Assassin's Ultimate Questioning! My Dao Is Stabbing Myself!
The final suspense, like the eternal darkness before the tunnel of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, weighs heavily on the hearts of every living being.
Ling remained standing silently in the shadows.
She was not as fiercely Battle Intent as Xing Tian, nor was she as mentally shaken as the Mechanist.
She is like a block of ice.
A piece of ice that blends into the darkness, silent and still, where even breathing seems to be frozen.
However, within the Three Realms, all the powerful beings watching this ultimate question and answer could feel an invisible sharpness rapidly gathering within her seemingly frail body.
It is an absolute sharpness that can pierce through all illusions and reach the very essence of things.
"Your turn, child."
The voice of Hongjun Daozu rang out again, still gentle, yet faintly revealing a hint of anticipation.
Ling slowly raised her head.
That face, which had always been shrouded in the shadow of a hood, was clearly exposed to the public for the first time.
Extremely cold and desolate.
It's breathtakingly beautiful.
Her eyes were as black as an abyss, devoid of any impurity or emotion, as if anything in the world reflected within them would be swallowed up by annihilation.
Unlike the previous two, she did not ask questions into the void.
Her gaze pierced through endless time and space, penetrated the barriers of the Order Divine Court, and landed precisely on a certain spot.
It landed on Lin Shen, who was engrossed in watching the Mechanist dismantle the "Mantis" while half a piece of fairy fruit was stuffed in his mouth.
This single glance startled all the Sage.
Then, Ling spoke.
Her voice, like her personality, was clear, crisp, and without any unnecessary embellishment.
"My way is to stab."
"Pierce through illusions, pierce through disguises, and assassinate all enemies, both tangible and intangible."
I have a question.
She paused, each word seeming to burst forth from ancient, icy ice.
"What in this world is invisible and formless, omnipresent, yet indestructible and eternally immortal?"
Upon hearing this question, the entire Primordial World fell into a deathly silence.
Invisible and formless, omnipresent, indestructible, and eternally indestructible?
What's this?
Is it the Great Dao? The Way of Heaven? Or some kind of absolute concept?
This question is more tricky and more metaphysical than the questions posed by Xing Tian and the Mechanist.
She wasn't asking about "technique" or "principle".
She is searching for the absolute "One" at the very bottom of this universe!
If even this "one" can be assassinated, then her art of "assassination" will be truly perfected.
Within the Order Divine Court, the Three Pure Sages frowned, lost in deep thought.
Even they couldn't give a perfect answer to this question in an instant.
In the void, Hongjun Daozu remained silent.
This was the first time he had fallen into such a long silence since the final Q&A session began.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment.
Just when everyone thought that even the Dao Ancestor was stumped by this question and his Dao Heart was wavering, a soft laugh came from the heavens above.
"That's a very good question."
The Dao Ancestor's voice carried a hint of mockery.
"You asked the wrong person too."
"I do not know the answer to this question."
What?!
The Dao Ancestor was unaware?!
These words caused a great shock throughout the Three Realms!
Countless powerful beings who were spying on this place felt dizzy and their Dao Heart, which they had painstakingly cultivated for hundreds of millions of years, almost collapsed on the spot!
Even the Dao Ancestor Hongjun Daozu governs the Heavenly Dao and is one with it, doesn't know the answer?!
What else in this universe is known? Where is the truth? Where does the ultimate truth reside?
Ling's perpetually frozen face finally showed a barely perceptible softening.
She had imagined a million possible answers, but she never considered the words "I don't know".
"But..."
Hongjun Daozu Ancestor, suddenly changed the subject.
That giant hand, formed from the infinite laws of nature, appeared in the world for the third and final time.
This time, it did not point to any grand concepts, nor did it evolve any profound laws.
It simply pointed gently to Lin Shen, whose eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing the Dao Ancestor say "I don't know," his face clearly displaying the rebellious thought, "Ancestral Master, you actually have a question you don't know?"
"... He knows."
Swish!
Once again.
The gazes of all living beings in the Three Realms, and countless divine thoughts, transcended time and space, all focused on Lin Shen.
Lin Shen was startled by the stare and forgot to chew the fairy fruit in his mouth.
"I... I... I don't know!"
Lin Shen shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum. He couldn't even understand what the pretty lady was asking, so how could he possibly know the answer?
You don't need to know.
The Dao Ancestor's voice carried a hint of persuasive laughter.
"You just need to tell her what you most want to do right now?"
"I?"
Lin Shen was taken aback; this question was actually quite simple.
He looked at the huge, colorful lollipop in his hand that he hadn't yet eaten, and then patted his somewhat round little belly.
Then, in a completely natural tone, he answered loudly in a childish voice:
"I want to go home!"
"I want to go back to First Master! I want him to turn this candy into lots and lots of little candy beans for me! That way I can eat them for a long time!"
Go home.
Sugar-coated beans.
Two of the simplest, purest, and most heartfelt thoughts of a child.
When these two thoughts were clearly transmitted to Ling's ears through Lin Shen's mouth.
Ling's entire world collapsed!
Her Dao Heart, as firm as ice that had stood for millennia, was completely melted and swept away by an indescribable torrent of warmth at this moment!
She understood.
She finally understood.
She had been searching for that most indestructible, eternal thing, trying to "assassinate" it with the sharp blade in her hand.
But she was completely wrong.
That's completely wrong!
In this universe, the most indestructible and eternal things are neither grand laws nor cold concepts.
Rather, it's... "Bonds".
It's a child's longing for home.
It is the apprentice's dependence on the Master.
It is that deepest, most primal, and eternal longing for warmth and belonging, hidden in the very soul of every living being!
This "Bonds" is invisible and intangible, yet it is everywhere.
You can destroy a person's physical body and obliterate their spirit, but you can never "kill" their longing for home.
You can pierce the heavens and the earth, sever the Milky Way, but you can never "pierce" that purest of hearts, the desire to go home.
This is true "eternity"!
And she, an assassin, a person whose way is "severing".
What she needed to do was not to "assassinate" this Bonds at all.
Instead, we must use the dagger in our hands to cut off all the thorns that hinder this Bonds!
Let's protect this warmest and most powerful force in the world!
"My way is to pierce."
Ling murmured softly, her voice trembling for the first time.
"Also... to protect."
She slowly raised the jet-black dagger in her hand, a dagger that had drunk the blood of countless gods and demons and was shrouded in an endless aura of death.
Under the horrified gaze of all living beings in the Three Realms.
The dagger was turned around.
A flash of cold light.
She swung the sharp blade back and plunged it fiercely into her own chest!
She wanted to personally stab to death that past version of herself who only knew how to kill and didn't know how to protect!
Buzz--!
The moment the dagger pierced her body, there was no blood, no wound!
An aura even more powerful than Xing Tian's enlightenment and more vast than the Mechanist's reshaping of his Dao Heart erupted from Zi Ling's body!
It was no longer pure destruction and deathly silence.
It was a ray of light that shone forth in the deepest darkness... a beacon of protection!
Her path, at this moment, was reborn from destruction and reached perfection!
"I see."
For the first time, a smile even gentler than the warm spring sun appeared on Ling's face.
She bowed deeply to the void, towards the direction of Lin Shen.
Thus, three champions, three Q&A sessions, and three moments of sudden enlightenment.
The event concluded successfully.
This extreme challenge, hosted by the Underworld and sweeping across the entire Primordial World, has finally come to an unexpected end.
However, while people were still immersed in the shock and emotion of this enlightenment,
A cold, mechanical, and emotionless system notification suddenly rang out in the ears of all players in the Metaverse!
[World Announcement: The first phase of the 'Wonderful Journey to the Underworld' test has ended. Thank you for your active participation.]
[World Announcement: To enhance the gaming experience and create a healthier, more positive gaming environment, the 'True Spirit Wear' system will be officially launched in one hour!]
[Countdown begins now!]