I See the Aura of the Great Emperor in All My Disciples

Chapter 1777: Chapter 1777: The Small Family and the Big Country, How to Choose (1/6)

Ning Chenxin hovered in midair.

Yet, it seemed as if he was surrounded by an impenetrable, invisible wall. No matter how he knocked, he couldn’t break through it. Even sound couldn’t pass through this wall; all he could do was stand by and watch the situation unfold below.

Below him, in the village.

Ning Chenxin saw another ”Ning Chenxin,” identical to him, standing there, continuing to do the things he was supposed to do next.

What was going on?

What did the shadow just say?

He had questions, so he asked.

”Senior, what does this mean?”

The shadow gradually solidified, and an old man revealed himself to the world.

The old man was the same figure who had appeared during the prior test of humanity.

With his hands tucked into the wide sleeves of his robe, the old man let out a soft laugh and said, ”I merely want you to witness the consequences of your choice. After seeing the outcome, I wonder if your Dao heart will waver.”

Ning Chenxin frowned and asked, ”Is this the Seven Illusionary Array?”

The old man chuckled. ”Does it really matter if this is the Seven Illusionary Array? If all you’re looking for is the answer that this is merely an illusion, then, even when the conclusion leads to countless deaths, would your guilt be any lighter? Escaping through such reasoning—what, then, is the purpose of your cultivation path? Both Bodhisattvas and Confucian Dao teach the same: cultivate the heart before all else.”

Upon hearing this, the fog in Ning Chenxin’s eyes seemed to clear, revealing greater clarity. He bowed deeply toward the old man and said, ”Thank you, senior. It seems I’ve been overly attached to appearances.”

”Don’t be in such a rush to thank me.” The old man glanced at Ning Chenxin, his mouth lifting into a slight smirk, and remarked, ”I never said this was an illusion.”

Ning Chenxin’s face froze.

The old man laughed again. ”For others, perhaps it is an illusion. But for you, this is reality. This place—some corner of the eastern Chaos Realm—is real.”

Observing Ning Chenxin’s stiff expression, the old man scoffed in his heart.

Heh.

Finally, I’ve managed to corner you brats. Considering how that group of little scoundrels tormented me during their trials... Hmph, though this one in front of me didn’t commit those acts, it doesn’t absolve him of being their fellow sect brother!

As for the others... For now, I can’t deal with them!

Ning Chenxin turned his gaze below and asked earnestly, ”If things truly spiral into disaster, what should be done?”

The old man spread his hands with a light, indifferent tone, as if utterly unconcerned: ”Let them develop as they will. Whether the outcome is a joyful resolution for all or the death of countless souls as those Underworld Palace soldiers predicted—these are consequences of your own choice.”

At this point.

The old man’s figure suddenly appeared right in front of Ning Chenxin. Seeing Ning Chenxin’s darkened expression, he wore a serene gaze that seemed to pierce through everything, his smile carrying a hint of knowing, as he murmured, ”Don’t think you can control everything. At least, not with your current capabilities.

All choices in this world come with two sides. To choose one is to forsake the other. Otherwise, why would it be called a choice?”

Ning Chenxin’s brows furrowed as his gaze fell upon the village below. The ten soldiers were persuading the villagers to leave the area and return to the inner walls of the city, just as the other ”Ning Chenxin” had advised.

Everything was proceeding exactly as he had envisioned. Yet, why was the unease in his heart growing larger?

The old man saw through Ning Chenxin’s thoughts and commented faintly, ”Keep watching. Observe what outcome your choice will lead to. Neither you nor I know the answer.”

”This is real. When the time comes, the lives lost will also be real,” Ning Chenxin said gravely.

The old man glanced at Ning Chenxin and said, ”Are you suggesting you can save them? Or are you asking me to step in?

Let’s not even talk about whether I still have the energy for this. In this cultivation world, people die every moment—outside the natural circle of age, sickness, and death, many more perish for power, for competition, for their personal cultivation journeys, or die in wars between sects and nations.

This is happening constantly. Are you planning to intervene in every single case?”

Ning Chenxin was silent.

He didn’t have that ability.