Chapter 3121 - The Origin of Destiny

It wasn’t rare for a man to walk alone through the darkness.

In the mundane world, the blind spent their whole lives fumbling about in the dark.

But who’d walk through darkness that was the manifestation of the source of all tribulations and capable of severing the cultivation bases of even Heavenly Sovereigns?

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations had never explored this place. It was only in the last moments of his life that a wisp of his soul entered the darkness and bade this world farewell.

The Buddha of Non-Existence and the Monarch of Endless Tribulations had fought in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations for countless years, yet neither had ever walked here.

But now, Su Yi was doing just that.

However, he could say with certainty that he wasn’t the first or only person to have been here. Xiao Jian had done it, too!

Back then, Xiao Jian had yet to master the Book of Destiny, yet he nonetheless ventured into the darkness of the Daoless Domain. He didn’t just make it out alive, either. He took the Book of Destiny with him.

It was an undeniably miraculous feat.

The darkness was utterly silent, without any movement whatsoever. There was nothing to navigate by, either. Su Yi continued, entirely unperturbed, venturing further and further in.

He could clearly sense the Book of Destiny’s strange movements; it was jumping about as if in celebration, or as if longing for something.

It wasn’t just the book; the Cauldron of Fate and Contented Heart Scepter reacted in much the same way.

“Your Excellency, you’re fast approaching a portion of the source energy of destiny. I’d bet my head on it!” said the little spirit of the Contented Heart Scepter.

Not long ago, it was this very treasure spirit who’d told Su Yi of the source energies he suspected were hidden somewhere in the Realm of Endless Tribulations.

Such energies should only have existed at the Source of the River of Destiny, so what was one doing here in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations?

Su Yi didn’t know.

His first incarnation’s heart devil had told him that the experts of the Far Shore who’d left in search of the Source of the River of Destiny were, in fact, searching for the source of destiny itself.

Zhi Wuzhong, Lonely Heights, the experts of Sword Sovereign City, Yun Wuxiang, and numerous others had left in search of the source following the Struggle for Heavenly Fate.

Both Ruo Su and the heart devil had warned Su Yi not to get involved in the secrets of the Source of the River of Destiny prior to becoming a Heavenly Sovereign. It was just too taboo and perilous!

That was why Su Yi refused without hesitation even when the guide of the Untethered Boat invited him to board.

But Su Yi could never have anticipated that a portion of the source energies of destiny existed deep in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations!

Moreover, he could say with certainty that neither the Monarch of Endless Tribulations nor the Buddha of Non-Existence had known this.

“Are you there, Senior?” True Progenitor Shi Yin’s voice suddenly emanated from the dried-up well in the Cauldron of Fate. It was unusual for him to speak unprompted, so something had obviously agitated him. ℯ𝐥.𝒄ℴ𝓶

“Do you have business with me?” said Su Yi. Just like always, he answered with the voice and mannerisms of his first incarnation’s heart devil.

True Progenitor Shi Yin said hurriedly, “I sensed the Cauldron of Fate’s strange movements, and they made me rather uneasy. I couldn’t help but disturb you, Senior.”

His voice was full of awe.

Su Yi said casually, “All is well. It has nothing to do with you.”

“All is well, then.” True Progenitor Shi Yin sighed with obvious relief.

Su Yi couldn’t resist the urge to ask, “Within just a few years, your old enemy Sovereign Venerate Yi will re-enter this world. What do you think of that?”

True Progenitor Shi Yin was obviously surprised. After a moment, he said, “I just hate that I’ll never get another chance to compete with him in terms of the Grand Dao!” ℯ𝕝.

Su Yi could hear the despondency and bitterness in his voice. He laughed. “Do you still hate me?”

Back then, it was the heart devil who plunged True Progenitor Shi Yin back into the well’s depths just as he’d been on the verge of breaking free.

“I admit that I resented you in the past, Senior, but now...” True Progenitor Shi Yin laughed bitterly. “I dare not do so. All I hope is that one day, I might earn your recognition, and that you might grant me an opportunity to re-enter this world. I’d be endlessly grateful if you did, but even if you don’t, I dare not even think a single word of complaint!”

Su Yi pondered briefly. “Sovereign Venerate Yi apparently thinks of me as an enemy in his pursuit of the Grand Dao. He...”

But before he could finish, True Progenitor Shi Yin exclaimed, “Has he gone insane? What right does he have to consider you his enemy, Senior? Given your abilities, if the two of you were to fight, you’d slaughter him as easily as you might a chicken!”

Su Yi wasn’t sure what to say to that.

Fortunately, before he could say anything, True Progenitor Shi Yin said gravely, “Senior, I understand Sovereign Venerate Yi’s character. He isn’t the type to brazenly overestimate himself. He must not know how lofty and grand your powers of the Grand Dao really are. If he did, there’s no way he’d dare boast so shamelessly. Please, don’t make trouble with him over this. It isn’t worth it!”

Su Yi was stunned. “Why speak up on his behalf?”

True Progenitor Shi Yin said solemnly, “The two of us are irreconcilable enemies, but I admire his conduct and his abilities. I’d hate for him to offend you out of ignorance and seek out his own demise!”

Su Yi nodded to himself. He’d never met Sovereign Venerate Yi, but he could sense the man’s prideful bearing in his refusal to join forces with Heavenly Sovereign E and the others.

Now, even True Progenitor Shi Yin, his mortal foe, was speaking up on his behalf. It was easy to imagine how great Sovereign Venerate Yi’s breadth of spirit must have been.

Of course, it was also easy to see that True Progenitor Shi Yin was extraordinarily broad-minded, too.

Even Su Yi couldn’t help but feel rueful. Indeed, those who climb to the top and rule their respective eras really do have their own unique pride and majesty.

Su Yi instantly made a decision. “I’ll free you from the Cauldron of Fate before Sovereign Venerate Yi re-enters the world.”

True Progenitor Shi Yin froze, stunned. It seemed he could never have anticipated that his chance would come so soon, or so suddenly.

“Thank you, Senior!” True Progenitor Shi Yin said excitedly. He joined his palms together at the bottom of the well, then bowed with heartfelt respect.

Su Yi said nothing.

Given his strength, he no longer had anything to fear from any of the world’s Heavenly Sovereigns. He naturally could release True Progenitor Shi Yin with no fear of him causing trouble.

An hour later, the Book of Destiny quivered, erupting with a rain of mysterious, inscrutable light as its pages flipped open.

The Cauldron of Fate rumbled and boomed. An air of divinity arose on its surface, and the power of the Laws interwove.

The little treasure spirit’s joyful call emanated from within the Contented Heart Scepter. “Your Excellency, it’s that destiny source energy!”

Su Yi gazed into the distance. There, amidst the darkness, he saw wisps of fog. They had the look of chaos, mysterious and ethereal. Could that be the destiny source energy?

As he pondered, he took out the Contented Heart Scepter. There was no need for him to ask questions; the little man in Daoist robes grinned broadly and danced for joy. “Yes, yes, that’s it! That’s the source energy!”

Whoosh!

The little spirit directed the Contented Heart Scepter toward it, practically flailing with eagerness as he scooped up those wisps of fog and devoured them like cotton candy.

“Contented! Contented! The heart is the foundation of life itself, and destiny the foundation of fortune. Wondrous! Truly wondrous!” the little treasure spirit shouted as he stuffed his face, like a ravening wolf in a flock of fat, slow-moving sheep. He couldn’t have been any happier.

The Book of Destiny and Cauldron of Fate seemed agitated, too. They shook violently in Su Yi’s grip as if overcome with eagerness and impatience.

Su Yi didn’t hesitate to release his grip on the two treasures.

Boom!

The Book of Destiny lit up, flashing like lightning as it shot deeper into the Daoless Domain. In the blink of an eye, it had vanished.

The Cauldron of Fate soon followed.

The little spirit of the Contented Heart Scepter jolted to his senses. Here, the destiny source power was relatively sparse. This was just the periphery. There was denser power further in!

“Your Excellency, the source is that way!” he cried out frantically, then charged in after the other treasures.

Su Yi was speechless. Why have my treasures suddenly transformed into hungry ghosts? They have no reservations whatsoever!

Even though he thought this, he followed them in.

Whoosh!

Fog hovered in the air. The further in he went, the denser it got. Soon, the fog was so dense that it felt like wading through water.

There was no need to even gather it; every breath Su Yi took resonated with his powers of the Grand Dao.

Boom!

Reincarnation was the first to appear, manifesting visions of the netherworld: the cycle of the six paths of reincarnation, the shifting of the Sea of Bitterness, the flowers blooming on the Far Shore, and the road to the Yellow Springs...

These were manifestations of the Grand Dao, but they seemed almost tangible, a world of Samsara.

When the Grand Dao of Reincarnation appeared, it instantly devoured all of the Destiny Fog around him.

Profound Ruin, the Divine Hunt, the Nine Luminaries, the Ashes of Spirit, the Myriad Facets, and his other powers of the Grand Dao appeared afterward, one after another. All of them manifested visions of the Grand Dao and revolved around Su Yi, colorful and strange.

All of these Grand Daos were connected to destiny, and now, they were competing to absorb all of the power of destiny in their path.

These developments surprised even Su Yi. In all his years of cultivation, this was his first time seeing both his treasures and his powers of the Grand Dao react of their own accord like this.

This further proved just how wondrous the source energies of destiny were.

Shortly after, Su Yi laid eyes on these destiny source energies in their entirety: a little lake amidst the darkness!

It was only a few hundred feet across, and anywhere else it would have been unassuming.

But the Laws churned within it like currents of lava. Chaos qi rose into the air, surging with dense, primeval life force.

The Book of Destiny, Cauldron of Fate, and Contented Heart Scepter leaped into the lake, greedily absorbing its energy.

The entire lake churned, rippled, and glowed, like the first parting of the primordial chaos.

When Su Yi arrived, his qi practically boiled within him, and his powers of the Grand Dao surged.

He felt as if he’d suddenly been transported to the ancient chaos of the beginning of the universe. His heart and soul were instantly enveloped in dense vital energy.

This was a pool of the source energy of destiny!

Heavenly Fate Realm Heavenly Monarchs touched upon and strived for the mysteries of Destiny, hence the name “Heavenly Fate.”

But Su Yi’s Heavenly Fate Realm was different from other people’s. He sought to replace the Dao of the Heavens with his own, to make his Dao Heart the Heart of the Heavens!

His Dao was the Dao of the Heavens, his fate the Fate of the Heavens!

Thus, when he saw the source energies hidden in that lake, he sensed mysteries beyond what any ordinary person would have. He was like a wandering son returning home after a long journey!

Without hesitation, Su Yi stepped into the lake, crossed his legs, and sat down. Its waters churned around him.

The source energies of destiny flowed into Su Yi, like ten thousand streams flowing into the ocean.

Su Yi instantly entered a wondrous state of enlightenment, forgetting himself and his surroundings completely.

All the while, a silent transformation connected to his very life itself took place within him.