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You... how would you choose?

How to choose?

Ao Zhen stood before the four beams of light, staring intently at the Laws they contained, her hands trembling, her emotions clearly unable to settle.

She knew this was a choice that could change her destiny, once made, her fate would be set!

So... what to choose?

Just as Chen Qing said, the most suitable for her was the sky-blue wind within, the power of the West Sea Dragon Palace, also the most fitting power for the Dragon Race of the West Sea, but its limit was probably far inferior compared to the other two, especially the Path of Life and Death Reincarnation.

This was an excellent opportunity, if she wasn’t mistaken, the original candidate for the Heavenly King who mastered the Life and Death Reincarnation would be the Lord of the Hell, Wei Gongcheng, whom Chen Qing most trusted, right?

This time letting her choose was an act of desperation, if she missed this opportunity, there might never be another.

Because of her own status, let alone Wei Gongcheng, she might even be considered inferior to outsiders like Tian Heng.

Because Tian Heng is a human, while she... is a demon.

Thinking of this, Ao Zhen almost trembled as she took a step towards the gray beam of light.

This step seemed to exhaust all her strength, stopping her immediately in her tracks, panting heavily.

Chen Qing, witnessing her choice, had a flash of complexity in his eyes. He couldn’t exactly say whether her choice was right or wrong, since after all, as he said, the Law of Life and Death is the strongest Law at present, and also the one with the most chances of triumph.

Her choice, although it disrupted his future plans, seemed to be the best choice under the current circumstances, both for her and for him.

Yet on the other hand, Ao Zhen’s choice also left Chen Qing somewhat disappointed.

Choosing a domain she is completely unfamiliar with simply because it is stronger, might... be the reason why Ao Zhen became weaker. She made the same choice back then, and now... she still chooses the same.

This indeed seems like the best path, but it is definitely not the most suitable path for her.

Under Chen Qing’s gaze, Ao Zhen took difficult steps until she was beneath the gray beam of light, looking at the power emanating inside, her heart was also immensely conflicted.

At this moment, she felt as if she had returned to the past, as if she had... made a similar choice once before.

Back then, after winning against the Sword Spirit, she had recuperated for days, and upon awakening, her mother excitedly told her that she had the chance to take a Dragon Blood Bath of ancient Dragon Blood!

That opportunity was originally only given to those at the Crown Prince level, which she was never supposed to have under her father’s apprehension.

Yet unexpectedly, her father, who clearly harbored possessive desires towards her, was willing to relinquish this resource to her.

And that time, she originally planned to visit the Sword Master in the Southeastern Region, who was said to have comprehended the Way of the Wind.

His letter suggested that he wished for her to come and exchange ideas. At that time, she could tell from his letter that his swordsmanship was something she had never seen before, an unprecedented entity.

She was extremely looking forward to this exchange, but the Dragon Blood Bath was just within reach – a chance that comes once in a blue moon, whereas that Sword Master was just one of the many out there.

She remembered hesitating for a long time, but in the end, she still chose the former, the Dragon Blood Bath, and just absorbing the power of the Dragon Blood to purify her bloodline took her a hundred years.

A human, of course, couldn’t wait that long for her. By the time she returned to the Mortal World and sought to find if that Sword Master left any legacy, she found everything had changed. Not just him, many of the Sword Masters she had exchanged ideas with were dead.

According to her attendants, those Sword Masters waited for her for a long time; they all came to a new Realm and wanted to exchange ideas with her once more.

But that wish was no more; after that, those people... all died, and even their swordsmanship failed to be passed down.

At that moment, she felt she missed out on a lot, but to say she regretted it, she did not, for the Dragon Blood Bath was the only method for the Dragon Clan to purify, and if she had abandoned that opportunity, she might never get a second chance in her lifetime – it was her opportunity to become the Dragon King.

But it seemed that it was also from that time, starting from then... she never interacted with the Sword Masters of the world again...

Yes... at that time... she changed!

Ao Zhen’s hand hovered just outside the gray beam of light, with the power to change her upper limit of potential within reach, but for some reason, her hand... just couldn’t extend into it, not even slightly.

Chen Qing watched from a distance, his eyebrows tightly furrowed. Ao Zhen had already made a decision, although it was not one that satisfied him, but... there wasn’t much time left.

Looking at Ao Zhen, who was still hesitating at this time, Chen Qing felt increasingly that betting all his stakes on this person was indeed a very passive choice to make.

But the problem was... he had no other options.

Is this really it?

"My lord...."

Suddenly, the voice of Ao Zhen came through.

Chen Qing regained his senses, looked up, and realized that at some unknown point, Ao Zhen had retreated beyond those four beams of light, and this time, her voice seemed very different from before.

"Ao Zhen... you?" Chen Qing looked at her and suddenly felt that in just an instant, the person in front of him seemed to have undergone a great change in temperament.

"My lord... After thinking it over, the Path of Life and Death is not really suitable for me."

Chen Qing’s eyes brightened. Yes, he had confirmed it now, there was something more in her voice, something that wasn’t there before.

"Then what do you think suits you?"

The Way of the Wind was the best fit for her, even if the enhancement it provided was the weakest, and even if.

.. the risk was considerable. However, if she had the courage to choose this path, then in Chen Qing’s view, her chances of winning were actually higher than if she chose the Path of Life and Death.

"None of them suit me..."

"Huh?"

Chen Qing was taken aback; her answer was completely unexpected to him.

None... suit her?

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly as the words imply..." Ao Zhen took a deep breath and respectfully bowed to Chen Qing: "Thank you, my lord, for allowing me to understand myself. You were right, my lord, compared to before... I have indeed become weaker."

Chen Qing nodded, then said seriously, "Do you know the reason why?"

"Perhaps... I know..." Ao Zhen smiled, her mind once again recalling that particular choice she made in the past.

In fact... she had always known the reason.

She just didn’t dare to face it.

In the past... with no resources in the Mortal Realm and relying solely on learning the Hundred Schools of Swordsmanship to hone herself, she was able to stand out among the Dragon Clan. It wasn’t because of her bloodline, but because she dared to walk a path different from others.

And it was this fearless original intention that was the real reason for her relentless progress back then!

The moment she chose Dragon Blood and forgot about that group of sword masters, her path... had actually been severed.

With a severed path... how could there be growth?

Afterward, for a million years, she never advanced to become a Dragon King. That bottleneck had always held her back, and no matter how many Dragon Blood Baths she took, it was useless because she had given up on her own path!

"My lord..." Ao Zhen solemnly bowed again: "Please let me go out."

"Are you sure?" Chen Qing stared intently at her.

The request Ao Zhen made was very bold, bolder than anything he had ever considered, deciding not to inherit the Power of Laws but choosing to confront the enemy anew with her pure self.

Logically, it was foolish, but Chen Qing could clearly feel it.

At this moment, Ao Zhen’s chances of winning... might be the greatest!