Chapter 108: What If

"Before coming out, I learned a trick from the Fox King," Wang Rui said casually.

The Fox King was a fierce beast who had just reached two hundred thousand years in age, a beautiful silver fox with nine tails. Unfortunately, it was a male fox, which didn't quite match the stereotypical image humans had of seductive fox spirits.

The Fox King's full name was the Nine-Hearted Nine-Tailed Dream Fox King. In his early years, he had a run-in with the Ontology Sect but was saved by Wang Rui, avoiding becoming a spirit ring or a spirit bone. Because of this, he remained loyal to the Auspicious Beast.

However, he had been severely deceived by humans, leading him to harbor extreme hatred for them. Among the ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Forest, he was the most staunch advocate of war against humans.

The Fox King's innate abilities were illusions and mind-reading. True mind-reading without side effects required extraordinary talent, and Wang Rui just couldn't master it. However, illusions were relatively easier… After all, constructing illusions was merely another way of using spiritual power. As a Three-Eyed Golden Lion with spiritual attributes as his primary strength, Wang Rui found it incredibly easy to learn.

"This is a new… secret technique? Or maybe a skill? Anyway, it's a type of illusion I created by combining the Fox King's expertise with my own mastery of destiny power," Wang Rui explained enthusiastically.

As he spoke, a blood-red vertical eye appeared on the smooth forehead of the red-haired boy.

Bai Chenxiang accidentally locked eyes with that vertical eye.

For a brief moment, she felt as if something ancient and vast was hidden within that eye, an unfathomable power that inspired awe. But upon closer inspection, she could also see Wang Rui's emotions swirling within it—eager anticipation mixed with a hint of pride.

"It sets a specific condition and then constructs an illusion that closely approximates 'real destiny.' Because it uses the power of destiny, the illusion follows the flow of fate. Those immersed in it can hardly detect its flaws and react as they would in real life."

Bai Chenxiang forced herself to look away from the blood-red eye. "Isn't that basically predicting the future?"

"Of course not," Wang Rui sighed. "Treating this illusion as a true prediction of the future would be dangerous. My abilities are limited—I can only simulate a certain range of destinies. In the real world, unexpected events outside my calculations can still happen. And the actions of sentient beings can't be fully predicted because there will always be those who challenge fate."

"Destiny is constantly changing. Imagine everyone's fate as a river with countless branches, constantly shifting its course. I can see the general direction the boat is heading, but I can't determine which specific tributary it will sail through. The illusion I construct is merely one of the most likely branches."

The Auspicious Beast could influence the boat's direction through curses or blessings, but even then, it couldn't guarantee which route it would take.

"I don't get it," Bai Chenxiang said bluntly. "So you can use this magical illusion to test Ma Xiaotao's reaction and determine her character. Why are we still talking? Hurry up and start."

Wang Rui: …

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Talking about destiny with a swallow who doesn't understand it is pointless. You can't appreciate the greatness of this skill. I'm thinking of naming it 'What If Technique' or 'Parallel World Full-Immersion Experience.'"

"Nice illusion, but you should stop naming things," Electrolux commented sharply in Wang Rui's mind.

Wang Rui looked like he'd been doused in cold water and fell silent.

Golden threads started to emerge from his fingertips, slowly intertwining with each other. At their intersections, golden nodes formed, resembling tangled nerve fibers or a web of silk. A mysterious, captivating aura seemed to emanate from the light cluster.

Bai Chenxiang stared at the delicate golden threads within the light ball, soon feeling a wave of dizziness. It was as if her brain had been flooded with too much information, leaving her with nothing but a blank void.

She looked at Wang Rui with awe. So, this was the power of destiny?

Wang Rui raised his hand, and the golden ball of light floated up, drifting gently into Ma Xiaotao's forehead. In an instant, she was immersed in the illusion.

Wang Rui's expression wasn't exactly relaxed either. His brows furrowed slightly as he let out a long, even breath.

Unless one had an innate gift, all illusions were constructed from vast amounts of information. Especially since Wang Rui's illusion used the power of destiny, he had to be careful not to overload Ma Xiaotao's mind… Even with his tangible and powerful spiritual force, it wasn't an easy task.

For Bai Chenxiang, regardless of whether she could ultimately reach the distant Divine Realm and see the one she loved, the Auspicious Beast would forever be her benefactor.

Unlike the fierce beasts of Star Dou Forest, Bai Chenxiang, who had turned from human to spirit beast, deeply admired Wang Rui.

She had lived as a human for a long time, experiencing the warmth and coldness of the world. She understood that nothing was ever truly deserved, which was why she fully appreciated the value of what Wang Rui had done.

Helping Ma Xiaotao was just a personal wish of hers, one she didn't even have high hopes for when she brought it up. Yet Wang Rui agreed so easily.

Back then, her relationships with both Tang Sect and Shrek Academy had ended on a sour note.

No one knew that Ma Hongjun had failed the Fire God's Divine Trial and only inherited the Phoenix God's power. Everyone believed that Bai Chenxiang had betrayed Ma Hongjun and been abandoned on earth.

After all, the world was convinced they had solid evidence.

At a gathering before the Seven Monsters ascended, one of Ma Hongjun's brothers joked, "Fatty, if you can't take Bai Chenxiang with you, what if she runs off with someone else? No worries, man, you can find yourself a goddess up there!"

Ma Hongjun had sworn up and down that Chenxiang would never do that, that he'd definitely take her with him… But nothing he said mattered in the end.

Bai Chenxiang remembered how Ma Hongjun had later apologized profusely, saying his brother was just drunk and joking, that he never meant anything by it.

Right… A Title Douluo got drunk and lost control, saying something so dismissive? It only proved one thing—she, Bai Chenxiang, had never truly been part of the Seven Monsters' circle. She was always an outsider, never worthy of respect.

At the time, she brushed it off. She thought it was normal to be underestimated since she wasn't as talented as the others. As long as Fatty cared about her, nothing else mattered.

But love and respect from a partner meant nothing in the face of public scrutiny. When people wanted to throw mud, they wouldn't bother with the truth.

Ma Xiaotao felt like she hadn't slept so soundly in ages.

Normally, she spent her nights meditating. Recently, after Xu Sanshi left, no one was there to help her suppress the evil aura of her spirit. She constantly struggled with the violent, raging emotions burning within her chest.

The fiery lava coursing through her veins had quieted, now flowing like a warm, soothing spring.

This rare comfort made Ma Xiaotao want to sigh in relief.

But amidst the darkness, her other senses slowly returned—along with the smell of burning wood, earth, and enemy flesh.

An ominous feeling washed over her, sending a shiver through her soul.

She opened her eyes.

The hollow eye sockets of a charred skeleton stared back at her.