The Righteous Path in My Heart

On the God Bridge of Kunlun, before anyone could react, Xu Ying had already leapt into the air, struck down his foe, and burst out of the rosy light carrying Sect Master Xiao's severed head, his expression ferocious. Seeing this, Yuan Qi was instantly reminded of the youth who had once beaten the god of the Jiang family to death with mere fists and kicks. Back then, Xu Ying had been just as fierce, slaying any god or demon who dared bar his path! Heavenly gods of the Zhou Sky ringed the firmament, towering and majestic, exerting immense pressure. Beneath them stood a single figure clutching a blood-dripping severed head—looking pathetically slight compared to those imposing divinities. "Stealing another's ascension and trying to silence him to boot!" Xu Ying was incandescent with rage. He looked up and shouted at those heavenly gods, "Would it kill you to leave him a way out?!" Yet the gods gave no answer. Instead, they turned their heads one after another, as though listening for some command. In the Heavenly Dao world, the avatar of the Ministry of Works immortal official felt his heart sink deeper and deeper. The Imperial Sovereign's descendant was dead. Xiao Haihou was supposed to have ascended smoothly and safely. No one had anticipated that someone would dare outrage all under heaven, barge straight into the ascension light, and slaughter Xiao Haihou right in front of the Heavenly Dao gods! At that moment, Xu Ying's voice traveled along the ascension light, booming through the Heavenly Dao world: "Would it kill you to leave him a way out?!" "A way out?" The immortal official's expression turned grim beyond measure. "If the Imperial Sovereign holds me to account, who's going to leave *me* a way out?!" As the heavenly gods stared at him expectantly, the immortal official declared, "Execute him. But make sure the execution is justified. Announce that High God Tianji colluded with lower-realm rebels to murder Young Master Xiao and steal his ascension fortune, a crime beyond pardon." Hearing this, the gods flared with wrath. The sky blazed as the heavenly fire ignited behind the heads of divinity after divinity—the wrath of the gods, the fury of the Heavenly Dao! When heaven raged, blood would drift shields and corpses would litter the wilderness! "Ignorant mortal!" At the center of the firmament, heavenly fire surged, forming a massive, majestic face that blanketed the sky. Composed of roaring fire, the face descended from the heavens to loom over Xu Ying, looking down upon him. Beneath it, Xu Ying seemed as fragile and minute as a moth. "Xu Fu resorted to deceit to brave the Heavenly Tribulation, bribed High God Tianji, blinded Heaven's ears, and cheated his way toward immortality. He was struck down to serve as a warning to others." The face made of heavenly fire spoke with a voice like thunder, resounding over Kunlun and rolling back and forth. "Sect Master Xiao Haihou of the Wuyan Sect cultivated through a thousand lifetimes, showing kindness to all. As a benevolent soul of a thousand lifetimes, he amassed boundless virtuous deeds. The Heavenly Dao punishes evil and rewards good; Xiao Haihou's ascension was just and proper. You colluded with Xu Fu and Tianji to murder a benevolent soul of a thousand lifetimes—you deserve execution!" "Bullshit! Who the hell do you think you're fooling?!" Xu Ying roared, unleashing his divine ability and slashing straight out with a level sword strike. The Kunlun mountain range shuddered beneath this blow. Divine power surged between peaks and valleys, resonating with the Great Dao. Xu Fu had used this very technique before. Yet the same move in Xu Fu's hands and in Xu Ying's hands became entirely different divine abilities. Wielded by Xu Ying, it was far more exquisite, infused with an entirely different spirit. With this level stroke, he slashed through all that was unjust! *Chii!* The sword light cut through that colossal face. High God Tianli recoiled in haste, yet a long sword scar split His countenance open. Sky-blood cascaded down like a waterfall. On the God Bridge, Yan Kongcheng looked up and bellowed in fury, "What kind of bird god are you?! Just because you say Xiao Haihou was a benevolent soul of a thousand lifetimes, that makes him one?! It was clearly Xu Fu who passed the tribulation, and you forced a substitute on him! Not only did you swap him out, you even tried to murder him to silence him!" Qiao Zizhong hurriedly tugged at the hem of Yan Kongcheng's robe, whispering, "Sect Master Yan, say no more! It's time for us to leave!" Yan Kongcheng protested indignantly, "Hold on, Patriarch! Xu Fu went through untold hardships to survive the Heavenly Tribulation. Why wasn't he the one to ascend? Why did another person take his place? Why did Xu Fu have to be beaten to death?! Justice must be served here, or else who will ever dare try to ascend again?!" Qiao Zizhong forcibly hauled him backward. "You're the only seedling Emei has left in the mortal realm! A gentleman does not stand beneath a collapsing wall—saving your life takes priority right now! What justice could you possibly want?!" Yan Kongcheng struggled against his grip, incensed. "I want to stand with Brother Xu and demand justice for every Qi Refiner!" Qiao Zizhong placed a binding seal directly on him and dragged him toward the end of the God Bridge. "Every Qi Refiner?! Who cares about your justice?! Protect your life and watch your tongue—don't you understand that much?! Everyone saw it, and no one is speaking up! Why must you play the hero?!" The sky shook violently. Suddenly, the immortal seal blazed with dazzling radiance, and a beam of immortal light erupted from its base, slamming down toward Xu Ying! At the same time, the sky tore open with enormous rents. Massive limbs thrust out from another spacetime—some fiery red and blazing with heavenly fire, some deep blue like seawater, some covered in scales, and others writhing like tentacles! Eyes of various sizes appeared across the firmament like a cluster of moons, rolling wildly as they locked onto Xu Ying. Those were the true bodies of the heavenly gods! Unable to descend in full, they could only project fragments of their forms into the realm! Suddenly, a figure soared into the sky, throwing a punch straight toward the beam of immortal light. The essence of the Martial Dao surged through his fist wind. As the blow collided with the immortal beam, the light shattered into dust! Up in the heavens, the gods thrust half their bodies through the tears, their true forms swinging palms or tentacles to snatch at him. Right at that moment, another figure landed beside Xu Ying, barking coldly, "Tai'e!" A divine sword cleared its scabbard, its chill radiance chilling the nine provinces as it slashed toward the heavenly gods! Beside Xu Ying, a young woman had appeared without anyone noticing. She looked upward, her robes fluttering in the wind. Xu Ying exchanged a glance with Yuan Weiyang, their eyes meeting before they both turned toward the attacking heavenly gods. Letting out a simultaneous cry, they unleashed their divine abilities. On the God Bridge, the sect masters of various schools turned their backs and headed toward the bridge's end. A few hesitated, continually looking back over their shoulders. The purple-robed young woman glanced back at the sky, murmuring, "Why was it Xu Fu who survived the Heavenly Tribulation, yet Sect Master Xiao of the Wuyan Sect who got to ascend? He poured every effort into braving the tribulation, only to be branded a cheat...!" Among the others, some were dazed, some enraged, and some thoroughly disheartened. Someone whispered, "A benevolent soul of a thousand lifetimes can ascend without facing the tribulation? If so, what point is there in cultivating?" Pavilion Master Lin of Penglai Pavilion shouted, "This is blatant theft of another's ascension, followed by murder! Fellow Daoists, who knows when such injustice will fall upon our own heads?!" Although the words reached everyone's ears, no one stopped. They continued walking away. Just then, a voice rang out: "The founding ancestors of your righteous sects bestowed the Golden Seal-Script Immortal Talismans upon you, telling you that an immortal opportunity awaited in Kunlun. Have you ever considered what that opportunity truly was?" Everyone looked over, only to see the speaker walking against the tide of people. He wore yellow robes and bore an air of peerless nobility—a nobility born purely from his temperament, as though even if he wore nothing but a stalk of grass, it would still seem the most magnificent raiment. The crowd recognized him. His name was Ji Man, and he had once conspired with Xu Ying to stage a fake duel in order to snatch an immortal pill. The Son of Heaven of Zhou sneered, "The so-called immortal opportunity was for Xu Fu to bear the Heavenly Tribulation so that you could ascend. Your ancestors foresaw this long ago; you were accomplices in it all along." He laughed aloud. "And yet, even you were merely playing companion to the prince at his studies. How pitiful—countless died on your journey here, and so many of your sects were wiped out, their lineages severed! Yet you never imagined that the ascension slot was already fixed from the start!" Pushing through the crowd, he forged ahead with a cold laugh. "You knew it full well, yet you didn't dare lift a finger, terrified that blood might splatter on yourselves!" He strode toward the city of the Jade Capital, high-spirited and radiant. "If you want to ascend without the courage to spill your blood within five paces, how do you expect to make it?!" Yan Kongcheng struggled with all his might, shouting, "Patriarch, let me down! I want to spill my blood within five paces!" Turning a deaf ear, Qiao Zizhong dragged him off the God Bridge and landed on the ruins of the Yellow Emperor's Temporary Palace. "This place is going to turn into a slaughterhouse! If we leave now, we can still survive. If we delay, not even the Supreme Patriarch might be able to save you!" Yan Kongcheng reached out his hand, trying desperately to grasp the God Bridge, and suddenly burst into tears. "Patriarch... Patriarch... the righteous path in my heart is still on that bridge...!" Qiao Zizhong hesitated, glancing back at the God Bridge. Across the bridge, while people were fleeing toward him, others were advancing against the crowd. Aside from Ji Man, Zhang Fugui, the Palace Master of the Shangqing Palace, was also rushing along the bridge toward the Jade Capital, accompanied by the great serpent and the bronze bell. High in the sky, Martial Emperor Shen soared upward ringed by twenty-four bright moons, preparing to confront the immortal seal itself. His fist struck out like a heaven-shaking imperial seal, showcasing to perfection the unyielding, defiant spirit of the Martial Dao, which bowed to neither heaven nor earth! With a tremendous crash, the layers of seals cast over Kunlun by the immortal seal dimmed. His brute force compelled the seal to recall part of its power to counter him. Above, the gods filled the sky, heavenly fire blazing behind them as they swooped down to attack Zulong, Xu Ying, and the others. Zulong activated the Nine Cauldrons, manifesting the nine provinces, and let out a long cry as the Dao image of the Kunlun Ruins surfaced, supplying the missing link of the divine land of Shenzhou to clash directly with the gods. Just then, a wave of roaring flame swept across, instantly setting the sky ablaze and searing the true bodies of the gods until they sizzled. Glancing back mid-battle, Xu Ying caught sight of Fairy Qingbi's figure far in the distance, appearing fleeting and detached. He pulled back his gaze and continued fighting alongside Yuan Weiyang against the onslaught of heavenly gods. In the ruins of the Yellow Emperor's Temporary Palace, Qiao Zizhong set Yan Kongcheng down. "Sect Master, if you die, no Dao will exist, let alone the righteous one! If you turn back, you'll be a rebel. The burden of reviving Mount Emei still rests upon your shoulders." Yan Kongcheng stared blankly at the tiny silhouettes fighting for their lives in the sky. "Patriarch, even after consuming so many people, you still couldn't ascend. Are you truly reconciled to this?" Qiao Zizhong trembled slightly. "You knew all along?" Yan Kongcheng said, "Back then, you were Emei's Sect Master, the most powerful being in the world. Your cultivation was too profound for you to open the six secret depositories, yet you have survived to this day. Patriarch, I'm no fool." Ahead, two young women in green robes hurried past them, sprinting toward the God Bridge. Yan Kongcheng turned around, looked toward the bridge, and leapt forward, shouting, "I'm going to pick up the righteous path in my heart! It fell! I don't want to become like you!" Watching him follow the two green-robed maidens onto the God Bridge, Qiao Zizhong gritted his teeth and muttered, "Emei's incense and mantle cannot be lost! If you're throwing your life away, I must preserve a spark of our incense!" He turned and raced down the mountain at top speed. A moment later, Qiao Zizhong charged back up from the mountain with a dark expression, murmuring, "That spark doesn't have to be me." He bounded into the air, hurtling toward the God Bridge. "Yan Kongcheng is far more suited to be Mount Emei's Sect Master than I am."