The so-called “Heart-Questioning Dao Tribulation” was meant to clarify one’s true heart.

But “Dao” was a very abstract and mysterious word—broadly speaking, it was the ultimate principle of heaven and earth; narrowly, it referred to cultivation realms or even principles of conduct.

A cultivator’s “Dao” was the foundation of a cultivator’s practice in the later stages.

But…

Taking oneself as the Dao?

What kind of answer was this?

At this moment, all the great cultivators who heard this answer and sensed her determination were filled with infinite doubt.

They had heard of the Dao of Cause and Effect, Dao of Slaughter, Dao of Extreme Emotion, Dao of Ruthlessness, Dao of Five Elements, and even how Laozu Luye had once entered the Dao through No-Dao, breaking all ten thousand methods…

But they had never heard of any “Self Dao”!

If she took herself as the Dao, then what of this heaven and earth, what of the true “Dao” within heaven and earth?

Such an answer—

How was it different from challenging Heaven’s Dao?!

Never mind those great cultivators who had already experienced heart-questioning—even the ordinary monks of Chanzong at this moment were frightened by Jian Chou’s answer.

No one had expected, no one had anticipated!

This was completely different from ordinary tribulation lightning—this was “heart-questioning”! Speaking like this…

Would there truly be no consequences?

For a time, everyone couldn’t help but break into cold sweat for Jian Chou.

Fudao Shanren, far away at Yashan, nearly turned green in the face, almost breaking into curses. He rolled up his sleeves again, wanting to use a great displacement technique to rush over and slap some sense into this foolish disciple.

But unexpectedly, Fu Chaosheng beside him stopped him again.

“What are you doing? Don’t you understand respecting elders and caring for the young?” Fudao raged, placing his hands on his hips to scold him. “Can’t you see my disciple is about to die?!”

Fu Chaosheng had only been at Yashan for a few days and didn’t particularly understand Fudao Shanren’s temperament. Moreover, he didn’t understand what use it would be even if he went over in this situation.

But he didn’t ask this question.

He simply released his hand and slowly smiled: “She won’t die.”

This really was standing and talking without back pain hurting! Fudao Shanren almost suspected this person wasn’t Jian Chou’s true friend—perhaps he was an enemy?

“At a time like this—”

He was about to explode in anger when, before he could finish speaking, his spiritual consciousness sensed that changes had already occurred in the vortex above Western Sea Chanzong!

Fudao Shanren’s expression changed, and he immediately swallowed back all his remaining words.

Under the coverage of tribulation clouds of this range and degree, even a great displacement technique had no way to penetrate—he could only reach outside Chanzong and then fly in, but by then it would be far too late.

He could only focus on the dao tribulation’s changes with a rarely seen tension.

The entire Chanzong was covered by clouds gathered by the vortex, obscured in shadow.

Standing within this shadow, Jian Chou’s figure became increasingly prominent. Between her flowing black hair and robes, she faintly possessed a transcendent celestial bearing.

Others probably couldn’t understand what she was saying, nor comprehend what this Dao was, but as long as she herself understood, that was enough. There were thousands of great paths, seemingly all comprehended and chosen by cultivators themselves. But these paths, in essence, all led to the same destination.

They all existed under Heaven’s Dao—they were “Heaven’s” Dao.

But why must people necessarily cultivate that Heaven’s Dao?

Heaven’s Dao was emotionless, Heaven’s Dao was blind.

Looking down at all living beings’ suffering and displacement without generating compassion, watching cultivators kill their wives to prove their Dao without delivering punishment.

All the red dust turmoil of this time had nothing to do with it—it only operated according to its own established rules.

Heaven’s Dao indeed had no good or evil, manifesting differently only due to different cultivators.

But perhaps because of Xie Buchen, perhaps because of Kunwu, perhaps because the world’s definition of immortals and gods all invariably revealed a few degrees of coldness and ruthlessness, therefore—

She was unwilling!

Unwilling to be emotionless!

Unwilling to be blind!

Unwilling to cultivate this Heaven’s Dao!

Even more unwilling to tremblingly try to fathom Heaven’s Dao’s intentions at this moment, offering it a perfect answer while worrying whether she could gain its favor.

Even if billions upon billions of cultivators in this world would choose Heaven’s Dao, that had nothing to do with her!

What she wanted to walk was a path no one had ever walked before!

No one could know where this road would lead, no one knew whether this journey would be filled with thorns or infinite beauty—even Jian Chou herself, who made this choice, could not predict.

But wasn’t life exactly like this to be interesting?

There was only one me in heaven and earth, and I existed only in the present.

The present me was the best me.

A me who had never abandoned and was unwilling to abandon love and affection, a me who could not see through and was even more unwilling to see through, a me who did not follow Heaven’s Dao and was unwilling to be judged by Heaven’s Dao!

I could stand as Heaven’s friend, but would not kneel as Heaven’s slave!

I walk my Dao—what business is it of Heaven’s!

As Heaven’s Dao, it was the master of destiny for all cultivators in this world who practiced its path, but it had no qualifications whatsoever to judge her.

Only she herself could judge her.

At least at this time, at least at this moment!

Therefore, Jian Chou did not care what Heaven’s Dao’s reaction would be.

After raising her head to face it, to face herself, and declaring her “Dao,” she felt no unease, much less any anxiety. She simply continued gazing into the vortex’s depths, gazing at that possibly existing Heaven’s Dao, and smiled gently.

Then, using a voice almost only she could hear, she murmured softly—

“Congratulations, you now have a companion.”

“Rumble…”

In that instant, from the depths of the rotating vortex came a burst of vague and terrifying thunder. Endless black lightning shuttled through the majestic purple clouds, flashing with infinite violent power!

The entire Chanzong trembled; the entire Western Sea surged!

Countless monks changed color in terror; dozens of great cultivators sighed as one.

Seeing that catastrophic disaster was about to arrive, everyone believed Heaven’s Dao had been angered by Jian Chou, and this world-shocking, unprecedented Heart-Questioning Dao Tribulation would end with the fall of this foremost among Yashan’s new generation.

Even Monk Yichen of Chanzong, whose thoughts had always been most clear, showed hints of regret in his eyes…

Though Jian Chou’s previous counterattack against Heaven’s Dao had amazed and shocked everyone, seeing the current dao tribulation’s momentum, who still dared believe she could emerge unscathed?!

Perhaps…

Except for Jian Chou herself.

Her posture, compared to when she had dealt with the tribulation lightning earlier, showed no change—even her facial expression showed no great difference.

Others were already holding their breath for her safety, worried she would fall to dao tribulation at the next moment.

Yet she seemed completely unaware of her situation, even directly turning around from mid-air, actually descending toward the Thousand Buddha Hall!

This, this!

Had she gone mad?

Or had she already known her heart-questioning had failed and simply given up even resistance?!

Countless monks witnessing this scene were stunned speechless!

Yichen and Wugou, who had been standing at the Thousand Buddha Hall entrance, showed rarely seen expressions of disbelief.

Among them, Abbot Wugou even glanced with some wariness at the massive, heart-stopping vortex above, as if worried this dao tribulation might randomly crash down, damaging Chanzong’s temples and injuring Chanzong disciples.

Only Xie Buchen.

His gaze lingered on that dao tribulation vortex for a long time before returning to Jian Chou, his eyes faintly revealing some complexity.

If he hadn’t heard wrong, that sentence she just spoke…

Cultivation level didn’t represent everything.

Yichen and Wugou, and it could even be said all the other great cultivators silently observing this tribulation at this moment, none understood Jian Chou as well as he did!

This was neither any heart-questioning failure, much less any abandonment of resistance!

At this moment, Jian Chou clearly didn’t care!

She carried an enviable vigorous confidence, as if what she believed would happen, as if what she determined could be achieved!

Certain, therefore brilliant.

In the blink of an eye, her figure like a cloud crane had already descended, reaching before the hall.

Thus finally seeing clearly, finally realizing what he had overlooked, Monk Yichen finally drew a sharp breath!

Even with his realm and cultivation, he couldn’t control his current shock!

Cultivation!

Jian Chou’s cultivation!

Was no longer the previous Worldly Immersion Peak, but early-stage Void Refining, enough to qualify for being called a “great cultivator”!

This, this…

Exactly when had this happened?

And exactly how had she accomplished it?

Moreover, when cultivators broke through to Void Refining, even without tribulation lightning, the breakthrough should still trigger changes in heaven and earth’s qi, producing corresponding phenomena!

Yet Jian Chou’s realm had advanced, but there were no phenomena at all!

Monk Yichen felt that everything happening today exceeded his understanding and surpassed all explainable common sense, reaching a level he completely couldn’t comprehend.

Watching Jian Chou approach step by step, both his eyelids began twitching!

He couldn’t help but direct his gaze behind her, to where the dao tribulation vortex above Chanzong was located…

The dark vortex had originally been filled with lightning, giving the feeling it would destroy heaven and earth at any moment.

But at this moment, after Jian Chou had turned and left, those flashing lightning bolts all transformed like dragons becoming snakes, swimming up and down before finally drilling back into the cloud layers!

Then the vortex reversed.

The cloud layers that had originally been gathered to the sky’s center by its rotational force all followed its reversal, gradually stretching and scattering back to their original positions.

That heart-trembling deep purple also rapidly lightened.

Layer by layer, gradually dispersing; layer by layer, gradually disappearing.

In just three to five breaths, the tribulation clouds in the sky had completely scattered.

The vortex that had seemed about to deliver punishment to annihilate Jian Chou also completely vanished in the firmament. Once the vortex disappeared, it was like closing a door, isolating the entire Nineteen Regions from the outside world, from Heaven’s Dao.

A gentle breeze blew, white clouds drifted, moving with the wind. The morning sun that had risen not long ago also emerged, once again casting its radiance over the great land of the Nineteen Regions.

Warm feelings replaced the coldness that had been covered by dao tribulation’s shadow.

Yet all the cultivators illuminated by this sunlight, all the cultivators who had witnessed everything, felt they were still in a dark, heavy illusion!

How was this possible…

Dao tribulation—this was dao tribulation!

It had just dispersed so easily?

Moreover, when a cultivator finally broke through to Void Refining, there were no heaven and earth phenomena?

Whether the two high monks under the Thousand Buddha Hall’s eaves, the other monks within Chanzong, or the great cultivators far away throughout the Nineteen Regions, all had the same bewilderment and incomprehension in their minds…

At this moment, they gazed at Jian Chou standing before the hall, having clearly reached Void Refining, as if gazing at an enormous mystery, yet completely unable to glimpse any secrets from her faint smile.

Until many, many years later…

When they heard legends from the Upper Void Immortal Realm and recalled today’s scenes, they vaguely understood what they had witnessed.

Later historians called this day “Human Dao Origin Day.”

Zhilin Sou recorded in “Ancient God Supplementation Chronicles: Biography of Dazun Jian Chou”:

Questioning the heart and returning to the void, taking oneself as the Dao, thus Human Dao was born. From this point spanning the universe, crossing primordial chaos, opening a new era of Human Dao. We cultivators can stand equal to Heaven’s Dao, as friends not as slaves!