Fighting Fate: Overthrowing Fate, #2

By Tinalynge

I never wanted much of life.

A simple job as a guard and to provide for my sister

Jealousy of man destroyed my dreams, and thus I thread upon the road of vengeance

Entering a world filled with danger lurking around every corner

A world where only the strongest can survive

Filled with unwavering determination, I will not back down.

I will gain my vengeance!

 

This is the second book in the Overthrowing Fate Trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tinalynge
• Release date: Mar 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215056097

Book preview

Fighting Fate

Overthrowing Fate, Volume 2

Written by Tinalynge

This is a work of fiction. Any similarities or resemblance to real people, living or dead, places or actual events is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the author, except for the fair use of brief quotations in a book review or article.

FIGHTING FATE

Second edition: April 4, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Tinalynge.

Written by Tinalynge.

Cover Image by BrettArts.

Re-Edited by Craiu Remus Armand.

Other Works by Tinalynge

Blue Phoenix

Riluo City

Dungeons of the Divine

Drums of War

Grave of the Unknown

Formation of Life

Ten Courts of Hell

Archaic World

Bridge of Dreams

Overthrowing Fate

Escaping Fate

Fighting Fate

Overthrowing Fate

Condemning the Heavens

World of Beasts

Blood of the Army

Stars are Falling

Tears of the Soaring Dragon

Tainted Blood

Garden of Shadows

Sea of the Enchanted

The Ascended's Realm

A Deity Once Dreamt

Ghost Realm

Five Elements of the Royal Sky

Unyielding

Forsaken Immortals

Overcoming Darkness

Reverse Scale

Fleeting Clouds

Rest in a Demon's Embrace

Fall of the Demon Prince

Troubles of a Demon Prince

Dreams of the Demon Prince

Dedications

I would like to take the time to thank my readers for reading this story. I would also like to say thank you to all the different sites where it has been hosted throughout the years, Gravitytales, Wuxiaworld, Tapas, and Webnovel.

If you like the story, or my other stories, please consider following me on:

●  My website https://tinalynge.com/

●  My Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TinalyngeWebNovels/

●  Or join my Patreon for advance release of chapters of some of my novels https://www.patreon.com/tinalynge

●  You can also join my Discord Channel where I am available every day for a chat: https://discord.gg/nKjEa9aQTd

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Ruins of the Immortals

Chapter 2: Uninvited Guests

Chapter 3: Hero

Chapter 4: Escaping the City

Chapter 5: City of Thousand Stars

Chapter 6: Master Bu Huang

Chapter 7: Training the Sword

Chapter 8: Secret Weapon

Chapter 9: Younger Generation Geniuses

Chapter 10: To Test One's Strength

Chapter 11: Gate of Revelation

Chapter 12: Yanluo

Chapter 13: Desert Wolves

Chapter 14: Entering the Valley

Chapter 15: Beast Cores

Chapter 16: Golden-Furred Blood Lion

Chapter 17: Ye Ling

Chapter 18: Rivers of Blood

Chapter 19: Guerilla Warfare

Chapter 20: Shen Yu's Anger

Chapter 21: Bloody Night

Chapter 22: Cleansing Midnight Mushroom

Chapter 23: The Final Collision

Chapter 24: Violent Qi

Chapter 25: Bounty

Chapter 26: Blood Pagoda

Chapter 27: Ring of Blood

Chapter 28: History

Chapter 29: Swordlight

Chapter 30: Devouring World

Chapter 31: Body Transformation

Chapter 32: Returning

Chapter 33: Xu Wu

Chapter 34: Magnolia Garden

Chapter 35: Going Back

Chapter 36: Weakness

Chapter 37: Brother

Chapter 38: Ouyang Xiu

Chapter 39: Young Master

Chapter 40: Demise

Chapter 41: Solar Crow and Lunar Rabbit

Chapter 42: Elements

Chapter 43: Declined Challenge

Chapter 44: Two Against a Hundred

Chapter 45: The End of the Rankings

Chapter 46: Student

Chapter 1: Ruins of the Immortals

Having traveled for around four months, Xu Min finally found himself entering the area known as the Ruins of the Immortals. The place he arrived at was the easternmost area. Looking at his map, Xu Min realized that he would soon reach a city.

The Ruins of the Immortals was a far larger province than the one Xu Min had come from. The city he was about to enter was double the size of Ri Chu City. Even though it was large, it was not considered one of the major cities of the Ruins. The major cities of the Ruins of the Immortals existed since ancient times, whereas this city Xu Min would soon enter had not. Moreover, considering that the Ruins of the Immortals was a place where multiple experts came to train, to find a treasure which would allow them to live a comfortable life, or to undergo the trials of becoming an adult. People came to this province from all around the world, and the promise of treasure had drawn in experts since long ago.

During his journey, Xu Min did not travel on the main roads, but instead traversed through forests, plains, lakes, and rivers. Thus, his advance was greatly hindered compared to traveling on the easier paths. This detour tempered his temperament and body.

At first, he had felt rather sad leaving Ri Chu City. Nonetheless, every time hardship arose, all he had to do was imagine his sister's face, and the rage within him would burn once more. There was no way he could get any peace of mind before he could achieve his revenge.

To not constantly dwell on Yong Meilin and his sister, Xu Min blindly launched himself into the forests, fighting one magical beast after another. When trouble would come, Cao Cao assisted him. However, as they moved further and further through the wilderness, Xu Min had to rely less and less on Cao Cao. This lessening of help was something Cao Cao often complained about.

Now that Xu Min and Cao Cao had reached the Ruins of the Immortals, Xu Min knew that it was best to enter a city to obtain some information about the area. Although he had acquired as much information as he possibly could from the Yong family, their information was not from the area itself, but rather from books. It was impossible for them to have updated information, and they needed up to date information.

Deciding he needed to enter a city, Xu Min slowly joined a broad, dusty road. He followed many other people marching onwards, towards a large wall surrounding the city. Xu Min was in no rush. As well, he was not moving faster than any other ordinary person would. He did not want to draw any attention towards himself. Wearing some plain, peasant clothes, which were dusty and worn from his long travels, and with his sword sheathed behind his back, Xu Min resembled an average adventurer. However, upon a closer inspection, his persona changed in the onlookers' eyes.

No one paid any mind to the young man, at first. Everyone was busy dealing with their matters. The merchants, especially, entirely avoided all interaction with mercenaries or adventurers. Strong guards patrolled their caravans. Even though they had power, they preferred not to insult or interfere with anyone. One never risked insulting a person that was prestigious or powerful.

Xu Min followed this same mentality. He did not annoy anyone, and in return, no one annoyed him.

The sword, however, managed to grasp people's attention. Because of Xu Min's sword, they instantly understood this young man was an external expert. His rank was not easy to guess, and no one would ever imagine he knew some stances as well. However, examining Xu Min's body, he did not seem as powerful as most external experts. As a result, they all assumed he was a low ranked expert. If he had reached the ranks of a Warrior, he was at most a One-Star Warrior.

Even so, no one desired to insult him. His sword looked mighty, and his person seemed calm, but also slightly aloof. If he had reached the rank of a Warrior at such a young age, everyone assumed that he was from one of the major factions within the Ruins of the Immortals, sent out on a trip to prove his worth.

A real expert would be somewhere near, looking after this young man, if he was one of these young masters. No one knew whether he was an adventurer or a young master, but either way, he was someone they did not wish to deal with.

This lack of interference was a great benefit to Xu Min, who could observe everything around him. From time to time, he would talk with Cao Cao, since the snake was shocked by a number of humans, and the size of the city they were going to.

'How can so many people live within a single city?! I just don't understand,' Cao Cao exclaimed time and time again. 'Although I know that there are numerous beasts in the forests, it is nothing compared to these cities,' he continued. His eyes were round from staring at everything and his tongue constantly slithering next to Xu Min's ear.

'This is the largest city I have ever seen,' Xu Min stated, agreeing with Cao Cao, 'but this is considered one of the more average cities within the Ruins of the Immortals.'

'Here is the plan. We will enter, get some information, and then determine which place is best for training. I would prefer if we can find a forest ruin to examine. Although we will not discover any treasures since they have been explored by thousands of people, I still believe that we can do some training, and I can see what the actual ruins are like. One day, I wish to become an Immortal as well.'

Cao Cao just hummed an answer while his face constantly turned from side to side, looking at the many different experts.

'I have some gold coins, but I don't think I can be considered wealthy,' Xu Min continued to ponder. 'I wonder how much we need to pay for a room and food in this city. Not to mention, how much it will cost to get the information we need.'

'We need food!' Cao Cao said adamantly. 'We can get the information slowly from random people, but we should not go around without food!'

Hearing the desperation in Cao Cao's voice Xu Min gently laughed before he patted the snake's head. 'Don't worry; I won't let you starve,' he assured Cao Cao while his eyes were glancing across the massive city in front of him.

At first, it had been possible to see the start and end of the city wall, but the closer they came towards the city, the more the walls enveloped the horizon. This made it difficult for Xu Min to see everything. No matter which way Xu Min looked, all he could see was the wall of the city. He could not help but feel his heart beating rapidly, and his eyes were filled with disbelief. A city this large was considered an average city within the province? That was unfathomable for someone who came from a small area like Honghe and Ri Chu City.

Xu Min was on high alert because of the largeness of the city. Although he knew it was highly unlikely that anyone would fight him right outside the wall, he still felt worried.

The gate was in front of him, and following everyone else, he made his way into the city. Everywhere he looked houses were taking up the entire view, some of the houses were multiple stories while others only had a single story. The single-story complexes were not in as great shape as the others. Alleyways were visible on the side of most of the houses. They lead into a world of darkness.

Within these alleyways were scents of urine and blood. Clearly, only the brave dared to enter. Ignoring them, Xu Min kept moving through town until he found an inn which did not look too high class, but not too low class either.

Entering the inn, he went to the desk. I'd like to book a room, please, he gently requested. His hand brought forth a jade card. As soon as the card was seen by the shopkeeper, he instantly showed more respect towards Xu Min. Young master, how long do you wish to stay? he asked while bowing slightly. Contemplating for some time, Xu Min was uncertain how long he would be staying, but eventually, he decided to stay a week.

Seven days? Okay, please hand me your jade card, and I will deduct the amount from your card.

With the card in the clerk's hand, he instantly took out a black stone. He then swiped the card; moments after, the jade card was delivered back to Xu Min.

Breakfast is included in your fee. If you wish to eat lunch and dinner, those will be extra, the shopkeeper automatically said before he found a key and handed it over to Xu Min. This is the key to your room. Your room is on the third floor, room seven.

Hearing this, Xu Min nodded his head as he accepted the key and turned around. Looking at his room, he observed many experts were eying him. Some of them with greed in their eyes, while others had curiosity in their expressions. Seeing the different expressions, Xu Min did not think too much about it. He was quite certain that none of the experts present were stronger than Tang Jin. As long as they were weaker than him, they could be easily disposed of.

Though he had a few problems when he fought with Tang Jin, that battle was almost half a year ago. Presently, Xu Min had increased his combat ability since then. He fought one beast after another and became much more skilled in life-and-death battles. He had learned to let go of the hesitation and aim straight for the kill, and he now knew how to use his strength most efficiently.

Even if someone, from those present in the inn, was stronger than Tang Jin, Xu Min should still be able to win since he had Cao Cao, who had slowly, but steadily grown stronger as well.

Xu Min did not avert his eyes, but instead looked into the eyes of everyone present, causing the experts to be shocked. The experts speculated Xu Min was, without a doubt, only a Two-Star Warrior, but even so, he still seemed confident in dealing with them.

It was not before now that these cultivators also reached the conclusion that he was a young master who was being protected by an unknown expert in the shadows. Knowing that he was so confident, no one wished to battle him. The specialists in the inn were not willing to gamble on Xu Min's supposed watcher not being there, and perhaps lose their lives for a single jade card.

Looking at these hesitating experts, Xu Min went up the staircase to their room. Here, he took out a lot of food, and handed it to Cao Cao. During their fights with wild beasts, much meat had been dried, and although it was not as delicious as fresh dishes, Cao Cao enjoyed gnawing on the dried meat of magical beasts.

Xu Min looked tenderly at the snake while he was eating. Then he quickly wrested his attention from the eating snake; and instead, he looked at the room he was currently within. After a few moments, he changed his clothes, leaving the worn clothes in a cloth bag, and put on his black robe with the golden embroideries.

Time to get some information, he said to Cao Cao, who agreed by instantly nodding his head, and quickly grabbing another few mouthfuls of wild beast meat. He slithered onto Xu Min's shoulder where he coiled around his neck. Everyone could see this food-gorging snake was content with his current life.

Chapter 2: Uninvited Guests

Leaving the inn, Xu Min and Cao Cao walked around the city for some time. Both observed everything around them. Most of the things they saw were different kinds of shops and stalls. Some of the shops sold medicinal pills, while others sold armor and weapons.

Small stalls were selling food and drinks to any of the passersby willing to buy them. A few traveling merchants, on the other hand, had made small stalls in their carriers, calling out what they sold, and their incredibly low prices.

Many experts were moving within the town. Some were wearing elegant clothes with guards following behind them, and some were in tattered clothes, trying to beg for some coin or food. Mercenaries were laughing out loud while bragging about the monsters they had killed or the treasures they had found. Guards from the city lord's mansion would patrol the streets to ensure that no One-Started any trouble.

Commoners could be seen here and there. Some were maids running errands for their masters, while others were citizens working in the various shops. Everywhere Xu Min looked, hordes of people were moving around. They were apparently used to the city being this crowded.

However, Xu Min was not used to this many people in one place, and he quickly found that he could not move forward unless he started using his elbows and power to push his way gently through the many people.

While pushing his way through all these people, he tightly held his jade card in his hand, ensuring that no one had the possibility of stealing it.

Xu Min moved further and further away from the center of town. The further out he went the fewer shops he found, and the easier it became to move. Xu Min was not looking for any physical items within these shops, but to find someone who was familiar with the Ruins of the Immortals and get some information.

Just as Xu Min was about to head down an alleyway to look for a poor person who would be willing to sell knowledge for money, he suddenly saw a massive shadow appearing from above. Looking up, he could not help but swallow deeply.

In the air, a massive ship was hovering. Four pairs of pearl white wings were flapping on the side of the ship, keeping the ship in the air.

Everyone! We are an envoy from the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins! We will be taking over this city. Should you wish to do battle, then expect your entire city to be dyed in blood. You have one hour to surrender. If you do not, then we will attack at full force!

The speaker's voice rang throughout the entire city. The streets which had been bustling with life were so quiet now. It was so still that even a needle being dropped on the ground would be heard. The silence had lasted for a full moment before everyone heard a person scream. After the scream, everyone woke up from their trance; the merchants instantly packed up their items and started pushing their way out of the city.

Xu Min was standing still; he was pondering on what to do. Many citizens had already started returning to their houses, to the mansions they belonged to, or towards the gate. They were trying to escape alongside the rest of the merchants.

Xu Min had all his items with him, so he did not return to the inn. He did not get ready to move either. He did not know what the Snow Mountain was, but he did know what the Dragon Ruins were.

The Ruins of the Immortals was a province filled with many ruins. These ruins had been cities back in their prime, and each one of them was a thousand times thousand kilometers wide. While the entire region was named Ruins of the Immortals, each of the ruins had different names. The Dragon Ruins were a set of ruins fairly close to the area where Xu Min had entered the region.

Xu Min guessed the Snow Mountain was some faction that originated from within the Dragon Ruins. Although these factions were about to do battle, Xu Min felt that it had nothing to do with him. He was an adventurer who had just arrived in the city. If there was a battle, then he would find a place outside the battle and just observe. It did not matter to him who won.

Deciding not to be drawn into the battle, Xu Min jumped on top of a building. He sat down and looked up at the ship in the air. Xu Min had never seen, nor heard, about a ship capable of flying in the air, and looking at it, it was at least several hundred meters long and fifty to hundred meters wide. One could hear the many experts marching on top of it. While the four sets of wings were flapping in a calm and controlled manner, which kept them hovering over the middle of the city.

The city's street had emptied. There was not even one citizen out anymore. Xu Min was all alone looking at the ship. An hour quickly passed, but no soldiers had emerged from the City Lord's Mansion nor had anyone announced surrender either. Looking at the reaction of the City Lord, Xu Min was puzzled, but he did not have time to wonder for long.

Abruptly, long ropes were thrown from the ship, and experts climbed down. A few of them jumped straight over the side of the ship and landed on the ground, causing tremors to run through the city as though there was a line of earthquakes. To be able to jump from the ship one had to be at least a Six-Star Warrior, and looking at these warriors, Xu Min was taken aback. There were at least a hundred experts of the sixth rank and above, while the weaker ones were climbing down the ropes.

Once the experts landed down on the ground, they instantly started slaughtering everyone around them. They ruthlessly entered houses, inns, shops, and stalls. Not caring at all, they killed everyone they came across.

Xu Min's heart grew cold, watching this merciless carnage, and he was filled with anger as he saw how the children and women were being killed right in front of him. His eyes exploded with anger. He had not expected these experts would kill helpless and weak commoners who were incapable of protecting themselves. Murdering commoners was enough to thoroughly anger Xu Min; he then jumped from the tall building he had been sitting on. He looked at the many experts pouring into the roads.

Kill them all! Let blood run in this city. Let the City Lord know that we have no intention of backing down. They can hide and barricade themselves within the mansion, but they will be forced to join the battle sooner or later! A yell sounded out in the entire city. The flame of hate that always burned within his chest suddenly burst open, and Xu Min looked at the road behind him. It was a small alleyway, but a lot of women and children were hiding within it. All of them were commoners. None of them were cultivators, and they were filled with fear.

It was clear that they were giving up their lives, hugging one another with tears falling from the eyes of the adults, while the children constantly asked what was happening. Looking at this pitiful scene, Xu Min was reminded of his sister who was killed for no apparent reason. He placed himself in front of the entrance and unsheathed his sword from his back.

'Sorry Cao Cao,' he whispered, 'I am afraid that we are going to be in a tight situation. I cannot accept these experts killing wantonly like this. I am not strong enough to protect everyone within this city but let me fight for the ones who are standing behind us. You can go mad and kill as many as you want to, but only as long as they are soldiers of the Snow Mountain.'

Hearing what Xu Min said, Cao Cao did not disagree. Instead, he solemnly nodded his head. He was rarely serious. Yet today he was aware that there was nothing funny about their current situation. He stopped relying on the Shroud of Shadows which usually hid him from the eyes of humans. Thus, the snake suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

The two of them stood leaning against the house which led down the alleyway. Hidden in the shadows, both had their senses completely sharpened. They attentively listened to the footsteps that were coming increasingly close.

Tightening his grip around the sword, Xu Min's eyes went cold. They were filled with killing intent. At his neck was a small green snake which also emitted a strong killing intent; both were ready to jump at the first person who appeared in front of them.

Behind them, the children and women became completely quiet. They gazed at Xu Min with hope in their eyes, a hope tinged still with agony. Even if they were to survive, they would stand to lose a lot, and none of them could afford to do so.

'I don't know if I regret going to this city,' Xu Min casually sent to Cao Cao. 'Although it would have been easier in another city, these people would not have had a chance at all. I wonder if this means that they are lucky or not?' he contemplated for some time until he heard footsteps so close to them that he had to concentrate fully on the battle at hand.

Slithering down the body of Xu Min, Cao Cao looked at the main road before he slithered back. 'We are in luck. It is a group of four, but all of them are Three-Star experts. I am sure they are far below the quality of the likes of Tang Jin, so you should be able to deal with them on your own. However, I will lend you a hand. This is a battle of attrition, and although the sword can help us a big deal, you still need to be careful. We saw Six-Star Warriors after all. The absorption is not very powerful against them.'

Nodding his head, Xu Min acknowledged what Cao Cao said. His expression was serious as he readied himself to advance. On the ground was Cao Cao, ready to entangle and poison some of the experts.

Although Cao Cao had told Xu Min to watch his energy, this was also the case for the small snake. He had a lot of poison in his glands, but he also had a limit to how much poison he could use. Without it, although he could strangle opponents, it was far from as efficient as the poison.

Man and beast were standing still. They waited for the footsteps to be right in front of them. Once the footsteps stood squarely before them, Xu Min's sword flashed, slashing at the enemy. Only the afterimage of a sword could be seen; yet the exact moment the blood sprayed from the chest of one expert, the other expert, who was standing by his side, had also received a part of the sword attack. Though the first expert was severed from the top to his lower body, the second expert only had a superficial wound.

Seeing the shock on the Snow Mountain Warriors, Xu Min did not wait another moment. With another flick of his hand, the sword danced around, cutting and slicing, chopping and stabbing, instantly getting rid of the four experts.

Sighing deeply, Xu Min immediately dragged the corpses into the alleyway. There was much blood on the ground, but not many of the warriors would worry about this. However, seeing the lifeless bodies of their comrades is a different story. They would instantly become worried. Getting rid of the corpses could allow for Xu Min to use the element of surprise once more. The more he could surprise, the less energy he needed to use, and the more he could kill while keeping the children and women behind him safe.

Chapter 3: Hero

Xu Min looked behind him and saw the women holding the children; they covered their eyes so as not to let them see the corpses. The eyes of these women, previously filled with despair and hopelessness, were now filled with a slight tinge of hope.

All the women were doing their absolute best to keep the children quiet while they observed Xu Min from time to time. The young man had just changed from being a rogue cultivator to a hero for the small group of people.

Although Xu