Starting as a menial disciple, he cultivated beasts and achieved immortality.

Chapter 1014 A Deadly Choice

"We cannot stay here for long."

Chen Xueqing said urgently, holding up the core fragment of the isolated island in her arms.

The wreckage was now scorching hot, with ancient runes as fine as star trails appearing on its surface, resonating strongly with the seemingly ordinary boundary marker at the mountain gate.

The stone surface of the boundary marker peeled away, revealing an ice-blue crystalline matrix inside. A dark blue portal, only wide enough for a few people to pass through, was slowly taking shape. The interior of the portal was deep and endless, and a faint glimmer of ice-blue starlight could be seen on the distant horizon.

"The Star Key has been activated; this is the gateway to the depths of the Ancient Starfall Road. However... the gateway is unstable and may not last long."

Elder Jian Chen struggled to sit up, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, and stared intently at Yu Changsheng's waist—where hung half of a broken dark gold sword hilt, its patterns magnificent yet tainted with evil energy, the very remains of the "Zhan Yuan Sword" of Venerable Xuan Tian.

"This traitor... he really was the one who brought the Yin Sha Sect here..."

The old man's eyes were filled with grief and indignation. "When our founder established the sect, he said that beneath the mountain gate were sealed the 'boundary markers' of the ancient star-setters, which could only be opened with the Star Key. That wicked Xuan Tian must have known this secret, which is why he colluded with the demonic path to seize the Star Key, open the gate, and grab the inheritance or secret treasure at the end of the ancient road..."

He looked at Yu Changsheng and the others, his voice hoarse: "Are you... enemies or friends?"

Elder Qingyi stepped forward, the Pure Lotus in her palm blooming slightly, its pure and holy aura dispelling the remaining demonic energy around her.

"We have a life-and-death feud with Venerable Xuantian, and we are also survivors of the Battle of the Devouring Void Mother Nest. It was an accident that we entered your sect's gate."

She briefly mentioned the battle of the Burial Star Sea, how the Xuan Tian Venerable was corrupted and evil by the will of the Mother Nest, and how his soul was ultimately destroyed by the Mo Yu Annihilation Sword Intent.

After hearing this, Elder Jian Chen remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "So be it... Now that Xuan Tian has been executed, let's not dwell on past grievances for the time being. Now the Yin Sha Sect's army has surrounded the mountain, and the mountain-protecting formation was destroyed from within by that traitor. The sect's resources have been exhausted, and we are now trapped beasts in a dead end."

He gazed at the dark blue gate, a resolute glint in his eyes. “The Ancient Path of Starfall… The Ancestral Master’s notes only briefly mentioned it, saying that at its end lies the ‘Great Annihilation’, but there may also be a glimmer of hope for transcendence. If you wish to venture onto this path, I am willing to lead the remaining disciples to cover your retreat and buy you time.”

"Elder!" the surrounding disciples exclaimed in surprise.

“No need,” Yu Changsheng suddenly said.

He slowly straightened up, and the Void Vortex in his left eye spun faster, devouring all the demonic energy, death energy, and even the faint sword energy emanating from his disciples in the air, transforming it into a violent but short-lived force that forcibly suppressed the five restless energies within his Dao Embryo.

"Let's go together."

Chen Xueqing said urgently, "But your Dao Embryo is on the verge of collapse. The depths of the ancient road are fraught with unknown dangers. If we continue fighting..."

"Staying here is also a fight to the death."

Yu Changsheng interrupted her, his gaze sweeping over the wounded Sword Sect disciples. Their eyes still held an undiminished sword intent; even in despair, they gripped their broken swords tightly.

“The main force of the Yin Sha Sect has not yet arrived; the Soul Devouring Demon was merely the vanguard. Once the main army surrounds us, this place will be reduced to dust in an instant.” He looked at the dark blue light gate. “Although the ancient road is treacherous, at least there is still the ‘unknown.’ The unknown may hold the key to survival.”

He paused, his voice low but clear: "Moreover, this portal opened because of the Star Key, and it will also be stabilized because of the Star Key." His gaze fell on the core remains of the isolated island in Chen Xueqing's arms.

"You have fused with the core of the Starry Sky Forger's legacy, making you most sensitive to the ancient path. With you taking the lead, using the power of the legacy to stabilize the gate, it may be able to hold out for longer."

Chen Xueqing was taken aback, then closed her eyes to sense the situation. After a few breaths, she opened her eyes and nodded emphatically: "It's feasible! But I need to focus entirely on maintaining the stability of the portal, and I can't be distracted by defending against enemies along the way..."

“It’s alright,” Elder Qingyi replied, channeling the last wisps of the Pure Lotus's essence into the broken lotus in her palm. The lotus's image solidified slightly. “I will protect you and the sect. Yu Changsheng…”

She looked at Yu Changsheng.

"You need to adjust your breathing as soon as possible to suppress the backlash from the Dao Embryo. If there is a battle ahead, do not force the power of the Abyss of Ashes unless absolutely necessary."

Yu Changsheng nodded, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to look inward. Within his dantian, the Guixu Jinyuan Dao Embryo was like a glass vessel full of cracks, with five-colored destructive energy surging and colliding within it.

The emerald gold Daoist aura transformed into delicate chains that wrapped around the Dao embryo, striving to keep it from disintegrating, but the chains themselves had already dimmed.

He activated the "Return to the Void: Source Pivot" to try to channel these violent energies, but each flow of spiritual energy brought a sharp, needle-like pain.

On the other side, Elder Jian Chen quickly reorganized the remaining troops. Although most of the hundreds of disciples were injured, they were disciplined and quickly assembled into a formation.

He distributed the sect's last remaining spirit stones and pills to everyone, and said in a deep voice, "After entering the ancient path, our sword formation will lead the way. My benefactors..."

He looked at Qingyi, Yu Changsheng, and the others, "Please stay in the center and be protected. This journey may be fraught with peril, but the path of swordsmanship is unyielding. The Xuantian Sword Sect may perish, but the sword's backbone must never be broken!"

"We will obey the elder's command!" the disciples shouted in unison, their sword intent weak but their will strong.

Chen Xueqing had already reached the dark blue light gate and pressed the core remains of the isolated island close to the ice-blue crystal of the boundary marker.

The emerald-gold halo on the wreckage shone brightly, intertwining and merging with the star trails within the crystal. The light gate quickly stabilized and expanded until it could accommodate ten people walking side by side.

In the deep starry sky inside the door, that icy blue starlight seemed to be closer, and countless fragmented star debris could be vaguely seen surrounding it, forming a winding and broken path.

"The gate is secure and can be maintained for about an hour!" Chen Xueqing shouted, her forehead beaded with sweat, clearly indicating that maintaining the gate had taken a great toll.

"Let's go!" Elder Jian Chen waved his sleeve and led dozens of elite disciples into the light gate. The moment their figures disappeared into the azure light, they were like pebbles thrown into a deep pool, creating ripples before vanishing completely.

Elder Qingyi helped Yu Changsheng up, and Chen Xueqing manipulated the Burial Abyss Black Sword to hover beside her. The three followed closely behind. The remaining Sword Sect disciples formed a sword formation and entered one by one. After the last two disciples stepped in, the gate trembled slightly and began to slowly shrink.

Just then, demonic energy erupted outside the mountain gate! The Soul-Devouring Demon returned, accompanied by three imposing demonic figures—all Nascent Soul elders of the Yin Sha Sect.

The 100,000-strong demon army regrouped and pressed in like mountains and seas, their demonic aura obscuring the sky and sun.

"Trying to escape? Leave me the Star Key!" The Soul-Devouring Demon shrieked, waving the White Bone Banner. The phantom of the Nine-Headed Ghost Poison condensed again, lunging towards the closing gate of light.

Inside the portal, the final sight was nine hideous ghost heads lunging at it, along with the greedy, crimson demonic eyes of the Soul-Devouring Demon. Then, the eerie blue light completely vanished, and the boundary marker returned to its stone surface, as if nothing had ever happened.

The moment I passed through the portal, my sense of time and space became completely chaotic.

It wasn't a smooth transition like a teleportation array; rather, it was like being thrown into a turbulent torrent, with countless starlight and shadows flying, stretching, and shattering around you.

The air was filled with indescribable shrieks and whispers, like the mournful cries of ancient stars as they vanished, or like eerie beings emerging from rifts in spacetime, spying on their private conversations.

Elder Qingyi struggled to maintain the protective shield of the Pure Lotus, enveloping Chen Xueqing, Yu Changsheng, and several nearby Sword Sect disciples. The lotus light flickered and swayed amidst the turbulent spatial currents, with fragments of star debris occasionally colliding with the shield, producing a piercing scraping sound.

The scene outside the protective shield was chilling: as far as the eye could see, there were shattered star fragments, some as large as mountains stretching across the sky, others as small as dust floating in the air, all suspended in the dark void as if weightless.

Some of the stellar debris still retain a faint glow, illuminating their jagged and bizarre surfaces; many more are utterly lifeless, their gray hue and distorted shapes suggesting they have been ravaged by unimaginable forces.

This is the Ancient Starfall Road—a star trail remnant created by the ancient creators of the starry sky, which was later destroyed and shattered by an unknown catastrophe.

"Keep your mind steady! Don't let the illusory sounds of the void corrupt you!" Elder Jian Chen's shout sounded distant in the turbulent currents. He had already led the vanguard disciples to a large piece of nearby star debris, where they formed a sword formation. The sword energy crisscrossed and intertwined into a net, barely resisting the tearing of the spacetime turbulence and the intrusion of those omnipresent whispers.

Elder Qingyi manipulated the lotus platform, struggling to approach the piece of star debris. Inside the protective barrier, Yu Changsheng sat cross-legged, his face ashen.

The spatial-temporal tremors during the passage through the portal intensified the conflict between the five forces within his Dao Embryo. At this moment, it was as if five ferocious beasts were tearing and fighting within his body: the Origin of Annihilation sought to devour all life force, the Devouring Void Corrosion expanded wildly, the Myriad Poisonous Qi spread and eroded, the Starry Resentment and Gravel scraped against his soul, and the Abyss Fire Core burned violently, attempting to incinerate all "heretics".

The emerald gold chains were stretched to their limit, emitting a mournful cry of unbearable strain.

"Longevity, calm your mind and guide them!"

Chen Xueqing knelt beside him, placing her hands on his back, channeling her remaining emerald gold essence into him to help stabilize the operation of "Return to the Void: Origin Pivot". The core remnant of the isolated island in her arms continued to emit a halo, faintly resonating with a certain faint but ancient pulse in the ancient road, slightly calming the most violent turbulent currents around them.

Yu Changsheng gritted his teeth, the obsession with "protection" deep in his soul acting like a stabilizing needle, anchoring a sliver of clarity for him amidst boundless pain.

He no longer forcibly suppressed the five forces, but instead used the "Source Pivot" mental technique to try to guide them to form a kind of "cycle" within the Dao Embryo—the expansion of Nirvana devouring the Void, the Void corroding and dissolving the spread of all poisons, the evil energy of all poisons eroding the condensation of star resentment, the friction of star resentment sands stimulating the burning of the Abyss Fire Core, and the Abyss Fire further refining the excessively cold death intent in the Nirvana Origin... This was a crazy and extremely dangerous idea, and the slightest carelessness would result in the complete loss of control of the five forces and the destruction of both body and soul.

But in dire straits, the only option is to take a risk and fight.

Gradually, under the dual guidance of the Emerald Golden Daoist Rhyme and the Origin Pivot, the five rampaging forces actually began to slowly form a distorted and fragile balance.

They no longer indiscriminately rammed into the Dao Embryo's barrier, but instead, like five ferocious pythons of different colors, head to tail, they circled and slithered within the Dao Embryo, forming a slowly rotating cycle of destruction. The cracks on the Dao Embryo had not healed, but the rate of disintegration had clearly slowed down.

The vortex of Guixu in Yu Changsheng's left eye gradually stabilized, and although the embers in his right eye were still weak, they no longer flickered.

He exhaled a long breath, opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes after his exhaustion. "It's stable for now."

At this moment, the lotus platform had successfully landed on the star debris. This star debris was about several miles in circumference, its surface covered with honeycomb-like holes. The material resembled jade but was not jade; it was cool to the touch and retained a faint trace of star power. Elder Jian Chen had already instructed his disciples to set up a simple warning sword formation around the edge of the star debris and dispatched several elite teams to explore the surrounding area.

Elder Qingyi removed her protective shield, her figure swaying slightly before Chen Xueqing supported her. "Senior, you..." Chen Xueqing said worriedly.

Qingyi waved her hand, swallowed a pill to regulate her breathing, but her gaze swept around solemnly: "The spacetime here is extremely unstable. What we just traversed was only the outer edge of the ancient road. The real 'path' has long since collapsed, and these floating star fragments are remnants of the path."

We need to find a relatively stable 'chain of stellar debris,' leaping forward piece by piece, to reach that point of icy blue starlight deep within.

She pointed into the distance—between countless shattered star fragments, a "path" loosely connected by larger fragments could be vaguely seen, winding its way into the depths of the void. At the end of the path, a point of icy blue starlight floated silently, seemingly not far, but in this distorted spacetime, distance was meaningless.

“Those whispers and the sense of being watched…” A young sword cultivator, his face pale, pointed to the dark void outside the star remnant. Everyone focused their senses and indeed detected countless seemingly intangible “gazes” coming from all directions, hidden in the shadows of the star remnant and the folds of spacetime, filled with malice and greed.

“It is a ‘remnant of a star’.”

Chen Xueqing said in a deep voice, "The inherited memories she has merged with contain relevant information: 'When the ancient road collapsed, those beings who failed to escape in time, or the remnants of the guardian formations, were eternally trapped here. Eroded by the temporal turbulence, they gradually transformed into distorted beings with only the instinct to devour.'"

They fear pure stellar power and advanced Daoist principles, but will relentlessly attack any intruder carrying life.

As if to confirm her words, several blurry gray shadows suddenly crawled out from the shadow of a smaller piece of star debris not far away.

They had no fixed form, sometimes appearing like dissipating smoke, sometimes coalescing into grotesque, multi-armed shapes, silently drifting towards the stellar remains where they were. Wherever they passed, even the void seemed to dim slightly.

"Form the formation! Sweep away the sword energy!" Elder Jian Chen shouted. The disciples activated their sword formation, and hundreds of sword energies intertwined to form a net, sweeping towards the gray figures.

The sword energy touched the gray shadow, producing a hissing sound, like cold water poured into hot oil. The gray shadow twisted violently, emitting a silent shriek, burned by the sword intent and life force contained in the sword energy, but it did not dissipate; instead, it pounced even more frantically.

“Their core is the lingering resentment and spacetime distortion energy, which ordinary sword energy cannot completely annihilate.” Elder Qingyi frowned, and the Pure Lotus in her palm bloomed again, its pure and holy light spreading like a tide. The gray shadows touched the lotus light, melting away quickly like snow meeting the morning sun, but more shadows in the depths of the void began to writhe, like a startled herd of beasts.

"We can't stay here long! We must move quickly along the Star Remains Chain and find a relatively safe 'relay' node!" Chen Xueqing said urgently.

She sensed the pulse of the wreckage in her arms and pointed to the starting point of the loose chain of star debris—a huge star debris shaped like a crescent moon, about a thousand feet away from them, separated by dozens of star debris fragments of varying sizes and chaotic spacetime turbulence.

“A distance of a thousand feet is covered in an instant in normal space. But here…” Elder Jian Chen’s expression was solemn. (End of Chapter)