With the three thousand six hundred meters of the power of fate his mother had taken up, at the very least the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex’s needs could be met.

Yue Yang had a feeling about it.

Sea Fatty, Ye Kong and the others had been drawn into the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex by the divine light. They had sacrificed themselves, giving up everything in the world, but they had not truly died. Or rather: though Sea Fatty and the others were in a state of destruction, as long as the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex received enough of the power of fate, that destruction could be reversed. “Destruction,” one piece at a time, could be turned into “creation” — they could even become “eternal,” one with the codex’s world.

In the newborn world of the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex, all the destruction that had come before was the very root of creation.

As long as there was enough of the power of fate to reverse it, they would not truly be gone, would not truly be dead…

“Thank you, Mom!” For the first time, Yue Yang shouted it from the bottom of his heart, moved by what his mother had given him and the way she had guided him. With her three thousand six hundred meters of the power of fate, Sea Fatty, Ye Kong, Xue Tanglang, Old Fox, Jun Wuyou, Elder Nangong and all his friends and family, every follower who had stood behind him — none of them would die. They would all come back to him!

“Thank you — thank you, Mother!” Xue Wuxia, Princess Qianqian and the others, tears pouring down their faces as well, all bowed together in greeting to the mother who had always guarded Yue Yang from behind.

This was his mother — and of course, from now on she would be their mother too.

It was so good to have a mother!

A situation that had been all but hopeless had been transformed because of her. All the misfortune and pain had turned into encouragement and hope. Now nobody had the slightest worry or fear left. What they had was confidence and courage! As long as Mother was here, guarding them, there was nothing to fear! At some point, they had all joined hands, forming a great circle with Yue Yang at the very center.

There was no need to look up. All they had to do was gently close their eyes, and they could feel Mother there, feel her guarding all of them from the sky!

On the Fate Giant’s body, between chest and belly, an exquisitely beautiful figure seemed to have appeared.

Was that Mother’s image?

Because of the pressure, none of them could look up to see her whole form. All they had was a faint, strange sense that she and Yue Yang shared some likeness — not in form, but in spirit — and the moment it appeared, there was a closeness that no amount of words could ever describe.

It was a trembling and resonance from deep in the soul. It needed no proof at all; they could be sure of it in an instant.

And not only in this one life. Countless years ago — even earlier than that — she had already been his mother, and had always guarded her precious darling in silence like this…

The power of fate taken up by Mother did not go into the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex the way the power borne by Sea Fatty and Ye Kong had. Instead, those three thousand six hundred meters of the power of fate passed over the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex and its countless brilliant rays, and drifted gently toward the Sacred Grimoire floating highest of all! But to Yue Yang’s and Xue Wuxia’s astonishment, the Sacred Grimoire gave off an extremely gentle divine light that irresistibly shut out the power of fate Mother had taken up.

Why? Yue Yang and Xue Wuxia could not work it out at all!

After trying again and again, the power of fate that could not get into the Sacred Grimoire suddenly settled for second best and drifted toward the Sacred Codex Yue Yang had been holding in his hand all along.

It had been with Yue Yang all through his growth, every step of the way, helping him go from weak to strong until he reached where he was today. It had started out as a bronze-tier summoning grimoire, and through countless battles and comprehension it had advanced and advanced until it became today’s Sacred Codex. You could say this Sacred Codex was the history of Yue Yang’s growth, an indispensable treasure that had helped him grow, the very foundation of his learning, his growth and even his survival… From the start, when all it held were his talents and his life-guardian war beasts, to the beautiful world Yue Yang had created in it now, this Sacred Codex had reached the summit that most summoning grimoires could never climb to.

Today it would add something entirely new to enrich the world within it: the power of fate!

Once it gained this special power, it would surely reverse its old course and create a whole new future, as its master willed.

Unlike the Sacred Grimoire, which had politely refused the power of fate Mother had taken up, the Sacred Codex — every bit as aware — suddenly rushed to meet it, like a small child running with open arms toward its parents. Its light was like a rainbow, like a dream, rippling out wave after wave across the whole sky.

“Um…” Yue Yang felt a bit dizzy.

If the Sacred Codex absorbed the power of fate Mother had taken up, that would not be a bad thing in itself — but what about the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex?

The Sacred Codex’s minimum need was five thousand meters of the power of fate. Three thousand six hundred was a lot, but still not enough. If this power of fate had gone into the Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex, which needed three thousand meters, its needs would have been met — more than met. If that had happened, Sea Fatty, Ye Kong and all the friends and family could have come back to life, returned from their state of destruction.

The way it was now, neither side had enough.

“Let us do it. It will be enough, I know it!” Xue Wuxia, Princess Qianqian and the others knelt hand in hand, all deciding at once to give up everything in the world and sacrifice themselves to gain the most power of fate they could, to meet the needs of the three grimoires.

“We’ll win! We have faith — fate can be reversed! We believe in you!” Sick Beauty, who had once been the most fragile of them all, cheered Yue Yang on with unshakable strength.

“A bunch of little girls — since when do you juniors get to steal the spotlight? You should know that behind this boy there is not only his mother, but also me, his master! Dongfang is nothing. A turtle hiding its head in its shell. If running your mouth worked, why would anyone need fists? Boy, you fight well, and remember to smash that shell-hiding turtle Dongfang’s eggs for me!” Empress Vivienne’s voice suddenly rang out deep in the hearts of Yue Yang, Xue Wuxia and the others.

Then a presence like a ruler descending on the world appeared on the Sky Stairway. Even the World Tree trembled before it.

The moment the will of Vivienne, the Heavenly Realm’s Conquest Queen, appeared, it took up two thousand eight hundred meters of the power of fate.

Everyone knew this Conquest Queen — whose name alone could make the Heavenly Realm’s powers tremble — was mighty. But no one had imagined she would be such a huge surprise! Two thousand eight hundred meters was a little less than the mysterious Mother’s, but Her Majesty Empress Vivienne had only recently escaped the black hole seal, and had then built her entire Ice-and-Snow World. No one had expected she still had such enormous divine power, enough to take up two thousand eight hundred meters of the power of fate.

And Empress Vivienne was not the only surprise. Almost at the same moment, alongside her, came Her Majesty, who lived quietly in the Tianra Palace — and Fourth Mother, who had always looked after Yue Yang in his everyday life with the greatest care and had been his emotional anchor in finding his place in this world. Each took up for Yue Yang a share of the power of fate that showed her heart and her ability.

“Your Majesty?” Yue Yang simply stared, dumbfounded, at Her Majesty taking up twelve hundred meters of the power of fate.

“Fourth Mother!” Xue Wuxia, Princess Qianqian and the others could even less believe that Fourth Mother, a frail little woman who looked like a breeze could knock her over, could take up eight hundred meters of the power of fate.

This kind of surprise was… so far beyond anything they had dared hope!

Yue Yang was sure that Her Majesty was not a fighting type. And for thousands of years, day in and day out, she had kept the Mirage going and guarded the entrance to the Ruins of the Gods — the drain on her was enormous. He had thought Her Majesty could support three hundred meters at most; five hundred would already have been the most he dared hope for. He had never imagined she could take up twelve hundred meters in one go. It was such an overwhelming surprise that he almost wondered whether he was seeing things.

As for frail Fourth Mother, it had never even crossed his mind that he would need anything from her.

Eight hundred meters of the power of fate shattered every impression and idea he had ever had of her. Was this still the Fourth Mother he knew?

If Fourth Mother really had such great power, why had he never seen her use it? And no matter when or how he had looked, he had never been able to detect any power in her at all. However you looked at it, she was an ordinary person.

Yue Yang also believed that kind, softhearted Fourth Mother would never deceive him. But now she had extraordinary power, enough to take up eight hundred meters of the power of fate for him — and the mighty Luminous Moon Goddess had barely managed to bear one hundred. Why? What on earth was going on?

While Yue Yang was still racking his brains in vain, the three shares of the power of fate rose up together.

First they drifted toward the Sacred Grimoire. In the same way, under that gentle, irresistible divine light, they bounced off and turned toward the Sacred Codex Yue Yang had been holding all along.

“No, no, no — too much! Give some to the Trial Grounds’ codex!” To his utter frustration, Yue Yang found that the Sacred Codex was swallowing all of the power of fate, without the slightest sign of overflowing. The poor Trial Grounds’ codex waited there, looking on hungrily, but it was not the first choice of the power of fate that stood for Empress Vivienne’s will, or Her Majesty’s, or Fourth Mother’s.

Or perhaps the power of fate they had taken up could only be received by the Sacred Codex or that Sacred Grimoire. After the Sacred Grimoire inexplicably refused it, all of it went to the Sacred Codex.

Yue Yang had never imagined anything like this could happen. It was enough to make him pass out! There was clearly not enough of the power of fate to go around, and yet one grimoire refused to let any in, another greedily gobbled up the lot, and the last one waited pitifully without even a chance at a share!

You’re all grimoires, so could you not act like such a tsundere? As long as you get the power of fate, isn’t that enough? Why refuse it? You’re obviously trying to play your own master to death!

And Sacred Codex — could you please not be so much like me? Why do you have to be so greedy?

We scraped this power of fate together with so much trouble, and you want all of it. “Like owner, like pet” is one thing, but this is ridiculous. You’re so greedy even I, your owner, can’t stand to watch! And you, Trial Grounds’ Divine Codex — dude, you’re a Divine Codex! You’re not bronze or silver or gold or whatever tier. You’re a Divine Codex — why are you such a wimp? Never mind that your needs are low; if you can’t get a share of the power of fate, can’t you grab some? You just wait there like that — where am I supposed to find that much power of fate for you?

Looking at three grimoires with such “distinct personalities,” Yue Yang, for his part, wanted to have a good long cry.

He had calculated every possibility a thousand times over, and he had never once calculated on something like this!

Was every grimoire I contracted with a freaking dud? At a moment this important, you’re going to throw tantrums at me? Do you have no sense of crisis at all? Have you ever thought about how I, your master, feel? You guys are going to be the death of your old man!

(End of Chapter 1300)