Above Destiny

Chapter 536 Flowers and Vines

The border prison roared.

Amidst the echoing roar, massive facilities began to operate. On the seemingly endless steel plain, towering machines, resembling mountains, roared into action.

The river of molten steel flows ceaselessly, the sounds of hammering and forging are ever-present, and countless mechanical tools move tirelessly within it, like a swarm of ants.

As the temperature gradually rises, the pungent air is filled with various toxins, and the noise and vibrations are incessant.

The outermost layer of the entire border prison has become a desolate wasteland unsuitable for ordinary people to live in.

And in the deepest part of the border prison, there is paradise.

In a dream within a dream, the sun shines, and life is peaceful and serene.

The plaza outside was bustling with people. After a great battle, with numerous rewards distributed, including limited-edition skins and equipment, countless people donned new gear and appearances and came to the public space to show off, occasionally barking like dogs, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

A small window divides the public space from the private area.

The hustle and bustle outside the window could be faintly heard, preventing the quiet little house from feeling too lonely and oppressive.

The flowers in the vase looked as if they had just been picked, their delicate beauty exuding a subtle fragrance. Each bloom reflected the sunlight, casting a faint iridescent glow on the wall.

"Brother, brother, flowers, flowers, so beautiful."

Among the bunches of flowers, in a box lined with soft velvet, a childlike face with lingering innocence smiled foolishly, repeating over and over, "Flowers, flowers, flowers."

"Well, it's beautiful."

Yan Fei nodded, her voice incredibly gentle.

He gently pinched his cheek, carefully, as if touching a bubble, then turned a page of the book in his hand and continued reading to him: "...a concentric, direct-acting, driven keyboard cam mechanism, the cam rotates clockwise at a constant speed...it is known that the driving wheel transmits the maximum torque...a pair of toothless, involute teeth mounted on the outer side..."

"Brother, brother, candy...candy..."

"Okay, have some candy."

Despite feeling dizzy and lightheaded, Yan Fei raised her head, picked up the candy from the table, and carefully put it into the child's mouth. The child then beamed with joy.

Licking a tiny candy bean, gazing at the flowers swaying in the breeze.

The dappled light and shadow shone on his face, as if he had blended into the flowers, leaving Yan Fei stunned in place.

He held the book, unable to read any further.

She simply watched his face quietly, and together with him, looked at the flowers.

For a long, long time, the gentle alarm clock rang, and again and again, but he was still unwilling to look away, until the final deadline was approaching.

Yan Fei carefully picked up the box and placed it among the flowers.

Then, he picked up the jar, counted out ten of his favorite candies, took them out, thought about it for a moment, then felt that eating too many candies was not good, so he took three back.

Put it in the box, within his reach, and stroke his hair.

"You can only eat one a day, understand?"

"Brother, brother..."

Her tender face wasn't looking at the flowers or the candy, but at him, repeating the same look over and over again, as if trying to hold him back.

"Brother is going out to kill the bad guys who hurt you."

Yan Fei, holding the box, bent down, pressed her cheek against his, and whispered, "Mr. Ji told me that after this dream ends, you'll recover. Then your brother can work as a car mechanic and a welder, and you can go back to school. We...we...we can..."

His voice was broken, as if he wanted to make a promise, but for some reason, he couldn't hold back his tears and choked out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I..."

Tears fell, one by one, sliding down the box.

I'm sorry for making you like this.

I really miss you.

"Brother, older brother."

"Well, I'm here."

"elder brother."

"Well, I'm leaving."

Yan Fei hugged him, and finally touched his cheek.

"wait me back."

"Let's go home together."

The door closed gently.

The soft murmurs echoed in the silence, and after a long time, they gradually faded away.

A smiling face, bathed in sunlight, sleeps peacefully among the flowers.

Wait quietly.

Ji Jue gently closed the door.

Solid alchemy, sealing off both inside and outside, the sixth layer of sealing, complete isolation.

"...Solved?" Bao Dacai, munching on a cucumber, squatted at the end of the corridor, peering around curiously.

"It went very smoothly. Even though she's so strong, she wasn't on guard against the people around her." Ji Jue sighed softly. "The stuff in the wine should be enough to keep her asleep for several days."

"To be honest, this decision is not very wise."

Old Deng shrugged and contradicted, "You should know her specialness; she is the key force in dealing with the Holy Spirit."

Ji Jue didn't speak, but turned around and looked over.

Look at him quietly.

It seemed as if he was considering it.

Until Old Deng raised his hands and surrendered.

"Okay, you decide."

Old Deng shook his head, letting out a silent sigh.

That's why they say the new generation surpasses the old.

Deng is ruthless these days, leaving no room for malice in his actions. Just because of the slightest worry or concern, he didn't hesitate to drug his teammate...

Although the starting point is protection, aren't you going too far with this?

Forget it, old man, you shouldn't get involved in the affairs of young people.

"Youth."

He sighed inexplicably, swaying as he followed behind, clutching his hat.

"Mr. Ji, everything is ready."

Wearing a respirator, Yu Shu reported in a muffled voice: "The personnel organization and arrangements are almost complete, and we can set off at any time. However, there seems to be a problem; I haven't been able to find my own assignment."

"Because there was no deployment."

Ji Jue said, "You stay here."

"what?"

Yu Shu was sluggish.

"You, stay."

Ji Jue repeated, telling him, "You must stay, Ashu."

As she spoke, she handed the box to him.

"You only have one task: keep it safe. Don't open it, and don't be nervous. Just think of it as keeping it safe for me for a while."

Aside from Wen Wen and Yu Shu, he couldn't trust anyone else to take the contents of the box.

In fact, even Yu Shu... But he trusted not only Yu Shu, but also the elder who had raised him.

Besides, Wenwen isn't the type of person who can patiently follow instructions.

This item is extremely important.

He patted Yu Shu on the shoulder one last time, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "If I fail, run away. It's not shameful to keep hope alive."

Yu Shu stared blankly at him, looking over in astonishment.

After a long while, I finally realized what was happening.

"Mr. Ji!"

Ji Jue turned around and saw his eyes, so clear even through the blurry mask.

"I...I won't run away."

He took a deep breath, trying to control his nervousness and unease: "I'll stay here and wait for everyone to come back."

Then, Ji Jue laughed.

He waved goodbye.

And so, the final door was opened.

Outside the door, rows of steel demons stood silently, like stone statues, stretching to the very edge of the steel hell.

But those pairs of scarlet eyes seemed to be drawn to a black hole, landing on Ji Jue, following his movements, and waiting quietly.

Ji Jue stepped aside and looked at Old Deng behind him.

He gestures with his hand.

What are you waiting for? Stop touching it, it's time for you to put your remaining energy to use, old Deng.

"..."

Qi Tan Lao Deng sighed softly. Anything of value would be devoured by this scoundrel.

It's one thing to take advantage of someone and then leave them, but this bastard doesn't even acknowledge their existence after he's done his bidding. He's enjoyed so many benefits, yet he can't even begin to respond to a word about Nirvana.

Well, we're in the same boat.

As fellow Mohists, let's help each other out.

In the silence, he dragged his old arms and legs slowly forward, moving to the very center of the square. He looked up at the dark clouds overhead, then looked around.

“Step back,” he said.

A synchronized, metallic scraping sound erupted, and in an instant, the surrounding demons retreated a hundred meters.

"Not enough, return it again."

So, they retreated another hundred meters.

"Not enough, keep retreating—"

The deep, rumbling footsteps echoed like thunder.

In less than a minute, a blank circle with a radius of two kilometers had appeared on the central square of the entire border prison.

"It'll be alright, but everyone should be careful."

Old Deng shrugged, pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket, opened the small cloth bag, and found another small cloth bag inside. He opened that small cloth bag again, and found yet another small cloth bag.

After unpacking the small cloth bag, you find small paper bags. Finally, after unpacking all the paper bags, you find something about the size of a bean.

After breaking free from dozens of layers of blockade, the tiny bean instantly emitted bursts of dazzling light, like a dream.

As his palm tilted down, it fell silently to the ground.

Snapped--

With a crisp sound, it disappeared into the steel and vanished, leaving only a barely perceptible ripple spreading outwards.

"Young man! How about I trade you these beans for your cow?"

The old man chuckled strangely, reciting words from the tale, awakening his last strength: "These are magical beans that can grow as tall as the sky overnight!"

Instantly, a shattering sound rang out.

The steel groans in despair.

The entire border prison suddenly began to shake violently.

The collapse of the heavens was still far off, but the cracking of the earth was already imminent. A crack suddenly appeared on the ground, and from within the crack, a winding vine suddenly extended out, like a flame, soaring upwards endlessly.

In the blink of an eye, they had already covered a distance of several hundred meters.

As the vines grow, their roots become thicker and thicker, gradually developing a metallic sheen, and rapidly expanding, expanding, and expanding again.

The steel warped, the ground shattered, and thick roots pierced through the steel, traveling between the rocks and quickly covering the entire surface of the border prison.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amidst the howling wind, the vines that had soared into the sky expanded once more, and the stone color faintly emerged from behind the cracks. Finally, they encountered an unseen barrier, but then, even the barrier was smashed to pieces.

It's climbing again, climbing, climbing!
Just as the earth reveals its creation, an endless pillar of heaven pierces the sky, cutting through all obstacles and so-called rules and constraints in its path!

up!!!

The alarm sounded instantly in the Heavenly Eye Hall, and countless angels swooped down, but it was too late.

No matter how much lightning strikes, bombardment, or artillery fire occurs, it cannot shake the growth of the vines. Every break will result in a rapid rebirth, and they will shoot up to higher places even faster and more violently.

The heavenly city was violently shaking, and under the Pope's forceful push, it began to move.

But it was too late.

The vines, like nails, penetrated the bottom of the Heavenly City, and then, through the rock and divine power, broke through the top layer and continued upwards.

In the end, it seemed that all its potential had finally been exhausted.

Rapid decay, withering, gone with the wind...

But when the vines withered and disappeared, what remained was no longer a vibrant scene, but a towering structure that rose straight from the bottom of the border prison into the sky, piercing through the Heavenly City!
“The people of all the nations on earth said, ‘Let us test the limits of the sky.’ And so, in the wrath of the gods, the Tower of Babel was built.”

At this moment, gazing at the majestic appearance of his work, Old Deng grinned, bowed slightly, and offered his final performance to the audience.

Now, people on earth can finally set foot in God's kingdom.

No longer afraid of so-called authority and anger.

"Let's go, everyone, let's go."

Before countless steel demons, Ji Jue took the first step, spreading his arms to tell everyone: "There is no turning back from here, and there are no border prisons or paradises to protect you. The real battlefield is ahead, and all the revenge and grudges you seek will be satisfied and rewarded."

The time has come for me to make my promise to you!

"Now that the gates of hell and heaven have been opened, there is no need to hesitate any longer. Let the so-called heavenly city and divine kingdom burn together!"

Ji Jue turned around, looked behind him, raised his right hand, and clenched it into a fist.

Tell them all:

"Today, we will fight the gods to the death!"

"Till death!"

"A fight to the death!!"

"Till death!!!"

Then, the demons roared and the border prison wailed.

They sang, chanting songs of hell, shouting the same slogans.

Iron light and flames converged in the darkness, boiling and surging, embarking on a path of no return.

From hell to heaven!
(End of this chapter)