Above Destiny

Chapter 636 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Accidentally Hitting the Secondary Vehicle
Suddenly, from the flying ashes, a streak of purplish-black lightning shot into the sky.

Like a crack running through the heavens and the earth!
The spirits, having undergone rigorous transformation within the Thunder Pool, finally broke free from their constraints and restrictions, and, having removed all limitations, threw themselves into the struggle with the sole aim of annihilation.

And so, its true form was finally revealed...

In the blink of an eye, a tiny wisp of spirit had climbed to the highest point of the sky. Then, like a waterfall cascading down, the seven seas bursting their banks, and iron-like black clouds unfolded out of thin air, unleashing deafening thunderclaps.

Yin and Yang clashed, Heaven and Earth tempered each other, and amidst the brutal and violent rumbling, suddenly ten thousand bolts of lightning flowed and collided from the darkness, overlapping in one place.

The Thunder Pool unfolds.

At this moment, beneath the vast and majestic black clouds, Ji Jue raised a finger and pointed forward.

"First."

He said.

boom! ! !
The world was dark, and then, suddenly, it was bright.

A sharp light, even more intense than steel, slashed straight down from the clouds like a blade, disappearing in a flash. Its origin and departure were unknown, leaving behind only a blinding flash that scorched all eyes.

Right in front of Ji Jue, the ferocious and violent figure froze in place.

Eyes widened.

It's as if they haven't even realized what's going on yet.

Silently, it crumbled, collapsed, disintegrated, and disintegrated into pale ashes... The whole person had already been burned to ashes in the thunder that descended from the sky.

After that……

"the second."

Ji Jue raised his second finger, and the raging light once again answered the call.

The earth cracked open, as if cleaved by a knife and axe. The giant who had burrowed into the depths of the earth howled and tried to raise his hand to block it, but in an instant, he felt no heat at all.

Before being completely crushed, all you can feel is an unparalleled power.

All the heat had been converted into impact, crushing him to death beneath the ground...

"The third, the fourth, the fifth..."

Ji Jue flicked his fingers, counting casually, and then, accompanied by that gentle sound, streaks of purplish-black lightning transformed into sharp blades and descended from the sky.

Wherever it passed, eerie electric sparks lingered, like sword marks remaining in the void.

The sword marks crisscrossed like a cage, sealing off the void, causing a trace of fear and bewilderment to appear in the pairs of bloodshot eyes that were driven mad by hunger.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Ji Jue had lost his patience.

Slowly tighten your five fingers into a fist.

In that instant, it was as if an invisible hand gripped the throats of all the monsters, and under the terrifying pressure of the sky pressing down, it was difficult to breathe.

[Sir, a total of sixty-two targets have been identified, and the entire range of aberrant souls has been locked down.] Isis said: [The spiritual energy supply is ready to begin.]

Then, a crisp snap of fingers rang out as Ji Jue raised his palm.

The faint echoes spread lightly, heralding the beginning of destruction.

In the instant of deathly silence, the dark clouds in the sky suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light, illuminating the entire outpost, as if the world had turned white.

Then, as the dark clouds burned away, even more dazzling and majestic lightning descended from the sky.

Spiritual Material Reserves, now fully open!
In an instant, all the mixed spiritual energy, life, and soul accumulated along the way were burned to ashes in the Thunder Pool. Everything was transformed into pure destruction amidst the clanging of Zhanlu.

There were no cries of agony, nor any loud noises; it was as if even sound had been killed.

In the ear-ringing silence, only sixty-two pure and dazzling bolts of lightning pierced through the heavens and earth, and all the obstructive figures in front of him disappeared.

Only ashes filled the air and fell.

They can no longer distinguish between humans and wolves.

"Finally, I feel a bit better."

Ji Jue sighed softly, turned around, looked behind him, and heard the dying wails and screams in mid-air.

So desperate.

A minute ago, Tong Shan raised his head and looked at Jin Wuyan in mid-air, staring at his face, which was gradually becoming distorted and hysterical amidst his maniacal laughter.

Gradually, they degenerated into wolves.

Perhaps it was because he killed too many people, or perhaps he lacked self-control, or perhaps he received too many gifts from the forest kingdom, which gradually led him to madness.

Or perhaps, it had already transformed into a wolf before revealing its wild beast form.

Tong Shan looked at him and sighed silently, "What are you anyway now?"

"Yeah, what does it matter? Does it even matter?"

Jin Wuyan, basking in the gifts and promotion, smiled contemptuously. He understood what had happened to him, but he no longer cared.

Perhaps it was the influence of wolves, or perhaps it was a natural change.

Mere hunger and thirst could not drive him mad, and now, he felt no regret or hesitation whatsoever, but rather an unbelievable sense of refreshment.

It was as if they had been freed from their shackles.

That's why, when she looked at Tong Shan, she felt even more disgust and jealousy, and she made no attempt to hide it: "On the contrary, you are still a hypocrite... pretentious and disgusting."

"Before we take action, let me ask one more question."

Tong Shan continued writing, and finally asked, "Jin Wuyan, is this really worth it?"

"……worth?"

Jin Wuyan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, bending over backwards with uncontrollable joy, almost laughing until tears streamed down his face: "Whether it's worth it or not, do I have a choice? Do you have a choice?"
Tong Shan, it's me who wants to ask you—is it that I, fucking, don't want to put on a show? Don't I, fucking, want to be a role model?! I've done so much dirty work, cleaned up so many messes for the Federation, watched so many idiots rise through the ranks while I'm stuck in the cesspool, even breathing fresh air is a luxury…

Now someone standing on the shore is actually asking me whether it's worth it or not.

Why don't you go ask the people of Zhongtu, Tongshan, go ask Baibang, go ask those people who died mysteriously, is it really worth it?!
Or, you could feign shedding a couple more tears, seizing this last chance.

That distorted face could no longer contain its ferocity:

"I've put up with your idiotic behavior for far too long!"

From the moment we spoke until now, all the power that had been silently building up in that brief conversation finally erupted at this moment, ignoring all the serious consequences and having no more scruples.

Jin Wuyan has completely erupted!

Flames infused with the blood of wolves shone like the blazing sun in the sky, radiating boundless light. Streams of plasma burst forth, easily cleaving the earth and tearing the sky apart.

Towards the earth, towards...

bare hill.

Tong Shan remained silent and drew his sword.

With a flick of the wrist, the brush flashed.

What happened...?

In the dead silence, Jin Wuyan's vision blurred, and he became completely stunned.

It felt like falling into an ice cave.

The blazing sun, which had been formed by the power that had been accumulated to its peak, seemed to have vanished as if it were an illusion. No, it didn't vanish, but rather... it was completely erased.
Not only that, but his own matrix has been completely pierced, his soul torn apart, and he has been shackled by the darkness.

In the blink of an eye, everything has changed completely.

Only a stroke of the brush, sweeping across his neck.

An understatement.

A wisp of ink silently meandered and slid down, like blood.

"...Of all that nonsense, there's only one sentence I agree with."

Before he knew it, Tong Shan appeared behind him, slowly sheathing his sword: "What a coincidence, I've been putting up with you for a long time."

How……

Jin Wuyan's eyes widened as darkness rapidly enveloped his vision, unable to comprehend what had just happened!

Until he saw a burning page of a book slowly falling from the sky, fluttering and turning like a butterfly.

The pages were filled with countless tiny characters, all of which contained information and details about Jin Wuyan, from his birth date to his life story, from his marriage to his resume, down to the smallest detail. In the end, the massive amount of characters overlapped and came together to form a simple sentence.

Jin Wuyan died here.

It was a funeral invitation, a...obituary?!

Then, he finally realized what was going on.

His face twitched, unable to contain his anger, even his mockery.

What kind of moral exemplar is this? What kind of stupid federal model is this?! What the hell does this even mean?! This guy was already prepared to use dirty tricks all along!
Even before today, even before myself!!!
What exactly does this mean?!

He meticulously planned and schemed, going all out in every sense of the word, gathering all his information and intelligence, searching for all his weaknesses, preparing for a fatal blow, waiting for him to walk right into his trap, until today…

"Ho...ho..."

The shattered face opened its mouth and roared, but no sound came out; only a mournful howl squeezed out of its throat, like a wail.

Amidst the swirling ashes, Tong Shan turned back one last time, glancing at the beast. "Finally, let me tell you something, Jin Wuyan—"

"What I have to endure with all my might is not just you, but also you. Among the things that force me to endure, you are nowhere near my turn."

With a dull thud, Jin Wuyan fell backward.

The ink spread and meandered, covering his body and soul, dissolving into a murky blot of ink that would never be seen again.

It was as if they had never existed.

In the silence, Tong Shan raised his hand and pressed it against his throbbing forehead.

He looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.

In the end, I couldn't help but laugh at myself.
.
"bare hill--"

Before he departed for the Central Plains, as he bid farewell to Commander Lü, he heard a voice behind his desk.

After the amiable guardian among the books put down his pen, he suddenly asked, "In your opinion, what is the difference between Tianyuan and Bailu?"

Tong Shan was momentarily stunned.

Unexpected.

He never expected that Lu Zhenshou would suddenly ask him such a basic and simple question, to the point that even he himself began to doubt himself.

After a long silence, he finally answered solemnly, "Order and freedom."

"So, here's the question..."

Lu Yingyue's smile was clearly mocking: "Whose focus is on order, and whose essence is freedom?"

Tong Shan was stunned and speechless for a moment.

"Just think of it as the ramblings of an old woman who is getting on in years. Relax, it's just some heresies and delirium."

Lu Yingyue picked up her teacup, took a sip, and put it down before slowly saying, "Tianyuan Bailu, seemingly opposed to each other, are actually entangled in countless ways, almost like mirror images, making it impossible to distinguish which is whose reflection."

Among the twelve supreme virtues, the relationship between the two is much closer and more intimate than that of the other supreme virtues, even to the point that they are like one entity... to the point that if one is damaged, the other is damaged as well.

If we were truly at odds, why would things have come to this? If we share the same origin, why are we so incompatible?

Lu Yingyue asked slowly, "But if there really is a connection, then where does this common ground lie?"

In the silence, Tong Shan remained silent, pondering, but ultimately had no words to say.

Until I heard her soft sigh.

"The answer is, [equality]."

Between Lü Yingyue's outstretched hands, ethereal lines extended and transformed into a familiar shape, with the emblems of Tianyuan and Bailu rising and falling on her left and right hands.

And in the middle...

"See? It's like a balance scale, isn't it?"

Lu Yingyue gave a mocking smile: "They are clearly two opposing forces, with vastly different performances and completely different strengths, but their weaknesses are exactly the same..."

Choose the White Deer, die equally, live equally, fight equally in equal chaos, and have no control over life or death.

Choosing [Tianyuan] means being equally bound and equally unfree; in an equal coexistence, one is trapped in a cage.

The real focus is never on what you've gained, but on what you've lost.

"...I've learned a lot."

In silence, Tong Shan solemnly lowered his head.

"Ha, I haven't even started teaching you yet, Tongshan."

Lü Yingyue was amused and slowly shook her head: "In life, people often have unrealistic fantasies, no matter how conservative and steady a person is."

People often mistakenly believe that power will bring them more choices, but that is not the case.

Some powers, the more they hold in their hands, the fewer options they have left.

Just like, you—"

She looked at her former most admired assistant with such pity.

How much she once admired this jade-like reserve, conduct, morality, and bottom line, how much she now regretted it.

To emerge from the mud unsullied is ultimately just wishful thinking. What we truly see is white sand turning black in the mud... Once you fall into that quagmire, what will you become when you climb out again?
"The Heavenly Prison draws a circle on the ground as a prison, but the first thing to be trapped is often oneself."

"You're already in the cage, Tongshan."

Lu Yingyue sighed softly: "If you can't get used to this shackle that coexists with the cage, you can either smash the cage to your heart's content and live for yourself, or you can do nothing and be swallowed up by the cage, becoming unrecognizable... But before that, you must figure out what you really want to insist on."

Tong Shan raised his head and asked bluntly, almost offensively, "Will this really solve the problem?"

"Perhaps, perhaps it can't be solved, and a desperate struggle will be futile."

Lu Yingyue rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and then laughed from the bottom of her heart:
"At least, it was a quick and painless death."
.
Now, Tong Shan finally understood the meaning behind Lu Zhenshou's words.

Furthermore, between 'smashing the cage and giving up' and 'standing still and becoming unrecognizable,' the third option she pointed out to herself was to twist the cage into the shape she wanted, straighten all the unsightly branches, and cut off all the unbearable 'fellow inmates' one by one!

So, it was only natural that they turned on their colleagues, turning against each other to the death.

There's no need to pretend anymore.

Even... it wasn't just Jin Wuyan; long before this, he had already regarded countless people as opponents and enemies that he would inevitably eliminate one day!

Is it really worth abandoning all those years of navigating ethical boundaries, bending down to embrace the unscrupulous rules?
After taking this step, what will I become in the future?
It doesn't matter anymore.

At this moment, he lowered his eyes and gazed at the ashes flying in the wind, feeling neither sadness nor joy, but only an unprecedented ease.

"That was really satisfying."

boom! ! !
The deathly silence was broken by a higher, more distant roar.

Above the dark sky, two cracks opened up, and then, scorching light shot down from the cosmic sky, piercing through the forest kingdom. Each beam burned everything within a radius of several miles, causing the earth to tremble and the sky to shake.

The Imperial Passarella seized the opportunity and went all out.

Tianyuan has completely gained the upper hand!
They pursued relentlessly, without holding back, until the continuous waves spread and expanded. In the deepest part of the forest kingdom, in that writhing darkness, a faint figure finally appeared for a fleeting moment…

At that very moment, the White Deer Hunters, who had been lying in wait since the start of the war, suddenly made their move!

God!

Those are the heads of the Liezhi Feiguang and Dongjiao Yingri families!

With the Sun-Reflecting Arrow and the Bitter Day Illusion Light almost dripping from his hands, he suddenly attacked, striking straight at the core. After lying in wait for a long time, he suddenly burst out, seizing this crucial opportunity and killing with one blow!

In the tearable darkness, a strange figure seems to be mocking you with a laugh.

He simply took a slow step back.

It seemed to dissolve and disappear.

The bitter day and the reflected sun brushed past each other, losing their target... No, it should be said that from the very beginning, the energy that Fei Guang and Dong Jiao locked onto was wrong!
The misleading influence of the wolf in your heart!

In a moment of stunned silence, Ku Zhou and Ying Ri hit their 'target'!
【? 】

The mountain of corpses stood motionless.

He lowered his head blankly, looking at the two deep gaps in the massive body. For a moment, he opened his mouth as if to say something.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

boom! ! !
The White Pavilion Demon, who had been lagging behind since the start of the war, suddenly exploded.

There wasn't even time to scream.

No one expected that the first to die in the fight between Tianyuan White Deer and the wolf would be Corpse Mountain, who had come to feast!

The enormous body plummeted from mid-air, expanding further as it fell.

In the end, literally, it became a mountain of flesh.

With a deafening roar, it crashed onto the earth and exploded... A torrent of blood gushed out, shooting into the sky, mixed with countless corpses, staining half the sky crimson.

Throughout the entire forest kingdom, countless corpses and blood rained down, and wails rose and fell. And within the scattered souls of the evil demon, a genuine calamity gradually sprouted and was born.

The countless corpses that had just died on the entire wasteland convulsed and spun, rising again amidst their decay... If this is not handled properly, there will likely be another natural disaster in the world from now on.

Now, nobody cares about natural disasters anymore.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the second figure falling from the sky...

— Passarella!
In the instant that the sun and the bitter day shone, a strange silhouette appeared out of thin air from behind the Passat, seizing this crucial moment and opening its mouth wide.

Wolf of the mountain!
The suppression and expulsion of Tianyuan, Passarella's counterattack, and the fierce attack of Huangji Tianren—in this brief moment, countless people converged their fire.

As a result, they were all accepted without question.

Eat it all!

It was just a few minor scorch marks on the fur.

Immediately afterwards, there was a click.

Beneath the gaping maw of that wolf-like incarnation, the Passarella was severed at the waist...

dead!
(End of this chapter)