Aspiring to the Immortal Path - Chapter 714
Chapter 714: Traveling (IV)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Two geniuses were rapidly maturing, one among the humans and one among the fiends.
But not everyone was happy to see these geniuses. Some people didn’t like it when geniuses appeared in other people’s homes, sometimes even considering them to be roadblocks.
Influenced by Fate, in fiend territory, a conspiracy was brewing against Yue Yan.
Fiend General Tu Hou, one of the White Night Fiend King’s ten great generals, was currently holding a meeting at his estate, a dour look on his face.
“The Great Fiend Tournament is upon us. Each city will choose a peerless genius to enter the capital, where they will compete for the right to be personally taught by the Aurora Fiend Emperor. This is an immense glory. If the young master is chosen, it will undoubtedly bring the general endless honors and accolades!”
“Although the young master is a genius, there is a certain freak in Westsail City. He cannot overcome Yue Yan.”
The fiends argued back and forth.
Murderous intent appeared in Tu Hou’s eyes. “Nothing more than a minor fiend from an ordinary family who White Night adopted as his daughter. She would dare to compete over the spot with the great me? No matter what, I will not permit that Yue Yan to take away my son’s destiny!”
Several days later, little Yue Yan, who was out training, was ambushed and hunted.
Yue Yan had no choice but to flee for her life.
The chase lasted for three whole months, causing her to miss the selection. As a result, Tu Hou’s son ended up being chosen as the genius from Westsail to be tutored by Aurora, and Yue Yan was still being hunted.
The dogged pursuers forced Yue Yan to flee to human territory, using the humans to barely throw off her hunters and running off into the deep forests.
The hand of Fate once more cast a die.
Luanshan Academy’s annual trial in the mountains had come.
Li Yan followed his seniors and juniors into the mountain, searching for the spirit herb the school had indicated. After a difficult battle, he incidentally came across a little deer—Yue Yan.
This was the first meeting of the human and fiend geniuses, but at the time, Yue Yan was heavily injured and barely clinging to life.
When Li Yan saw a little deer lying badly injured on the ground, he didn’t think about eating it. Instead, he considerately tended to its wounds.
Thanks to Li Yan’s care, Yue Yan rapidly recovered.
Li Yan gradually realized that this was no ordinary deer, but a fiend deer. However, having already developed an affection for it, he swore an oath to not kill it.
On that day, he placed an arm around Yue Yan’s neck and talked and talked…
He talked about his hatred for fiends, his reluctance regarding the little deer, his past experiences… Not knowing that Yue Yan was a Mind Opening fiend, he said everything on his mind. Yue Yan quietly listened.
Once Li Yan’s classmates were about to arrive, he patted Yue Yan and said, “Go on; leave this place and don’t come back. If another person sees you, they’ll kill you.”
Yue Yan gave Li Yan a long look before leaving.
Two months later, Yue Yan returned to Westsail.
When she learned that Tu Hou’s son had gone to the capital of Aurora, she didn’t say anything, instead heading straight for Aurora City. At this time, the fiend geniuses from various parts of the empire were all fighting for the right to be the emperor’s student. Yue Yan entered the stage as a challenger and defeated countless geniuses, causing a great uproar.
At this time, Tu Hou’s scheme was exposed, and the Aurora Fiend Emperor personally executed Tu Hou. Yue Yan became the Heaven’s Chosen and entered the Aurora imperial palace to be personally taught by the Aurora Fiend Emperor.
All of this was as Tang Jie had expected and arranged.
Of course, this didn’t include Tu Hou’s schemes.
Fate was a web, and to pull on one part was to pull on the entire thing.
To influence Yue Yan was actually to influence everything around her. Just like how the Verdant Cloud Domain’s Web of Fate was constantly trying to dominate Tang Jie’s Fate, the Fate that Tang Jie had manipulated was influencing the Verdant Cloud Domain, producing more widespread effects.
Tang Jie had not encouraged Tu Hou’s actions, but he had noticed them. So Tang Jie had borrowed Tu Hou to influence Yue Yan into reacting.
In this aspect, Tang Jie could not set up a path and have his target go along that path until the end. Accidents would occasionally appear on the track of Fate, which was why prophecies would have inaccuracies.
Tang Jie could design a plan for a person, but so long as he couldn’t completely influence their surroundings, the Web of Fate from the greater region would influence Tang Jie’s target, creating all sorts of unknown variables.
This was the uncertainty of Fate.
The uncertainty of the future.
This was another important principle Tang Jie had comprehended.
Of course, even though this uncertainty existed, so long as Tang Jie was still watching, he could pull on the threads of Fate to adjust his plans.
For example, he couldn’t make the Aurora Fiend Emperor directly take a liking to Yue Yan, but he could have Yue Yan put on a sufficiently outstanding performance so that Aurora would accept her without needing his influence.
This was a natural development of the Dao of Fate, in compliance with the Great Dao.
The Fate he had woven was in tune with the greater trend of the Verdant Cloud Domain.
In this process, Tang Jie understood more and more, and he found it easier and easier to influence and control Fate.
Twenty-eight years passed.
A fiend genius was now a famous fiend princess.
An ignorant student had become a hero of Fengshan.
Two years ago, Yue Yan had reached Transformation, becoming a peerless beauty that had countless fiends drooling.
Li Yan had reached Celestial Heart, becoming the most outstanding member of Fengshan’s younger generation.
The threads of Fate finally brought them together once more.
Dongjin Pass.
A great battle was about to begin.
There was a new general in command, Gu Pinzhang having died in battle ten years ago.
Fifty-some years had passed. The fortress still stood, guarded by armored soldiers.
Many familiar faces had disappeared.
Li Yan, as a leader of the new generation of Fengshan’s cultivators, appeared on this battlefield.
On the other side were four fiend kings, led by the White Night Fiend King. As a fiend princess, Yue Yan also took part in this battle as a fiend general.
Neither was aware that the other was on the battlefield.
That brief encounter from many years ago had long ago been forgotten. Even if they appeared as they did back then, they still might not have recognized each other.
But Fate was sometimes unreasonable. If it wanted, even a long-lost memory from thirty years ago could be reawakened. If it was willing, two people could meet on the battlefield.
Thirty thousand feet above Dongjin Pass, Tang Jie went to work.
This time, he went a little overboard.
He no longer pulled on the threads of Fate. Instead, he connected Yue Yan and Li Yan with a thread of Karma.
This thread would awaken their memories, make them recognize each other and know each other, even love each other.
If the two were just Celestial Heart cultivators who were complete strangers to each other, Tang Jie wouldn’t have been able to do this so easily.
But he had influenced Li Yan and Yue Yan from a young age with the Dao of Fate, making them live according to his arrangements. One could say that he had influenced everything from their habits to their personality, so resistance was impossible.
Thus, everything went smoothly.
A human hero met a fiend princess on the battlefield and engaged in a momentous battle. In the chaos, they gradually began to draw away from the greater battle. By the end, they were utterly exhausted and had ended up trapped in a dangerous area.
It was only then that they recognized each other.
They started to make peace with each other and work together to escape their predicament. In the process, Li Yan displayed his wisdom and Yue Yan displayed her intelligence. They found themselves attracted to each other, and their mutual affection began to soar.
Finally, in a night overflowing with passion, everything was settled.
In a cold, dark, subterranean world, two people hugged each other for warmth, creating a friendship and connection that transcended species.
At this point, Tang Jie knew that his experiment was nearly complete. Only the last step was missing.
Snapping his fingers, he said, “You, Li Yan, despite being a human, love a fiend—a thought which torments you. But this pain stimulates you, propels you forward so that you can one day become the sovereign of humanity, protecting the existence of humanity!”
He snapped his fingers again and said, “You, Yue Yan, despite being a fiend, love a human—an unpardonable sin. For the rest of your life, you will work for peace between humans and fiends.”
Two motes of light traveled along the threads of Fate into the bodies of Li Yan and Yue Yan.
This was the last thought Tang Jie would plant in their minds.
This idea was in tune with their minds and suitable for their circumstances, so it encountered no resistance. In this process, Tang Jie had succeeded in influencing the mindset of these two geniuses in a major way.
One day, if they were able to get that far, the belief that Tang Jie had planted in their minds would activate, and so his actions would influence the entire Verdant Cloud Domain, perhaps even alter its future structure.
But Tang Jie couldn’t be certain, because he was no longer going to use the Dao of Fate to influence them. Li Yan and Yue Yan were going to leave Tang Jie’s influence and live their own lives.
They might die, or run into some other sort of trial and get by without Tang Jie’s help, or perhaps, because there was no power supporting it, they would gradually forget the belief that Tang Jie had planted in their minds.
Nobody would know what the future had in store for them.
Tang Jie only knew that he had sowed the seeds, two seeds that concerned the future of humanity. But whether they would grow or not would be decided by the Fate of this world.
The Seeds of Fate that Tang Jie had left behind would ultimately be assimilated and create their own influences.
The Fate of the Verdant Cloud Domain would be decided by the Verdant Cloud Domain itself.
“If you don’t want to have a rebellious child, then you should let go when it’s time to let go… This is the best method that doesn’t defy the heavens.” Tang Jie smiled as he talked to himself.
As for the soft grunts and moans coming from that underground world, Tang Jie paid them no attention and left.
He once more set off on his travels.