Choice

"During the previous deduction, I did not know Duobao's identity. I intended to lie in wait and launch a sneak attack, only to end up reduced to ashes.

"Now that I know his origins and purpose, if I refuse to go up the mountain, will I still face a life-and-death crisis?"

The next moment, the silver grains within the Fate Compass slowly stirred, forming an image.

Outside the cave, Duobao Daoist waited for a long time before finally losing patience and breaking through the formation to enter.

His lips moved as he said something, while Bai Ze kept shaking his head after hearing it.

Then Duobao suddenly attacked. With a raise of his palm, he severely wounded Bai Ze, scattering more than half the grains from his body.

Immediately afterward, Duobao imprisoned him within his palm and took him away.

"..."

"How is this guy any different from a bandit? He was already refused, yet he still wants to force the issue. Doesn't he know a forcibly twisted melon is not sweet?"

Bai Ze's eye twitched, leaving him utterly speechless.

If it had only been severe injuries, he could have accepted that. But judging from the divination, even after being severely wounded, he would still be taken away.

He understood that Duobao was this overbearing. Refusal definitely would not work.

He let out a soft sigh. "Since refusing won't work, is there a chance I can escape midway?"

As Bai Ze's thoughts arose, the silver grains within the compass continuously reshaped themselves.

The next moment, the result of the deduction appeared.

He saw himself take the initiative to open the formation. After exchanging pleasantries with Duobao, he followed Duobao away from the cave dwelling.

Halfway through the journey, he suddenly unleashed his Concealment Divine Ability with all his strength, deceiving Duobao for an instant.

He then seized the chance to flee, but before he had taken two steps, he accidentally entered the Primordial Annihilation Formation and suffered severe injuries, only to be picked up by Duobao afterward.

"Fine. Even playing the serpent's game is useless. Kunlun Mountain is full of primordial formations. With my current strength, I'll suffer severe injuries at best and turn to ash at worst."

Bai Ze shook his head helplessly. If he refused, Duobao would not agree and would even beat him up.

If he pretended to agree and secretly ran away, he would be severely wounded by the primordial formations lurking everywhere.

It seemed that going up the mountain was the only path left to him.

Just as he was deep in thought, Daoist Duobao, who had been waiting outside the cave dwelling for a long time, suddenly called out, "Fellow Daoist, are you done getting dressed yet?!"

Hearing the impatience in Duobao's tone, Bai Ze hurriedly replied to prevent him from directly breaking into the formation.

"Oh, almost. I'll be ready once I tidy up a little."

"Then please hurry, Fellow Daoist. Do not keep my Master and martial uncles waiting for too long."

Bai Ze gave a perfunctory response and took the opportunity to ask,

"Fellow Daoist, I have never met your Master. May I ask whether your honored Master has some important matter for summoning me up the mountain?"

Standing before the Primordial Concealment Formation, Duobao could not see the situation within the cave. Hearing Bai Ze's question, he replied somewhat impatiently,

"My Master merely said that he wanted to see you. He did not give any specific instructions."

Bai Ze gave an "oh" and said no more. The Three Pure Ones had not stated their intentions, so whether he should go up the mountain had to be reassessed.

"Will going up the mountain this time bring a life-and-death crisis?"

The next moment, the silver grains within the Fate Compass began to dance.

Above him stood three figures whose faces were blurred.

Meanwhile, he lay within a small courtyard. Beside him were a Mouse, a Flood Dragon, and a figure radiating purple qi, all cultivating together.

"Is this... an attempt to take me as a disciple?"

Bai Ze narrowed his eyes, unease stirring in his heart. To be honest, he truly did not wish to form Karma with the Jade Pure One or the Supreme Pure One among the Three Pure Ones.

Yet judging from the current situation, it seemed he had no choice but to go up the mountain.

"From the divination, at least there is no life-and-death danger after going up the mountain. As for whether I should become a disciple, I'll wait until I get there and play it by ear."

He did not dislike taking a master. He simply disliked the people he would be taking as masters.

Especially Three Pure Ones burdened with such immense Karma!

If he were merely becoming a disciple of the Three Pure Ones, that would be nothing. But what truly troubled him was that after becoming their disciple, he would inevitably form Karma with their other disciples.

The simplest example was Duobao Daoist.

If he took the Supreme Pure One, Venerable Lingbao, as his Master, he would inevitably become entangled with Duobao Daoist. That was the cause.

If either of them encountered trouble in the future, the other would be dragged into it. That was the effect.

Bai Ze also understood that it was extremely difficult to completely avoid Karma in the Primordial World.

But if he sized up the situation and kept as far from Karma as possible, he could keep the risks within an acceptable range.

Then, with that as the foundation, he could continuously increase his hidden cards, cultivate steadily, and advance while maintaining stability!

Bai Ze sighed softly. He could not defeat them, could not hide from them, and they would not listen to reason. So he could only choose, within these limited conditions, to maximize his own benefits as much as possible!

After pondering for a moment, he made his decision. He put away the Fate Compass and tidied his fur, making himself appear more solemn.

Then the blue gemstone between his brows flashed with blue light as he used the Concealment Divine Ability to mimic all things.

The next moment, a dense mass of Primordial Spiritual Qi surged around him.

When the Primordial Spiritual Qi dispersed, a handsome youth with twin horns, delicate features, and eyes like stars appeared.

He still could not attain the Transformation Form Realm, but his Concealment Divine Ability could mimic all things.

He also knew that Duobao could see through his Concealment Divine Ability, but this move had been made only after careful consideration.

His purpose was to display his value. He remembered a famous saying from his previous life.

When traveling outside, one's identity was something one gave oneself.

Though his cultivation was weak, he could not let the other party look down on him!

After all, Duobao had been able to see through this primordial concealment only because of his talent.

If it had been anyone else, they might not even have been able to find the door to his cave dwelling!

Once everything was ready, he withdrew the Primordial Concealment Formation outside the cave dwelling and opened the entrance.

Looking at the round-faced young man at the door, his blue eyes flickered slightly.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Fellow Daoist. I am Bai Ze. Please lead the way."

Duobao, who had originally been squatting outside the cave studying the formation, hurriedly straightened himself when he saw it suddenly vanish.

With a solemn expression, he said, "Why did you delay so long before opening the formation?"

Bai Ze's expression remained calm. Though Duobao had reacted quickly just now, Bai Ze had still caught sight of him studying the formation.

An answer immediately came to mind.

"Please do not blame me, Fellow Daoist. I was truly at a crucial point in my cultivation. I hope you will excuse me."

Bai Ze cupped his hands slightly and spoke unhurriedly.

Duobao raised his head slightly, his expression arrogant, and gave a cold snort.

Seeing this, Bai Ze picked up a piece of jade from the ground. Countless mysterious silver patterns appeared within his blue pupils.

Using his finger as a brush, he gathered innumerable strands of Primordial Spiritual Qi at his fingertip and inscribed a formation upon the jade. In only a moment, the jade was covered in formation patterns.

"Since this is our first meeting, please accept this formation as a modest gift, Fellow Daoist."

Duobao glanced disdainfully at the formation in Bai Ze's hand, thinking, I do not accept just any trash...

Yet the next moment, his eyes were drawn to those intricate patterns. He strode forward and examined them closely, his eyes growing brighter the longer he looked!

The disdain in his heart instantly vanished without a trace. He asked in disbelief,

"Th-this... is this the Primordial Concealment Formation from outside the cave dwelling just now?"