Chance, in essence, is much like reverse causality; anyone can trigger it, and as one instance of chance connects to another, a person's life trajectory can undergo an earth-shattering transformation, capable of elevating a beggar to an emperor overnight, or casting a supreme being from his pedestal to become an ant in the blink of an eye.

Just like in the myriad of Xuanhuan novels, which of those initially weak and useless protagonists were not propelled to ultimate overlord status precisely because of those initial accidents?

This profoundly mysterious power, though available to everyone—from the frail mortal unable to even bind a chicken to the peerless master who can shatter worlds with a casual gesture—remains unmastered by all... Even Fate and the Heavenly Dao can only tread cautiously when confronted by the unforeseen.

And in this moment, Lin Luo, through Equivalent Exchange, held mastery over this very force called Chance!

Of course, this did not mean he was now invincible; chance is inherently uncontrollable, capable of bringing both fortune and disaster—it can lift a slacker from obscurity, or cause one to capsize in a drainage ditch. All Lin Luo could manage was to slightly increase the probability of favorable outcomes.

Yet, even a small increase is something that cannot be overlooked.

At this juncture, Lin Luo abandoned Creation, abandoned Destruction, and even cast aside the survivability he had acquired through exchange. He converted all of his strength into pure Chance... Without Creation and survivability, his defense plummeted to its lowest point. Without Destruction, his offensive power was reduced to near insignificance. Theoretically, with his current attack strength, he stood no chance of harming the Wolf King of the West. But!

The sheer magnitude of Chance he commanded had reached an infuriating level. If Chance is viewed as fortune, then his current streak of outrageous luck was sufficient to defy heaven!

Thus, Lin Luo felt no regret for this all-or-nothing gamble. If a fight must be fought, he would go all in!

Once Lin Luo sacrificed his survivability, he could no longer withstand the Wolf King’s Starlight Power. In an instant, his entire body was crushed downwards, followed by a tremendous boom as the earth deeply concave. Countless dust and earth billowed up, surging and rolling like the enraged waves of the sea.

"Hahahaha! Die, insect!" Seeing this, the Wolf King, hanging in the sky, let out a great laugh. His death seemed certain, so he cared little for anything else; his only desire now was to annihilate Lin Luo and his two companions.

But before his laughter could fully subside, his expression abruptly changed, for he sensed that Lin Luo's life essence had not vanished! He was still alive, deep beneath the earth, and was rushing upward at an astonishing speed!

"How is this possible?!" The Wolf King could hardly believe that Lin Luo could survive such an assault, yet the reality permitted no denial.

Just as the Wolf King’s words faded, the ground suddenly trembled, and then with a deafening roar, a colossal pillar of water shot toward the sky, aimed directly at him, with Lin Luo clearly at the spearhead of the column.

"Oh dear, I am so lucky! When I was smashed down by the Starlight Power, it happened to be a vacuum underneath. Then, upon hitting the bottom, the subterranean hot spring was activated. Though a bit scalding, I rode that express lift right up—perfect timing... just in time to give you a taste of my sword!"

Lin Luo stood atop the fountain of hot water, holding a gleaming sword, and spoke with a seemingly effortless smile.

"Damn you!" Seeing him in such a state, the Wolf King was so enraged he nearly spat blood. Though he refused to believe that so many coincidences could exist, he couldn't help but marvel at Lin Luo’s tenacious grasp on life.

"Let’s see how long your luck can hold!" The Wolf King roared, completely disregarding Lin Luo’s imminent attack and charging forward, unleashing a palm strike.

In his view, Lin Luo’s attack was laughably weak, posing absolutely no threat. To think such an assault could deal with him? It was a joke!

However, at that precise moment, something utterly unexpected occurred to the Wolf King... He had paid with his soul to achieve a connection with billions of stars, allowing him to wield Starlight Power freely until his soul was completely consumed. Yet, at this moment, his Starlight Power experienced a momentary pause.

This was no minor issue. In his current state, lacking any power other than the Starlight Power, a pause meant the complete cessation of all combat ability... That was the price!

So, upon feeling this, the Wolf King’s face darkened drastically. He could not fathom why the Starlight Power would falter.

He certainly couldn't comprehend it, because this was Chance. The mysteries between celestial bodies are infinite, and anything can happen; it is not strange for abnormalities to arise when Starlight Power is invoked. Although such an event was virtually impossible under normal circumstances, add Chance into the equation, and the narrative changes completely.

Who could possibly anticipate such a thing as Chance?

And then, in the next instant, the Wolf King was confronted by another stroke of Chance.

Because the Wolf King was charging forward while simultaneously attacking Lin Luo, both were perfectly aligned on the same straight line. At this critical moment, his Starlight Power was briefly unavailable, making it appear as if he had willingly presented himself for Lin Luo’s thrust.

Even if Lin Luo hadn't deliberately sought it out, this specific instance of Chance would not have been missed. The moment the Wolf King paused his momentum, Lin Luo was already upon him, driving the long sword directly toward the Wolf King's neck... Pfft!

In a flash, the sword pierced the Wolf King’s throat, lodging there firmly.

With his throat pierced, the Wolf King was naturally unable to speak, but at this point, his Starlight Power finally returned to normal. His soul was still capable of emitting sound, and he immediately spun around, eyes blazing with fire, roaring, "You damnable human! I will utterly... Ghk?!"

A pierced throat was hardly fatal for the Wolf King, but the humiliation drove him to madness. Just as he prepared to unleash his ultimate power to annihilate Lin Luo, his expression suddenly shifted to one of utter horror mid-sentence.

Meanwhile, the hot spring that had launched Lin Luo seemed to have fulfilled its purpose and began to recede. Having lost all his power, Lin Luo started to fall back down as well, but his face showed no panic; instead, he gazed calmly at the Wolf King and said, "I forgot to tell you earlier, this sword isn't mine. I happened to pick it up when I fell down below. If I'm not mistaken, it's specially designed for your wolf race's souls... Look, there are words etched on the blade—'Shatter Starlight, Destroy Wolf Soul!'"

The Wolf King instinctively looked down upon hearing this, but he could no longer see clearly, for the long sword had plunged straight through his throat, right up to the hilt. Those six characters were perfectly lodged inside his wound.

Gulp! Gulp!

Crimson blood surged from the Wolf King’s mouth and throat. He stared wide-eyed at Lin Luo, pointing a trembling finger, his face contorted in savage fury, "Human! Human! Human! Human!"

At this moment, the Wolf King could only utter the word 'human.' He knew his clan would one day perish—perhaps killed by the Ghost King, perhaps the Vampire King, or by some other supreme power, or even by burning his own soul away. But he had never imagined he would die at the hands of a mere human!

His tone was laced with profound resentment. In truth, anyone would feel the same way; after all, the Wolf King held an absolutely overwhelming advantage in terms of power and everything else. So why did he lose? Because of that chain of coincidences.

If the ground beneath hadn't been a vacuum, Lin Luo would have been a smear of flesh. If there had been no hot spring beneath, Lin Luo never would have reached him. If his Starlight Power hadn't paused for a fleeting moment, Lin Luo would have been struck dead by his palm strike. If the weapon in Lin Luo's hand hadn't been this specific sword, even being struck wouldn't have been fatal.

So many 'ifs'—if even one had occurred, he would never have lost.

But none of those 'ifs' materialized. On the contrary, it was as if everything had been meticulously arranged for Lin Luo: the vacuum below, the subterranean hot spring and the sword, the momentary halt of the stars... These preposterous coincidences were constructed based on the blueprint of Lin Luo's ultimate victory!

What if those 'ifs' hadn't been on his side, but decisively on Lin Luo’s?

But no matter how much resentment he held, it was futile. By the time the Wolf King uttered the thirteenth 'human,' the sword had already drained his soul. His entire body instantly disintegrated into smoke and dust, leaving behind only the utterly unremarkable sword, which fell from the sky.

Lin Luo had won, but he did not linger in the joy of victory. Though the entire sequence seemed to unfold in the briefest moment, the peril involved was known only to him. A single misstep, and he would have been utterly annihilated.

If he had to replay the scene, he could not guarantee survival even once.

However, for him, there was no concept of 'reloading' in this world. Since he had lived, it was an unchangeable fact, and all of it hinged entirely on Chance.

But when all instances of Chance are linked together, they ultimately form Necessity.

Thus, although the Wolf King appeared to have been defeated unjustly, his defeat was not unjust at all, because he did not lose to Lin Luo; he lost to Chance.

"Chance, what a terrifying power," Lin Luo murmured, staring at his hands, somewhat dazed. A person whose combat effectiveness had fallen below even the Spirit Rank managed to defeat a supreme master wielding Starlight Power purely through Chance. Such a scenario was beyond anything he could have imagined before.

Furthermore, he had only touched the surface of mastering Chance; one might even say he hadn't grasped the surface at all, for while he could influence some aspects of it, he could not comprehend its profound mysteries. More often than not, he was being led by Chance, rather than leading it.

Even so, he had defeated the Wolf King in an instant.

If there existed someone in this world who could truly control Chance, who could arbitrarily turn the accidental into the inevitable, how powerful would that person be?

Lin Luo did not know, but he was certain that such an individual’s strength would be no less than that of the Heavenly Dao or Fate, perhaps even comparable to Yao Yao.

But could such a person exist?

Lin Luo shook his head; after all, that seemed far too exaggerated.

A moment later, after confirming the Wolf King was truly dead and that no further anomalies were occurring in the vicinity, Lin Luo used Equivalent Exchange to revert his powers, bringing back Creation and Destruction... This exchange wasn't permanent; it was fully reversible. Otherwise, Lin Luo would never have risked the trade.

After all, Chance was too dependent on luck. If his karma was poor, Chance would only worsen things. Since the Wolf King was already eliminated, there was no need for him to carry the burden of a power split equally between good and bad outcomes; Destruction and Creation felt far more tangible.

Moreover, Lin Luo firmly believed that his Destruction and Creation were in no way inferior to Chance.

After all, something like creating something from nothing could never be achieved relying solely on Chance.

"I can't believe you actually defeated that fierce wolf," just then, Xiu Ze's voice suddenly rang out. Lin Luo turned toward the sound and saw Xiu Ze and Shen Qi sprinting toward him.

In a moment, Xiu Ze stopped before him, surveying the devastation around them, and sighed, "I truly never imagined the legend of the werewolves was real, and even more terrifying than rumored. If it weren't for you this time, I likely would have perished here."

Lin Luo offered a faint smile and replied, "Just Chance."

Lin Luo spoke the truth about Chance, but to Xiu Ze and Shen Qi, it sounded like modesty.

"I... you..." Shen Qi looked at him, opening her mouth as if to speak, but only managing 'you' and 'I' before falling silent. Perhaps she understood the adage that great kindness needs no words. Had it not been for Lin Luo, she would surely be dead now—a debt too profound to be repaid with a few sentences.

Noticing her awkwardness, Lin Luo also felt unsure what to say. After all, the Shen Qi he knew was not the Shen Qi standing before him now; there was no shared history between them, so anything he said would feel awkward. Therefore, he quickly passed the responsibility, laughing, "It seems you two still have something you need to resolve."

Although the relationship between Xiu Ze and Shen Qi had been revealed, and the reason he opposed her had been explained, many details remained murky.

Shen Qi wanted to know those precise details, but she had been too preoccupied with Lin Luo's situation earlier to ask. Now, hearing Lin Luo's suggestion, she turned her gaze toward Xiu Ze.

Xiu Ze met her gaze, showing no hesitation despite Lin Luo’s presence, and asked, "Are you wondering why I sought you out at this critical juncture, even though you left the Demon Race over a decade ago, and they paid you no mind?"

Shen Qi nodded. As the Demon Princess, she once stood just below the Demon King, commanding all beings, and was widely regarded as the future heir. But fate was unkind. Shortly after reaching adulthood, a mishap in her cultivation resulted in her becoming a Witch, causing universal dread. Her mother, the Demon King, then personally stripped her of her princess title and banished her from the Demon Race.

With nowhere to go, she settled in this world, taking up residence in the Sea of No Regrets for over a decade.

Toward the Demon Race and her mother, she had known both love and hate, but now, she felt indifferent to everything. She simply needed to know: why?

"What if I told you that all of this was arranged by your mother?" Xiu Ze inquired.

"What did you say?!" Shen Qi’s expression instantly shifted to one of utter disbelief.

Xiu Ze continued, "I know you still resent your mother—resent her apparent indifference, resent that she didn't stand by you during your most painful time, abandoning you instead. From your perspective, I understand completely, but Princess... I must still say, your mother truly loves you."

"Hmph!" Shen Qi let out a cold, dismissive laugh. "If she loved me, she wouldn't ignore my daily life. If she loved me, when everyone hesitated after I became a Witch, she wouldn't be the first to propose banishing me! If this is her love, I want none of it!"

Xiu Ze offered a wry smile. "I said I understand all of that, but Princess, try to think from your mother’s standpoint. Her lack of contact wasn't due to lack of care; it was because she believed in you. It was precisely because she held such high expectations for you that she let you forge your own path. Once you became a Witch, her decision to exile you was her duty as King, as you must know the kind of catastrophe that befalls the Demon Race whenever a Witch is born."

"..." Shen Qi paused. She certainly knew. The Witch before her had been none other than her sister-in-law, and the first victim of that Witch's mutation was none other than her own brother!

Following that, her sister-in-law, who had turned Witch, not only massacred the Demon Race's populace but even harbored intentions to assassinate the King. In the end, it was only through Xiu Ze's full commitment that she was suppressed. And to protect the King, Xiu Ze had lost his first wing in that battle.

"Fine, I can understand all of that. Then, how do you explain my becoming a Witch?" Shen Qi nodded, pressing Xiu Ze. Although part of her transformation into a Witch was accidental, the root cause lay in the secret tome her mother had given her.

Xiu Ze shook his head. "That was truly an accident. Your mother had no idea that tome carried the power to turn you into a Witch. Even when I examined it later, I couldn't detect any such capability. If you don't believe any of this, then..."

Saying this, Xiu Ze placed a hand on his right shoulder. "Princess, if your mother deliberately made you a Witch, why would she immediately dispatch me to find you?"

"..." Shen Qi was stunned again. That was right; Xiu Ze had lost his second wing specifically to protect her after she became a Witch.

"And do you know that although your mother banished you from the Demon Race, she has never stopped searching for a way to save you? For this purpose, she even dared to enter the Sage’s True Garden."

"What?!" Shen Qi’s face changed drastically, filled with shock.

The Sage’s True Garden?

Even Lin Luo, upon hearing this phrase, felt a stirring in his heart, sensing vaguely that this place might be connected to him somehow.