The Only Choice

In a certain world, Emperor Taizong of Tang had his soul possessed and supplanted by a reincarnator from another world. Back when the myriad nations arrived to pay homage, the emperor had bestowed the name "Cockroach" upon a certain island nation. From that day forward, the Cockroach Nation retained that name for thousands of years, and the inhabitants of that island all referred to themselves as... Cockroach-men. After Roadside Ichijo departed, Yu Xian pinched his fingers to divine the truth, and his expression turned into a strange mix of wanting to laugh yet being unable to. He wanted to laugh because in that world, the reincarnator's original intention had undoubtedly been to humiliate that petty island nation. He was unable to laugh because this reincarnator had inadvertently caused the actual insects to always be called *feilian*, never once being referred to as cockroaches. After all, "Cockroach" was a formal country name bestowed by Emperor Taizong of Tang himself—how could it possibly be degraded onto mere vermin? Yu Xian figured that if that reincarnator ever learned the bizarre outcome of his spiteful joke, his expression would be truly magnificent. There was another thing Yu Xian found puzzling: since Roadside Ichijo had become a Mighty One and possessed the ability to journey across the myriad heavens and realms, he had to know what a cockroach was in the broader cosmos. Yet he still proudly called himself a Cockroach-man... Forget it. Yu Xian could not be bothered to dwell on it. Thinking about that was far less productive than pondering what to eat tomorrow. He lay back at the edge of the floating island, staring out at the distant scenery. After zoning out for a full half hour, a delayed realization finally hit him: how on earth had Roadside Ichijo known there was Calamity Origin in this world? Reading the past? That possibility instantly flashed through Yu Xian's mind. He immediately summoned the Zhen Realm and used it to swallow the entire world in a single gulp. This way, no one would disturb him again, and he could watch the drama unfold in peace. *** Inside the body of the Transcender Whale. Dui Tianji looked at Quan Juehua and said, "Although this space offers the easiest conditions to condense an Origin Seed, you were never fated for Origin Return in the first place. You are destined to have a harder time than others, so do not rush." "How much time has passed?" Quan Juehua asked. Dui Tianji smiled. "A thousand years. However, time inside the Whale is different from the outside world, and even more different from the Tree Universe. You need not concern yourself with time." "Is there any faster way to condense an Origin Seed?" Quan Juehua asked, his expression gloomy. For a full thousand years, the origin he had bound within his body had shown zero signs of movement. This made him deeply suspicious that Dui Tianji was playing him for a fool. Dui Tianji smiled faintly. "None. How could there be shortcuts in such matters? However, you could choose to use more origin. The greater the amount of origin, the easier it is to condense an Origin Seed." "..." Quan Juehua fell silent. The origin he had chosen was Genesis Origin. It was the most powerful origin in his possession, an exceedingly rare essence that could only be stripped from beings like Creator Gods. Yet precisely because it was rare, he possessed very, very little of it. Among all the origins he held, the one he had in the greatest quantity was Calamity Origin. After all, he had stirred up chaos across the Tree Universe for countless eras, and whether intentionally or not, he had indeed manufactured countless disasters. Over time, he had gathered an enormous stockpile of Calamity Origin. Originally, his plan had been to use this Calamity Origin as a single-use weapon—unleashing a devastating blow against his enemies if the need arose. But according to Dui Tianji, refining Calamity Origin would actually yield the highest probability of condensing an Origin Seed. "Are you hesitating?" Dui Tianji remarked with a half-smile, having caught his hesitation. Quan Juehua frowned. "Is there truly a chance of succeeding with this kind of origin?" He knew very well that every era in the Tree Universe had seen the emergence of Transcenders, Unity Returners, Origin Returners, and Perfect Ones. Many Transcenders actually possessed benevolent temperaments. Whenever a relatively benevolent Transcender appeared, he would immediately slip away and hide in the space Between Being and Non-Being. Attempting to attain Origin Return via Calamity Origin would inevitably cause an immense commotion—perhaps even larger than all the covert schemes he had orchestrated in the past. He worried that some Transcender would find it intolerable and step in. "Who knows?" "Why not try the others first?" Dui Tianji did not give a direct answer to his concerns. After thinking it over, Quan Juehua decided to try every origin he possessed first. Only if none of them worked would he turn to Calamity Origin as his last resort. A thousand years later... With a darkened face, Quan Juehua abandoned his attempt to refine the Water Origin. Another thousand years later... With an equally grim face, Quan Juehua gave up on refining the Darkness Origin. Yet another thousand years later... Quan Juehua scowled and quit trying to refine the Yin-Yang Origin. After an untold number of years, Quan Juehua was thoroughly worn down, his aura numb and exhausted. He had thought he had plenty of options. In the end, every single origin except Calamity Origin had ended in failure. Now, he was left with only one choice. "Dui Tianji, are you hiding something from me?" Quan Juehua asked chillingly, eyeing her with deep suspicion. At this moment, Dui Tianji wore a gossamer gown, her enchanting figure faintly visible through the translucent silk. She had grown even more mesmerizingly beautiful, and her strength seemed to have undergone a subtle transformation as well. However, Quan Juehua was in no state to notice the changes in her. His mind was entirely consumed by Origin Return. "Hiding something from you? Not at all," Dui Tianji replied with a smile. Quan Juehua frowned. "You knew all along that I could only condense an Origin Seed from Calamity Origin, didn't you?" "You're overthinking it. What if you end up failing this one as well?" Dui Tianji said with a chuckle. Quan Juehua's face turned completely dark, and a wave of panic gripped his chest. The opportunity was right in front of him. If he truly turned out to be utterly useless and failed, what meaning would there be in continuing to live? He swiftly shut his eyes and began refining the Calamity Origin. This time, he burned his boats and staked everything on a single throw: success or death! *** The *Aska* sailed slowly through the Tree Universe. Now that their opponents had been replaced by Mighty Ones, even the *Aska* could no longer maintain a pristine condition. After all, Yu Xian's group was not the only one in possession of treasures like miraculous items. Many Mighty Ones wielded extraordinary treasures of their own, originating from Transcenders, Origin Returners, or Unity Returners. Under the assault of such artifacts, the *Aska*'s absolute defense was no longer absolute. At this moment, the auras of everyone on the deck had become markedly sharper and more composed. Every single person had made notable progress, most visibly Zhang Shou, who now bore a fresh scar across his face. They had fought far too many Mighty Ones during this period, giving everyone invaluable tempering. Any Mighty One who proved exceptionally dangerous was promptly eliminated by Nora with a single shot. Through countless fierce battles, they had truly forged a formidable reputation. Lately, the number of challengers had dwindled significantly, and the tables had turned completely. Nora and her companions had shifted from defenders into attackers, successfully seizing Calamity Origin from several Mighty Ones. "Nora, when do you plan to condense the Origin Seed?" Sitting in a chair, Niman looked at Nora, who increasingly carried the commanding presence of a family matriarch, and asked the question. "Not yet. Once I have double the Calamity Origin, I'll give it a try," Nora replied after a moment's contemplation. Once she began condensing the Origin Seed, there would be no turning back. She had to proceed with absolute caution.