Chapter 497
The Power of Destiny Stole
Chapter 497 The Power of Destiny Stole
In the secluded valley after the rain, the rain that had lasted all night gradually stopped.
The morning light pierced through the layers of dark clouds, shining down on the dense, lush green vegetation below.
This place is like a kingdom of vegetation, a greenhouse with vitality beyond imagination.
In the air, countless kinds of flowers, fruits, vines and leaves emit strong fragrances that are either rich, crisp or strange, mixed with the earthy smell after the rain.
Quack... Quack quack...
buzzing...
As far as the eye could see, there were only various insects and toads of different sizes and shapes, with the sounds of frogs and insects alternating.
Every now and then, a toad would flick out its long tongue, snatch away an insect flying in the air, and then puff out its cheeks contentedly.
In this ecosystem, on a huge leaf near the lake, a small toad, no different in size from an ordinary toad, does not crawl or squat like its kind.
Instead, the hind limbs are crossed, the forelimbs hang naturally on the knees, the back is straight, and the head is slightly tilted back, the posture is exactly the same as the posture of the five hearts facing the sky in the previous Otsutsuki Cloud Style.
"Huh...huh..."
As its chest rose and fell gently in a slow and deep rhythm, the invisible and omnipresent airflow around it seemed to be drawn in, flowing into its small body like a trickle.
The surrounding rain and mist are filled with a surging, almost viscous, natural energy. Time seems to flow differently here than outside, appearing slow and serene.
Only the emerald-green stream in the distance murmured softly, and further away, the boundless vegetation swayed in the breeze, making a rustling sound like the tides.
But just then, the little toad, sitting in a strange posture on the giant leaf, suddenly opened its eyes.
"This aura..."
A human-like solemnity flashed in its bulging toad eyes.
Pfft!
Without the slightest hesitation, it exerted force with its hind legs, drew an arc, and plunged straight into the lake next to it, splashing a small cluster of water before disappearing beneath the surface, leaving behind a few ripples.
A moment later, two figures slowly drifted out from the misty rain in the distance, a few feet off the ground, their clothes fluttering, yet without making a sound.
It is precisely the Otsutsuki Cloud Style and the Kawa Style.
"..."
Ōtsutsuki Kumoshiki frowned slightly, wondering if there was any place he hadn't searched yet.
Several months have passed since they found the remains of Ōtsutsuki Shibaju.
In the past few months, he did not rush to deal with the remains. Instead, he took Chuan Shi and used his Byakugan and his own perception to thoroughly search every sea area on the planet.
It was all in order to find that Otsutsuki treasure called "Plow".
However, the result was quite disappointing to him.
They witnessed bizarre and wondrous underwater scenes, dormant volcanoes, the wreckage of ancient ships, and strange and wonderful marine life...
They saw a bunch of random things, but couldn't find any trace of the "plow" or even a hint of anything suspicious.
Actually, upon calm reflection, this is quite normal.
After all, as discovered later in Boruto, "Plow" looks like an ordinary sea turtle when it is not activated.
He couldn't possibly capture and examine every single sea turtle in the oceans of this planet.
He had originally hoped that "Plow," as an Otsutsuki Noble Phantasm, would emit some special aura fluctuations, but he was disappointed in the end.
"No wonder that Konoha in that era, with its advanced technology, only regarded the 'plow' as an ordinary ancient artifact and failed to notice anything unusual."
Yun frowned, realizing that the "plow's" stealth might have been somewhat unexpected.
Moreover, and most importantly, he knew that the "plow" would be discovered by Konoha in the future, but there were still thousands of years to go before that "future".
Hundreds of years are enough for the ocean to turn into mulberry fields, let alone thousands of years.
What is now the seabed may have been mountains thousands of years ago.
The mountains we see today may be submerged in the sea thousands of years from now.
Searching in this day and age is not just like looking for a needle in a haystack, it's like trying to find a sword by marking the boat.
"But if we can't find the 'plow,' it will be difficult to go back," Yun Shi pondered.
As his understanding of the Otsutsuki clan deepened, he realized just how incredibly lucky he was to have used the dragon vein to forcibly return to the present without being discovered by the Otsutsuki clan.
That success had a huge element of luck involved; it was almost a gamble with one's life, and it's impossible to replicate it again.
But the "plow" is different.
That Noble Phantasm was a tool created and mastered by the Otsutsuki clan, and its original design may have been intended to deal with certain special situations.
If we could find it, the assurance and security of returning to that point in the future would be far superior to using dragon veins.
But if you really can't find a "plow"...
Ōtsutsuki Kumoshiki's brows furrowed even deeper, and he had to consider taking another risk.
As he pondered, his indifferent gaze inadvertently swept over the unusually vibrant valley below, and he suddenly paused, stopping in mid-air.
Kawashiki followed silently to his side and behind.
On one hand, he didn't want to disturb Senior Yun's thoughts; on the other hand, he himself was also feeling turbulent and unable to calm down because of Senior Yun's previous words of disobeying and betraying his family.
Seeing Yun Shi suddenly stop, Chuan Shi instinctively tensed up and asked, "Senior?"
Yun Shi did not turn around; her gaze remained fixed on the secluded valley below, covered by massive vegetation, with winding streams and misty water vapor.
"If I remember correctly, this should be the place where I enlightened that island tortoise, as well as Dorn, Tadashi, and the others a hundred years ago, right?" he said meaningfully.
"Dorn" and "Loyalty" were the koala and penguin that came with them to the island. Chuan-shi gave all those animals names.
Chuan Shi was also taken aback upon hearing this, and followed Yun Shi's gaze to look down at the valley.
As far as the eye can see, there is a dazzling variety of plants, and all of them are enormous in size, far exceeding the norm.
Those ferns, with their outstretched pinnate compound leaves, each leaf as large as a house, with naturally curled edges, large enough to accommodate several people.
Some plants are entirely amber in color, with clearly visible veins, and when sunlight shines through them, they reflect a dreamy, enchanting light.
Bell-shaped plants hanging down from the trees in clusters, and even the mushrooms and fungi are as large as millstones, with caps displaying a gradient sheen and folds emitting a soft glow.
The water flows like a waterfall, cascading down from the layers of giant leaves and into the central lake, forming winding, clear streams that reflect a pale turquoise hue.
The entire valley is filled with a surging, almost viscous, natural energy. With each breath, you can feel the rich energy flowing into your lungs, bringing a slightly intoxicating sense of fullness.
Moreover, looking around, the only creatures that seemed to be active were various kinds of toads and all sorts of insects; there were no birds or beasts to be seen.
"If I remember correctly, this is indeed the place."
Recalling the details from a hundred years ago, Chuan hesitated and said, "But the changes here are too great, aren't they?" A hundred years ago, although this place was also a dense forest, it was nothing like the almost magical scene before him. All the plants had grown to enormous sizes and become mutated, and the natural energy was frighteningly concentrated.
Ōtsutsuki Unshiki glanced at the desolate scene outside the valley and said calmly, "It must be the effect of my drop of blood."
That drop of blood was condensed by him after obtaining the immortal body, combined with the "divine art of high soul control," and was completely incomparable to the drop of blood he had given to Grell much earlier.
Most of the blood splattered into the surrounding land and streams, with only a small portion being absorbed by Dorn, Tadashi, and the others who were nearby at the time.
The power of the Divine Art: High Soul Control is ultimately "time" and "life".
Over the past century, it has attracted and gathered natural energy from hundreds of miles around, concentrating it in this area, which is not surprising given its catalytic effect.
but……
Yun Shi looked at the various toads in the valley and narrowed his eyes slightly.
He could sense that these toads had not only changed in size and appearance, but their spirituality and affinity for natural energy also far surpassed that of ordinary toads.
Yun Shi looked at the calm, still lake and said in a calm tone, "Come out."
Pfft!
Before Chuanshi could react to why Senior Yunshi was suddenly speaking to a lake, he saw water splashing lightly.
An orange toad leaped out of the lake like an arrow and landed steadily on a huge leaf.
This toad was quite inconspicuous compared to the brightly colored toads around it.
But at this moment, its hind legs bent, and it stood up like a human, with its two forelimbs together, making a respectful bow to the Otsutsuki cloud in the air.
"Immortal." The toad's eyes were clear, and its tone was respectful.
"You are..." A hint of surprise flashed in Kawashiro's eyes as he carefully examined the bowing toad. "You're the toad from back then? You're not dead?"
He clearly saw the toad explode with his own eyes, how could this be...?
"The power of immortals is vast, indeed beyond my ability to withstand, and I did die once."
The toad explained, "However, it was precisely because the immortal's power was so great that I was given a new life."
Yun Shi squinted, her tone indifferent: "You are very lucky, and very smart."
If it hadn't been so lucky, it would have died a hundred years ago.
If one wasn't smart enough, like Grell who had no respect for power whatsoever, and hesitated only for a moment before failing to act immediately, one would already be dead.
Looking down at the unusual toad below, Yun Shi asked, "With your current intelligence, shouldn't you have given yourself a name?"
"Yes." Gamamaru lowered his bowing forelimbs. "I named myself Gamamaru. These toads are my descendants. I want to establish a kingdom of toads."
Toad pills.
The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, one of the three sacred sites of the future.
A complex and incomprehensible light flashed in Otsutsuki Kumoshiki's eyes, before returning to their unfathomable depths, the meaning in his eyes becoming even more obscure.
It turned out to be the case.
Is this what they call "fate"?
The irresistible "cause and effect" and "inevitability"?
His actions after arriving at this point in time included some instances of trying to make his lies a reality, such as his identity as a member of the Otsutsuki clan and his role as the "Four-Sickle Child"...
However, it was clear that the toad pill in front of him was not something he did intentionally; it was unexpected.
But whether it was done intentionally or unintentionally, it seems to be pushing the wheels of history, rolling in a predetermined direction.
In the normal course of history, the origin of Mount Myōboku was not like this, and the birth of the Great Toad Sage was not due to an accidental drop of blood.
But now, he has arrived at this point in time, and his every move, even unintentional ones, has inadvertently coincided with or even directly contributed to this predetermined history.
For example, Gamamaru was enlightened and transformed by his blood, becoming the future "Great Toad Sage".
"I don't like this feeling," Yun thought coldly.
It was as if no matter how hard he tried or how much he planned, he was just walking on a track that had already been laid out, seemingly with countless forks, but in reality, with only one destination.
If he deliberately defies and resists his original fate, he may soon discover that his act of resisting fate itself is also part of his future.
It's nothing more than a plot already written in the script of fate, a "chance" twist or turn that must be experienced in order to achieve a certain "inevitable" result.
He didn't like this feeling.
But Yun Shi knew in her heart that no specific person was controlling her, and no one controlled her destiny now, not even Otsutsuki Shibakai.
This is merely the power of time and space, the rules of this world.
At my current level, I have no ability to resist this "fate" or "inevitability".
Wanting to break free from all of this, wanting to truly take control of one's own destiny, wanting to escape this seemingly predetermined "script"...
There is only one way.
That is, to transcend the dimensions of time and space.
—To become a "god".
To become a truly higher level of being, beyond ordinary understanding, beyond the constraints of cause and effect, and beyond the arrangements of fate.
To become an omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient being.
Yun Shi had always had this idea and had been working towards it.
But at this moment, facing the unexpected birth of Gamamaru from a drop of his own blood, he felt an unpleasant sense of "fate" that enveloped him from nowhere.
This idea became clearer and more resolute than ever before.
"Nothing I have done has been meaningless."
The profound meaning in Yun's eyes gradually settled, transforming into a more profound tranquility.
"At least now I can manipulate other people's destinies and lead them toward the future I desire, thereby achieving my goals."
"This means that my divine magic has stolen the power that originally belonged to fate."
"Soon, my will will completely replace fate."
"As long as I complete my plan..."
With this in mind, he slowly raised his hand, palm down, and aimed it at the area outside the valley.
Chapter 57 of the Hakata: The Earth Turns.
Rumble!
The entire valley, along with the vast surrounding area, suddenly began to tremble violently!
The ground undulated, the streams dried up, the lakes churned, the giant plants swayed, and the countless toads that lived among them let out panicked cries.
(End of this chapter)