The whole affair sounded somewhat contradictory, as with Lin Luo's Quasi-Heavenly rank strength, he could seriously threaten this world. Even if he couldn't completely shatter it, merely shaking the timeline and world-lines would, at the very least, render the world barren… In short, this world essentially had no means of fighting back against him. Yet, at this very moment, the world was actively repelling him, and he found himself utterly unable to resist.

Wasn't this clearly some kind of bug?

In reality, this was certainly no bug, because what Lin Luo was facing now was the genuine rule of the world itself.

Rules, in fact, come in many varieties. The most common are natural rules and artificial rules. For instance, the boundary between life and death, or the mutual restraint between water and fire—these are natural rules that anyone can perceive. Artificial rules, however, arise when powerful forces reshape or overturn these natural rules, thereby creating new laws that can be either destructive or creative.

The concept of "Rule Power" mentioned throughout has always referred to these two categories.

Of course, there exists a third type of rule, akin to reversed causality—a chaotic and disordered category that nonetheless holds infinite destructive power. Normally, it is incredibly difficult to touch, but if one does come into contact with this rule, a single misstep could invite instant death.

This category of rule is undoubtedly the highest tier. Throughout the entire history of the Endless Worlds, the only entities known to be able to disregard this rule are the Time Travelers’ Legion. All other powerhouses actively shunned it. But!

Beyond that, there exists a rule that even the Time Travelers’ Legion dares not approach: World Rules!

World Rules are not merely a form of power, nor do they possess any consciousness. They encompass everything within the infinite worlds and are impervious to any external influence. Impartial and unbiased, they exist solely for the world itself... Rather than calling it a 'rule,' perhaps a more accurate term would be the 'foundation.'

Because it is the very basis that allows every person and every thing to exist normally.

Time, space, life, and everything else possess inherent laws governing their existence. Natural rules are born from adhering to these laws. Artificial rules, while seemingly breaking these laws, are only possible precisely because this foundational law exists in the first place.

Suppose one day, Time lost its inherent law, where the past, future, and present merged into a single point, or scattered entirely, making today no longer today and tomorrow no longer tomorrow—then Time would lose its meaning, and the Rule of Time would lose its basis for existence.

Or take Life, for example. If it lost its inherent pattern, rendering no difference between the living and the dead, then Life itself would become meaningless. Even special beings like the Undead would become as cheap as cabbage. But if life and death held no distinction, then the Undead would also lose meaning. Ghosts, wraiths, and the like could not possibly exist; the entire world would descend into utter chaos, teeming with creatures that are neither alive nor dead...

No, if the very concept of 'Life' lost its meaning, then 'creatures' would cease to be a relevant category. Regardless of whether it was human or otherwise, they could no longer call themselves beings, perhaps only 'animals'?

That wouldn't work either, because if Time and Space lost their meaning, the distinction between motion and stillness would vanish. Animals would no longer be animals; they couldn't even qualify as such. Then, if that time truly arrived, what would Humanity and everything else in this world become?

This is the collapse of the world once the foundation of World Rules is gone.

The purpose of World Rules is therefore self-evident.

However, World Rules are not immovable. Since they are merely a foundation, they possess no inherent destructive capability. Even though Lin Luo has touched upon the World Rules now, potentially causing a massive crisis, the World Rule has not "counterattacked." It merely exerts repulsion, manifesting as a slow dissipation of his physical form as a warning. This method is infinitely gentler than encountering Reversed Causality.

If it were Reversed Causality, it would likely result in immediate annihilation.

Of course, this gentle handling is also because Lin Luo’s strength is insufficient, preventing him from resisting the repulsion. But if it were a Ninth Heaven powerhouse or stronger, they might potentially fight back against this repulsion. The consequence, though framed as the collapse of a single world, is terrifying: every world, though unseen, is interconnected. As the saying goes, touch one hair, and the entire mountain sways. The repercussions would be unimaginable.

The existence of World Rules is necessary, yet their destruction is a possibility.

While most people would never commit such an idiocy, where there are many people, there will always be all sorts of characters. One cannot rule out those who might drag the entire world down with them. In such scenarios, protectors of the World Rules must inevitably appear. Among them, the one who has always guarded the very frontline of this battlefield is... the Time Travelers’ Legion!

Across countless epochs, countless strong beings have been born. There are clearly more than the twelve members of the Time Travelers’ Legion who reached the level of Beyond Heaven. After all, outside the Endless Worlds lie even more unknown spaces, and one cannot discount the possibility that some might harbor malice towards the Endless Worlds. Yet, the entire Endless Worlds have remained peaceful precisely because of the Time Travelers’ Legion’s existence.

Even though the Time Travelers’ Legion was annihilated long ago, they ultimately succeeded in preserving the seedling, Yao Yao, and successfully elevating her to the pinnacle of power in this world, ensuring that the will of the Legion never completely vanished.

Yao Yao possesses the greatest power in the current world, yet when facing enemies, she never attempts to drastically alter the World Rules. This is not just because she doesn't need to in order to win; a greater reason stems from this very point... protecting the World Rules is her true responsibility.

Although the current Lin Luo hasn't fully grasped the implications of the World Rules, he already understands that they cannot be trifled with, much less destroyed. Therefore, he decisively ceased his resistance, submitting to the arrangement of the World Rule.

It was for this very reason that he had engineered the ideological conflict between Youxiang and Xiaozi in advance. Otherwise, if they had reached a point beyond his reach in time— [Shu Shu Web]

Now, having laid all this out, Lin Luo felt a degree of relief. Looking at Xiaozi opposite him, her jaw had dropped, and she seemed utterly incapable of reacting.

This was understandable. Every piece of information Lin Luo had just shared was earth-shattering. Given her current disposition, absorbing it all in a short span was clearly impossible.

Lin Luo did not rush her. Though his time was limited, he could afford to wait. He sat quietly, allowing Xiaozi time to process the revelations.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiaozi finally snapped back to reality, staring blankly at Lin Luo: "Master, when you say you are going back... do you mean the future?"

"Yes," Lin Luo nodded.

"Then what about Sister Shenqi and Youxiang? Are you not going to manage their affairs?"

"It's not that I won't manage them; it's that I don't need to."

"But Youxiang..." Xiaozi began, then her heart skipped a beat. Since Lin Luo came from the future, "Master, did you see Youxiang in the future?"

Lin Luo smiled faintly. "Of course I did. Not just Youxiang, but you too, and everyone from Gensokyo."

"Gensokyo?!" Hearing this word, Xiaozi couldn't help but change expression, a mix of shock and joy flooding her. So, that scientifically impossible place, Gensokyo, was finally established, and both she and Youxiang would reside there—this was wonderful... Ah!

Before Xiaozi could recover from her excitement, she suddenly realized something was terribly wrong. Lin Luo telling her he was from the future didn't have much bearing, as it barely affected the future. But was it truly appropriate for him to reveal future events to her like this?

Though young, Xiaozi knew this could severely influence the trajectory of the future.

So, why would Lin Luo tell her? Was it because it no longer mattered? Or... Xiaozi suddenly grasped a terrifying possibility.

Lin Luo observed her expression and understood immediately, nodding. "You guessed correctly. I have entrusted Shenqi to clean up my affairs regarding Youxiang, and as for you, I will take personal responsibility."

"Responsibility... for what?" The horrifying conjecture was drawing closer to reality, instilling a sense of dread in Xiaozi, who subconsciously began to retreat.

Lin Luo rose and walked towards her. "Erasing your memories. You and Youxiang will no longer remember me, nor will you remember Shenqi, nor anything that has transpired during this time. Furthermore... you will even forget each other."

With that said, Lin Luo arrived before Xiaozi and placed his left hand upon her head. Though Xiaozi tried to resist, struggling with all her might, it was all in vain.

"I apologize, Xiaozi. I do not belong here. I must leave, and everything I brought concerning the future must be forgotten by you." Lin Luo sighed deeply, a profound reluctance in his eyes, yet his hand showed no hesitation. The memory sealing technique was already activated.

"No, no, no!" Xiaozi was now weeping uncontrollably. Powerless to struggle, all she could do was sob loudly, "Master, I beg you, do not seal my memories! I don't want to forget everyone, nor the days we lived together. I... I don't want to be alone! If everyone is gone, and only I remain... I..."

"It's alright. No one in this world remains lonely forever. In the days to come, you will certainly meet many companions you hold dear. Perhaps it will be lonely and isolating at first, but I believe you can overcome it, because... you are Yakumo Yukari!"

Whoosh!

As the final word fell, Lin Luo's sealing spell plunged deep into Xiaozi's soul. Xiaozi’s body trembled, and she slowly began to lose consciousness. In a haze, she heard one final sentence: "This seal is not unbreakable. There are two ways to undo it. First, when your power reaches Quasi-Heavenly Rank, surpassing my current level, it will release automatically. Second... when I die, you will know everything!"

With that, Xiaozi completely lost consciousness.

P.S.: It's the middle of the month already. Asking for a few monthly votes.