432: Chapter 432 Choosing One of Three

Ye Tian moved forward cautiously along the upward-sloping corridor.

He extended his spiritual sense as far as possible, but the rocks here seemed to have the effect of blocking it, allowing him to probe only a few yards around him.

The corridor wound along with few forks, but every time he encountered one, Ye Tian would pause briefly, sensing the resonance of the token in his robe and the longing of the chaos bead to choose a direction.

Li Xuanxiao followed silently, offering no opinions, but his gaze remained locked onto Ye Tian's back.

After walking for a long time, the passage began to widen, and traces of artificial excavation began to appear on the rock walls on both sides, even including some blurred murals.

The content of the murals was difficult to discern, seemingly depicting ancient ancestors offering sacrifices, fighting giant creatures, and... some kind of star map.

“Someone has been here,” Li Xuanxiao suddenly said, stopping to look closely at a mural.

In the mural, a group of people knelt before a high platform. Something floated above the platform, radiating brilliant light, its shape... somewhat similar to the taichu seal in Ye Tian's possession, yet not quite the same.

“In ancient ruins, it's normal to find traces of predecessors.” Ye Tian also stopped, looking at the mural.

He noticed that the clothing of the kneeling people in the mural was completely different from current styles—more ancient, even primitive.

“What are they worshipping?” Li Xuanxiao asked, as if talking to himself.

“Perhaps... the Order-Giver?” Ye Tian recalled the term mentioned by Venerable Jiehuo.

“Order-Giver...” Li Xuanxiao repeated, a flicker of thought crossing his eyes before he looked at Ye Tian. “What do you know?”

“Just a guess, same as you.” Ye Tian continued walking forward.

Regarding the resonance between the Ruins of the Order-Giver and the chaos bead, he could not possibly tell Li Xuanxiao.

Li Xuanxiao didn't ask further, simply following along.

But Ye Tian could feel that the gaze behind him had become sharper, more... inquisitive.

At the end of the passage, a door appeared.

It wasn't a stone door, but a portal cast from some kind of silver metal. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, two yards high, and tightly closed.

There were no handles or keyholes on the door; only in the center was a palm-sized indentation. The shape of the indentation was somewhat similar to the taichu seal in Ye Tian's possession.

The two Talisman Seals in Ye Tian's robe instantly became incredibly hot, resonating violently.

“It seems what you need is inside,” Li Xuanxiao’s voice sounded from behind, devoid of emotion. “Open the door.”

Ye Tian walked to the door and looked at the indentation.

Was he supposed to put a Talisman Seal in?

But he had two; which one should he use?

Or...

He hesitated for a moment, and eventually, he took out the taichu seal he had obtained first—the one with a relatively gentler aura—and tried pressing it into the indentation.

The Talisman Seal fit the indentation perfectly.

“Wommm—”

A low rumble came from within the door.

Countless thin streaks of light lit up on the surface of the silver metal door.

The flowing lights converged, finally forming two large ancient seal characters on the door:

“Chu” (Beginning), “Qi” (Opening).

Then, under the gaze of the two men, the heavy metal door slowly slid open inward.

Behind the door was not a room or a passage.

But a... starry sky.

No, not a real starry sky.

But a circular hall.

The ceiling of the hall was extremely high, embedded with countless gems emitting soft starlight, forming a vast star map.

The floor was also silver metal, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the starlight from the ceiling, making one feel as if they were standing in the middle of the stars.

In the center of the hall, three things were suspended.

On the left was a floating crimson-gold light orb. It was unclear what exactly was inside, but the fire element fluctuations it emitted were several times stronger than the fire spirit source crystal in Li Xuanxiao's hand, causing the fire jade essence in Ye Tian's robe to tremble slightly.

In the middle was a gray prayer mat, and on the mat seemed to lie a scroll of bone slips.

On the right was a small Chaos vortex that constantly shifted with five-colored brilliance. In the center of the vortex, a faint glimmer was visible, drawing the chaos bead in Ye Tian's Sea of Consciousness to throb frantically.

And beneath the three treasures, on the floor of the hall, a line of clear ancient seal characters was carved:

“Choose one of three; obtain it and you may leave.”

“The others shall be sealed, to await those who follow.”

There was only one chance to choose.

If one chose, they could leave?

Then those not chosen would remain here forever?

Ye Tian and Li Xuanxiao stood at the entrance, looking at the three treasures in the hall and then at the words on the floor, their breathing hitching slightly.

Almost simultaneously, both took a step forward.

Then they stopped at the same time.

They looked at each other.

Their gazes collided in the air.

Their brief, fragile relationship as “companions” disintegrated instantly in the face of a true Opportunity.

Next came the struggle!

The hall was so quiet that one could hear their own breathing.

The three treasures floated in the center, emitting completely different fluctuations: heat on the left, mystery on the right, and antiquity in the middle.

“Choose one of three.” Li Xuanxiao repeated the words on the floor, his gaze moving between the three, finally landing on the shifting Chaos vortex before turning to Ye Tian's face. “Your eyes are on the one on the right.”

Ye Tian did not deny it.

He controlled his expression well despite the sensation of the chaos bead throbbing in his Sea of Consciousness, simply saying flatly, “Your eyes haven't left it either.”

“Because it is the most special.” Li Xuanxiao took a step forward. “It is not of the Five Elements, nor is it a common Law. This chaotic yet inclusive aura... is a bit like your true essence.”

He stared at Ye Tian, his gaze like a blade. “Are the oddities about you related to this thing?”

“Perhaps.” Ye Tian was noncommittal and also took a step forward, the distance between them closing. “But you won't choose it.”

“You are the Sword Seed of the Heavenly Sword Sect, and you cultivate the purest Dao of the Sword. This Chaos vortex has attributes that conflict with yours. What you want is the one on the left.”

The crimson-gold orb on the left had strong fire fluctuations; one could feel the destructive power contained within even from a distance.

For Li Xuanxiao, who primarily cultivated the metal element but also required the fire element to temper his sword bone, it was indeed a top-tier supplement. Moreover, he had just obtained the fire spirit source crystal; the two were of the same origin, and if he could have both, the effect would be even better.

The corner of Li Xuanxiao's mouth twitched, which counted as a tacit admission. “That bone slip in the middle should be a Legacy or a record. For someone like you who likes to dabble in everything, it might be more suitable.”

“Perhaps.” Ye Tian's gaze swept over the ancient bone slip and returned to the Chaos vortex.

He had to get that; the longing of the chaos bead had already reached a point where it was affecting his mind.

But Li Xuanxiao had clearly set his sights on it too; even if it was useless to him, he would not let Ye Tian obtain it easily.

“So, how do we divide them?” Li Xuanxiao asked, his tone relaxed, but his hand remained on his sword hilt. “Fight a match, winner takes all? Or follow the rules here, ‘choose one of three’?”

“A fight would cause too much of a commotion.” Ye Tian shook his head, looking around the hall.

It was too empty and too quiet here, always making him feel as if something was watching.

Furthermore, he was not in good condition; if they really fought, his chances of winning were not high. “Following the rules is at least safe. One item each, then we leave.”

“Who chooses first?” Li Xuanxiao posed a key question.

The person who chose first would naturally be able to take the item they wanted most.

The person who chose second might be forced to pick something inferior or even be schemed against.

Ye Tian fell silent for a moment. He was quickly weighing his options.

Li Xuanxiao wanted the light orb on the left and also coveted the vortex on the right.

He himself wanted the vortex on the right, had no interest in the light orb on the left, and had some interest in the bone slip but it wasn't a necessity.

Their goals partially overlapped, but there were also points of divergence.

“We choose together,” Ye Tian suddenly said.