Above Destiny

Chapter 656 Li Lou
In the silence, the ocean flows beneath the terrace, its waves surging and roaring.

Fan Yun picked up his wine glass again and drank it all in one gulp.

meditation.

He had started thinking about this ever since Ji Jue left—no, he had started thinking about it even before Ji Jue made his sarcastic remarks.

Since arriving in the Middle Kingdom, no one has dared to speak to him like that for many years.

Anger is natural, but it's not enough to shake one's reason. So-called anger is the most meaningless thing; the more critical the moment, the more important it is to remain calm.

Since embarking on the path of Tianyuan, he has become accustomed to patience and composure. Up until now, seventy-four years later, he has endured countless hardships and doesn't even care about the so-called nickname of 'old tortoise'.

No matter how harsh or sarcastic Ji Jue's words were, he wouldn't lose control.

—Would you get furious if an insect was making too much noise?

He just wanted to know who gave this insect such ridiculous courage...

At this critical juncture, who is behind it all?
Lü Yingyue? Does she want to kick him while he's down, to trample him underfoot, and to curry favor with other factions? Or has the Di family discovered the secret alliance between themselves and the Li family and want to take advantage of his misfortune? Is Ji Jue trying to use him as a raft to build his reputation? Or is this a provocation by the Taiyi faction against the Tianyi faction?

One name after another flowed through my mind.

Lost in a thousand thoughts, he finally put down his wine glass, his face still ashen, and looked at his secretary who had been waiting for who knows how long not far away.

The secretary's expression twitched, but she managed to maintain her composure: "General..."

"I see."

Fan Yun stood up and looked at the two specialists behind the secretary: "Alright, let's go."

"Please."

The commissioner's expression was warm and enthusiastic, showing utmost respect, and he immediately made way for them.

Fan Yun let out a cold laugh; he had finally fallen on hard times.

The craftsmen who once dared to bark and howl at him like wild dogs are now the ones who have to ask him for favors in the military base he built with his own hands…

Without saying a word, he walked ahead, heading straight for the airship that had just landed.

Even now, he still maintains his dignity, and all treatment is extremely thoughtful. His favorite wine is even prepared in the private room, and the service is meticulous.

Everyone was very polite.

'Promotion' has replaced 'demotion', 'performance review' has replaced 'trial', and 'rest' will replace 'liquidation'... Just like how the comrades sent from the city center will no longer wear the identity of 'escort' on their chests.

Everything that appeared luxurious was actually no different from a prison van.

The disgraced official Fan Yun was escorted to the capital.

Waiting to be knocked into the mud, or to be put to good use...

"Ah."

On the gradually rising airship, Fan Yun quietly looked out the window at the increasingly smaller military base, momentarily lost in thought.

How many years has it been...

All the effort and hard work I put in, and everything I created from scratch, has now vanished, and soon a new successor will arrive to take full control of everything.

The operation of the celestial order is never shaken by human joys and sorrows, and no one is indispensable.

Even celestial beings are the same.

He closed his eyes and sighed silently.

Deep down, I began to think again.

Even though the future was uncertain, he knew all too well what the next steps would entail.

The airship will arrive at the closed airport in Midtown twelve hours later, and then a car without license plates will take him to a picturesque sanatorium. For the next period of time, he will not see anyone, nor will he be able to receive any messages or make any phone calls.

During this brief period of isolation, his fate will be determined by the struggles and communications between the various factions within the military and the legislature—no, perhaps the struggle had already begun long before he received his transfer order.

Ultimately, after the judgment of the two Heavenly Supervisors, Taiyi and Tianyi, the tool named Fan Yun will have its final fate decided.

After being stripped of their divine status, they were confined to a sanatorium for life, serving in vain as "waiters of use".

This would undoubtedly be the worst possible outcome, but this critical juncture is actually my opportunity!
The appearance of the Fourth Void Abyss unexpectedly became his lifeline...

If I'm not mistaken, he will receive a new transfer order in half a month or a month, to continue to contribute to the Federation, exhaust himself, redeem himself, and strive for greater benefits, until one day he is completely exhausted.

Just like the Passat, its fate is not in its own hands.

He closed his eyes and let out a mocking sigh.

He mocked himself, and he also mocked those opponents who wanted to kill him. In the end, he had fallen to this state, but he still had a chance to get back up.

But for a moment, his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

involuntarily.

For some inexplicable reason, I recalled Ji Jue's mad dog-like smile and his eyes... There was no mockery, no contempt, just indifference and calmness.

It's like looking at a dead person.

"wrong."

Fan Yun suddenly became alert.

A premonition suddenly arose in my heart—something was wrong. Was there something I didn't know?

What else was unexpected?
His eyes suddenly lifted.

His brows furrowed.

Just now, the airship suddenly lurched, and hurried footsteps passed by outside the door, sounding chaotic, but it quickly stabilized again.

It was as if nothing had happened.

"what's up?"

He pushed open the door, but before he could even step out, he saw the clerk blocking his way.

The commissioner remained smiling, standing guard at the door, not allowing him to step out: "General, please rest assured, it's just high-altitude airflow."

But the secretary in the corridor not far away looked pale and was looking at him with unusual anxiety.

They were stopped.

Fan Yun glanced at his secretary, then looked at the commissioner: "I don't think I'm being interrogated yet, am I?"

"of course."

The commissioner understood his meaning and glanced at his secretary: "If you insist."

"Is it against the rules to have a drink with my subordinates?"

Fan Yun made the request, no longer caring about causing any further complications.

The commissioner glanced behind him, and the obstructers stepped aside, allowing him to pass. The commissioner said nothing more, only smiling and nodding to Fan Yun: "If you need anything, please let me know."

The door is closed.

In the silence, Fan Yun's expression darkened for a moment, then he regained his composure: "What is it?"

The secretary's lips trembled, cold sweat poured down her face, and she instantly turned deathly pale. She pulled out her phone: "Just received a message that half an hour ago, Rotten Scales appeared in Midtown, attempting to assassinate the president but failing. They found... found what was stored at our military base..."

His voice had lost control, trembling and off-key: "Fusion bomb..."

Sheikh?!

Fan Yun was momentarily stunned, then enraged, his eyes turning bloodshot.

Using the Federation's fusion bomb to assassinate the Federation's president, just when he himself had begun his journey...

A flash of lightning illuminated a hypocritical smiling face before his eyes, sending a chill down his spine. He roared incoherently, "Lü Yingyue!!!"

Dogs that bite don't bark!
That's ruthless, absolutely ruthless!

The Taiyi faction is really leaving no way out; are they trying to wipe them out completely?
No, hold on, we must first...

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

I noticed something was wrong.

On the secretary's lit-up phone screen, there were no messages, only a familiar smiling face, a mocking wave, a silent greeting.

And right under the screen's cover, a scarlet blade had already pierced his body... There was no pain, no awareness, he didn't even realize when the sword had been thrust out!

【Phantom Cut】!
This assassination technique is said to be invisible and without warning, capable of causing people to die painlessly, without illness, and even without them knowing they have died!
There was no time to look up. In the reflection of the screen, he saw the secretary's panicked face, the smile on her face, and even her bloodshot eyes.

Ferocious as a wolf!

That is a deep-seated hatred and bitter resentment that has continued to this day since the destruction of the White Alliance!

He grinned, revealing a silent, overwhelming smile.
"Praise the Wolf Lord."

In that instant of shock, what I felt was an unprecedented rage.

That's absolutely fucking nonsensical!
How dare these scoundrels, who can't even stand in the light of day, show their faces before me!
The power of heaven and man erupted without hesitation!

Unfortunately, it's too late.

The sword of rebellion was nothing more than a greeting. Long before that, a strange hat had appeared out of thin air in the reflection of the airship's porthole.

Like a snake that has eaten an elephant, a hand reached out from the hat and, through its reflection, pressed against the porthole.

A sudden jolt.

Everything inside the private room was replaced by the illusion of drinking and cursing, while they themselves had been pulled into the reflection of the porthole.

In an instant, reality and illusion shifted. Immediately afterward, the blood-red light of Pan Ying erupted with a deafening roar, and violent crimson flames surged and flowed from within, instantly filling the body and soul, and in an instant, burning everything in the entire private room to ashes.

Reinvented!

At most, it was only for a moment; to celestial beings, this level of trauma was utterly insignificant... insignificant...

Fan Yun's cold smile froze.

Just as the blood and fire erupted, a hand slowly reached out from behind and pressed down on his head. The dark flames grinned silently, and then, a point of dark light quietly appeared between his five fingers, rushing straight in through the gap opened by Pan Ying...

It was like a spark falling into phlogiston, instantly escalating, spreading and eroding inwards, carrying with it a deep-seated hatred and a desperate madness.

—So-called, 【unnatural death】!
Since its inception, it has been at odds with Tianyuan, a flame specifically created to target the evil deeds of Tianyuan, and the seed of karmic retribution that once burned down the palaces of the Eternal Empire!

In that moment of confusion, what appeared before my eyes were blood-stained faces.

Whether old or young, male or female.

His sun-tanned, bronze skin was riddled with cracks, and winding streams of blood and tears flowed from his hollow eyes. His rotting bones danced and swaggered in the abyss-like darkness.

As the viscous blood and flames rose together, they entangled his soul, tearing, gnawing, and retaliating hysterically.

The grotesque faces, reduced to the state of beasts, layer upon layer, endless, like an ocean!

He was falling rapidly...

Simply ridiculous!
"This petty squabble is not worth mentioning!"

Fan Yun roared, and the Celestial's Time Wedge erupted, forcibly pushing open the pitch-black flames, trying to crawl out of the sea.

But in that instant, he saw the old man slowly crawling out of the hat.

And there's the dressing mirror in the old man's hand.

The mirror of the dressing mirror opened and closed like an eye. Looking at him, a blurry figure appeared in the reflection of the mirror, as if he was lying on a folding chair, sunbathing and smoking a cigar. Urged by his companion, he helplessly pulled out a pistol and casually pulled the trigger towards the outside of the mirror.

Bang!
In the recorded footage, a bullet, almost invisible, flew out, crossing the sea of ​​bitter hatred and the flames of death, and struck the center of the forehead.

Fan Yun's eyes widened as his consciousness and soul completely severed from their connection, plunging into a sea of ​​flames and blood.

Having exhausted all strength, he fell backward.

"What a coincidence that we meet again!"

In the gradually dissipating black flames, a familiar smiling face looked down and solemnly greeted:
"General, how have you been?"

That is……

Fan Yun's pupils suddenly contracted.

—Ji Jue!!!
For a fleeting moment, his expression twitched, and he revealed his trump card with all his might: "I can give up the position in the military..."

"Shh!"

Ji Jue raised a finger to his lips: "Don't talk, I'm busy."

Click.

With a crisp sound, a pitch-black toolbox was placed beside Fan Yun and slowly opened, revealing neatly categorized tools in the air.

With a flick of the wrists, a mat was unfolded.

"Heave-ho, get up!"

With the combined efforts of Ji Jue and Ni Lin, Fan Yun's body was moved onto the mat.

Then, in front of him, Ji Jue washed and disinfected his hands, raised his hands, put on sterile gloves, picked up scissors, and began to cut open his trouser legs and cuffs.

The cold touch of steel cutting through flesh sent a shiver down Fan Yun's spine. His eyes widened in shock as he glanced sideways at Ji Jue, forcing out a question amidst the burning rage: "What exactly are you...?"

"Please don't misunderstand, this is really not a test or a threat, and I have no intention of making any promises or extorting you."

Ji Jue answered without looking up, took out a marker, drew a positioning mark on his naked body, then pulled out a bone knife and, without thinking, slashed across him.

Open the abdomen!
Just like in the chemical lab at the federal military base back then, the onlookers were still the same onlookers, and the assistants were still the same assistants.

When the past reappears, everything seems to be different again.

There are no conspiracies, no ambitions, only the purest research and analysis, the most straightforward dissection and disassembly.

In his numbness, he couldn't even feel the pain. Entangled in the flames of death, he was overwhelmed by countless bloodstained faces, and distant voices reached his ears.

"To be honest, I hate politics."

It's too vague, too chaotic, a sticky, tangled mess, like an overcooked stew—disgusting… Give me the saw, please.”

Amidst the sharp scraping sound, that indifferent voice rang out once more:
"General, I firmly believe that a truly beautiful world should be as clear and bright as flowing spring water, and as orderly as woven silk brocade."

So let's go back to the purest time of all things, let's believe together..."

"A person should pay the price for their actions!"

click!
The sword of spirit pierced through the soul, tearing it apart inwards.

A cold hand ruthlessly pierced through consciousness, gripped the Celestial Wedge of Time, and then, without mercy, unleashed the Disintegration Technique: Jing Zhen!

"Someone like you, death? Fine! But to atone for your crimes through meritorious service? No way!"

He said, "I won't allow it."

boom! ! ! !

Like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, Shi Xi only trembled slightly, without wavering, but then, a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth... endlessly, as if it would never end.

Until the first crack appeared, then the second, the third... amidst the intertwining of tiny cracks, the chilling sound of cracking finally rang out!

Entangled and entangled by the flames of death, Fan Yun roared but could not utter a sound. His dark gray eyes, bloodshot and wide open, suddenly widened, but he could not see anything clearly.

All I could feel was my soul, everything I was, sinking into an endless sea of ​​blood, slowly being consumed by the venomous bites of countless faces…

By stripping away the connection between consciousness and soul, severing the resonance between heaven and man and time, the material is peeled away layer by layer from the outside in.

Blood, bones, life, and everything.

With the help of the legendary old man, they carefully and cautiously extracted life from the body, little by little, and separated the essence of supreme goodness from the soul.

They were processed, prepared, and sealed in different categories.

Even Time Wedge, under the chains of the Strange Alchemy, fell completely silent, offering no further response.

In the end, all that remained on the dissection table was a withered, empty shell, a soul with nothing but pain, and a consciousness with no capacity for thought other than lucidity.

In vain, he could only whimper; having lost his vocal cords, he could not utter a single word.

Cursing? Or pleading?
It doesn't matter anymore.

"It's time to say goodbye, General."

Those dark eyes looked down at him and finally told him, "It's a pity that the destination of this journey is not Midtown, and there is no exclusive service or private room."

He said, "You should go where you are meant to be."

In that instant, Fan Yun's body suddenly convulsed, he roared, and his bloodshot eyes almost blurred, reflecting Ji Jue's face.

And behind Ji Jue, there was that gradually emerging, ferocious silhouette...

Therefore, a sacrifice is offered to the great evil.

—The shadow of the tower has been waiting for you for a long time!

"Remember what I said?"

Ji Jue smiled and waved: "Have a safe journey."

In that instant, Fan Yun's eyes widened in despair, and he didn't even have time to leave a last word... Thousands of black lines snaked out from the shadows, writhing like living things, and entangled on his trembling soul.

Darkness loomed over us!

The endless, eternal fall begins here!
Towards the abyss.

By the time the specialist, sensing something was wrong, knocked on the door, it was already too late.

The locked door to the private room was yanked open, but everything that came into view was completely unrecognizable.

In the deathly silence, no sound could be heard.

The wine in the glass still exuded a sweet aroma, and the air conditioning was ample, without a trace of stuffiness. Unfortunately, the person who should have been enjoying all of this had become a withered corpse kneeling on the ground.

Sharp needles pierced through the empty shell, forcibly propping the corpse into a fixed position.

The head was severed and held in the corpse's hands; the twisted face still seemed to bear traces of savagery and despair...

But on its broken neck, a snarling wolf's head was sewn on.

Empty eyes stared at the intruders, a hungry, ferocious glint in them.

Such mockery.

"..."

The commissioner stood there, his face pale, and staggered back a step.

They even forgot to breathe...

On the wall, someone, with blood still wet on their lips, wrote a final question for the saints of the central city.

—What makes humans different from animals?

(End of this chapter)