I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-811

Xiao Ruoyin had already figured out Gu Changge’s intentions the moment he presented the Celestial Boat of Creation.

The Celestial Boat of Creation was an Innate Treasure, not forged by man. Initially, Xiao Ruoyin, relying on her Nihility Destiny Physique, resonated with the ethereal River of Destiny, which allowed her to become its Master.

Later, when the Immortal Palace collapsed and she reincarnated, the Celestial Boat of Creation also reincarnated with her. Its Artifact Spirit manifested in a physical body, which was Jiang Chen.

That said, it remained in Gu Changge’s possession all these years, and Xiao Ruoyin believed he wouldn’t return it to her even if she asked.

“Have you come to inquire about the Celestial Boat of Creation, Divine Lord?” Xiao Ruoyin couldn’t help but speculate, her gaze falling upon the Celestial Boat of Creation.

It appeared to be made of bronze, but in reality, it belonged to a rare type of Divine Gold known as the ‘Mother of Fortune Gold’, a material that had never been recorded in ancient books. Because of this substance, it could carry one’s fate and traverse the river of time without being affected by karma or inviting divine punishment.

However, it was incredibly difficult to find, and many cultivators might spend their entire lives without ever hearing about ‘Mother of Gold’, let alone the ‘Mother of Fortune Gold’.

Xiao Ruoyin had researched all of this when she was the High Priestess of Destiny in the Immortal Palace. Even she found it nearly impossible to locate another piece of ‘Mother of Fortune Gold’.

“Indeed,” said Gu Changge after taking a gander at Xiao Ruoyin. “But what I’m more interested in now is how much control you have over the Dao of Fate.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the geomantic compass behind Xiao Ruoyin. It was quaint-looking. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice countless strands of starlight-resembling material converging on it, giving it an eerie appearance.

Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to see it, but Gu Changge, who comprehended the Dao of Fate, knew those were the so-called threads of karma.

In this world, everything, without exception, was bound by the threads of karma. Even he, at one point, had his past life exposed by Xiao Ruoyin due to karma. Truly, transcending karma and the Five Elements was an exceptionally difficult task.

“Control over the Dao of Fate?” Xiao Ruoyin felt surprised. [Why would Gu Changge suddenly be interested in this?]

As someone with the Nihility Destiny Physique, she possessed a powerful ability to sense and interact with fate and karma. Therefore, when she delved into the study and comprehension, she found it effortless and natural.

Over the years, since Xiao Ruoyin regained the memories of her previous life as the High Priestess of Destiny, she had been trying to restore her past Dao Fruit, and the most notable aspect of this endeavour was her comprehension and control over the Path of Fate.

Just now, she was indeed calculating, specifically, the future changes of the Divine Empire.

In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, hidden forces were at play. Grand Spiritual Masters could simply glance and perceive a person’s past lives and present existence, as well as the myriad changes and evolutions of countless beings throughout countless epochs.

There would be no secrets in this world that they couldn’t unravel. However, seeing beyond the boundaries of time and instantly glimpsing the other side was truly a profound and mysterious ability. Unthinkable, even.

Given Xiao Ruoyin’s current ability, she was still far from reaching that level. In fact, it was merely an unrealistic fantasy.

Gu Changge nodded. “I’ve developed a keen interest in the Dao of Fate recently, and I thought you should have a deep understanding of it.”

He wasn’t lying. He had come searching for Xiao Ruoyin because he remembered that she had a profound knowledge of fate.

“I see,” said Xiao Ruoyin upon realisation and continued, “Although I have delved deep into it, my cultivation is still far from reaching your level. Even if I can glimpse some aspects of fate, it might not be of much use for you, Divine Lord.”

Gu Changge’s cultivation now was immeasurable and indescribable, surpassing the mortal realm, having come a long way.

This was certainly an unprecedented phenomenon in the eternal history of fate. Even the most proficient Grand Spiritual Masters couldn’t grasp the future and the path of such an extraordinary existence.

Naturally, Xiao Ruoyin didn’t dare probe into Gu Changge’s fate easily. It would not be a problem if she could or couldn’t perceive it. The issue lay in the degree of backlash she would experience.

Gu Changge had anticipated the young woman’s response. Hence, it was why he presented the Celestial Boat of Creation, allowing her to use it to catch a glimpse of fate.

“With the Celestial Boat of Creation, given your current cultivation, you should be able to glimpse the fate of the Divine Empire somewhat, right?” he asked.

Xiao Ruoyin remained silent for a moment. She dared not lie to him. “But the possibility is slim…”

“That’s fine. You can withdraw whenever you sense danger. I’ll bear any backlash for you.” Gu Changge shook his head. Any sudden gut feeling had its reasons at his current cultivation level, just like what he was about to do now.

To Gu Changge, this step was crucial for him to deduce the paths ahead.

At his current stage, Gu Changge had deduced and summarised paths ahead for him. He had roughly divided them into four steps. After reaching the end of the first three steps, he would reach the edge of immortality, what was known as the Immortal Realm.

However, during his research and comprehension of the Dao of Fate, he sensed something about the fourth step. It was above the Immortal Realm, where he had to dispel the fog that veils it and reflect upon himself to create a Dao Fruit.

This was when karma ceased to bind, transcending beyond time and space. Grasping the three thousand Daos, enduring eternity with a single thought, annihilating countless universes with a single intention. It was transcending the self, encompassing the past, present, and future, with his existence being present throughout eternity, truly free and eternal. With a single hand, he could shatter the heavens, effortlessly cut through all things, perceiving everything. It could be immortality in the void, or even immortality in concepts.

These were all the different Daos that lay ahead. As the fog dispersed, everything became visible, but Gu Changge still needed to deduce and verify them based on fate.

“This concubine understands.” Knowing she had no choice, she immediately took the Celestial Boat of Creation, which emitted a faint trembling sound as it returned to her hands after countless ages.

Layers of divine and mysterious ripples spread across the space as if enchanting melodies, which resonated with the world. Even the threads of karma converged towards this place.

Dressed in a ceremonial robe, Xiao Ruoyin appeared sacred and ethereal, enveloped in boundless Celestial Light. In front of her, a large expanse of light mist appeared, hazy and indistinct, with glimpses of blurry fragments. Within these blurry fragments were the radiance of the Divine Empire and the evolution of various realms.

There were divine sounds coming from all directions of these fragments, but behind them was silence and coldness, followed as a dense fog obscured everything.

Terrifying scenes unfolded in Gu Changge’s eyes. He was seemingly situated at the endless void’s edge right then, observing the evolution of heaven and earth, the separation of chaos. There were even glimpses of light and shadows, overlooking everything at the end of the river of time, observing the changes of mountains and rivers and the passage of epochs.

“The Dao of Fate is truly mysterious…”

Xiao Ruoyin was quickly on the verge of collapsing, her fair face flushing with a wave of blood. Meanwhile, calmness had returned to Gu Changge’s countenance.

With a wave of his robe, thunder resounded at the edge of the sky and everything soon dissipated without a trace, and the suffocating and terrifying pressure vanished in an instant.

“You’ve done well,” he said, catching the faltering Xiao Ruoyin while looking at her pale face.

Not so surprisingly, the young woman nearly experienced a backlash. While deducing the fate of the Divine Empire, she was suddenly enveloped in tremendous terror, and her whole body chilled. However, that great terror came quickly and vanished just as swiftly, its source unknown.

She knew that Gu Changge intervened in the end, dispelling that immense terror. However, a question remained in her mind. [Just what in the world was that?]