[Death Fortune, a Way Out, Contacting Chen Qingyan]

[Unwilling to give up, you activated [Know Fortune and Misfortune] again, trying to discern the specific events behind this dense aura of death.]

[Yet the spellcraft returned only an even deeper fog, as though some invisible force had shrouded heaven's secrets, preventing you from glimpsing its source.]

["How is that possible?!" Your face turned ashen, but you already understood.]

[[Know Fortune and Misfortune] could reveal the details of your fortunes, with only one exception.]

[—When the rank of the being involved far surpassed your own, you could not see clearly.]

["[Foundation Establishment]?" That possibility occurred to you first, but you immediately dismissed it.]

[If it were merely a [Foundation Establishment cultivator] plotting against you, as a member of the Chen Family, with the [Chen Family Ancestor] bound to the [Lineage Fortune],]

[he should have been able to sense it or intervene to some extent. Your fortunes should not have displayed such an absolute, utterly lifeless sign of "death looming everywhere."]

[Then only one, even more despairing possibility remained—]

[Golden Core]!

[Only a [Golden Core Powerhouse], who towered above Foundation Establishment, could entangle such Karma through their will and actions]

[that your perception would be shrouded so completely, bringing a fortune of ten deaths and not a single chance of survival!]

[You knew full well that once a "Death Luck" of this magnitude appeared, the outcome was almost set in stone, beyond your power to reverse.]

[You refused to accept it!]

[To your original self in the real world, this might have been merely a simulation, but to your consciousness at this moment, this was a real life!]

[You had only just broken through to [Heaven-grade Qi Refining] and acquired [Know Fortune and Misfortune], with its limitless potential. A radiant path seemed to stretch before you—how could it come to such an abrupt end?!]

[Your will to survive burned wildly.]

[You thought of the only method that could theoretically resolve this predicament:]

[Finding a [Golden Core Powerhouse] of the same level to shelter you.]

[But you snuffed out that thought the instant it arose—you knew no Foundation Establishment True Person other than your own ancestor, let alone a lofty Golden Core cultivator.]

[Then only one final path remained, a chance to wrest survival from danger—]

[Finding a "benefactor."]

[Not a benefactor in the ordinary sense, but someone blessed with fortune as vast as the heavens, or someone who showed the beginnings of such a destiny.]

[If you could win their favor, or stand beside them when their fortunes surged, perhaps you could borrow their heaven-flooding fortune to forcibly scatter or distort the portion of "Death Luck" targeting you.]

[It would be like an advanced version of the [Slight Fortune] talent you had drawn in your second simulation.]

[But people blessed with such immense fortune were rare in all the world. Where could you find one on such short notice?]

[Just as you found yourself at a complete loss, on the verge of despair, a name suddenly lit up your mind like lightning streaking through the darkness—]

[Chen Qingyan]!

[He was a [True Lord reincarnated]!]

[He bore the coveted, fiercely contested [Hidden Dragon in the Abyss] Fate Pattern, even if he had obtained it through an exchange!]

[He himself was a nexus of immense uncertainty and fortune!]

[If anyone below Golden Core could affect or even break the Death Trap brought about by a [Golden Core Powerhouse], he was the most likely candidate!]

[You acted immediately, sparing no expense to contact a friend in the Chen Family through a Communication Talisman, making indirect inquiries about Chen Qingyan's movements.]

[The reply made your heart sink: Chen Qingyan had long since left to travel, and his whereabouts were unknown.]

[You forced yourself to calm down, swiftly recalling everything you knew about Chen Qingyan.]

[At last, one location stood out in your memory—]

[The Secret Realm in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range!]

[According to the timeline of your previous simulation, he was certain to appear there!]

[That was where the Golden Core death trap would spring, and the stage upon which his “hidden dragon” Fate Pattern would reveal itself!]

[“I can only wait for the Secret Realm in the ‘Myriad Beasts Mountain Range’ to open a year from now...” You drew a deep breath, suppressing your agitation and fear.]

[This meant that, beneath the sword of "death looming everywhere" hanging over your head,]

[you had to survive cautiously for another year, then willingly step into that known, even more dangerous Golden Core death trap to fight for that sole, elusive thread of hope!]

[After a painful struggle and careful deliberation, you finally made your decision—to seek out Chen Qingyan!]

[For no other reason than to seize the only sliver of a chance to survive that almost inevitable Death Trap.]

[Since ancient times, how many people targeted by beings on the level of a [Golden Core Powerhouse], with such a “Death Luck” manifesting over them, had met a good end?]

[To sit and await your doom was merely to wait for death!]

[You forced yourself to calm down and began planning carefully.]

[First, you needed to establish several key facts:]

[1. Chen Qingyan's cultivation stage: based on your memories of the previous simulation, he should have been at [the peak of the Embryonic Breath Realm] when he entered the Secret Realm in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.]

[The Blazing Fire Sect's Golden Core Powerhouse had used a Divine Ability to lay plans several years in advance, “luring” him to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.]

[2. Chen Qingyan's fate: in the previous simulation, although he had ultimately perished—or reincarnated through liberation by violence—that had happened only after he successfully broke through to [Qi Refining].]

[This meant that he had survived the calamities during the Secret Realm's early stages, and might even have obtained an opportunity to break through within it!]

[3. When to approach him: therefore, the ideal moment to make contact was before he entered the Secret Realm in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.]

[If you could establish a connection with him before he stepped into that death zone, perhaps you could enlist his help in resisting your certain-death fortune.]

[However, this plan also carried enormous risks:]

[Approaching him early could very well bring you to the attention of that [Golden Core Powerhouse of the Blazing Fire Sect] ahead of time!]

[You smiled bitterly, but this was a risk you had to bear.]

[With your own fortune and the black clouds of doom now pressing down upon you, trying to find Chen Qingyan amid the vast sea of people as he deliberately roamed from place to place was no different from fishing a needle out of the ocean. Success was simply impossible.]

[Your only hope was to go to that known “stage” where he was certain to appear—the place where the Secret Realm in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range would open.]

[“I must find him before the Secret Realm opens, before he steps into that dragon's pool and tiger's den!” You clenched your fists, a glint of resolve flashing in your eyes.]

[This meant that you not only had to endure your own “Death Luck,” but also willingly approach another, greater, known “Death Trap.”]

[It was no different from plucking chestnuts from the fire or dancing on a blade's edge.]

[But you had no path of retreat left.]