Chapter 258: Ruling the World (27) - Two Paths

Sacred Venerable Yuan Huang's scarlet eyes brightened slightly, his hoarse voice betraying a hint of urgency and anticipation.

"Oh? What shortcut is this?" he asked. "Feel free to speak plainly, Fellow Daoist."

Hongce's expression remained perfectly calm, without the slightest ripple. He raised a hand, pointing at the towering expanse of Tianyuan Mountain stretching across the heavens above them, its borders nowhere to be seen. The sheer bulk of the mountain blotted out the light of the sky, its peaks wreathed in layers of murky mist that exuded a heavy, endless aura of oppressive mystery.

"The method is simple," he said. His speaking pace was steady, but every word carried weight. "Fly straight up into the air and scale the mountain directly. No matter how massive or miraculous this peak may be, it still has a physical form and boundaries. It is not infinite."

He paused briefly. His gaze darkened as he pointed out the fatal danger in this plan, instantly making the atmosphere heavy.

"For Deity Transformation cultivators like us, steep terrain and obstructing beasts are nothing to fear. The true deadly threat is the spatial barrier here, which is on the verge of collapse. You all must have noticed upon stepping into this secret realm—the spatial fabric of this entire world is incredibly fragile and chaotic."

"Wandering around or flying freely could easily trigger hidden spatial rifts. The lucky few might find a chance to escape, but anyone who sinks into the deeper spatial turbulence will be completely lost, with virtually no chance of returning."

Hongce swept his gaze across the group, bringing an even deeper hidden danger to light.

"And that is not all. The closer one gets to the summit, the more shattered and chaotic the laws of space become. Such a bizarre layout could never form naturally. In all likelihood, after the Blood Demon was sealed, it used Upper Realm demonic arts to secretly tamper with the rules of this realm, deliberately laying down an inescapable death trap."

"Spatial hazards aside, this mountain was born from an ancient, heaven-reaching treasure. Most of its original restrictions have long since broken down, ground away by time and corrupted by demonic power, but no one can say for sure that the deepest parts of the summit do not still harbor top-tier slaughter arrays and hidden wards capable of threatening a Deity Transformation cultivator's life. The road ahead is entirely unpredictable and fraught with peril."

He laid out the pros and cons clearly, holding nothing back.

Every person present was an old monster with a sharp, profound mind, and they had already entertained the idea of flying straight up the mountain. Yet, after Hongce's detailed analysis peeled back the hidden dangers layer by layer, their expressions flickered. The reckless impulses they had just begun to harbor largely dissipated.

The longer one cultivated and the more power one accumulated, the more one cherished their life. If ordinary cultivators seeking immortality and fortune feared death, how much more so for these mighty Deity Transformation figures? They stood at the absolute pinnacle of this world, wielding supreme divine powers and a millennium of cultivation. The instinct to survive at all costs was carved deep into their Dao hearts. None of them were willing to risk their lives for nothing, unless they were forced into a corner...

Bai Xuanyi fell silent for a moment before he slowly spoke, a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"Brother Hong, is there truly no safer compromise?"

The rest remained silent, standing quietly in place. Some knit their brows as they secretly weighed the pros and cons, while others' eyes flickered as they pondered their next move. A heavy, deathly silence settled over the foot of the mountain.

Hongce looked around the group, his tone solemn and grave.

"Have you all weighed the pros and cons? Will we spend a few years safely repairing the formation, or brave the perilous path to fight for a sliver of hope?"

A long silence hung over them. The wind blew bleakly across the desolate, quiet earth.

After a long time, Old Monster Myriad Manifestations let out a slow, heavy sigh. A mixture of weariness and urgency filled his features as he finally broke the silence.

"Old Hong, it isn't that we refuse to wait." His voice was low, laced with a melancholy unique to thousand-year cultivators. "Time is the one thing we can least afford to waste. Back when we had abundant lifespans, a mere seven or eight years would pass in the blink of an eye, not even worth mentioning. But now, my lifespan is running dry. I can count my remaining years on one hand."

"No matter our boundless divine powers, supreme treasures, or lifelong cultivation, we cannot buy back a single inch of time. We walked this path of cultivation by shedding blood at every step. We fought our way out of millions of cultivators, surviving countless life-and-death tribulations just to reach the Deity Transformation realm today. If we flinched from danger and hid from every disaster, how could we have ever achieved today's Dao?"

His gaze hardened, reflecting the desperate resolve of throwing himself into the jaws of death to find a way to live.

"I have less than a century of lifespan left. If I waste a few more years repairing that formation, I fear I'll lose my last chance to uncover the Blood Demon's secrets and pursue the great path of ascension. No matter how treacherous the road ahead is, no matter how slim the hope, I must try."

With that, he turned to the fellow cultivators standing around him, his expression sincere.

"Will any Fellow Daoists join me? We can look out for each other along the way and brave these dangers together."

The moment his voice faded, the black mist shrouding Sacred Venerable Yuan Huang rippled. He did not hesitate for a second.

"I will go," he agreed in a deep voice.

His scarlet eyes quietly flicked toward Jiuyou beside him, a flash of hidden wariness crossing his gaze. Clearly, he was unwilling to stay near Jiuyou any longer than necessary. But his deepest reason was exactly the same as Myriad Manifestations'—his life lamp was flickering out. He could not afford a long wait and had no choice but to take the risk.

Seeing this, Hongce hurriedly spoke up to stop them.

"Fellow Daoist Myriad Manifestations, please reconsider. Even if the two of you force your way up the mountain and locate the Blood Demon's true body, that creature has lurked here since ancient times. Its foundation is unfathomable. It might not reveal a single secret to you. This venture will highly likely be for nothing."

Rather than backing down at his words, Old Monster Myriad Manifestations suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light.

"If it refuses to speak, we'll beat the truth out of it!" he declared, his tone fierce and absolute.

"Our lifespans are ending anyway, and I've long since made my peace with life and death. Whether we die a little sooner or a little later, it all ends the same way. If I can take down a terrifying demon from the Upper Realm with me before I die, my life of cultivation won't have been in vain!"

As he spoke, brilliant golden light surged from his body. The phantom spiritual forms of countless beasts in various shapes materialized out of thin air, swirling around him. Tens of thousands of dharma avatars bloomed with spiritual radiance before shrinking and drawing back into his physical form. Layer upon layer of golden light stacked over him, sending his aura skyrocketing as a vast, oppressive pressure swept out in all directions.

To manifest a myriad of forms and embody countless spirits—his Dao and his power truly lived up to their reputation.

A moment later, the spiritual light faded. Old Monster Myriad Manifestations stood firm, his expression unwavering.

"You don't need to persuade me anymore, Fellow Daoist Hong. My mind is made up."

With those words, his figure transformed into a streak of golden light. He shot fearlessly into the sky, speeding straight toward the towering mountain peak.

Sacred Venerable Yuan Huang didn't hesitate either. His black mist surged, and he tore through the air in close pursuit.

But more unexpectedly, Divine Lord Xichen, Zheng Buzheng—a man known for his tranquil nature, his silence, and his seeming indifference to worldly affairs—now had his eyes locked with determination. His blue robes rippled like water as he transformed into a streak of crystal-clear, liquid light. He shot high into the sky above Tianyuan Mountain, right on the heels of the other two.

In the blink of an eye, only three people were left standing at the foot of the mountain.

Bai Xuanyi raised a hand to stroke his beard, watching the three streaks of escape light draw further away until they vanished into the dense mountain fog. He shook his head slowly, letting out a soft sigh that carried a myriad of complex emotions.