Eye of Destiny

To describe it as seeing was not actually accurate.

What the Eye of Destiny brought was an entirely new sense independent of the five senses.

Like a snake's heat sensing or a bat's ultrasonic perception. Humans without the corresponding organs could only draw the world they imagined those creatures perceived and then look at it with their eyes; they could never truly experience their world.

The world within the Eye of Destiny was filled with mist and threads that were sometimes solid, sometimes illusory.

Wang Rui instinctively understood that the different mists belonged to the fortune of different individuals, while the threads were the threads of fate connecting different individuals. Every solid thread represented a karmic bond, while unformed threads represented an individual's future possibilities.

These threads intertwined with the mist, outlining the shapes of objects. That barely counted as being able to see things.

Different threads and mists carried different colors, turning the world before him, made of threads and mist, into a dazzling tapestry.

No. Wang Rui shook his head. The Eye of Destiny was not a real eye. It could not perceive light, so naturally it had no color vision.

His retinas had not been exposed to light, and his optic nerves had not actually received any signals, yet his brain produced synesthesia, arbitrarily distinguishing those ethereal, mist-like energies belonging to different sources with different colors.

This was the so-called "synesthetic effect"—when the brain linked different senses together.

Just as people naturally felt warmth when they saw red and cold when they saw blue, or how someone who had drunk too much cough syrup would think of the pink color of medicine when they tasted strawberries. It was not a color truly seen.

Wang Rui cautiously observed his surroundings through the Eye of Destiny. He could still feel that spine-chilling sense of danger, yet he could not find its source.

The surrounding mist and lines outlined trees and small animals. Since the Eye of Destiny did not observe matter, obstacles naturally could not block its sight.

He could directly see the massive soul beasts standing guard nearby. The fortune around them was incomparably solid and powerful, but they were allies, not the source of the danger.

Looking down... Wang Rui could feel his little paws stepping on the moist humus of the forest floor, yet he could not see the ground.

Through the Eye of Destiny, he seemed to be suspended in midair. Below him were plant roots and animals living beneath the ground. Further down was a beautiful river-like band of light, merging with countless tributaries and stretching into infinity.

Further down, in even deeper places... there was a massive object. The moment Wang Rui tried to examine it closely, a sharp ache came from the Eye of Destiny between his brows.

He immediately looked away. Somewhere deep inside, Wang Rui knew that thing was not something his current cultivation could investigate closely. If he had not opened the Eye of Destiny the moment he was born, he would not have been able to see it at all.

Hazy luminous mist surged up from the earth's core, concealing the river of light underground and the colossal thing beneath it.

He raised his head and looked toward the sky again.

Compared to underground, the sky above was much cleaner once his gaze passed beyond the threads outlining the canopy and flying birds.

There was only something voidlike and ominous, like a crack, running through the center of the sky.

What was that? Wang Rui stared fixedly at the rift in the sky.

He carefully recalled the memories Miss Jin Ni had passed on to him.

What Miss Jin Ni saw through the Eye of Destiny was not exactly the same as what Wang Rui saw.

Perhaps it was because their souls came from different places and their understanding of the Power of Destiny differed. Or perhaps it was because Wang Rui was not a pure, newly born soul like Miss Jin Ni, but possessed his own consciousness. It might also have been because Wang Rui had completely observed the process by which heaven and earth created the Imperial Auspicious Beast...

In any case, the world he saw through the Eye of Destiny was more complex than what Miss Jin Ni had seen... and contained some additional things.

Such as the crack in the sky.

Anything abnormal represented the unknown, and the unknown was linked to danger.

Wang Rui stared at that rift as though he were facing his most terrifying enemy.

What was behind the rift? How would the danger descend? Was there any way to hide?

The sense of crisis grew heavier and heavier. Wang Rui's still exceedingly immature heart began pounding wildly in his chest. Just as his entire cat body tensed to its limit—

The rift in the sky slowly opened.

It was a terrifying, enormous eye that spanned the entire sky. Black, white, and red halos flowed across its iris, while vague and hazy images could faintly be seen flickering alternately within its pupil—

A pure white heart, a pitch-black scale, and a blood-colored greatsword.

A pillar of light shot out from the giant eye's pupil and slowly swept across the earth.

Absolutely! Absolutely! I can't let that eye see me!!

What should he do? Dig a hole? Wang Rui's body tightened as his mind raced. No, there was no time, and an ordinary hole would most likely be useless.

Then what could block that gaze?

Block it... block it!

The eggshell! Wasn't the eggshell meant to block danger?

Even after hatching from the egg, the shell still counted as part of a hatchling. Every oviparous soul beast knew how to make the greatest possible use of it.

Following his instincts, Wang Rui raised his head and let out a childish shriek.

The eggshell, shimmering with multicolored halos, floated into the air before exploding into fine golden dust. It drifted down onto the young beast, forming a layer of golden light over his body.

Then he lay flat on the ground, nervously waiting for that searchlight-like beam of sight to sweep over him.

When heaven and earth created the Auspicious Beast, the eggshell had been formed as protection to prevent the aura of the Auspicious Beast embryo from leaking out. It possessed powerful concealment and protective effects.

This seemingly simple protection ultimately worked.

That gaze passed over Wang Rui twice, yet detected nothing.

After an unknown amount of time, the enormous eye in the sky finally closed.

The sense of crisis faded. Wang Rui let out a long breath, and the Eye of Destiny between his brows closed wearily as well.

Although the Imperial Auspicious Beast was born able to observe fate, keeping the Eye of Destiny open for so long was still an enormous drain on a hatchling that had only just emerged from its shell.

He tried to stand, but his four legs were limp as noodles, without even a trace of strength.

After crawling out of the egg, he had not had time to properly clean the mucus clinging to his body. It had mostly dried now, matting his fur into clumps and making him terribly uncomfortable.

...I really want a bath... but I'm a lion now... Wang Rui thought groggily. Shouldn't cats lick their own fur... forget it, I'm too tired...

Without the Eye of Destiny's vision, all Wang Rui could see before him were hazy, blurred patches of light and shadow. Thus, he failed to notice that the massive Fierce Beasts had already gathered around him, staring straight at this little kitty.

Half asleep and half awake, Wang Rui felt as though someone had grabbed him by the scruff of fate...

Forget it, it did not matter. Di Tian would not let the Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest be taken away.

So Wang Rui tilted his little head on the spot and went to sleep without a care in the world.