436: Chapter 436 One disciple lives, one disciple dies

One scroll belonged to Li Xuanxiao.

The scroll used a 'white' so pure it reached the extreme as its base. Countless peerless and fierce sword lights crisscrossed, severing the winds and clouds, cleaving mountains, and tearing through the firmament.

The sword lights grew faster and denser, eventually transforming into an absolute Domain of destruction where only the true intent of 'severing' existed.

Within the Domain, nothing else remained; only the eternal chime of the sword echoed.

But deep within this extreme of pure white and sword light, there were several faint 'Impurities' that, though dim, could not be completely erased.

A trace of anxiety for greater power, a touch of vigilance toward the unknown, and a sliver of cold curiosity toward what lay 'beyond the Dao'—suppressed by reason but never vanished.

The other scroll belonged to Ye Tian.

The background of the scroll was a chaotic gray, with countless scenes rising and falling within it.

Thunder tore through the darkness, flames scorched the wilderness, water dripped through stone, ancient trees reached for the sky, and thick earth carried all things... The Five Elements rotated, and wind and thunder surged.

But these scenes were not distinctly separated; they blended, collided, annihilated, and were reborn, ultimately returning to that patch of Chaos capable of evolving everything.

Within this scroll of Chaos, several points of light shone slightly brighter.

One was an aloof silhouette holding a longsword, severing all things.

One was a gray vortex that continuously rotated, encompassing all Qi.

One was a weak yet resilient, warm heart-fire.

And at the edges of this Chaos scroll, in the blurred zone where it met Li Xuanxiao's scroll, there were faint shadows of cold peering, burning hostility, and several lights of various colors that carried goodwill.

The 'Shadows of the Path' were clearly presented!

Li Xuanxiao's Dao was the extreme of 'Sword' and 'Severing'—pure and dangerous, yet hiding minute 'Impurities' deep within that could lead to obsession or confusion.

Ye Tian's Dao was 'Chaos' and 'Evolution'—inclusive and complex. Currently, he used the sword as his tool and protection as his intent, but he carried more Karma and attachments, and faced more external enemies.

The two scrolls stood side by side within the ruins core, circulating and contrasting, presenting two completely different choices and possibilities of paths.

“So that's how it is...” Li Xuanxiao's consciousness whispered with a sense of realization. “Your Dao is indeed mixed. Too many attachments, too much Karma. It seems inclusive, but it is actually scattered.

No wonder that despite your great combat power, it is always difficult for you to reach the Realm of pure supremacy.”

Ye Tian's consciousness also clearly perceived all of this. He 'looked' at Li Xuanxiao's sword scroll that was pure to the point of cruelty, and he 'looked' at his own complex yet vibrant Chaos scroll, as enlightenment surged in his heart.

“Your Dao is a sharp sword, but it may also become a prison that cages you,” Ye Tian responded. “Severing everything includes potential emotions, unknown scenery, and even a broader path.

Extreme purity can also mean extreme narrowness.”

“Narrow? That is the self-consolation of the weak.” Li Xuanxiao's thought carried mockery. “The Way of the Sword must be pure to slash through falsehood and see the truth.

Your Chaos seems to encompass everything, but in reality, there is no distinction between primary and secondary, and the core is unclear. On what basis can you be steadfast?”

“On the basis that I know who I am and what I want to do.” Ye Tian's intent was calm and firm. “Chaos is the root, the source, and the possibility.

The sword is the tool in my hand, thunder is the power in my palm, and protection is the intent in my heart.

They do not conflict; they together constitute my path.

My Dao lies in Truth!

The true self, true choices, and true burdens.

As for your Dao, ask yourself: those few spots of Impurities deep within, can you truly sever them completely? Or are you actually afraid to face them?”

The clash at the level of consciousness was silent yet fierce, more perilous than blades and swords.

Both were using their evaluation of the other's 'Path Shadow' to reflect upon, consolidate, or shake their own beliefs.

The light of the ruins core fluctuated with the collision of their thoughts.

That intent rang out again, no longer a statement of rules, but a direct questioning that echoed in the deepest parts of their respective consciousnesses:

“Li Xuanxiao, you see your own path. This path is only the sword and severing; it can cut through all things, yet it can also end your own journey. Can you confirm that this is what your heart desires, without regret? Even if you are isolated until death, will you not change your resolve?”

“Ye Tian, you see your own path. This path is chaotic and diverse, carrying heavy burdens and a difficult future. Can you confirm that you are willing to hold this heart, walk this path, bear this Karma, and evolve this future? Even if tribulations befall you, will you not doubt or abandon it?”

The ultimate interrogation pointed directly at their true hearts.

In Li Xuanxiao's 'Sword Scroll,' those few 'Impurities' suddenly became prominent, awaiting his answer.

Would he erase them completely and declare absolute 'purity'?

Or would he acknowledge their existence but still choose the 'Sword' as the Dominator?

In Ye Tian's 'Chaos Scroll,' those points of light and dark shadows representing Karma, attachments, and hostility also flickered violently.

Would he feel they were a drag and feel repulsion?

Or would he calmly accept them, viewing them as part of the path?

Silence.

In the space of the ruins core, only the two scrolls circulated silently, reflecting the figures of the two men with closed eyes and palms pressed against the ruins core.

After a long time, Li Xuanxiao's consciousness burst forth with a thought that could split heaven and earth: “The sword is me, and I am the sword. All else can be severed! This resolve shall not shift!”

With the decisiveness of his intent, those few 'Impurities' in his 'Sword Scroll' suddenly dimmed, almost completely swallowed by the blazing white light.

The entire scroll became sharper than ever before, but it also emitted a heart-chilling coldness.

The ruins core vibrated slightly, and an invisible ripple swept over Li Xuanxiao.

Then, on the surface in front of Li Xuanxiao's palm on the ruins core, a white runic mark radiating a fierce Sword Intent slowly emerged.

“Authentication passed,” the intent announced.

Li Xuanxiao's body jolted, and his eyes snapped open, his gaze even colder than before.

He looked at the white mark before his hand, then at Ye Tian, who still had his eyes closed and his palm pressed against the ruins core, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

He had passed.

He had obtained the qualification to leave.

Now, it was Ye Tian's turn.

The interrogation of the ruins core still echoed in his consciousness.

Facing that Chaos scroll that carried complex Karma, attachments, dangers, and possibilities, he needed to give his own answer.

Ye Tian 'looked' at the shadow of his own path.

He saw memory fragments of fighting side-by-side with Qin Pojun and the others, the worried eyes of Shui Qingdie, the fury toward the enemies of the Nangong Family and the Shadow Calamity Tower, and the Karma of the promise to Venerable Jiehuo.

He also saw his own heart's quest for higher Realms, the mystery of his origins, and the truth of this world...

Was it mixed? Yes.

Was it heavy? Yes.

Was it dangerous? Yes.

But this was his path.

It was what he had walked out step by step, created by his choices time and again.

To deny any part of it was to deny himself.

Ye Tian no longer weighed the pros and cons, nor did he calculate the gains and losses.

He looked at that Chaos scroll, at every point of light and shadow within it, and at the Chaos itself that constantly rose, fell, and evolved.

His intent was calm and firm:

“The path is long and obstructed, yet I go.”

“Chaos is the root, and I hold it.”

“Karma entangles me, and I bear it.”

“Attachments are in my heart, and I protect them.”

“The road ahead is perilous, and I shall break through.”

“This heart and this path are what I have chosen, and who I am.”

“Though ten thousand tribulations come, I shall not regret, nor shall I shift.”

The moment his intent settled, the entire 'Chaos Scroll' erupted with light!

All the scenes within were infused with brand-new vitality, and the connections between them became more harmonious.

The gray background of Chaos flowed like water, encompassing everything within yet allowing every power and every piece of Karma to find its own place and trajectory.

The scroll as a whole emitted a vigorous aura full of infinite possibilities.

At the same time, the ruins core vibrated once more.

On the surface Ye Tian's palm was pressing, a strange mark with a chaotic gray center and an outer edge of rotating Five Elements halos slowly emerged and condensed.

“Authentication passed,” the intent announced again, this time seemingly with a trace of approval.

Ye Tian opened his eyes, his gaze clear and profound, and his previous exhaustion seemed to have been swept away.

He looked at the strange Chaos mark before his palm, then at the white sword mark before Li Xuanxiao.

Both had passed the final authentication.

However, the intent's next words caused the atmosphere, which had just eased slightly, to suddenly drop to the freezing point:

“Two authenticators, both meet the standard.”

“However, the gate of departure is but one.”

“The ruins core shall open the Gates of Choice, connecting to the outside world.”

“One gate of life, one gate of death.”

“Those who hold the mark may choose one gate to enter. Choose life and depart; choose death and enter a land of despair.”

“Those without the mark have no right to choose and shall be eternally imprisoned within the ruins core.”

“The choice begins.”