The Choice

Ji Tian quickly gathered up the Soul Flames scattered across the ground. He couldn't let that strange flame burn them to ashes—this was the source of his cultivation. After surveying the surroundings and finding no threats, he hid deep within the stone forest and quickly refined the Soul Flames.

Some time later, a brilliant purple light suddenly blossomed in the stone forest. Ji Tian discovered that only Soul Flames of the purple level or higher could have a significant effect on him. His Core Elixir had changed, as if collapsing. The gaseous spiritual energy inside compressed rapidly, and his Core Elixir shrank along with it.

But the spiritual energy within had transformed from gas into liquid, like an ocean of spiritual energy. The black color made him somewhat uncomfortable, though it wasn't completely still; black ripples occasionally rose across its surface. Strange markings appeared on his Core Elixir, like mysterious runes, glowing with a faint purple light.

He hadn't noticed them before because they were too faint. The flames formed when he burned his spiritual energy had turned purple under their influence.

Ji Tian felt that these markings had a great history, and that he couldn't understand them. Perhaps he should hide them.

His Core Elixir, too, must not be exposed. It was an unusual phenomenon in this sealed space.

He could imitate the state of a Soul Flame, and his spiritual energy was more than capable of sustaining it. This would also let him mislead his opponents.

Through the Flying Demonic Tiger's Soul Flame, Ji Tian learned how the Undead Clan grew: by devouring. There was no other way.

Purple Soul Flames marked a threshold in cultivation. Once he crossed it, he could refine the Malevolent Qi and Killing Qi in the space, forming nether mist. It was a means of defense, as well as a way to attack.

The refiner could infuse this nether mist with all kinds of negative emotions, such as oppression, death, coldness, chill, and decay, to affect opponents. It could even directly refine them into puppets.

The Flying Demonic Tiger had once served a Skeleton King at the Black Flame Level. But that Skeleton King had been killed by a Skeleton Emperor at the Golden Flame Level, who had taken it out with a single slap. The other skeletons had either died or fled.

Unable to withstand the Golden Flame Skeleton Emperor's pressure, it had fallen into a black pool and trembled in fear, but that had also allowed it to escape the catastrophe.

Afterward, it had fled and thrown its weight around in this area.

Scattered bones lay everywhere across the vast black earth. Almost all of them were broken.

The area in front of the Flying Demonic Tiger's cave was almost buried in shattered bones. They were the remains of its prey.

The dark cave was etched with the marks of time. Cracks covered the stone walls, which had weathered an unknown number of years. Faint green lights drifted within.

The cave was very empty. Apart from a few broken bones, there was nothing noteworthy.

Some objects lay in a disorderly pile in one corner of the cave: a few black stones, the most ordinary kind; a dead tree branch; and half a skull.

Ji Tian glanced at them and lost interest in searching. They were too ordinary.

Wait, the Flying Demonic Tiger had brought something here from the mountains. It had thought the objects ordinary.

That's right—the withered branch.

In the Flying Demonic Tiger's memories, it had found a cave in a deep pool. Inside was a strange plant: a black bamboo. But the bamboo had already withered, and the Flying Demonic Tiger had easily cut it apart with a Wind Blade.

It also remembered what seemed to be an invisible barrier there. It had found that it couldn't get inside.

Although it had felt that there was a treasure within—perhaps even the treasure that had drawn the Skeleton Emperor there—

"I have to go there," Ji Tian murmured. He had a vague feeling that whatever was there would make the trip worthwhile.

Ji Tian picked up the withered bamboo and examined it carefully. There was nothing unusual about it.

But Ji Tian wasn't willing to give up. Any plant that could grow in the Withered Bone Mountain Range deserved to be taken seriously. Even withered, it was still a treasure.

At that moment, the Black Remnant Bone, which had been dormant inside him, stirred slightly.

It seemed the bamboo sensed the presence of the remnant bone, too. It suddenly crumbled, releasing the few bone fragments within it, which surged toward the Black Remnant Bone.

Intermittent Spiritual Sense came from the Black Remnant Bone.

"It actually gave rise to a Bamboo Spirit and gathered the broken bones. What a pity the seal was too strong. In the end, it fell into slumber."

Ji Tian understood what was sealed in the deep pool.

"Alas, you've had a hard time. The road to growth is arduous. Cultivation is difficult, but there's still hope."

"But you cultivate far too slowly. I can help you advance one level, but you have to help me search for the remnant bones."

Ji Tian fell silent. He had said that he wouldn't live for someone else; he wanted to be himself. He wasn't afraid of hardship or exhaustion.

"I know what you're thinking. You can be yourself. No one will force you. But the road of cultivation is incredibly difficult. I truly don't want you to die before you've made it far. After all, we're one."

"You don't want to rely on the power of those who came before you. But have you ever considered this? Do you even know what lies beyond this place? Ten thousand years have already passed. The primordial powerhouses have been gestating for ten thousand years, and they're about to emerge. You can't even protect yourself, yet you dare talk about survival?"

"I don't want to become that person again," Ji Tian muttered. "I don't."

"Would you really be content with mediocrity, only to be devoured by others? What about that remnant soul that allowed you to become conscious?"

Ji Tian said sullenly, "I don't want to be mediocre. I want to become strong."

"But with the little ability you have, how can you hope to survive in the primordial world? Separated from your true body, you're nothing but a pitiful ghost. Without powerful innate Soul Power, you can't accomplish anything. Even survival will be a problem."

Ji Tian roared, "Why don't you carry on his will yourselves? Why come to me? I want to be myself."

"We aren't beings of this world. The Heavenly Dao doesn't recognize us. That's our predicament, and why we need your help."

"What if I refuse?"

"No one will force you. I'm confident you'll make the choice."

Ji Tian roared, "I won't!"

"You will. You will." The voice kept circling in Ji Tian's mind like a curse, driving him to the brink of madness.

"But how am I supposed to survive in this world? I'm just a lowly Artifact Spirit. There's a legend passed down in this space."

According to the legend, the most powerful being in this space wasn't the Skeleton Emperor, but an Innate Deity. Though it was still gestating, the sliver of divine will it released was more than any Skeleton Emperor could withstand. The Skeleton Emperors submitted to it.

It also had a mission: to guard the place where the sealed demons were imprisoned.

"Demons? Hahaha! Isn't this world itself born of demons?" The Black Remnant Bone began to ramble again.

"Heavenly Dao, don't you know that evil thoughts have already seeped into this world? This world is cruel, filled with killing everywhere. Yes, eternal killing."

"This was originally the world of demons, the world of devils. The Way of Slaughter is the only true path."

Ji Tian shouted, "Why must we kill?"

"Haven't you already begun cultivating the Way of Slaughter? Why ask me? You want to survive; you want to become strong. That's why you kill. Didn't you kill those skeletons?"

"Isn't that right?"

I've been cultivating the Way of Slaughter all this time. Isn't that wrong?

Ji Tian seemed to have frightened himself. He had been killing all along, yet he had always thought it was only natural.

If he didn't kill others, he would be killed. If he didn't kill others, he could only struggle at the very bottom, perhaps without even being given the chance to struggle. Others wouldn't give him that chance. He could only become nourishment for someone else.

"Hahaha! You only need to cultivate the Way of Slaughter with me. Why care about anything else? All living beings in this world are targets for you to kill, nourishment for your pursuit of the Great Dao. Even the Innate Deities won't be able to stop you."

But was this really his path? A merciless path of killing, devoid of all feeling.

This world was all about killing or being killed. Was there any point in this world continuing to exist?

I don't know. I don't know.

What should I do? What should I do?

"There's no right or wrong in this world, only eternal survival—or survival on better terms. To survive, you must eliminate anything that stands in your way. That's the essence of the Way of Slaughter. There's nothing to worry about. This world has never been fair; killing has always existed here. Otherwise, why would there be so much Grievance Qi and Malevolent Qi, and so many unwilling souls turning into ghosts and becoming part of the Skeleton Race?"

"They, too, were trying to survive. They were killed by other living beings who were also trying to survive, but they couldn't accept it, so they became ghosts after death."

"Why become ghosts? They only wanted to keep surviving in another form. But they still had to face the struggle to survive, so they had to keep killing. Otherwise, they could only wait to be devoured by others and become their nourishment. Everything was for survival."

Ji Tian's soul began to lose its balance. All he truly wanted was to survive. He only wanted to survive.

I want to survive, too, so I chose to kill. That isn't my fault. I'm only surviving according to the will of the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Dao gave rise to me, so I have to survive. I've done nothing wrong.

There's nothing wrong with learning the Way of Slaughter, either. This is the will of heaven and earth.

That's right. I'm following the will of the Heavenly Dao.