Sage Confrontation, Snatching Xuandu as Disciple!

Seeing the figure of Laozi appear, Xuandu felt a jolt of alarm.

Good heavens!

Before he had transmigrated, his predecessor had knelt at the foot of Shouyang Mountain for years, braving the wind and sleeping in the open, yet never once had this Grand Pure Sage deigned to appear.

Now, having just arrived at Golden Ao Island via Teleportation Talisman, he hadn't even found his footing before the man followed him here?

What was the meaning of this?

He hadn't come early, nor had he come late; he had appeared at the exact, critical moment when Xuandu was preparing to change his allegiance and throw himself into the embrace of the Jie Sect.

Xuandu felt a chill crawl up his spine, shooting straight to his Heavenly Spirit Cover.

Was the Sage Divine Ability truly this terrifying?

Even with the power of the system, allowing him to traverse the endless Great Wilderness in an instant, he still hadn't been able to shake him off?

Or was it that... this Sage Laozi had calculated everything long ago and simply hadn't cared to intervene before?

And now, seeing that he was about to run, he could no longer sit still?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in a split second, and cold sweat already soaked Xuandu's back.

He froze in place, not daring to move a muscle.

The figure before him was simple and ordinary.

Yet, he seemed to be the very center of the entire world.

No words were needed, no actions required.

His mere existence was enough to make Xuandu's breath hitch and his Divine Soul tremble.

It was an insurmountable chasm in their Life Level.

It was the insignificance and helplessness of an ant facing the firmament.

Just as Xuandu's thoughts raced in panicked uncertainty.

A vastly different aura Exploded with a Roar from the depths of Golden Ao Island!

It was sharp, resolute, and carried a supreme Sword Intent capable of severing all shackles and Seizing a Thread of Life!

In an instant, it dispersed the indifferent pressure that had shrouded the area.

The sky seemed to be torn apart by invisible Sword Qi.

The stagnant wind began to flow again, and the suppressed Waves surged once more.

A streak of green light, like a startled swan or a bolt of silk, flashed from the core of Golden Ao Island.

As the light faded, a Green-robed Daoist was revealed.

He stood tall and straight with Sword Eyebrows Star Eyes, and Sword Qi circulated naturally around him, slicing through the void.

A faint smile played on his face as he looked directly at Laozi.

Sect Leader Tongtian bowed in greeting and asked with feigned confusion:

"Elder Brother."

"What wind has blown you from Shouyang Mountain all the way to my Golden Ao Island?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept toward the trembling Human Race youth beside Laozi.

He saw that Xuandu possessed no clear qi and had a common bloodline; he was clearly nothing more than Mortal Flesh and Blood who had never cultivated.

How could an ordinary Mortal of the Human Race stir his Elder Brother to grace the East Sea with his Sage's Carriage?

He was surprised, but his smile remained unchanged, hiding his questions in the depths of his eyes as he waited for Laozi to speak.

As Tongtian's gaze swept over him, Xuandu felt as though his Divine Soul had been scoured by Sword Light, leaving his thoughts Nowhere to Hide, even though there was no pressure behind the look.

Seeing the flicker of confusion in Tongtian's eyes and observing Laozi standing silent and deep as the sea, his heart tightened.

This is bad!

If he waited for Laozi to speak first and confirm their master-disciple bond, any attempt to change his allegiance would be an affront to the Sage's Face, making it absolutely impossible!

Opportunity knocks but once!

He had to seize the initiative!

Success or failure, life or death, it all hinged on this one move!

Xuandu Grit Teeth, suppressing his instinctive fear of the Sage, and took a step forward.

This single step exhausted every ounce of courage he possessed as a Mortal.

He bowed deeply toward Sect Leader Tongtian, his voice trembling slightly from tension:

"Junior, Xuandu of the Human Race, pays respects to Sage Tongtian!"

"The Demon Race is currently running rampant, slaughtering all living things. My Human Race is weak, like ants or blades of grass, our lives hanging by a thread!"

"Though my strength is meager, I wish to fight for the survival of the Human Race and Seize a Thread of Life!"

"I implore the Sage to show mercy, accept this Junior into the Jie Sect, and grant me the supreme law to protect my people!"

Each word rang out with the resonance of metal striking stone.

In this deathly stillness, the sound was exceptionally clear.

Words fell, and the air seemed to solidify completely.

Sect Leader Tongtian heard this, his sword-like brows arching slightly as a flicker of genuine surprise crossed his eyes.

He looked at Xuandu, then at Laozi, whose facial expression remained calm as an old well, and understood in an instant.

So that was it.

This child had actually come to seek entry into his Jie Sect?

And Elder Brother... had actually come for this child.

Interesting, truly interesting.

A mortal with no background, yet he could draw the Grand Pure Sage to personally pursue him to Golden Ao Island?

There must be something peculiar about this child.

What earned his admiration even more was Xuandu's courage and decisiveness.

A mere mortal, yet he dared to speak first in the presence of two saints, stating his intentions with blunt honesty.

"To seize a thread of life for the Human Race?"

These words resonated deeply with the Jie Sect's Teachings, striking directly at the core of his sect.

This child suited his heart perfectly!

The smile at the corners of Sect Leader Tongtian's mouth became a little more genuine, and his gaze toward Xuandu held a touch more scrutiny and interest.

However, before he could speak, a voice—extremely calm, yet seemingly containing the Heavenly Dao Rules—slowly sounded.

"This child has an affinity with me."

Laozi finally spoke.

His gaze did not fall on Xuandu, but remained fixed on Tongtian, his tone indifferent and devoid of any worldly emotion.

"I have already divined that he shall enter the Human Sect and inherit my orthodoxy."

These two simple sentences sounded as if he were stating an established fact.

The Heaven and Earth Rules, which had just been scattered by the Tongtian Sword Intent, began to converge toward Laozi once more.

Xuandu's heart shook violently; he felt an invisible shackle descend from thin air, attempting to lock him firmly in place, as if his trajectory of fate were being forcibly twisted back.

His face turned pale, and he could barely stand steady.

"Oh?"

Sect Leader Tongtian laughed aloud, the sharp sword intent around his body erupting to silently slice through that invisible binding of rules.

"Elder Brother, that is where you are wrong."

"Affinity is affinity, but affinity requires a path."

"This child's heart leans toward the Jie Sect, willing to intercept heaven and fight for his fate; this is his own path, his own wish."

"Elder Brother established the Human Sect and preaches inaction and purity."

"Yet this child harbors obsession, wishing to fight for the Human Race; his nature and his will align far better with the ideals of my Jie Sect."

His gaze was piercing as he looked at Laozi, yielding not an inch in his words:

"A twisted melon is not sweet. Since Elder Brother preaches inaction, why force a disciple whose heart is not here?"

"It would be better to grant his wish and fulfill this affinity between him and my Jie Sect."

The two saints spoke with calm words, yet this was the first emergence of a Dao Struggle.

One spoke of fixed numbers, the other of affinity.

Invisible ripples of the Great Dao collided in the void.

The world lost its color, the East Sea churned, and ten thousand miles of clouds dissipated, revealing the clear Azure Heaven; yet beneath that sky, the rules were already in chaos.

On Golden Ao Island, the Myriad Immortals were alarmed.

One after another, powerful Spiritual Senses cautiously reached out, only to recoil in terror upon touching the terrifying Great Dao ripples outside the island.

Daoist Duobao, Saint Mother Jinling, Saint Mother Wudang, Saint Mother Guiling...

The Personal Disciples appeared one after another, gazing toward the outside of the island with grave expressions.

Zhao Gongming stood upon the clouds, his brows locked in a frown; the Three Goddesses of Xiao gathered together, their beautiful eyes filled with shock and doubt.

They all felt their Master's sword intent soaring to the heavens, and even more so, they felt another vast, indifferent, and ruthless Saintly Might.

"It is the Grand Pure Sage..."

Daoist Duobao said solemnly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Why had the Grand Pure Sage personally arrived?

Still maintaining a standoff against Master?

All because of that... mortal?

Countless gazes instantly converged upon that figure, as tiny as a speck of dust, standing by the shore.

Xuandu, situated at the eye of the storm, felt the intensity most acutely.

On one side lay the Heavenly Dao of non-action, where all things are predestined.

On the other lay the path of Intercepting Heaven Taking Dao, where all things possess a sliver of variable potential.