Long Qinghuang had no faith and usually did not worship Buddha; even her symbolic bows were mere slight inclinations.

But this time, to the monks’ astonishment, she knelt beside Lu Xingzhou on a futon, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands, muttering something in her heart.

Lu Xingzhou turned his head, gazing at her profile. He felt…

The third path of destiny had already germinated, and the long river of destiny consequently stirred with new ripples.

That blurry figure walked outside of destiny, as if each step carried an unspeakable weight. It no longer belonged to destiny’s trajectory, nor was it constrained by the cycle of cause and effect. What it walked was an entirely new path—the third path of destiny.

“Destiny…” Its voice resonated again, still ethereal and profound, like a whisper spanning countless eons.

“Do you also yearn to break free from that predetermined trajectory?”

The thread of destiny quivered slightly, as if in response, yet also in hesitation. But this time, it did not attempt to pull that figure back into destiny’s course. It seemed to understand that this path could no longer be controlled by it.

The third path of destiny no longer belonged to destiny itself.

Meanwhile, at the end of destiny’s other path, Lin Yi and Lu Chen’s consciousnesses remained immersed in the threads of destiny. Their existence had completely merged into destiny’s pulse, becoming a part of destiny. They could perceive every ripple of destiny and glimpse every change.

“The third path of destiny…” Lu Chen murmured softly, a thoughtful light flickering in his eyes. “It has finally fully awakened.”

Lin Yi nodded gently, his gaze profound: “Yes, it is no longer controlled by destiny, nor bound by cause and effect. It is a completely new path, a path that destiny itself cannot foresee.”

Lu Chen remained silent for a moment, then slowly said: “Then, can we still influence it?”

Lin Yi smiled faintly, his tone calm: “We have completed our mission. Destiny’s other path has ended, and the third path of destiny no longer needs our guidance.”

Lu Chen slowly closed his eyes, as if sensing something. A moment later, he opened them, his gaze resolute: “That figure… who is he?”

Lin Yi did not answer immediately, but quietly gazed at the void beyond destiny’s end.

“Perhaps, he is a continuation of destiny’s other path, or perhaps the first traveler of the third path of destiny,” Lin Yi said slowly. “But regardless, he has embarked on a path we have never trodden.”

Lu Chen nodded gently: “”

Lin Yi smiled faintly: “Yes,”

They quietly gazed at the void beyond destiny’s end, where the third path of destiny was slowly unfolding. That figure had gradually receded, as if heading towards the unknown beyond destiny.

And at the node of destiny, the phantom formed by the will left by Lin Yi and Lu Chen still floated above the ancient palace. Its existence seemed to tell the world a legend of destiny.

A legend of Lin Yi and Lu Chen.

They had once embarked on destiny’s other path, they had once contended with destiny, and ultimately, they became a part of destiny. Their names would be etched into the long river of destiny, becoming a legend sought by countless travelers.

And in the distance from the node of destiny, in that ancient sect, the young cultivator still looked up at the sky, his eyes gleaming with firm resolve.

“Does destiny’s other path… truly exist?” he murmured softly.

“If it exists, then… I also want to embark on that path.”

His voice, though soft, carried an unshakable determination.

“The third path of destiny… perhaps, that is true freedom.”

He slowly closed his eyes, as if sensing something. He seemed to faintly perceive the existence of that path, the path no longer controlled by destiny.

“The journey of destiny… never truly ends.”

He opened his eyes, his gaze firm as iron.

“And I, too, will embark on my own path.”

He slowly rose and took a step, as if to step into the unknown beyond destiny.

And this time, the third path of destiny had just begun.

The third path of destiny was not a specific route, nor a cultivation method that could be easily trodden. It was a will, a belief that transcended destiny and cause and effect. That figure was the embodiment of this belief.

It walked outside of destiny, each step seemingly reshaping rules, each breath seemingly rewriting the order of heaven and earth. It had no name, no past; it simply existed, existing beyond destiny, walking in the unknown.

It traversed shattered void, stepped over endless star seas, crossed temporal fissures, finally arriving at a realm never touched by destiny.

That was a place of chaos, without light, without darkness, only endless emptiness and nothingness. Here, even time lost its meaning, and space lost its direction. It stood at the center of that void, sensing this realm never ventured by destiny.

“Destiny…” It whispered again, its voice echoing in this void, “Do you also feel it?”

Destiny did not respond, but its existence could no longer be ignored. The long river of destiny showed cracks for the first time; those originally orderly threads of destiny began to show imperceptible deviations. Some people’s destinies quietly deviated from their original trajectories, heading in unknown directions.

And all of this originated from the existence of that figure.

The third path of destiny was no longer a theoretical possibility, but a true existence. It was no longer a part of destiny, but another choice outside of destiny.

In this place of nothingness, that figure slowly raised its hand, and a wisp of faint light condensed in its palm. That light did not belong to any known laws, nor to any predetermined destiny. It was free, unknown, the radiance belonging to the third path.

“Beyond destiny, there are still paths,” it whispered.

And at this very moment, in the long river of destiny, a new ripple quietly spread.

Simultaneously, in the ancient palace at the node of destiny, the wills of Lin Yi and Lu Chen still floated within the threads of destiny. They perceived the spread of that ripple and another change in destiny.

“He… has truly embarked on that path,” Lu Chen spoke slowly, his voice carrying a trace of awe.

Lin Yi nodded gently: “Yes, he is no longer a part of destiny, but a traveler beyond destiny.”

Lu Chen remained silent for a moment, then slowly said: “Then, how will destiny respond?”

Lin Yi smiled faintly: “Destiny… can no longer respond.”

They looked at the void beyond destiny’s end; that figure had completely disappeared from destiny’s sight. And the third path of destiny slowly unfolded in that nothingness, like a road leading to the unknown, awaiting the arrival of the next traveler.

“Perhaps, the journey of destiny should be like this,” Lin Yi whispered.

Lu Chen nodded gently, his gaze profound: “Yes,”

They quietly gazed at that void, as if waiting for something.

And at the other end of destiny, in that ancient sect, the young cultivator still stood atop the mountain, looking up at the sky.

In his eyes, a resolute light flickered.

“The third path of destiny…” he murmured softly, “I, too, want to embark on it.”

He slowly closed his eyes, beginning to try to perceive the existence of that path. He vaguely sensed a strange fluctuation, as if calling to him, guiding him towards an unknown direction.

“” He opened his eyes, his gaze firm as iron, “And I, too, will embark on my own path.”

He took a step, as if stepping into the unknown beyond destiny.

And this time, the third path of destiny had just begun.

The third path of destiny was no longer controlled by destiny.

It was an entirely new path, a path leading to the unknown, a path leading to freedom.

That figure had already walked this path.

And in the future, more travelers would embark on this path to seek their own destiny.

And this time, the third path of destiny had just begun.