Madness, No Choice

He was originally Loose Immortal Realm, but was constrained by the upper limit of the Dao Realm and had not made any progress for many years.

But now, with the perfection of the Principle of heaven and earth, he can clearly feel that the bottleneck that has trapped him for thousands of years has actually loosened.

Once the Return to the Origin is completed and the Dao Realm is upgraded, he may be able to take another step forward and enter a realm beyond the Loose Immortal.

"Your Majesty, do you think we were wrong before?" The Devil General Blood Baleful Intent clutched his wound and whispered, "If everyone could become an immortal, it seems better than hoarding the Dao Fruit all by themselves."

The Demon Emperor opened his eyes, his expression complex.

He fought and struggled for ten thousand years, all for the sake of monopolizing the Dao Fruit and unifying the world.

But now, seeing the benefits brought by Return to the Origin with his own eyes, his obsession has begun to waver slightly.

He monopolized the Dao Fruit, benefiting only himself, but also risking being assimilated.

By Return to the Origin and upgrading the status, everyone can benefit, and he himself can go further.

The relative importance of each factor has long been clear.

"Enough with the nonsense," the Demon Emperor said coldly, his previous ruthlessness gone. "Keep an eye on the surroundings. Don't let that traitor slip through. Whether Return to the Origin will succeed is still uncertain."

Even so, the demonic energy around him subtly diminished, and his gaze toward the Dao Fruit in the center of the arena held less greed and more complex anticipation.

The atmosphere inside the hall, which had initially been tense and confrontational, then tense after the shocking turn of events, was now gradually taking on a sense of solidarity and mutual support.

The righteous and the demonic paths have been fighting for ten thousand years, but never before have they stood on the same side, holding their breath and Spirit Concentration on the same cause.

As night deepened, the eternal flames inside the palace flickered.

Everyone remained vigilant, but mentally they had unconsciously relaxed considerably.

After all, most of the day had passed, and the traitor still hadn't shown up.

Perhaps he has already escaped?

Perhaps, he simply doesn't dare to make another move?

Many people have had this thought in their minds.

Only Li Yunjing, Primordial Origin Spirit, and the white-haired old man remained solemn, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

They knew that real danger often lurks in the moment when one is most relaxed.

The closer the Return to the Origin comes to its end, the greater the likelihood that a traitor will make a move.

Because he no longer has time.

Deep within the Burial Ground, in an abandoned side hall underground palace.

A grayish-white figure huddled in a corner of the cold stone wall.

His Dao Guardian robes were torn in several places, and the aura around him flickered, indicating that he had suffered serious injuries in the previous riot.

He was the traitor among the seven Dao Guardian, codenamed Shadow.

From the day his consciousness was born, a restriction from the Immortal Realm was planted deep within his soul.

He didn't know who planted the seed in him, nor did he know the other party's identity. He only knew that every ten thousand years, a divine thought would enter his mind and give him instructions.

His mission is singular: to prevent the Heavenly Spirit Dao Realm from Return to the Origin its origin and ascending to a higher level.

For tens of thousands of years, he has been lurking among the Dao Guardian, keeping a low profile and silently waiting for his opportunity.

When the Dao Fruit was born last time, he originally intended to secretly instigate a war between the righteous and the demonic forces, causing both sides to suffer heavy losses and preventing the Dao Fruit from ever returning to its Return to the Origin.

However, that great battle wasn't fierce enough, and the Dao Fruit was ultimately seized by the righteous path, completing a round of cleansing and entering the next cycle.

This time, he intended to use the same trick again, to provoke the Demon Emperor into making a move and interrupt the Return to the Origin.

But he hadn't expected the ten Ancestral Vein to be so powerful; the Demon Emperor couldn't even withstand a single move, and his plan collapsed.

To his surprise, Li Yunjing possessed a celestial Immortal Artifact that had laid out a vast, inescapable concealment array, preventing him from even sending out a message.

Damn it!

Ying muttered a curse under his breath, his voice hoarse.

He once again tried to separate a wisp of his divine sense, attempting to penetrate the boundary and transmit the message to the Immortal Realm.

But the moment the divine sense touched the dark yellow barrier, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, instantly dissolved completely without even a ripple.

"Innate Spirit Treasure..." Ying's voice carried a hint of despair, "How could there be Innate Spirit Treasure?"

How could Innate Spirit Treasure possibly appear in the lower Dao Realm?

This doesn't make sense!

There is no record of such a treasure in the Immortal Realm Heavenly Spirit Dao Realm's records.

He gritted his teeth, and a drop of primordial blood condensed at his fingertips.

This drop of blood was an eerie grayish-black color, containing a trace of extremely faint Immortal Realm restriction power.

This is his only connection to the upper realm, and the key to communication.

"Go!"

He flicked his finger, and the drop of blood transformed into a barely perceptible black light, shooting rapidly upwards towards the top of the underground palace.

The black light moved extremely fast, reaching the edge of the barrier in an instant.

A soft "poof" sound.

The black light collided with the dark yellow light screen as if it had struck a red-hot iron, instantly emitting a wisp of blue smoke before dissipating completely.

Another failure.

Ying swayed, her face growing even paler.

His repeated attempts consumed a great deal of his energy.

If this continues, even if he isn't discovered, he will fall into a deep sleep due to the depletion of his vital energy.

"What to do, what to do..."

He leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a solution.

The Return to the Origin is already in its second half; at this rate, it will be completed in another two or three hours.

Once the Return to the Origin is complete, the Dao Realm will be upgraded, and the Principle of heaven and earth will be perfected. The restrictions in his soul will be immediately detected, and he will surely die then.

The mission failed; he won't survive.

If the mission succeeds, he might still have a glimmer of hope.

"The message must be sent out; the upper realm must know."

Ying muttered to himself, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

He looked up at the top of the underground palace, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate layers of earth and stone, and see the Dao Fruit in the main hall that was dissipating.

There's one last way.

He burned his entire essence, using his status and authority as Dao Guardian to forcibly tear apart the barrier of the Innate Spirit Treasure, opening a spatial rift.

Even a tiny fraction of a second of a gap is enough to transmit a message.

The price, however, is the annihilation of both body and soul, with no chance of reincarnation.

Is it worth it?

The shadow asked itself in a low voice.

He was controlled from birth, had no self, no freedom, and lived his whole life according to the orders of the higher realm.

In the end, they still had to pay with their lives to complete this mission.

Is it worth it?

He didn't know.

All he knew was that the restriction was deep within his soul; if he failed the mission, he would die anyway.

Moreover, they will suffer a backlash from the restriction, resulting in an even more painful death.

"Hehe..."

Shadow chuckled softly, his laughter filled with sorrow.

He had no choice from beginning to end.

"That's enough."

He slowly stood up, and his aura began to become unstable.

The grayish-white halo flickered, and the primal power within his body began to surge uncontrollably.

Let's wait a little longer.

Let's wait a little longer.

When it Return to the Origin to the very last moment, the most crucial and relaxed time.

That's when the success rate is highest.

It can also cause these people to fall to rock bottom in their most joyful moments.

A hint of resentment flashed in Ying's eyes.

If he's having a hard time, nobody else will either.

He retreated back into the shadows, like a lurking viper, patiently waiting for the final opportunity.

Inside the main hall, the Return to the Origin is still progressing steadily.

The Dao Fruit had shrunk to the size of a fist, its light as warm and gentle as water, like a perfect seven-colored crystal.

The primal power that emanated was no longer a torrential downpour, but rather a gentle, nourishing spring rain.

Yet it is precisely this gentle integration that has a more profound impact on the Principle of nature.