Chapter 816: What is Destiny?
On this day, the crown prince visited the Qin residence in disguise and met with Anya.
Nowadays, the latter was a little less youthful and a little more mature, exuding a different charm than before, appearing more refined.
The crown prince understood that this change was due to the influence of a man, making her completely different…
“Why does my royal brother have time to visit me today?” Anya asked curiously as she took a sip of tea.
“Ever since the people from the Netherworld Realm and Father discussed things in the Imperial Study, Father has been spending a lot of time there, staring at that painting for a long time. I’m worried about Father’s condition, but I can’t find anyone to talk to, so I thought I’d come to see you.”
They shared the same mother, and she had no possibility of competing for the throne against him, so naturally, they could confide in each other.
Anya furrowed her delicate eyebrows slightly. She naturally remembered the painting in the study, which sealed The Great Qian’s founding emperor’s sword—the Xuanyuan Divine Slaying Sword.
According to legend, during the chaos of the world, when the people were suffering, the founding emperor responded to the signs from the heavens and rose up.
One day, trapped on a mountaintop, he was about to fight to the death when a white light shone down from the sky and turned into a sharp sword. With a wave of his hand, millions of corpses were buried and the danger was averted.
After that, he used this sword to pave his way to the throne through hardships.This was a divine sword bestowed by the heavens!
Of course, this story was too absurd. Members of the royal family only considered it as a legendary tale and didn’t believe it at all.
Anya was even more clear that this legend was just a myth added by the royal family to establish authority and add a bit of mythological color among the common people.
But there was one thing that had to be said.
Only members of the royal family could use the Xuanyuan Divine Slaying Sword. Although its power was immense, the price to be paid was also high.
As for what exactly had to be paid, only the incoming emperor could learn from the mouth of the previous emperor upon succession.
Since the sword was sealed in the painting, it had not made any sound for thousands of years and now seemed more like a symbol of the royal family, just a decoration.
Anya didn’t focus on the divine sword but instead asked, “Is it because father is worried about the alliance with the people from the Netherworld Realm?”
The crown prince shook his head at her words. “During the discussion in the study, I and several other royal brothers were also present. The content discussed was not much different from when we formed an alliance with the Asura Clan back then.”
“It’s just that from Zhao Wenhao’s mouth, we learned that the Three Realms are about to face a great calamity. Now, we are all like small boats in the sea, ready to be engulfed by the raging waves at any time.”
Anya’s eyebrows furrowed even more.
She had also learned about the reason for the invasion of the Netherworld Realm into this realm from her husband.
If it weren’t for the impending upheaval in the Netherworld Realm, they wouldn’t have resorted to desperate measures.
The entities coveting the Three Realms were too bizarre, and even now, she found it difficult to accept.
After a pause, she said worriedly: “Could it be that Father has foreseen that there will be a situation in the future that will require him to use the Divine Sword, and that’s why he’s like this?”
As the crown prince, the prince dared not speak out of turn, and could only sigh in response.
Anya continued, “How did Heavenly Tower’s National Teacher respond to this?”
“Since the turmoil in the Netherworld Realm ended, the National Teacher of Heavenly Tower closed off the Heavenly Tower and has not been seen by anyone since,” he replied.
……
Grand Literature Academy, on the top of the Heavenly Tower.
The white-haired National Teacher of Heavenly Tower sat opposite Qin Feng.
The latter asked in confusion, “I heard from the senior brothers, teacher, are you looking for me?”
The Heavenly Tower had been closed for a long time, and he had also heard some rumors. Only the first floor was available for his senior brothers to reside in, and no one was allowed to climb beyond that.
So why did the National Teacher come to find him now?
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower looked up with a look of satisfaction, “Yes, the battle in the Netherworld Realm has deepened your understanding of the Dao of Destiny. It seems that there is someone to inherit my teachings after me.”
His words sounded like he was passing on his legacy… Qin Feng scratched his head and said, “Teacher, you jest. You are immortal and the master of the Dao of Destiny. There’s no need for others to inherit your teachings.”
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower gave Qin Feng a deep look and did not dwell on this topic any further. Instead, he asked as he stood up, “What do you think, what is Destiny?”
Qin Feng was slightly stunned, and after thinking for a moment, he replied, “Cause and effect, predestination, human destiny is determined by heaven, is this destiny?”
“You are right. The heavenly soul and one’s true nature are the will of Heaven, and Heaven rules over all living things. If Heaven wants someone to die, he must die; if Heaven wants a country to perish, it will perish. That’s destiny.”
“In the eyes of heaven, the mortals are just fleeting clouds, the changes of the world are just a blink of an eye. All things are like ants, thriving with the way of heaven, defying it leads to destruction, that is Destiny.”
Qin Feng frowned. This discourse sounded as if all living beings were just chess pieces on a chessboard, and they could only be manipulated by heaven’s will, which was rather displeasing.
“Even so, the disciple has also heard of a principle that man conquers heaven. Just like you, Teacher, who peeked into destiny and saved the human race and Great Qian from destruction several times, isn’t that conquering destiny?” Qin Feng interjected.
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower turned to look at him, with a smile that carried a hint of sorrow, “But what if all this is still within the realm of destiny?”
Qin Feng was puzzled and asked, “What do you mean, Teacher?”
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower did not answer directly but instead told a story.
In a pond, there was a small fish that didn’t want to be confined to the pond, so it always hoped that one day it could go to the mountain stream ten feet away.
It had been waiting for an opportunity all along, and one day, a heavy rain came, flooding the pond. It followed the current and swam into the mountain stream.
However, after staying in the mountain stream for a long time, it felt that the mountain stream was too small and wanted to go to the river.
So it struggled against the current, swimming upstream. Through relentless efforts, it leaped over the turbulent waterfall and fell into the river.
But it still wasn’t satisfied. It swam into the river and merged into the ocean.
The endless ocean made it unable to see the end. It thought it had finally escaped its Destiny, no longer a small fish in the pond. But when it looked up, the sky was no different from what it saw in the pond.
It thought it controlled its destiny, but it was always under destiny’s control.
“…How ridiculous,” the National Teacher of Heavenly Tower mocked himself.
Qin Feng frowned, “Teacher, are you saying that finding oneself among the myriad of beings is like that little fish, thinking it has escaped destiny, but in fact, everything is within destiny, and we have never escaped?”
If that was the case, then what about the future he had glimpsed before?
An inexplicable heaviness settled in his heart.
“My path as a teacher started wrong, even though I’ve experienced so much, it’s like falling out of the pond into the ocean. But you are different, Qin Feng. You were not born in the pond. You are the variable. You have the qualification to overturn the chessboard, the ability to change destiny.”
Qin Feng involuntarily took a step back. He had never seen the National Teacher of Heavenly Tower like this before. “Teacher, I don’t understand what you mean.”
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower looked at him calmly and smiled with relief, “Forget it, you can just think of me as an old man who has lived too long, a bit crazy, who wants someone to talk to…”
“You can leave now.”
Qin Feng opened his mouth as if to say something.