Chapter 190: 48 Inheriting Fragments of the Heavens

“Is this your friend?” Seeing that he actually buried these three people with his own hands, Fu Yingying looked on curiously.

“Sort of,” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“The natural order of birth, aging, sickness, and death all belongs to the path of fate, and even in death, there are traces to follow. As long as we find these traces, it’s not impossible to separate their destiny plates from the river of fate and bring people back to life.”

Fu Yingying said.

“Resurrect the dead?” Zhang Xuan was full of disbelief.

Even though he was the master of a realm and could not accomplish this in the Suspended Realm.

He could reassemble an identical person with energy, even with the same memories, but in reality, they were not the same.

Seeing his eager look, Fu Yingying’s face turned red as she hurriedly explained, “This… I’ve only heard it from my elders, the specifics are not clear to me! But I’ve heard that some have succeeded…”

“Whether it’s true or not, it’s worth a try!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Fate is indeed magical, even greater than the Tao laws he practiced before. What the heavens cannot do, fate might be able to.

Source: novgo.co

“Even if it’s possible, it’s of no use… Let’s not talk about whether we can find a powerhouse willing to enter the river of fate to find their traces, even if we can, after such a long time, their bodies must have decayed, right…”

Fu Yingying frowned.

“Don’t worry about that!” With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan reached out into the void, and the bodies of Yu Fei and the other two disappeared on the spot, entering the New World.

In his world, everything remained unchanged regardless of time, even after a hundred thousand years.

In that case, it was fortunate that the three were refined into puppets by Feng Zhaoting; otherwise, although three days weren’t long, they would have almost decayed… But now their skin was still flexible and elastic as if they had just died.

With a new goal in mind, Zhang Xuan felt a lot better.

Whether or not he could resurrect them, he had to try; after all, he found it difficult to accept that such a child had died in front of him.

After he had finished, he turned his head to look at Li Yue’an not far away and beckoned him over.

“Come here…”

Li Yue’an, scared stiff at the unexpected victory, was trembling all over. Having been arrogant just a moment ago, he was now equally fearful.

“Elder Ling… I actually knew early on that you would win. I acted that way just now to lull Elder Feng into complacency, so they wouldn’t run away in fear…”

“I know…”

Zhang Xuan nodded with an amiable face: “You should have the Hunting List, right?”

“Yes, yes…” Li Yue’an hurriedly nodded, ran into the room, and handed over a list.

Zhang Xuan said, “Alright, apply immediately, stating that Elder Feng was killed by you, and then claim your reward…”

“Yes!”

Knowing that claiming it would undoubtedly lead to immense trouble, Li Yue’an dared not disobey. He drew his dagger across Feng Zhaoting’s forehead, took out a drop of blood essence, and placed it on the Hunting List.

Soon after, a reward of 30 million Origin Currency was transferred over.

“Transfer all your Origin Currency to me…” Zhang Xuan continued after the reward was secured.

Li Yue’an’s face twitched, well aware of what would happen next, but he had no choice but to comply.

He had some savings of his own, amounting to over 10 million. Before long, the transfer was complete, 46 million!

Pleased, Zhang Xuan nodded and with a forceful squeeze of his palm, Li Yue’an also stopped breathing.

Using the same method, he quickly claimed the man’s prize money.

Li Yue’an was ranked 41st, with a reward of only 15 million Origin Currency, but after this trip, he had earned a substantial amount, amassing over 60 million Origin Currency.

Such an amount of money was hard for even some large families to come up with in a short time.

Murder really did make money the fastest!

After dealing with the many bodies, Zhang Xuan took out 40 million Origin Currency and handed it to the girl before him: “Get me ten Destiny Plates!”

All of his Heavenly Mandate Vitality had just been exhausted, and to use it again, he would need to find a way to purchase more… This item was crucial for him, indispensable.

“Elder Ling, you are now our black market’s most esteemed customer. I can give you the cost price for purchasing Destiny Plates…”

Fu Yingying quickly spoke up: “One plate for 2 million Origin Currency, so with 40 million, you can buy twenty!”

“That’s great!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Ten extra plates meant an addition of 100,000 strands of Heavenly Mandate Vitality, even for him, this was a more welcome outcome.

“Please follow me to the black market to collect them, also, three days ago, I booked a combat for you, happening tonight. Will Elder Ling still participate?”

Fu Yingying looked over cautiously.

Had it been before, she would have found a way even if he didn’t participate, but having witnessed his strength firsthand, she no longer dared to entertain such thoughts.

“Of course, I’ll go…”

Zhang Xuan nodded: “May I ask who my opponent will be?”

“`

The black market martial arts tournament not only offers high prize money, but you can also make a killing by placing bets—it’d be foolish not to go!

Seeing his agreement, Fu Yingying breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, “It’s King Ping Yuan of the Han Yuan Dynasty, Han Qianye!”

“Han Qianye? Related to… Han Qianchou, who’s ranked first on the Hunting List?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The number one on the Hunting List is called Han Qianchou, worth 300 million Origin Currency, far surpassing even Han Xiao, the Hall Master of Heaven Mandate Hall.

“You don’t know about Han Qianchou?”

Fu Yingying explained, “Han Qianchou is none other than the reigning Qingtian Emperor, the foremost individual of our time. It is said that his cultivation has already broken through Ninefold Source Pool, the specifics of which are unknown since he has never made a move. Even I am not quite clear on it, but I know that even Han Xiao, the Hall Master of Heaven Mandate Hall, wouldn’t dare to offend him. Yue Longxiao, the leader of the Wanxiang Sect of Han Yuan City, is also willing to follow him and doesn’t dare to disobey.”

Zhang Xuan turned solemn.

His cultivation had broken through to the Detachment Realm of the Ninefold Source Pool, and although his strength had considerably increased, reaching the extreme limit of 999 horses, he still wouldn’t dare say he could defeat Han Xiao. Yet this Han Qianchou could make someone like that feel inferior—his strength was evidently formidable.

“Han Qianye… What’s his relation to one of the four major factions, the Cold Night Hall?”

Zhang Xuan continued to inquire.

Fu Yingying replied, “That’s his faction. As long as one is a Fate Master who practices inherited fragments of the heavens, they would usually cultivate followers and successors. Even the Han Yuan Royal Family would not interfere…”

Zhang Xuan heard another term, “Inherited fragments of the heavens?”

Seeing that he was unaware of this too, Fu Yingying confirmed that he must be someone disguised with Painting Skin. She didn’t expose him and continued to explain, “Common Fate Masters can be divided into two categories, inheritance and enlightenment. Inherited fragments of the heavens are abilities activated through the legacy of predecessors, like… Elder Ling’s Mo Dao, Elder Feng’s Thousand Threads… these are among such types.”

“This type of destiny is very stable due to the practice of predecessors, and with the protection of the sect and abundant resources, cultivation becomes much smoother. It’s the preferred choice for many Fate Masters.”

“As for enlightenment, Li Yue’an’s Betrayal Destiny should be one, relying on personal insight rather than learned skills. This requires extremely high intelligence to achieve and the path is narrow, meaning the enlightened destiny is quite niche. Once successful, one needs to be cautious and keep it hidden, for fear of being discovered!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Inheriting a destiny seems good, but reaching its limits is very difficult.

After all, with someone blocking the way ahead, one must defeat them to surpass, which is the aforementioned Unique Destiny.

With enlightenment, there’s no one in the way, but it’s so niche that reaching its limits is equally far off.

Just like Li Yue’an, each betrayal can enhance his cultivation, but a person’s life is only so long; who has the time to be betrayed over and over again?

The most crucial point is that at higher cultivation realms, ordinary betrayals might lose their significance. More significant effects may take a lifetime to prepare for…

Both have their pros and cons.

During the conversation, the two left the small courtyard, got into a carriage, and continued towards the black market.

“This King Ping Yuan, Han Qianye, how strong is he?” asked Zhang Xuan.

Since he was going to compete, it was natural to want to know the opponent’s strength in advance—knowing both the enemy and oneself.

Fu Yingying contemplated before answering, “He reached the Travel Realm four years ago and seems not to have made a breakthrough since. He’s been to the black market twice before, hoping to find someone to challenge, but unfortunately, no one has dared to accept!”

With a cultivation like that, he would be considered one of the strongest in Han Yuan City. With such status, who would be willing to risk life and limb in a death match for some Origin Currency?

Fu Yingying continued, “Don’t be careless, Elder Ling. Although King Ping Yuan’s cultivation is only at the second realm of Primordial Spirit, which is not too strong and inferior to Li Yue’an and Elder Feng, he has always led troops outside. He’s experienced no less than a hundred battles and has personally hunted countless Primordial Beasts. His rich combat experience and strong combat strength are significant. Like you, many strong figures at the third level of Primordial Spirit are no match for him…”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

If the opponent’s strength was too weak, it wouldn’t be interesting.

“This black market gambling you mentioned, how does it work?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

Fu Yingying replied, “Black market matches are generally bloody and thrilling. The fight between the two contestants cannot end until one side is gravely injured or dead. Therefore, many people come to place bets, most of whom are wandering cultivators or big clients of the black market. These people, who lead lives on the edge, pay a lot of attention to such matches.”

“Before the duel, the black market will calculate the odds. The stronger the power, the lower the odds; the weaker, the higher… Before the match, everyone purchases their bets, and once the bets are made, the results come out, and payments are made according to the slips!”

Zhang Xuan nodded; it wasn’t much different from some gambling setups.

After some thought, he couldn’t help asking, “What are my odds? How about King Ping Yuan? Whose odds are higher?”

“Your odds, based on before, are about five to one, while King Ping Yuan’s are only 1.4 to one!”

Fu Yingying explained, “You’ve consecutively killed Feng Zhaoting, Li Yue’an, and more than a dozen other experts in one breath. Your strength is no less impressive than King Ping Yuan’s, so the odds are probably changed.”

“Five to one? Why change it then?” Zhang Xuan was startled, and quickly said.

Joking aside, five to one—betting 10 million and winning would immediately turn it into 50 million. This deal was too good.

“Of course not. If I didn’t know your real strength, I would naturally not change it, but now, there must be a recalculation…”

Fu Yingying shook her head.

Even Feng Zhaoting, who used all of his tricks, was easily killed, and Li Yue’an was no match. Without a change, the black market could go bankrupt paying out the bets.

“How is it going to change?” Zhang Xuan looked over.

Fu Yingying replied, “The specific details need to be discussed with the controller of the Destiny Plate, but your odds definitely aren’t that high anymore, and might even be much lower than King Ping Yuan’s…”

Seeing her insistence on changing the odds, Zhang Xuan felt some resignation and called out. Soon, a glossy black steed approached him, and he whispered a few words into the horse’s ear before patting its head.

“Go now, make sure the message reaches them!”

The steed nodded with a determined look in its eyes, sprinted off at full speed, and vanished in the blink of an eye.