Crack!
Deep within the silent altar, the sharp sound pierced Chen Changqing's consciousness like a venomous needle! He raised his head in alarm, his gaze fixed on the black chain that had split open, his heart pounding uncontrollably. The seal was loosening on its own! Before he could understand why, a wave of evil, black energy, a hundred times stronger than before and refined to the extreme, burst from the crack like a primordial beast escaping its cage!
Boom!
The altar space shook violently. The runes on the stone walls, which had been faintly glowing, flashed wildly, flickering uncertainly, their efforts to suppress the energy nearing their end. What chilled Chen Changqing to the bone was a low, raspy voice, laced with deadly temptation, that pierced through all barriers and spoke directly into his mind: "Come… closer…" "Feel this power… This is… eternity…"
The voice burrowed into his soul, each syllable a hook attempting to draw out his deepest desires and fears – his obsession with immortality! His dread of the Curse of the Final Dharma! His greed for supreme power! His fear of the unknown path ahead! Countless thoughts exploded in an instant, washing away the "steadfast" Dao heart he'd painstakingly cultivated. A heart demon was born!
"Not right!" Chen Changqing bit his tongue hard, the pain jolting him and dispelling some of the haze. Suppressing his palpitations, he immediately sat cross-legged, his hands forming a seal, and shouted, "The Taiqing Yuan Scripture, stillness!" Pure, calm, and serene true essence flowed slowly, attempting to cleanse the demonic voice in his consciousness and fortify his failing mental defenses. He knew that in times like these, he couldn't afford to be reckless. Once his mind faltered and he was taken advantage of by this strange voice, it would be the end.
However, the voice didn't disappear. Instead, it became clearer and more targeted: "What are you afraid of? Afraid of that accursed curse?" "Look at you, guarding a mountain of treasure, yet living in constant fear, what difference is there between you and an ant!" "As long as… you let me out… I will grant you true freedom, allow you to break free from the curse's shackles, gain supreme power, and look down upon the masses!"
The voice was utterly seductive, painting a tempting picture before his eyes. With a thought, the scene before him changed. The cold altar disappeared, and he stood in the clouds above the nine heavens. The Curse of the Final Dharma mark within him was gone, and overflowing power filled his limbs and bones. He could create clouds with a flip of his hand and summon rain with the other, and the world itself would bow before him. The Blood River Patriarch, the Dark Council, were merely ants that could be crushed with a flick of his finger. He even saw Lin Wanqing by his side, her face wreathed in smiles, without a trace of worry... This was… the ultimate temptation of power! Chen Changqing's heart trembled, and his Dao heart swayed. This illusion was too real, striking at his deepest desires.
"Fake!" he roared, the "stillness" of the Taiqing Yuan Scripture reaching its peak, his consciousness brimming with clear water, washing away the illusion. The scene before him shattered. In the next instant, a hellish illusion crashed over him. The old mansion in the mist was engulfed in flames, the Yinxuan Sect's mountain gate collapsed, and Lin Wanqing fell, bathed in blood. In her dying moments, her desperate and sorrowful eyes stared at him, silently questioning: "Senior brother… why… didn't you act sooner…" He saw himself losing everything because of his "steadfastness," ultimately alone, forever sinking into endless regret and curses... This was… the boundless fear of failure!
"No!" Chen Changqing's eyes were bloodshot as he jolted awake. The fear of failure was far more terrifying than any temptation! He cultivated "steadiness" to survive and, more importantly, to protect! If steadiness led to losing everything, what was the point of being steady? His Dao heart trembled, on the verge of collapse. Just then, Lin Wanqing's vivid face – mischievous and occasionally silly, yet utterly genuine – along with Master Xu Yang's meaningful gaze and General Xiao Zhan's weighty entrustment, all surfaced from the depths of his heart. Protect! This was the bottom line he could not concede!
"Heart demon illusion, break!" With a roar, his eyes regained their resolve. He steadied his mind, and the Taiqing Yuan Scripture's true essence surged like a rushing river, washing away the shadows in his sea of consciousness. The surrounding illusions, like reflections in water, shattered and dissipated once more. The altar remained, but the cracks in the chains had widened a fraction during the short time he'd fought the heart demon!
Chiii—!
An even denser black aura poured out, twisting and swirling like a living thing, vaguely coalescing into a blurred,狰狞 face. The deep voice sounded again, now incredibly clear, carrying the wild joy of breaking free and the arrogance of looking down on ants: "Not bad will, insignificant human. I am the ancient demon god Jie Mie, suppressed here for endless years by that damned water god! Your Curse of the Final Dharma is merely a manifestation of the decay of heaven and earth, the wailing of the laws. But I, I grasp the origin of Jie Mie! Help me break free, and I can not only easily erase your ridiculous Curse of the Final Dharma but also grant you the great power of wielding Jie Mie, allowing you to... become the new god of this Final Dharma era!"
The demon god Jie Mie? Chen Changqing's mind was deeply shaken. Indeed, an ancient demon god was sealed here! And this demon seemed to understand the root of the Curse of the Final Dharma! Remove the curse! Wield Jie Mie! Become a new god! Each word was a heavy hammer, striking at the weakest point in Chen Changqing's defenses. The Curse of the Final Dharma was the biggest shadow in his heart, the reason he had "scrounged" to survive until now. If he could resolve it once and for all... the temptation was almost irresistible! He even felt the Curse of the Final Dharma mark in his body excitedly stirring under the pull of Jie Mie's aura, eager to merge with it! His Dao heart wavered like never before. Could it be... what the demon god said was true? Could it be... this was the only path to survival? Thoughts grew like wild grass, almost consuming him.
"Senior brother..." Just as his mind was about to be lost, a clear call, filled with anxiety and worry, unexpectedly sounded from the deepest part of his heart. It was his junior sister! Lin Wanqing! This was not an external sound, but his deepest obsession, manifesting itself at this critical moment! Chen Changqing's whole body shook as if struck by lightning, and he was completely sober. He remembered his junior sister's bright smile, remembered her selfless appearance, remembered his original intention for rebirth – not just for himself, but also to protect this warmth! To ally with the demon god?
Never! Murderous intent condensed in Chen Changqing's eyes. Ancient demon gods were inherently cunning and cruel, regarding all things as grass dogs. Their so-called promises were nothing more than poisoned bait wrapped in honey! Once he helped it break free, the first to die would be himself, and the entire world would also become a purgatory! He cultivated steadiness, seeking longevity and stability, but he would never sell his soul, nor would he bet the safety of the entire world!
"Demon god?" Chen Changqing slowly stood up, wiping away the blood from his lips. His expression returned to calm, but in the depths of his eyes, an unprecedented determination and coldness凝结. "A thing that hides its head and shows its tail, you dare to call yourself a god? Want to break free? Dream on!" Without the slightest hesitation, the Taiqing Yuan Scripture's true essence exploded, and the Sea Stabilizing Pearl in his brow's purple mansion sensed his determination, bursting forth with a brilliant blue light! He would not reinforce, nor would he flee; he chose to – completely destroy the altar! To completely nip this so-called demon god Jie Mie, along with its threat, in the bud! This might not be the most "steady" choice, but it was the only direction his will pointed to at this moment!
Just as he gathered all his strength, intending to strike the core of the altar—the Karma Eye activated on its own! In his vision, from the bottom of the black altar, countless resilient black threads of karma spread out, deeply rooted in the essence of the Earth Vein Spirit Realm! What made him even more horrified, sending chills down his spine, was that several of the thickest threads actually penetrated the spirit realm's barrier, firmly entwining themselves around the Curse of the Final Dharma mark within his body!
The altar, the curse, and himself; the three were a bizarre symbiosis! Destroying the altar was equivalent to severing the connection between the curse and the spirit realm. While it could stop the demon god, it would also inevitably—instantly detonate all the accumulated power of the Curse of the Final Dharma within him!
The backlash would far surpass the sum of any tribulation and the erosion of the Final Dharma! Chen Changqing's poised movement instantly froze. The choice was a matter of a split second.
Was it to sacrifice himself for the sake of all the people in the world, completely eliminating the demon god, but detonating the curse, leading to his death and the dissipation of his Dao; or to yield to the demon god's temptation, eke out a meager existence, and watch it escape, bringing disaster for ten thousand years?! Or, was there a third path, one that was almost impossible to find?!
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