"If even you can't deal with that guy, then doesn't that mean if he targets me again, I'm basically waiting to die?" Xiao Yan's lips twitched. Regarding that hidden manipulator—the one who had led to the tragic fate of his past life—Xiao Yan had long since borne killing intent. But on the other hand, he held deep fear toward that figure as well.
He understood better than anyone how terrifying the power of fate could be. Beyond the personal pain and despair he had experienced, he recalled that on the Tianxuan Continent, Lin Dong's destiny had been altered just slightly—and it had led to the entire world falling under the dominion of the Demon Race.
Even though it now seemed he had broken free of that manipulated fate, how could he truly relax knowing that someone was still watching him from the shadows? Everything he had struggled so hard to obtain could be twisted with a single wave of that person's hand. He had no desire to relive such helplessness again.
"That's not necessarily the case," the World Will said after a moment of thought. "While I can't help you directly deal with that person, I do have a way to make sure you're no longer affected by the power of fate."
"What method?" Xiao Yan immediately asked.
"The power of fate is closely tied to the World Will. Though it is immensely strong, it must rely on the World Will to grow. Conversely, I also need the power of fate to help nurture the lifeforms born within me. In essence, we are interdependent," the World Will explained rather than answering directly.
"But the portion of the fate power connected to me has already been exploited, disrupting that balance. What should have empowered me has now become the very force that could destroy me," Xiao Yan said darkly.
"Exactly." The World Will didn't refute him. Instead, it abruptly shifted the topic. "The fate power tied to you is already in a state of chaos. While it may not be affecting you much right now, it will definitely cause serious problems in the future. The only solution… is to sever your connection to the World Will entirely."
"Sever my connection? What does that even mean?" Xiao Yan was stunned.
"Anyone cultivating within this world's system is tethered to the World Will. Even those who reach the peak of the highest known realm ultimately draw upon my strength. They can at most match me—but never surpass me."
"Moreover, the power of fate is intrinsically bound to the World Will. As long as you're part of the spiritual energy cultivation system, you remain under my influence—and therefore under the influence of fate. So if you want to be truly free of it, you must escape from the World Will's control. From that point onward… your cultivation will no longer have a ceiling."
"If the benefits are so great, then why hasn't anyone taken this path before?" Xiao Yan asked skeptically. If this path was really as good as the World Will made it sound, there should have been plenty of cultivators choosing it. Yet from all the intelligence he'd gathered, it didn't seem like anyone had.
"There are two main reasons," the World Will said, clearly anticipating his doubt. "First, almost no one even knows this path exists. The vast majority of the Great Thousand World's population doesn't even understand what the Sky Rankings are, let alone know how to surpass the Heavenly Sovereign realm or that they are bound by the World Will."
"And second, the moment you break free of my influence, you are no longer protected by this world. In fact, the world will actively reject you. Though you can still absorb energy and continue cultivating, everything becomes much more difficult. Most notably, your spiritual energy absorption will be significantly weaker than others—and you will never be able to form your own Sovereign Celestial Body."
"..." Xiao Yan fell into silence.
Though he hadn't been in the Great Thousand World for long, he was well aware that lacking a Sovereign Celestial Body meant your combat power in the Sovereign Realm would be severely diminished. His previous fights with people like Qin Wan'er had already proven that point.
The difference between having a Sovereign Celestial Body and not having one was massive. If someone possessed a high-ranked Celestial Body, the gap became outright overwhelming. While Xiao Yan currently had plenty of ways to compensate, as his cultivation grew, so would the strength of his enemies—and those gaps would be much harder to bridge.
"I know you're worried about losing the Sovereign Celestial Body," the World Will continued. "But even if you don't choose this path, you still won't be able to form a true one. Haven't you noticed? Your Flame Emperor Body isn't nearly as powerful as you imagined it would be. That's because… you're already beginning to be rejected by heaven and earth."
"What? That's impossible!" Xiao Yan was stunned. During his earlier battle with the Flame Emperor, he had indeed sensed that his Flame Emperor Body was weaker than expected. But he had simply assumed it was because his version wasn't a legitimate Sovereign Celestial Body.
Now it seemed there was more to it than that.
"I don't know why exactly, but this phenomenon is definitely occurring," the World Will said. "At the moment, the rejection is still weak—so you can barely summon your Flame Emperor Body. But as time passes, the rejection will grow stronger. Eventually, you'll lose the ability to summon any Sovereign Celestial Body at all."
"Well damn..." Xiao Yan couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. He had been struggling with whether to give up his Sovereign Celestial Body and walk the harder path. Turns out, he didn't even have a choice. He asked dryly, "Is this because I came from a lower plane?"
"No," the World Will replied. "There are other cultivators who ascended from lower planes. While they also struggle with spiritual energy assimilation, they're not rejected by heaven and earth. After all, lower planes are still a part of the Great Thousand World. You… are the only exception."
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.