Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

1476  The [Stealers] & Lin Fanʼs Woe

Emperor Kong teleported to a hidden jail underneath the academy. He slowly walked toward Paragon Jiminʼs location. The latter was hung in the hair with two chains connected to his left and right hands. Jimin was in a terrible state, but his aura remained fierce and steadfast.

”Well, have you changed your mind?” Kong asked calmly. However, the only answer he received was a mouthful of spit that was wiped away by the prisonʼs protective barrier. Kong remained composed; he was not rattled in the slightest by the latterʼs action.

”Your follower, that old man,” Kong continued. ”He chose to bow down as long as youʼre alive. Heʼs quite loyal, isnʼt he? Why donʼt you reward his loyalty and follow in his footsteps?”

Jimin stared at him. He was not surprised that Old Ma would bargain for his life. However, that old man was used to serving others all his life, so his choice was understandable. However, Jimin refused to bow down to anyone: he did not bow down to the Moons or the Two Suns, so he would not bow down to Kong of all people.

”Oh, Jimin, you are an ambitious man who wants to rise to the top of this world with your own talent and effort,” Kong stated in a strangely eerie but calm voice. ”Unfortunately, you are a wild cultivator with little to no knowledge or foundation. Look whatʼs in my hand?”

Kongʼs palm contained a strange rune design that was releasing the aura of time. Jiminʼs eyes turned red. ”Yes, itʼs your Time Mark. It took a little while, but your ability to protect is subpar, to say the least.” Kong was not only cultivating during the trial, but also training. After knowing the Battle Towerʼs ability, he used that opportunity to make up for his Academyʼs lack of knowledge regarding battles between Paragons.

”Things donʼt have to go this far,” Kong explained. ”You will be a Grand Teacher in the Academy with immense power. And if you want to be the Headmaster, I have no issue allowing you to compete. I can even have it in writing to give you a fair opportunity. Together, we can build a lineage that will take its place at the top in the upcoming catastrophe.”

Unfortunately, all this grand soliloquy got Kong was a second round of spit, making him sigh deeply. ”So, you would rather die than surrender?”

”Even those two beings beyond our scope of understanding didnʼt make me bow down, and you think death will? Iʼm offended you thought this would work,” Jimin sneered.

”Oh, I knew the chances were small,” Kong admitted. However, Jimin did not appreciate his calmness and felt a sense of foreboding. ”I only thought I would try one last time.”

”If youʼre going to kill me, do it and stop all this talking. Itʼs getting boring.”

”I canʼt kill you,” Kong said in a gentle voice. ”My academy has just started to prosper, so I canʼt bear the backlash of killing the first Paragon of the previous era — at least, not yet.”

”So, you want to torture me until I give in?” Jimin sneered. ”You keep underestimating me, and itʼs disgusting.”

”You and I know there are fates worse than death, and while torture is one of them, it will not be my approach,” Kong continued. ”You said all this talking was boring. In that case, how about I show you?” He snapped his finger, and the surroundings changed. Jimin realized he was at the top of a Pagoda with millions of arrays forming a path underneath him, leading to the lower rooms in the Pagoda. At the bottom was a young man cultivating. His body was releasing an aura that he could not mistake even in his dream.

”Thatʼs…You!”

”Meet the Academyʼs first [Stealer],” Kong stated with shining eyes. ”Created from your Dao of Thievery, they will become an elite dark force, stealing resources, knowledge, information, identities, and life.”

”You motherf****** bastard,” Jimin yelled. ”How dare you? How dare you treat me like this?”

”Itʼs heartbreaking, isnʼt it?” Kong asked with a scoff. ”Knowing that I never needed you in the first place. You would have been the final jewel on my crown, but your existence was only to make things appear more authentic.” Emperor Kong shook his head before calmly walking away.

”Once someone meets the requirement, they will swallow everything you have, including your luck and Destiny. Only then will you truly become useless, and Iʼll grant you your wish of death.” Kongʼs parting words echoed in the pagoda, even suppressing the sound of rattling chains.

…

”Those spies are getting annoying,” Xu Shi sighed. The academy currently has four Boundless Paragons — technically five — including her. Her teacher is the headmaster and is busy with his affairs. Paragon Nine Death was sent out to contact other factions and send invitations to the upcoming seminar, leaving Xu Shi and Lin Fan to protect the academy. However, Lin Fan has been distracted, leaving all the work to Xu Shi.

She flew to their residence, where she saw him staring into the distance with a daze. Xu Shi frowned before approaching: ”Alright, I canʼt keep silent anymore. I thought I should give you space and you would come to me when you were ready to talk, but now, I think I made the wrong choice by not being direct. So, what is going on?”

Lin Fan looked at her beautiful face. He has seen it for over 10,000 Yuan Epochs but still finds her as stunning as the first day they met. He sighed before taking Xu Shi into his embrace. ”I can feel it — sheʼs about to ascend.”

”Youʼre talking about Su Ya?”

”Is that why youʼve been in a hurry? Did something happen during your Time Washing Tribulation? No, you were in this state before the tribulation.”

”Yes and no,” Lin Fan answered. ”My hatred for her was almost exploited during the Tribulation, but it only fueled my drive and hatred for her.” Xu Shi did not want hatred and rage to drive him, but she understood that some things cannot be forgiven.

”Is that it? Is that why youʼve been acting differently? I know you hate her, but if you let her existence affect you so much, Iʼm afraid it wonʼt be long before you develop a Heart Demon.” Itʼs incredibly difficult for people of their cultivation realm to develop Heart Demons, but it will be a nightmare once they do.

The Heart Demon will literally turn Lin Fan into a mad devil cultivator driven only by his desire to kill Su Ya. And if he succeeds in this endeavor, he wonʼt magically turn back. He will blame someone else for his problems instead and transfer that hatred to them. Then, he will repeat the pattern, trying to fill an emptiness in his soul for all of eternity.

”The teacher already talked to me about that,” Lin Fan shook his head.

”So, what is it?”

”...During the trial, Iʼve been thinking about my child,” Lin Fan said, tightening his embrace slightly. ”I was looking forward to the Paragon Realm because it meant I could see her again. However, I had a prophetic dream that something terrible would happen to her after the revival. Thatʼs why Iʼve been so desperate to increase my realm and be as strong as fast as possible.”

Xu Shi listened attentively, her brow furrowed deeply: ”Prophetic Dream?”

”My intuition warned me of something wrong, so I tried to look into the future. After failing, I considered combining Dream and Time Dao for a better divination.”

”What did you see exactly?”

”It was vague, but I was fighting desperately to protect someone. I could see what the person looked like, or I was fighting, but I knew she was my daughter. You were also there, fighting by my side, but I couldnʼt see anyone else.”

Xu Shiʼs brow furrowed deeper: ”Iʼm afraid things are not so simple.”

23:33

”Remember what Wang Wei said about your connection with the Chaos Demon Gods?”

”Are you saying theyʼve been influencing me?” Lin Fan asked in a severe tone.

”All signs have shown that the upcoming catastrophe will involve beings on their level, meaning this is the best opportunity for their return,” Xu Shi analyzed. ”And what better way to prepare than to start activating their pawns? What better way to control you than through your hatred of Su Ya and love for your daughter?”

Lin Fan clenched his hands so tightly that the space around him twisted. Xu Shi even felt some of the power. Luckily, they were both body refiners in the Elder Fiendgod Realm.

”Calm down,” she said as she turned to face him. She gently caressed his face. ”Getting angry and losing control will not help us.”

”I…I know,” Lin Fan sighed, ”But what am I supposed to do? I canʼt just suddenly let go of my hatred; I canʼt just pretend I donʼt want to see my daughter.”

”And no one is asking you to do that,” Xu Shi reassured him. ”The catastrophe will be dangerous and chaotic, meaning many variables will exist. Variables mean opportunities — opportunities for us to triumph over our fate.”

Lin Fan looked her in the eyes before gently placing his forehead on hers. ”I donʼt know what I would do without you.”

”Iʼve asked myself the same question many times.”

The couple chuckled before sharing a passionate kiss.

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