Fate

Return to another world.

The scorching air rushed towards him, and as soon as Kang De's feet touched the ground, he felt a thunderous tremor.

What happened?

"Shortly after you left, things started to turmoil here."

Lily replied, "The entire underground world is changing, as if something has come to life. This is a disturbing phenomenon... I think I should inform you immediately."

She looked at Kang De, sizing him up. "Is it resolved?"

Kang De nodded. "Excessive solution."

As the environment grew increasingly intense, the Fire Thief's spiritual awareness expanded. He could feel the surging power beneath his feet, and an unimaginable torrent of energy was gradually shifting from stillness to activation.

The original plan was to quickly pursue Cuixisi and kill her decisively before the Aberrant Dragon could complete its plan, but they were thwarted by Wei'insi and discovered a very important situation, which delayed them a little.

Surprisingly, Cuixisi completed her sixth sacrifice in such a short time.

Kang De took a deep breath, casting aside his slight regret. Life is unpredictable and impermanent; once a choice is made, one must bear the risks, and there is nothing to regret.

If he were to do it again, he would waste the same amount of time on the same thing.

Lily asked, "Shall we go after them?"

Kang De nodded. "Go after them."

Just as A Xing and Lily were about to set off, Kang De said, "Wait."

They both looked at Kang De.

"In a critical moment—I mean a truly critical moment, the most critical moment," Kang De said, "Don't hesitate. Unleash the mysterious energy stored within the armor with all your might, absorb it into your body, and even consider using the surrounding untreated natural substances..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Leave the rest to me... trust me."

There was no time left to search for slave-catching teams or other death row inmates for time-travel experiments.

Clearly, Cuixisi is on the verge of success. The longer Lily and A Xing remain here, the greater the danger, because in the eyes of the Aberrant Dragon, Lily is the seventh sacrifice.

That's damn good.

Lily paused for a moment, then rolled her eyes and said, "Do you need to tell me?"

If it really comes to that, she will definitely do everything in her power to save herself, okay?

"Then let's go for it."

As always, A Xing sensed the location of the sixth crystal pillar.

The ground trembled, and rubble continued to fall from the dome. Scorching air currents rose high, and chaotic elemental phenomena distorted the air. This deeper region was now devoid of plants and animals. The surviving luminous plants shone with a dark red color, exhaling a poisonous aura, and their light grew ever stronger.

They were jumping for joy.

The sixth crystal pillar has already broken.

A Xing and Lily cautiously surveyed their surroundings, finding no trace of Cuixisi. Having sacrificed Luzi's life essence and obtained the sealed power within the crystal pillar, Trissis should be waiting here for the group's arrival, as he needed to sacrifice Lily as the seventh offering.

But he wasn't there.

Were they hiding in the shadows preparing to launch a sneak attack, or did they go somewhere else?

Kang De observed his surroundings with his Phoenix Eyes but did not detect any corrupting aura from the Aberrant Dragon. He nodded to Lily and A Xing, and they nodded back, showing that they still had this tacit understanding.

The Dragon Girl and the A Xing stood back to back, raising their gauntlets and Warhammer, watching Kang De's every move. Protected by their battle armor, the Fire Thief stepped forward, approaching the shattered crystal pillar.

These enormous crystal pillars are monsters formed from the sacrifices of ancient people. After devouring countless Void Spirit, they crystallized and eventually took this form.

Near each crystal pillar, Kang De could always evoke Space-Time Flashback, as if the will of the ancients transcended time and space, resonating with Kang De's spirit and telling him about the past.

But Kang De did not know why they were fighting, nor why they had come.

All we know is that they accepted the devil's gift, and for it they fought, suffered, and sacrificed.

A rift in time is quietly emerging.

He entered the realm of anxiety.

The scene before him suddenly changed; the dark underground world was filled with light. Before him stood a huge, complete crystal pillar. Kang De witnessed the crystallization of the corrupted and distorted monster. Its swaying tentacles and eyeballs gradually faded, and its rotting and proliferating flesh transformed into clear and pure crystals. Evil became purity, and ugliness became beauty. The brilliant crystal pillar rose from the ground, shimmering with dreamlike and beautiful light and shadow.

The Black Beast surging in from all directions were still endless. They harbored great hatred and hostility towards the crystal pillar, launching attacks, ramming, spraying, and tearing at it.

Then, a light appeared.

A bright halo erupted from the crystal pillar, and the intense light filled the entire world. Kang De heard the painful and angry roars of the Black Beast. In the brilliant light and shadow, he could barely see the vortex of light sweeping everything away, breaking down, tearing apart, and absorbing the Black Beast, turning them into an endless stream of pure, surging energy, which was then drawn into the crystal pillar and continuously poured into the infinitely extending roots underground.

Injected into an unknown region.

A blinding light, a violent vibration, a deafening roar—it was as if time and space themselves were being shaken.

In the intense light, Kang De seemed to see a figure who, after bidding farewell to her last six comrades, walked calmly, sadly, and with a sense of relief towards her end.

That was the last ancient person.

A lone traveler carrying a flag.

Time and space reversed, light and shadow shifted before his eyes, and Kang De's vision returned to the present world.

The ancient scenes he had seen earlier had filled him with endless imagination, but now that he had found traces of Cuixisi, Kang De's mind raced as he recalled the scenes from the Space-Time Flashback.

Bright light, vibration, and...

Link.

Kang De shouted, "Horus! Our map and our location!"

With palms facing up, the palm armor opened, and light burst forth in a dazzling display. Countless light particles projected out the terrain along the way, showing every cave, corner, passage, and slope.

And the location of each crystal.

"Hexagon!"

The image was transformed from a 3D view to a top-down view.

The six locations of the lens are interconnected.

Or rather...

The lines are outlined with shimmering light.

"A six-pointed star."

The central intersection shone with brilliant light.

Kang De looked at A Xing: "A Xing, can you sense the location of the last crystal pillar?"

A Xing suddenly came to her senses, and a painful paleness appeared on her face. Her eyes revealed a subconscious fear and resistance that she herself did not notice.

She murmured, "No... I..."

The next moment, Kang De changed drastically.

A Xing and Lily also realized what was happening at the same time. They looked down at their feet and, with their powerful spiritual energy and senses, they detected the surging and violent changes deeper underground.

The rumbling noise from underground suddenly intensified tenfold.

It was as if long-accumulated substances were about to burst forth.

The Fire Thief shouted, "Get out of the way!"

The jetpack roared and spewed flames. Kang De grabbed Lily with one hand and A Xing with the other. The powerful impact of the vector nozzle propelled the three of them into the distance. Dragon Girl, in mid-air, exchanged a glance with A Xing, then swung her away, sending Kang De flying even further. Using the recoil, she pushed off with her feet and roared after him.

Kang De, mid-air, adjusted his position and looked behind him.

The next moment, the remaining lower half of the shattered crystal pillar exploded with a deafening roar.

Kang De's pupils contracted.

Because pure purple liquid gushed out from the crack in the crystal pillar.

Shiny, bright, and eerie.

Beautiful, alluring, and terrifying.

It was a highly pure, liquid, mysterious element.

He thought of the testimonies of the Aberrant Dragon.

The River of Origin.

Cuixisi longed to raise it to the surface of the earth via the Spirit River.

The liquid, containing terrifying power, gushed out like a fountain under immense pressure, splashing in all directions, flowing endlessly and wantonly.

An eerie purple hue filled the air, and stones and crystals stained with droplets of the Spirit River melted into a semi-solidified liquid, merging into the purple spring. Following this flow, everything dissolved.

The solid stone walls are collapsing and crumbling, forming underground structures that have existed for countless years. These structures are constantly melting away, and the temperature is rising. The bright CD player dispels the darkness and illuminates everything in the underground world.

Lily transformed into a giant dragon, A Xing grabbed her horns. Kang De hovered in the air as they watched everything unfold. In the blink of an eye, the dark and deep world burst into light. The surrounding strange stone walls, veins, crystals, and caves were swept up and dissolved by the wildly flowing purple fountain. A series of collapses, disintegrations, and changes unfolded rapidly, with large chunks of rock constantly falling, shattering, and disappearing.

Then, the earth cracked open.

Then, the mountains disappeared.

The slope was submerged, the stone bridge collapsed with a roar, the stone pillars broke, and the cliffs crumbled. Only the flowing purple rush came, the spiritual river of origin gushing from six places and flowing back from six places, finally converging into flowing purity, cascading down, turning and rushing, shining in the underground world.

The bizarre terrain, the low and varied depressions, the holes, the tunnels, the slopes, the piers, the clusters of red crystals, the veins of extremely pure metal ore—all of this...

It was just a dried-up riverbed.

Now, the flood season has arrived.

Kang De and others witnessed all of this silently.

Witnessing the dark world filled with dazzling purple, watching the purple river containing immense and unparalleled energy rise from nothing, gather and ascend, and finally transform into a rushing river that flows through the world, its depths unknown, its source unknown, and its size unknown. But even those corrupted Aberrant Dragon, with their massive amounts of mysterious elements filling their bodies, are nothing more than tiny drops of water compared to this river.

So beautiful, so sacred, so magnificent!

Joyful praises resounded throughout the void.

The Purple River flowed, melting and swallowing everything, except for a small platform that stood like an isolated island in the middle of the river. A twisted and enormous grotesque dragon beast dwelled there, its grotesque appearance and deformity forming a stark contrast with the surrounding flowing, brilliant purple river.

The hideous and deformed monsters were devoutly worshipping and praising the sacred name.

Its hundreds of eyes all looked at the silver dragon hovering in the air.

And the humans around her.

"Just as I said, Lily, all of this is the will of the Dragon God. You will eventually come here, just as this sacred river will eventually rise into the sky, spreading Akatum's blessings throughout the world."

The monster's deep laughter sprayed purple scum. Its tentacles, severed by the Phase Gate, had regenerated, and it had grown four wings. Bone spikes stretched across its wings, which were covered with purple spores. Countless tentacles plunged into the purple river without hesitation, drawing upon its immense power and nutrients.

Its body swelled even larger, filled with mysterious energy, and new eyes kept opening, new tentacles kept extending, and Cuixisi let out a joyful cry.

"Ah, more, more..."

He was panting, excited, eager, and expectant.

"My body can no longer hold any more... It needs its final ascension, its final sacrifice."

"Lily, you are the final sacrifice."

"Do you see this great holiness? Do you see this magnificent undertaking and mission? Do you feel the oracle of the Dragon God? The sacrifice of the last dragon, then greatness will be handed over to greatness, and the sacred legacy will complete the cycle of reincarnation—this is the oracle! This is the voice I heard!"

Six purple wings, resembling those of a plague demon, suddenly unfurled, their bone spikes vibrating and piercing the air.

You can't imagine what I saw!

Perhaps the grand plan was nearing completion, or perhaps Cuixisi had gone mad; it too yearned to speak, to be recognized, and to share this supreme joy with others.

The mutated monster soared into the air, its tentacles waving, its swollen head roaring with laughter.

"I witnessed a devout sacrifice!"

"I witnessed a fearless blood sacrifice!"

"The most faithful believers received revelation and sowed seeds here with their blood and death. I have come here after witnessing their sacrifices and listening to the guidance of God!"

"It was Akatum! The Dragon God let me witness all of this, let me know my mission. These brave believers made enormous sacrifices, and the seeds they sowed took root and sprouted after countless years. They followed the will of the gods, endured countless trials and sacrifices, and finally succeeded. How inspiring! How magnificent! It was all destined! Destined! Destined!"

"I am destined to be Akatum's chosen one! I am destined to receive his blessings, to receive the gifts of the ancients, and to accomplish a great undertaking, to usher in a new era of glory for the dragons! Today is the day!"

"So Lily! Rebel! Fight! And then I will inflict upon you utter defeat! And then I will grant you the most glorious promotion! In the end, you will understand—"

A terrifying monster stirs up the winds and clouds, creating a net that can trap you from all sides.

Fate is irresistible and unchangeable; everything was predetermined!

The air vibrated violently.

However, they will eventually understand that fate is irresistible and unchangeable; everything was already predetermined.

Familiar words.

That was a voice etched into my mind, one I would never forget.

Kang De's expression changed drastically, and his mind was violently shaken.

Then, he roared almost hoarsely, "Kill it!"

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PS1: Update... I think I've been sleeping on my left hand for the past couple of days. My arm was sore and numb yesterday, but it's a little better today. My fingers are starting to hurt again, and typing is so tiring.