Chapter 213: Holding Destiny in Your Own Hands
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Yu Zhao sneered coldly.
Su Ming’s words sounded promising, but he hadn’t considered whether his strength could actually fend off the combined attack of two demonic beast clans. If Yu Zhao truly believed him, she might not even make it out of the cave before being torn apart by the frenzied beasts.
Trusting the people from Lone Moon Peak? That was a joke. Yu Zhao would rather trust herself.
Ignoring him, Yu Zhao’s gaze swept through the gaps between the beasts, finally landing on the dark river below. Every path out was blocked by the demonic beasts. Only one route remained.
Without hesitation, Yu Zhao made her decision.
With a sharp gesture, her spiritual force surged, and the Fleeting Life Mirror opened a narrow path through the beast horde. Then, with a powerful leap, she launched herself like an arrow into the dark river.
Splash.
The water erupted into ripples before quickly calming. Yu Zhao’s departure was so sudden that neither Fang Cheng Lang nor Su Ming had time to react.
“Watch out!”
Fang Cheng Lang, having faced numerous setbacks, had long understood that Yu Zhao’s feelings for them were no longer what they had been. He had mentally prepared himself for this.
Noticing a Wing King Bat swooping down towards Su Ming’s head, Fang Cheng Lang shouted and swung his sword, slicing at it. However, another White Jade Swallow clawed his arm, leaving a deep, bloody gash.
“Eldest Senior Brother!” Su Ming’s eyes brimmed with tears, his regret threatening to drown him. “I’ll fight them to the death!”
“Don’t be foolish! We’ll jump too!”
Fang Cheng Lang stopped Su Ming’s reckless move and guided him towards the riverbank. Yu Zhao had already demonstrated what to do. If they couldn’t even follow her example, they wouldn’t deserve to live.
After enduring more injuries, the two finally reached the dark river. By now, the Wing King Bats and White Jade Swallows seemed to realize what they were planning and attacked with increased ferocity.
“One, two, three… jump!”
A single, earth-shattering sword strike lit up the entire cave.
The beasts screeched and retreated, giving Fang Cheng Lang and Su Ming just enough time to leap into the dark river.
Above the river, the bats and swallows circled relentlessly, unwilling to leave.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhao was drifting along the river, heading into the unknown. Once she was out of the cave’s range, she tried to pull herself free but discovered an invisible force within the water binding her, making it impossible to use her spiritual energy.
Giving up the struggle, she simply went with the flow. After all, this was Floating Island; it wasn’t likely to carry her into the Endless Sea.
With her hands resting lightly on her abdomen and her eyes closed, she floated like a fallen leaf, rising and falling with the waves. Her calm demeanor exuded a strange sense of tranquility.
This sight left Sect Master Ji Yuan and the others watching from afar utterly stunned.
“Is Yu Zhao asleep?”
“Ridiculous. Someone her age doesn’t sleep like us old folks.”
“She’s calm. Very good.”
“But that was a close call. If she had been a bit slower, she would’ve been injured by those Wing King Bats. Such a pity…”
What a pity, Sect Master Bai Lian didn’t say, but the others understood.
For ten days, Yu Zhao had harvested bird nests without a single scratch. Yet, as soon as Fang Cheng Lang and Su Ming arrived, the entire cave erupted in chaos, and all the Wing King Bats and White Jade Swallows were provoked. The difference was obvious.
Fang Cheng Lang’s steady and responsible nature made him a fitting Eldest Senior Brother, but Su Ming’s impulsive recklessness was no match for Yu Zhao in any way.
To this day, they couldn’t understand Master Qing Yan’s criteria for accepting disciples.
Master Qing Yan was proud and aloof. Feeling the peculiar gazes of those around him, he chose not to explain himself, harboring a quiet anger. His single-minded pursuit of the Dao left him uninterested in trivial matters, and most of his understanding of his disciples came from surface observations or Fang Cheng Lang’s accounts.
The ones he had the closest interactions with were Fang Cheng Lang, Yu Zhao, and Ye Cong Xin. If not for recent events, he wouldn’t have believed his disciples had such flaws. Fang Cheng Lang, his eldest disciple and the one he entrusted most, had ultimately disappointed him.
Yu Zhao floated aimlessly in the water until a sudden suction force caught her attention. Opening her eyes, she saw a massive whirlpool ahead. Could it be an exit? Her eyes glimmered, but she remained still, letting the whirlpool swallow her.
A sharp sense of weightlessness overwhelmed her, and the restrictive force on her body vanished. Wasting no time, she channeled her spiritual energy and leapt out of the water.
The scene before her was bleak: a dark sky, lifeless land, and a weathered stone tablet on the riverbank, forming a desolate tableau. Yu Zhao frowned. This place was the stark opposite of the vibrant Floating Island, like another extreme.
She stepped onto the shore, scanning her surroundings briefly before heading toward the stone tablet. Halfway there, she paused. An inexplicable sadness washed over her as she neared the tablet, giving her the urge to flee. Steadying her emotions, she pressed on.
The tablet stood about ten feet tall, its surface cracked and weathered. Only one word was inscribed on it: Fate.
“Fate?” Yu Zhao murmured. As if drawn by an unseen force, she extended her right hand, placing it on the tablet.
Suddenly, a weary voice echoed in her consciousness.
“What is fate?”
What is fate? Fate is the will of heaven, an unchangeable predestination, her past self would have answered. But in this life, she had a new perspective.
“Fate is what lies within one’s grasp,” Yu Zhao replied, her eyes shining with resolve.
Silence followed.
Just as she thought the voice would not return, another question emerged.
“Knowing something is impossible, yet doing it—what is the meaning of that?”
Yu Zhao considered briefly before responding. “This question is flawed. Risking everything for something worthless is foolish. But fighting for something more precious than life—that is courage. To hear the Dao in the morning and die in the evening would be enough. That is the essence.”
Her answer was met with a longer silence.
“One last question,” the voice finally asked. “To live a long, mundane life or to achieve greatness and meet an untimely end—which would you choose?”
“I choose the latter,” Yu Zhao answered without hesitation.
“Why?”
“Perhaps because I don’t want to live an unremarkable life, forgotten in death,” she said with a faint smile.
Yu Zhao was once an unfeeling jade stone. Shui Qing Yue had sacrificed her life to give Yu Zhao the chance to become human. She had failed Shui Qing Yue once and would not fail again.
“I have received your will,” the voice said. “You shall have your wish fulfilled.”
Before Yu Zhao could ponder these words, darkness enveloped her, and she lost consciousness.