The Principle of Fate, Old Acquaintances

During his travels, Liu Yi abandoned his carriage and went on foot, measuring the vast land with his steps. As he walked and pondered, he contemplated the Great Dao of heaven and earth amid the mountains and waters.

All along the way, he immersed himself in studying the Principle of Fate.

He attempted to deduce it through fortune-telling texts and their connection to the Principle of Cause and Effect.

The Principle of Fate was one of the world's supreme Principles.

If he could comprehend it and incorporate it into the World Seed before it split heaven and earth apart,

he could nurture the World Seed into a more complete form, laying a firmer foundation for the new world.

Liu Yi muttered to himself as he traveled, repeating, "Fate is fickle and ever-changing, impossible to predict. Take the cause as a guide, and let fate show the way." Without realizing it, he walked toward a desolate place.

He looked utterly entranced, as though he had cast the entire world from his mind.

Little Yellow knew Liu Yi was at a critical stage in comprehending the Principle of Fate and dared not disturb him in the slightest.

He simply followed in silence, keeping a constant watch on their surroundings for fear that something unexpected might startle his master.

Just then, the sudden clanging of weapons came from ahead.

The abrupt sound, like the guidance of fate, woke Liu Yi from his immersion in deducing the Principle.

In an instant, a profound and inscrutable light of Principles burst from his eyes, his presence surged, and he roared:

"Fate shows the way, trace the cause to find the effect-the Principle of Fate is complete!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, dazzling light of the Great Dao erupted from Liu Yi, and the power of the Principle of Fate curled around him as if it had taken substance.

At that moment, he seemed to have become one with heaven and earth. An indescribably wondrous presence radiated from him, inspiring both awe and longing in those who beheld him.

Liu Yi slowly withdrew the light of the Great Dao and looked in the direction of the fighting.

Just now, he had used the Principle of Cause and Effect as his guide, tracing causes to their effects to seek people or events connected to him by fate.

He had thought it a long shot, yet unexpectedly, he had truly unraveled the mysteries of the Principle of Fate and glimpsed its true essence.

"Little Yellow, something's happening ahead. Let's go take a look."

With that, he flashed forward, flying swiftly toward the fight.

"Yes, Master!"

Little Yellow answered and followed close behind Liu Yi, stirring a rush of air.

Liu Yi reached the site of the fight in the blink of an eye, only to see blood-red light filling the sky ahead.

A blood-colored figure was relentlessly pursuing and attacking the Black and White Twin Swords, Ye Xuanxiao and Su Yaoguang.

The light of their swords intertwined like ribbons of silver, but under the blood shadow's assault, they could barely protect themselves.

If not for the exquisite coordination born of years together, they would have lost their lives on the spot.

"It's them? That blood shadow is a Devil Cultivator who practices the Blood Devil Cultivation Method!"

Surprise appeared on Liu Yi's face as he recognized the pair. Suddenly, he saw them blasted backward.

He flashed forward at once, blocked their path, and raised a hand to unleash a Blazing Sun Star-Shattering Palm.

The scorching palm force hurtled toward the Devil Cultivator like a sun.

A heat wave capable of burning heaven and scorching earth swept forth, incinerating all the Blood Qi filling the sky in an instant.

It was as though two suns had risen between heaven and earth, their dazzling light shining in every direction.

"Ah!"

A shrill, agonized scream tore through the sky. The Devil Cultivator's body exploded with a boom, scarlet blood mist bursting into the air as more than half his body was annihilated in an instant.

Just then, a sinister roar rang out: "The Blood Devil is undying! Ten thousand streams of blood return to the source-reborn in blood!"

Blood Qi, thick as substance, poured from the remains, restoring the shattered flesh to its original form in the blink of an eye.

Liu Yi's pupils contracted sharply. He darted forward and struck with another Blazing Sun Star-Shattering Palm, unleashing a scorching force that seemed capable of destroying the world once more.

The temperature within ten li soared, and flames that could burn heaven engulfed the blood shadow like raging waves.

"No! I refuse to accept this! I just broke through to a new realm-how can I fall here?"

The Devil Cultivator roared in defiance, frantically circulating the Blood Devil Cultivation Method in an attempt to resist, only to be reduced to ash by the searing power of supreme yang.

As the last wisp of Blood Qi dissipated, silence returned to heaven and earth. Only a tome glowing with dark red bloodlight fell to the ground.

After repeatedly confirming that the Devil Cultivator's soul had been utterly scattered, Liu Yi beckoned, and the tome on the ground flew into his hand.

Seeing the three large characters for "Blood Devil Cultivation Method" on the cover, his pupils contracted sharply and his brows knitted, his mind full of questions:

I buried the Blood Devil Cultivation Method deep underground, so how did it appear here? Did someone dig it up?

He opened the manual and examined it carefully, finding that although its contents were the same,

he soon determined that this was not the copy he had buried back then.

There are two copies? Something strange is going on. Could someone be spreading them deliberately? And for what purpose?

Unable to make sense of it for the moment, Liu Yi put the Blood Devil Cultivation Method into his Storage Space and turned to Ye Xuanxiao and Su Yaoguang.

By now, the two had long since bound systems and cultivated the Dao Seed Martial Dao System, reaching the Middle Stage of the Divine Sea Realm.

"You two, it's been a long time."

"It's you!" Ye Xuanxiao and Su Yaoguang couldn't help crying out in unison.

Never in their dreams had they imagined that Liu Yi would be the one to save them.

They recalled how Liu Yi had captured them alive in the very first fight after their debut, a memory they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Seeing the astonishment on their faces, Liu Yi smiled and nodded.

These two were benefactors to him.

If he hadn't obtained the Soul-Shifting Spirit-Refining Great Method from them, his soul would not have grown stronger so easily, and he would have had difficulty creating the first version of the system so soon.

"Yes, it's me. I left in a hurry last time and didn't get to ask your names," Liu Yi said with a smile.

Although he could look up their information directly through the system, he held back.

As he saw it, since they weren't enemies, there was no need to do so.

Although his bottom line was rather flexible, there were some principles he could never violate.

Once certain principles were breached, one violation would lead to another, and it was easy to lose sight of one's true self and suffer a collapse of one's State of Mind.

Embarrassment crossed Ye Xuanxiao and Su Yaoguang's faces. Liu Yi had caught them in such a sorry state yet again.

They struggled to their feet and bowed with the utmost respect.

"We are Ye Xuanxiao and Su Yaoguang, the Black and White Twin Swords. Thank you for saving our lives, Hero Liu. We offended you greatly last time, and we ask for your forgiveness."

Liu Yi waved a hand to show he didn't mind, then asked curiously, "How did you end up fighting that Devil Cultivator?"

At his question, anger flared in Ye Xuanxiao and Su Yaoguang's hearts.

Ye Xuanxiao gritted his teeth. "We were passing through here, preparing to sell System Seeds, when we discovered that Devil Cultivator had killed all three hundred-plus people in the village ahead and used their blood to cultivate his Devil Cultivation Method."

"By the time we arrived, there wasn't a soul left alive in the village."

"When we tried to kill him, he'd just broken through to a new realm. We were no match for him."

"If not for you, Hero Liu, the two of us would have met our end here today."

Hearing this, Liu Yi's expression instantly turned as cold as frost.

He himself was no virtuous man; directly or indirectly, the blood of as many as a million people stained his hands.

But every killing had a reason, and he had never harmed ordinary people without cause.

By contrast, these people who cultivated the Blood Devil Cultivation Method had completely lost their humanity.

They treated innocent commoners as miraculous elixirs for cultivation. Their deeds had long since crossed the bottom line of human conduct, making them no different from beasts and enemies of the entire Human Race.

Seeing Little Yellow catch up, Liu Yi said gravely, "Let's go take a look at the village ahead. There might still be survivors."