What It Ultimately Represented Was Nothing but Fate (Five Thousand Words)

Black Gate City had already reached its limit when only three Mysterious Guidepost were used on the Lost Island.

But now, Xiao Xiao directly used his spiritual imprint to summon twelve items.

No matter how you look at it, he seems to be courting death. The only difference is that he looks incredibly cool as he does so, summoning the most powerful weapon in the world to end his life.

That perfectly matches the image he has in everyone's mind...

But is that really the case?

Yang Jia stood atop the flesh-and-blood Black Gate City, watching the various objects rising into the air in front of Xiao Xiao, and the strange spiritual power that erupted as they intertwined and collided. To the strangers, this was like the most dazzling and spectacular fireworks.

Xiao Xiao stood beneath the fireworks.

She didn't understand what that guy was doing either; it seemed like he was at a loss for what to do.

But it also seems that all of this was part of his plan.

Yang Jia didn't know what the ending would be. She knew that this guy usually seemed rational and steady, as if he thought about everything more than others, but in fact he was a gambling addict.

The more outrageous the outcome he wants, the bigger the gamble will be.

Now that he has just created the biggest spectacle in the world, what is he betting on?

The members of the Hell Organization also felt somewhat unconvinced.

At this moment, the leader of the Hell Organization was so shocked that he stood up, staring intently at Xiao Xiao's back.

"That's a madman!"

He was quite certain of this, because like attracts like.

But because they were the same kind, he always understood that the behavior and logic of madmen were indeed difficult to comprehend, and they often ended up self-destructing.

But even madmen often have something they are very determined to want.

It's simply because they know that the world won't understand what they're thinking, so they simply give up and don't want to talk about it, letting others see what they want to see.

To insist on wanting what's in your heart, without telling the world, and without compromising—that's the greatest madness.

In contrast, the Dante Organization, through technical analysis, vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

They had been paying close attention to the changes in Xiao Xiao's own spiritual power, and they also noticed the absurd spiritual energy field that the Black Gate City side was accumulating.

They could see that although Xiao Xiao took every step extremely dangerously, he was very methodical. Even some of the things that seemed uncertain were taken after careful consideration.

By this point, Dante Organization was quite certain of one thing:

He was waiting for the appearance of the twelve Mysterious Guidepost.

When others reach the Dominator Realm and have the Mysterious Guidepost of Betrayal as a help, they will realize that their personal influence has reached its peak.

Typically, people like this will try to engage in discussions with the world to determine their place.

But he wasn't like that. It seemed that from the moment he stepped into the Black Gate City level and received the help of the Mysterious Guidepost, he only did one thing: make sure what the power that could kill him was!

Without a doubt, at this level, only the Mysterious Guidepost could kill him.

Conversely, could we say that because only the Mysterious Guidepost could kill him, he deliberately attracted this world to kill him?

Is it all for the purpose of making the twelve Mysterious Guidepost appear?

"Immediately conduct a self-inspection. Our higher-ups need to determine whether this phenomenon will lead to a loss of control over the Mysterious Guidepost..."

On Lost Island, Xiao Xiao was equally astonished when he forcibly activated the remaining six Mysterious Guidepost using his identical mark to that of Patient Zero.

But they always seemed remarkably calm in this crazy world, immediately launching into discussion and self-examination. Surprisingly, they received a very definitive response from the relevant personnel:

"Won't."

"Control of the Mysterious Guidepost has always been the most crucial tool for us to upgrade this world."

"Therefore, we have always placed great importance on controlling the Mysterious Guidepost. Over the years, only the Compass of Fate has betrayed us, but that is because of the nature of the Command Compass, which is inherently unable to achieve 100% stability."

"Other road signs will not have this problem."

"Even if he has 100% of the mark, he couldn't do it, not even if that woman from hell came out of hell."

"..."

Such a resolute answer caused even the higher-ups on Lost Island to feel slightly puzzled:

"If that's the case, then where is he now?"

"..."

When faced with this question, the staff member only gave an awkward answer, "I don't know."

"Damn it, these enforcement personnel will have their salaries reduced when they come back!"

If that's really what the higher-ups on Lost Island are thinking, how can you say you don't know on the most crucial and tense issue?

At this moment, no one knew what Xiao Xiao was thinking. He simply used the only thing he had in common with that woman to forcibly activate the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost for her.

At the same moment the twelve Mysterious Guidepost activated, these most powerful and closest weapons to the source in the world began to exert their influence, affecting this spiritual ocean with their unique characteristics.

This power can instantly crush a person's spirit and will, except for Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao possessed the abilities of an insightful observer and the power of Mind Burst, so at this moment, he almost completely stopped time.

With the entire world almost completely at a standstill, his perception sharpened to its peak, allowing him to carefully sense the qualities represented by the six Mysterious Guidepost, bit by bit:

[Sequence 2 of the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost: Cradle of Birth]

[Level: None]

[Points redemption: None]

[Note: The world prepares a cradle for everyone at the moment of their birth. Some are golden, some are made of wood, and some are born without a cradle, thrown into a cold sewer. This cradle influences our entire lives, affecting our health, knowledge, perspective, and desires. Some live their whole lives in this cradle, some begin to rebel against it from a very young age, and some jump out of the cradle for many years, only to find themselves still inside it on their deathbed.]

Why did you tell me about the existence of this cradle?

If my background, genes, and even mindset are destined to be confined to a fixed pattern, then what is the true meaning of my existence?

The biggest prison in the world is the cradle, and the biggest curse is also the cradle. Perhaps it was when she was diagnosed with a family history of mental illness that she most wanted to give up on her fate?

[Ability: Imprisons all beings with spiritual power, never to be freed]

[The cost: No creature can escape the cradle on its own, but any other creature can rescue the trapped creature from the cradle.]

[...]

"It's like this?"

Even in his mental state of Mind Burst, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but feel a sense of awe the moment he sensed this Mysterious Guidepost.

How could there be something so powerful yet so useless?

It can imprison everything, and there is no escape from it, but it also has the most terrifying weakness: any external force can break it.

[Sequence 3 of the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost: The Blade-less Sword]

[Level: None]

[Points redemption: None]

[Note: Heaven leaves everyone a sword, and in our innocent childhood, the first thing we learn to do is pick up this sword. It helps us solve difficulties and overcome setbacks. Whether it's crying and fussing when we don't want our mothers to put us down, or refusing that disliked carrot in kindergarten, it's this sword that solves our problems. This sword will accompany us throughout our lives. For some, even in old age, the sword remains sharp; for others, though still young, the blade has already dulled to the point of being unable to cut anything.]

[Ability: None]

[Price: This is the most useless special item in the world, and it requires no price to pay.]

[...]

The function of this second Mysterious Guidepost also surprised Xiao Xiao, but he vaguely realized that it seemed to be the case all along.

He continued to be alert, not missing any opportunities.

Then he sensed the Bewildering Mirror, Sequence 6, among the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost, and saw the woman sitting in front of the mirror, with her reflection looking back at her.

The person in the mirror was interrogating her fiercely, forcing her to give answers to certain questions.

But she couldn't give it, so she was constantly tormented by the madness of her reflection in the mirror, interrogated, every moment, without end.

He sensed that Sequence 8 within the Mysterious Guidepost Coveted Black Box.

This is a terrifying weapon, even more terrifying than the Whispering Serpent, because it represents the woman's inner greed. Everyone possesses this box within their heart, wanting to fill it with everything we covet. Conscience, rules—none of that matters. I just want to put everything I want into my box, lock it, and hide it somewhere no one can know...

This is greed in human nature, and this woman also has it.

But her box was never opened, so it was never hidden away.

He also saw a Blue Princess Dress in the sunlight. That dress had the power to heal everything, because it represented the beautiful memories and virtues in this woman's heart. This beauty could encompass and heal everything.

But this dress has faded so much that it's almost invisible.

Finally, Xiao Xiao saw the Mysterious Guidepost of sequence number 12, Singing Key.

[Sequence 12 of the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost: The Singing Key]

[Level: None]

[Points redemption: None]

[Note: During the most nightmarish time of her life, she often stared at that key. It hung on the security guard's belt, always making a pleasant tinkling sound with his movements, as if singing an alluring lullaby.]

She also wondered if, by obtaining the key, she could escape this place of despair and suffering?

But she also knew that this key could only remain in her imagination; it couldn't be found in reality.

[Ability: Break free from all shackles and escape from the endless nightmare]

[The cost: You can't find this key in reality. When you look at it, it's there, clear, alluring, and it even sings, but when you try to touch it, you find it's just an illusion.]

[...]

[...]

"Whoosh!"

When Xiao Xiao opened his eyes, they were bloodshot.

At this moment, he unleashed the full power of his Mind Burst and pushed his keen insight to its limit, looking at these Mysterious Guidepost and trying to understand everything they represented.

He finally understood many things.

No wonder the Lost Island has absolute control over this world. No wonder Dante and the Hell Organization, Mingming controlling so many Mysterious Guidepost —even more than the Lost Island combined—could only think of escaping and avoiding collisions with Lost Island as much as possible.

That woman did indeed leave behind twelve Mysterious Guidepost, twelve of the most powerful and unique items.

But not every mysterious item is useful to this world.

It is like a cradle from which no one can escape, possessing the ability to imprison anyone and condemn them to eternal damnation, yet it is pitifully fragile.

It is like that most useless mysterious object, the Blade-less Sword.

It did indeed fall from that woman, but it was something that had long been abandoned.

Take, for example, that Blue Princess Dress used for healing; it's almost gone.

There's also the untouchable key, and that truly dangerous black box that, once opened, could devour everything, yet no one has ever dared to open it.

In some ways, these are all useless things.

Because what this world needs now is confrontation and control, but these things, despite bearing the name of Mysterious Guidepost, are almost useless in the confrontation.

I've already seen the most dangerous things.

"But perhaps it just won't work for others?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao stood silently in this world where time had stopped, silently feeling the impact brought to him by the twelve Mysterious Guidepost.

In his mind, the woman's complete life seemed to appear in a three-dimensional and complete form, or rather, not a life, but just the person she was.

What she personally experienced is now irrelevant; what matters is that she, as an individual, has had her individual experiences clearly outlined and surfaced in her mind.

She's just that kind of person...

And it was also during this time, as he gained a comprehensive understanding of this woman, learning about every emotion—despair, hope, loneliness, numbness, beauty, and destruction—that had appeared in her mind, that imprint on his heart, the same imprint as Patient Zero, quietly released some strange power. Through this imprint, combined with everything Xiao Xiao sensed from the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost, he seemed to construct a complete, living image of that woman in his mind...

"Thump..."

At this moment, Xiao Xiao's heart suddenly pounded heavily. In this still world, his heart shouldn't be beating like this.

Because the jumping represents the passage of time.

Xiao Xiao could still clearly feel the heartbeat and discovered that he had not left this stagnant world while his heart was beating.

With a slight hesitation, he looked up in one direction.

It seemed to be a very distant and profound place, where another heart was beating just as fast.

It was the beating of that heart that caused my own heart to beat in this stagnant world.

"So that's how it is..."

Suddenly, Xiao Xiao felt his eyes sting and uncontrollably well up with tears.

When his mind is in a state of mental stagnation, he can let his body process all negative emotions, and face the world with only an indifferent face.

But at that moment, he couldn't help but tear up.

Listening to the beating of that heart, he suddenly understood many things, why he had experienced those four years of pain, repression, and numbness.

Why did I gain the ability to Mind Burst?

That's her, it's always been her.

Because I had injected 100% of the original solution, I was once very close to her, so close that I could feel the pain emanating from her body, which was less than one percent of what I felt.

It was also because of her that I gained the ability to Mind Burst.

Because that's her usual state.

Forty years ago, she sealed herself away in hell, where she was in pain and loneliness, silently doing nothing. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly for her, and so it seemed to stretch on endlessly for Xiao Xiao as well.

A migratory bird travels from south to north every year, stopping once in the Himalayas to sharpen its beak.

If the Himalayas were transformed into diamonds of the same volume.

So, when this migratory bird smoothed out the diamond mountain, for her, time had only passed the first second of the first day of those forty years.

But so much time has passed, and she still just stays there quietly, doing nothing.

Why don't you do anything?

Xiao Xiao almost shouted at her, "You can be angry, you can take revenge, you can destroy this world."

"You can also leave hell, influence this world, and make it a better place."

"But why don't you do anything?"

"..."

There was no response.

That woman would never answer such a question, and Xiao Xiao, in the silence, finally slowly realized the most crucial question.

Perhaps, the answer really shouldn't be asked of you.

The answer lies in these twelve Mysterious Guidepost.

Sequence 1: The Compass of Fate

Sequence 2: Cradle of Birth

Sequence 3: The Blade-less Sword

Sequence 4: Glass Crown

Sequence 5: The Whispering Serpent

Sequence 6: The Bewildering Mirror

Sequence 7: Midnight Veil

Sequence 8: Coveted Black Box

Sequence 9: Blue Princess Dress

Sequence 10: The Shattered Teardrop Necklace

Sequence 11: The Slumber Pillow

Sequence 12: The Singing Key

Xiao Xiao had already seen the characteristics of these twelve Mysterious Guidepost, and he also clearly saw the woman. So he tried hard, thought about it silently, and slowly found the answer.

It's not difficult to agree to this at all; it's just that no one has thought about it before.

So, with red eyes, he silently looked up at the world and said in a low voice:

"I see..."

"So this is the Mysterious Guidepost, and that's why it's called a travel guide..."