Chapter 478: The Path of Destruction

The origin of the shadows had been largely understood—they were most likely formed from the remnants of souls gathered on the bones of the Heaven-Devouring Rat Demon God, representing another form of life continuation.
His ability to use those demon god bones to craft magical artifacts further supported this theory. Normally, with his current strength, he wouldn’t be capable of processing such bones, unless there was some extremely direct connection between them.
After thinking this through, Su Che asked, “Was the shadow you consumed just now the Shadow God mentioned by the Shadow Clan?”
“No,” the shadow replied. “The true Holy Ancestor and the Shadow God have long returned to the Immortal Realm. That shadow was merely a fragment separated from the Shadow God…”
It seemed he couldn’t find the right words, pausing briefly before continuing, “Think of it as a child of the Shadow God, but definitely not an avatar.”
Su Che asked again, “Did consuming it also merge his memories?”
“Yes,” the shadow nodded. “I roughly know what you’re asking. I also know you care deeply about your friend Yu Qing.”
During his time on Qi Yuan Star, the shadow had seen Yu Qing many times and was quite aware of the friendship between Su Che and Yu Qing.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want to ask—what exactly is the relationship between Yu Qing and that Holy Ancestor?” This was what Su Che wanted to know most urgently.
Unexpectedly, the shadow replied, “I think there’s no direct relationship between them.”
“How is that possible?” Su Che was extremely puzzled and immediately said, “Their appearances are identical, and even when I disguised myself as Yu Qing, I received recognition and inheritance from the Holy Ancestor’s statue… How can all this be explained?”
“It should be said that Yu Qing’s background is extremely complex—far beyond our current understanding or capabilities to fathom.”
The shadow’s expression turned solemn as he whispered, “Getting involved in matters related to him would bring us immense trouble. To put it bluntly, even if the Heaven-Devouring Rat weren’t dead, he wouldn’t want to get entangled in such chaos.”
“Oh?”
Su Che tilted his head slightly, frowned in thought, but then said, “Then explain it. If it’s really that troublesome, we’ll stay away.”
“I don’t believe it!” The shadow smirked, this time quite naturally. “As your shadow, I know your personality well. If Yu Qing is in trouble, no matter how severe, you won’t back down. Am I right?”

“Alright, enough of this nonsense,” Su Che waved his hand and urged, “Since you know me so well, just spit it out quickly.”
“Okay, okay.”
The shadow, bearing Su Che’s appearance, waved its hand as well, showing an expression of resignation as if to say, “There’s really nothing I can do with you.” Indeed, in such a short time, it had already imitated Su Che’s various expressions perfectly—truly living up to its name as a “shadow.”
“Actually, whether it’s Yu Qing, the Holy Ancestor, or anyone else, anyone whose appearance is exactly like Yu Qing’s is merely a fragment of a powerful figure from the Immortal Realm.”
The shadow explained in detail, “There is such a supreme warrior in the Immortal Realm. Hundreds of billions of years ago, he reached the pinnacle of power in the entire universe. His cultivation level was beyond further improvement… In both the immortal and mortal realms, only the Heavenly Dao and fate can restrain someone like him.”
“But human hearts are never satisfied. Such a powerful being still aspires to surpass himself, trying to break free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao and fate, and even transcend this entire universe. The problem is, his potential has already been fully tapped out; there’s no room for further advancement. What should he do?”
“So, that guy came up with a plan: he created countless fragments of himself and sent them to the mortal world, allowing these fragments to be reborn and cultivate on their own. Once their cultivation levels reached a sufficient height, he would reunite these fragments with his main body, merging their potential into one, thereby breaking free from the shackles imposed by the Heavenly Dao…”
“A fragment carrying the essence of a powerful being, no matter what creature it reincarnates as, will surely be an outstanding cultivator. If they’re lucky enough, they can achieve immortality, ascend to the Immortal Realm, and even carve out their own domain there.”
“But no matter how outstanding they are, they ultimately cannot escape the tragic fate of being devoured by the main body of the supreme god. It’s like a herder who releases livestock, lets them grow fat, then catches them to slaughter and consume for nourishment… Well, that’s roughly the idea.”
“These fragmented beings are also aware of their fate. Of course, they refuse to be devoured by the main body of the supreme god, so they devise various methods in an attempt to defy fate and break free from this predetermined path of destruction.”

“So, your friend Yu Qing and that Sacred Ancestor are merely distractions; there’s no direct connection between them, and they could completely avoid intersecting. It’s just that they share the same fate, and their ultimate outcomes will also be identical.”
“No matter how they choose their lives, in the end, it’s always a path of destruction that leads to complete loss of self!”
After hearing these words, Su Che was utterly stunned, marveling in his heart, “Senior Yu Qing—what an outstanding person, yet he’s just like an animal left to roam in the wild by others. Once he grows up and becomes plump, he’ll become a delicious meal for someone else…”
“Is this true? It’s hard to believe.”
The Shadow shook its head. “That’s why no one can save him, no one can change his predestined fate. Even if one day you reach the pinnacle of power and possess strength equal to that guy’s, you still won’t be able to kill him or save Yu Qing… Unless you have power equal to that of the Heavenly Dao or fate itself, then you can punish him, or even destroy him…”
“No!”
Su Che waved his hand sharply. “There’s no need for such trouble—absolutely no need! If I want to change Yu Qing’s fate, I don’t need to surpass those peak warriors beyond the Immortal Realm; I just need to be stronger than Yu Qing.”
“Oh?” The Shadow was slightly puzzled, not understanding the meaning of these words. After all, it had never entered the Immortal Prison before and knew nothing about its wonders.
What Su Che meant was this: To change Yu Qing’s fate, the method is simple—just capture Yu Qing and throw him into the Immortal Prison, thereby cutting off all his connections to this universe. Whether he likes it or not, once trapped in the Immortal Prison, his fate will be determined by me. Within the Immortal Prison, I am the Heavenly Dao! Without my permission, who dares to eat you?
Thinking of this, Su Che felt a little relieved, because his actions on Shadow Star hadn’t affected Yu Qing’s interests at all. After all, there was no direct connection between him and the Sacred Ancestor—they were just two people with the same origins, appearance, life traits, and identical fates.
However, their outcomes would definitely not be the same. Su Che wouldn’t allow Yu Qing to walk to the end of that path of destruction…
“Well, I’ve pretty much figured out Yu Qing’s situation.”
Su Che waved his hand in front of his face, as if to dispel the worries lingering there, then said to the Shadow, “Just now, you also ate a person. I wonder—what was it like? What about the nutrition?”

“Not bad!”
The shadow licked its lips, looking unsatisfied: “It’s just a bit too little; it’s not satisfying enough. If only I could swallow that Shadow God from the immortal realm, then…”
At that point, it laughed too. If it really encountered that Shadow God from the immortal realm, it was uncertain who would devour whom.