Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Vol 2 Ch 75: Eternal Destiny (Part 1)

“This time, I really hit the jackpot!”

On the way back to his estate, Zhang Xuan walked along with a broad smile on his face.

A thousand Destiny Disks! From the moment he entered the Source World until now, he had never fought such a prosperous battle. Previously, obtaining even one required painstaking effort. Yet this time, with just a bit of intimidation, he had made a windfall.

“Break!”

With a thought, 500 Destiny Disks shattered, transforming into a torrent of Heaven’s Fate Energy that surged madly toward the Xuan World.

The Xuan World, which Zhang Xuan had created as a substitute for the Source Pool, had previously absorbed tens of thousands of streams of Heaven’s Fate Energy. While this had provided some stabilization, as its range expanded and it absorbed more Source Energy, it had begun to show signs of instability.

Now, with an abundant supply of Destiny Disks, he could reinforce it in one go and completely stabilize the world!

Five million streams of Heaven’s Fate Energy condensed into azure currents that flowed around the Xuan World like towering stone pillars, fixing the previously trembling world firmly in place.

As the Source Pool stabilized, Zhang Xuan felt as though he had touched some kind of barrier, and a fissure appeared within it.

This kind of barrier only existed between major realms. Since Roaming and Dharma Aspect both belonged to the ninth level of the Source Pool Realm, such a barrier shouldn’t exist.

Considering that he had just recently reached the Roaming Realm and hadn’t even broken into the Dharma Aspect Realm, it was impossible for this to be the barrier to the Star River Realm...

“Let’s try again!”

Puzzled, Zhang Xuan focused his spirit and directed his attention toward the location of the earlier sensation.

“It seems like… the 999-horsepower Fate Lock!”

He suddenly realized.

For cultivators in the Source Pool Realm, no matter how vast their accumulation or how strong their power, they could only reach 999 horsepower—just like how those in the Jade Bone Realm were limited to 99 horsepower.

Even Zhang Xuan hadn’t broken this limit, which demonstrated how formidable it was. Could it be that he was now on the verge of surpassing the 999-horsepower threshold?

If he could truly break through, even without reaching the Star River Realm, he would be comparable to it.

“Previously, I couldn’t sense it, probably because the Heaven’s Fate Energy was insufficient, and the Source Pool was unstable. Now that those issues have been resolved, maybe I can succeed in one fell swoop! I wonder, though, if anyone has ever broken the 999-horsepower limit before.”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Knowing that this wasn’t the place to conduct an experiment and that his current identity was Yue Longxiao, he wasted no time and quickly returned to his estate.

Upon arriving, he reverted to his “Ling Buyang” appearance.

“Tell Yue Longxiao that my injuries are severe, and I need time to recover. When the people from Wanchang Sect’s headquarters arrive, he can call me then,” he instructed Sun Qiang before heading to his room.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the newly discovered barrier.

It appeared like a membrane, and beyond it seemed to lie a vast sea of stars.

Taking a deep breath, the power within his Source Pool surged as he slammed it toward the barrier.

Boom!

A mouthful of blood spurted out, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

“Brute force won’t work…”

Re-stabilizing himself, Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.

That single impact didn’t cause the barrier to ripple in the slightest, yet it nearly killed him. If he kept this up, it was likely his life would end long before the barrier ever gave way.

After pondering for a while without coming to a solution, Zhang Xuan smacked his forehead.

“So dumb. If I can’t figure it out, someone else surely can. Why not ask them…”

With a faint smile, he brought his fingers together as if holding a sword and thrust them into the void.

The heart is like a web of twin threads, tangled with countless knots.

Pathos of Heaven Sword Technique.

Whoosh!

A vortex appeared, and soon Kong Shi’s voice echoed from within.

“Master Zhang…”

“Kong Shi, are you holding up?” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m fine. I’ve found the Heaven’s Fate Inheritance within the Divine Domain and am trying to see if I can tame it…” Kong Shi replied.

“That…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Others trapped in the Divine Domain would be worried about survival, yet Kong Shi was focused on taming the inheritance.

As expected of Kong Shi, as relentless as ever.

“Did Master Zhang encounter some difficulty?” Kong Shi’s voice continued.

“There’s something, yes…”

Zhang Xuan detailed his discovery of the Fate Lock and the barrier.

“You’re correct,” Kong Shi analyzed. “The Fate Lock forms the foundation of Heaven’s Fate in the Source World. It uses destiny to cap cultivators’ limits. Unless you can break fate itself, it’s impossible to surpass it through brute force.”

“Break fate?” Zhang Xuan nodded thoughtfully.

When facing the barrier in the Jade Bone Realm, he had tried every method. Yet, his strength seemed stuck, unable to advance no matter how much his cultivation improved.

Now it appeared to be the same situation.

After bidding Kong Shi farewell, Zhang Xuan fell into deep contemplation.

“Since I transmigrated, I’ve journeyed across the Master Teacher Continent, breaking through destiny’s confines time and again…”

According to the fate of his original body, he should have been discarded by the Zhang Clan after his bloodline was extracted, left to rot in the wilderness. Without his transmigration, he would have long turned to dust, erased from existence. Yet, instead, he rose to unify the lands and was crowned emperor of the Nine Heavens.

For him, fate was meant to be broken.

The only question was whether he could do so again this time.

“If I can perceive the barrier, then I must be able to break it…”

In games, the rules for NPCs couldn’t be changed. But stepping outside the game itself, modifying those rules was a simple task for a programmer.

If the Source World were likened to such a game, the 99-horsepower and 999-horsepower limits were akin to the immutable speed-of-light limit from his previous life. For ordinary people, breaking it was nearly impossible, but for Zhang Xuan, not so much.

“Humans can change fate because of choices, and the greatest influence on choices is emotion.”

When people speak of altering their destiny, they might meet a benefactor who recognizes their worth, find the right path, or ride the wave of an era.

But in all these cases, emotions are involved.

Recognition by a benefactor stems from being liked; finding the right path arises from an inner yearning; rising with the times requires support, guidance, and acceptance from others.

“If Mo Dao martial techniques can consolidate into a Mo Dao Fate, could I cultivate a Pathos of Heaven Fate to shatter my current shackles?”

He could cultivate the Heaven’s Fate Mo Dao because he had mastered the Mo Dao techniques. So, could the Pathos of Heaven sword technique and cultivation method similarly form a fate?

With a flip of his wrist, a longsword appeared in his palm. Sword energy from the Pathos of Heaven emanated from the blade.

Previously, when he used his fingers to perform the sword technique, it merely acted as a bridge to connect with Kong Shi. If he wanted to truly wield the technique to perfection, he would need the support of an actual sword.

Boom!

The sword energy was too overwhelming for the blade to bear, and the sword shattered instantly.

Zhang Xuan frowned.

Since arriving in the Source World, he hadn’t used sword techniques much and, as a result, never sought a suitable weapon. If an ordinary longsword couldn’t handle it, where could he find one that would?

“Time for some modifications!”

He glanced at his belongings and realized the only material of exceptional quality was the Cold Nether Armor. With a thought, the armor appeared in the Xuan World.

With a light touch, the strongest defensive weapon of the Hanyuan Dynasty transformed into a longsword in the blink of an eye.

The Xuan World, being his personal domain, not only allowed him to shape reality with a word but also made altering the form of objects incredibly simple.

Reaching out, Zhang Xuan grasped the longsword. As he gave it a swing, the blade cut open a spatial fissure tens of thousands of miles long within the Xuan World.

Having absorbed five million streams of Heaven’s Fate Energy, the Xuan World was now far more stable than the Firmament had ever been. While it still fell short of the Source World’s stability, the gap wasn’t as significant anymore. For such a sturdy world to be cleaved with a single slash showcased the terrifying power of the sword.

“Not bad!”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction.

Though he hadn’t studied weapon crafting in the past five years, as the master of a world, the principles of countless great paths were now at his fingertips.

If ordinary blacksmiths could transform armor into a sword, there was no reason he couldn’t do the same—only better.

So long as the material remained unchanged, any weapon forged by him would surpass its original grade.

Thus, the longsword created from the Cold Nether Armor had already transcended the armor’s original level, reaching an entirely new realm of quality.

Returning to his room, Zhang Xuan felt the chilling aura emanating from the blade. He nodded in approval, thoroughly pleased.

This was undoubtedly the strongest weapon he had ever wielded. Compared to it, the Crimson Sky Sword was insignificant. In the Firmament, just casually tossing this weapon would injure the so-called Nine Heavens’ Emperors with the sword energy it radiated.

“I’ll name you Cold Nether Sword.”

At the announcement, the Cold Nether Armor emitted a faint, whistling hum, trembling as though excited.

Despite being newly forged, it already exhibited its own sentience.

“Heaven might grow old if it had emotions; the righteous path is one of enduring hardship!”

With the longsword in hand, Zhang Xuan softly intoned the essence of the Pathos of Heaven Sword Technique. As he activated the accompanying cultivation method, an overwhelming sword intent burst forth from the blade.

The sword let out a melodious hum, as if it had been recognized by a profound power, quivering with excitement.

Boom!

As the sword energy soared into the vast heavens, the sky seemed to sense its presence. It turned incomparably dark as countless storm clouds converged. Thunder rolled ominously, heralding the arrival of a torrential storm.

Author's Note