Chapter 277: Seclusion, Choice

At that moment, the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit within Jiang Yan’s body suddenly trembled.

“Right, the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit can evolve!”

Jiang Yan had nearly forgotten this. He immediately released the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit.

The excited, instinctive emotions of the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit almost transmitted directly into Jiang Yan’s mind.

It first spun in place a few times, then, under Jiang Yan’s command, transformed into a greedy, gaping maw and lunged toward those Law-infused Immortal Plants.

“With so many Immortal Plants, I refuse to believe you still won’t evolve.”

Jiang Yan also began meditating, absorbing the scattered Law fragments around him.

Meanwhile, outside.

News suddenly spread throughout the Sect and reached all Elders and Disciples at an astonishing speed.

“Have you heard? The reason that Xiang Yu went crazy and became so powerful recently is because he went to the Slaying Life Abyss!”

“What? The Slaying Life Abyss is bottomless. Rumors say there are man-eating demons inside. It’s a Sect Forbidden Land. How could anyone enter and return alive?”

“Exactly! But Xiang Yu was usually honest and well-behaved, often bullied by fellow disciples. Yet, after returning from the Slaying Life Abyss, he became so strong overnight. Isn’t that strange?”

“Hiss~ Then the Slaying Life Abyss might truly have something extraordinary!”

Three days later.

Night.

Xiao Chunwei sat on a meditation cushion, his face ashen. “Who! Who exactly leaked the news about the Slaying Life Abyss!”

He rose from the cushion and walked into the night. His handsome face gradually turned cold and sinister.

“It seems someone woke up before me. Who could it be?”

He remained in Silence for a long time.

“Sky Demon?”

“Impossible. With that fool’s intelligence, he could never disrupt my plans. Then who could it be?”

Several faces flashed through Xiao Chunwei’s mind one by one.

Finally, a handsome face lingered in his memory.

“My good Disciple, I hope it isn’t you.”

With that, he vanished from the spot instantly.

The night wind grew even more desolate and cold.

A flash of cyan light pierced the darkness, landing within that narrow rocky cave.

It was empty.

Both the stone table and stone bed were bare. Jiang Yan had taken everything he could carry, clearly not planning to return.

A chilling cold permeated the entire cave. Xiao Chunwei’s usually impassive face gradually contorted.

“Good Disciple, I taught you the ways of Formations with utmost dedication before regaining my memories. Is this how you repay your master?”

Xiao Chunwei sneered, yet a trace of confidence still hung at the corner of his mouth, as if he still held a trump card.

He formed hand seals with his fingers, and rows of Formation Disks flew out automatically.

“When it comes to Formations, my good Disciple, you still need more practice…”

“Three Qi usher in prosperity, the four directions leave no trace. But—seek—the—heavenly—mechanism!”

A profound Formation enveloped the entire cave, a single thread of Qi locking onto the Aura Jiang Yan had once left behind.

“Heh, let’s see where you hide.”

Suddenly, an even larger Formation Disk rose into the air. Primordial Yellow Qi, like a scythe of death, severed that thread of Qi.

The Primordial Yellow transformed into a great Saber, descending like an impassable chasm toward Xiao Chunwei’s head. Immediately after, more Formation Disks emerged from hidden spaces within the Void all around, revealing countless killing intents.

“This is a grand killing Formation! And a Formation within a Formation!”

Xiao Chunwei’s face showed shock and horror as he hastily defended himself.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A sharp killing intent swept through, and Xiao Chunwei was directly blasted out of the Immortal Cave. His clean green robe was torn in half, revealing a sturdy chest marred by a deep, bone-deep saber wound.

“It’s actually… the Law. He has already cultivated the Formation to such a level…”

Xiao Chunwei’s eyes were dazed, filled with both cruelty and confusion.

A larger killing Formation was revealed, and the “little gift” Jiang Yan had previously set up finally collapsed under the pressure.

Xiao Chunwei withdrew his own killing Formation and returned to his residence with a dark expression.

“The Legacy can only be mine. As for the Forbidden Land of the Slaying Life Abyss—”

Xiao Chunwei hesitated for a moment. After a long while, all his considerations turned into a sigh.

“Forget it. Using their lives as stepping stones isn’t a bad idea. Everything is still under control!”

Mustard Seed Space.

Jiang Yan’s Spirit Platform stirred slightly, as if sensing something, and he slowly opened his eyes.

“Did the little gift I prepared trigger?”

“What a pity, I didn’t manage to kill him instantly.”

Jiang Yan added several thousand more Formations to the Mustard Seed Space to block tracking before sitting down at ease to continue comprehending the Law.

At the same time, the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit was completely immersed in the world of grazing, growing increasingly dark and profound.

From now on, Jiang Yan would enter seclusion.

No matter who died or lived, or who succeeded in their schemes and Ascended to immortality, it would have nothing to do with him.

One month later.

The news that the Sect’s Forbidden Land held both Opportunities and terror had spread throughout the entire Sect.

Some who entered never came out again, and later arrivals discovered piles of white bones within the Forbidden Land.

Others who entered saw their strength skyrocket, reportedly due to divine blessings.

In reality, it was because they had unleashed their power as Martial Gods when faced with danger. Jiang Yan had long anticipated this.

He had long realized that these amnesiac Martial Gods, like Xiang Yu, possessed immense strength but were unaware of it, never realizing how powerful they were.

But if they entered the Forbidden Land, once danger triggered their potential, their true strength would naturally be unearthed.

Why did Jiang Yan entrust the Sky Demon to spread the news?

Naturally, to stir up trouble and muddy the waters.

If someone wanted to secretly accomplish some unspeakable scheme, Jiang Yan would deliberately expose that secret for everyone to know.

Because of these people, the Sect had ignited a wave of “exploration fever.”

Enter the Forbidden Land and gain divine power! People flocked to it eagerly.

Xiao Chunwei hadn’t explored the Forbidden Land in a long time because it was too crowded, making it difficult for him to carry out many of his covert activities.

Mustard Seed Space.

Endless Laws converged into a river.

Heat, light and darkness, ice, sharpness, space, death, nightmares, strength, Yin and Yang…

“The Laws are so chaotic. Although I have [Law Expansion], which allows me to absorb multiple Laws without my body exploding, can I truly integrate so many Laws, master them, and ultimately fuse them into myself to achieve Martial Godhood?”

For the first time on his Martial Way, Jiang Yan felt such confusion.

More Laws represented greater potential, but they also limited Jiang Yan’s path to becoming a Martial God.

Learning one Law meant only refining that one Law to achieve Martial Godhood.

Learning ten thousand Laws meant having to refine all ten thousand Laws simultaneously within oneself.

Or he could choose a compromise, cultivating only seventy, eighty, or ninety Laws, which might allow him to achieve Martial Godhood more quickly.

Yet before you lies an even stronger path, and the Trait has already carved out this road that only you can walk—one others cannot tread. If you were to adopt the doctrine of moderation, settling for what is sufficient, would the future Jiang Yan ever be content?

Should the Martial Way pursue the strongest path, even if it is endless?

Or should it settle for what is enough, lest one bite off more than they can chew?