Chapter 3017 - The Natal Heart Lamp
Su Yi sat cross-legged and sensed the situation on the first page of the Book of Destiny. A wisp of his soul transformed into an avatar and entered the Divine Punishment Destiny Ruin. There, it sensed that the power of Destiny’s Wrath was far more concentrated than before.
The difference was stark, and Su Yi couldn’t help but find it surprising. It was only when he met with the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence amidst the cells that he understood.
When the two River Ancestors were imprisoned on the first page, their bodies and souls were ground away. They were then refined as nourishment for Destiny’s Wrath. It was the power of two River Ancestors’ bodies and souls that had changed the Divine Punishment Destiny Ruins.
However, the two River Ancestors’ true names were the most startling of all. Each was imprisoned in its own cell. River Ancestor Ji Dian’s was like a wriggling bundle of bloody lightning. It emanated an aura of utter destruction. The Ape Ancestor’s true name was even more distinctive. It was like a black mountain, but shrunk countless times over. Despite its diminutive size, it retained the dense, heavy aura of a towering peak.
True names were river denizens’ foundations in the Grand Dao and their vital source. All of them hid their true names as thoroughly as possible, terrified that others would sense them. But no true name could hide from the Book of Destiny. With it, Su Yi could sense them with ease. That was how Su Yi used Speaking Divine Writ to call the Ape Ancestor’s true name.
“River Ancestor’s true names are extraordinarily difficult to seize. Killing a River Ancestor isn’t necessarily that difficult, but seizing their true name is all but impossible,” the Monarch of Endless Tribulations said with a sigh. “When forced into a corner, River Ancestors will destroy their true names before they’ll let their enemies seize them.
“The Book of Destiny is different. It’s incomparably mystical. Once confined in the Divine Punishment Destiny Ruin, River Ancestors are helpless to destroy their true names, no matter how hard they try.”
The Buddha of Non-Existence was emotional, too. “The Book of Destiny is indeed wondrous, like divine punishment. It’s the natural bane of the denizens of the River of Destiny. He who carries the book is like the heavens!”
Su Yi shook his head slightly. “Without your help, I could never have suppressed those two River Ancestors.”
He then bowed to them both in gratitude. Both of these supreme experts who’d proven their Daos in the Primordial Era had helped him immensely over the years. For instance, when he wanted to pry information out of his enemies, he’d toss them into the Divine Punishment Destiny Ruin, where the two of them would take over.
The Monarch of Endless Tribulations smiled. “What are you thanking us for? We have an agreement. All you need to do is fulfil your end of our bargain.”
Back in the Cave of Obsession, the heart devil in the rusted sheath helped Su Yi, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, and the Buddha of Non-Existence reach an agreement. Su Yi would visit the Abyss of Endless Tribulations prior to becoming a Heavenly Sovereign. There, they’d settle their enmities once and for all. In exchange, both of them sent their clones into the Book of Destiny willingly.
“Rest assured, you two. I’ve kept our agreement in mind this entire time. I absolutely won’t forget,” said Su Yi. “Besides, I’m quite interested in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations, too.”
The third page of the Book of Destiny hid immense secrets, but not even Xiao Jian had ever uncovered them. According to Xiao Jian, the Book of Destiny’s origins were connected to the Abyss of Endless Tribulations. Thus, Su Yi would have wanted to visit even if he hadn’t promised to do so.
Su Yi chatted with the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence a while longer before setting off.
But just as his avatar was about to leave, a voice called him back. “Wait, Little Chosen!”
The speaker was Mo Hanyi, one of the seven Negative Karma Destiny Demons imprisoned in the Ceaseless Abyss of Destiny in the second page of the Book of Destiny.
According to Xiao Jian, the seven of them were all his “defeated generals.” It was he who’d confined them there. Destiny’s Chosen and the Negative Karma Destiny Demons were fated enemies, while Mo Hanyi and the other six old monsters were all terrifying experts of the Destiny Demon lineage.
“Do you have business with me?” said Su Yi, his voice a bit cold.
Xiao Jian had told him all about the Negative Karma Destiny Demons. He said they were a race of demons born of the negative karma of the River of Destiny. The Destiny Demons controlled the negative karma power of destiny. Wherever they appeared, they brought ruin to the world, slaughtering, devouring, and refining the masses. That was their Grand Dao, the very foundation of their life!
For instance, before Mo Hanyi had been imprisoned in the Book of Destiny, he escaped the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain and stirred up a storm of bloodshed on the River of Destiny, slaughtering every last living being within three hundred thousand miles of water. Most vicious of all, he fought his way to the Far Shore of Destiny and sought out a battle with Destiny’s Chosen, Xiao Jian.
He got the fight he was after, but in the end, he lost, and he was brutally suppressed. His body was shattered, and his Destiny Soul was imprisoned in the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny. He was now just a pitiful worm, unable to live yet unable to die.
The other six Negative Karma Destiny Demons were similar, but their strength was lacking by comparison.
It was because Su Yi knew this that he wasn’t at all polite with Mo Hanyi.
“I have business with you. Of course I have business with you. How could I dare bother you otherwise?” Mo Hanyi’s voice rang out once more, tinged with laughter. “Little Chosen, are you aware that the power of Xiao Jian’s imprint is rapidly depleting?”
Su Yi’s brow furrowed. He was naturally aware of this.
Xiao Jian had explained what he knew of the mysteries of the third page of the Book of Destiny. He also warned Su Yi that the remaining power of his imprint would dissipate sooner or later. He urged Su Yi to grow stronger and fully refine the Book of Destiny as soon as possible.
If his imprint ran out of power before Su Yi assumed full control of the Book of Destiny, Mo Hanyi and the others were highly likely to seize the opportunity to escape!
But Xiao Jian also said that his imprint would last for at least ten years, so Su Yi wasn’t overly worried about it.
“What are you trying to say?” asked Su Yi.
Mo Hanyi smiled. “I just wanted to warn you that the more you use the Book of Destiny before you’ve truly mastered it, the faster Xiao Jian’s imprint will dissipate!
Su Yi’s eyes silently narrowed, but then, he laughed, and left.
His last words before his departure were, “It won’t be long until I’ve ignited my Natal Heart Lamp.”
A clamor of voices erupted from the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny.
“Impossible! He’s far from becoming a Heavenly Sovereign. How could he possibly ignite his Natal Heart Lamp?”
“Despicable! The Little Chosen is just trying to scare us!”
Only Mo Hanyi fell silent. He stood there in silence for a long time before he came back to his senses. He’d spoken up earlier in order to probe Su Yi. He hadn’t anticipated that he’d get such an answer! It had come as an enormous shock, and he struggled to accept it all at once.
Condensing a heart soul was the first stage of cultivating the secret power of the heart. Next came the Light of the Heart, followed by the Natal Heart Lamp. The lamp’s light illuminated the deepest recesses of the heart.
Once Su Yi ignited his Natal Heart Lamp, he’d be qualified to open the second page of the Book of Destiny! Even if he still couldn’t assume full control of the Book of Destiny, he’d be able to maintain control over the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny on the second page. That would mean the seven trapped Negative Karma Destiny Demons would have no further hope of escape!
“Never mind the Natal Heart Lamp. How many on or beneath the River of Destiny have successfully condensed a Heart Soul or given rise to the Light of the Heart? Such experts are rare even among Heavenly Sovereigns and River Ancestors!” Mo Hanyi murmured. “How could some kid yet to even become a Heavenly Sovereign be confident enough to proclaim that he was on the verge of igniting his Natal Heart Lamp?”
Long ago, Mo Hanyi escaped the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain, launching a massacre on the River of Destiny. He slew countless living beings and brought endless death and destruction to the world. He even fought his way to the Far Shore to challenge Destiny’s Chosen, Xiao Jian!
At his peak, Mo Hanyi had condensed a Heart Soul and illuminated the Light of the Heart, but he’d never succeeded in igniting his Natal Heart Lamp. He was naturally keenly aware of just how difficult it was.
Yet Su Yi insisted he was close to taking that step. Mo Hanyi found it hard to accept!
“I’ll be interested to see if you can really ignite your Natal Heart Lamp before Xiao Jian’s Dao Imprint dissipates!” murmured Mo Hanyi.
......
Su Yi had no idea what kind of stir his comment had created in the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny on the second page of the Book of Destiny.
After extracting his wisp of divine sense, he immersed himself in healing and cultivation.
It was just that he couldn’t help but think of Xiao Jian’s unrealized ambition.
Destiny’s Chosen and the Negative Karma Destiny Demons were fated to oppose one another.
The Negative Karma Destiny Demons were the greatest latent threat to be found in the River of Destiny.
Destiny’s Chosen controlled the Book of Destiny, presided over the natural order of the River of Destiny, and reigned over its waters.
Xiao Jian imprisoned Mo Hanyi and the others in the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny because he wanted to grasp their fundamental nature and bloodline abilities. He hoped to find a way to redeem the Negative Karma Destiny Devils and make them set aside their wicked ways!
That was one of Xiao Jian’s ambitions. The way Xiao Jian saw it, if he succeeded, the Negative Karma Destiny Demons would no longer represent such an enormous latent threat!
Alas, Xiao Jian never succeeded.
But Xiao Jian said that since Su Yi both carried the Book of Destiny and wielded the power of reincarnation, he might well succeed at finding a way to solve the problem of the Negative Karma Destiny Demons once and for all.
More importantly, Xiao Jian warned him that the situation in the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain would one day change. When the time came, the imprisoned Negative Karma Destiny Demons would break free and sweep across the world once more!
The precise timing of this change was connected to the alternation of the eras. The change would coincide with the onset of a new age.
When Su Yi recalled this, his heart suddenly filled with solemnity. He’d just realized a problem.
After the Struggle for Heavenly Fate, an earthquake shook the River of Destiny. While that seemingly apocalyptic cataclysm receded in the end, and no obvious disaster befell the world, the aftereffects of that quake were impossible to estimate.
In that case... Did the Struggle for Heavenly Fate mark the start of a new era? Does that mean that things would shift in the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain, too?
Su Yi frowned. I hope I’m just overly anxious... Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll have to face the latent threat of my fated foes rising from the depths of the River of Destiny...
...
That very day, deep in the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Zone, Ying Qi and Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao broke through the barrier confining his people to the depths!