Heavenly Might Descends Again

Time seemed to stand still inside the stone chamber.

Lu Yuan maintained his head-up posture, the bone-chilling coldness deep within his soul still lingering. He could clearly sense that the gaze from the level of rules had not moved away—some higher-level mechanism had been triggered.

This is troublesome.

In the blink of an eye, the illusory Rule Soul Ring above his head, swirling with miniature Stone Gate Mark, slowly sank and disappeared into his body. There was no burst of Soul Power, no dazzling Soul Skill effects, only a tangible sense of a closer connection between himself and the surrounding space.

He became Titled Douluo, Level 90.

But he is different from any of those recorded.

With a thought, he "saw" the delicate flow of energy within the stone chamber. The trajectory of the flowing Soul Power, the dissipation path of the residual energy of the magic array, the free-floating primordial energy in the air... everything became visible and discernible, and he could even vaguely sense its tendencies and weaknesses.

Lu Yuan concentrated his mind, his gaze falling on a piece of gravel in the corner. As his thoughts reached it, the rules around the gravel seemed to be slightly altered. It swayed slightly, floating upwards half an inch against the natural order, before falling back down. The whole process was silent, but fine beads of sweat appeared on Lu Yuan's forehead, and a sense of exhaustion emanating from his very soul came from between his brows.

It wasn't the consumption of Soul Power, but rather the consumption of something more fundamental, an "Origin."

This ability leans more towards insight, assistance, control, and subtle interference with the rules. It's like a Key that can pry open the fundamental screws of the world, rather than a hammer.

"Lu Yuan?" Yun Youzi was the first to come to his senses, his voice hesitant.

Lu Yuan turned around, his expression grave. "The Soul Ring is complete. Level 90. But it's brought even bigger trouble. Immediately—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

boom--

An indescribable, immense pressure pierced through the rock strata and descended upon the entire New Fire Valley!

The stone chamber trembled violently, and dust fell in a flurry. The light of the magic array instantly went out. Yun Youzi and his companions felt as if their hearts were being gripped by an invisible hand, their Soul Power was difficult to circulate, and their blood was almost frozen.

It wasn't the pressure of Soul Power, nor the killing intent. It was a more fundamental sense of rejection, as if the entire world had suddenly reacted to this place as if it were a foreign object.

Lu Yuan's expression changed drastically.

It's here!

"Get out!" he shouted in a low voice, and rushed towards the exit first. Yun Youzi and the others suppressed their discomfort and followed closely behind.

Upon emerging from the stone chamber, the sight before them caused everyone to gasp in shock.

At noon, an eerie gloom enveloped the sky. It wasn't dark clouds, but rather space itself was distorted, the light swallowed and refracted, presenting an unnatural gray-black hue. The sunlight was dim, and the grass and trees seemed to have lost their color.

An invisible pressure permeated every inch of air. All the Soul Master in the valley stopped moving. The disciples with weaker Soul Power turned pale and had difficulty breathing; even the deacons at the Soul King Soul Emperor levels felt their Soul Power stagnate and their chests feel tight.

"What's going on?" a disciple exclaimed in alarm.

Why is it dark?

Panic began to spread.

Lu Yuan looked up, his gaze piercing through the darkness. He "saw" it more clearly: countless lines and force fields representing established rules descended from the level of rules, locking onto him, this abnormal node.

Rule rejection. This is the correction program that the mainland cultivation system has initiated for him, this bug who doesn't follow the usual path and even steals fragments of the rules.

The path he chose was one that neither heaven nor earth would recognize.

"All disciples, immediately take to the underground bunkers! Activate the protective formation!" Yun Youzi roared hoarsely.

Shen Moxin rushed towards the array's core, activating layers of protective light shields. Mo Chen ran towards the workshop area to activate the emergency soul-guided shield. Lin Xiao and Su Yan stood guard beside Lu Yuan, their eyes sharp.

However, there were no physical attacks, only ever-increasing pressure.

The protective shield surrounding the New Fire Valley creaked under the strain. The Tranquility and Defense runes shattered one after another.

Some Soul Elder Soul Ancestor disciples slumped to the ground, their faces turning bluish-purple.

The pressure is directed at Lu Yuan, but if it continues, the entire valley will be affected.

You can't hide.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, only calmness and determination remained in his eyes.

"You two step back," he said calmly to Lin Xiao and Su Yan, "Stay away from me."

"Lu Yuan!" Lin Xiao gritted his teeth.

"This is a battle of rules; you can't help," Lu Yuan said rapidly. "Trust me."

He took a step forward and walked alone towards the center of the valley.

With each step he took, the air seemed to freeze beneath his feet. Hair-thin black cracks began to appear in the space around him, only to quickly close. The speed at which the cracks appeared and closed increased, forming a bizarre area around him that was constantly breaking and reforming.

He stood still, head held high, facing the dark sky.

Push your newly acquired rule perception and intervention capabilities to their limits!

The Stone Gate Mark between his brows suddenly lit up. The Rule Soul Ring above his head reappeared, and the phantom of the mark at its core resonated with the mark between his brows.

Lu Yuan's will, combined with the power of his Soul Ring and the orderly qualities of his mark, surged upwards against the descending pressure of the rules!

He is not trying to fight the world, but rather trying to communicate, demonstrate, and explain to this world: I am not a destroyer. I take a different path, but I am also understanding and applying the rules, and I can even become a self-regulating patch in the system.

The process was unimaginably difficult.

The moment the will comes into contact with the pressure of the rules, a huge information shock and repulsion back comes.

"Puff--"

Lu Yuan's body trembled violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood was immediately swallowed by the spatial rift as soon as it left his body. The black cracks around him increased, and blood beads seeped from his skin. His Soul Power was being consumed frantically, and the light of the mark between his eyebrows visibly dimmed. It felt as if a red-hot iron rod was piercing his brain at the soul level.

We can't stop.

He gritted his teeth and persevered, projecting his understanding of the flow of Soul Power, his exploration of the essence of Martial Soul, and his comprehension of the rules of the stone gate—all his insights that differed from traditional paths—through the Rule Soul Ring and marks.

This is not a clash of strength, but a debate about the essence of existence.

The protective array of the New Fire Valley was completely overloaded, and the light shield emitted a piercing wail. Fine cracks appeared on the valley walls. Yun Youzi and the others retreated to a distance, their hearts pounding as they watched the tiny yet stubborn figure in the spatial rift in the center of the valley.

Just as Lu Yuan's consciousness began to blur, and he felt he was about to be completely formatted by the pressure of the rules--

The Stone Gate Mark between the eyebrows, which had become extremely dark, suddenly burst forth with a final ray of intense light!

Buzz--

A miniature, ancient stone gate appeared silently behind Lu Yuan.

Guided by will and resonating with the Rule Soul Ring, the illusory stone door slowly opened a tiny crack inward.

Flowing from the cracks was an indescribable, balanced, and peaceful light. It carried a strange soothing and harmonizing quality, as if it could restore order to chaos.

This is a subtle manifestation of the core functions of Shimen: "Calibration" and "stability".

The Light of Order met the pressure of the rules descending from the heavens.

There was no explosion, no annihilation.

At the moment light and pressure come into contact, a strange neutralization and communication occur. The Light of Order, like a gentle solvent, seeps into the cold pressure. The rigid parts of the pressure that represent repulsion and forced correction are softened and diluted; the information of the differential rules carried by the Light of Order then begins a slow and arduous exchange and mutual adaptation with the vast system.

The gloom in the sky began to fade.

The omnipresent, invisible pressure recedes slowly like the receding tide.

The wailing of the protective light shield ceased. The collapsed disciples breathed a sigh of relief, their chests relaxed. The vegetation regained its color, and the distorted light gradually returned to normal.

A dozen or so breaths later.

The last vestiges of darkness dissipated, and the midday sun shone warmly and brightly into the valley.

It was as if the power of heaven and earth that had just been witnessed was merely an illusion.

In the middle of the valley.

The illusory image of the stone gate dissipated. The Rule Soul Ring vanished.

Lu Yuan stood straight and motionless.

Then his body swayed and he fell forward.

"Lu Yuan!"

Yun Youzi and the others arrived in a flash. Shen Moxin carefully helped him up, and when she placed her fingers on his wrist, her expression immediately turned grim.

His aura was extremely weak, his Soul Power was almost depleted, his meridians were damaged in many places, and his soul fluctuations were as weak as a candle in the wind. The Stone Gate Mark between his eyebrows was dim and almost imperceptible.

Lu Yuan's eyelids trembled, and he struggled to open them a crack.

He gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"It seems... this path... isn't welcomed by heaven and earth..."

He paused, gathering his strength.

"But it's not... completely blocked."

He looked at Yun Youzi, his eyes showing a hint of relief, but more so a deep, unfathomable weariness and solemnity.

"But... how should I 'say hello' next time..."

"We might need to be... more careful."