[The Fate of Lei Yuan]
The battlefield of thunder roared with endless storms, lightning intertwining like a world-ending catastrophe.
Lei Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the battlefield to rest upon an ancient, solemn temple in the distance—the Thunder Punishment Shrine.
This was the sacred forbidden ground of the Thunder Clan, where the Thunder God's Brand was enshrined. Legend spoke that only the true master of thunder could withstand the baptism of the Thunder God's Brand and obtain the ultimate power of divine punishment.
And Lei Yuan… was once the most promising candidate.
Yet now, he was no longer acknowledged by his people, branded a forsaken child, and cast out of the Thunder Clan.
His own father, Lei Ming, the Thunder Clan's patriarch, had personally decreed—
If Lei Yuan dares set foot in the Thunder Punishment Shrine, he shall be executed on sight.
A cold smirk tugged at Lei Yuan's lips.
Step by step, he walked toward the shrine. His movements were steady, his gaze fearless.
"Yuan'er, don't ever return…"
A voice echoed in his mind—it was his mother's parting words, filled with sorrow and helplessness.
For the first time, Lei Yuan's heart wavered slightly. But his steps did not falter.
"If I never return, how can I reclaim what's rightfully mine?"
Thunder roared, the sky trembled.
Before the Thunder Punishment Shrine, several figures had long been waiting. They were the elders of the Thunder Clan.
"Lei Yuan, must you persist in this folly?"
A white-haired elder stepped forward, his gaze filled with complex emotions.
Lei Yuan lifted his head slightly, his eyes cold as the edge of a thunderblade.
"Today, I will enter that shrine."
"Impudent!"
The elder roared, striking out with his palm, an overwhelming force infused with the laws of thunder surging forth. The sheer power could shatter mountains in an instant.
Lei Yuan remained unmoved. His thunderous bloodline ignited, arcs of lightning erupted around him, and he countered with a punch.
Lightning clashed against palm force—
BOOM!
The sky split open, and the battle before the shrine erupted into chaos!
[The Wheel of Fate – Xing Yan's Move]
Meanwhile, beneath an alien sky, a floating pavilion drifted within a realm of endless stars.
Inside, Xing Yan sat before an ancient celestial disc, his expression unreadable.
His fingers brushed against the surface of the disc, and at his touch, stars spun and realigned, revealing glimpses of possible futures.
"The trajectory of fate… has begun to shift again."
He murmured, the corners of his lips curling into an enigmatic smile.
Once a prodigy of the Heaven's Oracle Sect, Xing Yan had been exiled for gazing too deeply into the forbidden mysteries of destiny.
But he never abandoned his pursuit of control. Instead, he walked the opposite path—not merely divining fate but rewriting it.
And now, he had seen them—Zang Jiuge, Lei Yuan, and Luo Li—players in the great storm yet to come.
"Heaven's Oracle Sect… do you truly believe you can control the fate of all?"
Xing Yan reached out, subtly nudging the celestial disc. A distant star dimmed, replaced by a brighter one.
His smile deepened.
"The real game… is only beginning."
[Zang Jiuge's Choice]
In the depths of the Burial Lands, atop a towering black sacrificial altar, Zang Jiuge stood motionless, his gaze sharp and pensive.
Opposite him, a white-clad woman regarded him calmly, an almost imperceptible smile tugging at her lips.
"You are Zang Jiuge?"
Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable weight of authority.
Zang Jiuge met her gaze but did not immediately answer. Instead, he studied her in silence.
She wore white, blending into the surrounding darkness yet standing out starkly against it.
Her presence was tranquil, like still water—but beneath that surface lay an unfathomable depth of danger.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"Who are you?"
The woman's smile remained as she replied, "A person whose fate is intertwined with yours."
"Fate?" Zang Jiuge narrowed his eyes, his voice low. "I have never allowed others to dictate my fate."
At his words, her expression shifted slightly, and then she chuckled.
"Interesting… you are exactly as the rumors say."
Zang Jiuge remained silent, waiting for her next words.
The woman's amusement faded, and she spoke with calm certainty.
"My name is Luo Li. I come from the Heaven's Oracle Sect."
A flicker of surprise crossed Zang Jiuge's face, though he masked it quickly.
The Heaven's Oracle Sect—the legendary order that could glimpse destiny and manipulate the tides of existence.
For a woman of her standing to appear here… this was no coincidence.
"And why are you seeking me out?" he asked.
Luo Li smiled faintly, raising her hand. A golden sigil materialized at her fingertips, shimmering with an ancient glow.
"You should already understand," she said. "The Heaven's Oracle Sect rarely interferes in fate. But for you—I've made an exception."
Zang Jiuge's eyes darkened.
He could sense the unusual power within the sigil—something that transcended time itself.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Luo Li's smile deepened.
"To break destiny."
Zang Jiuge's pupils contracted. A dangerous proposition.
He met her gaze, and at that moment, an unspoken understanding passed between them.
Luo Li extended her hand, the golden sigil hovering between them.
"If you agree, this sigil will serve as our pact."
Zang Jiuge did not move immediately. He stared at the sigil, as if contemplating its deeper implications.
For a long time, silence reigned.
Then, slowly, he lifted his hand, touching the sigil with his fingertips.
At that instant, a mysterious force surged into his soul—the power of the Heaven's Oracle Sect binding him to an unknown destiny.
Luo Li's smile held an almost imperceptible trace of satisfaction.
"Welcome to the Rebels of Fate."
Zang Jiuge clenched his fist, feeling the dark burial runes flicker across his skin.
He had made his choice.
From this moment onward—fate itself would tremble beneath his will.
[The Convergence of Fate]
At that very moment—
In the floating pavilion, Xing Yan looked up at the celestial disc, his smirk deepening.
"Heh… the Rebels of Fate are finally assembling."
At the Thunder Punishment Shrine, Lei Yuan roared as lightning surged forth, the battle raging fiercely.
And deep within the Burial Lands, Zang Jiuge tightened his grip, feeling the weight of destiny upon his shoulders.
Each of them had taken a step forward, unknowingly drawn into the same storm.
The world itself trembled.
For fate… had begun to unravel.