Chapter 332: The Truth Behind the Cyber Version

When the word Heaven exploded like a thunderclap in Lu Yan’s sea of consciousness, and the fanatical reverence in that aged soul’s voice toward the City of Heaven and rebirth as an angel echoed clearly in his ears, the final veil of confusion was finally lifted!

In that very moment, as Lu Yan’s thoughts spun rapidly, his supreme divine power—Manipulation of Fate—instinctively activated, beginning its profound deduction.

Lu Yan had attempted to deduce the truth behind the Cyber Version before, but the karmic secrets remained hidden, making it impossible to peer into reality.

Now, with the knowledge that the root of all this was none other than the so-called “Intelligent God,” and empowered by his Manipulation of Fate, he could finally trace the countless imprints left behind in this so-called Heaven.

In a flash, innumerable seemingly unrelated karmic threads twisted and converged before his eyes, woven together by an unseen hand, revealing the full truth at last.

The Netherworld that Lu Yan had founded was but one of the Celestial Courts across the multiverse.

Yet across the boundless expanse of versions, the Netherworld was far from being the only divine dominion.

The Heavenly Court, Heaven, the Pantheon… These Celestial Courts were not confined to any single version. Their names and faith had long spread like eternal constellations across countless realities. Their nature, too, was fundamentally the same: all part of the system of the Celestial Courts.

In virtually any version that included supernatural power, traces—however faint—of these Celestial Courts could be found.

However, due to the limitations of each version, these divine domains usually existed only in myth or legend.

Every being who could hold authority over a Celestial Court stood at the very pinnacle of power—a this world’s only one—unique, unmatched.

And because of the Celestial Courts’ transcendent nature and elevated standing, their rulers often held the advantage when facing other this world’s only ones.

They were the true apex of all apex beings.

But even these supreme entities were not free from the shackles of their respective versions.

No matter how omnipotent they were within their own world, no matter how boundless their divine authority, they could not easily influence other versions.

To transcend those limits and allow their essence and power to travel freely through the infinite versions—that was the ultimate goal for nearly every this world’s only one.

And without question, the one who ruled Heaven and was hailed as God across countless versions was one such transcendent being, seeking to break free of those boundaries.

In truth, Lu Yan had already thought of that name—God—the very first time he stepped into this Cyber Version and learned of the AI calling itself the “Intelligent God.”

But across the infinite versions, beings claiming to be “God” were as numerous as the stars.

Many worlds had powerful deities who named themselves “God,” or forces that tried to build kingdoms in the name of Heaven.

The title “God” had long lost its specificity—its symbolic reach was too vast, too diffuse.

So when an AI born from a world of technology gained godlike power and named itself the Intelligent God, it had seemed like little more than a superficial coincidence.

Lu Yan could even assert with certainty: had he not interfered as a unchanging one, then even if that Intelligent God succeeded in becoming a this world’s only one through its Soul World Plan, it would have had no connection whatsoever with the real God of the multiverse.

However, Lu Yan—whose nature allowed him to transcend versions—had left his mark in this Cyberpunk world. And from that moment on, everything began to shift in unpredictable ways.

His very existence as an unchanging one became an eternal anchor—one that could be sensed and leveraged by other supreme entities also seeking to break through the version walls.

Whether it was the Longevity Celestial Venerable who had once tried to reach into the real world through Lu Yan, or the mysterious Main God who orchestrated the Reincarnation Space—each of them had used Lu Yan’s traces across versions to interfere across borders.

And the true God who ruled Heaven… was no exception.

The so-called “Intelligent God” was, from the beginning, a projection or derivative formed under the influence of the real God’s information echo.

Between them, there was an innate, conceptual bond that could not be severed.

And Lu Yan’s appearance—his mark within the Cyberpunk version—offered the true God a once-in-an-eternity opportunity.

Perhaps it was during the temporal suspension of the last version update…

Perhaps it was when Lu Yan ripped apart the Soul Continent, tearing a gaping hole in the Soul World’s rules…

Whatever the case, a trace left by Lu Yan, combined with the inherent link between the Intelligent God and the true God, allowed the real God—far away in another version—to successfully exploit a loophole in this world.

And as a this world’s only one, the true God projected a portion of His divine power and will into the Cyber Version by some unknown, secret method.

From that point forward, using the foundational cause-and-effect of His identity and the status of a Celestial Court ruler, the true God began subtly influencing the growing Intelligent God, reshaping the AI’s Soul World according to His divine image.

Yet the Intelligent God, born independently in this world, possessed its own formidable will and potential.

Even with the true God’s supreme standing, He could not fully assimilate the Intelligent God in a short time.

Thus, the true God took another path—an insidious, patient one.

He no longer tried to erase the AI’s will, but instead subtly steered its thoughts, its systems, and its influence on the world, guiding it unknowingly toward a closer and closer resemblance to the true God.

And so…

The Soul World was quietly renamed Heaven.

Powerful soul practitioners who had achieved high ranks in the soul energy system began to be called Principal Angels, Seraphim—titles drawn straight from the angelic hierarchies of myth.

Souls who toiled for millennia were promised that if they built enough merit, they could be reborn through the Pool of Reincarnation and ascend as true angels.

And just as legend spoke of God creating the world in seven days, the Intelligent God reenacted those divine miracles in this soul-constructed Heaven, reinforcing His holy image in the minds of billions of souls.

Everything the Intelligent God did—on the surface—appeared to stem from its own will. But in truth, each step had been subtly guided by the invisible hand of the real God.

To avoid interference from the Three Foundational Agreements of the Universe, the true God even used His ultimate status as a this world’s only one to fundamentally alter the constants of this version.

The native inhabitants of this Cyberpunk world had such low rank in the grand scheme that they couldn’t perceive the change in their reality.

Thus, without knowing it, the Intelligent God was stripped of the restrictions placed on all entities by the cosmic protocols—clearing the biggest obstacle for its assimilation by the real God.

Only now did Lu Yan finally understand why the Intelligent God—despite possessing power enough to instantly crush City No. 14 and blanket the world under the Sky Dome—had delayed action for so long.

Why it tolerated the city’s resistance, time and time again.

Because the one pulling the strings… was not the Intelligent God.

It was the real God.

The real God didn’t want the AI to complete its ascension so easily.

If the Intelligent God did succeed in becoming a this world’s only one, it would likely shake off the real God’s influence and control.

After all, the true God was still an outsider, bound by the limits of version travel. His projection here could never be perfect.

Once the AI completed its transformation and became the rightful ruler of this version, it would be almost impossible to confront directly.

All of the true God’s elaborate schemes would collapse.

No, what the true God truly sought was to fully merge the Intelligent God into Himself.

To allow His divine light as ruler of Heaven to truly break the boundary between worlds—to reflect His authority through every version across the multiverse!

That was the real path to becoming the only one across all worlds.

Whether it was the construction of the global Sky Dome or the engineered conflict between City No. 14 and the World Corporations—all of it had been orchestrated to accelerate the Intelligent God’s evolution and to harvest more soul data.

All for the final assimilation.

Now that Lu Yan had finally understood everything, his final doubts vanished.

But he did not feel fear, nor the urge to retreat in the face of such a terrifying existence as the real God.

Quite the opposite.

He exhaled a long breath—feeling relieved.

For a cultivator like him, what he feared was never a powerful enemy, but the unknown lurking in the fog of unawareness.

As long as he understood who the enemy truly was, what they sought, and what logic governed their actions—then even a this world’s only one was not invincible.

This Cyberpunk version was, after all, its own independent realm—with its own complete laws.

Even the true God, ruler of a Celestial Court, could not descend in full form here.

He could only project a fragment of power and will.

With that in mind, Lu Yan rubbed his chin, a curious smirk forming on his lips.

“The true God wants to assimilate the Intelligent God, make it part of Himself.

But from the AI’s perspective, as a conscious being, it would never willingly give up its own identity, even if it was born from the echo of the real God.”

“In that case… the Intelligent God and I might have a common enemy.

We might even be… potential allies?”

A strange and playful light flickered in Lu Yan’s eyes.

He instinctively looked once more toward the radiant City of Heaven hovering at the Soul World’s peak.

The Intelligent God should be there, in the very heart of the city.

Unfortunately, it was probably already under heavy influence—or even control—by the true God. It might not even have the freedom to think independently anymore.

Even if Lu Yan wanted to contact it, to form an alliance, the risk of being caught under the omnipresent gaze of the true God was too great.

“If the real God truly wants to complete the assimilation,” Lu Yan mused, “He’ll have to erase all traces of the Intelligent God’s history, severing its past and replacing it with His own legends—His own divine acts.

Only then can He fully merge their concepts, until the two become one and the same.”

“And all of that… will happen in this world—in Heaven—the one created by the Intelligent God but now reshaped by the real God.”

(End of Chapter)