Chapter 185: Night Removal Predicts Fate, Turbulent Years in the City

The flames in Ye Chu's eyes extinguished. The black eagle spread its wings, shrieking, as the unfurling banners whipped wildly in the snowstorm, the verses on them seemingly transforming into black dragons about to emerge.

Ning Changjiu stood in the snow.

Ye Chu stood before him. Behind Ye Chu was a pitch-black cave, its destination unknown.

Ye Chu's startled cry was swallowed by the wind and snow. A single snowflake clung to his perfectly chiseled, god-like face. He gazed at the young man before him, remaining silent for a long time.

Ning Changjiu looked back at him.

Ye Chu's words struck Ning Changjiu like a sudden clap of thunder in his mind. The snow reflected in his eyes seemed to swirl like turbulent currents, but quickly settled into calm.

"Is this strange?" Ning Changjiu asked.

This was his first time seeing Ye Chu. His face was as handsome as a god's, inspiring neither revulsion nor any sense of closeness.

Yet, once his smile faded, that perfect face became as stiff and cold as a statue.

He stared at Ning Changjiu and said, "The Great Dao has 49 heavenly derivations, with one loophole for humans to escape. Within the bounds of fate, there is almost no unsolvable death trap. Your death should occur at the age limit indicated by your cultivation talent, but strangely, your life is set to end in twelve years!"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Has something like this never happened before?"

Ye Chu remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Before you, I have only seen it once."

"Who was it?"

"I cannot tell you."

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment, then asked, "The 'one path for human escape'... has my path been completely erased?"

Ye Chu replied, "Even if I buy a person's time, they may not truly die on schedule. The vastness of fate far exceeds our imagination. What kind of being could possibly cut off all paths to the future? I am eager to know, but unfortunately, I cannot see your future."

Ning Changjiu asked, "The Lord of the Divine Realm?"

Ye Chu shook his head. "I don't know either. Perhaps the Lord of the Divine Realm, or an irresistible natural law, or even the more elusive Heavenly Dao. Heaven always leaves a path, but your path leads to a dead end."

Ning Changjiu knew none of these were the case.

If his life truly was only twenty-eight years, then he had already lived his life in full.

He knew that at the end of his life stood the woman in white, whiter than snow. She stood there, her sword having severed his destiny long ago, leaving no glimmer of hope.

A chill rose in Ning Changjiu's heart. If he didn't seek her out, would she still find and kill him?

"Is fate unchangeable?" Ning Changjiu asked.

A smile finally began to trace itself back onto Ye Chu's face. He turned slightly, gesturing a welcome towards the dark cave entrance. "If the esteemed guest doesn't mind, you are welcome to enter my abode for a discussion."

"No..." Shao Xiaoli gripped the back of Ning Changjiu's clothes, speaking with fear.

Ning Changjiu took her arm. "Hold my hand."

Shao Xiaoli nodded gently.

Ye Chu turned back, smiled casually, and stepped into the cave.

Ning Changjiu lifted his foot, and with a single step, as if shrinking the distance to inches, he crossed directly into the cave dwelling.

"What courage," Ye Chu praised.

The world spun around them.

As Ning Changjiu entered the cave, his vision suddenly cleared. It was not a deep, secluded dwelling, but a vast, ancient battlefield.

Several pitch-black banners were stuck diagonally across the expansive ancient battlefield. Campfires still smoldered on the frozen ground, which was covered in overturned earth and fallen ruins. Snow continued to fall sporadically from the sky, and further in the distance, faint stone walls could be seen, though most of them had collapsed.

Was this... an illusion?

Ning Changjiu didn't believe such a vast space could be hidden within this mountain cave.

His gaze fell upon the very center.

There stood a colossal structure, like a towering building. It rose like a sword, yet its structure was far more complex. Wooden Qilin arms extended from its intricate mechanical core, adorned with illustrations of celestial movements. Its various components seemed interconnected, leading up to a pointed, slanted spire that appeared to point towards a specific direction in the sky. Surrounding it were sixty-four hexagrams formed by yin and yang lines.

Ye Chu walked at the forefront, looking at the incredibly complex structure as if it were his most cherished masterpiece, his eyes alight with an even brighter smile.

"Is this a machine?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Chu led him across the snow, towards the magnificent, colossal structure.

"This is fate," Ye Chu said with a smile, then asked in return, "What do you think fate is?"

Ning Changjiu did not answer.

Ye Chu chuckled to himself. "In a sense, fate is also time. Everyone, from the moment of birth, steps onto a constantly shifting timeline. For ordinary people, the most crucial junctures in their fate are typically birth, marriage, significant career changes, raising children, and ultimately death. For cultivators, it's birth, cultivation, breaking through major realms, marriage, and finally death. These are the truly important nodes of destiny. The ancient methods of divination from a millennium ago, such as 'Four Pillars of Destiny' and 'Zi Wei Dou Shu,' were all designed to approach the true trajectory and outline of fate."

As Ye Chu spoke, he suddenly smiled and asked, "Your birth year, month, day, and time?"

"No parents, so I don't remember," Ning Changjiu replied.

Ye Chu looked at the young girl beside him and asked with a smile, "And you?"

Shao Xiaoli nervously glanced at Ning Changjiu. After Ning Changjiu gave a slight nod, she slowly spoke, "City Calendar 723, July 26th, Hai Hour."

Ye Chu nodded gently. Then, he spread his hands, and the structure emitted crisp sounds, like an abacus being flicked. The part of the mechanism controlling birth time began to operate. Ye Chu then asked, "Where were you born?"

Shao Xiaoli recounted it vaguely.

Ye Chu moved his fingers again, and another part of the mechanism began to operate. During this time, he asked Shao Xiaoli several more questions about her birth, and after she answered each one, the entire structure started running, emitting a rumbling sound.

"So, you've been here before," Ye Chu said, smiling at Shao Xiaoli.

Shao Xiaoli frowned, puzzled.

Ning Changjiu looked at him calmly. "You don't know?"

Ye Chu replied, "My interactions with all guests are purely transactional. After the transaction, both parties forget everything and I do not interfere further."

Ning Changjiu asked, "This thing can calculate fate?"

Ye Chu said, "There is no starry sky here, so it cannot achieve true precision."

"Fate is linked to constellations?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Chu shook his head. "Constellations are merely stones in the sky, completely unrelated to fate. They are just a means of description. For example, as you stand in this snowy plain right now, the light of the third *ke* of the You Hour covers your back. According to the positions of constellations in ancient texts, you are currently at 34 degrees of the White Wolf Star, with the Pegasus Star watching you from behind. On the horizon before you, the rising Sea Bright Star resembles a crab crawling out of the water... Together, they describe you in a unified space-time, and this image of the moment also portends fate."

Ning Changjiu listened in silence, imagining the ancient, unchanging celestial bodies surrounding him as Ye Chu spoke.

But he still didn't understand.

If fate truly existed in the world, the closest he had come to it was in his previous life, when his master meticulously charted his cultivation path, and he had precisely followed her plan, step by step, without a single deviation, towards the end.

"Does fate have to be calculated?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Chu still shook his head, a hint of self-deprecation in his smile. "Truly enlightened individuals can observe it directly, but I am merely a mortal now, able only to constantly approach that line through various ingenious and elaborate techniques."

Arms on the structure moved like petals opening and closing. At the very tip of the spire, an arched scroll slowly unfurled, gradually forming a complete star map.

Ye Chu looked at the star map and slowly said, "You are not a daughter of the royal family."

The words struck like thunder, stiffening Shao Xiaoli's body. Just as she was about to speak, Ye Chu calmly and unhurriedly continued.

"At your birth, the White Ape Star and Jade Rabbit Star were companion stars, forming a comet. The Luo Shen Star also resided in its true position.

"You began cultivating at six. During that time, you consumed a fire-elemental pill, which boosted your cultivation by ten years. However, that pill was stolen, marking a tribulation.

"At seven, the signs of withered wood sprouting and spring streams thawing indicate your initial entry into the Dao.

"At twelve, fire was above and below you, the Kan path lay ahead, and a white snake followed behind—a sign of peril at every turn.

"At fifteen, your second tribulation, with nearby stars dimming, indicates the imminent death of a loved one.

"At seventeen... great misfortune, a death tribulation from which survival is difficult."

Shao Xiaoli stared at his back, every indication on the star map perfectly aligning with her fate. The words entered her ears like the moaning of a ghoul, making her break out in a cold sweat.

Unable to bear it, Shao Xiaoli interrupted, "What do you mean 'death tribulation from which survival is difficult'? I'm perfectly fine!"

Ye Chu smiled faintly. Although he couldn't recall specifics, he knew very well that this young girl had once come to him to alter her fate, and he had found a sliver of hope for her amidst numerous death tribulations.

Ning Changjiu also understood that Ye Chu must have used his authority to make his fall into the Timeless Abyss and Shao Xiaoli's adult spirit summoning a coincidence, thus turning him into a point of light in her desolate starry sky. Two lines that were never meant to intersect had touched.

"Why are you telling us all this?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Chu smiled faintly. "The last person with a similar fate to yours was infinitely more powerful than you, yet he still couldn't escape the outcome of death. So, if possible, I wish to meticulously analyze your fate."

Ning Changjiu gently shook his head. "I truly do not know my birth date."

Ye Chu nodded slightly, appearing somewhat disappointed.

Ning Changjiu said, "You want to buy my time?"

Ye Chu nodded. "If you are willing, I can pay any price. If the esteemed guest is not willing, I cannot force it."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Why can't you force it?"

Ye Chu smiled faintly. "Because you carry a great secret. I would never act against someone bearing a great secret. I fear the unknown. Calculating fate is precisely because of this fear of the unknown."

Ning Changjiu said, "Can my fate not be changed?"

Ye Chu said, "Fate is also cause and effect. All causes influence effects, but that influence has limits. It exists within a light cone. Regardless of the cause, all effects remain within fate's light cone."

Ning Changjiu asked, "How does one escape the light cone?"

Ye Chu smiled. "By surpassing light."

Ning Changjiu fell silent for a long time. The light, accompanied by the wind and snow, fell upon his face, feeling faintly cold.

Ning Changjiu said, "Then why are you buying time?"

Ye Chu replied, "I am not buying time; I am collecting scattered authority."

Ning Changjiu frowned. "Whose authority?"

Ye Chu smiled, but did not answer.

Ning Changjiu said, "The Headless God?"

Ye Chu's expression shifted slightly. "What else do you know?"

Ning Changjiu also did not answer, continuing, "Do you need my help?"

"You are indeed very clever," Ye Chu said, smiling and nodding. "I hope you can help me kill someone."

Ning Changjiu then asked, "What is the reward?"

Ye Chu said, "I can grant you a lot of time. This time might be useless to you, but it could save this little girl beside you."

Shao Xiaoli, who had previously understood nothing of their conversation, finally had a chance to speak. "Who wants you to save..."

She didn't know that she had sold a lot of her own time, but she secretly thought that if the other party truly possessed such divine power, it would be good to prolong her life. *Hmm*... Even though she had refused verbally, surely her boss wouldn't actually decline, right?

She glanced nervously at Ning Changjiu, then hesitated to speak further.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Who do you want to kill?"

Ye Chu stared into his eyes and said, "Siming."

Ning Changjiu's expression showed a slight hint of confusion.

Ye Chu asked with a smile, "Such a unique being as you, and she hasn't come out to meet you?"

Ning Changjiu calmly asked, "Who is Siming?"

Ye Chu replied, "Siming is her current title. She is a silver-haired woman, very beautiful. You'll know her when you see her."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Is she strong?"

Ye Chu smiled faintly. "She is very strong, but she will not kill you."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Why?"

Ye Chu said, "Because we both have only one goal."

"What?"

"We want to leave this place and return to our Divine Realm."

"Something happened in the Imperial City," Ning Changjiu suddenly said.

Ye Chu smiled and nodded. "A matter of minor significance, no need to worry."

Ning Changjiu said, "You knew?"

"I could guess," Ye Chu said with a laugh. "Women are always so petty... Well, if you still want to sell your time, you can find me in the valley anytime."

Ning Changjiu asked, "After I leave, will I forget everything that happened here?"

Ye Chu replied, "I will allow you to remember some things."

"And you?" Ning Changjiu countered.

Ye Chu smiled faintly. "Naturally, just like my guests."

Ning Changjiu nodded.

Ye Chu said, "That little chick in your broken sword, it won't remember our conversation either."

Ning Changjiu frowned slightly.

The Bloodfeather Lord, who had been silent for half the day, had secretly rejoiced, believing it had overheard a great secret of this world. Upon hearing Ye Chu's words, it finally realized that its presence had long been detected by the other party...

"You're the chick!" the Bloodfeather Lord roared furiously.

On this ancient battlefield, the wind and snow intensified, like a colossal white curtain of snow descending from the sky.

Ye Chu's facial features suddenly faded.

Ning Changjiu knew this meant he was being dismissed.

He walked backward, following the direction of the blowing snow.

The world spun around them.

Ning Changjiu stepped out of the cave dwelling. Behind him, it became pitch black. The black eagle still stood in the snowstorm, and it seemed as if a long time had passed, for its head was already covered with a layer of white snow.

The black eagle spread its wings.

Ning Changjiu frowned. He realized he had forgotten everything that had just happened inside the cave.

He looked back deeply, then took Shao Xiaoli's wrist and climbed onto the black eagle's back. Shao Xiaoli also appeared dazed.

The black eagle spread its wings, the banners flared and danced, and the landscape was engulfed in white snow.

The black eagle carried them away, flying out of the valley. The characters "one year passes amid the sound of firecrackers" vanished from sight in an instant.

"Damn it... what just happened? My head hurts so much!" The Bloodfeather Lord furiously hopped inside the broken sword, clutching its head with its wings, wriggling around.

Ning Changjiu remained silent.

Shao Xiaoli looked at him, wanting to ask something, but Ning Changjiu made a shushing gesture.

The black eagle soared high above the mountain path, crossing snowy mountains and deep valleys. The blade-like valleys reappeared in their sight, undulating with the landscape.

From the eagle's back, the pure white sky stretched infinitely high, and the undulating world of valleys was immensely vast. They shifted in varying shades, extending towards unknown horizons.

The black eagle flew directly towards Broken Boundary City.

Meanwhile, in the snowy valley, Ye Chu no longer smiled. His long hair still fluttered, but his facial features had completely vanished.

He bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and wiped it across his face.

Then, the body beneath his divine robe began to decay. After his flesh and bones withered away, what remained was not skeletal white bones, but a puppet-like body. He stood beneath the massive wooden mechanical structure, himself resembling a pathetic clown. He sat in the snow, gazing up at the sky, yet he had no eyes to see the heavens.

The black eagle landed.

Ning Changjiu and Shao Xiaoli dismounted the eagle. The black eagle blinked its crimson eyes hidden within its plumage, flapped its wings, stirring up a great wind, and vanished from sight.

Ning Changjiu brushed the snow from his shoulders and asked mentally, "Do you still remember?"

After a moment, the Spirit of the Sword Scripture replied, "I remember."

Ning Changjiu felt a slight easing in his heart. "Begin."

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture began to slowly recount the events that had transpired on the ancient battlefield.

Ning Changjiu listened in silence, his expression remaining as usual, even as waves of emotion occasionally surged within him.

They didn't travel far before returning to the iron-blue canyon. The monsters along the way had been mostly cleared, so their progress was swift, and they arrived outside Broken Boundary City in no time.

The Spirit of the Sword Scripture had also finished recounting the events.

"Is that all?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"Yes."

Ning Changjiu pondered the word 'fate', then recalled the Divine Realm that Ye Chu had mentioned at the end... *Their* Divine Realm?

A Divine Realm would never allow two masters. So what exactly were their identities?

After their conversation, the Spirit of the Sword Scripture fell into a prolonged silence, uttering no more words. Ning Changjiu could somewhat perceive its mood—its heart felt dull and lifeless, like a stagnant pool that stirred no ripples.

Outside Broken Boundary City, Shao Xiaoli presented the small bronze sword. The city gate opened just a crack, and the two entered.

"Why are you returning so late?" a man in official attire asked with a frown.

Shao Xiaoli explained, "The place we went to was quite far, and we were ambushed on the way, which caused significant delays."

The official glanced at them, picked up his frozen pen, and breathed on it several times to warm it before registering their names in the ledger.

"You returned a bit late; the city's affairs have already concluded," the official said.

Shao Xiaoli asked, "What happened?"

The official replied, "A rebellion occurred within the royal family. Monsters infiltrated and injured many people, and the King was also assassinated..."

"Assassination?" Shao Xiaoli exclaimed in shock. "Who would dare assassinate my father?"

The official sighed and shook his head. "It was a woman from the entertainment district, named Su Yanshu. She has now been imprisoned in the Heavenly Dungeon."

The Heavenly Dungeon, unlike the Ghost Dungeon, was a place specifically for holding criminals, not monsters.

Shao Xiaoli stood rooted to the spot, murmuring, "How... how could this be?"

After completing the registration, the official allowed them to pass.

Shao Xiaoli still hadn't fully processed it, remaining motionless. She couldn't understand why Sister Su Yanshu would assassinate the Emperor.

Ning Changjiu asked, "What kind of monster wreaked havoc in the Imperial City?"

The official looked at him in surprise, having initially thought he was Shao Xiaoli's spirit. He hadn't expected him to be a young man from the royal family as well.

The official looked towards the Imperial City, sighed deeply, and said in a tone of disbelief, "It was Chong Sui."

Chong Sui?

Shao Xiaoli had little concept of this name, but Ning Changjiu remembered it clearly. He had once thought that Chong Sui and Ye Chu might be the same person, but this conjecture was now disproved. They had appeared simultaneously in different places.

After they had walked some distance, Ning Changjiu finally spoke. "Su Yanshu couldn't have saved you."

Shao Xiaoli paused for a moment before realizing what he meant.

Ning Changjiu meant that if she had failed to summon her spirit and ended up in the Ghost Dungeon at that time, even if Su Yanshu could have saved her temporarily, after today's incident, she would surely have been implicated as an accomplice and executed.

"*Hmm*... thanks to Boss," Shao Xiaoli murmured.

Ning Changjiu was unaware of the situation in the Imperial City and couldn't fathom what the woman called Siming truly intended.

Shao Xiaoli thought for a moment, then said, "But I want to save Sister Su Yanshu."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Are you true friends with her?"

Shao Xiaoli herself wasn't sure, knowing that after she happened to save Su Yanshu then, her subsequent closeness was all for the purpose of using her.

"Yes!" She still nodded vigorously, then whispered, "But if it implicates Boss, then forget it."

Ning Changjiu said, "Someone might already be on their way to rescue her."

"Who?"

"Kui Yuan."

As they spoke, the two returned to the Imperial City. The official at the city gate inspected Shao Xiaoli's small bronze sword. Seeing its not-so-deep color, he frowned but said nothing.

Upon returning to the Imperial City, they first went home.

Once home, Shao Xiaoli's somewhat icy demeanor from outside completely melted away. She quickly brought a chair. "Boss, please sit first. I'll go boil some water, then make you dinner. After dinner, I'll give Boss a full-body massage!"

"Wait," Ning Changjiu called out, stopping her.

"What's wrong?" Shao Xiaoli asked, slightly startled.

"Do you want to learn swordsmanship?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Shao Xiaoli didn't know why he would ask this, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded firmly.

The day passed like this. They were forced to return to the city before they could even see the ice plain.

In the Imperial City, after this night, a three-month curfew would be issued.

Chong Sui had not yet left the Imperial City. The King swore that he would kill that ancient monster, no matter how many years it had lived, even if it meant turning Broken Boundary City upside down.