I struggled to raise my hand, wanting to stroke her head just as I did when she was a child. In the end, she proactively lowered her head to reach me.
“Your mother is useless. I can’t hold you like I did when you were little anymore.”
Si Zhiruo’s tears burst forth instantly. Just like when she was a child, she leaned into my embrace and wailed.
“Waaaaah.”
“Mother.”
“I don’t want you to die.”
She had once been full of confidence, but now there was only a faint sense of despair. There are some things you will never know the true weight of until you try. She had done her best, yet she still saw no hope.
One hundred years was truly too short. She was completely unprepared for how to break through, and she wasn’t mentally ready to accept her mother’s passing. However, she would not give up. Miracles themselves are born from constant attempts; how can you know you can’t succeed if you don’t try?
I patted her back, humming the melody she was most familiar with. “You’re a grown woman now, why are you still crying like a child?”
Si Zhiruo sniffled hard. “I don’t care. You aren’t allowed to die, do you hear me?”
I was slightly amused by her childish tone. “You went out for a while and came back so much more bossy.”
***
Time flew by.
The year I turned 100 soon arrived. Even with methods to extend life, it could not change the fact that my physical body was decaying. I had long since become too weak to move around often.
To make me happy, Su Liumeng held a centennial banquet for me. I looked at the familiar woman before me; she was still as high-spirited as the day we first met.
“Mengmeng, hold me,” I said, reaching my arms out toward her.
I rarely acted so forward in public, but I was simply too weak now. My eyes were filled with smiles as I stared at the woman before me. Recently, I had grown very fond of the way Su Liumeng looked at me with such doting affection.
“Come here, my little princess.”
Many people came to offer their congratulations. Powerhouses from the other worlds rushed over as well. I sat quietly in the seat of honor. Su Liumeng turned away everyone who tried to disturb my rest.
Suddenly, someone approached.
“Who is it?”
I rubbed my eyes. My vision, long since blurred by age, prevented me from seeing the figure clearly.
Shangguan Xiyue’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Xiao Yan, it’s me.”
Hearing the familiar voice, I froze for a moment. My eyes gradually widened until I could see who was before me. I greeted her warmly and pulled on her arm. “Cultivate well. There is still hope for the future.”
Shangguan Xiyue nodded vigorously. “I will. You must take care of yourself too.”
A nostalgic look appeared in my eyes. “Cat Cat, I want to play games with you.”
“Then let’s play.”
“There’s nothing we can’t play,” Shangguan Xiyue said, holding back her tears.
“I can’t play very well anymore. I’ll probably get flamed by others.”
“They won’t. I’ll let them curse me along with you, fellow centenarian.”
Shangguan Xiyue’s talent wasn’t particularly poor. Over these years, she had reached a high realm, granting her at least two hundred more years of life. She was currently in her strongest middle-aged phase; calling herself a centenarian was just a joke between us.
I burst out laughing. Her face was still beautiful, showing no traces of the passing years.
“Alright.”
What was it like to secretly play games with a close friend during one’s own 100th birthday banquet? Personally, I got flamed miserably. Shangguan Xiyue was very fierce; she didn’t get cursed at with me like she promised. She was able to talk back to several people at once.
“Why did they stop talking?” I tugged on her sleeve.
“It must be because my Xiao Yan is too amazing. They don’t dare to speak.”
I truly couldn’t see clearly anymore. Wearing glasses was useless.
***
Age 105.
Relying on her formidable strength, Si Zhiruo completely ended the Su family’s traditions. No one would ever be forced to do something they were unwilling to do again. From then on, all trials were voluntary. Those with talent rose to the top, which unexpectedly filtered out even more outstanding descendants.
***
Age 110.
Si Zhiruo began traveling frequently again. Su Liumeng also officially reached the Half-Emperor realm.
“Are you ready to break through?” Si Zhiruo asked, looking at the woman beside her.
“Let’s wait a little longer.” Su Liumeng didn’t have the confidence to break through just yet.
In truth, Si Zhiruo had long been confident in completing the breakthrough, but her realm was constantly suppressed by the Heavenly Dao. Because of this, the two of them came up with a method to break through simultaneously. By overlapping the domains of two Half-Emperor powerhouses, they would have enough power to suppress the Heavenly Dao over a larger area.
***
“Xiao Hua.”
While I was soaking up the sun in the courtyard, I called out the name of my personal maid.
“Madam, I am here,” Xiao Hua replied respectfully.
“Has Su Liumeng still not returned?”
“The Fourteenth Ancestor has no plans to return recently.”
I let out a sigh. In my old age, I truly didn’t have the energy to be angry or jealous anymore. I would just let them be.
“Madam, please have some porridge. You haven’t eaten anything all day.”
“I have no appetite for now. Give me a piece of candy.”
Tasting the sweetness of the candy, I leaned back in my lounge chair and slowly closed my eyes. “Let me sleep for a while.”
During these years, Si Zhiruo and Su Liumeng had nearly emptied the Six Realms, digging out every single life-extending substance they could find.
***
Age 125.
Not only could I barely see anything, but my legs had become even worse. Recently, only Lin Xi would occasionally come to talk to me. I had no way of distinguishing objects anymore and relied entirely on listening to what others were saying. Even my ears failed me sometimes.
Lin Xi was very patient, always slowing down her speech.
“Your wife is back,” she said suddenly.
My senses were very weak. I didn’t even realize a person had appeared before me until I was swept up into a princess carry.
“Hmm?” I tilted my head slightly. “Who are you?”
Su Liumeng froze, nearly laughing out of frustration. “My baby is so old and blind that she doesn’t even recognize me?”
I giggled. Just like when we first met, I joked with her, “I’m just suffering from senile dementia.”
Su Liumeng held me dotingly. She had not forgotten her vow. Even though her wedded wife had grown old and could barely recognize her, she still kept her original promise, pampering her like a princess just as she always had.
I rested my head against her chest and closed my eyes in contentment.
‘How annoying. I want to tell her that I love her. But I can’t bring myself to say it.’
We had been a couple for too long; it felt inappropriate to be so mushy now. Moreover, I didn’t have the strength to speak.
Su Liumeng pressed her cheek against mine. “Baby, we will definitely succeed.”
“Okay.”
I hadn’t heard clearly what she was saying; I simply agreed out of habit.
***
Age 148.
The final year of my life.
Su Liumeng and Si Zhiruo had become infinitely more silent. It was a fact all three of us understood without saying it aloud. I had reached the true end of my life. No matter what methods were used, my life could not be extended again.
Was I really about to die?
I wanted to take my daughter’s hand and whisper to her, but my muddled brain suddenly forgot what I wanted to say when she proactively leaned her head in.
In the haze, I seemed to hear the sound of crying.
‘Is Baby crying?’
I wanted to reach out and wipe her tears, but my hand hit the table nearby instead.
“Mother.”
“Baby is here.”
“Don’t cry.” I had already forgotten what I wanted to say; I just repeated those words like a mechanical recording.
“Yes, your daughter isn’t crying anymore.” Si Zhiruo smiled, but the smile looked more painful than crying. She was as obedient as she had been in the past, but her obedience was heartbreaking.
One day, the Six Realms trembled. Everyone felt the presence of a world-ending lightning. The Heavenly Dao was enraged, launching a killing blow for real this time. It poured all its power into the attack, intending to completely destroy these two people who dared to defy it.
Si Zhiruo and Su Liumeng shared a look. Si Zhiruo slowly raised one hand, holding up the projections of three worlds. Su Liumeng followed suit.
The so-called Heavenly Dao was merely the manifestation of the rules of the Six Realms. For this battle, they had prepared for many years. They had no retreat, and they would not allow themselves to fail.
*Rumble!*
Endless lightning continued to fall. Si Zhiruo stood as firm as a mountain amidst the storm of bolts.
“Is this all the power you have?”
She bore the pressure of three worlds, constantly lifting her world higher. When the massive projection formed by her consciousness reached a height equal to the Heavenly Dao, a moment later, she reached a brand-new realm.
The Emperor Realm—also known as the realm of the Creator God.
Following behind Si Zhiruo, Su Liumeng entered the supreme domain as well, almost without effort. The birth of two Emperor Realm powerhouses occurred in a way no one expected.
In the Six Realms, some were lost in thought while others celebrated. This marked the end of the Heavenly Dao’s dominant status, which had ruled the entire cultivation world for countless years.
Si Zhiruo’s skirt fluttered as her gaze turned cold. With a simple lift of her hand, she completely suppressed the Heavenly Dao. There was no plot where the dragon slayer eventually became the new king. From then on, there would no longer be bottlenecks trapping cultivators; everyone would be able to break through normally.
Si Zhiruo walked slowly to the sleeping place of the Heavenly Dao and gently picked up a stone from the ground. Then, she shared a look with Su Liumeng. Both of them nodded simultaneously.
Beyond the heavens lay only chaos. This was a place outside the Six Realms. They followed the path of void until they reached the end of chaos. Countless primordial rules were written here.
At the very end, there was only a single white dot. This was the start of everything. The point of light possessed no intelligence of its own. All rules originated from this light; similarly, it symbolized the final end.
“Can we win?” Su Liumeng whispered.
“Let’s try.” Si Zhiruo closed her eyes.
She had no retreat. Only by standing here did she realize how unreachable the end of the chaos rules truly was. However, she had no reason to fail.
Without any hesitation, Si Zhiruo charged forward like a moth to a flame. In the next second, chaos shook. The point of light did not react; every attack was like a stone sinking into the ocean. This was not a battle on the same level at all.
Su Liumeng gazed at the location of her heart. “My mission is complete. Are you still not appearing?”
A hearty laugh echoed through heaven and earth. Countless silver light points emerged from the remains of the Heavenly Dao, condensing into a figure within the white light of chaos.
The Creator God had returned to His place. On the day He fell, He had already left a contingency for Himself. Su Liumeng’s mission was precisely to crush the Heavenly Dao He had created with His own hands. Only when the Heavenly Dao collapsed would He have a chance to be resurrected.
Now, they had a common enemy—Chaos.
“To destroy the rules of chaos, one needs at least the Transcendence Realm.”
“Achieving transcendence is also very simple.”
The Creator God gazed at that small stone core. Where destiny lies, miracles follow. The fact that He could complete His breakthrough and be resurrected was all because He possessed this small stone beforehand. The one who masters destiny is a miracle themselves.
Si Zhiruo understood instantly. An unprecedented light bloomed from between her brows. She was calling out to the Destiny Stone, calling for her mother to wake once more.
In the Sixth World, just before a young woman’s death, her body suddenly vanished without warning. In the next second, she stood at the center of chaos.
Countless points of light converged toward her. The Destiny Stone core became her heart, the Heavenly Dragon Sword became her skeleton, and the Nirvana Cauldron became her blood.
Countless years ago, the Destiny Stone’s final contingency finally took effect.
I finally remembered everything.
I took hold of my daughter’s hand, and in an instant, she completed the final step of her breakthrough. When you are gazed upon by destiny, you become destiny itself.
I reached out my other hand and slowly grasped Su Liumeng’s left hand. Another Transcendence Realm expert was born.
“I am Destiny. And so are you.”
As the one who inherited destiny, Si Zhiruo had always told me: “How do you know you can’t if you don’t try?”
Behind the word “destiny,” the word “unyielding” had long since been written. Perhaps the only miracle lies within the very last attempt.
I am Destiny, yet I never believed in miracles before. At this moment, I believe.
Because of you—
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