The voice was not loud, yet it carried the Heavenly Dao's profound resonance, exploding directly within the depths of every living being's primordial spirit.
The soundproofing barrier Zhao Gongming had set up was as thin as cicada wings before that voice, vanishing into nothingness in an instant.
He froze where he stood, all color draining from his face.
It was over.
A Sage had personally called him by name.
This kid had poked a hole in the heavens.
Outside the cave dwelling, all of Golden Ao Island fell into an eerie silence.
The wind stopped.
The clouds stilled.
Birds and beasts prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling.
Tens of thousands of Interception Sect disciples, whether Inner Sect Disciples or Outer Sect Disciples, regardless of cultivation level, stopped everything they were doing and looked in horror toward the ancient palace deep within the sea of clouds.
Jade Palace.
The Sage's sacred ground.
That name echoed repeatedly in their hearts like an Imperial Edict from the Heavenly Dao.
Chen Changsheng.
An Outer Sect Disciple.
What had he done to deserve being personally summoned by their master?
Inside the cave dwelling, Chen Changsheng could finally no longer maintain his calm expression.
It was as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart, making even breathing difficult.
In his mind, the system's cold notification sounded like the shrillest alarm, ringing madly.
[Warning! Detected that the host has entered the Saint's Dharma Eye! Karmic Entanglement has instantly risen to its maximum!] [Danger Level: Blood Red · No Chance of Survival!] [The system is conducting emergency calculations... Calculation failed! A Sage cannot be fathomed; heavenly secrets have descended into chaos!]
Chen Changsheng slowly exhaled, forcing himself to calm down.
Fear would not solve anything.
He could not avoid this trial.
Facing the pale Zhao Gongming, he forced out a smile uglier than a sob.
"Senior Brother, it seems I have to make this trip."
Zhao Gongming's lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he could not utter a single word. All he could do was sigh and pat Chen Changsheng on the shoulder.
"Be... careful."
Chen Changsheng nodded, straightened his plain Daoist robe, then turned and pushed open the stone door.
Outside, there was dead silence.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
Those gazes held shock, confusion, jealousy, and bewilderment.
Chen Changsheng kept his gaze straight ahead and took his first step toward Jade Palace.
The instant his foot landed.
A Seven-Colored Rainbow Bridge that pierced heaven and earth stretched out from the sea of clouds around Jade Palace, laying itself precisely beneath his feet.
A Sage's welcome!
The crowd erupted in gasps.
What an honor!
Even direct disciples of the Inner Sect normally had to climb the steps one by one, yet today, a Bridge to Heaven had been erected for a mere Outer Sect Disciple.
Chen Changsheng's heart sank instead.
The higher one was raised, the harder one fell.
Without hesitation, he stepped onto the Rainbow Bridge.
Beneath his feet was solidified rosy light; around him flowed Dao Charm.
With every step, Golden Ao Island behind him rapidly shrank away, as though the stars had shifted and the world had turned, carrying him thousands of miles in an instant.
Below the Rainbow Bridge, he could see immortal mountains and cave dwellings flashing past.
Inner Sect Disciples poked their heads out from their cave dwellings in shock, staring at the "unsteady aura" figure on the Rainbow Bridge with utter disbelief.
"Who is that? How could he receive such treatment from the Sage?"
"Could it be... that Chen Changsheng from the Outer Sect?"
Chen Changsheng ignored them. Every ounce of his focus was devoted to circulating the Great Freedom Head-Shrinking Technique.
The techniques of Turtle Breath and Sever Causality were pushed to their limits.
He suppressed his sense of presence again and again, trying to make himself as insignificant as a speck of dust before the supreme being he was about to face.
At the end of the Rainbow Bridge stood an ancient stone door.
There was no plaque above it, yet it possessed an innate, supreme majesty capable of suppressing the heavens and resisting all techniques.
The door silently opened.
Chen Changsheng walked inside.
The sight before him was not the resplendent splendor he had imagined, but a realm of chaos.
There was no up or down, no east or west, no past or future.
Only endless Dao Charm flowed and transformed, evolving earth, fire, water, wind, and the birth and death of universes.
At the center of the chaos sat a Daoist in green robes, cross-legged with his back to Chen Changsheng.
He merely sat there, yet he seemed to be the center of this chaos, the source of all Dao.
Chen Changsheng could not make out his face, nor could he sense even the slightest trace of his aura.
But he knew.
This was Sect Leader Tongtian.
The master of the Interception Sect, a Heavenly Dao Saint.
"Disciple Chen Changsheng pays respects to Master."
Chen Changsheng did not dare show the slightest negligence. He threw himself to the ground and performed the most respectful salute.
"Rise."
Sect Leader Tongtian spoke.
His voice was calm, yet it seemed to ring directly within Chen Changsheng's primordial spirit, leaving none of his thoughts anywhere to hide.
Chen Changsheng slowly rose, keeping his head lowered and not daring to look directly at him.
"You are quite interesting."
Sect Leader Tongtian turned around.
Chen Changsheng finally saw his face.
It was a face beyond description—at times majestic, at times benevolent, at times indifferent, at times compassionate.
It was as though all the myriad forms of sentient beings were contained within it.
"With mere Golden Immortal cultivation, you concealed yourself from everyone on the island. Even Daoist Duobao failed to see through you. Your concealment technique is quite good."
That casual remark made every hair on Chen Changsheng's body stand on end.
His greatest secret had been seen through at a glance.
"This disciple... this disciple was merely fortunate enough to obtain an incomplete aura-concealing technique."
He forced himself to explain.
"Is that so?"
Sect Leader Tongtian smiled but did not pursue the matter.
He extended a finger and lightly pointed.
A scene unfolded before Chen Changsheng.
It was the scene of his confrontation with Daoist Duobao on the Dharma Transmission Platform.
Within the scene, each of his heart-piercing questions echoed clearly through the chaos.
"What did their deaths win? What sliver of survival did they seize for our Interception Sect?"
Sect Leader Tongtian looked at the scene, then at the trembling Chen Changsheng before him.
"Do you know that your words today have disturbed the Dao heart of my chief disciple?"
"This disciple would not dare!"
Chen Changsheng immediately knelt.
"This disciple merely... merely felt it was not worth it for those fellow disciples who died in vain."
"Not worth it?"
Sect Leader Tongtian withdrew the scene, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"The Dao of my Interception Sect is to seize a sliver of survival for all living beings between heaven and earth. Such survival cannot be obtained by sitting and discoursing on the Dao. One must fight. One must contend!"
"That so-called Guidebook of yours teaches people to withdraw from the world, fear battle, yield at every turn, and endure at all times. If everyone were like you, how would my Interception Sect differ from the Chan Sect's proclaimed obedience to Heaven's will and acceptance of fate?"
The Sage's pressure descended silently.
Chen Changsheng felt even his primordial spirit trembling, as though it would shatter completely in the next moment.
But he knew this was the final test.
Gritting his teeth, he withstood the pressure that could reduce even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal to ashes and laboriously raised his head.
"Master, please hear me out."
His voice was distorted by the immense pressure, but his thoughts had never been clearer.
"This disciple believes that striving is not wrong. But how to strive, and when to strive, are matters open to discussion."
"For an ant to shake a tree, for a mantis to block a cart, is not courage but folly. Knowing something cannot be done and doing it anyway is not striving for a sliver of survival—it is throwing one's life away for nothing."
He took a deep breath and voiced the principles he had rehearsed countless times in his heart.
"This disciple believes that while our Interception Sect now has Myriad Immortals Paying Homage and appears to be at the height of prosperity, we are in truth a tall tree that catches the wind and have long drawn the jealousy of the Sages. The Killing Tribulation is approaching, and our sect stands at the very center of the storm!"
"At such a time, we should not be the beam that sticks out, much less the raging wave that crashes against the reef."
"We should be like whales in the deep sea, concealing our sharpness, diving down to lie dormant, and gathering strength. Once the tempestuous waves have passed and the seas are calm, we may leap forth again. Then, in this vast world, where could we not go?"
"The 'survival' this disciple speaks of does not mean refusing to contend, but contending more effectively. Preserve the people even if the land is lost, and both people and land may yet be preserved. As long as the green hills remain, there will be no lack of firewood!"
After saying all this, Chen Changsheng was drenched from head to toe, as though he had been pulled from the water.
Yet the terrifying pressure vanished silently the instant his words ended.
A long silence descended upon the chaos.
Sect Leader Tongtian quietly watched him, the expression in those eyes containing the birth and death of universes constantly shifting.
After a long while.
He suddenly laughed.
"What a fine saying: 'Preserve the people even if the land is lost, and both people and land may yet be preserved.'"
He rose to his feet, walked before Chen Changsheng, and personally helped him up.
"What you say makes sense."
Sect Leader Tongtian patted his shoulder, unprecedented appreciation appearing in his eyes.
"When I founded this sect, I made no distinction in my teachings. What I sought was for every disciple under me to attain the Dao, for every disciple to gain longevity."
"But they seem to have forgotten that."
He let out a long sigh, his voice carrying a trace of loneliness.
"From this day onward, you shall be the Dao Protector of my Interception Sect."
"What you protect shall be their Dao of preserving their lives."
Before his words faded, a ray of dark yellow light flew from his fingertip and instantly entered Chen Changsheng's glabella.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully presented the principles of the 'Dao of Survival' to the heavens and gained the Sage's approval!] [Your 'Dao of Survival' has become one of the Interception Sect's official guiding principles! The main quest has undergone a major shift!] [Received Heavenly Dao-level rewards: Ten Thousand Years of Cultivation! One strand of Primordial Merit! Supreme treasure 'Chaos Bead' (fragment)!]
Chen Changsheng's cultivation instantly broke through the shackles of the Golden Immortal realm and soared upward without pause!
Grand Unity Golden Immortal!
That ray of dark yellow light also transformed deep within his primordial spirit into a Supreme Dao Seed.
At the same time.
A decree containing the Saint's Will emerged from Jade Palace and resounded across all of Golden Ao Island.
"I hereby appoint Outer Sect Disciple Chen Changsheng as the 'Dao Protector of the Interception Sect,' with status equal to a direct disciple. He shall oversee 'discipline' and manage 'tribulation avoidance.' All disciples of my Interception Sect must study his Safety Guidelines. There shall be no mistakes!"
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