Chapter 249 – The Catalyst for the Supreme Divine Ability’s Completion

Lu Yan’s expression was filled with shock. He never imagined that within this cave-world, he would witness the presence of the Destruction Rule.

What was even more surprising was that this sliver of Destruction Rule was far stronger than what he had encountered in the Mechanoid version.

His mind raced, and he quickly deduced the reason.

The so-called cave-world of the All-Immortal Alliance had originally been modified from a version fragment of the Immortal Cultivation version. It was the aftermath of a great war between the immortals and the so-called “sole existence of this world.”

Since the Mechanoid version’s fragments held remnants of the Destruction Rule due to version ruptures, it made perfect sense for the Immortal Cultivation version to have the same.

Realizing this, Lu Yan suddenly saw the full picture.

“So the so-called function of the Zhou Tian Star Tower in suppressing the cave-world… was just a cover.

The truth is, someone had already detected the existence of the Destruction Rule in the version fragment, and in order to suppress it, they asked the Divine Artisan Immortal to forge the Zhou Tian Star Tower.

The All-Immortal Alliance used this Nascent Soul-grade treasure to suppress that wisp of Destruction Rule, thereby stabilizing the entire cave-world.”

“Moreover, due to the passage of time, and the fact that anyone over a hundred years old could no longer enter the Great Collapse version, this information, like in the Mechanoid City, was lost.

Even the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs currently in charge of the True Transmission Hall may not know the truth.”

Lu Yan then turned his gaze to the black hole formed by the Supreme Divine Ability seed.

As soon as the Destruction Rule appeared, the black hole grew even more frenzied, its devouring power expanding and accelerating the dimming of the stars.

At that moment, Lu Yan immediately understood that the reason the Supreme Divine Ability seed was acting this way was to force the Zhou Tian Star Tower to lift its suppression—so it could devour the Destruction Rule.

And the final catalyst needed for the Supreme Divine Ability seed to complete its maturation… was precisely that Destruction Rule!

“This won’t do!”

Lu Yan didn’t know if the Supreme Divine Ability seed could successfully consume the Destruction Rule. But if the Zhou Tian Star Tower’s suppression was weakened even slightly, this entire cave-world would plunge into calamity.

With the version war looming near, he couldn’t afford for the cave-world to collapse. He needed it as a powerful support—this was something he absolutely could not allow to happen.

As the tower began to tremble violently, Lu Yan decisively channeled his willpower to suppress the Supreme Divine Ability seed.

The terrifying black hole swirling above his head quivered as if sentient. Its spin gradually slowed, and the eerie dark-red halo around it seemed to smooth out under an invisible hand, no longer expanding.

But having devoured thousands of rule-based objects, the black hole wouldn’t calm easily. It still consumed starlight greedily, threatening to tear through the Star Tower’s suppression.

Seeing this, Lu Yan activated his tenth-layer Dao Foundation, as firm as the Buzhou Divine Mountain. His spiritual will transformed into a massive cage that extended from his body and completely enveloped the black hole.

Under the invisible cage’s compression, the black hole began to shrink. The starlight that had not yet been fully consumed surged back out from the black hole, as if time were reversing—transforming it into a white hole.

The expelled starlight scattered across the heavens like countless shooting stars returning to their places.

Each star that lit up again strengthened the suppression over the Destruction Rule.

The space within the tower stopped distorting. The void ceased collapsing. Everything, under Lu Yan’s control, returned to calm and order.

That once all-devouring black hole was finally reabsorbed into the chaotic great sun of the Supreme Divine Ability seed.

Having done all this, Lu Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

This cultivation session within the Zhou Tian Star Tower had brought him tremendous gains, but the risks sparked by the Supreme Divine Ability seed were equally significant.

If he hadn’t encountered the Destruction Rule before and reacted instantly, he might truly have triggered an unprecedented disaster.

With that thought, Lu Yan focused inward on the Supreme Divine Ability seed.

The chaotic great sun it had become now radiated a dazzling brilliance. Its surface was covered with intricate Dao patterns, and the divine ability within it seemed on the verge of breaking free.

Previously, Lu Yan couldn’t understand why the seed wouldn’t hatch. But upon seeing the Destruction Rule, he realized the issue.

Normally, once the seed of a Supreme Divine Ability matured to a certain point, one could forcibly crack it open to retrieve the divine ability.

But Lu Yan had acquired too many Dao Laws. First, he dismantled the Gate of Mystery Womb and devoured the source of myriad laws, skyrocketing the seed’s potential.

Then, after entering the Great Collapse Domain, he annihilated the Mechanoid City and monopolized the resources of both the All-Immortal Alliance and the Ten Directions Martial Path.

With such an immense influx of rule-based resources, his Supreme Divine Ability seed had grown to unimaginable levels.

The myriad Dao patterns etched on the outer shell served both as nourishment and as a prison—an unbreakable barrier that prevented the divine ability from hatching.

And the Destruction Rule, symbolizing extreme annihilation, had the power to shatter all laws. If devoured, it could destroy the shell and allow the divine ability to emerge.

Now that he understood, Lu Yan turned his gaze to a certain spot on his Supreme Dao Foundation.

There, the purple vortex transformed from the Gate of Mystery Womb trembled gently. It was suppressing a strand of Destruction Rule with the origin power of myriad laws.

The yin-yang grinding wheel formed from dual energies spun relentlessly, attempting to break free from the suppression. But it was far too weak.

After trading with the Heavenly Dao of Great Collapse, Lu Yan had preserved this sliver of Destruction Rule as a trump card—to destroy version fragments. So he had never fed it to the Supreme Divine Ability seed.

But now that he realized the Immortal Cultivation version also held the Destruction Rule, it was highly likely the others did too. Which meant he no longer had to limit himself to just this one.

If he infiltrated the other version fragments and destroyed their suppression sources, the destructive aftermath from the Destruction Rule would be enough to shatter the fragments.

“In that case, perhaps I can use this strand of Destruction Rule to try hatching the Supreme Divine Ability seed.

If I can break through to Golden Core before the war, I’ll have even more security.”

With that, Lu Yan prepared to withdraw the Gate of Mystery Womb—but halfway through, he suddenly realized something.

“The function of the Destruction Rule is to break through the outermost shell while fusing into the seed.

But this strand is too weak—it’s being suppressed by the Gate of Mystery Womb, which itself came from the Supreme Divine Ability seed.

If I feed it to the seed recklessly, it likely won’t break the outer shell and will just get inscribed onto it.

And the outer layer will become even more complex—making future Destruction Rules less effective.”

“To truly complete the Supreme Divine Ability, I must gather enough Destruction Rule and do it in one go—break through while fusing, achieving perfection.”

Grasping this logic, Lu Yan felt a wave of relief and abandoned the idea of using the Destruction Rule now.

“Shattering the other version fragments was my original plan anyway. I might as well gather their Destruction Rule while I’m at it.

Once I have enough, I’ll use it to push through to Golden Core.”

Decision made, the strand of Destruction Rule returned to the Gate of Mystery Womb’s suppression.

Lu Yan looked around the now-empty Zhou Tian Star Tower. Apart from the myriad stars still suppressing the Destruction Rule, nothing else remained.

Rising from the tower’s central platform, he retracted the Human Emperor Banner and strode toward the exit.

As soon as he stepped out, he was met by the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the All-Immortal Alliance—Slaughter, Yunlu, and Canfa.

Leading them, Slaughter True Monarch wore a puzzled expression and asked:

“May I ask, Envoy Lu—what was that destructive aura coming from the Zhou Tian Star Tower just now?”

Moments ago, the entire cave-world had trembled, as if the end times had arrived.

All three True Monarchs sensed the source was the Star Tower, so they hurried over to investigate.

Lu Yan didn’t plan to reveal the truth about the Destruction Rule. He simply gave a vague explanation:

“It was related to the divine ability I was cultivating.”

Before entering the tower, Lu Yan had stated his intention to cultivate a divine ability.

Now, hearing his answer, and seeing that the True Word Token showed no falsehood, Slaughter True Monarch was shocked.

That one sliver of destructive aura had affected the entire cave-world, changing the skies like doomsday.

Had Lu Yan not been inside, the other True Inheritors would have activated the Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirit Grand Array to investigate.

Yunlu and Canfa exchanged glances. They’d heard tales of Lu Yan’s feats—but this was their first time truly experiencing his power.

Recalling that terrifying aura, their gazes toward Lu Yan were filled with reverence.

Lu Yan, however, didn’t dwell on it. The time distortion from the rules inside the tower left him unsure of how long he’d been in seclusion. He asked immediately:

“How long have I been cultivating? What’s the current situation?”

“Only a month has passed since you began, Envoy Lu.”

Yunlu’s reply brought him a measure of relief.

His greatest fear was being delayed too long and missing the window. If the next version update came while he was trapped, it might take multiple updates before he could return.

Too long a delay, and his deal with the Heavenly Dao of Great Collapse could fall apart.

“As for the current situation… the collapse of the Mechanoid City has spread across the entire Great Collapse Domain. All major forces are scrambling to claim its territory.

Since the All-Immortal Alliance and the Nation of the Gods received the news first, we seized most of the land. The division is mostly complete now.”

Yunlu continued:

“But the Mechanoid City didn’t just leave behind land and resource zones—there’s something more valuable: control over the Nine Heavens.

The Nine Heavens reach to the outer realm, and with enough rule-wielding experts, they offer a steady source of rule-based resources.

The top-tier factions are keeping quiet—any who try to seize a second share will become a target.

But beneath them, the mid- and lower-tier factions are fighting fiercely, each hoping to replace the Mechanoid City.”

There was mockery in Yunlu’s tone.

Clearly, he looked down on these weaker versions trying to claw their way into the elite ranks.

And indeed, in the long history of the Great Collapse Domain, the nine top-tier version factions had always dominated, while others fought for scraps.

The key issue was the version behind each faction.

Without a refined cultivation system and deep foundations, a version faction simply lacked the qualifications.

Of the nine top-tier factions, only the Mechanoid City had no cultivation system. Their strength came solely from generations of passable inheritance through mechanoid creations.

But the Mechanoid City was an exception.

Other factions might briefly ascend due to a monstrous genius, but once that genius passed the hundred-year limit and was ejected from the version, everything reset.

In fact, if not for the protection of version fragments, most of those weaker factions would’ve been wiped out long ago.

Suddenly, Slaughter True Monarch frowned and added:

“Among those minor factions, one stands out—Longevity Heaven.

When they appeared, they brought two Nascent Soul-level powerhouses with them, suppressing the rest. They seem determined to claim the Nine Heavens.”

“I checked our records. Longevity Heaven dates back to the same era as the All-Immortal Alliance, Nation of the Gods, and the Seven God Churches.

But their records are sparse, as if altered by some force.

All that remains is that at some point, they were jointly targeted by the top factions and forced to retreat to their core territory, isolating themselves for millennia.”

Yunlu sneered. “A sect in seclusion for thousands of years, without access to the domain’s resources—how could they raise strong cultivators?

Those two Nascent Souls are probably their limit.”

Just then, Lu Yan interrupted, his expression calm as he shook his head.

“Longevity Heaven is no ordinary faction. They must be treated with utmost caution.”

Yunlu paused in surprise. The usually silent Canfa finally couldn’t hold back.

“Envoy Lu, have you had contact with Longevity Heaven?”

“In my battle to destroy the Mechanoid City, I encountered them. They sent four peak Nascent Soul demon fiends to ambush me.”

At those words, all three True Monarchs turned pale.

A four-on-one ambush by peak Nascent Souls—few in the entire Great Collapse Domain could survive such an assault.

In their eyes, it was already impressive that Lu Yan escaped alive.

But Lu Yan glanced at them and added lightly:

“I used some tricks. Killed one. The remaining three were wounded and fled.”

(End of Chapter)