The Choice, the Return to the Origin Begins
How can one Dao Fruit without dying?
How is that possible?
But given his status Dao Guardian, holding the reins of the origin, his understanding of the Dao Fruit is far beyond that of others. If he says he has a way, it might not be a lie.
"Why are you helping me?" Yan Tianjin, not blinded by greed, asked calmly, "Shouldn't you Dao Guardian protect the Dao Fruit and await your Return to the Origin?"
"The Dao Guardian don't only have one voice," the Dao Guardian said calmly. "Return to the Origin and ascending to higher levels may seem wonderful, but in reality, it has endless potential for harm."
If the Immortal Venerable of the upper realm are alarmed, the entire Dao Realm will be buried with them.
"The Primordial Origin Spirit has gone senile, and you human cultivators have followed suit. I cannot watch the Dao Realm head towards destruction."
"Preventing the Return to the Origin, preserving the Dao Fruit, and allowing it to continue fulfilling its duty of cleansing is the only long-term solution."
Yan Tianjin narrowed his eyes.
I see.
There are also disagreements among those Dao Guardian.
The person in front of me is against Return to the Origin.
"How many people do you represent?" Yan Tianjin asked.
"I represent the truly clear-headed among the Dao Guardian," the Dao Guardian said calmly. "You don't need to ask any more questions. Just know that I have the ability and the sincerity to help you, and that's enough."
"At the most crucial moment of the Return to the Origin Ceremony, you intervened and disrupted the ceremony, creating chaos."
I will secretly intervene to restrain the Ancestral Vein True Spirit.
The remaining righteous cultivators are your responsibility to deal with.
"Once this is accomplished, the Dao Fruit will be yours. I will assist you in refining the Dao Fruit and overcoming the danger of assimilation."
"The condition is that when you rule the Dao Realm in the future, you must abide by the rules of heaven and earth, never mention the matter of Return to the Origin to a higher level again, and protect the cycle of Dao Fruit for generations to come."
Yan Tianjin remained silent.
These conditions are undeniably tempting.
With the Dao Guardian restraining the ten Ancestral Vein, he has a much better chance of dealing with the remaining righteous people.
Moreover, it can solve the problem of assimilation and safely absorb the Dao Fruit.
It's like a windfall.
But the more this happened, the more uncertain he felt.
"Why should I trust you?" Yan Tianjin said coldly. "What if you don't make a move when the time comes? Wouldn't I be walking right into a trap?"
"You have no choice," the Dao Guardian said calmly. "If you miss this opportunity, once Return to the Origin and the Dao Fruit dissipates, you'll never get it again. It's up to you to gamble, or to watch the opportunity slip away."
Inside the large tent, a deathly silence fell.
Yan Tianjin stared at the Dao Guardian, his eyes flickering, his heart filled with intense struggle.
On one hand, there is the stable but mediocre Return to the Origin; on the other hand, there is the high-risk, high-reward gamble.
Which one to choose?
He has lived for ten thousand years, climbing up from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and has never been a law-abiding person.
If he were content with mediocrity, he would never have become the Demon Emperor.
"Good."
Yan Tianjin suddenly looked up, a ruthless glint in his eyes.
I agree.
"But remember this: if you dare to play me, I will make sure you suffer, even if it means we both perish."
The Dao Guardian nodded slightly. "Rest assured, our goals are aligned."
"The moment to strike is at the end of the second hour of the Return to the Origin Ceremony, when the Dao Fruit's will is at its most scattered."
"I will cooperate with you in secret."
After he finished speaking, his figure gradually faded away, as if blending into the shadows, and he disappeared silently from the tent.
It was as if it had never existed.
Inside the large tent, only Yan Tianjin remained.
He stood there, gazing in the direction where the Dao Guardian had disappeared, a cold smile slowly creeping onto his lips.
"Li Yunjing, oh Li Yunjing."
"You thought you had everything planned perfectly, but you didn't expect that there were your own people among the Dao Guardian, did you?"
"I'm certain to win this round."
He raised his hand to summon the Old Devil Bone Spirit, and ordered in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: everyone prepare yourselves. On the day of the Return to the Origin Ceremony, heed my command and be ready to act at any time."
"Your Majesty, have you made your decision?" The Old Devil Bone Spirit was taken aback.
"Hmm." A cold glint flashed in Yan Tianjin's eyes. "In the end, Dao Fruit still have to be obtained by force."
"This time, we're determined to win."
Soon, the time for the Return to the Origin Ceremony finally arrived.
The entire High Antiquity Burial Ground was already heavily guarded.
The righteous disciples set up a nine-layered warning array, completely surrounding the main hall.
The elders of the seven core sects each guarded one side, while two Loose Immortal stood on either side of the hall entrance. The light and shadow of the ten Ancestral Vein True Spirit floated in all directions of the main hall, like ten suns of different colors, radiating a heavy earth vein pressure.
The seven Dao Guardian surrounded the black jade coffin, their eyes closed Spirit Concentration, their bodies radiating Daoist energy, communicating with the will of the Dao Fruit in advance.
In the center of the hall, Li Yunjing and Yuanchu were already in their positions.
Yuanchu sat cross-legged in front of the coffin, dressed in white robes, surrounded by a faint seven-colored halo that resonated slowly with the aura of the Dao Fruit.
Li Yunjing stood beside him, with the Five Aggregates Cauldron floating above his head.
A dark yellow halo descended, protecting the two people within it and slowly enveloping the entire main hall.
Everything is proceeding smoothly and in an orderly manner.
On the west side, the members of the demonic path also lined up and stood in formation.
Yan Tianjin stood at the forefront, his black robes fluttering, his face expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Behind him, a group of demon generals and demon soldiers stood ready, their demonic energy subdued, yet a chilling aura still emanated from them.
On the surface, they were there to observe and cooperate.
Secretly, everyone was preparing to make their move.
The auspicious time has arrived.
The Primordial Origin Spirit slowly resounded.
"The Return to the Origin Ceremony begins."
At a single command, the Ancestral Vein True Spirit activated simultaneously.
Ten beams of light of different colors shot out from the light and shadow, landing steadily on the array eyes in the ten directions of the main hall.
The moment the beam of light entered the ground, the entire Burial Ground trembled violently, then returned to normal.
A rumbling roar came from deep within the earth.
That was the sound of the ten earth veins being activated simultaneously.
Visible to the naked eye, ten beams of light intertwined underground, spreading along the earth's veins towards the entire Heavenly Spirit Dao Realm.
"Ten Directions Realm-Suppressing Grand Formation, activate."
As the voice of the Primordial Origin Spirit faded, ten beams of light simultaneously illuminated the scene.
A gigantic network of earth veins, covering the entire Dao Realm, slowly took shape.
"Such immense power."
Standing by the palace, Zhang Jianchen felt the solid power of the earth beneath his feet, and was deeply shocked.
Is this the power of the ten Ancestral Vein joining forces?
With this grand formation in place, let alone the shockwaves from the Return to the Origin, even if Loose Immortal were to self-destruct with all their might, they might not be able to shake the earth's veins in the slightest.
"Step one complete."
The gentle voice of the Northern Dark True Spirit rang out, "Young friend, you may begin to conceal the secrets of heaven."
Li Yunjing nodded slightly.
He formed hand Hand Seals and focused his mind into the Five Aggregates Cauldron.
"Five Spirits Lord, thank you for your trouble."
"Rest assured."
The voice of the Five Spirits Lord resounded in his mind.
The next second, the Five Aggregates Cauldron shone brightly.
The dark yellow halo spread out like a tide, instantly covering the entire main hall, then continued to expand outwards, covering the entire Myriad Beasts Forbidden Domain, and then continued to spread outwards, enveloping the entire Great Wilderness.
Wherever the halo passed, all auras, fluctuations, and strange phenomena were quietly smoothed out.
From the outside, the Myriad Beasts Forbidden Domain remained a desolate and dangerous place, without any apparent abnormalities.
Let alone the Immortal Realm Inspector, even Loose Immortal standing outside the forbidden zone wouldn't be able to perceive the major events unfolding inside.
"The Innate Concealment Grand Formation is complete."
Li Yunjing spoke in a deep voice.
Xuanjizi stroked his beard and exclaimed in admiration, "Truly worthy of being a supreme immortal Immortal Artifact, it is indeed wondrous and extraordinary. With this protection, there is absolutely no chance of failure."
Yunyouzi nodded slightly, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes.