Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 2)

232 The Source of the Great River

Tian was satisfied with Jing He's response. He had figured that he would be willing to do it and it seemed that this was indeed the case. If he did follow this plan, the time needed for him to turn back into a trueborn god could likely be shortened by a lot of time. Of course, this wasn't without risk either and it still wasn't a guarantee for Jing He to overcome his obsession. The likelihood was high though.

"I told you that I can perceive fate even though I can't influence it much. All of my people had this ... gift, among many others but this specifically is one that had a deep impact. Originally, when it was only us in this world, everything was in balance. But as soon as that changed, the scale tipped. What was originally not an issue became one as the differences in strength between those inhabiting this world are not allowed to be too big."

Jing He quietly listened. He had no idea how this related to him but it should be tied to the idea of 'perceiving fate' since this was where Tian had started. Everything else was merely a backstory to explain the issue with this.

"From that point onward, our fate ... was sealed. We approached our own demise step by step and we understood it all too well. There wasn't much that could be done. The only idea everyone came up with was to lessen the gap between us and the new races that had emerged. To do so, there were only two ways: Make them stronger or give up some of our own strength."

Jing He nodded. The former sounded difficult, if not impossible, to do so it was likely that Tian's people had chosen the other way.

"What to give up in such a situation?" Tian looked at his hands, remembering his own past. He had thought about this as well. There wasn't much he couldn't let go of. In fact, it didn't seem that difficult to give up his life either. He wasn't like some of the others who had somebody to protect. After all, at that time, he had not known Xing.

"Many decided on giving up a gift or two, hoping that it would be enough to change their ending. The ability to perceive fate was one of them." He gave Jing He a deep look. "Nothing in this world vanishes easily. To give something up without anything equal to receive in turn, that disturbs the balance just as much.

"In the fear of accelerating their demise even further, those who had chosen this gift to abandon came together and did so at the same time and place. Their forces converged and they infused them into a natural depression. A spring came forth and the water that spilled over formed what you may know as the Great River."

Jing He's eyes widened. Of course, he was familiar with the Great River. Well, at least, he had heard about it. This river was said to originate in the High Heavens and legend had it that it flowed down the Tian Shan and then made its way through all the realms of the world until it finally ended in the underworld. This was a mystical tale from ancient times and nobody could judge how much of it was true. Nowadays, what remained was only the River of Forgetfulness which was said to be only a small subsidiary of the Great River of that time.

Tian nodded at his expression. "Yes, you should know. Only little remains of the river now, at least where most people can see. The spring is still there though and it hasn't lost connection to its roots: Those who visit this spring are able to take a glimpse at fate. It is just that those who want to do so will have to make a sacrifice of their own."

Jing He nodded. "So I could go to the spring, make a sacrifice, and see what fate has in store for me?"

Tian inclined his head. "Yes, basically that. What you need to understand is that fate is never set in stone."

"The Supreme Sovereign means that ... it could change?"

"It will change, depending on which decision you finally make. But that is what the source can show you: The result of your decision or rather the ones it would have."

Jing He furrowed his brows. "So what I could see ... would be possibilities of ... the consequences my choice would have?"

Tian kept quiet for a moment and finally shook his head. "It is a bit more than that. Fate isn't static. Some things are indeed bound to happen and you can't change them by relying on your own strength. If not for this, could there ever be such a thing as 'fate'? So it exists but it isn't rigid." He turned to look at the garden outside and hummed.

"Maybe it is indeed best to say that it isn't like stone. Instead, it is more like water: It finds its way through the land, even if there is an obstacle in the way, it will find a way past it, approaching a given direction. It is difficult to change its destination but you can change its trajectory.

"What the source shows is a glimpse of the future that awaits you if fate follows its current trajectory. It can also show you what would await you if you made certain changes." Tian paused and looked at Jing He deeply. "This is the important part: For each glimpse you take, you need to sacrifice something. So if you decide to make use of the spring, you ought to choose wisely what you want to see and what you are willing to give up."

Jing He furrowed his brows. "It could ... let me know the true future." He clenched his hands into fists, his heart racing. The question of whether or not he wanted to see didn't need to be asked. He naturally wanted to and the only thing that still needed to be debated was how he should go about this to make the most out of it.