Chapter 94: The Golden Destiny [Part -3]
The Golden Destiny [Part -3]
Ancient forests swayed beneath gentle winds.
Rare spiritual herbs carpeted the valleys.
Powerful spirit beasts wandered peacefully through the wilderness, their auras astonishing yet completely docile.
Most shocking of all...
The surrounding spiritual energy had become so dense that it resembled white mist.
Every breath they inhaled poured vast quantities of spiritual energy directly into their bodies.
Austin instinctively activated his cultivation technique.
His dantian immediately began absorbing spiritual energy several times faster than before.
His eyes widened.
"...Incredible..."
Even speaking felt unnecessary.
Above the endless sea of clouds...
A colossal shadow slowly drifted across the heavens.
Only portions of its enormous body appeared through the clouds before disappearing again.
Its true size remained impossible to estimate.
Simply seeing that mysterious silhouette caused everyone’s hearts to tremble.
Damien then noticed something else.
Several magnificent Divine White Pegasi were resting peacefully beside a mountain path.
Their snow-white wings folded elegantly against their bodies.
Golden manes shimmered beneath the sunlight.
Every casual breath they exhaled stirred powerful gusts of wind.
Despite their terrifying strength...
They behaved like ordinary horses enjoying an afternoon nap.
Damien could only stare blankly.
Even during his previous life...
Even within those legendary sacred lands...
He had never witnessed scenery as magnificent as this.
Austin and Nux stood speechless.
Neither of them had imagined such a paradise could truly exist.
Compared to this place...
Every so-called sacred land outside suddenly seemed ordinary.
At that exact moment—
A crisp, ethereal notification echoed inside Victor’s mind.
[Ding!! Golden-Destiny clansman detected. Legacy Investment available!]
Victor’s golden eyes flashed.
"Oh?"
"Another Golden-Destiny clansman."
A faint smile appeared.
His curiosity was immediately stirred.
With nothing more than a single thought—
His figure vanished.
No wind.
No sound.
No fluctuation.
One moment he stood atop Sovereign Peak.
The next...
He appeared directly before Austin.
By then...
Nux, Damien, Magnus Salvatore, and the others had already departed to report the completion of their mission.
Austin remained alone.
He suddenly felt someone standing before him.
Looking upward—
His pupils contracted.
The young man before him possessed shoulder-length black hair that gently swayed in the breeze.
Golden eyes brighter than the morning sun.
An incomparably handsome face that seemed carved by heaven itself.
Every movement carried indescribable nobility.
He wore an elegant black robe embroidered with magnificent golden dragons.
He merely stood there...
Yet the surrounding heaven and earth seemed to revolve around him.
Austin instantly understood.
There could only be one person in the entire Salvatore Family possessing such overwhelming presence.
Victor.
The Family Patriarch.
Victor quietly observed the thin young man before him.
His calm voice carried natural authority.
"You..."
"...are Austin Salvatore."
Austin immediately bowed respectfully.
"Reporting to the Patriarch..."
"I am indeed Austin Salvatore."
His tone contained both reverence and excitement.
While lowering his head, he couldn’t help secretly observing Victor once again.
During the journey...
He had heard countless stories.
From Damien.
From Nux.
From Magnus.
Every conversation eventually returned to one name.
Victor.
The man who had personally pulled the Salvatore Family from destruction.
The man who transformed a declining clan into the ruler of an entire Mana vein.
Everything the family possessed today...
Its blessed land.
Its cultivation resources.
Its opportunities.
Its future.
All of it had been created by Victor alone.
To every member of the Salvatore Family...
He was no longer merely their Patriarch.
He had become their pillar.
Their faith.
Their future.
Victor’s golden gaze calmly rested upon Austin.
A faint smile appeared.
"Your heart contains a flame capable of scorching the heavens..."
"...yet it has also learned to remain hidden beneath the dust."
"Excellent."
As his voice fell—
A translucent panel appeared before Victor’s eyes.
[Name: Austin Salvatore]
[Destiny: Gold]
[Comprehension: Prodigy]
[Talent: Prodigy]
[Cultivation: Mortal Forging Realm — Third Level]
[Physique: Fire King Body]
[Fire King Body: Naturally resonates with heavenly flames and possesses unparalleled affinity toward the Great Laws of Fire. It may continue evolving through special opportunities.]
[Fortune: The remnant soul of a fallen Grand Saint Realm expert slumbers within his mysterious black ring. She has already awakened.]
[Quality Ranking: Commoner < Ordinary < Superior < Genius < Prodigy < Peerless < Freak < Era-Suppressing < Heaven-Grasping]
Victor quietly examined every line.
His gaze lingered upon the final description.
A faint smile almost escaped him.
"So..."
"It really is someone living inside a ring."
Unlike what others might assume...
Victor already knew exactly who that mysterious soul was.
Akeno.
The Purple Flame Empress.
Austin’s silent master.
And yet...
Since arriving here...
She had remained completely silent.
Not even the slightest spiritual fluctuation escaped from the ring.
Victor naturally understood why.
She had sensed him.
She knew...
Someone standing before her was far beyond anything she could currently comprehend.
Victor shifted his attention.
Another notification appeared.
[Ding!! Golden-Destiny clansman detected. Legacy Investment available!]
[Investment Target: Mirror Soul Pill.]
[Investment Reward: 100,000 Cloud Spiritual Elixirs.]
[Investment Target: Heavenly Crimson Summer Sovereign Scripture.]
[Investment Reward: Purple Rose Celestial Flame.]
[Investment Target: Black Mountain Saber.]
[Investment Reward: Heavenly-Rank Treasure — Black Dragon Mysterious Robe.]
Victor silently read every reward.
His expression remained calm.
The returns...
Were extraordinary.
Especially...
The Purple Rose Celestial Flame.
Meanwhile—
Austin lowered his head.
A bitter smile slowly appeared.
His fingers unconsciously tightened.
His voice sounded hoarse.
"Patriarch..."
"...right now..."
"...I am nothing more than a cripple at the Third Level of the Mortal Forging Realm."
His words carried indescribable exhaustion.
Not anger.
Not resentment.
Only weariness.
Once...
He had believed destiny had finally smiled upon him.
He had discovered Akeno.
He had learned the truth behind his declining cultivation.
He thought...
Everything would finally change.
But after arriving here...
Akeno had suddenly fallen completely silent.
No guidance.
No reassurance.
Nothing.
It was as though hope had abandoned him once again.
Had...
He become a cripple all over again?
Again and again...
Hope had appeared before him.
Only to vanish before he could grasp it.
Austin lowered his eyes.
A trace of helplessness flashed across his face.
Austin...
Just what have you done...
To deserve a world that keeps tearing every hope away from you?