Chapter 83: The Sage of Heavenly Secrets

The pagoda tree and the willow seemed to cower before this laughter, not daring to act rashly. In the gentle breeze, these trees exchanged subtle waves of thought.

Dragon Claw Pagoda Tree A: “Who is this person? Why does he fill me with such fear?”

B: “He’s terrifying. My heart is trembling.”

C: “I sense an evil aura from him. He is not a good man.”

D: “We were planted by his very hands in those distant years, when we were naive and ignorant. Now that we have awakened our own consciousness, we can feel his heart—it is black as pitch.”

“That’s right, his heart is black,” another echoed.

From the riverside, the great willow sent out a ripple of terror.

Golden nectar and primal energy now suffused the world, awakening intelligence in all living things. Some could cultivate, while others, though awakened, could not. The great willow and the dragon claw pagoda trees were of the latter kind—incapable of cultivation. Yet, given time, through the slow growth of ages, they too might one day take human form.

It was much like the creatures of the water: some, upon gaining sentience, could cultivate and evolve into merfolk; some, despite awakening, would never change their form, their intellect forever lesser than that of a child. Yet their bloodlines could rival those of the highest orders of aquatic beings, making them fearsome beasts. But the more they cultivated and devoured, the stronger their blood and vitality became, the duller their intelligence grew. In the end, at the height of their power, their minds might vanish altogether. Their evolving bloodlines would ultimately consume their intellect.

While the dragon claw pagoda tree and the great willow whispered among themselves, Destiny, standing before the tombstone, sighed: “This day, I have awaited for over eighty years.”

“To think my calculations were correct and I arrived today after all,” Destiny mused, as Thunder Dragon, accompanied by his nine sons of the Thunder family, knelt on one knee. “The entire Thunder family gives thanks to Destiny for the grace of rebirth.”

Destiny chuckled, gazing at the kneeling family, the tenderness in his eyes slowly fading away. “Do you know why I built this place for you all those years ago?”

“Master Destiny, was it not out of pity for the Thunder family’s loyal sacrifice?” Thunder Dragon asked, curiosity lifting his gaze. But as soon as he spoke, his pupils widened in shock, for Destiny was smiling—a smile twisted with wickedness.

Unease surged within him as his fingernails began to stretch, transforming into three-inch black talons.

“Only now do you realize? Too late! What a foolish family,” Destiny laughed, his voice as eerie as a ghost. His figure flickered and vanished like a phantom.

A blood-curdling scream split the air. Thunder Dragon’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

“Destiny, I’ll kill you!” Thunder Dragon roared, his kneeling figure vanishing in an instant.

“You?” Destiny sneered coldly, his hand embedded in Thunder Nine’s skull. The scream had been his. With a single strike, Destiny pierced his skull and, using a secret art, devoured all the darkness in Thunder Nine’s body.

“Kill!” Thunder Dragon bellowed, appearing in a flash with hands slicing the air, launching a fierce attack at Destiny.

“Do you know why I showed mercy to your family?” Destiny withdrew his hand with indifference. Thunder Nine’s corpse collapsed to the ground and instantly turned to dust.

Thunder Dragon faltered at the sight, his attack pausing.

“You are still too soft-hearted,” Destiny said with a smile, striking with his palm. The two clashed, and a violent explosion sent both reeling back.

Destiny stomped the concrete floor hard, channeling the residual force into the earth to steady himself.

A muffled rumble sounded beneath the ground.

Thunder Dragon was forced back over ten meters.

“Too late. Now I will tell you the answer.” Destiny’s laughter grew more sinister as his hands wove a series of seals, his form splitting into eight copies.

“No!” Thunder Dragon steadied himself, now fifteen meters away.

The eight forms of Destiny appeared before his eight sons.

“Now I will tell you why: this was my design, laid out over eighty years, to use the loyal blood and souls of the Thunder family to forge undying corpses. Once I devour your essence, I will possess the immortal bloodline. In this place of extreme yin, to revive with loyal blood and souls, a line of nine sons—such a thing has never been seen in history. To think that this ancient secret art should find its glory in my hands.”

Destiny laughed wildly.

The answer made Thunder Dragon’s pupils dilate rapidly. He lunged forward in desperate frenzy, but it was already too late.

Destiny’s avatars struck at once, and before the eight sons could react, their skulls were pierced.

A piercing scream echoed.

Destiny howled toward the sky.

The bloodline of the Thunder family’s nine sons poured into his body. Black, centipede-like markings began to crawl over his skin, spreading endlessly.

In the blink of an eye, Destiny was completely covered in these writhing marks.

A beast-like roar erupted from his mouth.

“Kill!” Destiny bellowed, merging his forms into one. His right hand shot out to clash against Thunder Dragon’s right arm.

A sharp crack rang out.

Thunder Dragon’s entire right arm exploded from the shoulder, sending him hurtling uncontrollably through the air.

Destiny was about to strike again when a cry of agony burst from his lips. He clutched his head, pounding it with his fists, as if tormented by unspeakable pain, rolling and writhing on the ground.

His head slammed brutally into the tombstone, shattering it to pieces.

“It hurts! It hurts so much!” Destiny wailed, rolling and thrashing. His robe hung from him in ragged strips. His muscles, at some point, had begun to swell, his entire body growing in size. From a man of five feet seven, he now towered as a giant over three meters tall.

Gradually, his howling faded. His writhing grew still under the glow of the bright moon. Eyes tightly shut, he suddenly opened them.

Twin streaks of crimson pooled in his gaze, the black and white of his pupils vanishing, replaced by blood-red eyes.

As his mouth opened, thick white smoke poured from his nose and lips.

A simple exhale, quiet as a breath, yet carrying the force of a sudden wind.

Destiny’s appearance was transformed. No longer the refined priest, but a giant crowned with black horns, his face twisted, muscles bulging beneath wrinkled skin.