The Battle of Destiny, The Power of Destiny

My name is Huo Feng, once just a lowly cultivator with meager strength.

I was looked down upon, even abandoned by my fiancé.

But I never once entertained the thought of giving up.

Step by step, I endured hardships and grew, ascending from a minor world to the vast cosmos.

All for the sake of becoming the strongest, to repay everyone who ever scorned me.

But now... why... why has it come to this?

Just like that... I was effortlessly defeated by the newly risen ruler of a sacred domain.

Her mind still lingered on Su Muwan’s icy gaze.

That look, as if she were staring down at an insignificant ant, filled Huo Feng with unprecedented humiliation and despair.

She had once believed herself strong enough, yet now, she hadn’t even had a chance to resist before being utterly annihilated.

"Am I... dead?"

Huo Feng slowly opened her eyes, murmuring in a daze.

She glanced around at the surging energy of fate, puzzled—was this... the reincarnation gate of the minor world?

Yet, just as she thought she had perished, a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Young Mistress, your ability is downright broken! You can even freeze time?"

"Hmph, of course my Law Power is formidable. But..."

Su Muwan’s voice carried a hint of pride, though it soon turned doubtful. "Though, I could’ve sworn you were moving freely under my Law earlier?"

"Was I?"

"You were! It’s like my Law had no effect on you!"

"Oh, maybe it’s just a passive thing."

"Hey hey hey... what kind of passive is that broken? Whatever. Let’s talk about your Law first—how did these people come back to life?"

"Just a minor trick. You flatter me, Young Mistress."

"That counts as a minor trick?"

"The cosmos is full of wonders. Reviving someone? I’d think others have similar methods."

"Fair enough."

As Huo Feng listened, her vision gradually cleared.

With great effort, she opened her eyes and realized she was lying in the center of the Blazing Heaven Pavilion’s grand hall.

The woman who had casually obliterated the Fire Domain was now lounging on the throne, legs crossed.

Beside her, a gentle-faced consort was feeding her some unfamiliar snack.

"I... didn’t die?"

Her hoarse voice trembled.

"No, you did die."

Su Muwan crunched on potato chips, speaking matter-of-factly. "I am the God of Death. I take the form of whoever killed you."

Huo Feng’s face paled: !!

I knew it. Life doesn’t hand out miracles so easily.

Of course, someone like me...

"Ah, just kidding. You’re alive again."

Huo Feng: ?

She glared at Su Muwan, who had usurped her throne, once again confirming this woman’s rotten personality.

Taking a deep breath, Huo Feng’s eyes flickered with complex emotions. She slowly sat up, scanning her surroundings before settling her gaze on Su Muwan.

"Why... didn’t you kill me?"

Huo Feng asked quietly.

"Not kill you?"

Su Muwan scoffed, tossing aside the empty chip bag. "I don’t go easy on enemies."

"Then I...?"

"You already died once. But well..."

Su Muwan patted Qin Luo. "Our Qin Luo revived you, fresh as a daisy."

Revived?!

Huo Feng was stunned. The cosmos was special precisely because those who died here couldn’t be resurrected like in minor worlds.

Once someone perished in the cosmos, their only fate was reincarnating into a minor world to start over.

So what was happening now?

If this consort beside her could revive the dead...

Then—

"You possess... the Law of Life?!"

Huo Feng stared at Qin Luo, whose lips curled in amusement, her body trembling in disbelief.

Incredible!

Absolutely incredible!

The wielder of that legendary Law Power was standing right before her?!

If the mighty rulers of the sacred domains learned of Qin Luo’s existence...

He would undoubtedly become the most coveted treasure in the entire cosmos!

Qin Luo, meanwhile, tore open another bag of chips and handed it to Su Muwan.

The latter happily munched away.

Qin Luo then approached Huo Feng, her information laid bare before his eyes.

[Detected T0 protagonist of Starting with Abandonment by My Fiancé, I Rise as Empress: Huo Feng]

[Congratulations, Master, for successfully acting as a lackey to a cosmos protagonist!]

[Lackey System upgrading! Bond System operational!]

Oh?

Interesting.

Qin Luo’s lips curled. So this sacred domain ruler was once a Chosen One too?

Chosen Ones who ascended from minor worlds could, if favored by destiny, rise to become sacred domain rulers?

With that in mind, Qin Luo spoke calmly, "Tell me, how much do you know about the cosmos?"

How much do I know...

"You... truly know nothing?"

Huo Feng asked quietly, disbelief lacing her voice.

Qin Luo chuckled and shrugged. "We’ve only just ascended. Our knowledge is limited."

"From your envoys, we heard some basic rules, but the details? They likely weren’t qualified to know."

Wait, you knew nothing...

And yet you annihilated my Fire Domain?!

Huo Feng’s eyes darkened with complexity. She lowered her head, silent for a moment, before speaking softly.

"Fine. I’ll tell you everything I know."

"The cosmos is far more complex than you imagine."

"What you’ve learned is but the tip of the iceberg."

Her voice was low and rough.

"The cosmos is divided into five major realms: the Eastern Celestial Realm, the Western Nether Realm, the Northern Frost Realm, the Southern Blaze Realm, and the Central Sacred Realm."

"Each realm contains countless sacred domains, locked in endless conflict over resources."

"But what you may not know is that the true rule of the cosmos goes beyond this."

Huo Feng paused, then continued, "The true rule is the 'Contest of Destiny.'"

"Contest of Destiny?"

Qin Luo frowned slightly, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"Correct."

Huo Feng nodded. "From the moment one steps onto the path of cultivation in the cosmos, they are already embroiled in this invisible war."

"The Contest of Destiny is fought over 'Destiny Power.'"