Child of Fortune

In reality. "How could there be a dual anomaly?" As An Jing swung his sword within the ritual's realm of mind and shattered his inner demon, Manor Lord Yao gazed with eyes full of mixed delight and bewilderment at the Destiny Pattern anomaly manifesting above An Jing's head. Among the Seven Destinies, the Baleful and Deviant Destinies were mostly harmful to their awakeners, or rather, they distorted a person's nature and fate. Take, for instance, "Solitary Fiend Star" and "Ten Evils Great Defeat"—the power of these Destiny Patterns was not necessarily weak, but utterly meaningless: one turned the bearer into a friendless loner, while the other twisted them into a corrupted demon of decay. As for Miscellaneous Destinies, they encompassed all things under heaven—such as the "Flame-Affinity Destiny" or the "Divine Smith Destiny," which granted affinity with and mastery over fire or forging, respectively; or the "Giant Spirit Destiny," which bestowed immense stature and innate divine strength. Naturally, there were also some truly bizarre destinies. These destinies set one apart from the crowd, yet not excessively so; they mingled with the mundane world. It could even be said that anyone devoted to a particular craft could faintly awaken such a destiny at some point in their life, which was why they were called "Miscellaneous Destinies." When channeled, such destinies produced halo anomalies, manifesting a wheel of light behind the head in the distinct color of the respective destiny. Inherent Destinies, on the other hand, were far more formidable. Their power could manifest the self—distinguished, peerless, and singular—which was why they were called "Inherent." Bearers could awaken Divine Abilities, through which they could develop numerous specialized techniques and arts. When fully channeled, the wheel of light behind the head would manifest the specific totem of their Inherent Destiny. As for the "extraordinary" of an Extraordinary Destiny, it signified "vast" and "ultimate." Heaven's Mandate arose according to the will of heaven, while a Divine Destiny was impossible to possess unless one were the reincarnation of an immortal or god; thus, an Extraordinary Destiny was the most precious and powerful Destiny Pattern in the mortal realm. Its hallmark was that, when channeled, it produced numerous anomalies in addition to a totem, just like Bai Qinghan's "Pure Frost Moonlight" and An Jing's "Baleful Blood Sword Array." Bai Qinghan's anomaly was easy to interpret—it was the most orthodox Mystic Yin anomaly—but An Jing's anomaly was far too complex to decipher clearly. Though what showed for now had the sign of Yinghuo Encamped in Heart, with baleful blood flowing like a river, it also carried the sign of Taibai Eclipsing Mao, capable of connecting to Gengjin sword intent. Blood swords forming an array, crimson flames condensing metal, the furnace rekindled, iron embers swirling... Yinghuo on the outside, Taibai on the inside. Just as a single person could not possess two destinies, how could one hold two stars? Unless... they were a god. Unless it was a Divine Destiny! Unless An Jing was truly a heavenly star descended to earth, the reincarnation of an immortal god! Or perhaps An Jing possessed a supreme treasure that suppressed fortune and carried its own Destiny Pattern! "A fortune... What a fortune! He might be the Child of Fortune created by the entire Frost Calamity, a relic left behind from the ancient war between the Divine Court and the Extramundane Demons... I... Hahahaha!" Whichever possibility it was, Manor Lord Yao's hands trembled with mounting greed, desire, and yearning as he stared fixedly at the crimson starlight behind An Jing. He broke into a somewhat manic laughter, only to abruptly suppress it and issue orders in a tone cold to the point of cruelty: "Li Xiang, prepare the God-Binding Rope. Zhao Xinruo, return to the manor at once and use a secret talisman to notify Lord Northern Circuit Envoy—we have a harvest far beyond expectations!" Manor Lord Yao operated and commanded like a machine. He had already circulated the Imperial Heaven Art, transforming himself into a rational, indifferent apparatus to coordinate everything, crushing down all his greed and desire as he spoke with utter detachment: "No... send word directly to the main mountain! Our Northwest branch of Suspended Fate Manor cannot bear such karmic weight!" Yet, as the impassive Manor Lord Yao cast his gaze downward, he met a pair of eyes. A pair of eyes that had already awakened, staring back at him with an expression so calm it was chilling, so detached it was cruel. Indifference meeting indifference, an identical gaze—yet Manor Lord Yao failed to maintain his state of mind. Caught off guard, he slipped out of the Imperial Heaven Art state: "How can this be?!" "An Jing... You... how are you awake?!" "I was awake all along." Replying softly, An Jing stood up, a sword gripped firmly in his hand. And behind him, on the other sacrificial altars, the young boys and girls awakened one after another, opening their eyes. "How could this happen?!" Seeing those pairs of eyes, all those pupils turning to look toward him, even Manor Lord Yao was struck speechless in shock. The ritual was not yet over, the power of gods and demons still cycled, and all the children should still have been tormented by inner demons. How could they have awakened?! Even if someone were to awaken, at most only provisional prodigies like An Jing and Bai Qinghan should have had that capability! What was more, seemingly agitated by something that had occurred within Suspended Fate Valley, that Extramundane Demon's hand actually abandoned the "sacrifices" in the grand array altogether, hurriedly retreating back toward the valley. Yet it was held back by the array, bound by illusory chains. Even as it billowed dark demonic mist into the sky, blurring light and shadow across heaven and earth, it could not pull free. The entire White Sand Sacrificial Ground seemed to fall silent for a brief moment. The many Demon Sect instructors and lecturers who had been spilling blood to maintain the array began to wonder if they were dreaming. The Grand Ritual of Imperial Heaven's Baleful Stars was clearly still operating, yet the Extramundane Demon's hand had been wounded and was even attempting to retreat into the valley. Meanwhile, the youths who were supposed to be battling demonic thoughts in their dreams had opened their eyes, stood up, gripped their weapons, and were watching them with complex, hostile glares. And standing at the very forefront, the leader of this batch of "trial sacrifice materials," An Jing, who had already awakened his Destiny Pattern... He stood faintly at the center of the array, mobilizing the ritual's power to confront them! How could such an unexpected turn of events happen?! "An Jing, what is going on?" Confronting An Jing from afar, Manor Lord Yao's thoughts raced the moment he saw the youth's eyes, instantly understanding An Jing's stance. His fingers were already forming incantation hand seals, yet on the surface he spoke in a heavy voice, "You are currently influenced by the Extramundane Demon. Calm down..." "In the name of Heaven's Mandate of the Exalted God of Imperial Heaven, I decree all living beings to submit!" Mid-sentence, the old man suddenly barked a roar. A jade dagger swiftly slashed open his wrist, splashing blood into midair, which condensed into a dark talisman beneath his hand seal. Ripples spread out in waves toward the grand array; Manor Lord Yao decisively took control of the formation, intending to suppress the souls of An Jing and the others. Yet as the decree was cast, the ripples smoothed out like a stone sinking into the sea. Manor Lord Yao's heart sank instantly. Damn it, the ritual has spun completely out of control! At that very moment, An Jing also bit open the tip of his left thumb without hesitation. Channeling his inner force, he splashed his blood, likewise condensing it into a decree: "In the name of Heaven's Mandate of the Exalted God of Imperial Heaven, I command ghosts and gods to serve at my behest!" Instantly, chains condensed from cold starlight flew out from the array, hurtling toward the demonic hand. The giant hand of demonic qi, which had been retreating and seeking escape, was impaled by the chains. The chains dragged it back, then unleashed bone-chilling sword light, dissolving it into a cloud of black mist. The black mist drifted and swiftly outlined a colossal, towering phantom of a two-headed, six-armed demon god, rising up from nothingness. Though it was a phantom, it was by no means incorporeal. The demon god, standing fully three stories tall, set foot upon the earth. Rocks shattered, and gravel parted. It raised its head, its regular eyes and heavenly eyes—six eyes in total—gleaming with crimson light as it stared coldly at the flabbergasted Demon Sect instructors and lecturers before it.