212: Chapter 212 Asking the Heavens and Slaying the Dao: The Collapse of Laws

"From this day forward—I, Wen Tian, shall no longer cultivate the Heavenly Dao!"

The roar shattered the skies. He channeled all the Laws within his body, condensing a divine blade in his palm forged from thousands of rules; its cold light was biting, severing all karma!

Without hesitation, the blade pointed directly at the divine ring above his head!

"Sever—!"

"No—!" Yaochi cried out in heart-wrenching agony, tears streaming down her face.

Haotian surged up, intending to intervene.

"This is his choice; you are not permitted to interfere!" Nuwa spoke coldly, her voice like ice and iron.

In an instant—

Crack!!!

The divine ring shattered, and the Laws collapsed!

Pfft—!

Wen Tian spat out a mouthful of blood, his complexion instantly turning as pale as paper. His physical body cracked, his Primordial Spirit tore apart, and golden blood along with fragments of his soul splattered in all directions!

His knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a boom. Veins bulged on his forehead, his face twisted, and his pupils contracted violently, as if enduring an agony indescribable for eons.

"Wen Tian—!" Emperor Huangtian and the others tried to rush forward.

"Don't... don't come over!" Wen Tian raised a hand to stop them, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. His voice was hoarse yet stubborn, "Cough... don't underestimate me... I can still... hold on..."

Before he could finish speaking, his consciousness dissipated, and he fell into a coma.

Zhulong, Feng Wu, and the other prodigies of the myriad races felt their hearts tremble violently, their eyes burning with emotion.

"My child... why must you suffer so..." Yaochi knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, tears pouring down.

Haotian's eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched so tightly that his fingertips bled, filled with heartache and inner conflict.

It is said that Saints are heartless, having long since severed all seven emotions and six desires.

Yet, who can truly sever the attachments deep within their bloodline?

Hongjun stood in the void, his face ashen and dark as ink. He clearly perceived—the very moment Wen Tian severed his Saint position, the power of the Heavenly Dao had actually been weakened by a sliver!

Though it was only a thread, it was real!

"You—" His gaze was icy as he swept it over Zhulong and the others, "Could it be that you also intend to forsake the Heavenly Dao?"

Zhulong and Feng Wu exchanged a glance; there was no longer any hesitation in their eyes, only an unbreakable conviction.

Just as Wen Tian had said—Wandao Academy had given them the right to choose again.

They would never let go of this opportunity!

"This is their own path," Zhulong declared loudly, his voice resounding across heaven and earth, "Even the Heavenly Dao has no right to interfere!"

Roar—!!

The firmament shattered, and a dragon roar that pierced the universe resounded through the myriad worlds!

A colossal body spanning hundreds of millions of light-years tore through the void. A jet-black Nine Nether Black Dragon descended upon the firmament, its scales like the night, its pressure like a prison!

The Great Emperor of Fengdu stood on the dragon's back, his imperial robes fluttering. His deep gaze fixed directly on Hongjun, and he spoke, word by word:

"The struggle for the Great Dao should be left for all living beings to choose for themselves."

"You, cannot control it."

"Hongjun, the Heavenly Dao has locked your fate; do you really not hate it at all?!?" The Great Emperor of Fengdu's voice was low, rolling like thunder across the void.

Hongjun's expression was indifferent, "I am the Dao Ancestor; I am the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao!"

After speaking, he swept his gaze toward Zhulong and the others, saying coldly: "Have you thought this through—once you sever the Dao, there will be no more protection from the Heavenly Dao!"

Before the echo faded, the firmament suddenly split, and a giant silver-white eye appeared, its cold light looking down upon all living beings—it was the eye of heavenly dao!

As that gaze descended, everyone present felt their souls tremble.

Zhulong and the other prodigies felt their hearts pounding wildly, as if the Grim Reaper were already pressing against the back of their necks.

"If the Heavenly Dao will not protect you, I will!"

Boom—

An ancient portal opened from the nine heavens, filled with the mottled aura of time. Jiang Chen stepped out slowly, wearing the Samsara Emperors Robe, his sleeves fluttering, his expression as calm as a breeze brushing against a willow.

The Heavenly Dao stared at Jiang Chen, its murderous intent surging violently.

"Jiang Chen, what a perfectly calculated move!"

Jiang Chen shrugged with a smile, his eyes innocent: "Calculated? I haven't done anything. If they are willing to sever it, that is their own choice."

He paused, then chuckled again: "Besides, your Saint Dao has flaws of its own; why blame others for wielding a blade?"

"Hmph!" The Heavenly Dao snorted coldly and said nothing more. Although it denied it, it knew clearly—this was all a trap set by Jiang Chen, aimed at severing its very foundation!

At this moment, among the prodigies of the myriad races, there were actually fifty-eight Saints!

If these people were to completely sever their Saint Dao, the Heavenly Dao would surely suffer a violent backlash!

Jiang Chen's lips curled slightly. He looked down and said calmly: "With me here, you may proceed without hesitation."

"Of course, do not misunderstand—I am not trying to recruit you." He scoffed lightly, "You juniors are not qualified to make me bow."

Once these words were spoken, Hongjun and the Saints of the Great Wilderness were consumed by rage!

This isn't recruiting? This is barefaced poaching! It is clearly meant to diminish the authority of the Heavenly Dao!

Zhulong and the others exchanged a glance, their fighting spirit burning even brighter.

Immediately, except for Zhulong, all the other prodigies turned and knelt, kowtowing heavily toward their respective ancestors.

The Saints of the Great Wilderness were about to speak to dissuade them, but Jiang Chen had already raised his eyes to look at them.

"They are disciples of Wandao Academy, disciples of the Great Dao." His voice was cold as ice, "Even the Great Dao has not uttered a word; dare you try saying another word?"

These domineering words resounded through heaven and earth!

"Jiang Chen, you have overstepped!" The Heavenly Dao was furious.

Jiang Chen sneered back: "Heavenly Dao, do not forget—if you hadn't intervened back then, Yang Mei would have long since been slain by me in the Chaos!"

"Letting a Chaos Fiendgod escape... if this were to spread across the Great Wilderness, tell me, how would the billions of living beings view you, this 'impartial and selfless' Heavenly Dao?"

"You—!" The Heavenly Dao was rendered speechless, its aura faltering slightly.

Seeing its silence, Jiang Chen's lips curled up: "Rest assured, I will keep this secret for you. The prerequisite is... we shall see if you know what is good for you."

The Heavenly Dao remained silent.

It was indeed in the wrong regarding that battle—had it not interfered, even if Yang Mei hadn't died, he should have been crippled for eons!

Zhulong took a deep breath. A divine ring of rules appeared around him, and the thousands of Laws within his body condensed into a dazzling divine blade.

"Young Ancestor, no!" Ao Zhantian shouted hoarsely.

But Zhulong remained unmoved, holding the blade in his hand, and swung it down fiercely!

Bang—!!

The divine ring shattered! Blood spurted out!

Zhulong vomited blood on the spot, his physical body cracked, his Primordial Spirit was severely damaged, and his aura plummeted crazily—

Plummeting straight down from the Saint Realm, falling all the way to the early stage of Daluo Golden Immortal before barely stabilizing.

Almost simultaneously, Feng Wu, Juewu, Mo Shang, and all the other prodigies drew their divine blades and slashed at their own divine rings!

Bang! Bang! Bang!...

The continuous explosions tore through the skies.

Under the eyes of the Saints, who were furious to the extreme, all the prodigies of the myriad races severed their own paths, their divine rings completely shattered!

Hundreds of prodigies were unlucky; their physical bodies exploded, and their Primordial Spirits were on the verge of extinction.

At the critical moment, the Ten Yama Kings and the Lord of the Eighteen Levels of Hell acted together, forcibly protecting the last sliver of their Primordial Spirits from being extinguished.

"Thank you, seniors!" Zhulong and the others endured the excruciating pain and bowed with difficulty.

As the words fell, they all fainted together.

A full thirty thousand prodigies had severed their Dao!

Among them were fifty-eight Saints, and the rest were all at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm!

Such a massive act of severing the Dao caused the Heavenly Dao to suffer an instant backlash, its pressure visibly weakening.

"Are you satisfied now?"

The Heavenly Dao stared coldly at Jiang Chen, murderous intent churning in its eyes. If it were not constrained by the Great Dao oath, it would have already acted to kill him!

"Do you really not intend to tell me... the truth about the Great Wilderness?" Jiang Chen chuckled, his tone playful.

"Hmph!" The Heavenly Dao snorted coldly, and its figure suddenly dissipated into the void.

The Saints of the Great Wilderness put away their expressions of rage, their complexions complicated.

Matters had reached this point; Zhulong and the others had fallen into the mortal dust, and being angry was useless.

"Take care of yourselves."

Hongjun swept a cold glance over the unconscious figures, flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave.

"Wen Tian..."

Yaochi looked at Wen Tian, whose breath was weak and who was nearly at the end of his life, a bone-chilling heartache rising in her eyes.

"Do not waste your emotions on this rebellious son and invite trouble for yourself!" Haotian interrupted coldly, his tone like ice and iron. He dragged Yaochi away, leaving not a shred of warmth.

Zhenyuanzi, Kunpeng, Jieyin, Zhunti, and the others stood in place, their expressions varied. There was disappointment, resentment, and even a hint of indescribable envy flashing in their eyes.

The reason Zhulong dared to sever the shackles of the Heavenly Dao was because Wandao Academy stood behind him—it was a sharp sword hanging over the heads of all Saints, and also a protective umbrella.

And what about them? They could only kneel before the Heavenly Dao, with no other choice.

No one wants to be a puppet on a string, and Saints are no exception. But the path had been chosen, there was no turning back, and they could only grit their teeth and continue.

A moment later, the Saints left one after another, and heaven and earth returned to silence.

After giving a few key instructions, Jiang Chen also rose into the air, turning into a stream of light and disappearing into the horizon.

Seeing him leave without looking back, Nuwa and Houtu exchanged a glance, a trace of loss flashing through both their hearts.