Stronger with Crimson Modifier

The scene before Hu Qi changed.

The surroundings within the Water Mansion vanished in an instant.

In its place was a vast, sky-covering net woven from countless threads.

Most of the great net was hidden in the hazy void.

Only wisps and fragments of threads could be seen extending out, dangling down.

Innumerable threads intertwined, crisscrossing as if to envelop everything in the world.

However, the threads in the great net were in various states.

Some were dull and lusterless, exuding an air of decay as they slowly snapped.

Others were slender threads that were slowly appearing, becoming part of the great net.

And a few individual threads were abnormally thick, bright, and dazzling.

The moment he saw it, a stream of inexplicable information fed back to him, and Hu Qi instantly understood what it was.

It was the Destiny Trajectory of all living beings in this world.

However, it was slightly different.

This web-like form of the Destiny Trajectory in this world was called Destiny.

It also had many other names, such as Heavenly Secrets, Predestination, Fate, Destiny, and Karma.

Although the names were different, their core meanings were mostly similar, generally representing a living being’s Destiny Trajectory, the encounters they would experience, and their ultimate end.

Hu Qi was no stranger to this sort of thing.

In the previous post-apocalyptic world, as the holder of the Taichu Demon Refining Talisman, the authority he wielded far surpassed that of the world’s will itself, so he naturally understood the ins and outs of it all.

If the entire world was seen as a grand script, then after birth, every person would be given their own unique life script. This was Destiny.

Under normal circumstances, most people’s scripts were very simple.

Plain and unremarkable, without any ups or downs—a life of mediocrity.

But there were also some other kinds of Destiny.

For example, a Peach Blossom Fate: possessing outstanding looks and a unique temperament, one would always be surrounded by numerous pursuers, with an endless stream of romantic encounters.

A Prosperous Fate: someone born to be rich and noble, destined to possess great wealth.

And even more distinguished ones, like an Emperor’s Fate, destined to achieve great things, even to the point of establishing an Empire and ushering in a new era.

People with these kinds of Destiny would usually exhibit some special outward features.

Some who were knowledgeable about Destiny could deduce a thing or two from a person’s appearance or birth date.

This was the art of physiognomy and fortune-telling.

Barring any accidents, everyone would follow the script given to them by the world, developing step by step.

And finally reach the ending that was already set within their Destiny.

However, there were always exceptions in the world; occasionally, someone would break their predetermined script.

But such individuals were one in ten thousand, ultimately just a tiny minority.

For such people, there were generally three possible outcomes.

The first.

They try to break away from their Destiny Trajectory, meet with a sudden disaster, and die an early death.

Destiny is like a fixed track, possessing great inertia and stability.

Changing it requires immense cost and effort, and it might trigger a chain reaction, leading to even more severe consequences.

The second is successfully changing one’s fate, for example, changing from an ordinary Destiny to a Prosperous Fate, or even a nobler one.

But in the process of changing their fate, they would encounter certain crises.

Failure to overcome them meant death.

Once they survived, they would succeed in changing their fate.

This was considered the best outcome.

The last type.

They completely escape the control of Destiny, no longer part of the world’s script.

These people were called anomalies—like Hu Qi.

Such people were rare, and they were generally not Natives of the world.

Instead, they were beings from the Spirit Realm, or powerful experts from other worlds.

The reason for this is that to completely escape the control of Destiny, one must possess sufficient power.

Without it, the only final outcome is to be automatically "corrected" by the power of the world itself.

And thus be erased.

Usually, the world itself wouldn’t act directly but would use other methods.

For example, provoking certain enemies, or being hit by a meteorite while walking down the road, and so on.

It was like a bug in a script or a game that gets automatically fixed.

...

Destiny and life itself were one and the same.

The broken threads in the great net before him represented the fall of a life.

The newly appeared threads represented the birth of a new living being.

As for those thick, dazzling threads, they naturally belonged to some powerful members of the Demon Race and Cultivators.

But the reason Hu Qi was surprised was that this world’s great net of Destiny was different from those of other worlds.

In other worlds, things like a Prosperous Fate or a mediocre fate were just general concepts.

Changing them was difficult, but not impossible.

In contrast, this world’s great net of Destiny was far too detailed and rigid.

The Destinies of all living beings were, like this great net, tightly woven together.

’Under the shroud of this great net of Destiny, it’s likely that even powerful Cultivators or Immortals cannot escape it.’

If the beings of this world wanted to leap out of their own Destiny and escape the control of the world itself, it would be utterly impossible.

What events they would encounter, what opportunities they would obtain—it was all predetermined. The outcome of every step was clearly written and absolutely unchangeable.

This was a world where everything was decided by Destiny.

He had just been thinking about going to the Three Great Immortal Sects.

’But according to this mechanism of Destiny, there’s no way for me to infiltrate them. Destiny has already decided who can enter the sects. Destiny is extremely rigid; it’s impossible for it to make a mistake. If I hadn’t activated Heart Inference and learned this...’