Heaven Refining physique-Chapter 94: Fate’s Mechanism

Jiang Hao took out the blood core; it was cold to the touch. He refined it immediately, and with it, he was able to gather enough ice law fragments.

Currently, if he had to rank his affinities, fire would be first, followed by ice at the top, with the rest—thunder, water, earth, poison, metal, wind, and wood—following behind.

He also obtained spirit qi from the blood core. After that, he refined the entire beast, along with its shell, or rather, whatever remained of the beast.

The amount of spirit qi he gained from refining the beast was less than that from its blood core, despite the beast’s immense size.

Of course, a great deal of residual ash remained after the refinement, so fine that it scattered into the wind without leaving any trace upon the ground.

Jiang Hao stretched his body. It had been a truly invigorating battle, and it had been some time since anything had managed to injure him.

He resumed his journey. It was already night, but he had no intention of stopping to rest. He preferred the night even more, and this fight had heightened his hopes. Now, he eagerly wished to encounter more beasts.

Of course, they should be at the Early Stage of Grade 4 if they good bloodline like this one, as that was what he could handle for now. This was a lesson he had learned from his last battle.

An hour passed without encountering anything. Perhaps his luck was poor, or perhaps it was fortunate that he had not crossed paths with any spirit beasts.

Just as he was about to take his next step, he halted abruptly—something had finally triggered his instincts.

He immediately looked upward, as the sensation came from above. The moon shone in its full glory, but there was a black dot at its center.

He observed it carefully, and in a moment, the shape became clear as it descended toward him. It was an owl, pure white in color, its talons gleaming and leaving a trail behind.

Jiang Hao sighed inwardly and teleported at least a hundred miles forward. The owl was at the Late Stage of Grade 4, and the sense of danger he felt was more than enough to dissuade him from even considering a confrontation.

He reappeared in the air and descended immediately, resuming his journey. He was now about 1,300 miles deep into the forest. He had not been moving at full speed earlier to conserve his spirit qi, but now he doubted he would encounter even a single Early Stage Grade 4 beast, so he increased his pace.

He traversed many territories and even spotted some spirit herbs along the way but did not stop to collect them, as they were guarded by spirit beasts he could not confront at the moment.

His journey was punctuated by short teleportations, as he gradually encountered spirit beasts. Since he was moving without concealing himself, he was forced to use two minor teleportations, and his spirit qi reserves decreased rapidly due to these short jumps.

Morning arrived, and he stood upon a tree, gazing at the confluence of three rivers, which merged to form a single great river that divided the entire Dark Forest.

He was cloaked in Nirvana’s Veil, allowing him to take in this breathtaking view.

Due to the river’s flow, the banks had eroded into cliffs. There was also a mountain from which one of the rivers cascaded like a waterfall.

It appeared as though the waterfall descended from the heavens themselves.

Many spirit beasts soared above the rivers.

He had witnessed an eagle beast swooping down to seize a snake beast, larger than itself, from the river and flying off with ease.

He had also seen a carp leap from the water and snatch a bird-type beast from the air with a single bound.

Most of the spirit beasts were at Grade 5, though there were some Grade 6 beasts as well. He had just seen a crocodile swimming downstream, heedless of the other beasts. It might well be the strongest spirit beast in this area.

This place was truly vibrant. If he revealed his presence, he would undoubtedly be attacked by not one but many of these spirit beasts.

He gazed toward the Forbidden Zone and used one more minor teleportation. Upon reappearing, he was stunned—he stood before a mountain.

It was about twenty to thirty miles away, but its immense size made it clearly visible. It was a solitary mountain, with no others nearby.

He had seen many lone mountains in the Dark Forest thus far, but this one was different. It was shrouded in mist, with only its base visible.

The reason for his astonishment was that this was the same mountain he had seen before, when he was riding on Sister Meiying’s back, flying toward the Forbidden Zone.

This mountain had drawn him toward it then, and now he felt that same pull, an inner urging to approach it.

Suddenly, he recalled his conversations with Senior Yin Ni.

Had she not said that the thing he was fated to encounter lay in the eastern region? Had she not also said that he would inevitably meet it, no matter what, as it was written in fate, and he was not yet strong enough to alter it?

Traversing the Dark Forest had been his decision, as was taking this route.

Yet traversing in a perfectly straight line was impossible in this forest, not to mention the battles that had slightly diverted his path. But once he reached the river, he knew he was not far from his original route.

However, this last teleportation, performed from the tree, had placed him directly before the mountain.

He clearly remembered that this mountain had been to the left of his original route, visible only due to the altitude at which they had been flying. It was that distant.

Yet this single teleportation, which he had thought was straight, had brought him exactly to this mountain.

Had the mountain moved since then, or had his teleportation veered off course due to some error he could not recall?

Wait a moment—had he truly teleported in a straight line? He could not remember clearly.

"So, are you going or not?"

As he was lost in thought, he heard Yin Ni’s voice.

He sighed. It seemed she already knew that this mountain was the abode of the owner of the Thread of Fate and had suspected he would end up here.

"What do you suggest, Senior?"

"I think you should ascend the mountain. Do not worry—although I cannot use these spirit stones to heal myself directly, as soul injuries take time to mend, and mine will take even longer, I can still use the ring as a medium to wield strength far beyond your imagination. Of course, that will consume a great number of spirit stones, but rest assured, the spirit stones you have will suffice to ensure your safe escape."

Jiang Hao was slightly surprised to hear this. If she could truly use the ring in such a manner, would it not be possible to annihilate the entire Blazing Valley without batting an eye?

The cost would merely be spirit stones, after all, and he had a reliable means of acquiring them.

He shook his head. It was but a fleeting thought, and he doubted she would heed such a request. Moreover, the Blazing Valley was his enemy, not hers. It would be better to resolve his own troubles.

Destroying the Blazing Valley was no grand undertaking; it was merely a matter of time. Once he grew strong enough to slay their mighty figures directly, he would not even need to kill their disciples. They would scatter quietly, erasing the existence of the Blazing Valley from this world.

"What do you mean by ’ascend the mountain,’ Senior?"

He was genuinely perplexed. She could have simply said he should go and meet them.

"Well, your desire to meet that person does not mean they wish to meet you. So, if they do not wish to meet you, what can you do?

Moreover, this mist is no ordinary mist—it is chaotic mist. Your senses will cease to function once you step into it. You will not even know whether you are moving up or down. Unless the owner themselves wills it, you will not be able to ascend the mountain."

Jiang Hao gazed at the mist, which bore a faint purplish hue. The mountain was vast, and climbing it without a sense of direction was undoubtedly impossible.

He moved toward it. Not a single spirit beast had approached him, even though he was nearly 6,000 miles deep into the forest.

He had even seen one flying away, but it had not so much as glanced in his direction. The mountain was still twenty to thirty miles distant, so it was not due to its influence.

The only way to describe it was that fate did not wish him to teleport away. Since this was fate’s mechanism, he had no need to fear the mist. Even if he closed his eyes and walked, he might still end up on that mountain—provided, of course, the owner did not intervene.

It did not take him long to reach the base of the mountain. There was no clear path to the summit, so he began climbing straight upward.