Chapter 40: Secrets Hidden Within Destiny
Secrets Hidden Within Destiny
Two days slipped by almost unnoticed.
Morning arrived quietly, as soft golden sunlight filtered through the towering ancient trees surrounding the Ancestral Hall. Their swaying branches cast shifting patches of light across the weathered stone courtyard, while a cool breeze drifted through the estate, carrying the delicate fragrance of blooming spiritual flowers. The peaceful chirping of birds echoed in the distance, blending perfectly with the calm atmosphere.
Over the past two days, the Salvatore Family had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Servants moved about with renewed purpose, disciples devoted themselves to cultivation, and the once-heavy atmosphere surrounding the estate had gradually lifted. On the surface, everything seemed peaceful.
Yet everyone could sense it.
The family was changing.
It wasn’t a change brought about by grand announcements or dramatic events, but by countless subtle moments. Confidence had begun replacing uncertainty. Hope had quietly taken root where fear once lingered. With each passing day, the Salvatore Family felt stronger, more united, and more certain that a new era was beginning under Victor’s leadership.
Deep within the Ancestral Hall, inside a secluded cultivation chamber, Victor remained seated in silent meditation.
His posture was perfectly composed, as steady as an ancient mountain that had stood against countless storms. His long, shoulder-length black hair flowed naturally down his back, while the black robe embroidered with elegant golden dragons rested neatly over his tall figure. Every thread of golden embroidery shimmered faintly beneath the morning light that seeped through the narrow windows.
His breathtakingly handsome face was calm and completely free of distraction.
His golden eyes remained closed.
A profound aura quietly surrounded him.
It wasn’t an oppressive presence that crushed everything nearby, nor was it an overwhelming display of power. Instead, it was restrained—so perfectly controlled that it felt like standing before a vast, endless ocean whose true depth could never be measured.
During these two days, Victor had devoted himself entirely to comprehending the fragment of enlightenment left behind by the Primordial Ancient Sovereign.
Although it was only a tiny fragment of the Sovereign’s lifelong understanding, it contained mysteries that seemed limitless.
Every time Victor immersed himself within those ancient memories, his understanding of the Great Principle of World deepened ever so slightly.
The countless scenes he had witnessed beside the River of Time unfolded within his mind once more.
Civilizations rose.
Empires crumbled.
Stars were born.
Worlds vanished into nothingness.
Time flowed onward without hesitation, carrying everything with it.
Each memory revealed another hidden truth.
Each realization peeled back another layer of the world’s profound mysteries.
Bit by bit, his foundation became more stable, his comprehension more complete, and his path toward the future clearer than before.
At the same time, he had completely mastered the Sword Intent contained within the Nameless Sword Slip.
The fierce Sword Intent that had once surged from him like an unsheathed divine blade had vanished entirely.
Not because it had weakened.
Quite the opposite.
It had become so perfectly refined that not a single trace escaped his control.
It now rested peacefully within him, like a peerless divine sword sleeping inside its sheath—silent, restrained, yet capable of unleashing unimaginable destruction the instant it was drawn.
To an ordinary cultivator, Victor appeared no different from a calm young man sitting in meditation.
Only those whose perception had reached extraordinary heights would realize the terrifying truth.
His strength had once again advanced beyond what they could comprehend.
Then—
Victor slowly opened his eyes.
For a brief instant, brilliant golden light flashed across his pupils, illuminating the quiet chamber before disappearing just as quickly.
His gaze shifted toward the tightly closed door.
A knowing smile slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.
"What is that boy wandering around for?"
There was a trace of amusement in his voice.
Golden light flickered once more within his eyes.
The thick wooden door was no obstacle to his perception.
Outside, he clearly saw a young man pacing back and forth across the courtyard.
Damien Salvatore scratched his head anxiously.
His black hair was slightly messy from repeatedly running his fingers through it, and his black eyes revealed obvious hesitation.
"Aiya... how am I supposed to explain this to the Patriarch?"
He sighed heavily.
His footsteps never stopped moving.
Back and forth.
Again and again.
His heart was in turmoil.
In his previous life, not long after the destruction of the Salvatore Family, a Heavenly Secret Realm had appeared within Aurelia City.
That Heavenly Secret Realm had contained countless unimaginable opportunities.
Powerful sects.
Ancient noble families.
Even members of the imperial clan of the Celestial Dawn Empire had rushed toward Aurelia City after hearing the news.
Unfortunately...
By then, Damien had already lost everything.
He had never been fortunate enough to enter that Heavenly Secret Realm himself.
Even so, he remembered many of the stories that later spread throughout the cultivation world.
Several future prodigies had risen from within that secret realm.
Each one had eventually become a dazzling existence capable of shaking entire regions.
Among them...
Two individuals had completely surpassed everyone else.
In the years that followed, both eventually stepped into the mighty Solar Eclipse Realm.
Their names echoed throughout countless kingdoms.
People respectfully referred to them as the Twin Sun Lords.
Just remembering those names caused Damien’s breathing to become slightly heavier.
The Solar Eclipse Realm...
That was no ordinary cultivation realm.
A single raised hand could blot out the heavens.
A single thought could eclipse the blazing sun itself.
Experts who reached such heights possessed power beyond ordinary imagination.
The heavens could no longer imprison their bodies.
The world’s laws could no longer bind their souls.
They had long since transcended the limits of ordinary mortals.
Five thousand years...
Such experts could easily live for five thousand years.
To ordinary cultivators, they were ancient monsters who had witnessed the rise and fall of countless generations.
They were true supreme experts.
Moreover, those who entered the Solar Eclipse Realm earned the acknowledgment of heaven and earth itself.
Royal authority descended upon them naturally.
Every race respected them.
Every kingdom feared them.
Yet Damien knew better than anyone that talent alone could never produce such a powerhouse.
Reaching that realm demanded unimaginable fortune...
Countless life-and-death experiences...
And resources so vast that many great factions would exhaust everything they possessed without producing even a single Solar Eclipse expert.
Yet...
One Heavenly Secret Realm within Aurelia City had created two such terrifying figures.
Just thinking about it made Damien’s heart race.
The opportunities hidden inside must have been astonishing beyond belief.
He absolutely had to tell Victor.
But...
How?
That simple question left him helpless.
He couldn’t exactly walk into the room and say he knew the future because he had lived another life.
Who would believe such an unbelievable story?
Even Victor might become suspicious.
After thinking for nearly an entire morning, Damien still couldn’t find a convincing explanation.
So he continued pacing outside Victor’s room, hoping inspiration would somehow appear.
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