Expelled from Jie Jiao? Sudden realization!

Kunlun Mountain, Palace of Green Essence.

The atmosphere was oppressive, stifling enough to take one's breath away.

"To intercept the threads of fate, with ten thousand immortals bowing in homage! Our Sect of Interception is the foremost among all sects in the Primordial World. Why must we fear this so-called Investiture of the Gods Tribulation? To force our fellow disciples and brothers to willingly ascend the Investiture of the Gods List—I, Zhao Gongming, will be the first to refuse!"

"Ling Xiao is spreading heretical words to confuse the masses, harboring malicious intent, and seeking to destroy our Sect of Interception. I beg Master to discern the truth!"

"Wrapped in the aura of baleful Sha and spewing such wild, rebellious words—Junior Brother Ling Xiao cannot be intentionally defying Master. He must have suffered a cultivation deviation. I ask all junior brothers to calm down..."

The accusations rang out like thunder, striking Ling Xiao's ears and causing his body to tremble slightly.

"Rebellious disciple, do you have anything else to say?"

Sect Master Tongtian wore a dark Daoist Robe, his eyes as deep as the stars, surrounded by a mysterious aura. The Qingping Sword at his side flowed with a sharp, cold light as he stared at Ling Xiao, his expression as still as an ancient well.

Yet, if one looked closely, they would see his brows knitted together, his eyes flickering with hidden indignation.

"Rebellious disciple... Heh!"

"Has the trust between master and disciple truly thinned to this point?"

Ling Xiao's voice was low, a soft sigh escaping him, his face etched with struggle and complex despair.

Looking around at the faces surrounding him, Ling Xiao found them both familiar and strange. He shook his head gently, a myriad of bitterness welling up in his heart.

Exhaustion and a sense of powerlessness made Ling Xiao's already riddled body sway, his withered Primordial Spirit on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, an aura of decay, as if he were nearing his end, drifted from him, nearly causing his Dao heart to shatter and his life to fade into nothingness.

Just moments ago.

Inside the Palace of Green Essence, he had argued his case to Sect Master Tongtian regarding the Investiture of the Gods.

What he received in return was the condemnation of everyone present.

"Senior Brother Ling Xiao, you are muddled!"

"Every fellow disciple here knows of your great contributions. If not for you entering the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation to suppress our luck and sort through the karma of slaughter, our Sect of Interception would have ceased to exist long ago."

"But that cannot be an excuse for you to be arrogant and destroy the foundation of our sect!"

A scorching Dao rhyme permeated the air.

Lu Ya beat his chest and stamped his feet, his expression rich with indignation and disillusionment.

At this moment, Holy Mother Turtle Spirit began to berate him: "Ling Xiao, you have disappointed me so! One hundred thousand years ago, you were upright and honorable, willing to sacrifice everything for our sect. How have you become like this now?"

"Your origin is damaged and your cultivation has fallen, yet Master and the rest of us have never treated you poorly. Why have you become a traitor, wanting to send your fellow disciples to the Investiture of the Gods List?"

"I originally thought you had only lost your realm and foundation, but who would have thought you had lost your former Dao heart and personally buried the friendship of our sect!"

The magnificent Dao Sound was deafening.

Ling Xiao was slightly dazed, a thin, cold smile playing on his lips.

His eyes flickered, filled with the weight of ages.

He had transmigrated into the Primordial World, possessing the origin of the Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus, taking form during the Lich Tribulation, and subsequently joining the sect under Tongtian to become a personal disciple of the Sect of Interception.

Since then!

Because of Tongtian's remark that "My disciple Ling Xiao has the potential of a Sect Master," Ling Xiao had exhausted himself for the sect, hoping to rewrite the fate of the Sect of Interception within the great trend of the Heavenly Dao.

Thinking back now, that so-called potential of a Sect Master was likely just a pie in the sky drawn by Tongtian.

It was a pity he had been foolish enough to believe it...

Scene after scene appeared in Ling Xiao's mind, only to be crushed into bubbles.

He had befriended disciples of the Human Sect and the Sect of Enlightenment, maneuvering through the conflicts between the sects to prevent the Three Pure Ones from splitting and Tongtian from fleeing to Golden Turtle Island.

During the Lich Tribulation, he had taken in the young Golden Crow Lu Ya and brought Kong Xuan and the Golden-Winged Great Peng into the Sect of Interception.

During the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, he helped Tongtian seize the Kongtong Seal, allowing disciples of the Sect of Interception to occupy several positions as masters of the Human Emperors.

With ten thousand immortals bowing in homage, yet no one to educate them, Ling Xiao had spent his lifeblood drafting the Heavenly Rules of Interception, diligently educating his fellow disciples, and sparing no cost to his own origin to clear their Dao hearts and purify their baleful karma.

He had even!

One hundred thousand years ago, he had stepped alone into the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation to sort out the karma of slaughter and suppress the sect's luck, losing his entire cultivation as a Golden Immortal of Grand Dao and nearly being beaten back to his original form.

Yet now, he was trapped in a cage, fallen into such a state.

Lifting his eyes, Ling Xiao smiled bitterly: "I have lost my Dao heart? I disregard the friendship of my fellows? Do you know that in the Primordial World, one hundred thousand years is but a fleeting moment, but to me, it has been a lifetime of vicissitudes."

"Master abandons me, my fellows despise me; where is there any place left for me in the Sect of Interception? If not for the impending Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, where you all seek to bury the future of our sect, would I have come to this?"

Having thought it through, Ling Xiao no longer hoped for anything.

He simply had not expected the disciples of the Sect of Interception to be such despicable people.

Ever since his cultivation as a Golden Immortal of Grand Dao was destroyed and his origin damaged, he had lost his former prestige among the disciples, becoming like a stray dog that everyone wanted to beat.

Duobao, Dingguang Immortal, Lu Ya, and others hurled insults; the Three Xiao Sisters, Holy Mother Golden Spirit, and others stood to the side of the Great Hall in silence, while the eyes of many other disciples were filled with ridicule and mockery.

Thus, Ling Xiao vented his pent-up grievances, declaring that there was no longer any place for him in the Sect of Interception.

"Rebellion! This is rebellion!"

"How dare a mere cripple spout such nonsense in the Palace of Green Essence, claiming our sect will be destroyed! I beg Master to discern the truth and expel this person who defies the sect and disrespects the Saint, so as to uphold the dignity of our Sect of Interception!"

Dingguang Immortal pointed at Ling Xiao, his body trembling incessantly.

His hair stood on end in fury, his eyes blazing with baleful light, as if Ling Xiao had committed an unforgivable sin!

Expel him from the Sect of Interception!

As these words left his lips, the eyes of the gathered disciples of the Sect of Interception flashed, and they could not help but exchange glances. Duobao, in particular, felt monstrous waves rising in his heart.

As the First Disciple of the Sect of Interception, he was naturally meant to inherit the mantle of Tongtian and wield the authority of the sect.

Alas, Ling Xiao had emerged out of nowhere, stunning all living beings.

Even Tongtian himself could not help but utter those words:

"My disciple Ling Xiao has the makings of a Sect Master!"

A great man born between heaven and earth, how can he remain beneath others for long? If you were to become the Sect Master of the Sect of Interception, would this poor daoist, the First Disciple, not become a mere ornament?

Junior Brother Ling Xiao, do not blame this senior brother for being ruthless...

Duobao narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze upon Ling Xiao.

The events of today were naturally fueled by his own machinations behind the scenes!

"Defying the sect, disrespecting a Saint? Hahaha..."

"When the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked! Seeing that my origin is damaged and my cultivation lost, you use such hypocritical excuses to expel me from the Sect of Interception—it is simply the greatest farce under heaven!"

"When all is said and done, it is merely that our paths are different and we cannot conspire together..."

The indignation, grievance, and humiliation in Ling Xiao's heart vanished into thin air; he now found the conduct of the Sect of Interception members truly laughable.

Within the Palace of Green Essence, while it appeared that Duobao and Dingguang Immortal were the ones stirring up trouble, in reality, they had received the tacit approval of Tongtian. Everything was merely an attempt to kick away Ling Xiao, this stumbling block.

Taking the initiative to join the Investiture of the Gods List did not align with the interests of the Sect of Interception!

Only by clearing away the obstacle of Ling Xiao could the Sect of Interception be forged into a single force to deal with the Sect of Enlightenment, the Human Sect, and the Western Sect. Furthermore, Tongtian would then have the opportunity to seize all the fortune between heaven and earth, and perhaps even advance further!

Having realized everything, Ling Xiao's mind became clear, and he no longer harbored any unrealistic fantasies.

"This Sect of Interception, it is not worth staying in!"

Lifting his head, Ling Xiao sneered, facing Tongtian directly.

The bond between master and disciple, the camaraderie of fellow sect members.

All of it, reduced to ashes!

"Rebellious disciple, you actually dare to abandon the sect and betray the Sect of Interception?"

Tongtian's gaze was icy, his hands hidden beneath his jade sleeves trembling slightly.

With the foundation of the Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus, Ling Xiao had given his all for the sect. If not for the fact that Ling Xiao had become a cripple, he truly would have wanted him to inherit his mantle.

Regrettably, as a disciple, Ling Xiao's reach had grown too long!

The Investiture of the Gods Tribulation was not something he could meddle in, and he certainly could not be allowed to defy him in front of everyone!

The atmosphere was silent, stifling to the point of suffocation.

Just as Ling Xiao was about to retort to Tongtian and completely tear off the mask of civility, a cold, mechanical, electronic voice appeared out of thin air in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Host's awakening detected, God-tier Choice System successfully loaded!]

[Choice One: Swallow your pride, endure everything, and admit your fault to Tongtian. Reward: A set of Black Tortoise Shell.]

[Choice Two: Sever karma, break all ties, and become a free and unfettered rogue cultivator. Reward: Primordial Chaos Green Lotus Source.]

[Choice Three: Fall into the demonic path and refine all the disciples of the Sect of Interception in an instant. Reward: Heavenly Dao Baleful Treasure God-Slaying Spear.]

Before he could suppress the shock of the system's arrival, Ling Xiao was plunged into a difficult choice...

Sever karma, or refine them in an instant!

How should he choose?