FVN Chapter 140 The Incident Under Five Finger Mountain Was Not an Accident
Chapter 140 The Incident Under Five Finger Mountain Was Not an Accident
Deep inside the archive.
Chen Fan stood in front of the two humanoid shells, without moving.
Chen Xuance's words were still echoing in my mind—
"You never had a past."
"You were just a tool from beginning to end."
He stared at the shell that was exactly like his own for a long time.
The demon leader's voice trembled as he asked, "Strategist, shouldn't we... leave?"
"No rush," Chen Fan said.
He crouched down and reached out to touch the surface of the shell.
It's cold.
Like touching a stone.
But the next second, a faint light shone from the surface of the shell. The light coalesced into words, line by line, appearing in mid-air—
Case No.: Scrapped Case-007
"Deployment location: Southern foothills of Wuzhi Mountain"
"Time of release: Three years after Sun Wukong was imprisoned"
"Functional positioning: Lowest-cost backup variable"
"Expected lifespan: Indefinite (until wear and tear or recycling)"
"Core mission: Maintain the stability of the suppressed target."
Note: If the main variable becomes uncontrollable, it can be used as an alternative component.
Chen Fan's hand froze in mid-air.
The demon leader leaned over for a look, and his face instantly turned pale.
"Strategist... this... this is talking about you?"
Chen Fan did not answer.
He continued reading.
"Reason for deployment: The main variable (Sun Wukong) is experiencing unpredictable fluctuations. The Heavenly Court has observed that his mental state is abnormally active, and the suppression effect is less than expected. A low-cost solution is needed to maintain his 'suppressed' state."
"Solution Evaluation: Deploy a mortal to establish a long-term dependency relationship with the target. Mortals have short lifespans, no cultivation, and will not create additional variables. Cost: Zero. Risk: Zero."
"Execution result: Success. The mental state of the suppressed target has stabilized. The mortal variable has been performing the 'feeding fruit' task for ninety-seven years without any abnormalities."
"Follow-up plan: After the mortal variable is naturally depleted, a new replacement variable will be introduced. This cycle will continue until the suppressed target fulfills its predetermined fate."
Chen Fan slowly stood up.
His hands were shaking.
It's not because of fear.
The demon leader stared at the words, his voice trembling: "Strategist, they...they left you here from the very beginning, just so you could feed Sun Wukong fruit?"
"It's not 'throwing,'" Chen Fan said softly, "it's 'deploying.'"
"What's the difference?"
"The throwing was an accident," Chen Fan said, staring at the words. "The deployment was planned."
The little demon leader was stunned.
Chen Fan continued reading.
The last line of text appeared—
"Case Status: Unconventional system (no ethics system) activated, variable nature changed, original plan invalid. Recommendation: Observe or retract."
"Recycle..." The demon leader gasped, "They want to recycle you?"
Chen Fan sneered.
"Recycle?"
He turned and looked into the depths of the archive.
"They treated me like a disposable patch, using me and then throwing me away."
"Now that I'm disobeying them, they're thinking of taking back what I owe them."
His voice grew colder and colder.
"Dream on."
The demon leader swallowed hard. "Strategist, then we..."
"Find it," Chen Fan said. "Find what they don't want me to see."
He strode into the depths of the archives.
The little demon leader quickly followed.
The volume library is very large.
On both sides were rows of shelves, filled with scrolls and crystals. Each one recorded something.
As Chen Fan walked, he quickly scanned the surroundings.
"Opening minutes...opening minutes..." he muttered, "It should be somewhere conspicuous."
The little demon leader helped with the search.
Suddenly, he shouted, "Strategist! Over here!"
Chen Fan walked over quickly.
The little demon leader pointed to the top shelf: "That one."
Chen Fan looked up.
On the top shelf sat a scroll gleaming with gold. Four characters were written on the scroll—
"Opening Chapter"
Chen Fan reached out to take it.
But the moment his hand touched the scroll, a screen of light popped up—
"Insufficient permissions"
"Current Status: Discarded Case Variable"
"Unable to access core records"
Chen Fan snorted coldly.
"Insufficient permissions?"
He directly activated the amoral system.
The system panel pops up—
"Access restrictions detected"
"Should we try a brute-force attack?"
Warning: This may trigger an alert.
Chen Fan directly selected "Yes".
The system panel flashed once—
"Cracking in progress..."
"Crack successful"
"Grant temporary access"
The light curtain dissipated.
Chen Fan grabbed the reel and quickly unrolled it.
There was a lot of content on the scroll. He didn't have time to look at it carefully, so he flipped directly to the part related to himself.
found it.
"Deployment Records - Wuzhishan Variables"
"Decision Makers: Heavenly Court Strategy Department / Buddhist Karma Institute"
"Decision-making time: The year after Sun Wukong was imprisoned"
"Decision Background: After being imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, Sun Wukong exhibited unusual mental activity. Traditional methods of suppression (talismans, the weight of the mountain) had limited effectiveness. A supplementary plan was needed."
"Proposal details: Introduce a mortal variable to establish a long-term dependency relationship with Sun Wukong. The mortal has no cultivation, background, or karmic connection, so the introduction cost is zero. The mortal performs the 'feeding fruit' task, which consumes some of Sun Wukong's energy while giving him false 'hope,' thus stabilizing his mental state."
"Expected outcome: Sun Wukong spends his five-hundred-year imprisonment under the illusion of having someone to accompany him. The mortal variable is naturally depleted after the task is completed."
Risk assessment: Zero risk. Human variables pose no threat whatsoever.
"Execution status: Deployment completed. Variable number: Obsolete case-007"
Chen Fan's fingers gripped the reel tightly.
He stared at the words, looking at them one by one.
"Decision Makers: Heavenly Court's Strategic Affairs Department / Buddhist Karma Academy..."
"The cost of deployment is zero..."
"Zero risk..."
He suddenly laughed.
His laughter was cold.
"I see."
The little demon leader looked at him, not daring to utter a sound.
Chen Fan continued reading the contents of the scroll—
"Variable Anomaly Report"
"Abnormal Time: Ninety-seven years after deployment"
"Abnormal content: The variable activates an unconventional system (without a moral system), fundamentally changing its nature. The variable begins to have a reverse effect on the suppressed target, causing Sun Wukong to break free of the seal prematurely."
"Anomaly Level: Extremely High"
Recommended disposal: Recycle or destroy immediately.
"Handling Status: Not Executed (Variable Has Been Removed from Monitoring Scope)"
"Note: This variable is the biggest unexpected event in this pilgrimage plan and requires close attention."
Chen Fan finished reading this section and then slowly closed the scroll.
"The biggest surprise..." he repeated the words softly.
The demon leader asked cautiously, "Strategist, are you... alright?"
Chen Fan did not answer.
He packed up the roll and then turned to continue walking deeper into the storage room.
"There's more," he said. "There's definitely more they don't want me to see."
The little demon leader quickly followed.
The two continued walking forward.
The deeper you go into the archive, the darker it gets. The shelves on both sides are covered in dust, clearly untouched for a long time.
As Chen Fan walked, he kept an eye on his surroundings.
Suddenly, he stopped.
There is a separate shelf not far ahead.
There was only one thing on the shelf—
A black crystal.
A line of small characters was engraved on the surface of the crystal—
"Original Deployment Number - Archive"
Chen Fan walked over and picked up the crystal.
The moment he received the crystal, a stream of information rushed into his mind—
Case No.: Scrapped Case-007
Original Identity: Chen Fan
Source: Another World
"Pre-deployment state: no memory, no cultivation, no cause and effect"
"Memory processing upon deployment: erase original memories and implant the illusion of a 'time traveler'."
Note: This variable does not require a real past; you only need to "believe you have a past" to complete the task.
Chen Fan's body stiffened for a moment.
The demon leader looked at him: "Strategist?"
Chen Fan remained silent.
He stared at the message in his mind for a long time.
"Implanting the illusion of a 'time traveler'..."
"No real past is needed..."
"Just 'think you have a past'..."
His hand gripped the crystal tightly.
It turned out to be the case.
He always believed he was a time traveler, bringing the memories of a modern person to this world.
But now it seems—
That so-called "time traveler identity" was also implanted by them.
He had no idea who he originally was.
He didn't even know if he had a "original".
The demon leader, seeing his expression, trembled, "Strategist, they...they even faked your memories?"
Chen Fan did not answer.
He took a deep breath and carefully put the crystal away.
"Let's go," he said. "Keep looking."
The demon leader paused for a moment, then asked, "Still looking?"
"The fact that they went to such lengths to hide these things means there's something even more important," Chen Fan said. "I'm going to find them all."
He turned and continued walking forward.
But just then, a tremor suddenly came from deep inside the archive.
"What's going on?" the little demon leader exclaimed in surprise.
Chen Fan looked up.
At the end of the archive, a figure was slowly walking towards them.
The man was dressed in a blue robe, and his face bore a striking resemblance to Chen Fan.
Chen Xuance.
He held half a golden scroll in his hand, a faint smile on his face.
"Chen Fan," he said, "you arrived faster than I expected."
Chen Fan stared at him: "You've been staring the whole time?"
"Of course." Chen Xuance waved the scroll in his hand. "The opening sequence is divided into two halves. You took one half, and I took the other half."
Chen Fan's gaze fell on the scroll in his hand: "What's written on the other half?"
"It reads—" Chen Xuance opened the scroll, glanced at it, "'Final disposition plan for the scrapped case.'"
Chen Fan's face darkened.
Chen Xuance closed the scroll and smiled: "Simply put, it's about how to recover this scrapped case of yours."
"It's written very clearly above—" he said slowly, "Case 007, having completed its historical mission, should be destroyed. Destruction method: erase all traces, recover all abnormal data, and ensure no residue remains."
The demon leader turned pale with fright: "Destroy?!"
Chen Fan remained silent.
He just stared at Chen Xuance, his eyes growing colder and colder.
Seeing his expression, Chen Xuance laughed even harder: "Don't look at me like that. This isn't directed at you; it's standard procedure."
"All rejected proposals must eventually be retrieved."
"You are just one of them."
Chen Fan suddenly spoke up: "And you?"
Chen Xuance was taken aback.
"What are you?" Chen Fan asked. "A scrapped case? Or something else?"
Chen Xuance was silent for a moment, then smiled: "Me? I'm the executor."
"What are you going to do?"
"Execute the recall of all scrapped cases," Chen Xuance said. "Including you."
Chen Fan sneered, "You can't recycle it."
"Really?" Chen Xuance waved the scroll in his hand. "Do you know what else is written on this?"
"Written—'Scrap Case-007 has activated its unconventional system, rendering conventional recovery methods ineffective. A special solution is required: guide it into the volume database and utilize the volume database's rule-based suppression capabilities for recovery.'"
He looked up at Chen Fan, a bright smile on his face: "In other words, stepping into this archive is like stepping into a trap."
Chen Fan's expression changed.
The shelves around us suddenly began to shake.
Beams of light shone from the shelf, weaving into a net in the air.
"The volume library has built-in rule suppression," Chen Xuance said, "specifically designed to deal with unruly variables."
"I started it the moment you walked in."
The demon leader cried out in alarm, "Strategist!"
Chen Fan didn't move.
He just stared at the approaching net of light, and then—
I smiled.
"A trap?" he said. "You think I don't know?"
Chen Xuance's expression changed slightly.
Chen Fan raised his hand, and a light shone from his palm—
A panel without an ethics system popped up.
"I was prepared before I came in," he said.
"What preparations?"
"Ready—" Chen Fan pressed his hand down, "Take down this storage unit."
A line of text popped up on the system panel—
"Rule-suppressed network detected"
"Should we try to retaliate?"
Option 1: Force a breakthrough (extremely high risk)
Option 2: Assimilation and Suppression Rule (Requires a large amount of energy)
Option 3: Detonate the volume database core (which will cause the volume database to collapse)
Without hesitation, Chen Fan chose three.
The system panel flashed once—
"Is the detonation confirmed?"
Warning: A warehouse collapse could have unpredictable consequences.
Chen Fan confirmed it again.
A line of red text popped up on the system panel—
"Ignite the Startup"
"Countdown: Ten Breaths"
Chen Xuance's expression finally changed.
"Are you insane?!" he yelled. "Detonate the vault! Everything inside will be destroyed!"
"Including your own records!"
Chen Fan looked at him and said calmly, "I know."
"Then what else do you want—"
"Because—" Chen Fan interrupted him, "these things shouldn't have existed in the first place."
"They use these records to control everyone and manipulate everyone's fate."
"Destroying them means destroying their means of control."
He turned to the demon leader and said, "Let's go."
The demon leader was taken aback: "Huh?"
"I said let's go!" Chen Fan grabbed him and rushed towards the exit of the archive.
Chen Xuance stood there, watching Chen Fan's back, his face grim.
"You think you can get out of control by destroying the archives?" he said coldly.
"You're too naive."
The half-roll in his hand suddenly lit up—
"I have memorized the final disposition plan for the rejected case."
"Even if the database is destroyed, the plan will still be executed."
Chen Fan paused for a moment.
But he didn't turn around.
It just kept rushing outwards.
The countdown started in my mind—
"Seven...six...five..."
The shaking in the storage room grew more and more violent. Shelves began to collapse, and scrolls and crystals fell to the ground.
"Four...three...two..."
Chen Fan grabbed the little demon leader and rushed out of the archives.
"one."
boom--
A loud bang.
The entire warehouse collapsed behind them.
Countless rays of light shot into the sky, illuminating half of the sky.
Chen Fan stood in front of the ruins, panting.
The little demon leader sat slumped on the ground, trembling with fear.
"Strategist...we...what did we just destroy?"
Chen Fan looked at the ruins before him and did not answer.
He destroyed the celestial and Buddhist records used to control fate.
But he also knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
A new notification popped up in my mind—
"The database has been destroyed."
"Rule gap detected"
"Empirical kernels can be attempted to be written into official rules."
"Warning: Rules must be written to protect Huaguo Mountain's home turf."
Chen Fan stared at the notification, his eyes flickering slightly.
Write rules?
Can he set his own rules?
But the system's warning was also very clear—
We must defend Flower Fruit Mountain.
In other words, the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect will soon come to seize it.
He must be prepared.
Chen Fan took a deep breath and turned to look in the direction of Flower Fruit Mountain.
"Go back," he said.
The demon leader struggled to his feet: "Yes, yes..."
The two walked down the mountain.
Behind them, the ruins of the archive were still emitting smoke.
Further away, in the direction of the Heavenly Court, beams of golden light were beginning to appear.
Those were patrol soldiers from Heaven.
They noticed something was wrong.
Chen Fan stopped and looked back.
"Here it comes," he said softly.
The demon leader turned pale with fright: "Strategist, we..."
"Run," Chen Fan said. "Go back and prepare."
"If they want to come, let them come."
"I'd like to see what other tricks they have up their sleeve."
He turned around and strode towards Huaguo Mountain.
Behind us, the golden light on the horizon grew brighter and brighter.
A new storm is brewing.
End of this chapter.
Chapter 361 They're launching their final assault.
As the golden light tore through the sky, the sea outside Flower Fruit Mountain exploded.
The waves were higher than mountains. One after another, golden celestial warships emerged from the clouds, their prows engraved with the runes of the Thunder God, and their hulls adorned with the lingering flames of the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover. The first salvo steamed a thousand-meter-wide blank space on the sea surface, and before the moisture had even dissipated, the second salvo arrived.
"The ambush failed!" The Flood Dragon King surfaced from the waves, his scales covered in scorch marks. "How did they know about our fog barrier formation?"
Before he could finish speaking, a bolt of lightning struck down. The Flood Dragon King flicked his tail, whipping more than a dozen water demons ashore, where they were struck by the lightning and instantly charred black.
At the same time, the sky exploded.
For the first time, the giant projection of the Southern Heavenly Gate unfolded completely, and the golden light of the Thirty-Three Heavens solidified into a tangible form, like an inverted giant net pressing down on the main peak of Flower Fruit Mountain. Nezha rode on his Wind-Fire Wheels, rushing to the forefront, and his Universe Ring flew out of his hand, growing three times larger with each cliff it smashed.
"Sun Wukong!" Nezha's voice boomed across the sky like thunder, "Hand over the True Core! The Heavenly Court will grant your entire clan immortal status!"
The ground shook.
Thirty miles northwest of Huaguo Mountain, the ground suddenly bulged up, as if a giant beast was turning over beneath it. With a deafening roar, lava mixed with black gas shot up a thousand meters high, revealing the "Earth Vein Piercing Vehicle" of the Correction Division. Seventy-two deacons of the Correction Division stood on the roof of the vehicle, each holding a bronze probe. The tips of the probes touched the ground, and with each touch, a scream came from underground—the sound of a demon being instantly wiped out.
All three fronts are in a state of emergency.
The little demon, bleeding from a head wound, rushed into the council hall: "Strategist! The outer seas can't hold out! The lightning net in the sky is pressing down! Underground... underground it's drawing upon the demon race's very essence!"
The fryer in the living room.
The Bull Demon King slammed his hand on the broken stone table: "They're going all in! This battle will decide their fate!"
The Roc Demon King flapped his wings, stirring up a whirlwind: "I'll lead the Sky Clan out and tear a hole!"
"It's useless." Chen Fan's voice drowned out all the noise. He was already standing at the entrance of the hall, his cloak stained with the black ash from the Correction Division's probe, and he clutched a broken fragment of the Heavenly Eye in his hand. "The Heavenly Court opened the main Heavenly Gate formation, Mount Ling moved the projection of the Buddhist Kingdom, and the Correction Division activated the backup recovery tower—they've staked everything on this attack. If we defend the outer line, it's like using our weakness to attack their strength."
He walked to the map, pressing his finger on the main body of Flower Fruit Mountain: "They want to fight a war of attrition, a fair and square crushing victory. But we won't."
His fingers suddenly swept across the surrounding battlefield.
"Drag the battlefield in."
"Drag him in?" The White Elephant strategist was stunned. "It's already outside..."
"I said, let's drag the battlefield into **our rules**." Chen Fan turned around, flames flickering in his eyes. "The outer sea, the sky, the underground—let them fight wherever they want. As for Huaguo Mountain itself—including the caves inside the mountain where the core is located—I'll add a new rule to it."
He opened his palm, and a blood-red lotus flower appeared in his palm, with data streams pulsating on each petal.
"The eukaryote just absorbed the last fragment of the opening record," Chen Fan said. "It's generating the embryo of the 'formal rule page.' Once the embryo is formed, Flower Fruit Mountain will be our home ground. Here, the rules we write will be the heavenly laws."
The hall was deathly silent.
The roar of underground piercing vehicles echoed in the distance, and a net of lightning pressed down three thousand feet into the sky. Warships on the open sea had advanced to within a hundred miles. All three battle lines were on the verge of collapse.
"Strategist!" A little demon rushed in, "The Roc Demon King has suffered over half his casualties! Nezha's Universe Ring has broken through the first wall of fire!"
Chen Fan didn't move. He stared at the lotus flower in his palm, which was becoming clearer and clearer. At the heart of the lotus, a very fine silver thread was winding around it—that was the initial form of the embryo of the rule page.
"Tell them," Chen Fan said calmly, "Hold on for ten minutes. Don't break through their defenses."
"Ten minutes?!"
"Yes." Chen Fan finally looked up, a very faint smile on his lips. "Ten minutes from now, let the Allied Forces know what it means to have a home field."
He stepped out of the council chamber, his footsteps disappearing into the shadow of the mountain. Behind him, the piercing cries of an impending crisis grew ever closer.
---
On the Heavenly flagship "Lingxiao", the Jade Emperor's incarnation shone with golden light as he flicked his finger.
"The disturbances at Flower Fruit Mountain have ceased," the steward reported. "The demons in the outer seas have retreated, the sky defense line has withdrawn by a hundred miles, and underground... the underground piercing vehicle has broken through the third layer of rock shield."
"What is Chen Fan doing?" the Jade Emperor sneered. "A death throes."
Beside him, Venus squinted: "Your Majesty, the fluctuations of the true core... something's not right. It seems to be no longer in its original position."
"Impossible." The Jade Emperor waved his sleeve. "The true core has been locked by the rules. Unless Flower Fruit Mountain collapses, it cannot come out."
Before the words were finished, a beam of silver light shot out from the main body of Flower Fruit Mountain.
It's neither an attack nor a defense.
It is a door.
Semi-transparent, like crystal, it floats above Flower Fruit Mountain. Dense, rapidly scrolling text appears on the door, more like some kind of… user interface. At the bottom of the interface, a line of small text is lighting up:
[Rule page generation progress: 17%]
All high-ranking officials in the coalition forces simultaneously sensed the anomaly.
"What is that?!" Nezha's Universe Ring paused.
From the Lingshan camp, Maitreya Buddha's smile froze slightly: "Neither Buddhist nor Taoist... This kind of structure is not found in the records of the Correction Division."
Inside the main formation of the Correction Division, Chen Xuance suddenly stood up, staring at the door, his pupils shrinking sharply.
"Impossible... The incubation of the formal rule page requires the eukaryote to absorb the entire opening record... It's missing the last piece!" he roared at his adjutant. "Where is the last record fragment?!"
The adjutant trembled: "Report... The last record fragment, according to procedure, should be on Chen Fan... but he has never come into contact with the eukaryotic absorption point..."
Chen Xuance stared at the door, then suddenly understood something, and his expression changed completely.
"He doesn't even need to make contact." Chen Fan's voice echoed simultaneously from every demon alias within the Flower Fruit Mountain area, reverberating across the three battlefields. "What the true core absorbs are the residual records of all 'erased existences.' You thought it was just the archives?"
"Every single rock you blasted into Flower Fruit Mountain, every drop of seawater you evaporated, every wisp of demonic energy you severed..." Chen Fan's voice was tinged with laughter, "is all recorded. And all your attacks now are replenishing my final fuel."
The silver gate's light surged. The pressure of the lightning net above seemed to have been "eaten up" by some invisible force, and a hole briefly appeared in the sky.
"The second round of recovery procedures cannot be initiated!" an alarm sounded from the rear of the Correction Department. "The first round of recovery mechanism is being rewritten!"
"Rewrite?!" Chen Xuance smashed the control panel with his fist. "When did he...?"
"The strategist has given the order!" Marshal Ma's voice echoed across the battlefield from the direction of Huaguo Mountain, "All troops, withdraw from the outer lines! Retreat back to the mountainside—we're attacking the **inner lines**!"
The three demon clans retreated simultaneously, like the receding tide.
On the celestial warship, the heavenly generals exchanged bewildered glances: "They've retreated? They've abandoned their outer defenses?"
"Fools." The Jade Emperor sneered, "They think they can survive by retreating? The Heavenly Gate has opened, the projection of the Buddhist Kingdom is about to descend, and the underground piercing vehicle has pierced through the last layer of rock—they have nowhere to retreat."
There was truly no way out.
But Chen Fan never intended to back down.
Beneath the council hall, in the core chamber where the true core resided, Chen Fan stood alone before it. The true core was no longer a simple crystal; its surface reflected the image of the silver door, and deep within the reflection, words were faintly reconstructing themselves.
"The rule page embryo needs anchor points," Chen Fan said softly, his fingers tracing the surface of the eukaryote. "And you are the best anchor points."
He pointed his fingers like a knife and made a cut on his wrist.
Blood dripped down, landing on the eukaryote.
Not much, just three drops.
The true core trembled violently. The silver gate solidified completely, and the entire Flower Fruit Mountain space emitted a dragon-like roar. The lightning net in the sky, the Buddhist light of Mount Ling, the probes underground—all the external attacking forces, as they passed through the boundary of Flower Fruit Mountain, suddenly slowed down, their light distorted, as if falling into sticky honey.
"My rules are simple." Chen Fan stood up, looking at the projection of the three-line battlefield through the silver gate. "Within this area, all **external rules** will have their effectiveness reduced by 90%. All **local rules** will have their effectiveness increased by 500%."
He stepped out of the secret room and was already in the council chamber.
"Remember, these are our rules," Chen Fan said to his core team, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "They are not the thunder magic of Heaven, not the chanting of Mount Ling, not the elimination agreement of the Correction Department. They are the rules we wrote."
Outside, the three-pronged offensive has reached its most intense stage.
Nezha's Universe Ring finally shattered the last wall of fire outside Flower Fruit Mountain. Warships rushed into the inner sea, piercing vehicles broke through the rocks, and lightning nets pressed down to a height of 100 meters.
The allied forces saw the Huaguo Mountain aliases retreating and thought victory was assured.
Then they rushed into the area shrouded by the silver gate.
The lightning struck him, only producing a wisp of smoke. The golden light projected from the Buddhist kingdom enveloped the demon race, leaving them unharmed; instead, they used the light to propel themselves forward. The probe of the Correction Division pierced the ground, but failed to even pry up a layer of soil before rusting and breaking off.
"What's going on?!" Nezha exclaimed in shock and anger.
In the Lingshan camp, the eighteen Arhats simultaneously formed hand seals, and chanting rose like a tide. Golden light spread out beneath their feet, forcefully covering the landscape of Flower Fruit Mountain.
Chen Fan stood at the highest point, watching the allied forces struggle on his own territory.
"Now," he said, his voice not loud, but it carried throughout the room, "it's our turn."
He raised his hand and gently tapped the air.
[Rules Page (Internal Beta)] The first official rule pops up on the silver gate:
【Gravity of Flower and Fruit Mountain: 20 times】
The ground beneath the allied forces instantly turned into an iron plate. The celestial soldiers, aquatic creatures, and underworld officials at the forefront groaned and all knelt down.
Article :
[Conversion rate of external magic power: 50%]
Nezha's Universe Ring flew out and collided with the demon aliases. It didn't hurt anyone, but half of the ring's magic power was drained away, and it turned into ordinary iron and fell to the ground with a "clang".
Article :
[Local attack bonus: 500%]
With a roar, the Bull Demon King blocked the giant axe attacking from three sides, and with a backhand swing, smashed the piercing carriage of the Correction Division, along with its steward, into a hundred-meter-deep crater.
The coalition forces were thrown into chaos.
It's not like we've never fought a war before. But it's never been fought like this. Their attacks were weakened, their defenses ignored, and their own strength was drained away. Meanwhile, the people of Flower Fruit Mountain were like they'd been injected with chicken blood, fighting more and more fiercely.
"They're cheating in this area!" roared the Heavenly Court's deputy commander.
"It's not cheating." Chen Fan's voice rang out again, this time with a metallic coldness, "It's the **rules**."
With a flick of his wrist, the semi-transparent embryo of rules appeared in his palm, frantically flipping through the pages.
"You've been fighting for a hundred years using the Heavenly Laws, the rules of Mount Ling, and the agreements of the Revision Department," Chen Fan said. "Now, let's fight back using our rules."
Turn to a new page on the rules page:
**[Status: Interference from unreliable source information].**
All of the Allied forces' communication tools, including sound transmission talismans, telescopic eyes, and telescopic ears, were rendered useless.
When lightning strikes, its power is reduced by 70%.
The Buddha's light enveloped the body, but its duration was reduced by half.
The revised recycling protocol has slowed down loading speed by three times.
"This is impossible!!!" Chen Xuance roared on the flagship, frantically pounding on the control panel. "Forcibly overriding all battlefield protocols requires Level 3 authorization! Where did he get that authorization?!"
In the Lingshan camp, Guanyin's jade bottle suddenly emptied on its own. The bottle's opening faced Flower Fruit Mountain, yet not a single drop of water could be drawn—Rule: [External magical artifacts are ineffective locally].
"Where is Chen Fan?!" roared the Jade Emperor's avatar. "Let him out!"
"I'm here." Chen Fan's voice emanated simultaneously from **every rock, every peach tree, and every drop of seawater**. Only then did the allied forces realize that Chen Fan wasn't actually on the front lines; his consciousness had become one with the "local rules" of Flower Fruit Mountain.
"You're the ones fighting," Chen Fan said. "But Huaguo Mountain and I are fighting you."
Turn to the rules page again:
**[Cooldown: Local exclusive 0 seconds, external skills +300%]**
The aliases from Huaguo Mountain began unleashing their magic without restraint. The lightning was Huaguo Mountain's lightning, the fire was Huaguo Mountain's fire, and the fists formed from the very essence of the demon race could take down a heavenly general with a single punch.
"Retreat!" Chen Xuance finally realized something was wrong. "This is a home-field trap! Everyone retreat to outside the lightning net's coverage area!"
late.
As Chen Fan watched the allied forces begin to retreat in panic, he lightly tapped his finger in the air.
[Final Closed Beta Terms Take Effect]: **"Battlefield Anchoring: Within the coverage area of the rules page, no unit can voluntarily leave the battlefield until one side is completely eliminated or is determined to be eliminated by the rules."**
The allied forces discovered that their retreat was blocked. Not by a physical wall, but by the system marking all "leave" commands as invalid. They were like people falling into a swamp, the more they struggled, the deeper they sank.
"He locked the battlefield!" Chen Xuance's eyes reddened. "The second round of retrieval hasn't even started yet... how could he have locked the battlefield?!"
Just then, Chen Fan appeared at the highest point of the Silver Gate.
It's not a clone, it's not a projection.
It was him.
He wore a strategist's robe, his left hand behind his back, his right hand holding a semi-transparent book of rules, the text on which was still being generated. He looked down at the allied forces struggling on three fronts, his gaze finally settling on the flagship where Chen Xuance was located.
"I know what you're waiting for," Chen Fan said, his voice reaching every alias's ears, "to wait for the second round of the cleanup process to delete me, Huaguo Mountain, and all the 'abnormalities' together."
He ran his finger lightly across the surface of the rules page.
"But you didn't think of that—"
"What if I wrote the rules?"
The last line of the rules page lit up, displaying blood-red text:
**[Currently Effective Rule: True Core Ownership - Sole Holder: Chen Fan.]**
All of the coalition's protocols for seizing the true core, location spells, and locking incantations have become ineffective.
The Jade Emperor's avatar twisted in the golden light: "Impossible! The True Core is the system's core asset!"
"It used to be," Chen Fan smiled, "but now, it's just a functional module for me."
He pressed his thumb toward the center of the rules page.
"It's time to clear the area."
The Silver Gate expanded with a roar, swallowing up all three fronts of the battlefield. All the allied forces could see were countless rules and regulations flying around, each one gleaming with a cold, eerie light.
And at that very moment—
The protective door on the bridge of the Allied flagship suddenly slid open silently.
Chen Xuance walked step by step onto the open-air command platform. He had no weapons, no magical artifacts, only a very ordinary jade slip.
He raised the jade slip, facing the entire battlefield, his voice carrying through the remaining communication channels to every codename in the Allied forces:
"Attention all units."
"Revised backup protocol, activated."
"Second round of recovery process—"
He paused, and on the surface of the jade slip, the startup interface appeared exactly the same as the one of the silver gates above Flower Fruit Mountain.
"—Officially implemented."
All the allied forces' aliases, including Heavenly Generals, Arhats of Mount Ling, and Deacons of the Correction Department, simultaneously heard a cold, intangible electronic voice:
[Local rule overriding detected]
[Comparison of permission levels: The highest protocol of the correction department > locally generated rules]
[Local rules, being forcibly invalidated: 3%...17%...]
The rule page in Chen Fan's hand began to crack inch by inch.
The silver door shook violently.
All the allied forces felt the oppressive force on their bodies disappear. The heavenly thunder regained its power, the Buddhist light blazed brightly again, and the Probe of the Correction Division could once again pierce the earth.
"Hahahaha!" Nezha laughed wildly, and the Universe Ring flew up again. "Strategist? Your rules have failed!"
Chen Fan didn't move. He looked at the cracked rule page in his hand, then looked up at the jade slip in Chen Xuance's hand, and suddenly smiled.
"I see," he said softly. "The first round of collection was what you thought was an 'automatic system process'."
"The second round is where your real tricks will be revealed."
He released his grip, letting the rule page shatter completely into specks of light.
"But have you ever thought about this—"
Chen Fan's voice traveled even further the instant the rule page shattered:
"Why am I allowed to write the first rule?"
"Why do eukaryotes listen to me?"
The silver gate didn't disappear. It simply changed from "Chen Fan's Rules" into another line of floating text:
**[Current Battleground: True Core Beta Environment]**
**[Internal Testing Agreement: Host-Generated Rules (Permissions: Temporary)]**
**[Conflict Protocol: Amend the highest-level retrieval command (Privilege: Persistent)]**
**[Judgment: Conflict exists between the agreements of both parties. The system has entered arbitration mode. Arbitration conditions are being met.]**
Chen Xuance's expression changed drastically: "Arbitration?! When will the True Core be available...?"
Chen Fan stood inside the door, facing Chen Xuance across tens of thousands of battlefields.
Arbitration mode does not require either party to win.
It only compares the "generation count" of the two conflict rules.
Who wrote the rules first?
Whose traces are earlier?
The opening record of eukaryotic absorption is the "proof of existence" that Chen Fan accumulated little by little over a hundred years of feeding the fruit, ten years of subversion, and several years of planning.
The revision department's recycling protocol is a system-preset "deletion command".
Who goes first and who goes last?
Who is genuine and who is fake?
On the silver door, two progress bars were scrolling wildly:
Total number of local rules generated: 1,284,750 (continuously increasing)
[Correction of the Reclaim Command Invocation Count: Round 2, 1st Time]
"You think the second round is the killer move," Chen Fan said calmly, "but for true cores—"
"This is only its second test."
"The first test was its first attempt to write its own rules."
Chen Fan pointed his finger at his chest.
There, the projection of the eukaryote flashed by.
"The interface that just shattered was just one I was temporarily using," Chen Fan said. "The true embryo is no longer in Flower Fruit Mountain."
"It's with me."
He opened his hand, and in his palm, the embryo of the true rules appeared—this time, it was a real entity, and the pages made a sound like wind and thunder as they turned.
"Now, it has two fathers," Chen Fan said. "One wants it to be an erasure tool, and the other wants it to be a creation pen."
"Guess—"
He looked up at all the allied forces of Heaven, Mount Ling, and the Cultivation Department, including Chen Xuance.
"Who will it go with?"
The silver gate suddenly contracted inward, turning into a point of light that disappeared into the embryonic rule page in Chen Fan's palm.
The entire battlefield, the combined forces on three fronts, suddenly came to a standstill.
It's not that we're being suppressed by the rules.
**The core itself has suspended its response to external rules.**
A crack appeared in the dark clouds, letting down a beam of pure light that fell on Chen Fan and the embryo in his palm.
[Arbitration Phase One: Agreement Origination Completed.]
[Phase Two: Determine the temporary permissions for the true cores based on the quantity and quality generated according to the protocol]
Number of locally generated protocols: 1,284,750+
Number of external coverage protocols: 1 (current)
[Provisional attribution: Local agreement party.]
At this moment, all the coalition's standard magical artifacts, spells, and protocols became "external overlays."
All their attacks failed.
Chen Xuance looked at the jade slip in his hand. On the surface of the jade slip, the runes of the highest agreement of the Correction Division were peeling off piece by piece.
"Impossible... absolutely impossible..." he murmured, "A true core can only have one holder..."
"Yes," Chen Fan said, his voice as soft as a sigh, "So, when it has two fathers—"
"It chose the one that loved it more."
He held up the embryonic page of rules and turned it gently over to all the allied forces, to heaven and earth, to the past and the future.
A new page begins to be written:
**[Temporary rule in effect: All "external overlay protocols" in this battlefield have their legality reduced to zero.]**
The three-front coalition forces suddenly lost all their magical artifacts and spells, causing the sky to fall, the Arhats to land, and the Correction Master's probe to turn into scrap metal.
Only the rule page in Chen Fan's palm shone brightly.
He turned around to face the aliases of Flower Fruit Mountain, to Marshal Ma, the Bull Demon King, the Flood Dragon Demon King, and every demon alias who looked up at him.
"Now," Chen Fan said, a genuine, warm smile finally curving his lips, "it's our turn."
He pointed his finger at the coalition's highest flagship.
"Let them know—"
"What does 'home field' mean?"
End of this chapter.
**Chapter 362 Second Round of Recovery Procedures**
Chen Fan stood on the temporary command platform atop the mountain, the silver screen in his hand constantly displaying red text.
"The second round of the recovery process has begun." His voice wasn't loud, but it made the surrounding demon generals hold their breath.
On the screen, the system listed four tasks: delete characters, ban true cores, cut off waste streams, and clear out Huaguo Mountain. Each task was like a sharp knife.
"The full-court rule battle is about to begin." Chen Fan looked up, his gaze piercing through the clouds.
The allied forces at the foot of the mountain had already set up their formation. The patterns of the Diamond Sutra ignited on the ground, and the light of the runes rippled in the wind.
"Ready!" At the command, nine thousand demon soldiers simultaneously raised their magical weapons.
Instantly, a twisted blue crack appeared in the sky, like a torn barrier of rules.
From within the crack, dozens of celestial elites carrying symbols of rules rushed out and headed straight for the mountain peak.
Chen Fan squinted, his fingertips tracing a golden talisman.
"Temporary rule enhancement activated." The talisman transformed into blue light, shooting in all directions.
The first wave of demon generals increased their magical power several times over, and their swords flashed like rain.
"Today we'll tear them to shreds!" roared a blue-faced, fanged demon general, his fists kicking up dust.
The Heavenly Army was fierce, their sword energy like a surging tide.
Chen Fan frowned, the screen still displaying the message: "**Blank rule page embryo** has been generated, but key conditions are missing."
The text on the screen flashes: *Publicly recognized by the entire mountain*.
"Without this condition, the true core cannot be written," Chen Fan muttered to himself.
He looked up at the foot of the mountain and saw that Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and Tang Sanzang were already ready to set off.
"You three will each act independently and strive for public recognition," Chen Fan ordered.
**First Line: Wukong**
Wukong rushed out of the mountain gate, his golden cudgel striking the rock wall with a deafening sound.
"Listen up, all you mountain folk!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the valley.
The demon leaders at the foot of Zijin Mountain stopped what they were doing and looked up at the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
Wukong took out a shimmering rule card and quickly drew runes in the air.
"Once agreed, the rules take effect immediately." His words made every demon present feel a sense of oppression.
The mountain people nodded in agreement, muttering the rules in soft voices.
**Second Line: Tang Sanzang**
Tang Sanzang led his monks through the Cloud and Mist Valley, holding yellow prayer beads in his hands.
He set up a magic array at the mountain pass, chanted scriptures, and a beam of light shot straight into the sky.
"If you disagree, you will bear the consequences." The voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority.
The surrounding demonic monks, terrified by the chanting, all knelt down and recited the same rules.
**Third Tier: Bull Demon King**
The Bull Demon King led his armored monsters into Flame Ridge, cleaving rocks with his giant axe.
He stood before the cliff, glaring angrily at the approaching Heavenly Court cavalry.
"Only by accepting the rules can you preserve your flesh and blood!" he roared, his giant axe unleashing a blood-red halo.
Amidst a cloud of blood mist, the old chieftain of the mountain tribe raised the ancient seal in his hand and gritted his teeth as he uttered the words of approval.
The sounds of the three lines intertwined in the valley, creating a powerful wave of resonance.
The system notification light instantly turned green, and the last stroke appeared on the blank rule page embryo.
"Rules complete!" Chen Fan laughed, and the rule page in his hand lit up with golden light.
However, the massive stone gate in front of the mountain gate was still trembling.
Just then, the bugle call for the first wave of the allied forces' general offensive sounded.
Thousands of demon soldiers, wielding swords, charged toward the gate of Flower Fruit Mountain. The stone gate shattered, and huge boulders rolled down.
A huge rock crashed directly onto the defensive formation in front of the mountain gate, causing the formation to collapse instantly and tearing a large hole in the blue light barrier.
The screen in front of Chen Fan displayed: **The enemy has breached the mountain gate and is advancing inward.**
He took a deep breath and tapped the rules page lightly with his finger.
"The consensus across the mountain is already written into the rules. Now, let them see their true 'home ground'."
In the sky, dark clouds rolled in again, and the interplay of light and darkness foreshadowed the imminent outbreak of another bloody battle.
--**to be continued**
Chapter 363 The Mountain Gate is the Line of Rules
The mountain gate was shattered.
The moment the Arsenal System collapsed under the bombardment of the heavenly soldiers, the first crack spread across the granite pillar.
"Strategist!" The demon leader kicked over a heavenly soldier who had rushed in, then turned to look at Chen Fan. "The barrier is broken!"
Chen Fan didn't move.
He traced his finger across the rules page.
"Then let them in."
Before he could finish speaking, three arrows flew past his ears and embedded themselves in the rock wall behind him, their fletching humming.
They were Li Jing's vanguard.
"Kill—" The heavenly soldiers lined up, their blades flashing like snow.
Huaguoshan aliases did not withdraw.
The black bear demon leaped out from the side, wielding two axes, and cleaved the legs of three heavenly soldiers in two with a single blow. "This is the moment I've been waiting for!"
The aquatic creatures under the command of the Flood Dragon Demon King immediately reverted to their original forms, carving a bloody groove in the shattered plaza.
chaos.
But Chen Fan needs chaos.
He took two steps back, leaning against a broken stone pillar, and quickly swiped his left hand across the rules page.
[Rule 1: Those who agree with the new order of Huaguo Mountain will receive one level of True Core Protection]
[Rule Two: Those who go against the interests of Flower Fruit Mountain will suffer a backlash from the true core]
【Rule 3: Flower and Fruit Mountain, True Core Sharing】
The rules page shone brightly.
Chen Fan bit his finger, and drops of blood dripped onto the page.
"stand!"
He slammed the rulebook page to the ground.
boom--!
A beam of light shot into the sky.
It wasn't magic, and there was no smoke or dust.
At the center of the beam of light, a black stone tablet, three meters tall, slowly emerged.
On the front of the stone tablet are three large golden characters: **Huaguoshan Rules**.
At the base of the stone tablet, a ring of faintly glowing data streams pulsated at a visible speed—that was the real-time updated value of approval.
The first responders were the abandoned case army.
The monkeys already harbored resentment towards the Heavenly Court for a long time, and when they saw the words "Agreement will bring protection," they hardly hesitated.
"I admit it!"
"I admit it!"
More than twenty soldiers shouted at the same time and rushed towards the stone tablet.
The moment they touched the monument, the black aura on their bodies, which had been eroded by the Heavenly Court's "recycling program," receded by an inch!
"It works!" The demon leader's eyes widened. "It really can repel the erosion!"
The demon army aliases immediately followed.
"I was struck by lightning three hundred years ago, why should I be their cannon fodder now!"
"I agree! I accept the rules of Flower Fruit Mountain!"
One by one, they rushed to the stone tablet, slapping their palms against the cold stone surface.
The light flowing from the base of the stone tablet grew brighter and brighter.
Even the old guard, corrupted by eukaryotes, let out a painful roar the moment they touched the stone tablet—followed by an even more painful awakening.
"I remember now..." A one-eyed old demon knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I was originally a general in the East Sea. It was them, it was them who tricked me into betraying the Dragon Clan and forced me to drink Meng Po soup for a hundred years..."
"Now I remember!"
He slammed his forehead against the stone tablet: "I accept the rules of Flower Fruit Mountain!"
A slight smile finally appeared on Chen Fan's lips.
effective.
It's not magic, it's rules.
It's about making yourself say "I agree" to the rules.
The first group of supporters numbered only forty-odd, but under the protection of the stone tablet's aura, they managed to carve out a gap in the tide of heavenly soldiers.
"Strategist, over there!" The demon leader pointed to the Lingshan Arhat team gathering on the hillside. "They're going to use their magical weapons to bombard the stone tablet!"
Chen Fan looked over.
A hundred meters away, six Arhats had already raised their vajras, and golden light gathered at the heads of the vajras.
Chen Xuance from the Recycling Department stood at the back, waving with a cold smile.
"Siege".
boom--!
The first golden light shone on the stone tablet.
Chen Fan didn't move.
The soldiers lined up in front of the stone tablet to form a human wall, using their bodies to withstand the impact.
A burst of golden light exploded, sending the three abandoned military aliases flying and spitting blood.
But the stone tablet didn't even shake.
"The rule monument is physically protected!" the heavenly general shouted. "Focus fire—"
In the second round, eight golden beams of light simultaneously struck.
This time, the stone tablet moved.
The light flow at its base suddenly accelerated, bulging like blood vessels.
Then, 0.1 seconds before the golden light struck—
[Aggressive rule detected: Destroy the Flower Fruit Mountain rule monument]
[Response rules take effect: Agreeing parties' defense layer activated]
A ripple appeared on the surface of the stone tablet.
The eight golden beams collided with the ripples, like hitting sticky honey, their speed decreased sharply, and then they were "swallowed" by the stream of light.
The data stream at the base of the stone tablet displayed a red number: **+8**.
Each time you survive an attack, your approval rating increases by 1.
"What's going on?" Chen Xuance squinted.
The third round, thirty golden rays.
The stone tablet emitted a brilliant burst of light, and the ripples spread to a range of ten meters.
All the golden light was frozen in mid-air and then inhaled.
The base of the stone tablet is flashing red light: **+30**.
"Awesome!" the demon leader roared with laughter. "They've added defense to the stone tablet!"
This is not finished.
A sudden change occurred.
Every ray of golden light absorbed by the stone tablet leaves a fine golden line on its surface.
These lines quickly merged together, covering one-third of the stone tablet's surface.
Then--
hum.
The stone tablet trembled slightly.
An invisible ripple spread out.
All the celestial soldiers swept by the ripples froze for a moment.
Three breaths later, one of the heavenly soldiers suddenly threw down his sword.
"I...I've had enough." His voice trembled. "My memory gets wiped every month, and I'm sent to the recycling furnace for the slightest mistake..."
He didn't look at his companions again, but walked straight to the stone tablet and pressed his trembling hand on it.
"I accept the rules of Flower Fruit Mountain."
The second one, the third one.
More and more heavenly soldiers, miscellaneous spirits from Mount Ling, and even a few minor deities from the Heavenly Court with no background began to break away from the formation and head towards the stone tablet.
Chen Xuance's face darkened completely.
"Smash it!"
The recycling tower was finally deployed.
Three recycling towers rose from behind, their openings aligned with the stone monument.
The intense light began to converge.
"Strategist, that!" the demon leader cried, his legs trembling. "Can it be blasted apart?"
Chen Fan watched the tower entrance grow brighter and brighter.
This is what he's been waiting for.
He raised his hand, and the rulebook spun in his palm.
[Rule 4: For every 100 points of recognition gained on the Rule Monument, a Rule Resonance can be released once.]
Current approval rating: **89 points**.
11 o'clock to go.
"Come on," Chen Fan said softly, "give me more."
The beam of light from the recovery tower finally took shape.
"Smash it!"
A white beam of light, three meters in diameter, tore through the air and blasted towards the stone tablet.
The light emanating from the stone tablet was almost boiling.
The ripples spread to a distance of twenty meters.
The beam of light collided with the ripples, and time seemed to slow down.
The light stream frantically devoured the beam of light, and the numbers on the base of the stone tablet began to jump:
**+1，+2，+3……+50……+80……+99……**
1 points to go.
The white light had pressed down on the surface of the stone tablet, and stone chips began to fly.
Chen Fan gripped the rules page tightly.
+100.
[Rule Resonance: Activation]
The stone tablet suddenly expanded, and the light from its base shot into the sky, forming a huge light shield.
Everyone inside the light shield—whether they agreed or not—heard a voice in their ears:
**"Have you ever considered—"**
"Who made your rules?"
This is not a magical attack.
This is... an inquiry.
It is a challenge to the "rules" themselves.
The celestial soldiers outside the light barrier also slowed down.
A heavenly general suddenly covered his head: "I...why am I attacking here? My duty is to guard the Southern Heavenly Gate..."
Another Arhat dropped his vajra on the ground: "Buddha said all beings are equal, so why should I attack the demon race?"
shake.
From the inside.
Chen Xuance abruptly took half a step back, a crack appearing on his face for the first time.
"Impossible... How could the rules be like this...?"
Boom!
The beam of the recovery tower finally ran out.
The surface of the stone tablet was charred black, with a noticeable crack.
but--
It didn't fall.
Instead, the optical flow at the base surged again.
New approval notifications are popping up like crazy:
+1, +2, +10, +30, +50...
The celestial soldiers and aliases, who had just been affected by the resonance of the rules, now rushed towards the stone tablet like madmen.
"I admit it!"
"I'm not going to be their dog anymore!"
"I accept all the rules of Flower Fruit Mountain!"
Approval ratings soared:
**200, 300, 500...**
What seeped from the cracks on the surface of the stone tablet was not gravel, but a layer of golden liquid.
The liquid quickly enveloped the stone tablet, healing the cracks and making it even brighter than before.
Chen Fan looked at the stone tablet.
He doesn't need everyone's approval.
All he needs to do is let the aliases see it for themselves in the extreme scenario of the battlefield:
The rules of the Heavenly Soldiers are such that they cannot even shatter a single rock.
**And the rule of Flower Fruit Mountain is that the more it is attacked, the stronger it becomes.**
The little demon leader was dumbfounded.
He turned to look at Chen Fan: "Strategist, this..."
Chen Fan finally showed his first real smile of the day.
"Rules are not just empty words."
"rule--"
He pointed to the stone tablet that was being surrounded by those who agreed with him.
"It's the battlefield itself."
Just then.
At the very top of the stone tablet, the golden liquid that had been blasted out by the recycling tower suddenly began to solidify.
A blurry human figure slowly took shape in the light.
I can't see the face clearly.
But for everyone who saw it, one sentence inexplicably echoed in their mind:
**Do you agree?**
It's not a sound.
It is an inquiry that directly affects consciousness.
Outside the light barrier, the celestial soldiers' formation was completely thrown into chaos.
More and more aliases threw down their weapons and headed toward the stone monument.
Even Li Jing's personal guards began to waver.
Chen Xuance stood on the high place, staring intently at the human figure at the top of the stone tablet.
He recognized him.
That was not a magical creation.
That is……
**The concretization of rules**.
"Stop them!" Chen Xuance roared. "All troops advance! Crush the stone tablets!"
But it was too late.
Inside the light shield, all those who agreed with the designation simultaneously radiated golden light.
The little demon leader felt a warm current rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and then—
His outstretched hand sprouted... a mane in the golden light?
No, it wasn't him.
It's the golden light that's helping him strengthen his physical body!
All those who agree with it are becoming stronger.
It's not about improving one's cultivation level.
It is a recovery.
It is the reclaimed past, the erased memories, and the suppressed nature that begin to revive under the protection of rules.
Suddenly, a celestial soldier roared to the sky, revealing his true form—a black tiger.
Black Tiger flicked its tail and bit its frozen companion.
"I am a demon!" it roared. "I have always been a demon!"
confusion.
But it's no longer the chaos of Flower Fruit Mountain.
It was a collapse of the entire battlefield's understanding.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Chen Xuance finally made a move.
He gestured with his right hand.
The void cracked open, and a short, jet-black blade appeared.
**The Recycling Division's Highest Authority—The Weapon of Rule Manifestation: The Blade of Erasure**
"Chen Fan," he whispered, his figure blurring, "You think rules can only be established through agreement?"
"The real rules—"
He vanished into thin air.
The next instant, it appeared ten meters away from the stone tablet.
"It's annihilation."
The blade of obliteration silently pierced the stone tablet.
Chen Fan's pupils suddenly contracted.
The rules page automatically appeared in front of him, with a frantic warning:
[An attack exceeding the rules was detected]
[Current status of the rule monument: Unable to withstand]
[The only defense: Increase the rule resonance level to 100%]
[Current resonance level: 73%]
It still needs 27% more approval rating.
Meanwhile, the rate at which recognition value increases on the battlefield is slowing down due to the panic among the heavenly soldiers.
Chen Fan stared at the increasingly clear human figure at the top of the stone tablet.
The humanoid figure seemed to be looking at him as well.
Then--
The humanoid figure slowly raised its hand and pointed to the base of the stone tablet.
Pointing to the line of approval numbers that were jumping wildly but had now slowed down.
Chen Fan understood instantly.
He knelt on one knee and slammed his right hand down on the base of the stone tablet.
It was not an attack.
It's an injection.
He poured all his struggles, all his plans, and all his "disagreements" over the past 180 years into the stone tablet.
His voice echoed across the battlefield:
"I, Chen Fan—"
"We do not recognize the rules of Heaven!"
"They don't respect the rules of Buddhism!"
"I refuse to accept any rules in this world that say I am unworthy, should not, or cannot!"
"I am now—"
"We only recognize the rules of Flower Fruit Mountain!"
boom--!
The stone tablet exploded.
It's not broken.
It is blossoming.
Golden light burst forth from every crack in the stone tablet, and the recognition value at the base jumped wildly:
**999, 1000, 1500, 2000…**
The human form was fully formed.
It was a blurry figure with its back to Chen Fan.
The figure raised its hand.
It was not an attack.
Instead, it spreads its palms out to all aliases.
In the palm of his hand, there was a line of words:
**Rules are written by those who agree with them.**
Then, the figure disappeared.
They transformed into countless points of light, merging into the stone tablet.
At the base of the stone tablet, a number finally appeared:
**Resonance Level: 100%**
Just now.
Chen Xuance's erasing blade touched the surface of the stone tablet.
There was no explosion.
It did not break.
The blade of erasure pierced the stone tablet as if it were piercing into nothingness.
Then--
Ripples appeared on the surface of the stone tablet.
The moment the ripples spread to Chen Xuance's hand, his pupils dilated in shock.
[Aggressive rule detected: Remove the rule monument from Flower Fruit Mountain]
[Response rule takes effect: Reverse rule assimilation]
The blade of erasure began to melt.
It's not physical melting.
It is the concept of "erasure" itself that is absorbed by the stone tablet.
Chen Xuance wanted to let go.
But it's too late.
His arm, starting from the part that touched the stone tablet, began to fade in color.
It's not an injury.
Yes... it is being "overridden" by the rules.
"No..." he murmured, "I am the one who makes the rules..."
His body began to become transparent.
Then, in the final moment, he suddenly ripped open his chest—
There, suspended, was a small, perfect core.
The true core of the deputy director of the recycling department.
He wants to use his final true core privileges to forcibly break free.
"Don't even think about it!" The little demon leader pounced from the side and bit his arm.
Chen Xuance grunted, and the True Core flew out of his hand.
The true core streaked through the air, heading straight for Chen Fan.
A drama of master and disciple turning against each other?
No.
The eukaryotes turned in mid-air.
It bypassed Chen Fan and pounced on the stone tablet.
Then--
It is integrated into the base of the stone tablet.
[High-privilege rule core x1]
[Rule Monument Upgrade: Capable of Withstanding Rule-Based Attacks]
[New Feature Unlocked: Rule Backlash]
Chen Fan looked at the stone tablet.
On the surface of the stone tablet, the golden patterns blasted out by the recycling tower now slowly flow, forming a new pattern—
A smiling monkey face.