Biyu Heart Questioning (Part 2)

With his heartfelt vow, the nascent sword intent of Break Delusion deep within his sea of consciousness, fueled by extreme pressure and conviction, suddenly surged! Though still weak, it possessed an unprecedented resilience and an unstoppable sharpness! It could now do more than just "break delusion"; it carried a trace of Cheng Xi's own "rebellious intent"! At the same time, the Jianmu Fragment in his arms emitted a gentle yet firm emerald light, and the Xirang Crystal pulsed with a heavy, steady rhythm. The three resonated faintly!

Lord Tongtian watched him quietly, observing the faint yet incredibly brilliant will emanating from the insignificant mortal. Deep within his ancient well-like eyes, the complex emotions became clearer. There was scrutiny, exploration, remembrance... Finally, it seemed to transform into a trace of extremely faint... approval?

"No regrets... defying heaven... proving chaos..." Lord Tongtian softly repeated the words, his tone flat, betraying no emotion. He slowly raised his right hand and gently pointed towards the spirit pool below, which was shrouded in rich vitality.

Buzz!

In the center of the spirit pool, the enormous, budding cyan lotus suddenly bloomed with a soft and sacred cyan halo! Its petals slowly unfurled, and a purer, more potent spiritual energy of heaven and earth, mixed with a purifying, sacred aura, permeated the air, instantly enveloping the entire stone cave. The water in the spirit pool stirred without wind, rippling like it had come alive.

"This is a phantom image formed from a wisp of the World Purifying Green Lotus's origin, and the pool water is the essence of Innate Ren Water," Lord Tongtian's voice returned to its usual calm. "Meditate on this lotus platform and draw the pool water to cleanse your body. It can heal your injuries and also help you..." His gaze swept over Yan Lingji, "...temporarily suppress the malevolent energy and erosion within your body."

Hearing this, Yan Lingji's eyes blazed with a strong desire to live, and she looked gratefully towards the lotus platform. Cheng Xi's heart also settled; a gift from a Saint must be a sacred item for healing.

However, Lord Tongtian's next words made both their hearts tighten.

"However, after your injuries heal..." Lord Tongtian's gaze locked onto Cheng Xi again, his calm eyes seeming to transform into two invisible swords, piercing directly into the origin of his soul!

"Since you have the ambition to 'defy heaven' and wish to inherit my 'Intercepting Heaven' path... you must first pass my 'Heart Questioning Tribulation'."

"This tribulation has nothing to do with magic power or divine abilities. It only questions your heart!"

The moment his voice fell, Lord Tongtian's figure, seated on the green lotus, seemed to merge completely with the entire grotto-heaven, the blooming green lotus, and the wordless stone tablet, transforming into an eternal imprint of The Way! A grand, vast will, seemingly carrying the ancient years of the Primordial Era and the aura of immeasurable kalpas, like an invisible tide, pressed down upon Cheng Xi!

This was not an attack, but an interrogation! A ultimate questioning originating from the source of The Great Way, directly targeting the core of the Dao heart!

Cheng Xi felt the scene before him instantly change! The stone cave, the green lotus, the spirit pool, the stone tablet... all material existence dissipated like smoke!

In its place was boundless Chaos!

There was no up or down, no past or future! Only churning, boiling chaotic currents, nurturing both destruction and creation! Countless phantom images of Chaos Demon Gods roared, fought, and perished within the currents! The edge of the divine axe that split the heavens flashed and vanished! The magnificent panorama of the Primordial Era's initial formation slowly unfolded! This was followed by the brutality of the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, the tragedy of the Witch-Demon war, the blood-soaked suffering of the Investiture of the Gods... Scene after scene of Primordial epics, like a rushing river, carrying the majestic momentum of heaven and earth and endless joys and sorrows, surged towards Cheng Xi's tiny soul!

Within this torrent of Chaos and epics, countless voices exploded simultaneously in the depths of Cheng Xi's soul, like the cries of myriad beings intertwined with the whispers of the Heavenly Dao:

"What is The Way?"

"To follow heaven? Or defy it?"

"Intercepting a sliver of life, is it stealing from heaven? Or the courage to break the deadlock?"

"The Myriad Immortals Formation broken, the Intercepting Sect withered, is it unfairness of the Heavenly Dao? Or a flaw in my Way?"

"Your Chaos, is it the foundation for transcendence? Or the source of destruction?"

"To inherit my Way, can your heart... be firm? Be sincere? Be... without regret?"

Each question struck Cheng Xi's Dao heart like a chaotic divine thunderbolt! Carrying the weight of Primordial epics and the majesty of the Heavenly Dao! Interrogating his beliefs, shaking his foundations, forcing him to find his own, unwavering "Way" amidst the chaotic torrent and the momentum of heaven and earth!

This was not an illusion, but Lord Tongtian, using his supreme divine abilities, had invoked the origin of The Great Way, directly plunging Cheng Xi's consciousness into the torrent of "The Way" for the most direct tempering and interrogation! Once the Dao heart faltered and was lost in this torrent, at best it would be crippled and rendered useless, and at worst, the soul would scatter, and the true spirit would fall forever!

Cheng Xi's soul, in this boundless Chaos and epic torrent, was like a small boat in a raging storm, instantly submerged! The nascent sword intent of Break Delusion and rebellion, in the face of such a Dao interrogation, was as weak as a firefly!

"Argh--!" Cheng Xi let out a silent howl from the depths of his soul, his consciousness instantly shattered! The vitality of Jianmu, the weight of Xirang, the existence of the System... all his reliance seemed so pale before this torrent of The Great Way! He felt as if he was about to be torn apart and assimilated by the endless "questions" and the majestic "momentum"!

However, at the very instant his consciousness was about to completely sink and be assimilated by the Primordial epics--

Deep within his soul, that point of reborn chaotic imprint, that chaotic origin point carrying the essence of a soul from another world, containing the "variable," under the extreme pressure of The Great Way, suddenly lit up with a faint, almost imperceptible, yet incredibly tenacious, grayish light!

At the same time, the dormant System core, upon encountering this impact of the origin of The Great Way that surpassed its cognition, seemed to have its most fundamental logic triggered. It forcefully broke through a sliver of the Saint's suppression, issuing a cold, mechanical, yet incredibly clear prompt, like a final anchor, imprinted on Cheng Xi's near-collapsing consciousness:

[Core logic... uphold... define... Chaos... not following... not defying... but... variable... source of breaking deadlock...]

Variable! Source of breaking deadlock!

This cold prompt, like thunder in the darkness, or the last straw grasped by a drowning man, caused Cheng Xi's scattered consciousness to suddenly condense a sliver!

"I... am not a pawn!"

"My Chaos... is the opportunity to break the deadlock!"

"Even if I am utterly destroyed... I... will not regret it!"

A faint yet incredibly firm thought, carrying unyielding rebellious intent and the enlightenment of "variable," like a candle flame in the wind, stubbornly lit up in the chaotic torrent! It began to arduously resist the endless interrogation of The Great Way and the onslaught of the Primordial epics!

On the lotus platform, Lord Tongtian's figure, merged with The Way, trembled slightly. Deep within his eyes, reflecting the chaotic torrent, a trace of extremely faint, almost imperceptible... anticipation? Quietly appeared.

The Heart Questioning Tribulation had just begun. The tempering of the Dao heart was revealing true gold.