Above Destiny

Chapter 391 Dead Ashes
In legend, the world once fell apart.

When the original gods fell from the sky, the sun disappeared without a trace, and the earth was desolate. In the darkness, frost and death flames were like a tide, sweeping across the earth and covering everything.

Then, the kings of the Chaos Age dragged the corpses of the gods and marched across the earth.

They bound the sun, fought against the desolation, imprisoned the darkness, and drove away the frost and fire, recreating everything as it is today.

Now, the flame has been reignited.

It's like coming back again.

Endless scarlet danced above the earth, and wisps of ashes and sparks fell from the sky and landed on Lu Yingyue's shoulders like rain of tears.

The thick protective clothing blocked the heat, but it could not resist the destruction and death rising from the flames. The flames climbed over the skin like a sacrificial altar.

When she looked back, she couldn't see the way she came.

But when she looked ahead, it seemed that there was only destruction and death.

I don’t remember how long I suffered…

Snapped!
The heavy pressure of Tianyuan appeared out of nowhere and crushed the corpse squirming in the flames.

Then another, and another...

The sound of explosions continued.

In the burning of the flames of disaster, the countless dead seemed to come alive again, howling, crying, and praying with hatred and resentment, but they also wanted to drag all living things within their reach into hell.

Unless someone pushes them back into hell again...

Just like myself.

At this moment, behind Lu Yingyue, countless corpses were burned into charcoal in the flames, piling up into a mountain from hell, as if stretching to the end of the sight.

That was all her doing.

all……

They rushed into the deepest part of the sea of ​​fire without hesitation, willing to sacrifice everything, but they couldn't find even a single survivor.

What I saw was not the future and light that was promised when I was selected by that crappy committee, but only hell and death.

Until finally, I was completely exhausted.

She sat down on the ground exhausted, forgetting the pain of burning...

boom!.!
When from the depths of the infinite flames, there was a roar of explosion.

A ray of fierce light descended from the sky, like a sharp blade, piercing through the burning earth and sky - then, the endless flames suddenly stagnated, like a receding tide, and began to gradually dissipate.

At this moment, the natural disaster retreated!
"Thank you for your hard work, Commissioner Lu."

In the dissipated flames, a projection that did not exist here appeared in front of her. The craftsman in white clothes was leaning on a cane. His face was blurred and his age was difficult to tell: "Thanks to the precious time you bought, the Sealing Committee and the Federation completed the communication and successfully awakened the Sky Governor.

Haizhou was saved because of this, and this trip was truly a great achievement.”

"..."

In the ashes, Lu Yingyue turned back tiredly and looked at him: "What happened?"

"A few hours ago, the real world and the vortex collided, and a rift like an abyss appeared between the vortex and reality, causing this disaster to happen."

"Where's the lock?"

Lu Yingyue suddenly became nervous, "The lock was opened?"

"It's not that exaggerated. It's just a crack."

The craftsman shook his head slowly: "The purpose of the Sealing Committee is to maintain reality and ensure the stability of the lock.

The existence of the lock is built between the Twelve Great Virtues and the Great Sin, with the supreme work of nature created by the former T5 - the sky track, the flow of life, the corridor, the spirit river, and the copy as the wedge. It is everywhere and encompasses everything.

If it could be opened so easily, the world would have been destroyed long ago, right?"

Lu Yingyue asked back: "Then why go to so much trouble?"

The craftsman was silent for a moment, as if surprised by her courage and arrogance, but he did not get angry.

The expression on that blurry face was inexplicable.

“Even if the flames are hard to extinguish, if we leave them alone, they will naturally go out after burning half of Haizhou, without causing any harm to the overall situation.

However, the key is that if the rift cannot be closed... after a long time, if something under the vortex is thrown into the world, it will be troublesome."

"More troublesome than Quancheng?"

Lu Yingyue sneered and no longer concealed her dissatisfaction.

But the answer she got was not a rebuke or a perfunctory response, but a brief silence.

Then, there was a calm reply.

"Yes, that's right."

The craftsman said, "It's more troublesome than Quancheng."

"..."

Lu Yingyue, nothing more to say.

He propped himself up tiredly and started his journey home, his steps staggering.

But in comparison, the phantom that was not here was so light that it even had time to look around and stare down at the corpses that had turned into charcoal at its feet.

As if it was commonplace, they just treated it as a spring outing.

It was not until a long time later that the phantom's footsteps suddenly stopped. It stood among the ashes and scorched earth, and raised its head as if in doubt.

Look into the distance.

There seemed to be wailing or howling still in the extinguished ashes, but it could not block out the sound coming from afar, that soft song.

Hoarse and low, it echoed in the broken hell, yet full of hope and wishes.

survivor!
For a moment, Lu Yingyue's eyes seemed to light up, uncontrollably, but then she froze in place, as if she had a belated epiphany.

"It seems that this is an unexpected situation." The phantom of the craftsman sighed, "The regulations do not provide for such a situation. Commissioner Lu, you can make your own decision."

"..."

Lu Yingyue remained silent and did not speak.

She stood in the burnt ruins, outside the wrecked carriage, through the broken door, silently, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly in her hand.

But for some reason, I didn't have the courage to open that door.

But the craftsman seemed to have nothing to do with it. He stood far away and still looked at the hell.

"Do you know? There was a story in ancient times."

The phantom suddenly said, "The story says that the gods gave a box to a little girl and asked her to keep it safely and not open it."

"..."

Lu Yingyue turned around and looked at him with an inexplicable expression.

"Yes, that's right. According to the general storyline, that's it." The craftsman sighed: "If a gun appears in the first scene, it will definitely be fired in the later scene...

Since God gave a box to ignorant mortals, then mortals will definitely open it. "

“So the contents of the box came out.”

"Disaster, despair, plague, terror, misfortune... have turned the whole world into this."

Under the residual flames, no expression could be seen on that blurry face, and it was impossible to tell whether it was compassion or ridicule.

He suddenly asked, "Do you think mortals are wrong?"

Lu Yingyue was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked: "Since you know that a mortal may open it, why give the box to a mortal?"

"Yes, the gods are arrogant and tyrannical, and they always bring down irresistible trials and sufferings on people."

"But mortals make mistakes, too."

"Her mistake wasn't to open the box, but to close it at the end...

“So, when all the disasters and pains swept everything, only hope remained in that box, buried deep in the darkness, and never appeared in this world…”

The craftsman sighed and looked at her: "Don't you think this is a good story?"

"so what?"

Lu Yingyue asked back: "What's the good thing about it? What's the point?"

“Do not hope in the mercy of gods, do not expect the foresight of human wisdom, and do not expect… that there will be an end to the so-called suffering and despair.”

The craftsman paused and sighed, "Most importantly, be careful with the 'box'."

boom! ! !
It was as if the turbulence of the earth's collapse rose from the distance, and the last bit of flame dropped from the crumbling clouds above the sky, but the broken flame dissipated in mid-air.

The flames surged and flowed eastward into the sea.

Only the last echo of destruction remained, echoing in everyone's ears.

"Now, perhaps the box appears in front of you, Lv Yingyue." The craftsman told her: "Time is running out."

He said, “You have to make a choice.”

When disasters come and go like the tide, what is left behind?
What we are singing about now is hope or the evil consequences that have not yet been exhausted?
Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would have already been deeply tainted by the sins in such a massive destruction.

Perhaps one day, the dead ashes will be rekindled, and by then, a greater disaster will be released. And everything at this moment will eventually sink into the vortex, and it will be difficult to extricate...

Now, do you want to open it?

Or, destroy it, put an end to it once and for all, and eliminate the trouble forever!

The craftsman waited quietly.

Lu Yingyue didn't say anything else.

She pushed open the door and entered.

At that moment, the singing stopped.

In the broken and derailed carriage, among the countless wreckage, only one broken figure remained. It was like an overly fragile bubble and illusion, so elusive.

In the dead silence, Lu Yingyue drew her sword.

Move forward step by step.

Until the figure finally turned around and looked at the visitor with a blade.

This made Lu Yingyue stand there in a daze.

The pale face covered with ashes was filled with compassion and tenderness.

There was no hatred or pain in those eyes, just a calm gaze. However, Lu Yingyue, covered in blood and burns, in the reflection seemed to be the real evil ghost.

There was a sound of breaking.

The cracks spread silently on that face, climbing up, gradually covering the whole body. The destruction and death that had been delayed for too long finally arrived.

No, it was more like actively facing the end.

No hesitation.

"Thanks for your hard work."

With one last smile, full of gratitude, she picked up the treasure in her arms that she had given up everything for and handed it to Lu Yingyue.

Lu Yingyue instinctively wanted to retreat.

But before that, he couldn't help but... reach out his hand.

Just like that, witness the last remnants of the disaster disappear silently.

Ashes.

No, there is another one.

She lowered her head and looked at the dying child in the fire blanket in her arms. The sword in her hand trembled silently.

Is that enough?
Enough people have died today, so why not one less?
but……

This world is barren and filled with nothing but suffering, so why not have one more?

At that moment, Lu Yingyue closed her eyes.

The sword cuts down!

In the silence, there was no more singing.

After a long time, Lu Yingyue finally staggered out of the burnt carriage.

"The evil has been eradicated, sir."

Her eyes were lowered, and she reported hoarsely: "Mission successfully completed."

The craftsman nodded and looked at the child on her back, full of confusion.

"Who is this?"

"An innocent child, that's all..." Lu Yingyue sighed contemptuously: "Even if he survives the curse of natural disasters, he will probably die soon."

"I understand."

The craftsman seemed to laugh, and it was unclear whether it was a mockery or approval, but he did not raise any objections or orders.

"so be it."

He said, “I will write this in my report later.”

Just like that, in silence and stillness, Lu Yingyue staggered forward, across the scorched earth and ashes, walked out of hell step by step, and crossed the isolation line.

An anxious voice was heard amidst the chaos.

“Survivors, survivors!!!”

"Hurry up, there's another one!"

Surrounded by many medical staff, the first aid began. It was noisy and complicated, but then it quickly returned to silence.

When Lu Yingyue pushed the door open, she only saw the leading doctor shaking his head.

"It's too late, Captain Lu..."

The doctor said, "There is no heartbeat."

"..."

Lu Yingyue's lips trembled, and she was dazed. She waved her hand subconsciously, but she didn't know what to gesture. She turned around tiredly and wanted to walk out.

He looked at the scorched earth where flames still lingered.

I wanted to roar and roar, but no sound came out.

But at that moment, there seemed to be crying.

Hoarse and intermittent.

It's like a baby being born.

On the operating table, the child who should have died opened his eyes, drowsy and dazed, as if he had walked from a long and painful dream to another nightmare.

Then, the heartbeat resumed.

As the song gradually faded away like an illusion, he lost consciousness again, and tears could only flow out uncontrollably.

“Is this a mistake?”

At the edge of the blockade, Lu Yingyue asked tiredly.

"Who knows?" said the phantom of the craftsman. "Perhaps you have already opened the box."

"What comes out then? Misery or despair?"

Then the craftsman turned around and looked at her meaningfully:

"Look at the bright side, maybe there is hope?"

"..."

Lu Yingyue closed her eyes.

"'Please ask the gods to take the box back,' Lord Tianlu, that little girl must have thought so. People should not go through such choices and tests.

Or, let the box look at it all and let it choose for itself—"

——What I give to this world is hope or destruction.

The sky furnace was silent.

In the final silence before it dissipated, he looked at the stars reappearing in the night sky.

"The wind is blowing."

He sighed softly and stretched out his hand as if he wanted to grasp something, but the fingertips of his phantom hand were empty and it was difficult to touch the erratic breeze, or the so-called fate.

The gale started at the end of Qingping.

Perhaps destiny has already come down.

The Forge of Embers begins from this moment...

Ji Jue had a dream.

I dreamed about things from the past, but I couldn't remember them clearly.

Flames, thick smoke, scorched earth, and burning red sky. The world was like a cracked glass ball, wailing and crumbling in the furnace.

At the end of the dream, he saw the endless deep sea.

I don’t know how long it had been, it seemed like thousands of years, a wisp of flame silently emerged from the deepest part of the ocean.

From the ashes, the old flame is rekindled.

(End of this chapter)