Chapter 1215: The River of Destiny

Facing this illusory river that filled the broken hall, Meng Qi felt a mix of surprise and inevitability.

The sense of inevitability stemmed from Yue Ziqing’s detailed explanation of Zhixu Mountain’s understanding of divination and the future. She had clearly defined concepts like “the great momentum,” fate, the inescapable calamity, and events that must occur in every possible future. Encountering a forbidden technique built upon these principles was hardly unexpected.

However, Meng Qi had never imagined that Zhixu Mountain’s founding patriarch would use this as a test for disciples. Apart from those who had reached the Other Shore, only those whose path was deeply entwined with time—either powerful figures at the Creation level or those blessed with rare treasures—could possibly pass the third trial!

No wonder that throughout the ages, despite Zhixu Mountain producing countless talents and formidable experts, none had ever crossed this illusory river to see what the founding patriarch had left behind.

Was he truly testing his descendants, or was this a trial for those of the Other Shore?

Yet if a being of the Other Shore were to descend, this illusory river would be as fragile as a newborn, unable to withstand even the slightest disturbance.

Thus, Meng Qi was genuinely taken aback. Before him seemed an insurmountable dead end—given his current realm, strength, and expertise, passing this trial appeared utterly impossible.

Steadying his mind and examining his thoughts, Meng Qi dismissed any notion of retreat. He took a step forward and truly stepped into the illusory river.

Without effort, without trial, how could he be certain it was truly impossible? What if this forbidden technique had loopholes beyond his imagination?

Giving up too easily was never a virtue.

The illusory waters rushed over him like the passage of time. In Meng Qi’s eyes, the Dao Yi Glazed Lamp appeared, and around him swirled a river of time and fate—identical in form and illusion, yet increasingly distant and unattainable.

This was his Other Shore characteristic!

With this river encircling him, Meng Qi sank like a reef to the bottom of the forbidden river, unmoved by the currents. He opened his mind, allowing his innate spiritual light, residing at an infinite height, to perceive the information flowing from the past and examine the myriad possibilities of the future:

– Using the Infinite Seal, the Heaven-Splitting Seal, and the Dao Yi Seal, only to fail and be unable to pass, as the Primordial Golden Chapter had yet to reach the Creation level.

– Borrowing the Four Swords of Slaying Immortals, splitting into three with a single breath, and setting up the Primordial First Killing Formation to disrupt time and space—yet still hindered by his current level, unable to sever the river directly. The resulting temporal turbulence would only obstruct his crossing.

– Employing all his divine abilities and summoning the power of Jade Void allies, using the Meteorite Escape to obliterate all present circumstances and information in an attempt to reshape the future. Yet with everything shattered and reduced to nothingness, passage became even more impossible.

– External aid causing Zhixu Mountain to suffer sudden calamity, shattering the illusory river—but the secret realm would vanish along with it.

…

Scene after scene of possible futures unfolded before Meng Qi, revealing the inevitability of fate. The great momentum had solidified, leaving no room for change. No matter how he struggled, the outcome would remain the same—failure.

His Taoist robes fluttered, and the hair beneath his bamboo crown swayed as if touched by invisible waters, threatening to turn silver. Pushed to his limit, Meng Qi took a step back, exiting the illusory river.

“The only way seems to be what I mentioned to Yue Ziqing—reaching the Other Shore, reversing time, altering history, and thus rewiring the present state and information to derive a future different from the past, breaking fate and confining what must happen to mere possibilities…” Meng Qi frowned slightly, recalling his earlier conversation with Yue Ziqing.

This was clearly not a good solution.

If he could reach the Other Shore or the peak of Creation, capable of limited time reversal, what purpose would there be in challenging Zhixu Mountain’s secret realm?

As for the Seven Killings Stele, based on past experience, borrowing it again seemed unlikely.

His Other Shore characteristic of subtly manipulating fate and altering the future was also useless here. At its core, this ability worked by influencing the river of time and fate, guiding the target into a predetermined future—such as one where they “never meet.” This was not creation but selection from the countless branches of the river, most differing only in minor details without altering the great momentum.

But now, faced with an inevitable event, no amount of guidance could change the outcome.

Standing like a statue before the illusory river, Meng Qi found himself utterly lost.

Leaving or awakening Little Sang to seek her advice seemed his only options.

This matter truly belonged to the Other Shore.

…

Countless gazes swept over the sect’s secret realm, astonished by the spectacle of icy light blooming like fireworks.

One of their sect’s greatest achievements had been deciphered and mastered by “Yuanhuang” Su Meng in just a few hours?

Was this the so-called “understanding one principle to comprehend a hundred”? Yet even legendary elders within Zhixu Mountain had failed to synchronize their creations enough to pass the “Wall of Halting Steps.”

Rumors said the Primordial Nine Seals encompassed all paths—was this why Su Meng could grasp the mysteries of avatars or divine personas with such lofty insight?

In the sect’s main hall, the white-robed scholar and the black-clad elder sighed over the matter of the avatar warriors before turning their thoughts toward the ancient bronze gate. After a long silence, the elder spoke as if to fill the void:

“Do you think Su Meng can cross the ‘River of Fate’?”

Her tone was distant, as if merely entertaining a possibility.

“How could he?” The scholar sighed. “This is our founding patriarch’s insight into the path to the Other Shore, a challenge he designed for his own ascension. Though the ‘River of Fate’ in the secret realm is incomplete—merely a projection of one aspect meant to spur disciples to study the future—it is still beyond Su Meng’s ability to solve. As I said, for us, for all legends, for most at the Creation level, this is an unsolvable problem in the truest sense.”

“True…” the elder murmured.

Outside the bronze gate, the sparks in Yue Ziqing’s eyes gradually dimmed. She reverted to her flawless “puppet” state, awaiting Meng Qi’s return.

Yes, he would return soon.

Throughout the ages, though Zhixu Mountain had remained reclusive, focused on research, it had not been without visitors. A few Creation-level experts had come, hoping to cross the “River of Fate” to glimpse the path to the Other Shore—yet all had failed.

If even they could not succeed, how could Su Meng?

…

“All futures arise from the current state and information, which are in turn determined by the past. Thus, without reversing the past, the future cannot be changed…” Meng Qi stood with his hands behind his back, still pondering how to cross the “River of Fate.”

Before him, the river flowed eastward, silent and relentless.

After pacing back and forth, Meng Qi gradually discerned a flaw: “If this were the true river of time and fate in the real world, my earlier reasoning would hold. But this is not that river. The past of the ‘River of Fate’ is only the past of this realm—it does not account for external ‘variables.'”

In other words, the current state of the “River of Fate” was not entirely determined by its past. External “variables” outside this realm’s history could still influence it, shaping different futures.

Following this line of thought, Meng Qi extended his divine sense once more, activating the Cause of All Effects and the Jade Void Divination to scrutinize the “River of Fate” in minute detail.

“Indeed. But what I can conceive, the founding patriarch of Zhixu Mountain would have anticipated.” Meng Qi nodded slightly, showing no joy. “The forbidden techniques within the river account for a vast array of ‘variables,’ processed in such a way that the ‘great momentum’ remains unaltered—whether it’s the ‘variable’ of an outsider attempting to cross, or unexpected events like apocalyptic meteors or demonic invasions…”

His newfound hope was swiftly dashed, yet Meng Qi remained undismayed.

“Though the founding patriarch’s divination skills were unparalleled in his time, he was not of the Other Shore. He could not account for every contingency, every ‘variable.’ If I can find these overlooked gaps, I might disrupt the future and fate like a boulder thrown into a pond, sending ripples and waves…”

Human effort has its limits!

Meng Qi’s current divination skills were far inferior to the founding patriarch’s. Calculating the latter’s oversights was nearly impossible. Thus, he shifted to a macro perspective:

“My ‘Cause of All Effects’ is undoubtedly a ‘variable’ he could not accurately simulate—though he might approximate it. At its current level, it cannot stir significant waves…”

“Anything involving the Other Shore would also be beyond his precise calculations. Unfortunately, the Peerless Heavenly Blade has only awakened to the legendary level, not yet fully suppressing the Demon Buddha’s mark…”

“The Demon Buddha’s mark… the Demon Buddha’s mark?” Meng Qi suddenly halted, a wild idea flashing through his mind.

This was a genuine mark left by a being of the Other Shore. Could he exploit it?

Perhaps even use it to further weaken the mark itself?