Chapter 522 – The Mysterious River of Destiny

“A hidden mechanism?”

Hearing Punk’s serious inquiry, Kane also set aside his cynical smile and fell into deep thought. After organizing his words for quite some time, the still somewhat uncertain knight finally furrowed his brow and replied:

“When it comes to the hidden mechanisms of the River of Fate… I have indeed heard of such things, but I don’t know the specifics of what these ‘hidden mechanisms’ are. Moreover, I’ve always believed they were merely legends. At least before reaching the Legendary level, us mere Master-Level ‘ants’ aren’t qualified to touch upon such matters.”

“You’ve actually heard of ‘hidden mechanisms’? It seems you’re not entirely ignorant about the River of Fate.”

Upon hearing Kane’s response, Punk raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. To be honest, such secret knowledge wasn’t something one could casually come by. The fact that Kane had some understanding undoubtedly indicated his own extraordinary experiences.

Of course, now wasn’t the time to delve into Kane’s secrets. Moreover, the cunning knight had explicitly stated that he didn’t know the specific details regarding the “hidden mechanisms,” especially when it came to the mysteries of “Divinity”—he was completely in the dark.

Thus, the explanation of this “Divinity competition” hidden mechanism still fell to Punk.

And so, under Kane’s rare serious and attentive gaze, Punk began his calm and composed description:

“You should already know that the River of Fate is the Sword of Damocles hanging over all Legendary Experts. Upon reaching the Legendary level, even mentioning the name of the River of Fate must be avoided.

The River of Fate belongs to the true God-Throne level entities, but it is a ‘program’ set by Ao. With Ao now in slumber, the operation of the ‘River of Fate’ follows strict ‘programming.’ Although no one has yet fully deciphered the specific operational procedures of the ‘River of Fate,’ most Legendary Experts only know this—whenever anything involving the Legendary level is concerned, the ‘River of Fate’ may take notice. And when certain conditions are triggered, the ‘River of Fate’ will activate!”

“So you’re saying… our search for a deity’s secret treasure has drawn the attention of the ‘River of Fate’?”

Hearing this, Kane’s expression turned grave as well.

Clearly, even the weakest deity was undeniably at the Legendary level, not to mention their involvement with the enigmatic concept of “Divinity.” Punk and Kane had also utilized the Legendary-level “Eye of Judgment Contract” and the “Foul Divination” to summon the Projection of the Foul Bird. Add to that the several pieces of Legendary-level Magic Equipment on Punk’s person… Upon careful consideration, it didn’t seem strange at all for the “River of Fate” to take notice…

However… in response to Kane’s question, Punk merely shook his head with unruffled composure and said:

“Taking notice isn’t quite the case. Although we have indeed stepped a bit ‘out of line,’ the ‘River of Fate’ doesn’t have time to bother with a few small ants. However… if the so-called legends are true… it’s hard to say whether its hidden mechanism targeting ‘Divinity’ has been activated or not.”

Pulling down the brim of his hood until his face was almost completely shrouded in darkness, Punk continued his explanation:”Based on the various events related to obtaining ‘Divinity’ summarized from ancient times to the Netherese era, some speculate that if it’s a newly emerged ‘Divinity,’ its acquisition wouldn’t involve any complications. The intelligent being who obtains the Divinity would immediately ascend to godhood smoothly, without encountering any troubles from the ‘hidden mechanisms’ of the ‘River of Fate.’

However… if a Divinity originates from a fallen deity, then the ‘Hero’ seeking to obtain this ‘Divinity’ and the divine treasure would often face various obstacles. It’s even common to directly confront ‘competitors’ who also desire this ‘treasure.’ And this… is the legendary hidden ‘Divinity competition’ mechanism of the ‘River of Fate’!”

“River of Fate……..!”

After listening to Punk’s explanation, Kane’s expression turned extremely grim. Although this ‘hidden mechanism’ remains an unverified legend, anything involving the ‘River of Fate’—such an absurd existence—couldn’t help but send chills down the spine of even a carefree knight like Kane. Especially when considering the potential setbacks on his originally joyful ‘treasure hunt,’ Kane couldn’t help but sigh helplessly:

“Damn this River of Fate. This God-Throne level thing really… it meddles way too much. And such things are so mysterious that it’s hard to even guess what methods it employs. I’m afraid even if all the Legendary powerhouses of the entire Multiverse joined forces, they’d be nothing but a joke before the God-Throne level ‘River of Fate,’ right?”

“A joke? Probably not exactly!”

Punk didn’t show any unusual emotions. Ever since his memories as Grand Arcanist Vedrasha, Punk had known about the power of the River of Fate. When he decided to strive for Legendary status, he had already mentally prepared himself. So even though Kane’s helpless remarks weren’t much of an exaggeration, Punk calmly replied:

“The River of Fate is ultimately just a program. Where there’s a program, there must be vulnerabilities. Even though these vulnerabilities have likely been significantly patched since the fall of Netherese Civilization, flaws in such systems can never be perfectly fixed. Moreover… for purposes that remain speculative to this day, the River of Fate’s programmed operations rarely activate easily, and even when they do, they often leave a glimmer of hope!

Most importantly… the true powerhouse who designed this program—’Ao’—has fallen into slumber. So it’s still too early to say there’s ‘no chance at all.'”

Even when discussing the ‘River of Fate’ that strikes fear into Legendary powerhouses, Punk’s voice remained utterly composed and full of confidence. After all, for someone like Punk whose dream is to roam the void seeking transcendence, facing the River of Fate is inevitable sooner or later. Helplessness and loss of confidence would only destroy one’s mental state!After hearing Punk’s description, Kane shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. It seemed Kane, who also harbored certain “grand ambitions,” wasn’t fixated on the mysterious “River of Fate” either. After all… regardless of reality, for the strong, the pursuit of higher realms never ceases for any reason, and a hard-won opportunity could never be abandoned… even if the impending challenges were beyond imagination!

Thus, after a brief moment of reflection, the boisterous knight simply shrugged and said flippantly:

“Forget it, forget it, no use overthinking. Mysteries of the River of Fate are far beyond the likes of us ‘small fries’ to discuss. As for that ‘Divinity competition’ mechanism…”

Brandishing his lance and deliberately enveloping his armor in a golden glow of Battle Aura, Kane struck an excessively flamboyant pose and declared loudly to the three moons in the sky:

“…We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it! Let the storm rage even fiercer! Otherwise… this treasure hunt of mine would be far too~ boring”!

(End of Chapter)