Memory?
Susan Soo was very good at this: "I have an excellent memory. Everything I've experienced, I can recall clearly—I never forget."
But the old Daoist shook his head: "That's not so certain. You are a special person, but in our meeting, I've said far too much that shouldn't be said. In the future—whether by fate or by conspiracy—the power of destiny will actively erase all traces of my existence. The persona I disguised myself as won't be affected, but your memories of 'the real me' will vanish completely. At that point, all you'll remember is meeting a crazy old Daoist with a couple on Moon Viewing Peak at Mount Tai. Everything else—you'll forget."
"There's such a thing?" Susan Soo couldn't wrap her head around this mystical stuff. "So how am I supposed to keep my promise?"
"Don't worry. After all, you are a special person—someone wrapped up in great fortune and great karma. While fate may still sway you in life, after death, nothing can alter your memories. What was hidden will return, what was changed will be restored, and everything will become clear. I'm staking my own future, betting on a bigger, brighter one. So, please remember:"
"Fate is like chess; calamity and fortune constantly shift."
"Within fortune hides calamity, within calamity lies fortune."
"The best warriors win no glory; the best strategists earn no fame."
"To play without playing—that's how you reach the end."
"Peck!"
"What is this?" Susan Soo couldn't help but look at the old Daoist. "I don't get it."
"Doesn't matter if you don't get it, 'cause it's not for you," the old Daoist explained, then suddenly raised a hand, pointing at Susan Soo's eyes. To the spirits behind her, it was as if he was pointing at them too.
The old Daoist's gaze seemed to cut through time and memory, and he called out sternly to some future folks: "This diagram—it's for you!"
Ripples of fate, born ages ago, spread quietly, hidden deep in the cracks between life, death, and space—until now, when they finally burst into view.
In an instant, every phone owned by Fate Guide's crew started to vibrate, then with a chorus of pops, every screen shattered and exploded into thick smoke.
"That's it! This is what I've been waiting for!" Fate Guide whipped his head toward the inner room, but it was still dead silent.
Fate Guide gritted his teeth, then nodded hard. "No doubt about it—this is the one!" He slapped the table and, staring up into the void, couldn't help but yell, "Fate's turning point is now! The world's hope is right here—grab it, Dream Monroe!"
Meanwhile, out on the Starlit Passage, Dream Monroe—almost invisible—suddenly opened her eyes.
"That's... for me! That diagram's for me! That old Daoist saw this coming decades ago, and passed the formation to me through Aunt Susan's memory!" Dream Monroe was shaken to her core. Such foresight, such scheming, such secrecy—such genius.
Someone's pulling strings behind fate, and they're upstream in the destiny river. For her, stuck downstream, flipping the script is nearly impossible. But that old Daoist? Not simple at all. He managed to pass the right info to the right person at the perfect time, in the weirdest way.
I get it now. It's from the same family as the Sky Mending Diagram Fate Guide gave me, but way more complete, way deeper—and exactly what I need! This is the Taiji Sky Mending Diagram!
Finally found it.
After running all over with this family, tangled up in all sorts of drama, I've finally found what I need—right here, right now!
The spatial anomaly in Shanghai is still going strong—this is urgent, blink and you'll miss your shot, can't wait at all. Dream Monroe glanced at Susan Morrow, knocked out on the Starlit Passage, then at Jonathan Black, whose genes were falling apart. She hesitated, but in the end, turned away with resolve.
Sorry, folks—I've got a big mission to carry.
This life... Farewell!
Whoosh—wings made of starlight spread wide as Dream Monroe cut off her mental link with Susan Morrow, then shot into the air. Her Celestial Battle Robe was back, starlight swirling around her, and the waves of chaos parted—nothing could stop her flight.
But Infinity Promontory sits deep in hyperspace, a million miles from Earth's dimension, and the whole place is a maze of tangled space. Flying, Dream Monroe got anxious—faster, gotta go faster, gotta get back to Earth!
Just then, as if fate was smiling, Dream Monroe found a shortcut back to Earth.
It was the Dimensional Anchor—still running!
Sizzle—burnt smell rising from the spinning ring. Suddenly, a star-bright beam shot out from the center of the Dimensional Anchor, rocketing skyward like an arrow.
In a flash of starlight, Dream Monroe was back on Earth, spinning into midair over New York.
When she looked up, the first thing she saw wasn't fate's raging void, but a beam of light.
A beam of light burst from a pitch-black cloud, shooting straight up into the sky.
Everyone, I'm sorry. I carry a heavy mission.
This life... Farewell!
Whoosh—wings of starlight unfolded, and Dream Monroe decisively severed her mental link with Susan Morrow, then took flight. Her Celestial Battle Robe reappeared, starlight swirling around her, and the waves of chaos were pierced layer by layer, unable to stop her flight.
But Infinity Promontory is deep within hyperspace, extremely far from Earth's dimension, and the tangled space is like a labyrinth. As she flew, Dream Monroe grew anxious—faster, she had to go faster, she must hurry back to Earth!
Yet at that moment, as if favored by fate, Dream Monroe found a shortcut back to Earth.
It was the Dimensional Anchor—it was still running!
Sizzling sounds rose from the spinning ring, the smell of burning filling the air. Suddenly, a star-like beam shot out from the center of the Dimensional Anchor, streaking upward like an arrow.
In a flash of starlight, Dream Monroe had already returned to Earth, appearing midair over New York.
When she looked up, the first thing she saw wasn't the raging currents of fate's void, but a beam of light.
A beam of light burst from a pitch-black cloud, soaring skyward—straight into the heavens.