1 Xuanyin, BingYun
Fate, the idea that events are predetermined and inevitable, and that people have little or no control over their lives. It is often associated with the concept of destiny, which suggests that there is a preordained plan or purpose for each person's life.
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Unknow Space and Time:
A man, whose clothes were tattered, and body was ridden with wounds, was tightly holding onto the lifeless body of the woman. Blood was splattered everywhere on his body, and tears of blood poured out of his eyes, revealing the extreme pain and hatred he felt.
The scene was surrounded by corpses and devastation, with some still having their limbs intact while others were left with nothing, not even their soul.
As the man lifted his head with great difficulty, he gazed into the distance where corpses of his friends, comrades, lovers, and families lay. His heart was filled with an endless amount of grief and pain, causing him to let out a sound that resembled neither a human nor an animal.
Everywhere he looked, he saw the lifeless bodies of people he knew, and it was no exaggeration to say that everyone he ever loved or knew had perished there. This wasn't what he wanted; he never wanted to lose everything he held dear. He had only sought power to protect his loved ones, but now there was nothing left.
All of this destruction was the result of the heaven-destroying battle he and his loved ones fought against the Evil Infant Wheel-One of the Seven Heavenly Profound Treasure. In the end, he emerged victorious, but at a great cost. He had lost everything, everything that he had ever cared for.
What is the worst feeling one can experience? Is it the feeling of being alone, lost, betrayed, or regretful? There is no clear answer to this question, as all of these feelings can cause immense pain and suffering, and he is currently experiencing all of those emotions.
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An unknown amount of time had passed, and the man still clung to the lifeless body of the woman. It could have been a few hours, days, or even years, but the pain, grief, and hatred he felt toward himself for being useless remained unchanged.
Despite having all the power in the world, it seemed to have no real significance in the end. All he had ever wanted was to have enough power to protect those he loved, rather than to gain fame or respect. So, what had gone wrong? Why was fate so cruel to him? What had he done to deserve such a devastating outcome?
He had become so strong that he surpassed all those who came before him, whether they were True Gods or True Devils, Creation Gods, or Devil Emperors. However, now it all seemed meaningless, or maybe he was just not strong enough.
He had lost everything he had ever cared for.
As he continued to hold onto the woman's lifeless body, the man was plagued with questions that would remain unanswered. Time passed by, and the man remained trapped in his own thoughts, unable to comprehend the reality of his situation. The pain of his loss was unbearable, and he could only wonder if there was any way to turn back time and prevent this tragedy from ever happening.
A sudden burst of light erupted inside the man's mind, causing him to realize what he needed to do. He wanted to turn back time, to relive the moments when he saw their smiles, no matter the cost.
Even if it meant sacrificing his power or his life, he would gladly do so.
With that unwavering resolve, the man slowly extracted a small mirror from his Dimensional Storage Space, knowing full well that using it might be the last time he ever would. As he activated the mirror, he understood that it required the power of his everything to function properly.
The mirror was known as the Mirror of Samsara, one of the Seven Heavenly Profound Treasures. It had saved him on numerous occasions in his youth, but he later discovered that it could only be utilized by the Ancestral Goddess herself, who had reincarnated and save him.
That realization had helped him reach the heights of power that he now possessed, despite not being the reincarnation of the Ancestral Goddess. However, he was willing to stake everything he had on the hope that the mirror would work for him.
Without hesitation, the man channeled his entire being, including his body, soul, and beliefs, into the mirror.
Even if it did not work, he had lost all will to live anyway...
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"Yun Che… Why… do you never look after yourself."
A trembling voice complained beside his ear, ephemeral, a sad voice coming from far beyond the skies.
Jas… mine...
"Jasmine!"
As if struck by lightning Yun Che sat straight up. Pain in his body surged forth like violent waves but he ignored them, his gaze complicated and looking all around. "Jasmine, that was Jasmine's voice…"
"Jasmine, where are you? Where are you now?"
The door opened and a snowish white shadow appeared in front of him somewhat mysteriously, "Yun Che, you're awake."
"Palace Master Bingyun," Yun Che's breathing was a mess and somewhat flustered, "I… I heard her voice, did she come? She definitely came!"
Looking at Yun Che, Mu Bingyun couldn't help but let out a sigh and gently replied, "You just woke up, it was probably just a dream."
His heart slowly calmed down. His fuzzy memories slowly started to all come back to him. He felt a splitting headache. How he defeated Luo Changsheng in the end was still all blurry to him.
Was it just a dream…? Yes, it was just a dream...
Taking in a deep breath Yun Che calmed himself down and started to observe his body's condition. He hurriedly asked, "Palace Master Bingyun, how long have I been asleep for?"
"Don't worry, it's only been two days. You still have ten more hours until your next battle with Luo Changsheng," Mu Bingyun comforted him.
"Looks like I'll have to waste another Time Wheel Pearl." Yun Che calmed himself down. After checking himself out just now he found that all his meridians had already healed and joined back up. His internal and external injuries had stabilized and he had recovered about half his vitality and profound energy. Despite his incredible powers of recovery, owing to the severe nature of injuries he had sustained, it was actually impossible for him to make such a fast recovery within this short time frame.
"No," Mu Bingyun shook her head, "what healed you was a drop of the Divine Water of Absolute Beginning."
"Divine Water of Absolute Beginning? What is that?" Yun Che asked, stunned.
"The Divine Water of Absolute Beginning is divine water that has been touched by primordial energy. Records call it the "Water of Origin". At the moment it only exists in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning," Mu Bingyun patiently explained.
Yun Che's heart jumped. He was infinitely clear that anything which contained the word "primordial" was at the highest level that the Primal Chaos had to offer, in fact it could be described as supreme amongst all divine treasures.
"Since it is referred to as 'divine water' and only exists in the God Realm, I'm guessing this must be pretty rare."
"Yes, it is extremely rare." Mu Bingyun continued, "The God Realm of Absolute Beginning is filled with ancient wild beasts, it is an extremely dangerous place. The Divine Water of Absolute Beginning has an extremely rich draw to such beasts thanks to its spiritual energy. Therefore wherever the Divine Water of Absolute Beginning can be found, there will be ancient beasts. Even if a Divine Master wished to have it, they would have to put their lives on the line.
"Following the changes of the Primal Chaos, the primordial aura of the God Realm of Absolute Beginning also became turbid while the amount of Divine Water of Absolute Beginning lessened. Several powerful Divine Masters tried entering the God Realm of Absolute Beginning hundreds of times and still didn't find even half a drop after having wasted thousands of years."
"No matter how heavy the injuries, bones and meridians shattered, even if internal organs are torn apart, as long as there's one breath left in you, just one drop of the Divine Water of Absolute Beginning is enough to help you make a full recovery within a short period of time. It can even completely recover lost blood essence. If used as a tonic, it can temper one's body to be like refined steel and cause one's soul to become as thick as an impregnable fortress. When you fought with Luo Changsheng, you must have felt that his physique was extraordinary. That was because his body had undergone tempering with the Divine Water of Absolute Beginning… and it should be an extremely large volume too."
Mu Bingyun's words caused Yun Che to freeze. "Our Snow Song Realm actually has such…"
"No," Mu Bingyun shook her head. "Your master indeed found one drop of Divine Water of Absolute Beginning many years ago and has already used it to temper her soul. The drop of Divine water of Absolute Beginning that was used to heal you was bestowed by someone else."
"...Who?" Yun Che asked, finding the circumstance unbelievable.
"Glazed Light Realm."
"..." Yun Che was shocked, his gaze a little conflicted.
"You should be able to guess who. Aside from her, there's no one else who could or would." Mu Bingyun looked at him, "Perhaps it was on her all along or perhaps she stole it from the Glazed Light Realm King. She got the ninety-ninth prince to stealthily send it over. With regards to the Divine Water of Absolute Beginning, it won't take long for the Glazed Light Realm King to realize… At that point he'll probably fly into a rage… forget it. Your injuries haven't completely recovered, now's not the time to worry about such things."
Yun Che pressed his hand on his forehead, his emotions topsy turvy.
That little girl… Was she really serious about…
It's the Divine Water of Absolute Beginning! I can't possibly take out anything in return for such a great favor… Do I really have to use my "body" as compensation?
Furthermore, based on my powers of recovery, as long as I throw myself into the Time Wheel Pearl I'll be able to recover completely on my own…
Mu Bingyun then placed two Time Wheel Pearls in front of Yun Che, "These are two extra pearls provided by the Eternal Heaven Realm. There's still twenty hours left in them; they should be enough for you to make a complete recovery."
"Mn!" Yun Che shrugged off all unnecessary thoughts and every hesitation he had, giving a firm look of resolve as he received both pearls...but as he stored the two Time Wheel Pearls in front of him into his Spatial Pocket...
"Uuug…Ahhhh...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
A groan of pain echoed through the air, a scream more miserable than that of a slaughtered beast, piercing the ears of all present.
"Yun Che! Yun Che!! What's wrong?!" Mu Bingyun shouted loudly as she watched the young man before her, who had been fine moments ago, suddenly clutch his head in agony, even reopening some of his previously healed injuries.
His scream would have frightened those nearby if it weren't for the soundproofing barrier.
"What happened?! Yun Che!!!" asked Mu Bingyun as she tries to make sense of what is happening, a spatial distortion occurred, and fine ripples appeared in the air.
A light blue figure emerged, with an ice-cold disposition like a jade statue, yet stunningly beautiful. Her ample bosom seemed about to burst from her snowy garments, fluttering in the wind with incomparable beauty and chilliness.
"Sister... I..." Mu Bingyun stared at the person who appeared by her side. Mu Xuanyin had arrived and quickly used her profound energy to calm Yun Che down.
"It's alright, Bingyun. I'm here," said Mu Xuanyin as she continued to use her profound energy to treat Yun Che's injuries and clam his mind. Despite her lack of knowledge about the situation, she will make every effort to assist him.
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The painful screams gradually died down, and Yun Che slowly opened his eyes, looking around the room in confusion. He spotted the two women in front of him and stared at them in shock.
"Xuanyin...Bingyun...."
Tears slowly rolled down both of his eyes as he called out their name before his eyes fluttered shut, and he passed out.
The two women could only stare at each other in shock as their minds filled with questions. They both silently agreed to ask Yun Che later, once he woke up. What had happened to him? He had been fine just a moment ago.
If Mu Xuanyin had not been hidden nearby, with what just happen, Yun Che's injuries might have worsened, and he could have lost his life.
Raising the unconscious Yun Che, Mu Xuanyin voiced her concerns to Mu Bingyun. "There seems to be something amiss with Yun Che. I will take him back to our realm for the time being. Rest assured, if he awakens, I will return him before his scheduled fight." With that, she departed, leaving a fretful Mu Bingyun behind.
