lu Yan, a strange scene occurred.

His body radiated a profound light—not ordinary light, but a fundamental energy beyond both light and darkness. It held no color yet seemed to encompass all colors, bore no temperature yet contained all the heat and cold of the universe.

It was the essence of the Immutable, revealing itself now—a complete negation of all rule-bound restrictions.

The psionic tide collided with an impenetrable barrier around Lu Yan and stalled an inch away, twisting and warping. Then, like rules encountering a higher-dimensional system, they were forcibly rewritten.

At that moment, the entire version fragment trembled, as if encountering a being beyond comprehension.

The core rules convulsed, and everything fell into collapse.

From the day it was built, the Tower of the Universe had never ceased operating—but now, it lost its power source and ground to a halt. From war machines to daily utilities, everything shut down.

It wasn’t just the devices. Weaker psionics felt the energy inside their bodies flooding out uncontrollably. The power they had once taken pride in was rapidly vanishing.

Those who had undergone deep psionic modifications began to exhibit unspeakable deformities, as though suffering backlash from the unruly psionic rules.

Even the Transcendent Psionic, still in God Mode, could barely maintain stability as he looked up at Lu Yan, who hovered above.

Lu Yan stood at the heart of the energy storm, unmoving, his aura deep as an abyss.

His eyes seemed to hold entire galaxies, reflecting wisdom and power far beyond common sense. Each step he took bridged illusion and reality; each breath resonated with the rhythm of the version fragment.

“All personnel of the Tower of the Universe, withdraw from the version fragment—immediately.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it transcended space and pierced into the depths of every psionic’s soul.

There was a force in his voice that couldn’t be denied. Every syllable was like a brand from fate—unshakable and unquestionable.

“This isn’t a request. It’s a command.”

The moment his words fell, the entire version fragment trembled slightly, as if the causal chains of the world itself had been disturbed.

Inside the Tower of the Universe, rumbling echoed—that was the sound of long-stalled psionic tech triggering chain reactions. The ancient codes etched on the tower’s surface flickered wildly, like a beast unleashing its final struggle under threat of death.

Compared to the Mech Version, the Cyber Version might possess the Intelligent God approaching the status of this world’s only one, but as a civilization, it was still a newborn.

It had no doomsday weapons capable of enforcing fear.

No hidden trump cards to deter apex-level threats.

Aside from the Intelligent God, the Cyber Version had nothing it could truly rely on. That meant it could only lean on its core rules.

But before Lu Yan, the core rules of the Cyber Version were like a breeze brushing past—utterly ineffective against the essence of the Immutable.

With its greatest trump card invalidated, what could a few Transcendent Psionics possibly do against Lu Yan?

After a brief silence, someone finally accepted reality and stepped outside the version fragment.

That first person was none other than the visibly emotional Sharke.

Yet Sharke seemed to realize his boss was plotting something, so he didn’t speak to Lu Yan directly. Instead, he quietly followed orders and made his move.

Lu Yan, of course, noticed Sharke’s action, and a glint of interest flashed in his eyes.

The Transcendent Psionic glared angrily at Sharke. In his eyes, the first to obey Lu Yan’s command was nothing short of a traitor to the Tower of the Universe.

But in Lu Yan’s presence, a glare was the most the Transcendent Psionic dared offer.

Any rash move, and he had no doubt that Lu Yan would kill him on the spot.

With one person leading the way, the rest naturally found it easier to follow.

Before such an overwhelming force, company rules and loyalty were but illusions.

Two… three… ten… a hundred…

In less than half an hour, all thousands of psionics within the version fragment had evacuated.

Even the Transcendent Psionic—the last high-ranking official of the Tower—chose to leave after everyone else.

He had held out long enough to justify himself to the higher-ups.

If he continued opposing Lu Yan, the latter could probably kill him as easily as swatting a fly.

With everyone gone, Lu Yan soared to the center of the Tower of the Universe.

He raised his right index finger, where the aura of the Apocalypse Rule condensed. Then, that one finger—brimming with destructive essence—descended upon the towering spire.

In that instant, countless invisible chains extended from Lu Yan’s fingertip, wrapping around every inch of the Tower of the Universe. These chains, forged from pure annihilation, left twisted scars upon reality itself, like blades slicing through the void.

The moment the chains tightened, dense cracks spread across the tower’s surface—not physical damage, but breakdowns at the level of rules.

A soul-piercing wail echoed from the structure, a sound that transcended dimensions and stirred deep ripples in every listener’s soul. The colossal construct trembled violently, as if crushed in a giant’s fist.

The surface psionic codes flashed madly, struggling against the higher-dimensional destruction—but like fireflies against the stars, it was all in vain.

In a single moment, the Tower of the Universe collapsed.

Countless fragments floated and spun in the void, forming an otherworldly tableau that defied understanding.

The psionics watched the destruction unfold. As the tower shattered, they felt something vital within them suddenly vanish.

Amid the ruins, Lu Yan surveyed the tower, his brow furrowed.

Having discovered the Apocalypse Rule in both the Mech and Immortal cultivation version fragments, he instinctively believed this Cyber Version should also contain it.

But the result proved that not every version fragment could bear the Apocalypse Rule.

“Thinking about it, that makes sense. The rise of the Tower of the Universe only began a few hundred years ago after the Intelligent God’s appearance.

“Before that, the Cyber Version was just a weak, ordinary faction. It had no qualifications to contain the Apocalypse Rule.

“If it had, this version fragment would’ve been destroyed long ago.”

Unable to find what he was looking for, Lu Yan slowly opened his right hand. The Apocalypse Rule—sealed beneath the Gate of Mystery Womb—surfaced in his palm.

The Cyber Version had become a target of the demon horde, which meant it was now firmly on their radar.

If they noticed this failure and sent a full invasion force, even Lu Yan staying behind would be in danger.

Right now, Lu Yan absolutely couldn’t face Eternal Heaven head-on.

Instead of letting Eternal Heaven consume the version fragment and its people, Lu Yan chose to expel everyone first—then use the Apocalypse Rule to destroy the entire fragment.

Not only would this allow the Ruined Heavens Dao to recover further, it would also prevent Eternal Heaven from growing stronger.

The Gate of Mystery Womb gradually faded. Without its suppression, the Yin-Yang Millstone formed from the Apocalypse Rule revealed its true terror. The spiraling dual forces once again began replaying the vision of the world’s end.

The entire version fragment began to quake violently, like a curtain being torn by an invisible hand. Countless cracks spread across the void, and the tides of dimensional collapse surged across the Cyber Version.

Rules began to unravel. The once-absolute core psionic laws were powerless before the Apocalypse Rule.

Destruction was the natural enemy of all order. Even with home-ground advantage, all matter and energy would be crushed under the Yin-Yang Millstone.

Dimensional boundaries shattered. Chaotic temporal fragments drifted through the void, each carrying echoes of different times and spaces.

The vast tides of spacetime, now unbound, surged like a flood out of control, consuming everything in an inescapable wave of ruin.

A mournful wail echoed through the void—the requiem of a civilization’s version fragment meeting its end.

Lu Yan sensed it in his soul: the all-consuming Apocalypse Rule was quietly… growing.

(End of Chapter)