Star Fall Mountain was the residence of the Dao Seed Sen Yue and the most prominent standard of his army.
The mountain hovered in the sky year-round, like a celestial peak amidst the clouds.
That night, the sky was thick with dark clouds. Streaks of purple lightning descended upon Star Fall Mountain, relentlessly striking the Purple Gold Hall at its peak.
Around the Purple Gold Hall, endless flames surged and burned with ferocious intensity.
Thunderfire Refining Hall!
More astonishingly, wisps of a desolate and solitary aura emanated from the grand hall, even triggering a massive thunderclap.
BOOM!
A sudden clap of thunder made the Purple Gold Hall shine as brightly as the Taiyin Star, but it also sent a chill of fear through the hearts of everyone in the Thunder Punishment Banner.
"Is this the legendary heavenly punishment?"
"What's happening?"
"Don't tell me the Dao Seed Qingkong and his forces have broken through!"
"No, that's not it. Lord Sen Yue is using a world-shaking technique to refine the destiny of all living beings into the destiny of heaven and earth! He's going to seize the Hundred-Year Celestial Mandate of the Xuan Domain and become the Son of Fortune for a century!"
Suddenly, a more knowledgeable observer had a moment of realization and spoke out.
In an instant, a series of sharp gasps could be heard.
Even Fang Yang was surprised. He narrowed his eyes, gazing up at the sky, which had transformed into a small world of thunder.
The destiny of all living beings! The destiny of heaven and earth!
They were both part of the schools of destiny. Besides them, there was also personal destiny.
The Dao of Destiny was roughly divided into three schools: the destiny of heaven and earth, the destiny of all living beings, and personal destiny.
Personal destiny was purely for one's own benefit. The destiny of all living beings was to harm others to benefit oneself. The destiny of heaven and earth was to harm the world itself to benefit oneself.
Because the destiny of all living beings came quickly, it also faded quickly.
Thus, once the War of the Domain's Aegis concluded, the great power bestowed upon the Dao Seeds would typically dissipate.
But after gaining it through such hardship, who would be willing to let the destiny of all living beings simply vanish?
Even with the unspoken rule that Sages do not interfere in the mortal realm, the Dao Seeds of previous generations were unwilling to accept this.
And so, through the efforts of generations of Sages, a Supreme Divine Skill was created to forcibly condense the destiny of all living beings into the destiny of heaven and earth.
This meant the final victor of the War of the Domain's Aegis would often obtain the Hundred-Year Celestial Mandate of the Xuan Domain!
The Hundred-Year Celestial Mandate was incredibly important. For instance, the sole Tier Eight Great Cultivator of the Changkong clan had used it to forge his immortal body early, allowing him to grow steadily to the Tier Eight realm without falling.
Of course, not everyone who obtained the Hundred-Year Celestial Mandate could achieve what that Tier Eight Great Cultivator had, but it offered a sliver of hope, which was excellent in itself.
RUMBLE—
In the heavens, the light was dazzling and the thunder deafening.
Lightning fell like a torrential downpour, striking the Purple Gold Hall in a ceaseless, wondrous barrage.
Inside the Purple Gold Hall, Sen Yue, clad in a Purple Gold Daoist Robe, slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head to gaze at his giant Destiny Drake.
The mismatched horns on the drake's head had now transformed into a perfectly matched pair, looking both ferocious and majestic.
'The Secret Technique is complete,' he thought. 'Now it's time for me to take the initiative and plunder the destiny of Qingkong and the others.'
'These three remaining destiny constructs are of no use to me. I'll offer them as rewards for the top three on the war contributions leaderboard.'
Three smaller destiny constructs floated around the great Destiny Drake.
They took the shapes of a flying eagle, a sailfish, and a lion.
These three destiny constructs were extraordinary. If a mortal were to obtain one, it would be enough to defy the heavens and change their fate, allowing them to become a titan of their generation—a true prodigy.
Suddenly, Sen Yue narrowed his eyes.
Looking at the destiny construct shaped like a flying eagle, he inexplicably thought of Fang Yang.
If his sister Sen Wei had noticed that their other sister, Sen Hui, was secretly fond of Fang Yang, then Sen Yue naturally would have noticed as well.
And in Sen Yue's eyes, Fang Yang was a fledgling eagle.
A strong gust of wind rustled the sleeves of his Purple Gold Daoist Robe, making him appear all the more transcendent and celestial.
After a moment of contemplation, Sen Yue separated the flying eagle destiny construct, deciding not to post it on the war contributions leaderboard.
He decided to arrange a mission for Fang Yang, giving him a legitimate reason to receive this fortuitous opportunity.
The mission was to have Fang Yang choose: either lead the White Feathered Eagle Bronze Tribe or remain at the rear of the Medicine Hall.
If Fang Yang chose to lead the White Feathered Eagle tribe, then he, Sen Yue, would bestow a great blessing upon him, allowing his destiny to grow and transform.
Then, if the White Feathered Eagle tribe grew stronger under Fang Yang's command, Fang Yang's own destiny, as the wielder of the White Feather Order, would also strengthen.
As the White Feathered Eagle tribe was extremely weakened, this was merely a seed of destiny. It would require Fang Yang's own efforts to nurture it.
Of course, Sen Yue would not force Fang Yang.
After all, his primary goal was to ensure Fang Yang did not let down his sister, Sen Hui.
At the very least, he couldn't let Sen Hui be hurt. That was his bottom line... as her brother.
...
"Sir, will you accept?"
A Daoist acolyte flew down from Star Fall Mountain and came to his door personally, requesting that Fang Yang accept the mission. The acolyte's attitude was remarkably friendly.
"Even a doorman at the prime minister's gate is a third-rank official," as the saying goes, to say nothing of an acolyte who was constantly by Sen Yue's side.
In a way, this acolyte was an extension of Sen Yue's own will.
At that moment, Second Uncle Fang, Seventh Uncle Fang, and the others stood behind him, silently watching the exchange between Fang Yang and the Daoist acolyte.
Sen Yue, after all, was the lord of the entire army, while Fang Yang was but a common soldier.
If Sen Yue wanted something done, he could have simply ordered Fang Yang. There was no need for such a show of respect to a subordinate.
This indirectly proved that Sen Yue held Fang Yang in high regard.
"Yes. I will do everything in my power to fulfill Lord Sen Yue's arrangement and command the White Feathered Eagle tribe," Fang Yang replied, accepting the White Feather Order.
Meanwhile, in Fang Yang's mind, the ball of light from his ability to seek fortune and avoid calamity began to manifest text:
[To go with the flow is fortune; to go against it is ruin. The path of change lies within the heart.]
[Highest Fortune: Seize control of the White Feathered Eagle tribe by your own power. You will receive a Tier Five opportunity. No future troubles. Greatly auspicious.]
[High Fortune: Seize control of the White Feathered Eagle tribe by borrowing strength. You will receive a Tier Three opportunity. No future troubles. Auspicious.]
[Neutral Fortune: Remain unmoved and stay at the rear of the Medicine Hall. Nothing gained, nothing lost. Neutral.]
As Fang Yang conversed with the acolyte, his second uncle, and his seventh uncle, he was inwardly examining the divination results.
The more he read, the more confused and bewildered he became.
'Isn't Sen Yue just tripping over himself to hand me an opportunity?'
'But the problem is... I've never even met the man.'
In the end, Fang Yang realized there was one problem he couldn't escape: it seemed he was destined to be entangled with the Sen bloodline.
So far, every member of the Sen bloodline he had encountered—Sen Hui, Sen Wei, and Sen Yue—was an exceptional individual.
Every time they met, he gained at least one fortuitous opportunity.
Even better, the White Feathered Eagle tribe had already been thoroughly scattered, with fewer than a hundred members remaining.
Furthermore, they were stationed on either side of the Medicine Hall, serving as mere lackeys. Commanding them would be perfectly safe for Fang Yang.
This was perfect. Fang Yang could use the excuse of managing the White Feathered Eagle tribe to escape his daily duties at the Medicine Hall and focus entirely on Alchemy to raise his strength.
'…No. In the grand scheme of fate, every gift comes with a price tag.'
'…The more I'm given, the more will be demanded of me.'
'…Sen Hui, are you to be my romantic tribulation?'
Fang Yang's heart sank, feeling the situation was becoming incredibly tricky.
Objectively speaking, Sen Hui was a woman of the highest caliber.
In terms of looks and figure, her beauty was legendary, enough to outshine the moon and make flowers wilt in shame.
In terms of family background, she hailed from a prestigious and noble clan of immense power.
Most importantly, almost all the elders of the Sen bloodline doted on her.
Yet it was precisely for these reasons that Fang Yang found the situation so troublesome.
If he mishandled his relationship with Sen Hui in any way, he would have no choice but to grit his teeth and endure the consequences.
And yet, deep down, a faint sense of excitement began to stir within him.
'Could it be that my potential enemies are also the powerful experts of the Sen clan?'