The erosion of the "Zeroing Protocol" is like ink dripping into clear water, slowly but irresistibly polluting and denying the existence of the Starfall Divine Realm. The void at the edge of the temple corridor continues to spread, extinguishing the star veins and turning the jade floor to dust wherever it passes. It is not destruction, but a more thorough "erasure"—as if that space, that set of rules, had never existed in the universe's encoding.

The fragments of the divine realm emitted a low, mournful wail, like that of a dying giant. The entire space trembled violently, the light flickered erratically, and even the magnificent nebula in the distance began to distort and dim. This was the shaking of the very foundation, the desperate situation of being stripped of the right to exist.

Protected firmly behind Xie Chen, Su Nian felt the collapse of the world around her. A primal fear of "non-existence" gripped her. Her heart clenched as she looked at Xie Chen's tall, imposing figure, seemingly facing the void alone.

Facing the ever-approaching "void," Xie Chen showed no panic, only an intensely focused, almost cold calm. The golden divine power surrounding him was no longer merely light, but transformed into countless incredibly fine, writhing ancient divine runes. These runes flowed and combined, emanating a fluctuation that was completely opposite to the power of "zeroing out," containing fundamental laws such as "definition," "existence," and "continuation."

“It denies ‘existence’.” Xie Chen spoke, his voice not loud, but strangely overpowering the lament of the divine realm, clearly reaching Su Nian’s ears, “Then I will redefine existence.”

He raised his hands, his ten fingers like playing invisible cosmic strings. The flowing golden divine runes, following his movements, were like a guided army, crashing fiercely into the edge of the spreading "void"!

There was no explosion, no impact.

There is only one more fundamental, rule-based, intense collision and...overlap!

The golden divine runes touched the edge of the "void," but instead of being erased, they were like the most stubborn virus, forcibly "written" into that denied nothingness! There, they redefined "space," "matter," "energy," and the rules governing the flow of "time"! That originally lifeless area, representing "nothingness," began to struggle, little by little, to regain a faint light. Although extremely unstable, like a candle flickering in the wind, it was indeed resisting the power of "returning to zero" and "existing" anew!

He used his divine power and authority to rebuild order on the ruins of rules that had been declared "dead"!

However, the cost of this action was enormous. Su Nian could see fine beads of sweat on Xie Chen's forehead, his upright back slightly tense, and his usually steady hands trembling almost imperceptibly. He was using his own divine power to fight against the vast rule system driven by the entire Main God Space, representing "the end"! Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, though tragic, it seemed to have a predetermined ending.

The rate of collapse in the divine realm had only slowed slightly; the "void" continued to stubbornly and insidiously erode the newly formed areas that were being painstakingly maintained by the golden divine runes. More "voids" began to appear randomly in other parts of the divine realm, like a spreading plague.

"No! He can't hold on!" 088 screamed, its voice trembling with tears. "The Zeroing Protocol is a conceptual weapon! Boss Xie is using his very essence to withstand it! At this rate, even if he isn't wiped out by Zeroing, he'll exhaust his divine power and completely dissipate! Host! Think of something quick!"

Try to find a solution? What solutions could she possibly have? Su Nian looked at Xie Chen's tense profile, feeling the vast yet seemingly rootless divine power draining from his body, and her heart burned with anxiety. She was just an ordinary person, at most a somewhat special "container" and "key." In this battle of rules at the level of gods, she was as insignificant as dust.

A sense of powerlessness overwhelmed her like a cold tide.

Just then, those previously forcibly suppressed, chaotic fragments of memory surged forth uncontrollably once more! This time, it wasn't the cold experimental chamber and the core of the main god, but a more blurred scene, yet one filled with warmth and immense sorrow—

In the endless chaotic light, Xie Chen's blurry figure turned around, revealing an extremely gentle yet farewell smile to her. His voice seemed to transcend countless ages, resonating directly in the depths of her soul:

"...Remember, no matter how many times we reincarnate, or how the rules change..."

“...You are the only constant…”

"...Only by finding 'you' can I...go home..."

"constant"……

"go home"……

These two words exploded in her mind like a thunderclap!

In an instant, a flash of inspiration struck!

She abruptly raised her head, looking at Xie Chen who was struggling against the "void," her eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light. She seemed... to understand the true meaning of the "key"!

The Supreme God viewed her as a "container" and a "cage" to imprison and utilize Xie Chen's fragments of divinity. But perhaps it underestimated, or simply couldn't comprehend, that Xie Chen's obsession with her transcended all rules and plans! That obsession, that "need" that always points to her no matter how many times he was shattered in reincarnation, is the core "constant" that connects all his fragments and awakens his complete divinity!

She was not a passive vessel; she was the most indispensable piece in the puzzle of his soul, the benchmark that defined the positions of all other pieces!

"Xie Chen!" Su Nian suddenly broke free from his instinctive protective grip and rushed to his side. Instead of hiding behind him, she stood shoulder to shoulder with him, facing the terrifying "void".

Xie Chen frowned, glancing at her with a distracted look: "Go back! It's dangerous here!"

“No!” Su Nian shook her head stubbornly. She grabbed one of his arms, looked up at him, her eyes clear and firm, filled with a resolute determination to risk everything. “It denies your ‘existence,’ denies this divine realm, denies everything we’ve experienced! But it can’t deny this—”

She pressed his hand tightly against her heart, letting him feel the intense and real beating within.

"It cannot deny that 'I need you'!"

"That doesn't negate the fact that you need me!"

She practically screamed it out, her voice echoing through the trembling divine realm.

"This 'need' is our 'rule'! It is the proof of our 'existence'!"

As she spoke, a strange change occurred.

It didn't come from her own power, but from the invisible bond between her and Xie Chen that had entangled countless worlds and penetrated the very essence of their souls! This bond, because of her voluntary acknowledgment and call, seemed to be infused with life, and began to emit a faint yet incredibly resilient light!

The light was formless and intangible, yet it seemed to be able to penetrate all rules and directly affect the golden divine runes that Xie Chen was struggling to "define"!

Buzz—!

The golden divine runes seemed to be infused with the most primal vitality, their light shining brightly! The speed and stability of their "defined" rules suddenly increased! The area that had been "rewritten" into existence no longer flickered with light, but became stable and solid, even beginning to squeeze the "void" in reverse!

Xie Chen looked at Su Nian in shock, at the strange band of light that had emerged between them, composed of pure emotion and bond. He felt that his depleted divine power was recovering at an astonishing speed. More importantly, his authority to "define" the rules of "existence" seemed to be strengthened and recognized by some deeper force, one that even he had not fully mastered!

“You…” He looked at her, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock, and a deeper, almost overflowing emotion.

Su Nian gave him a bright smile, tinged with tears: "You see, I told you... the complete you, and the complete me."

She was not a burden, nor someone who needed protection. She was his other half, someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, someone who could provide him with the most crucial support when he defied the rules of the world.

Xie Chen suddenly tightened his arms, pulling her close, and lowered his head to press a kiss—a mixture of lingering fear, ecstasy, and absolute possession—on her lips. This kiss carried no lust, only a confirmation and imprint on the soul.

In that kiss, the collapse of the surrounding divine realm seemed to be paused. The spreading "void" was completely contained, and even began to slowly recede. The golden divine runes, empowered by the light of bonds, spread like wildfire throughout the fragments of the divine realm, forcibly rewriting and reshaping the rules that had been denied by "zeroing out" wherever they went!

The Starfall God Realm is undergoing a phoenix-like rebirth, governed by a new set of rules centered on their bonds!

However, just when the situation reversed and hope was rekindled—

Deep within the repelled "void," a point of extreme darkness, condensing all the power of "returning to zero," like a venomous snake in its final moments, suddenly shot out a thin, almost invisible gray thread that ignored spatial distance and instantly pierced Su Nian's brow!

Xie Chen reacted extremely quickly, intercepting the silk threads almost the instant they appeared, but he was still a second too slow!

Su Nian's body stiffened abruptly, the light in her eyes dimmed rapidly, and her consciousness, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted into endless darkness.

"Su Nian!"

Xie Chen's exclamation carried a hint of... panic?

The victory of reconstructing the rules is within reach, but the most important "constant" seems to have been dragged into the final crisis.

(End of Chapter 170)