Debts Incurred by Skill—Why Should They Be Repaid?

The system's appearance brought about an irreversible, earth-shattering, qualitative change to Yang Chen's entire existence.

He was no longer an ant about to be crushed under the wheels.

He was the nuclear bomb tied to those wheels, capable of destroying the entire world.

If I die, you will all accompany me. This thought, like a black lightning bolt, cleaved through all the fear and despair in his mind, bringing a morbid, thrilling pleasure.

And the detonator was firmly clutched in his own hand.

He greedily, word by word, savored every piece of information on the system panel, especially the note: [Deeply bound to the origin of the Primordial World].

Each word was like the most solid cornerstone, constructing an impregnable fortress for his crumbling madness.

Under the oppressive weight of Heavenly Might, the corners of his mouth slowly, uncontrollably curled upwards, his muscles spasming from extreme emotion, forming a bizarre and twisted arc.

This was no mere note.

This was clearly the most indestructible shield the Heavenly Dao itself had handed him! It was the sharpest, most peerless spear forged by the combined might of the Six Saints!

This was his ultimate bargaining chip to overturn the entire chessboard!

Just then, on the pale blue light screen, the Great Dao Runes flowed again, forming a brand new interface filled with absolute choice.

[Facing the joint reckoning of the Heavenly Dao and the Six Saints, the Host chooses:]

[Option 1: Comply with destiny, bow your head and accept death, repaying Karma. (Reward: A painless death experience, once)]

[Option 2: Defy heaven, refuse repayment, and fight to the bitter end! (Reward: Determined by the Host's performance, unlimited rewards!)]

The two options floated there, clearly distinct.

One led to the peace of oblivion.

The other led to the madness of eternal damnation.

Yang Chen's gaze swept over the first option, and a short, hoarse chuckle escaped the depths of his throat.

Bow my head and accept death?

Repay Karma?

Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!

As a former corporate slave deeply indoctrinated by "blessed reporting" culture, he had already been thoroughly beaten by reality.

Take a step back, and he'd only get angrier.

Endure for a moment, and he'd develop breast hyperplasia.

Being meek and subservient to his boss hadn't earned him promotions or raises, only intensified exploitation.

Suffering injustice in silence hadn't brought him a wider world, only escalating bullying.

He had already lived a lifetime on his knees.

The humility and obedience of that past life were like invisible poison thorns, having long ago pierced his soul.

In this life, having finally arrived at the pinnacle of mythology, was he going to kneel again? Kneel and die?

Moreover, did this debt have anything to do with him, Yang Chen?

He hadn't even transmigrated when the Dragon-Phoenix Qilin were fighting like dogs.

He wasn't even a cell when Rahula detonated the western earth veins.

Now, he had just opened his eyes, been forcibly branded the "biggest debtor" in the Primordial World, and the Heavenly Dao and the Saints, these top creditors, immediately came knocking, demanding he repay with his life?

Why!

Why should you, from your lofty positions, decide my life and death with a single word? Why should I, an outsider, bear the consequences of your mistakes? There is no greater injustice in this world than this!

A violent surge, mixed with all the pent-up frustration from his past life and the endless unwillingness of this one, erupted from the deepest part of his True Spirit!

"What damn Karma!"

"I inherited this debt through my own abilities, why should I repay it!"

This thought wasn't contemplation, not a calculation, but a hysterical roar from the depths of his soul!

"I choose two!"

"Fight to the bitter end!"

He almost used all his willpower to hammer this decision into his mind.

Come on, you want to flip the table? My life is worthless, but you immortal Saints, do you dare to gamble with me!

The moment he made his choice.

Buzz!

A faint, almost negligible, yet supremely pure warm current surged out of the system panel, instantly coursing through his limbs and bones!

Compared to the immeasurable Karmic Force within him, capable of polluting the entire Primordial World, this energy was as minuscule as a star compared to a black hole.

But it possessed a completely different, supreme attribute.

Wherever it passed, those black Karmic Forces, wriggling like maggots in his flesh and devouring his life force, actually let out fearful hisses and instinctively retreated.

The meridians, on the verge of being completely corroded, found a sliver of respite.

The Innate Dao Body, on the brink of collapse, was forcefully injected with a potent life-saving medicine.

The Primordial Spirit, locked down by countless shackles, also regained a faint luster under the nourishment of this warm current.

More importantly.

Yang Chen felt the invisible force that had been restraining his physical body and choking him loosen its grip.

It hadn't disappeared.

The killing intent from the Heavenly Dao originating from the Nine Heavens, the supreme will of the Six Sages, still pressed down on his every divine soul thought like billions of ancient divine mountains.

However, a barely perceptible crack had appeared in the impenetrable cage constructed by absolute will.

And the stream of pure warmth that the system had poured in was the sole lever to pry open the entire cage through this crack.

It did not confront the world-destroying Karmic Force, nor did it collide with the vast and boundless Heavenly Might.

It merely, precisely and forcefully, reignited the dying flame of life within Yang Chen.

A potent medicine.

A cardiac stimulant.

It couldn't buy vitality, but it could buy a moment of clarity.

It couldn't reverse death, but it could give him a chance to turn back from the precipice of death.

That was enough.

Under the repulsive force of the entire Primordial World, Yang Chen's fingertips twitched ever so slightly.

This movement, imperceptible even to mortals, seemed to have exhausted all his current energy.

Following that were the second twitch, and the third.

He could feel that within his meridians, riddled with holes by the infinite Karmic Force, Blood Essence was flowing again at an extremely slow, yet incredibly stubborn pace.

The sensation was not like a surging river.

It was like a stream, on the verge of drying up, forcefully thawed from beneath ten thousand years of ice, inching forward arduously on a cracked riverbed.

Every inch of progress was accompanied by the searing pain of flesh being torn and bones groaning.

But Yang Chen's consciousness was clearer than ever before.

Within his Divine Soul, the ecstatic joy had subsided, transforming into something deeper and more dangerous.

A cold, abyss-like, absolutely rational madness.

Settlement?

Suppression?

The muscles of his lips began to twitch uncontrollably, attempting to form a mocking curve, but failing due to his lack of strength.

His heart roared silently.

You high-and-mighty creditors have misunderstood one thing.

From the moment I inherited this Karma, from the moment you locked onto me as the target for settlement, we were no longer in a creditor-debtor relationship.

We are gamblers.

You wagered the existence of the entire Primordial World, betting that I, Yang Chen, would obediently accept my fate and offer my neck for slaughter.

And I, using this worthless life of mine as stakes, bet that you... wouldn't dare to flip the table!

Now, it's my turn to bet.

"Hh..."

A dry, hoarse gasp finally squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his throat, which had been tightly constricted.

He had regained control of his body.

He could speak now.

But he didn't.

Any words, at this moment, seemed pale and powerless.

He had to do one thing.

One action.

He would use this action to respond to the "good intentions" of all the gods and Buddhas, to respond to the "judgment" of the Heavenly Dao and the Saints!

Slowly, with an extremely difficult yet incredibly firm posture, he raised his head, little by little.

This simple action seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

His neck emitted a "creak" of being unable to bear the load, each cervical vertebra resisting the terrifying pressure from the Nine Heavens, pressure enough to crush Mount Buzhou.

Muscle fibers were breaking inch by inch.

The joints of his bones emitted a grating sound that made one's teeth ache.

Beneath his skin, the black Karmic Force grew even more violent due to his rebellious act, madly devouring the sliver of life he had just recovered.

Lift it up!

Lift it up for me!

Yang Chen's Divine Soul roared, his will transforming into the most resilient steel cable, forcibly pulling his collapsing physical body.

You wanted to judge me, didn't you?

Weren't you all high and mighty, seeing me as an ant?

Then open your eyes wide and take a good look!

Take a good look at the face of this ant of yours!

One inch.

Another inch.

His jaw finally broke free from the constraint of his chest.

His gaze could finally be parallel to this Primordial World.

The illusions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the wails of the Dragon-Phoenix Qilin, could no longer cause him any disturbance.

His gaze pierced through layers upon layers of void, passed through the mist of Karma, and finally landed precisely on the ink-black tribulation clouds that gathered the wrath of the entire world.

He "saw."

He saw behind the tribulation clouds, the cold, ruthless Heavenly Dao will that viewed all things as dogs.

He also "saw."

He saw the Six Paths, spanning heaven and earth like embodiments of cosmic laws, supreme existences.

The judgment from the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun.

The slaughter from Golden Ao Island in the East Sea.

The order from Wa Huang Palace beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

The schemes from Mount Sumeru in the West.

The non-action from the Eight Sceneries Palace on Shouyang Mountain.

And the finality from the Nine Nether Underworld.

At this moment, in Yang Chen's eyes, they were no longer unattainable Saints.

They were his creditors.

His greatest leverage!

On his face, pale from the erosion of Karmic Force, a twisted, manic smile finally bloomed.

In that smile, there was no fear.

No pleading.

Not even anger.

Only a pure, unadorned provocation, as cold as ten thousand years of profound ice.

A complete disdain that dragged all high and mighty existences from their pedestals and trampled them underfoot.

Come on.

Make your move.

Why hasn't your lightning of judgment fallen yet?

Why haven't your Immortal Slaying Sword Array been activated?

Why hasn't your boundless merit saved me yet?

You don't dare?

What are you afraid of?

Afraid I'll die?

Or afraid I won't die thoroughly enough, and this boundless Karma will take you all down with me?

He didn't utter a single word.

But his gaze, his smile, had transformed all of this into the loudest slaps, fiercely striking the face of the Heavenly Dao, striking the will of the Six Saints.

Your rules are invalid for me from now on.

The game has only just begun.