Tongtian's Choice

In Biyou Cave Heaven, by the spirit pool, the holy light of the Green Lotus flowed.

The trace of azure Dao Rhyme that Lord Tongtian infused into Cheng Xi's consciousness acted like a divine needle, not only stabilizing his faltering Dao Heart but also elevating his perception to an unimaginable dimension. The gray light of the Chaos Origin Point resonated with the pure Witch Fire reviving within Yan Lingji, and the edge of the Break Delusion Reverse Intent Sword Intent began to bloom.

"This crack... is the path to life!" Cheng Xi's will pierced through layers of void, locking onto a minute fissure on the Heavenly Dao's net, a scar left by the clash between Pangu's will and the Chaos Demon Gods. Hope, like a spark in the darkness, ignited his unyielding fighting spirit.

"Good."

Lord Tongtian's voice echoed directly in Cheng Xi's consciousness, a calm tone carrying a hint of imperceptible praise.

"To see the minute and understand the significant, to seek opportunity amidst calamity. This state of mind can bear the foundation of my Dao. However..."

Before his words finished, the figure merged with the Dao flickered slightly above the Green Lotus. It wasn't his physical form that wavered, but the void behind him, which carried the Dao Rhyme of ages, suddenly rippled violently! It was as if a boulder had been thrown into a calm lake!

RUMBLE--!

A grand, cold, terrifying will, filled with ruthless order and confinement, descended like a thunderclap across endless time and space! This will was not an attack, but it carried an air of supreme scrutiny and suppression! It ignored the barriers of the cave heaven and locked directly onto Lord Tongtian, and through him, it swept towards Cheng Xi, who was resonating with Yan Lingji's consciousness below!

[Alert! Encountered Heavenly Dao-level Will Scan! Associated Target: Lord Tongtian... Strength: Suppressive!... Warning! Host's existence is at risk of exposure!... Chaos Origin Point initiating deep stealth mode...]

The system's alarm was so sharp it almost tore Cheng Xi's consciousness apart! The gray light of the Chaos Origin Point instantly retracted to its extreme, and the Break Delusion Reverse Intent Sword Intent lay dormant like a hibernating snake. Before such a will, any movement was courting death!

"Hmph! Hongjun!" For the first time, clear anger appeared on Lord Tongtian's serene face! A cold snort exploded like thunder from the heavens within the cave heaven! The figure sitting cross-legged suddenly straightened, and an Arrogance Sword Intent, capable of severing all bonds and destroying all laws, shot towards the sky, transforming into an extremely condensed, brilliant azure light that fiercely collided with the descending Heavenly Dao will!

SWISH--!

A silent clash of wills erupted on the spatial plane! The entire Biyou Cave Heaven shook violently! Stalactites on the ceiling flashed with light, the water in the spirit pool churned, and the illusory image of the World Purifying Green Lotus flickered! Space groaned under the immense pressure, and faint black cracks flashed and vanished in the void!

"Tongtian! How dare you incite Pangu's remnant will, disturb the Heavenly Dao's order! You even harbor an Anomaly and are tainted by karmic energy! Do you wish to repeat the disaster of the Investiture of the Gods?!" A grand, cold voice devoid of any emotion, like a Heavenly Dao decree, resounded deep within the consciousness of Lord Tongtian and Cheng Xi! This was the voice of Dao Ancestor Hongjun! Filled with supreme authority and reprimand!

"Order? An order that shackles all living beings, treating all things as mere dogs?" Lord Tongtian's voice carried the indignation and arrogance of ages, his Sword Intent's azure light growing even more brilliant. "Hongjun! You sit in Zixiao Palace, content to be the Heavenly Dao's puppet! Have you seen this Primordial Era under your order, is there any trace of life left?! Did Father God Pangu open the heavens and earth to create such a dead end?!"

"Presumptuous!" The Heavenly Dao will's pressure suddenly intensified, as if the weight of the entire Primordial Era was pressing down! Lord Tongtian's brilliant Sword Intent's azure light was suppressed and slightly curved, but he still stood tall like a sword, not retreating half a step! The cave heaven's tremors grew more violent!

Cheng Xi, at the edge of this vortex where a Sage and the Heavenly Dao clashed, was like a duckweed in a raging sea, his consciousness battered and disoriented, only protected by Lord Tongtian's Dao Rhyme's azure light from disintegrating. He "watched" intently as the minute crack on the Heavenly Dao net, impacted again by the residual forces of the clash between the two wills, did not mend under the terrifying pressure, but instead... widened slightly!

"Karmic energy... the karmic energy is accelerating its influx!" Cheng Xi's heart trembled violently! He clearly sensed that Hongjun's forceful descent and suppression had instead stimulated the crack, like an ant hole in a dam accelerating its expansion under the torrent! More violent, chaotic, and unpredictable primordial karmic energy was seeping in through the crack, thread by thread, integrating into the Primordial Era!

"Do you see?" Lord Tongtian's voice carried a hint of exhaustion, but also a resolute understanding. It echoed in Cheng Xi's consciousness. "The more the Heavenly Dao suppresses, the stronger the backlash of the shackles, the faster the karmic energy grows! This is... drinking poison to quench thirst! This calamity cannot be stopped by Hongjun alone! What the Primordial Era needs is not suppression, but... destruction and then rebirth!"

His voice suddenly rose, like a final declaration, not just to Cheng Xi, but to the descending Heavenly Dao will:

"Hongjun! You guard your rotten wood and withered vines! The Dao of my Intercepting Sect, a thread of life, lies in breaking this deadlock! This child is the... blade to break the deadlock, whom I have chosen!"

The moment his voice fell, Lord Tongtian pointed his fingers like a sword, and with a wave of his hand, he pointed towards Cheng Xi's physical body by the spirit pool below!

"Cheng Xi! Opportunity has arrived! The path lies beneath your feet! Choose--!"

BUZZ!

With Lord Tongtian's gesture, the immense illusory image of the World Purifying Green Lotus in the center of the spirit pool erupted with unprecedented light! The essence of the swirling Innate Ren Water boiled! Before Cheng Xi's physical body, above the calm surface of the spirit pool, three bridges materialized out of pure spiritual energy and Dao Rhyme!

The first bridge: The Golden Grand Path!

Wide, straight, and resplendent with golden light! The bridge was inscribed with profound runes, exuding an aura of dignity, adherence to destiny, and everlasting blessings. It was as if stepping onto this bridge would allow one to receive heavenly mandate, gain the protection of heaven and earth, have a smooth path to immortality, achieve the highest official positions, and enjoy a long life. This was the bridge of "Following Heaven"! It represented accepting the Heavenly Dao's order, integrating into the established rules, and seeking the greatest stability and blessings within the framework.

The second bridge: The Jade Stair Rainbow Bridge!

Shimmering with seven colors, surrounded by auspicious clouds, and radiating myriad auspicious energies! The bridge was crystal clear, as if carved from fine jade, emanating an ethereal immortal aura of tranquility, inaction, freedom, and detachment from worldly affairs. Stepping onto this bridge felt like transcending the mundane, remaining untainted by karma, and wandering freely between heaven and earth, watching the clouds drift by. This was the bridge of "Avoiding Calamity"! It represented distancing oneself from conflict, self-preservation, and seeking personal transcendence and purity outside the realm of calamity.

The third bridge: The Solitary Wood Suspension Bridge!

Narrow! Perilous! Entirely gray, neither gold nor stone, covered in rugged edges and sharp protrusions! Below the bridge was not pool water, but a churning, roaring vortex of Chaos energy, bottomless! The entire bridge hung suspended above Chaos, exuding an supreme edge and solitary intent that severed all things, destroyed all laws, and seized a thread of life from the brink of despair! This was the bridge of "Intercepting Heaven"! It represented facing calamity head-on, carving a path to survival from the impossible, seizing the elusive one, and severing the shackles even if it meant being shattered to pieces!

Three bridges, three paths of the Dao, three vastly different futures, clearly presented before Cheng Xi!

Lord Tongtian's voice, like a great bell, carried a final resolve and expectation, exploding in the depths of his soul:

"Following Heaven? Avoiding Calamity? Intercepting Heaven? Where your heart lies, so begins your Dao! Choose!"

Almost as soon as Lord Tongtian pointed out the three bridges, the descending Heavenly Dao will seemed to be utterly enraged! A cold snort, imbued with the Heavenly Dao's wrath, descended like world-ending thunder!

"Stubborn and unyielding! You shall be punished!"

BOOM!

A phantom of Zixiao Divine Lightning, purely condensed from the power of Heavenly Dao rules and emanating an aura of confinement and annihilation, ignored space and instantly appeared above Lord Tongtian's head, striking down towards him and the Green Lotus beneath him! This strike contained terrifying power that could seal a Sage's position and weaken their cultivation!

The sword light of resolve erupted in Lord Tongtian's eyes, and the Green Lotus beneath him blazed with light, directly confronting the Zixiao Divine Lightning! Within the cave heaven, a doomsday scene unfolded! Space collapsed in large swathes, and Chaos energy poured in!

Cheng Xi's physical body was exposed to the destructive energy residue! The three Dao bridges swayed violently in the chaotic impact, especially the solitary wood bridge of Intercepting Heaven, which bore the brunt of it, as if it could be swallowed by the Chaos energy at any moment!

Choose!

A choice must be made before destruction descends!

Cheng Xi's consciousness instantly returned to his physical body! He suddenly opened his eyes! In his pupils, the gray light of the Chaos Origin Point flowed, and the edge of the Break Delusion Reverse Intent flashed! The demon calamity of Mount Li, the bloody rain of Xianyang, Lu Buwei's sinister smile, Ying Zheng's angry face, Yan Lingji's shattered figure, Pangu's compassionate sigh, the demons' greedy roars, the Heavenly Dao's cold confinement... countless scenes flashed before his eyes!

Following Heaven? Becoming the Heavenly Dao's puppet? Enjoying false blessings within a predetermined cage? No!

Avoiding Calamity? Preserving oneself? Watching the common people sink and the Primordial Era collapse? No!

His gaze finally locked onto the solitary wood bridge of Intercepting Heaven, which, above the Chaos vortex, amidst the residual Zixiao Divine Lightning, and under the tearing spatial turbulence, still emanated an unyielding edge!

"My Dao is neither to follow nor to avoid!"

Cheng Xi's voice was hoarse, but filled with resolute determination, echoing through the chaotic cave heaven!

"Even if it's a solitary wood suspended over Chaos, even if it means being shattered to pieces, facing eternal damnation..."

He took a step forward, pouring all his strength into it, and resolutely strode towards the solitary Sky-Severing Bridge!

"This thread of life... I'm determined to seize it!"

The moment his foot landed on the sharp, bone-chilling, angular gray-green surface of the bridge--

Hummm--!!!

The Qingping Sword Sheath, dormant in his embrace, suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant white light that seemed to tear apart the entire cave heaven! This light was no longer merely Sword Intent, but... a resonance and awakening from the depths of his soul! A vast, ancient, untamed supreme will, capable of severing all shackles, surged into Cheng Xi's body like a bursting river of stars, flowing from the sword sheath!

"Ah--!!!"

Cheng Xi let out a soul-shattering roar! His body levitated, enveloped in the white light! Within his eyes, the gray light of Chaos and the edge of Sky-Severing Sword Intent intertwined! A brand new power, carrying the foundation of Chaos's variables and the origin of the Sky-Severing edge, surged and roared within him!

Lord Tongtian, who was confronting the Zixiao Divine Lightning, looked back amidst the destructive radiance. Deep within his eternally silent eyes, a hint of... relief finally became clear!

However, amidst this torrent of power infusion and the nascent formation of his Dao Foundation, a bloody scene, transmitted across infinite space, suddenly pierced into the depths of Cheng Xi's consciousness:

The beacon tower of Xianyang! Burning black flames!

Meng Tian fighting valiantly!

Three Witch Clan warriors guarding like mountains!

Three blood-piercing divine thorns tearing through space!

And... three... tragically beautiful blood flowers blooming in an instant!

"Hou Ji!!!" A roar mixed with shock, rage, and grief erupted uncontrollably from Cheng Xi's throat, filled with Sword Intent!

His newborn power raged within him, the Sky-Severing Sword Intent resonating fiercely with the Chaos Origin Point, while the bloody fire of Xianyang and the mournful cries of the fallen Witch Clan warriors pierced his newly formed Dao Heart like icy steel needles!

His Dao Foundation had just been established, yet his old friend had bled! The first step on this path to breaking the deadlock was already so heavy!