# 1667
Chapter 1667: Causeless Cause—Predetermined Effect
The moment this panel popped up, Lin Qiye's voice cut off abruptly.
A phantom lottery wheel materialized between him and the little boy. Unlike the wheels from previous instances, this one had only two sections on its surface.
One section was pitch black, occupying approximately 95% of the wheel. Above this dark area, besides the blackness, there were only two mysterious white characters—"Unknown."
The other section, though small in area, was the only spot of white on the entire wheel. Something appeared to be written on it.
But before Lin Qiye could get a clear look, the wheel suddenly spun at high speed. That sliver of white shot across the void and flashed directly into Lin Qiye's mind.
No call to begin, no active spinning of the wheel, no Forbidden Ruins name prompt, no ability introduction... Unlike any previous reward draws, Lin Qiye felt a strange sensation suddenly surge through his mind, as if some kind of shackle had been broken. The world before his eyes transformed.
Threads extended from the void, weaving into two shimmering orbs of light at the centers of his left and right palms.
These two orbs of light resembled悬浮在空中的毛线球 (yarn balls floating in the air), their surfaces densely covered with threads extending in all directions. A large number of threads were entangled between the two orbs, as if some invisible force was trying to bring Lin Qiye's hands together.
"What's this?" Countless unfamiliar and profound pieces of information appeared in Lin Qiye's mind. He stared at the two orbs of light in his hands, digesting the information while asking in confusion, "I have two Forbidden Ruins?"
"Yes and no. They are one," the little boy gazed at the two intertwined orbs of light and said slowly.
"They have many names—【Past】 and 【Future】, 【Undetermined】 and 【Predetermined】, 【Origin】 and 【Branch】, 【Beginning】 and 【End】... But most people call them 【Cause】 and 【Effect】."
"My Forbidden Ruins are related to cause and effect?" When Lin Qiye heard this, a gleam of joy appeared in his eyes.
The little boy shook his head. "Not related to cause and effect... From the moment you awakened it, you became part of cause and effect."
"Your left hand represents 【Causeless Cause】, your right hand represents 【Predetermined Effect】. Possessing either one is enough to overturn the rules of this world... But I must warn you—you awakened far too early this time. Before achieving godhood, your spirit cannot withstand the power of this pair of Cause and Effect simultaneously."
"【Causeless Cause】, 【Predetermined Effect】..."
Lin Qiye's gaze swept across the orbs of light in his left and right hands, then he asked doubtfully, "What happens if I can't withstand their power?"
"Their existence will keep your spirit in constant tension, like a steel cable on the verge of its breaking point... If not dealt with promptly, once this steel cable snaps, it can never be repaired." The little boy paused briefly. "To put it simply—either you go mad, or you die, and no one can save you."
Lin Qiye's expression immediately darkened.
Good news: his Forbidden Ruins were powerful. 【Causeless Cause】 and 【Predetermined Effect】 both stood above the vast majority of Forbidden Ruins, even God's Ruins... Bad news: he couldn't withstand them yet.
For the current Lin Qiye, this was worse than death.
"Is this ability really that powerful?" Lin Qiye frowned. "Why does such a powerful ability have to be on me?"
After all, the current Lin Qiye was already a Human Apex, standing at the pinnacle of humanity. Yet even so, his spiritual power couldn't withstand the power of this Forbidden Ruins... Even Chloe's 001 hadn't presented such a situation, right?
"Does that really matter? What's yours is yours—no reason needed." The little boy said calmly.
"Then how do I solve the problem of not being able to withstand it?"
"That's not my concern." The little boy shrugged. "I only responsible for helping you recover your own Forbidden Ruins. What happens afterward is for you to figure out... You have at most two months before your spirit snaps from tension. You better hurry."
Lin Qiye: ...
Lin Qiye was about to ask more questions when the little boy glanced at the darkness above and said slowly, "Your time is almost up. If you don't get back now, you're really going to die."
This sentence directly silenced Lin Qiye's questions. He also looked up at the sky—nothing but endless darkness.
"How do I get out?"
"Don't ask me, ask yourself." The little boy turned around and walked into the darkness. That sliver of white gradually faded as his voice drifted to Lin Qiye's ears, "Hold Cause and Effect in your hands, and you will have glimpsed the scenery at the very pinnacle of this world... The answers to all the difficulties you face lie right there."
As the words fell, the little boy's figure vanished completely. In the boundless darkness, only Lin Qiye remained standing alone.
"All lies within Cause and Effect..." Lin Qiye murmured these words. The residual fragments of information in his mind were rapidly digested. His eyes gradually brightened. "So that's how it is."
Lin Qiye's gaze fell on his right hand. That flickering 【Predetermined Effect】 began to emit blinding light. A thread extended from within, connecting into Lin Qiye's body...
...
Outside Chang'an City.
An abandoned ruin.
In the midst of the swirling dust and sand, a cold headless corpse lay in a pool of blood. The originally scarlet blood had already congealed to a dark black. Several black crows circled above the corpse, letting out harsh caws.
One of the black crows dove swiftly downward, intending to peck at some part of the corpse. Suddenly, the right hand fingertips of the headless corpse twitched. A thread extended from within its body, shooting straight toward this black crow!
Flap, flap, flap—
This suddenly appearing thread scared the diving crow into immediately reversing course and flying back toward the sky. But its speed was nowhere near that of the thread. In the span of a blink, its body was pierced through by the thread.
The next moment, a ferocious sword gash mysteriously appeared on the black crow's back. A burst of blood flowers spattered out. It immediately lost all vitality and crashed to the ground.
At the same time, on the back of Lin Qiye's corpse on the ground, the sword wound that had originally pierced through his heart vanished into thin air!
The headless Lin Qiye slowly rose from the ground, looked around, then began shuffling toward another corner of the ruins. Finally, beneath a massive boulder, he dug out his own head and pressed it back onto his severed neck.
A second thread extended outward, quickly binding onto a section of thick city wall. With a thunderous roar, a sword gash suddenly cleaved that city wall into two pieces, causing it to collapse!
"Phew..."
Lin Qiye let out a long breath. He touched his neck with his hand—the fatal wound from the decapitation had already vanished. He looked down at his right hand. An orb of light covered in threads materialized, emanating a mysterious glow in the night sky.
"So this is, 【Predetermined Effect】..."