Chương 27: Fate
Fate is mysterious and unfathomable, it serves as a major anchor for the many myriad beings of Heaven and Earth to function, without Fate, there would be no Order, and without Order, there would be chaos. It has always stayed static, motionless, immobile, no being in the entire Qi World was able to move or even affect Fate in the slightest, ensuring that no being would be able to reign supreme over the world.
However, people have found a way to exploit one of the flaws of the Heavenly System and study the River of Fate to somehow predict future events and figure out the general direction the world's affairs is headed to.
When Ximen Wei embarked on the path of cultivation, the River of Fate has become turbulent and unpredictable, making it so that no being is able to predict what's going to happen.
Many powerful ancient beings noticed this, and some, albeit a few, even figured out the root cause of the River of Fate's turbulance. One of those beings was an ancient-looking old man who lives in a temple inside one of the top ten forbidden zones of the Divine Star Continent.
Not only does he live in a forbidden zone called the Flamboyant Demonheart Forest, he also lives in one of the most mysterious and dangerous places of the entire world, the Godstar Temple.
The Flamboyant Demonheart Forest is a verdant, innocent-looking forest that spans for tens of thousands of kilometers, it takes almost one third of space of the Divine Star Continent, and the flora and fauna of this forest is multi-varied, many mythical beings dwell this place, including extremely ancient Qi Beasts and even intelligent mini-civilizations belonging to demi-humans such as elves and goblins.
The outer perimeter of the Flamboyant Demonheart Forest is considered pretty safe for most Qi Experts, however, the deeper you go the more terrifying it gets, there are some legends that hint to the existence of terrifying Qi Beasts and supreme demi-human Qi Experts, which makes it even hard for Qi Lords and Qi Paragons to survive and stay alive in this place.
In the most central place of the Flamboyant Demonheart Forest, there lay the Godstar Temple, it is a mysterious temple whose origins are unknown, even the oldest, most ancient experts of the Divine Star Continent can not determine the origin of the temple, or even when it was established, making it the MOST mysterious place of the entirety of the Divine Star Continent.
Once upon a time, the undisputed top one sect of the Divine Star Continent, the Nine Mountains Immortal Sect, deployed five of their Qi Paragons to the Godstar Temple, however upon entering the temple, none of them returned alive, and their Jade Lifeslips shattered in the sect, indicating their death.
It must be understood that Qi Paragons are extremely rare even in the entire Qi World, there are only twelve or so publicly-known Rank 5 Qi Experts in the entire Divine Star Continent, five Qi Paragons belonging to the same force are definitely capable of uniting this continent under one banner, except for a few forbidden zones, they can go wherever they please without having to worry about their safety. Which means the fact that five of them perished at the same time in the same place means that the Godstar Temple is an absolutely terrifying place, even the Nine Mountains Immortal Sect dared not send any more Qi Paragons to that place to investigate and retrieve back the deceased bodies.
And yet, this old man just emerged from that very same Godstar Temple, he looked towards the direction of the Tang Mountains with a fervent gaze.
"I don't know how long it has been since I've felt this excited, I can feel that kid is extraordinary, supremely so! The Heavens must've arranged him for some reason, his very existence has thrown the River of Fate into turbulence which means that whoever gets his hands on him will be able to exceed the limits of the Heavenly Shackles."
The old man suppressed his excitement.
"However, that old fucking bastard also noticed his existence, and even got to him before me. The karmic ties between them are strong, and I feel his abode is dangerous so I can't barge to his sect. I must take things slowly and make sure no mistakes happen."
With that, the old man took a step forward and disappeared in the air.
Meanwhile, in the Green Lotus City, a burly middle-aged man with a broadsword was hovering high up in the air, looking at the wreckage and the dead bodies that lay scattered all over the place.
The conflict between the Immortal Devil Sect forces and Green Lotus City has long since escalated, and even Rank 3 Qi Experts came and joined the fight, there were many casualties, however, most of them were Level 3 Qi Trainees, with rarely Qi Experts dying.
Western Wen, one of the great empires of Divine Star Continent, kept sending reinforcements non-stop, deploying some of their marshalls and peerless experts while the Immortal Devil Sect sent two of their esteemed elders.
The Su Dynasty noticed the fight going on between the two forces, and joined in the fray, since Western Wen dared to trespass it's borders and launch assaults and skirmishes, they would naturally counterattack, and thus, two supreme forces of the Divine Star Continent fought against Western Wen, giving the empire tremendous pressure.
However, the burly middle-aged man did not care whatsoever about what was happening between the three forces, he kept studying the surroundings and looking for clues and other indicatives.
"Hmm, weird, the source of the River of Fate's turbulence originates from here, however, I can not quite figure out who caused it, or what caused it..."
A golden-haired middle-aged man appeared next to him, he wore imperial clothes that had dragonic patterns, and he emanated an imperial, dominating and majestic aura. Yet despite that, when the golden-haired man looked towards the burly one, he bowed respectfully as he clasped his hands.
"May I dare ask why did Daoist Blitzsword bless my humble abode with his presence?"
Blitzsword looked at the golden-haired man for a moment before he spoke.
"Oh, it's you, Emperor Wen. It's nothing, I had an innate calling to this place so I came here. Looks like there's a hectic fight going on."
This golden-haired middle-aged man wearing imperial clothes is naturally, the everlasting emperor of the Western Wen empire, his accomplishments and achievements are a thing of legend, he was supposedly a mortal coming from a lowly farmer family who stumbled upon an inheritance left by a supreme Qi Expert, he cultivated bitterly and went through many tribulations to survive in the pugilistic world, after becoming a fairly powerful figure, he established his empire and named it Western Wen.
"It's just a small fight between juniors, one of the generals stationed here accidentally offended a legacy disciple of the Immortal Devil Sect, and so a fight has begun." Emperor Wen replied.
"Hmm I see." Blitzsword was pretty confused, he's not as powerful as the man from the Godstar Temple, or the Immortal Devil Sect's patriarch, but he's definitely an expert who is capable of detecting the changes that happen to the River of Fate, and even figuring out where that change happened.
Blitzsword looked at the Western Wen's emperor and casually said.
"Emperor Wen, I'll have to ask you for a favor."
Naturally, Emperor Wen considered Blitzsword a powerful figure, and one worth of befriending as well, plus a favor from the legendary Blitzsword is priceless so naturally he wouldn't dare to refuse.
"As long as it's something within' my capabilities."
"Awesome, please hand me a list of all the people who entered and exited this Green Lotus City, preferably the records from ten years ago until this time period."
"Since it is so, I'll have my subordinates arrange for it. While they are preparing it, would you like to accompany me to my palace for some food and wine?"
Blitzsword nodded, and accompanied Emperor Wen to the Imperial Capital of Western Wen.
Not only Blitzsword came, but many other powerful figures also paid a visit for the Green Lotus City, however, upon noticing that nothing was there, all of them left, returning back to the places from whence they came from.
In the Immortal Devil Sect.
An eldery figure was seated atop a dais, expounding on the Dao and giving the juniors basic yet absolutely necessary lessons that would help them on their path of cultivation, Ximen Wei was amongst the people listening to the eldery figure, he was listening very carefully to every single word that came out of his mouth and made sure to write it down in a piece of paper.
"Qi Cultivation can be divided into nine major ranks."
"First Rank Qi Experts are just getting started on the path of cultivation, thanks to the state of their Qi Cores, they'll have control over a path of nature such as fire and water, and with enough luck, they can even open additional Extraordinary Meridians, allowing them to walk further down the path of cultivation."
"On the other hand, Second Rank Qi Experts are considered to be proficient experts in the ways of Qi, naturally they'll be able to control a higher quality of qi, and command more power and control over paths of nature, unfortunately a Qi Cultivator's body would stop growing at this stage, and he would not be able to develop and open more Extraordinary Meridians, so in order to walk further down the path of cultivation, one will have to rely on the previous foundations he built before he became a Qi Expert, and when he became a Rank 1 Qi Expert."
"After that, comes the Third Rank Qi Experts, due to their exalted status, they are referred to as Qi Masters by the masses, the mastery these people achieve over Qi and nature pathes is unfathomable, Rank 2 Qi Experts rarely make it to this stage, however, with enough treasures, resources and understanding of the Dao, it is totally possible for anyone with at least Five Extraordinary Meridians to become Rank 3 Qi Experts."
"And then comes one of the heavenly chasms of cultivation, The Fourth Rank Qi Experts, the Qi Lords. They are supreme figures even amongst Qi Experts, not even one in a thousand Qi Masters can make it to the fourth rank, it is a heavenly chasm after all, even with all the treasures and resources of the world, it is exceedingly hard to make it to the fourth rank, in the entirety of the Immortal Devil Sect, there is only one Qi Lord, who is the Sect Leader, but there are tens of Qi Masters. Just from this alone one can tell that becoming a Qi Lord is exceedingly hard."
"And above the Fourth Rank, there are the Fifth Rank Qi Experts, they are the Paragons of Qi Cultivation, revered and feared by many, and therefore they are referred to as Qi Paragons. The power these people wield are enough to lay wreckage and destruction upon the Divine Star Continent, fights between these figures will give birth to Forbidden Zones, areas that not even powerful Rank 2 and Rank 3 Qi Experts can wander into. Supposedly when one reaches the Qi Paragon rank, he will start comprehending one of the mysteries of the Dao, eventually cultivating his way into immortality."
"After the Qi Paragon rank, you will stumble upon one of the major heavenly chasms of the cultivation path, the Sixth Rank. Personally I do not know or heard of any Rank 6 Qi Experts, even the entire Divine Star Continent does not have a single Rank 6 Qi Expert, they are figures of the legends and all the information I have on them is provided and collected by all the various ancient patriarchs and former sect leaders of our Immortal Devil Sect. They are terrifying beings who possess power we can't comprehend, and can live for thousands of years without aging. One of our former sect leaders, Sect Leader Eviltwin met a Rank 6 Qi Expert while he was journeying the world, Eviltwin was a formidable Qi Paragon whose power was unequalled in the Divine Star Continent, even the Nine Mountains Immortal Sect was intimidated by his prowess, however when he met that Rank 6 Qi Expert... He felt so puny and weak, like an ant in front of an elephant, Paragon Eviltwin states that a Rank 6 Qi Expert can slay Rank 5 Qi Experts with just a single breath."
"Above that, are supposedly a Seventh Rank, an Eight Rank and even a Ninth Rank... Although I believe Rank 7 Qi Experts and above existed, they must've perished in the Primordial Era because currently, not a single patriarch or former sect leader of the Immortal Devil Sect has stumbled, or even heard of such a figure."
After the eldery figure finished introducing the stages of Qi Cultivation, he went back to the main headquarters of the sect, leaving behind the many outer-sect disciples open-mouthed and gasping for air.
Rank 6 Qi Experts? Supreme beings who are able to slay Qi Paragons just by breathing? It must be stated that a Qi Paragon is a figure that inspires fear and awe into the countless hearts of the Divine Star Continent, it is no exaggeration that the attack of a single Qi Paragon will threaten the entire safety and well-being of the continent.
They possess such destructive power that nature itself will come to an end in the continent, forbidden zones such as the Flamboyant Demonheart Forest are said to be the result of a fight between two powerful Qi Paragons, giving birth to the multi-varied and dangerous flora of that place.
Now what if a Rank 6 Qi Expert decided to fight in the Divine Star Continent? It may very well be the end of all living beings in the continent if such an expert decides to use the Divine Star Continent as his battleground, with only a minority of Qi Paragons living to see another day.
Almost all disciples were breathing heavily, their eyes shone with wild ambitions and a power-hungry fervor, however, Ximen Wei stayed to the side, expressionless. All he cared about was returning to homeland, planet Earth. If becoming a Rank 6 Qi Expert will help his goals, then he shall become a Rank 6 Qi Expert, if becoming a Rank 5 Qi Expert is enough, then he shall become a Rank 5 Qi Expert.
Long story short, even if he have to stay forever at the first Rank, as long as it helps him in returning back to his home, he would gladly do so.
To Ximen Wei, cultivating space-path is absolutely necessary, he thought it would be useful to traversing the space and void of the universe back to his homeland, on the other hand, time-path may be unnecessary but it may bring pleasant surprises, as long as it's not harmful he wouldn't mind to cultivate it.
A long life-span is also necessary, if the powers of a Qi Expert are not enough to allow him to go back to his homeland, then he'll have to spend countless years building a spacecraft to find a way back.
Although the idea of building a spacecraft sounds absurd, anything in the Qi World is possible.
'If I can become one of those Rank 6 Qi Experts, my chances of going back to home will be greater, preferably I reach the apex and pinnacle of cultivation in this world, and become a Rank 9 Qi Expert, however, judging from the teachings of the Immortal Devil Sect, becoming a Rank 9 Qi Expert is nigh-impossible, supposedly, Rank 7 and Rank 8 Qi Experts existed before, but in the current era there is not a single one. If there are no Rank 7 and Rank 8 Qi Experts? How are there supposed to be Rank 9 Qi Experts...' Although Ximen Wei wants to return back to Earth badly, he is still realistic and thinks rationally.
The Qi World is absurdly large, with five humongous mind-boggling continents, each one of them has a population that is in the hundreds of billions. Geniuses and talented figures are pretty common while in comparison, Ximen Wei is just a regular scholar from a 'backwater" planet.
Earth relied on science and understanding of universal laws to alleviate disease and make breakthroughs into planetary exploration while in turn, the Qi World figured out a way to harness the mysterious energy of Heaven and Earth, cultivate the body and soul, breakthrough human limitation and gain lifespans that is in the thousands of years.
Disease? Qi Cultivators does not have to worry about that! Their bodies and immune systems are immensely powerful, they reached a level where the many scientists and major scholars of Earth would find it impossible to fathom, and in the rare case that one of them got a rare, mutated disease, they can simply use the powers of Qi to alleviate it and even get rid of it.
Longevity? Peerless geniuses of the Qi World figured out life-extension methods that can let them live for even tens of thousands of years, the White Devil and the Immortal Devil Sect's Patriarch are prime examples of this, they are ancient figures who lived for god knows how long.
Compared to all the figures who made these things possible, what makes Ximen Wei special? What makes Earth special? If a single Rank 3 Qi Expert decides to run amok in planet Earth, even the many nuclear weapons the various superpowers possess would not necessarily be able to stop him.
Thus, building a spacecraft is totally possible! If Earth can do it, then the Qi World must've definitely did it before, if it the Qi World didn't do it, then building a spacecraft should be a pie.
Time? Qi Cultivators can live for thousands of years, building a spacecraft in that span of time shouldn't even be a question. Resources? The Qi World possesses various treasures of Heaven and Earth, there are unfathomable plants, ores and energy types hidden throughout the various continents, finding and acquiring them shouldn't be an issue.
Ximen Wei already decided, if he can't become a formidable Qi Expert, and rely on his body and power to return back to Earth, then he will build machines and spacecrafts to accomplish his goal.
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