Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Heights and Depths of Destiny

The Fate Cluster is known by many names in various artificial divine realms—spiritual root, foundation bone, talent, innate gift, bloodline, among others. As such, there is a distinction between high and low, strong and weak; there are no useless Fate Clusters, only useless wielders.

Take, for example, Geng Liangchen, who possesses a Fate Cluster called “Steel Skin.” It enhances his skin’s resistance to impact, making it appear pale and tough, and allows the force of any blow to be instantly distributed across the surface of his body, further weakening the effect of an attack. Geng Liangchen, the Ghost General with “Steel Skin,” might seem slender and fragile, but in terms of short-term resilience, he is no less formidable than Zhao Jian, that muscular beast.

Lan Yi’s “Azure Splendor” is undoubtedly superior to Geng Liangchen’s “Steel Skin.” It’s not hard to see: without ample knowledge of Daoist arts, a martial artist who activates “Steel Skin” can easily beat down one who has activated “Azure Splendor,” since the early-stage cutting power of “Azure Splendor” cannot penetrate “Steel Skin.” However, with experience, “Azure Splendor” can manipulate magnetism, suppress evil, seal supernatural abilities, and wield Daoist arts out of thin air. Even a “Steel Skin” martial artist who has reached the flawless realm would still be toyed with and killed by one possessing “Azure Splendor.”

This raises a question: are there certain Fate Clusters that require no painstaking accumulation of knowledge, no deliberate cultivation, and pose no risk to the user? Ones whose mere existence makes them powerful, unreasonable, and whose starting point is far above others?

The answer is yes—there is more than one. There are the Seven Divine Fate Clusters!

Some of these Divine Fate Clusters can incinerate all things, transforming stable matter into plasma. Some can absorb and release all waves, unleashing the destructive force of a supernova explosion. Others can grant top-tier spatial abilities, allowing one to leap through space at will.

Ordinary Fate Clusters could only reach such heights by relying on Fate Diagrams and combining with other clusters, but Divine Fate Clusters are not only formidable on their own—when combined with other clusters, their power becomes even more exaggerated and terrifying.

Apart from the Divine Fate Clusters, there are still some special or powerful clusters that possess remarkable combat strength. For instance, Lan Yi’s “Azure Splendor”—even without knowledge of Daoist arts, as long as one is fearless, three thousand silver strands can intertwine and dance, slicing even a Terminator into fragments. If one is determined to die together, three thousand strands can pierce the enemy, summon lightning, and even a liquid robot would be forced to kneel.

Obtaining a Divine Fate Cluster means that person is destined to become a top-tier spiritual energy cultivator.

Such treasures are naturally exceedingly rare. How rare? In his previous life, Lan Yi had never seen a single Divine Fate Cluster. It was said that only one person in the main world had ever been detected with such a cluster, and shortly after the news broke, that person mysteriously disappeared, sparking a chaotic war between two civilizations. In the end, the Divine Fate Cluster vanished without a trace. Some claimed it was hidden, others said it was destroyed, while some insisted it never existed—that the whole affair was a scam from start to finish.

As for the artificial divine realms, there is even less sign of Divine Fate Clusters. False rumors abound, all with plausible details, but spiritual cultivators often fight fiercely only to discover they’ve been used as pawns and eventually stop caring altogether.

Nevertheless...

As a top lone wolf, frequently encountering adventurers like Jin Buhuan, Lan Yi—due to both subjective reasons (his infamous reputation, unwelcome in artificial divine realms) and objective ones (the complexities of social dealings, frequent invitations by the Human Emperor Banner to host all three clans, and wanted notices stuck to him)—often ventures into more unusual artificial divine realms.

Such realms are highly risky. The danger here does not refer to powerful individuals or strong power systems, but rather to realms that are incomplete, abandoned, and commonly called the “borderlands beyond the wall.” The logic of these realms is deeply flawed, their space and star systems are chaotically distorted, and sometimes entities known as “evil god tribes” or “anti-logic lifeforms” emerge. Only desperate spiritual cultivators or pioneers like Lan Yi, free of attachments, would wander the borderlands.

There, Lan Yi once obtained a clue about Divine Fate Clusters. From a bizarre, half-ruined altar burning with violet flames, an unknown entity revealed to Lan Yi that the first artificial divine realm he experienced contained key information about the Divine Fate Clusters.

Thus, when bargaining with Jin Buhuan, he demanded information on Divine Fate Clusters.

Jin Buhuan frowned. He actually knew nothing about Divine Fate Clusters. Yet Lan Yi, the old fox, played his cards perfectly: Jin Buhuan didn’t know, but this artificial divine realm did contain clues. What those clues were and where to find them would be up to Lan Yi himself. Seeing this, Jin Buhuan, the crafty merchant, couldn’t help but give his old friend a thumbs up.

“You really don’t let yourself suffer even a bit.”

He always secures his bottom line—truly worthy of being my fellow merchant!

“Your handmade spiritual energy is just right! I haven’t tasted such pure goods in this backward artificial divine realm for ages. When will you make some spiritual powder for your old friend to enjoy? Hoo, hoo, hoo! Oh, yes!”

After the business was concluded, Jin Buhuan took deep breaths, acting utterly intoxicated, his eyes rolling back in exaggerated ecstasy, his whole body convulsing with pleasure, immersed in the bliss of spiritual energy.

“There will be, there will be—just stick your head over and you’ll get some,” Lan Yi replied with a sardonic smile.

The “spiritual powder” joke was an inside joke among spiritual energy cultivators, a nod to chemical euphoria and energy supply, though it wasn’t particularly amusing to cultivators of the River Civilization.

“Can’t joke around? Never mind…” Jin Buhuan stood up, rubbing grime from his body. “…I’ll help you apply for permissions. When the time is right, I’ll find you. Be ready—even with limited-use temporary channels, completing your task won’t be easy.”

With that, Jin Buhuan transformed into smoke before Lan Yi, vanishing in an instant.

Lan Yi glanced up instinctively—night had fully fallen. Time really does slip away unnoticed.

His mood had improved considerably; his sense of loneliness diminished, thanks largely to the presence of a familiar, unexpected old acquaintance. Even if that old friend was a bit tricky and sly, it was far better than having no one to talk to.

For reasons unknown, whenever he interacted with Jin Buhuan, Lan Yi always felt a peculiar comfort—almost like being among his own kind. Yet Jin Buhuan’s appearance also reminded Lan Yi: when the apocalypse struck, all artificial divine realm channels were sealed, but perhaps someone within those realms remembered or sensed the reboot.

He mustn’t let things go awry in the artificial divine realms.