Chapter 264: Eternal Sword—Challenging the Dao of Immortality

The Longevity Heavenly Sovereign’s fear of the Xianxia version fragment was not baseless.

As an apex existence among the “this world’s only ones,” the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign had already sensed danger when scheming against the Great Collapse version. His True Spirit gave off faint warnings.

Yet even after scouring the river of time and peering through all cause and effect, he could not trace the origin of that warning—he could only vaguely perceive that the crisis stemmed from the Xianxia version.

Precisely because of this, he never took direct action until the Xianxia version fragment was completely destroyed.

Even then, the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign still deployed a demon army to test the waters, and only after confirming there were no hidden tricks left in the Xianxia version did he finally act to suppress the Great Collapse Heavenly Dao.

He believed he had calculated everything to perfection.

But in the end, he realized—he had still fallen into Jiang Zhiwei’s trap.

The moment Jiang Zhiwei spoke those words within the Xianxia version, the cause and effect had already been set.

No matter how vast his foresight or how meticulous his calculations, he could not escape this sword stroke—ordained from the past.

A long sigh echoed out as Lu Yan raised the broken sword. The supreme sword intent that spanned time and space had already descended.

Where the sword light passed, time froze, space folded, and the stars of ten thousand ages flowed in reverse.

The entire Great Collapse version became like a blank canvas, subject to the will of this transcendent stroke. From high-dimensional space, the sword intent descended, correcting every detail of this world’s reality.

In that instant, the heavens collapsed and the earth cracked.

The firmament shattered like an ancient mirror, fragments of starlight sparkling through the void, reflecting the original light of chaos’ dawn. The earth groaned, mountain ranges surged like waves, abyssal chasms formed and vanished in a blink, and all the forces of heaven and earth lost balance beneath this sword’s supreme might.

The mighty Hand of Heaven, which had blanketed the entire realm, was obliterated.

Even the Great Collapse Heavenly Dao, which had failed to resist this overwhelming force, saw its once boundless dominion and temporal control vanish without a trace. Its immortal light crumbled into falling stars scattered across the sky.

Yet the sword’s power did not end there.

Its residual force pierced the heavens, splitting the projection of the Longevity Heaven that loomed above the sky in two.

Mountains broke, rivers halted, the world collapsed—unstoppable destruction engulfed the entirety of the Longevity Heaven. The final version fragment symbolizing this realm shattered under the sword’s might.

In the midst of this apocalyptic scene, Lu Yan closed his eyes slightly, savoring the sensation of that singular, transcendent sword strike.

The blade in his hand was merely a rusty, broken iron sword, holding no innate divinity.

Even the force behind that sword stroke did not greatly exceed his current cultivation.

Tracing its origin, it was only the cause and effect it carried—combined with a will like high-dimensional intervention—that formed the true essence of that supreme sword intent.

It was because both will and causality coexisted that this sword could annihilate the Hand of Heaven, destroy the Longevity Heaven, and shatter the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign’s plot.

“So this… is the will of a ‘this world’s only one’?”

Lu Yan slowly opened his eyes, a hint of regret flashing within.

Even after personally wielding the supreme sword intent, the gap in status between himself and a “this world’s only one” was far too great—he could not even approach such a lofty will.

If not for his possession of the Dao Gold Core and mastery of a Heavenly Dao Merit-level divine ability, he wouldn’t have even qualified to swing this sword.

“How did you evade my gaze to bring Jiang Zhiwei’s Eternal Sword here?”

As Lu Yan was immersed in thought, a voice suddenly echoed by his ear.

Startled, he turned around—only to discover that the pair of eyes once high above the sky had somehow descended to his side.

But at this point, the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign’s will projection was clearly in poor condition. The once vast and piercing eyes had shrunk to mortal size, riddled with cracks, on the verge of shattering completely.

Lu Yan gripped the broken sword tightly, his expression solemn, ready for any backlash from the projection of this ancient monster.

“Rest assured. This projection of mine was struck by the Eternal Sword—it still lingers only because the Longevity Heaven has yet to fully collapse. I will not make a move against you.”

The will projection spoke calmly, but Lu Yan remained alert and silent.

Against an existence of this level, even a single word might fall into their calculations. He couldn’t afford to let down his guard.

The projection chuckled softly at this.

“No wonder you’ve escaped my plans so many times. Such caution truly befits you.

The Great Collapse Heavenly Dao is about to regain full control of the version. This projection of mine will soon dissipate. Even if I knew more secrets, I could not pass them to my main body.”

Seeing that Lu Yan remained silent, the projection changed approach.

“Since you do not trust me, how about a trade?

You answer one of my questions, and in return, I shall answer one of yours. What do you say?”

Lu Yan’s pupils trembled violently.

This was the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign—an apex “this world’s only one.” If he could extract even a bit of truth from such a being, it could bring immense help to his future cultivation.

In comparison, even if answering revealed a few of his secrets, it would be worth the risk.

Lu Yan wasn’t one to hesitate. After a moment’s thought, he responded:

“Fine. But I have two conditions.”

“State them.”

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes.

“Since your question concerns the origin of that sword, you may only ask about matters relating to this battle. Anything beyond that, I will not answer.

Also—during our exchange, neither party is allowed to mislead or conceal the truth.”

“Agreed,” the will projection said immediately, seemingly without other motives.

With the agreement set, the projection immediately spoke again:

“Then my question remains—how were you able to channel Jiang Zhiwei’s Eternal Sword?”

Lu Yan raised the broken sword in his hand.

“Because of this.”

“Impossible!” the projection denied flatly.

“This sword’s causality with Jiang Zhiwei is too strong. It should’ve been impossible to bring it from the Xianxia version into the Great Collapse version.

Even if you had, I would’ve sensed the causal line instantly. There’s no way it could have gone unnoticed!”

Lu Yan did not answer directly. Instead, he countered:

“Does that count as your second question?”

The projection fell silent for a moment, then replied, “It does.”

Lu Yan opened his palm. The sword, having unleashed the supreme sword intent, was now decaying rapidly without the support of divine ability.

Cracks spread along the blade, as though centuries had passed in an instant.

Finally, the broken sword shattered—most of it gone, leaving only a rusty fragment.

“This is why.”

The projection silently observed the fragment left behind.

After ages of corrosion, the causal connection to Jiang Zhiwei was so faint it was nearly gone. Even with Jiang Zhiwei’s genius, he could not have channeled the Eternal Sword through such a tenuous thread.

After a long silence, the projection’s gaze flickered.

“It’s related to your divine ability?”

“Yes.”

Lu Yan gave a firm reply.

The projection spoke slowly:

“No wonder. No wonder.”

“Supreme Divine Ability—Manipulate Creation. It can manifest from nothing, reverse fate and destiny. All of Samsara lies within its grasp—omniscient, omnipotent!

You brought this iron fragment into the Great Collapse version before mastering the ability. Naturally, I couldn’t perceive the cause and effect then.

Only after I appeared, and you used Manipulate Creation to restore the broken sword—normal means would’ve only yielded common iron, but this divine ability retrieved the sword from history itself, allowing it to inherit Jiang Zhiwei’s cause and effect. Thus, he could strike this Eternal Sword through you.

Such deep planning, such exquisite calculation!”

Lu Yan said nothing. Against such an old monster, silence was safest.

Still, he knew this victory hinged on the gift Jiang Zhiwei gave him back in the Xianxia version—that fragment to anchor the Great Collapse version.

That fragment, his Dao Gold Core, and his Supreme Divine Ability—without any one of them, he could not have won this battle.

Lu Yan even suspected Jiang Zhiwei had foreseen all this long ago. Perhaps even his acquisition of Manipulate Creation was part of Jiang Zhiwei’s design.

Back in the Xianxia version, a question once again flickered in his mind—

“Was Jiang Zhiwei really Zhao Huowang?”

Before he could ponder further, the projection spoke:

“I now understand the cause and effect. Go ahead and ask your question.”

Lu Yan’s mind sharpened. Countless questions surged to his lips, but he held them back.

Even asking had its dangers—careless questioning might reveal too much. And although they agreed to speak truthfully, a “this world’s only one” could easily twist the truth in countless ways.

He must not overly rely on the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign’s answers.

After a pause, Lu Yan asked solemnly:

“My first question: the Great Collapse version is isolated from other versions—even ‘this world’s only ones’ find it hard to interfere. How did you project your will into it?”

This was both a curiosity and a test. Since the Great Collapse version was under siege, perhaps similar threats existed in other realms. Learning the secret might allow Lu Yan to avoid such dangers in the future.

“Simple.”

The projection answered flatly:

“When the Great Collapse version was created, I split off a sliver of will and hid it in a realm of the Longevity version that was about to shatter.

After the Version War, when versions fractured, that sliver descended with a fragment into the Great Collapse version.”

“Impossible!”

Lu Yan’s face changed dramatically, eyes filled with disbelief.

He had assumed the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign found a loophole—but to think he had laid this trap before the version’s very birth!

“Why not?” the projection replied meaningfully.

“To a ‘this world’s only one’ who controls a version, the time within it is merely an anchor for their position. Only when interfering with other versions does it come at a cost.”

Lu Yan inhaled deeply, calming himself.

This was likely true—and it also explained why the other “this world’s only ones” had not stepped in. The Longevity Heavenly Sovereign had bet everything on Lu Yan. The others were too late, unwilling to stake so much.

“My second question: why do you insist I enter the Longevity version?”

Lu Yan had heard hints from Jiang Zhiwei and seen clues himself, but he wanted confirmation now.

The projection’s damaged eyes gazed at him with deep meaning.

“Some say that beyond ‘this world’s only ones,’ there are two paths that might transcend all of Samsara.

One has been half-walked—but ends in a dead end.

When I first saw you, I sensed traces of the second path, but I wasn’t sure—so I placed a casual piece on the board.

Now, with this loss and your mastery of Manipulate Creation, I’m increasingly convinced that the second path is real.”

The projection did not speak clearly, but Lu Yan understood.

The second path—it was the path of All Worlds’ Sole Existence.

More than that, Lu Yan now burned with curiosity: who was the one who walked half that path?

But he couldn’t ask—not when he had already prepared a third question.

“My third question.”

Lu Yan took a deep breath and asked seriously:

“How can I most quickly gain the power to contend with a ‘this world’s only one’?”

The first two questions sought knowledge. The third aimed purely to increase his strength.

Of course, the Longevity Heavenly Sovereign’s answer could not be fully trusted. If Lu Yan asked for specifics, he might fall into a trap.

Thus, he threw out a broad question—seeking inspiration rather than direct answers.

Even the will projection was stunned by this bold inquiry.

After a long silence, a hoarse chuckle echoed.

“Young and fearless—how admirable.”

“‘This world’s only ones’ also vary in strength. The weakest barely control a barren realm. Stripped of their status, their cultivation may be only at the Nascent Soul stage.

The strongest have already reached the Immortal Realm. With their status added, they surpass even most Immortals.”

“To fight a ‘this world’s only one’—you must match their status.

Possessing such a status, even a Nascent Soul cultivator could slay them.”

Lu Yan’s eyes glinted. He had already suspected as much—the difference among “this world’s only ones” was massive.

The mighty ones, like the Lord God or Longevity Heavenly Sovereign, ruled multiple versions. The weak ones, like that will in the apocalypse version, couldn’t even crush a single Heavenly Dao.

“To gain that status, one must see through the essence of all realms and attain true transcendence.

But you—you’re special. Though you’ve seen the truth, you possess other traits that bar you from this status.

Still, versions are full of variables. One need not attain such status to defeat a ‘this world’s only one.’ There are ways to suppress them.”

The projection paused, then enunciated slowly:

“For instance—Heavenly Dao. World-Creating Supreme Treasures. Or… the Divine Court of All Heavens!”

(End of Chapter)