A three-story, cyan stone building stood in a spacious courtyard.
The bright red gates of the Life Mansion were shut tight.
Li Qingxian looked up at the sky. In the depths of the void, a cluster of starlight flickered, protecting this person.
At the same time, another, even grander expanse of starlight obscured the first.
A Qi Fortune Fish leaped up and entered the Celestial Destiny Instrument.
RUMBLE...
The Celestial Destiny Instrument turned, and the gates of the Life Mansion swung open.
In the person’s Childhood Life Land, only a single Destiny Star floated.
Within the Destiny Star, a plump, white grass carp swam in a pond.
Destiny Star: Fat Fish in a Pond.
The Fate Technique says: A fat fish in water brings small fortune and status.
’This person was born into a modestly fortunate family and had a smooth-sailing childhood.’
Then, Li Qingxian looked toward the Youth Life Land.
Three Destiny Stars.
Upon the Year Pillar, a Celestial Destiny Star floated.
Within the Destiny Star, it was pitch-black, with dark clouds faintly swirling.
Celestial Destiny Star: Dusk Night Sky.
The Fate Technique says: Dusk conceals the path, night leaves one alone.
Above the Moon Pillar, a Human Destiny Star floated.
Within this Destiny Star, a fire blazed furiously. Faintly visible amid the flames was the frame of a house.
Human Destiny Star: Burning Court Fire.
The Fate Technique says: A fierce fire burns the courtyard; so long as the fire is not out, the hatred is not extinguished.
On the Day Pillar, within a Human Destiny Star, a hammer and a chisel were striking a ghastly white sternum. CLINK, CLANK.
Destiny Star: Voice of Bone Carving.
The Fate Technique says: The chiseling of bone pierces the ear; the carving of words reaches the heart.
Li Qingxian stared at these three Destiny Stars, stunned for a long moment, before turning his gaze to the Middle-Aged Life Land.
In the Middle-Aged Life Land, there were only two Human Destiny Stars.
On the Year Pillar, within a Destiny Star, a vast forest stretched out, and a line of fire horizontally consumed everything.
After the line of fire passed, the blackened outer bark of the tallest tree in the center of the forest peeled away, revealing brownish-yellow bark beneath. New buds sprouted from its branches.
On the scorched black earth, new green shoots slowly emerged.
Before long, another line of fire swept across the entire forest.
All the plants were incinerated, but the great tree in the middle remained standing.
High above, a Thunderbolt gathered within dark clouds, yet it delayed its descent.
Human Destiny Star: True Fire Refining Wood.
The Fate Technique says: True fire refines true wood; thunder fire ascends the path to heaven.
Inside the second Destiny Star, a long, black sword stood silently within a mass of black flame. Its edges gradually melted, and the sword slowly shrank.
Human Destiny Star: Black Fire Melting Sword.
The Fate Technique says: Refining a sword with true fire may yet have a time, but refining with black fire has no set date.
After observing all this, Li Qingxian heaved a long sigh.
’Refining the Black Fire Melting Sword isn’t impossible. Once forged, it would be an unparalleled evil sword, achieving the Fate of Evil God. But unfortunately, his foundation is too weak. He clearly has a Water Fate, yet starting from his youth, he turned water to fire and cultivated frantically, using any means necessary to increase his strength. This damaged his foundation, making it difficult to advance. That is why the Celestial Thunder will not descend, and his sword is destined to melt.’
The Life Mansion was clear and the Fate Grid visible. Li Qingxian slowly began his Inference.
Finally, Li Qingxian looked toward the Dusk Night Sky, his brow tightly furrowed.
’Dusk Night Sky is an extremely malevolent Fate Grid. It only appears in the face of an incredibly perilous disaster. Once it does, a multitude of Evil Stars will fall, bringing a lifetime of calamity.’
Li Qingxian withdrew from the Life Mansion and looked above the assassin’s head.
One after another, Destiny Images floated there.
In his youth, life was smooth. His progress in Martial Arts was steady, neither fast nor slow. His parents were healthy, his younger sister was lively, his wife was virtuous, and his daughter was well-behaved.
When he was twenty-five, he went out to spar with others. Returning to Luu City in the autumn, he saw a constant stream of people fleeing from the direction of the city. Upon asking, he learned that the Demon Sect had refined the entire city of Luu City into a Dead Demon Land.
He charged madly toward Luu City, only to see a city shrouded in black fog.
One by one, people emitting black smoke staggered out. Their bodies were cracking open, their skin peeling off like crumbling plaster. Blood streamed from their eyes as their flesh dissolved. They would run a dozen or so steps before collapsing, no longer resembling humans, like rotten meat pasted onto a skeleton.
Occasionally, people would charge back into the black-fog-wrapped city, crying and screaming, never to emerge again.
He sat numbly outside the city for several days, only to discover he had been afflicted with a mild Demon Poison. He had no choice but to leave Luu City. He went to Mazu Island to seek the truth and eventually discovered it was related to Demon Transformation Mountain.
He feigned allegiance and joined Demon Transformation Mountain, but he wasn’t suited for practicing Demonic Skills. He could only serve as an Eagle Claw in the Outer Sect of Demon Transformation Mountain, responsible for miscellaneous tasks.
The Demon Sect sent him to capture people from Nether Mountain, but he secretly let them go on multiple occasions.
One day, the Demon Sect discovered he had been freeing people from Nether Mountain. They captured him and threw him in the dungeon.
The very next day, Nether Mountain happened to attack that same dungeon. Someone he had previously freed recognized him, helped him escape Demon Transformation Mountain, and he joined Nether Mountain.
He joined the Death Warrior Camp and cultivated arduously. Starting from the Ninth Grade, he advanced at an incredible speed, reaching the Fifth Grade in just over ten years.
During his years in Nether Mountain, he carried out one assassination after another, killing not only members of the Demon Sect but also Imperial Court officials. He never hesitated to follow his superior’s orders.
One month ago, he received a message that Nether Mountain intended to disrupt Emperor Taining’s birthday celebration. He was sent to a mine deep within Changg Mountain, which served as the Divine Capital Sub-Branch.
One day ago, while in the Nether Mountain mine, he received an order from the White Nether Son to assassinate a Fate Master, a lackey of the Imperial Court.
Li Qingxian watched his Destiny Images repeatedly, slowly making his Inference.
’So he’s a relative of a victim from the Luu City disaster. According to the Imperial Court’s propaganda, the Demon Race launched a surprise attack on Luu City, and the Demon Sect and the Demon Race wiped each other out, which is what created the Dead Demon Land of Luu City.’
’But this man’s investigation led to a completely different conclusion. Demon Transformation Mountain is in Lizhou on the East Sea Coast, and not far from Lizhou is Mazu Island. The Demon Cultivators on Mazu Island have always revered Demon Transformation Mountain. The Demon Race is not adept at naval assaults. It’s impossible that they would take such a long, roundabout route to land on Mazu Island, then travel over a hundred miles without being discovered by the Human Race, only to suddenly appear at Luu City.’
’That was the Second Year of Taining. The Demon Race was focused on attacking the cities along the Great River and had no reason to attack Mazu Island. Furthermore, the Demon Race later denied attacking Luu City, even stating bluntly that it was a typical trick of the Demon Sect, just like when the Demon Sect framed the Demon Race for poisoning the Northwest with a bottle of fine white salt. If the Demon Race truly wanted to destroy a Human Race city, they would broadcast it far and wide, not deny it.’
’However, I don’t have conclusive proof, so I can’t make a final judgment. It’s just that the Demon Sect has created far too many Dead Demon Lands. Even before the Demon Race attacked, the Demon Sect had already created numerous Dead Demon Lands, leading to them being besieged by various major powers. After the Demon Race’s invasion began, the Demon Sect suddenly claimed that all the Dead Demon Lands were the Demon Race’s doing and had nothing to do with them. Not even a fool would believe that.’
Li Qingxian finally understood why Zhou Chunfeng and so many others loathed the Demon Sect.
Hundreds of Dead Demon Lands currently exist in Daqi.
Li Qingxian thought for a moment, then consumed another Qi Fortune Fish.
More Destiny Images appeared above the assassin’s head.
Just as he finished viewing the new Destiny Images, a black banner materialized above the assassin’s head. It unfurled and swept through, churning the assassin’s Fate Grid into a Dark House and shattering all the Destiny Images.
"The Chaotic Banner..."
Li Qingxian looked at the assassin with regret. He would never be able to see this man’s Destiny Images again, but what he had seen was enough.
He had seen the White Nether Son and learned some of Nether Mountain’s secrets.
’In one of the images, he entered the city from the west. He was holding unripe black cherries, and his clothes had a trace of sap from a sugar maple. Combined with the dirt on his shoes, I can use the Life-Seeking Skill to find the places he passed through.’
Li Qingxian looked at Fei Yan and said, "Lord Fei, in the future, when the Patrol Bureau captures a key person, don’t move them. It would be best to let me examine them first."
"What is it?" Fei Yan asked.