Chapter 752: Chen Chu's Fate (I)

Tens of thousands of kilometers from the Sky Battlefield, atop a black mountain behind the base of the Purgatory Clan, a stream of seven-colored light flowed gently, radiating a dreamlike glow.

Seated cross-legged above the stream was a true demon of the Purgatory Clan. His body was withered and frail, so aged that even his teeth had fallen out. His aura was as weak as a dying candle in the wind. His head was slightly lowered, and his clouded eyes stared intently at the flowing stream beneath him, as if trying to see something through it.

On the edge of a nearby cliff, Deorus sat atop the spike-covered skull of an ancient creature. His presence was subdued, his expression cold as he waited in silence.

Suddenly, the old demon slowly raised his head and said in a raspy voice, "Your Majesty, that human has already left the territory of the human race."

"So he’s finally come out." A dark flame, endless and oppressive, blazed within Deorus’ eyes as he continued. "Has that human reached the front lines?"

The old demon shook his head slowly, his voice hoarse. "I have not seen any threads of fate tied to that human on the battlefield."

This aged demon held a unique and esteemed position as the High Priest of Destiny in the Purgatory Empire. Having cultivated the power of fate, he ranked second only to the two demon gods beneath Deorus.

Fate was elusive and intangible. It was a unique power system acquired by the Purgatory Clan when they once annihilated an entire civilized race. Since then, it had been woven into the very bloodline of their kind.

Despite this, true demons who could awaken the power of fate were exceedingly rare. Each one became a High Priest of the Demon God Empires, and their training was supported by the full might of the nation.

However, fate was unpredictable, and every attempt to peer into it came with an irreversible cost. Therefore, unless the empire faced a crisis, Deorus would never allow the High Priest to act recklessly.

Deorus’s voice rumbled. "That Chu Batian has left human territory, but hasn’t entered our front lines. It seems a few humans already know we’ve set our sights on him.

"He must have gone deeper into the vast world through the humans' Expansion Division, and is now cultivating and exploring ancient ruins. Until he breaks through to the great demon king level, he likely won’t appear on the main battlefield again.

"A pity. The pawns in the Alliance of Gods were destroyed, so we can’t draw on their strength to trace Chu Batian’s whereabouts. For now, we’ll have to trouble you, High Priest."

When it came to geniuses who shone brightly across an entire era, every race had measures in place to protect them. As such, Deorus wasn’t surprised that Chen Chu had become hard to track down.

After all, back on the Abyssal Battlefield, he had personally attempted to slay that human freak twice, and failed both times.

"But once you step into the vast world, I will find a way to track you," Deorus said, his expression unwavering. He then turned to the High Priest and asked, "Can you pinpoint his exact location now?"

The High Priest slowly shook his head. "This human’s thread of fate is extremely blurry. It's constantly shifting. Even after I burned a thousand years of lifespan, I could only confirm that he is no longer within the domain of the human race.

"However, I have captured a trace of his fate’s aura. As soon as his fate fluctuates again, I’ll be able to pinpoint his location instantly."

As he spoke, the High Priest extended a sharp black finger and tapped the void. Two strands of golden light emerged from the seven-colored stream, glowing with a dim and mysterious radiance as they formed the names Chen Chu and Chu Batian in the air.

After completing this, the High Priest’s aura grew even weaker. He looked even more withered, his body exuding a decaying presence, as if he might perish at any moment.

"But Your Majesty," he said, "directly using fate to peer into his location may bring a powerful backlash from supreme fate[1] itself."

"Don’t worry, High Priest. I’ve prepared for this. I have a whisker from that Time Dragon. It should be able to extend your life by five thousand years."

With a wave of his hand, Deorus summoned a whisker over ten meters long and several dozen centimeters thick. It floated in the air like a ribbon of translucent light, shimmering with a dazzling, dreamlike glow.

Deorus said in a low voice, "This human's talent is far too terrifying. He must be killed before he gets to the great demon god level, or else we will face an extremely dangerous enemy."

As the High Priest gazed upon the dragon whisker, a faint smile appeared on his aged face.

Merely glimpsing into a single thread of fate had already burned a thousand years of his lifespan. The next time he tried to locate the target, it would likely cost him another two thousand. Once the whisker restored that, the remaining two thousand years’ worth of time power would increase his lifespan to approximately six thousand years.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. For the sake of our clan’s eternity, I will find him even if it costs me my life." A hint of awe then flickered in the High Priest’s clouded eyes.

"But to master four high-level laws and one supreme law upon breaking into the mythical level... Even among our clan’s long history, only the Primordial Ancestor has ever achieved such a feat.

"A genius like this from an alien race must be killed in the cradle. This human is undoubtedly a special existence, born from the condensed fate of the entire human race. If we kill him, it will sever humanity's future."

Deorus slowly nodded. "Exactly."

In the eyes of Deorus and the other demon god-level beings, Chen Chu’s terrifying combat power and cultivation speed were not only the result of innate talent, but also the consequence of him carrying the entire fate of the human race.

In such circumstances, no matter what dangers he faced, he would always find a way to survive. His cultivation would skyrocket, ruins would grant him powerful inheritances, and even while simply walking down a path, he might come across god-level resources by chance.

Otherwise, how could an uncivilized creature rise to the mythical level in just ten day-cycles?

As Deorus prepared to take action himself to slay Chen Chu...

Back on the Blue Planet, at Nantian Martial Arts High School, Xia Youhui walked with Chen Hu around the campus after helping him complete his registration and meet the teachers, showing him the surroundings to help him settle in and feel more at ease.

When they arrived in front of a large building, Xia Youhui pointed at it and said, "This is Building B. It’s where students learn and cultivate the Body Refining Art.

"The requirement for Foundation Building is to mentally visualize a complete lotus platform and to circulate vitality through ten cycles within half an hour. The faster one completes Foundation Building, the greater their talent."

"I read that online," Chen Hu replied, eyeing the tall building that rose over thirty floors. Curious, he asked, "Brother Xia, how long did it take you to complete Foundation Building?"

Xia Youhui responded proudly. "I succeeded in just one week. Your brother, though, took fifteen days to complete Foundation Building. He ranked over three hundred in initial talent rankings..."

Xia Youhui suddenly paused, cleared his throat, and added, "You know, Little Hu, the idea that completing Foundation Building early determines your talent is true for most people, but there are always exceptions."

Chen Hu nodded. "I get it. My brother’s one of those exceptions. I mean, who would’ve thought someone ranked over three hundred would reach the mythical level in just one year, right?"

As they chatted, the two arrived at another building. "This is Building C. Once you've mastered the Body Refining Art, you come here to build your foundation. Back then, Ah Chu—"

Before Xia Youhui could finish, Chen Hu suddenly interrupted with a yell. "Brother Xia, what’s this?"

Standing beside a landscaped area, Chen Hu bent down and picked up a gray stone about the size of a fist from the bushes.

The stone gave off no energy fluctuations. To all appearances, it was just a dull, dirt-smudged rock that looked completely ordinary.

"That’s just a—wait, no, Little Hu, let me see that."

Just as Xia Youhui was about to brush it off as an ordinary rock, his eyes locked on to a small crack in its surface, from which a faint light shimmered.

Lately, spatial rifts had been appearing across the world on a large scale. Aside from the major rifts that allowed aliens and colossal beasts to pass through, there had also been smaller, weaker rifts.

When these minor rifts connected two worlds, they sometimes pulled in materials from the mythical world, such as rare natural treasures. Could it be...?

Xia Youhui took the stone from Chen Hu, feeling its unusually heavy weight and cold texture. Suddenly, his hand clenched with a surge of explosive strength.

Crack!

Multiple cracks split across the stone’s surface. The outer layer crumbled away, revealing a pure white crystal beneath, filled with a slow-moving, white liquid substance.

Although the material hadn't been professionally identified yet, Xia Youhui, with his extensive knowledge and experience, was certain that this was a top-grade resource.

What kind of luck was this?

1. In this context, "supreme fate" refers to a higher or ultimate force of fate, something that governs the destinies of individuals or events on a grand scale. Peering into it can have significant consequences, as it involves meddling with forces beyond normal comprehension or control. ☜