Asking the Tree of Destiny for Leaves, You Mean the Heavenly Dao Has Been Drained

Swish—

Space rippled like water as Qin Luo's figure materialized within the borders of the Netherfrost Divine Realm.

"Interesting."

He glanced down at the fading warp glow in his palm, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

Though the power of shadows was formidable, it couldn't traverse entire worlds directly.

But with the newly upgraded system's warp function—requiring only coordinates to span thousands of miles in an instant—travel time had been drastically reduced.

[Puppy 3.0 Friendly Reminder: Currently logged 387 coordinates, sorted by danger level~ (^▽^)]

Listening to the cheerful electronic voice in his mind, Qin Luo nodded in satisfaction.

This system upgrade had even sharpened its intelligence.

Over the past few days, while maneuvering around Han Tianqing, he had already recorded all the spatial and secret realm coordinates of the surrounding sacred domains.

From now on, these places were merely a step away for him.

Shaking off his thoughts, Qin Luo turned his attention to more pressing matters.

Every member of the Netherfrost Divine Realm now bore the Mark of Destiny, theoretically qualifying them to participate in the Great Thousand War.

But those with weak strength would only be walking to their deaths.

The reason he had gone to such lengths to defy fate for ordinary people was simply to free them from the destiny imposed by the Great Thousand cultivators.

After careful selection, the various opportunities he had gambled for with points had already been distributed.

Before the war, he could likely nurture a few more Dominions—or at the very least, a handful of Half-Step Dominions.

As for the Shadow Garden, infiltration of the two upper-tier sacred domains in the Western and Northern Realms was complete.

Once the Great Thousand War erupted,

These lofty figures would finally learn who the true greatest villain of the Great Thousand World was.

Finally.

Swish!

Another warp.

Qin Luo appeared like a ghost beneath the Tree of Destiny.

Looking up, his eyes met the sight of a golden canopy so vast it blotted out the sky.

Each leaf shimmered with the radiance of the Great Dao, as if bearing the purest opportunities in all creation.

"More magnificent than I imagined..."

He narrowed his eyes.

Last time, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse with the young mistress, but now, observing it up close, he could truly sense the overwhelming power of heavenly law contained within.

According to Xiaobai, a single golden leaf represented one opportunity.

So with such a colossal tree before him, wouldn’t it be a waste not to pluck a few?

With that thought,

Qin Luo scanned the leaves one by one before locking onto one.

"You'll do."

His figure shot up like a swallow, darting straight for the most dazzling golden leaf at the crown.

Yet, just as his fingertips were about to brush against it—

Hum!

A blinding golden light erupted, dyeing the surrounding hundred miles in molten gold.

Qin Luo's pupils contracted. He twisted midair and landed steadily, his aura instantly surging to its peak.

As the light faded, a single golden leaf drifted slowly into his palm.

He blinked, then chuckled.

"Tch, got some attitude, huh?"

Twirling the leaf between his fingers, he called out, "Old tree, one's not enough—throw me a few more!"

One second passed.

Two seconds.

Three...

Silence.

Only the rustling of leaves answered him.

Qin Luo raised a brow and prepared to leap again—only to find himself immobilized by an invisible force.

Now he understood.

The Tree of Destiny wouldn’t allow him to pluck by force.

At the very top of the canopy,

A golden silhouette stood, its features indistinct but exuding an ancient, timeless aura.

"Xiao Ya, why is this new cleaner so reckless?"

"I’ll teach him a small lesson—you don’t mind, do you?"

The golden figure glanced at the white-coated doctor beside it, who, compared to before, actually looked much healthier.

This was none other than Doctor Ya.

Having been knocked out by Qin Luo in the minor world, her dark circles had vanished, transforming her from a gloomy figure into a bright, cheerful older sister.

She gave the golden figure a sidelong glance and replied flatly, "Teach him a lesson? You won’t be able to."

"Oh? Why not?"

"You’ll see what he does in a moment."

The golden figure burst into laughter. "Xiao Ya, don’t joke. The Tree of Destiny embodies the power of heavenly law. Unless he wields heavenly law of the same origin or higher, no one in this world could possibly..."

Its words froze mid-sentence.

Because it saw Qin Luo raise his hand.

And in its perception, the heavenly law concentrated in that palm was... overwhelmingly dense!

Then—

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

"Hey! Give me a few more!"

Slap! Slap! Slap!

"Hand them over!"

Slap! Slap! Slap!

"Now, now, now!"

Rustle—! Rustle—!

With every slap, the canopy shook violently, golden leaves raining down like a storm.

Qin Luo caught them as they fell, soon cradling an armful.

"Now that’s more like it."

Satisfied, he warped away.

He’d have the young mistress absorb these first to boost her combat power.

Huh?

Qin Luo tilted his head.

Why did this feel like feeding experience to a pet?

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

The golden figure stood frozen, finally exploding in fury. "Bastard! How could he... how dare he...?"

Taking so many Leaves of Destiny just like that?!

I’ve barely given out a few in all these years!

And you just waltz in and take a handful?!

Doctor Ya sighed. "Believe me now?"

"Hiss... haah..."

The golden figure stared at the spot where Qin Luo had vanished, clenched its fists, and huffed angrily. "Fine, he’s strong."

"But why?"

"Why could he influence the Tree of Destiny?"

Turning to Doctor Ya, it asked, "Xiao Ya, what’s the deal with this Qin Luo?"

"All cleaners carry traces of heavenly will, but the heavenly law on him is unusually potent."

"It’s almost as if... he possesses an entire, independent strand of heavenly law."

"That should be impossible. Before the heavenly law went mad, it scattered most of its power across the myriad realms."

"I’ve never seen a cleaner with such a complete portion of heavenly law."

"It’s almost like..."

The golden figure trailed off, unwilling to voice its suspicion.

Doctor Ya gave it a meaningful look and said calmly, "The heavenly law’s script has always been in motion."

"You and I might just be roles in its grand play."

"Qin Luo is an exceptionally unique cleaner. It all depends on whether... he can reach the ending."

Suppressing its shock, the golden figure murmured, "If he truly succeeds... the myriad realms might finally return to normal."

Doctor Ya nodded in agreement.

The two exchanged a glance and lapsed into silence.

After a long while,

The figure suddenly spoke. "But if he does succeed, that chosen one bearing all the villainous fate..."

"Is destined to be alone."

Doctor Ya finished the thought, then shook her head. "As fragments of heavenly law, we can’t step outside this script. Don’t think about changing anything."

"Though there is one thing that bothers me."

The golden figure perked up. "What is it?"

Rubbing her cheek, Doctor Ya said seriously, "For some reason, I feel like I’ve been slapped like that long ago. I wonder if another heavenly law fragment got slapped and the memory copied over to me."

"Have you lost your mind too? Talking nonsense? You're just a remnant from so long ago—anything older than you would have to be the Heavenly Dao's true form."

"You're saying the Heavenly Dao's true form was extracted? Are you out of your damn mind? Hahahaha!!"

"...Yeah, you're right."

For some reason, Doctor Ya couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't that simple.

After all, the reason behind the Heavenly Dao's madness still hadn't been uncovered.

And yet, inexplicably, Doctor Ya's thoughts drifted back to that bizarre duo.

A cleaner and the ultimate villain who should've been the final boss.

A pairing like that... Had the Heavenly Dao's script accounted for it?

It must have.

Because... what in this world could possibly escape the framework of the Heavenly Dao?