Fate

Too much of anything is as bad as too little. The Nine Great Conglomerates understood this principle well. After persisting relentlessly for several thousand years, their propaganda campaign finally began to slow. Having rested along the way for millennia, the Nine Rulers once again turned their gaze toward the Gate of Fate. Previously, the Gate of Fate and the Gate of Karma had hung above the Immortal Realm like the sun and the moon sharing the sky. The Gate of Karma was the moon, while the Gate of Fate was the sun. Consequently, in terms of sheer size, the Gate of Fate was noticeably larger than the Gate of Karma, and the pressure of "reality" brought by the Grand Dao patterns etched upon it was likewise slightly superior to that of the Gate of Karma. The Nine Rulers found this easy enough to understand. The Grand Dao of Fate was renowned as the foremost among the three thousand Grand Daos. Even though it stood alongside the Grand Dao of Karma, the Grand Dao of Time, and the Grand Dao of the Void as one of the four supreme Grand Daos, it was clearly half a step ahead. It was just like the difference between the Nine Rulers and the Lord of Yuanxi. Though both held Level 20 clearance, the Lord of Yuanxi's application of that power was noticeably superior to that of the Nine Rulers. The Nine Rulers had paused for several millennia after breaking the Gate of Karma not only to seize the window for aggressive promotion—winning the support of more immortal spirits to mobilize their shared spiritual energy—but also because they recognized the power of the Fate Dao Ancestor. They needed to hone their condition to its absolute peak before delivering the final strike against the Ancient Immortal Realm's last line of defense: the Fate Dao Ancestor. Having amassed their strength to the brim, the Nine Rulers approached Yaoguang. The Lord of Creation interfaced directly with him. The ruler smiled and said, "Yuxiao! Although breaching the Gate of Karma was handled throughout by the nine of us, had you not shaken the gate and caused flaws to appear in its operation, we might not have broken it so easily. Therefore, your contributions cannot go unnoticed! Following joint deliberation, the Nine Rulers have unanimously decided to raise your clearance level to Level 19." "Level 19?" Yaoguang was somewhat taken aback. It was... only Level 19?! Even setting aside an elevation to Level 20, he should have at least reached the peak of Level 19. Yet here they were... For someone who had rendered such tremendous service, all they granted was Level 19? The Lord of Creation also realized this promotion was somewhat on the low side, so he added, "Next, we must face the Fate Dao Ancestor, bearer of what is called the foremost of the three thousand Grand Daos in the Ancient Immortal Realm, along with the Gate of Fate into which he transformed. This process is bound to be fraught with hardship. In particular, once the Ancient Immortal Realm realizes it has reached the end of its rope, there is no telling what kind of counterattack it will unleash. We must reserve sufficient strength to counter whatever comes." The ruler looked at Yaoguang. "Thus, for the time being, we cannot grant you too great an elevation. You can only pause at Level 19 clearance for now. Treat it as a chance to thoroughly adjust to your new clearance, laying the groundwork for a future ascension to Level 20." At this point, his words carried an inspiring resonance. "I can promise you: once the battle concludes and the Ancient Immortal Realm is thoroughly devoured by our Hunyuan Realm, you will unquestionably become the tenth ruler of our Hunyuan Realm!" Hearing this, Yaoguang could not help glancing at the Lord of Yuanxi. The Lord of Yuanxi's performance... It was truly disappointing. Throughout the entire ordeal, He had strictly adhered to the rules and regulations established back when He was first formed, without the slightest hint of overstepping. This had probably caught the Nine Rulers just as off guard as it had Yaoguang. While this decision of the Lord of Yuanxi's had avoided the outbreak of a civil war within the Hunyuan Realm... Such behavior had undoubtedly allowed the Nine Rulers to pinpoint His weakness. No matter how powerful any living entity might be, once it exposed its vulnerability, other intelligent beings would always find ways to manipulate, exploit, and squeeze it, ultimately taking complete control and treating it as a puppet or a beast of burden. The unrestrained, massive propaganda blitz carried out by the Nine Great Conglomerates over these past few thousand years was the best example. Throughout the entire process, the Lord of Yuanxi had made no move to obstruct or suppress the Nine Rulers' promotional messaging, allowing their prestige in the minds of the Hunyuan Realm's countless intelligent beings and immortal spirits to climb higher and higher, and allowing them to seize more and more spiritual energy. This shift... While it brought a sense of relief to the Nine Rulers and made handling the Hunyuan Realm's affairs increasingly effortless for them, it also impacted Yaoguang. Take the present situation, for instance... Originally, if the Nine Rulers refused to offer him adequate benefits, he could have turned around and defected to the Lord of Yuanxi halfway through. Yet the Lord of Yuanxi's performance had deeply disappointed everyone, himself included. Furthermore, with the Gate of Karma breached and several millennia of propaganda behind them, the balance of power between the Nine Rulers and the Lord of Yuanxi had already reversed. Under these circumstances, even if he truly felt dissatisfied that the Nine Rulers had not elevated his clearance to the peak of Level 19 in one breath, he had no better alternative. He had no choice but to follow the Nine Rulers to the very end. Especially when... The Lord of Creation had offered him a promise, expressing willingness to help him advance to Level 20 clearance and become a new ruler. *So, what on earth is this Lord of Yuanxi playing at? And Fate Dao Ancestor, where are your contingency plans? Where are your trump cards? Are you still not going to reveal them?* Yaoguang inwardly grumbled. Yet, under the Lord of Creation's lingering gaze, which carried a subtle hint of coercion, he nonetheless acted his part as a pawn and replied, "As a member of the Creation Group, I naturally place my full trust in the Ruler! Breaching the Gate of Fate takes precedence over all else!" "Good." Hearing Yaoguang's answer, the Lord of Creation nodded in satisfaction. "I am relieved to see you possess such awareness. Once the Gate of Fate is shattered, I will personally crown you and see you ascend to the seat of ruler! From that day forward, you will sit as our equal!" With that, he waved his hand. The Lord of Yuanxi's computing power... Or rather, spiritual energy, poured into his body. Having already elevated his Lord of Heavenly Dao to Level 20, Yaoguang quickly recognized what this was. A clearance elevation. He appropriately scaled up his control capability in kind. During the elevation process, he even attempted to pry into the Lord of Yuanxi's true thoughts. The result... This Lord of Yuanxi genuinely seemed to prioritize the bigger picture solely to avert a civil war in the Hunyuan Realm. This behavioral logic left Yaoguang somewhat speechless, yet it also caused him to relax for some inexplicable reason. For the Lord of Yuanxi to hold fast to His principles even under these circumstances was truly rare and admirable. His own Lord of Heavenly Dao had been modeled after the Lord of Yuanxi. The Lord of Yuanxi exhibiting such behavior served as proof of the Lord of Heavenly Dao's reliability. In the future, even if he were occupied with other matters and had to be away, he could comfortably and boldly delegate the operational authority of the Hunyuan World to the Lord of Heavenly Dao. "Adjusting to Level 19 clearance takes time, and the same goes for the peak of Level 19. Take it step by step; do not rush," the Lord of Creation advised from the side. After a moment, he continued, "Once you have properly mastered Level 19 clearance, attempt to shake the Gate of Fate once more." "Understood." Yaoguang nodded. After feigning an adjustment period, he soon headed straight for the Gate of Fate under the leadership of the Nine Rulers. When the party arrived through the void before the Gate of Fate, a vast host of Immortal Kings had already gathered not far from the gate. Even farther away, the figures of various Immortal Venerables could be seen. Every gaze fixed upon the eleven figures arriving beneath the Gate of Fate—the Nine Rulers, the Lord of Yuanxi, and Yaoguang—brimmed with excitement and longing. They knew full well that the moment the Gate of Fate was shaken, it would signify that this epic war between the Hunyuan Realm and the Ancient Immortal Realm, spanning millions of years, was drawing to its close. When the entire Ancient Immortal Realm was annexed, every being in the Hunyuan Realm would reap the benefits. For those Immortal Venerables and Immortal Kings who had penetrated deep into the Ancient Immortal Realm and assimilated numerous Dao shares, the great supreme intelligence, the Lord of Yuanxi, would undoubtedly grant them substantial compensation the moment the Ancient Immortal Realm was devoured. Through this compensation, each of them would likely advance by half a level, or even an entire clearance level, achieving a breakthrough across tiers. "Begin." The eyes of the Lord of Creation and the other rulers fell upon Yaoguang simultaneously. Yaoguang, who had long been waiting for this moment, wasted no time. Taking a deep breath, he reactivated the power of his Void and Time Dao fruits. This time, he mobilized the Grand Dao of Karma with full force as well. With three supreme Grand Daos—two strong and one weak—revolving in full concert, the resulting momentum spread outward from Yaoguang in a majestic surge, causing the entire domain centered on the Gate of Fate to tremble incessantly. However, while the Grand Dao power Yaoguang channeled shook the void, causing the Grand Daos across tens of millions of li to roar with an overwhelming momentum that far surpassed any Immortal King and bordered upon the rulers... It was completely useless. The Gate of Fate showed no sign of being shaken in the slightest. This sight caused the expectant rulers, as well as the Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables who had come specifically to watch from afar, to freeze slightly, the joy on their faces stiffening instantly. "What is going on? It can't shake the Gate of Fate?" "The Grand Dao of Fate may be the foremost of the three thousand Grand Daos, but it is still one of the four supreme Grand Daos. Logically, since Yaoguang could shake the Gate of Karma, he should be able to shake the Gate of Fate. How could it remain utterly unmoved after he fully channeled Grand Dao resonance?" "Where did things go wrong?" Every Immortal Venerable and Immortal King... Including the rulers, the Lord of Yuanxi, and even Yaoguang himself, felt bewildered. Yaoguang in particular... He stared at the Gate of Fate in astonishment. He had come all this way, and yet the Gate of Fate was refusing to cooperate? Was it trying to mess with his head? The Nine Rulers, however, were figures who had weathered great storms. After a brief moment of surprise, they quickly regained their composure. "Try once more," the Lord of Creation said calmly. Yaoguang nodded. At this moment, the Lord of Yuanxi spoke up: "When you moved the Gate of Karma, you employed the supreme treasure known as the Wheel of Karma. To shake the Gate of Fate, you might as well bring out the Gate of Many Marvels and give it a try." "Very well." Yaoguang did not hesitate, immediately summoning the Gate of Many Marvels, a supreme treasure carrying the authority of Fate. Back when he was shaking the Gate of Karma, he had already anticipated that this treasure might come in handy, so he had recondensed it. As the supreme treasure of the Gate of Many Marvels was summoned, Yaoguang stimulated his Grand Dao power once more. Immense momentum and reverberations echoed across heaven and earth. Yet... The Gate of Fate still showed no sign of being shaken. Seeing this, the Lord of Yuanxi said, "I shall assist you with greater computing power." With the Lord of Yuanxi willing to lend His hand ahead of time, the Nine Rulers naturally had no objections. Immediately, Yaoguang felt his "clearance" soar rapidly, reaching a realm where even his Lord of Heavenly Dao could scarcely compare. This clearance provided immense computing and spiritual support, granting him a multitude of fresh insights into the utilization of the Gate of Many Marvels. Following these insights, he suddenly unleashed the power of the Grand Dao of the Void, the Grand Dao of Time, and the Grand Dao of Karma once again, funneling them straight into the Gate of Many Marvels. Under this infusion, the Gate of Many Marvels trembled violently, and the Dao charms of all three thousand Grand Daos even began to manifest around it. And right as the Gate of Many Marvels vibrated... A faint tremor rippled out from the Gate of Fate, which hung across the sky like a blazing sun. Though the tremor was exceptionally faint, the immortal spirits present—the weakest of whom were at the Immortal Venerable level—detected it instantly. That tremor... "The Gate of Fate has been shaken!"