From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 529 The Beginning of Defying Fate

I was clutching Wen Chen's sleeve when the copper basin outside the tent was slammed shut.

The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric, mingling with the surging heat of my chaotic spiritual root in my wrist, which gradually steadied my trembling fingers.

Senior Brother Lin's voice, trembling with sobs, burst into the tent, "Miss Xiao!"

Immortal Venerable Wen!

A message came from the outer sect saying that the rift in the sky behind the Cangwu Sect had suddenly cracked open by three inches! "The communication jade talisman on his waist was hissing and emitting blue smoke, and I could even smell the burning smell—it was because the message was sent too quickly, and the spiritual energy was overloaded and burned."

"And then there's the Xuanbing Sect, the Hundred Flowers Valley..." He wiped his sweat, his face as white as a sheet in the candlelight, "The disciples say that black lines are appearing on the horizon, like torn cloth!"

My throat feels tight.

Just a moment ago, they were still shaken by the secret of the Chaos Spiritual Root, but now they were stunned by this news.

But before tears could well up, a sudden chill touched my wrist—the ethereal immortal's fingers gripped my pulse point, cold as if immersed in millennia-old ice. "Someone is breaking the seal," he said, his robe billowing in the wind, revealing a bronze compass hanging at his waist. "They can't wait any longer; they want to do it before you fully awaken..."

"boom--"

A muffled rumble of thunder outside the tent interrupted his words.

Through the gray-blue curtain, I saw the distant sky tinged with an eerie purple, as if someone had splashed a jar of amethyst on it.

Wen Chen's sword hummed as it was drawn half an inch from its sheath, his dark robes fluttering in the wind. He looked down at me, his eyes filled with a familiar calm: "Yao Yao, you..."

"Summon all disciples." My voice was more steady than I expected, even surprising myself.

The chaotic spiritual root surged within my body, and I heard the shadow crystal vibrating in Wen Chen's sleeve, its frequency matching my heartbeat—it was responding to me.

Zi Ling stood up abruptly, causing the teacups on the table to clatter.

She grabbed the command flag from the desk, the silver bells in her hair jingling: "I'll go to the front camp and get people right away!"

"I brought three boxes of Fire Runes. If the Shadow Demon dares to show its face..." She didn't finish her sentence, but winked at me and turned around, creating a gust of wind that made the candlelight flicker.

Elder Qingfeng bent down to pick up the communication jade token that had rolled to his feet. I saw a light burning in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes—the same fighting spirit I had seen when he was instructing swordsmen on their trials, a spirit ignited in the face of a formidable foe. "I'll guard the rear camp," he said, patting the jade token in his palm. "I've raised carrier pigeons to contact the major sects for twenty years. Even if the rift in the heavens were to pierce right before my eyes, I could still send out a message for help."

Senior Brother Lin was still in a daze, so I went over and patted him on the shoulder.

He was half a head taller than me, but at that moment he looked like a sapling struck by lightning. "Go to the training ground," I said, shoving my storage bag into his hand. "There are ten Qi Gathering Pills inside. Give them to the disciples on night watch—they need to perk themselves up." His hands trembled as he took the bag, but his steps were heavier than when he came, his boots crunching over the gravel outside the tent.

The tent suddenly fell silent.

The ethereal immortal's compass clicked and spun halfway, its bronze pointer pointing directly at my heart. "The distribution of these celestial gaps," he said, lifting the red silk covering the compass to reveal a surface engraved with ancient seal script, "is a Reversal of Fate Array."

I leaned closer to examine it; the black lines on the compass formed a twisted pattern, like a severed dragon. "An ancient array used to seal the power of destiny," he said, tracing a line with his fingertip, "only the Chaos Spiritual Root can reverse it—you must go to each node."

"I'll go with you." Wen Chen's hand covered the back of my neck, and with a gentle pull, I bumped into his arms.

His heartbeat was muffled, each thud reverberating against my eardrums. "Shadow Crystal has acknowledged you as its master, and my sword has acknowledged your path. There's no need to separate them."

Zi Ling had slipped back at some point and was leaning against the tent pole, twirling the command flag: "I'm going too!"

She'd been struggling to find a place to test the fire talismans she'd practiced in the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave the month before. "Besides," she blinked, "if you encounter a swarm of Shadow Demons, someone has to take a couple of hits for you, right?"

I looked at the swirling purple mist outside the tent and suddenly smiled.

The chaotic spiritual root burned in my blood vessels, so hot that my eyes stung—so this is what it feels like to be protected.

What happened afterward was like a revolving lantern.

Elder Qingfeng led his disciples to reinforce the barrier, Senior Brother Lin held a torch and called for help in the training ground, and Ziling squatted on the ground drawing talismans while humming a little tune.

Wen Chen stood by my side the whole time, shielding me from all the flying scraps of paper until the moon was high in the sky.

“It’s time to rest.” He draped his cloak over my shoulders, his fingertips brushing against the top of my hair. “Tomorrow we have to travel three hundred li of mountain road to the first checkpoint.”

I nodded, but didn't head towards the tent.

The moonlight bathed the valley in a white glow. I followed the path from my memory deeper into the valley—there stood an old peach tree, the place where I secretly buried the sword tassel when I first entered the sect.

The wind brushed past my ears, and the crystal shimmered gently in my sleeve.

I took it out; the light gray crystal shimmered with pale gold in the moonlight, and there seemed to be mist swirling inside, just like the star-shaped crystals I had seen in my mother's dressing case when I was a child.

"You can't sleep either?" I asked softly.

The crystal vibrated even more violently, burning a mark on my palm.

The sound of the night watchman's clapper came from afar, "Dong—"

I looked at the slightly raised mound of earth under the peach tree and suddenly squatted down.

The moment my fingertips touched the soil, I felt a chill—someone had placed a jade plaque engraved with ancient seal script where I had buried the sword tassel.

As the moonlight fell upon it, the patterns on the jade plaque suddenly lit up.

When I saw the top three characters clearly, a chill ran down my spine.

That is: "Rebellion against fate begins".

I squatted under the old peach tree, my fingertips pressing against the jade pendant that gleamed with a cold light. The three characters "Defy Fate" seemed to come alive in the moonlight, a faint blue light seeping from the lines of the pendant, seeping into my veins through my fingers.

Suddenly, the chaotic spiritual root on my wrist surged, burning me so much that I shivered—the aura of this jade pendant was somewhat similar to the mist in the shadow crystal.

The shadow crystal in my sleeve vibrated even more violently. I bit my lip and took it out, then took out the spirit crystal from my pocket.

As soon as the two stones, one light gray and one milky white, were placed side by side on the mound, the ground trembled slightly.

Golden patterns appeared on the surface of the Shadow Crystal, while the Spirit Crystal emitted a pale green light. The two streams of energy intertwined in mid-air, like two snakes recognizing each other.

I instinctively held my breath, and cold sweat beaded on my palms—the last time they resonated was at the bottom of the Abyss of Beasts, when I was almost overwhelmed by the spiritual pressure. But now, this power felt as familiar as a long-lost friend.

"Don't be afraid," I whispered, gently touching the shadow crystal with my fingertips.

It was incredibly hot, but it didn't burn me like it used to.

A ball of light, interwoven with gold and green, suddenly enveloped my hand, and the scene before me began to distort.

The branches of the old peach tree became blurred, the chirping of insects and the calls of birds faded into the distance, and when I opened my eyes again, I was standing in a void.

The palace was suspended directly in front of them.

The dark blue-green roof was covered with star patterns, and the beast heads on the eaves had their mouths half-open, as if they were roaring silently.

The palace doors were tightly closed, yet faint sounds of a zither could be heard, as if someone was playing a tune I had heard before but couldn't recall.

I wanted to move forward, but it felt like I was walking on cotton; every step required a tremendous amount of effort.

The Shadow Crystal was burning hot in my palm, and the Spirit Crystal Stone was stuck to my wrist. The two forces pushed me until I was only three steps away from the palace gate.

"This is..." I reached out to touch the door knocker, and the image suddenly shattered as soon as my fingertips touched the brass ring.

The branches of the old peach tree became clear again, and the shadow crystal and spirit crystal fell back onto the mound with a "thud." My knees buckled and I collapsed to the ground, my back soaked in cold sweat.

"Yaoyao?"

Wen Chen's voice came from behind.

I hurriedly wiped my face and turned around to see him standing in the moonlight, his dark robe billowing in the night wind, and he was still clutching the cloak I had just left under the peach tree.

His gaze swept over the jade pendant and two stones at my feet, his eyebrows slightly raised, but he didn't rush to ask. Instead, he squatted down and draped his cloak over my shoulders: "Ziling said you ran off to the peach grove. I guess you were rummaging through old things again."

When his fingers touched the back of my hand, I realized I was still trembling. "I saw a palace," I said in a hoarse voice, recounting the scene to him.

He listened without speaking, but picked up the jade pendant inscribed with "Reversing Fate," tracing the ancient seal script on it with his fingertips. "This jade pendant is made of Cold Abyss Jade, used only in ancient sealing formations." He looked up at me, his eyes sparkling. "You said the Shadow Crystal and Spirit Crystal led you there... Perhaps the key to the Reversing Fate Formation is hidden in that hall."

I stared at the jade tablet in his hand and suddenly remembered what the ethereal immortal had said—that the chaotic spiritual root could reverse the fate-defying formation.

It turns out that it wasn't me who chose this path; it was this path that had been quietly waiting for me since the day the sword tassel was buried.

"It's time to sleep." Wen Chen placed the jade token in my palm. "Tomorrow we have to travel three hundred miles through the mountains, you need to be well-rested." He reached out and pulled me up, his fingertips brushing against the chaotic spiritual root on my wrist. "I'll be keeping watch outside your tent. If there's any noise, I'll wake up faster than Ying Jing."

He led me toward the campsite, and when we passed Ziling's tent, the lights were still on inside.

Through the thin gauze curtain, one could see her sitting cross-legged on a straw mat, with a pile of talismans half her height in front of her, biting a pen and applying cinnabar to a fire talisman.

Seeing me pass by, she winked at me and held up the talisman in her hand: "Just drew 'Heavenly Blazing Flame,' if we encounter Shadow Demons tomorrow, I guarantee it'll burn them to ashes!"

Two extinguishing lamps were lit in front of Elder Qingfeng's tent. He was checking the supply list with several outer disciples. His silver beard fluttered in the wind: "Bring thirty spirit-gathering flags. If that's not enough, we'll use spirit stones to make up for it when the time comes."

The healing pills are divided into five portions, and Miss Xiao's portion is packaged separately... "As soon as he looked up and saw me, he immediately smiled and waved, "Yao girl, come and take a look. This is my newly made 'Stabilizing Essence Powder.' Your Chaos Spiritual Root is depleted quickly, so take two pills on the way."

I took the celadon bottle he handed me, my fingertips touching its warmth—he must have kept it warm in his bosom.

The next morning, the campsite was filled with the aroma of porridge.

Senior Brother Lin stood before my tent, holding a rough earthenware bowl. The millet porridge inside was sprinkled with osmanthus blossoms, and the steam made his eyes redden. "Miss Xiao," he said, "let's have breakfast before we set off." He paused, then scratched his head. "The Qi Gathering Pills you gave me yesterday were very effective, the junior brothers on night watch said. This morning they were all eager to help me move supplies."

I took the bowl, took a sip, and the sweet aroma went straight to my throat.

As we were eating, Senior Brother Lin suddenly pulled out a mutton-fat jade talisman from his robes. Fine, crackling lightning patterns floated on its surface, and a half-circle of red string wrapped around its edge. "This is a 'Boundary-Breaking Talisman' left by my master," he said, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Master said this talisman can tear through spatial barriers, even if one is trapped in another realm..." He didn't finish, forcefully shoving the talisman into my palm. "Take it. I... I just want to protect someone my master should protect this once."

I gripped the jade talisman tightly, and could feel the rough edges on the red string—he must have rewrapped it overnight.

The teleportation array was set up on an open space to the east of the camp. Elder Qingfeng personally set up the array, and the Bagua patterns carved on the ground still shimmered with the dampness of fresh mud.

Ziling hopped up first and waved to me, "Sister Xiao, come quick!"

I've got a good spot. If you get dizzy during the teleportation, I'll help you! Wen Chen stood by the array waiting for me, took the package from my hand, and gently touched the boundary-breaking talisman hidden in my sleeve with his fingertips. He didn't say anything, but his eyes said, "I know."

"Start the battle!" Elder Qingfeng's voice boomed like a bell.

The light from the teleportation array instantly enveloped us, a warm yellow light. I heard Zi Ling muttering beside me, "Don't teleport to the wrong place," and Wen Chen's breath was right next to my ear.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the horizon—the last trace of black lines was fading away, like ink marks being gently wiped away by someone.

The wind swept peach petals towards me, and as I gazed at this valley that had once been shrouded in cracks, my throat tightened.

“This time, I will rewrite my destiny with my own hands,” I said to the wind.

The light grew brighter and brighter, so bright that I couldn't open my eyes.

In a daze, I heard Zi Ling call out, "Have we arrived?" Wen Chen's hand gripped my wrist tightly.

When the light faded, the tip of my nose touched the damp mist first.

I squinted and looked up, and saw a white jade bridge suspended above the sea of ​​clouds. The end of the bridge was hidden in the mist, and I couldn't see its shape. But I could hear faint music drifting over—the same music that came from the palace last night.