Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 533 The Choice Between Life and Death
Xiao Jie was shocked, his mind racing! The purpose of the demon refiner in luring so many powerful demons here was now obvious—to refine their demon cores and extract their essence and spiritual energy! It's just that the name "Nine-Turn Ascension Pill" sounds mysterious, but the ending is still the same: to be eaten!

The best course of action right now is to flee!

Clearly, he wasn't the only one with this idea.

"Roar—! Brothers, we've been tricked! Charge together and break out!" A burly tiger demon, transformed from a striped tiger, roared fiercely, its voice shaking the surrounding area.

A wolf-headed, human-bodied demon beside him approached Xiao Jie urgently and whispered, "Captain Suifeng! Let bygones be bygones. Only by joining forces today can we have a chance of survival!"

Niu Dali, however, exhaled two thick plumes of white breath from his nostrils and roared like thunder, "Run for hell! Kill this old swindler first and have him as a snack! How dare he mock your grandpa Niu—moo—!" Before his roar had even faded, his body suddenly swelled up! Thick black fur covered his entire body, and his muscles bulged like rocks, instantly transforming him into a ferocious giant bull that was three meters tall and nearly five meters long!
"Brothers, follow me!" He pawed the ground with all four hooves, kicking up dust, and charged towards Qixiazi on the lotus platform like an out-of-control chariot!

Faced with this thunderous charge, Qixiazi showed no surprise, even a hint of mockery. A Yellow Turban warrior had already blocked the giant bull's path—it was the very same one Xiao Jie remembered as the one who had uttered the phrase "I wish to become an immortal!"

"Dharma Body Golden Form!" the strongman shouted, and golden light suddenly erupted from his body, his majestic divine power like that of a god descending to earth! His body seemed to have swelled up!
Boom——! ! !
The giant bull slammed solidly into the strongman, who was protected by golden light! The strongman was forced back several steps, and the rocks beneath his feet cracked! But he actually withstood this terrifying impact! Even more astonishingly, the muscles in his arms bulged like dragons, and his two golden hands gripped the bull's horns, which were as thick as beams!
"Kneel down!" the strongman roared, his arms bursting with earth-shattering force as he slammed down!
"Moo—!" The bull, Dali, was filled with shock and rage. Its massive body was forcefully pressed down, its front hooves sinking to the ground! It struggled frantically, trying to overturn and subdue the bull. But the strongman showed no mercy, his enormous golden fists striking left and right with devastating force. Bang! Bang! Two heavy hooks slammed into the bull's head, making the giant bull see stars and feel dizzy!
Immediately afterwards, the strongman delivered a powerful uppercut from below, slamming it into Niu Dali's jaw!
"Agh—!" With a miserable howl, Niu Dali's enormous demonic body instantly shrank, transforming back into human form and flying backward!

"Demon-Capturing Hand!" The strongman reached out with his large hand, and a giant golden palm grabbed out from the air, accurately pulling the flying Niu Dali back! He then swept Niu Dali up around the waist and leaped into the air! In mid-air, he exerted force with both arms, slamming Niu Dali headfirst onto the hard ground, like throwing a discus!

"boom--!!!"

Rock fragments flew everywhere! Niu Dali's entire head and upper body were almost smashed into the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, his body convulsing, and he was completely incapacitated.

"Hiss—!" All the demons gasped in shock! Niu Dali was definitely one of the top fighters among them, yet he was crippled in a single exchange! The opponent's thorough preparation and overwhelming strength far exceeded their expectations!
"Alright, you furry, horned, and egg-born beasts!" Qixiazi's icy voice carried a haughty contempt. "Will you surrender and suffer less physical pain, or will I have to put in some effort?"

"Run!" someone shouted, and the scene instantly erupted into chaos! The demons displayed their various abilities: some, enraged, used their demonic powers and brute force to charge straight at Qixiazi, intending to capture the leader; while most scattered and fled! Especially those who could fly, instantly transforming into their true forms—an iron-feathered eagle spreading its wings as if to fight the sky, a bloodthirsty bat demon that transformed into black mist and shrieked, and a ghost-faced owl whose flapping wings stirred up a bloody wind! They soared into the sky, attempting to escape through the air.

However, with several muffled thuds, the flying demonic birds were bounced back as if they had crashed into an invisible iron wall! No matter how they attacked and tore at it, the invisible barrier covering the entire mountaintop remained completely unmoved!
Xiao Jie also chose to break through. His movements were like a ghost; taking advantage of the fact that several fierce demons were drawing the enemy's fire, he darted like lightning into the gap between the two Yellow Turban warriors!

"Thump!" He crashed headlong into the invisible barrier! He quickly looked up and saw that at each of the four corners of the encirclement, a Yellow Turban warrior stood like a rock, holding a mysterious bronze array flag. The flags moved without wind, radiating energy fluctuations that maintained the barrier. The entire formation was based on these four array flags! They covered the mountaintop perfectly, leaving not a single gap.

Xiao Jie inwardly cried out in despair.

"Ah—!" Screams of agony rang out one after another! The encirclement formed by the Yellow Turban Warriors had closed in, like a cold meat grinder beginning to crush them inward! Their steps were perfectly synchronized, and the heavy golden hammers and giant axes in their hands brought arcs of death in their wake, slashing and smashing, forming a wall of death that was as solid as bronze and as impenetrable as water! Behind them, a dozen or so Daoist disciples coordinated perfectly, their fingertips conjuring talismans, unleashing blinding bolts of lightning, blazing fireballs, and ice spikes! No matter how cunning their sorcery or how strong their physical bodies, they could hardly withstand the barrage of spells, suffering either death or serious injury!

Although the monsters were ferocious, they fought individually without any strategy. When they encountered this well-coordinated, integrated offensive and defensive formation, they were utterly crushed!
Bilinjun spewed out a large patch of pale green poisonous mist, while the Yellow Turban Warrior was surrounded by golden light, making him immune to all poisons! The Taoist boy behind him immediately used the "Summoning Wind Technique," and a gale swept the poisonous mist back, causing several monsters to collapse on the ground, their bodies covered in festering sores.

A porcupine spirit roared and shot out a barrage of steel needles from its mane, which struck the golden armor of the Yellow Turban Warrior, only causing sparks to fly before being deflected.

A dragon spirit attempted to summon a water flow to impact the water, but several Daoist disciples joined forces to use a "dispelling spell," instantly disintegrating and dispersing the water flow that had not yet taken shape!
Xiao Jie was frantic with worry: A bunch of idiots! The array flags! Destroy the array flags! He cried out in his heart, but no sound came out. The monsters were so focused on fighting the impenetrable wall of bronze that they were repeatedly injured and captured, and not one of them discovered the weak point of the great array!
There was no time to wait! A fierce glint flashed in Xiao Jie's eyes, and his treasured sword was drawn! He transformed into a whirlwind, lunging towards the nearest flag-bearer! The sword light coalesced, its ultimate technique about to be unleashed!

"Boom!" A bolt of purple lightning as thick as a bowl struck down without warning, hitting Xiao Jie squarely on the head!
Ugh! Xiao Jie trembled violently, as if he were being pierced by a thousand needles, his body instantly paralyzed from head to toe! He only managed to withstand it thanks to his powerful internal energy and the strength of his bones tempered by demonic power, but the condensed sword momentum was also abruptly broken!
He gathered his inner strength again, but the second and third bolts of lightning followed closely behind!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Xiao Jie was struck by several bolts of lightning. He felt excruciating pain all over his body, and his vision went black. He spat out a mouthful of blood and then his consciousness completely sank into darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Jie awoke with difficulty to the pungent smell of sulfur and a burning sensation. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying on a cold, hard ground, his body bound by ropes emitting a faint golden light, densely covered with cinnabar-drawn talismans. He secretly tried to channel his inner strength and demonic power, but it was like throwing stones into the sea; his dantian and demonic core were firmly locked by a powerful restrictive force!

Looking up, he saw that all around him lay countless powerful demons and demon kings, sharing the same fate, their auras weak and their eyes filled with despair. This was the interior of the magnificent stone palace from before, but now there was no longer any trace of "fate to immortality," only the pitiful state of a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

In the center of the main hall stood a colossal cauldron that sent shivers down one's spine! It was five zhang tall and six or seven zhang wide, its entire body cast from an unknown, dark metal, its surface engraved with countless twisted and writhing runes. Below the cauldron, seven Daoist disciples stood in a circle, intently chanting incantations. Some ignited earth fire, others summoned fierce winds; surging, five-colored flames licked at the cauldron's walls, turning the entire cauldron a brilliant red-hot, radiating terrifying heat and distorting the surrounding air. Five-colored smoke rose wisps from the cracks in the lid, carrying a strange, nauseatingly sweet fragrance.

The "True Man" of Qixia sat upright on a lotus platform to the side, his eyes slightly narrowed, observing the heat of the cauldron as if admiring a work of art. Meanwhile, attendants continuously added various rare and precious materials, and with each addition, the smoke from the cauldron grew thicker.

"Good, good, good! Just the right amount of heat!" Qixiazi clapped his hands and laughed, his voice filled with greed and impatience. "The Hunyuan Cauldron is open, the heat is just right, it's the perfect time to refine the demon! Disciples, quickly put these 'main ingredients' into the furnace! Don't forget the 'auxiliary ingredients'."

"Master, rest assured! Your disciples will keep it in mind and make no mistakes!" A young disciple holding a sword replied respectfully, with a fawning smile on his face. "These fools from Canglin Prefecture are really easy to fool, bringing so many rare 'auxiliary materials' to our door, saving us countless troubles!"

Xiao Jie smiled bitterly to himself: It's not just stupid, it's practically home delivery, complete with its own seasoning!
"Hahaha!" Qixiazi burst into laughter. "They're not stupid, they're just greedy! Humans and demons, once desires cloud your minds, even if you know there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, you'll still deceive yourself and jump in! These worldly desires are the perfect catalyst to refine you!"

The first unconscious demon was easily picked up by a Yellow Turban Warrior and tossed into the crimson cauldron like trash. Then came the second, the third… Just as the fourth demon awoke, seeing the cauldron that resembled the entrance to hell and the scorching heat, it let out a heart-wrenching scream:
"Immortal Master! Immortal Master, please spare my life! I am willing to serve you like a cow or a horse, a slave or a maid! Please, spare my worthless life!"

"Spare you?" Qixiazi sneered, looking at him like an ant. "The 'Nine Revolutions Ascension Pill' I'm refining requires a massive amount of spiritual energy! Now that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is exhausted, where else can I get it if not from you naturally grown 'precious medicines'? Not a single one can be missing! Go ahead and rest assured, when I succeed, I will remember your 'merit'—and throw it away!"

The monster was mercilessly thrown into the sea of ​​fire amidst its desperate cries.

Xiao Jie felt his body lighten as he was lifted up by a Yellow Turban warrior. Knowing that struggling was futile, his survival instinct still made him twist and turn with all his might.

"Eh? Wait a minute!" Qixiazi suddenly raised his hand, signaling the strongman to stop. He stepped forward, his cloudy yet gleaming eyes carefully examining Xiao Jie, a hint of "compassionate" doubt on his face: "Young brother, strange indeed! Although you are surrounded by demonic energy, your bones are clearly those of a pure human! Tell me, are you human or demon? Although I, Qixiazi, have taken such extraordinary measures in pursuit of immortality, I also know that Heaven cherishes life and would never harm innocent human lives. If you are truly human, I will spare your life."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jie's heart skipped a beat! A tremendous temptation and a fatal choice were suddenly laid out before him! His belief in the "illusion" of this world had already wavered, and Qi Xiazi's words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

If you speak up and admit you're human, perhaps you can live! If this world is real, this is your only chance! Even if this world is fake, remaining silent and being thrown into the furnace will inevitably lead to mission failure...

But what if opening your mouth turns out to be a trap? Wouldn't decades of perseverance be in vain?
He was torn between his inner turmoil and his lips moved, but ultimately no sound came out.

"Heh, unwilling to explain?" Qixiazi's "compassion" instantly turned cold. "Bai Ze, Deidara! Since he's so stubborn, then send him down!"

"Yes, Master!" Two young disciples responded and stepped forward.

Bai Ze—Deidara! Xiao Jie was shocked! What a strange name! He looked around at the other disciples—several familiar faces came into view! They were his teammates who had long been "dead" in his memory!

His body was suddenly lifted up, suspended above the scorching hot furnace. The cold, metallic face of the yellow-turbaned warrior was inches away, yet strangely familiar—yes, it was the one from "I Want to Become an Immortal"...

The memories that had long been blurred in his mind were awakened again. The fierce battle with the True Man of the Mortal World and the scene of his teammates dying one by one in front of him reappeared before his eyes.

Yes, it's all fake. The real world is waiting for me on the other side. I must not speak. I must fight for even the slightest chance.

It was not only for himself, but also for his comrades who sacrificed themselves for him.

"Last chance. Are you human or demon?" Qixiazi's voice was as cold as ice.

Xiao Jie closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the scorching air, and all his hesitation and fear instantly settled, turning into a resolute determination as solid as a rock! He suddenly opened his eyes, no longer looking at Qixiazi, but staring intently at the familiar yet unfamiliar face of the Yellow Turban Warrior, his eyes no longer showing any confusion!
Don't worry, brothers, I will persevere, complete the test, and revive you!
Seeing this, Qixiazi lost all patience and waved his hand: "Throw it away!"

Xiao Jie's body arced through the air and plunged into the all-consuming crimson maw of fire!

Immediately afterwards, one monster after another was thrown in.

(End of this chapter)