Above Destiny

Chapter 657 Determination and Understanding (Thanks to HY420 for the Alliance Leader)

"Oops, I was wrong!"

In a private room of the canteen in the office building of Coastal Industry, Ji Jue suddenly slammed his hand on the table and sighed deeply: "Tell me, wouldn't it be clearer and more straightforward to write 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'?"

"what?"

Ni Lin, holding his rice bowl, stared in disbelief.

"Yes, you can write them all down."

Ji Jue immediately perked up: "In the end, we left in too much of a hurry. Actually, we could have sacrificed half of it first, then kept the other half, and then turned that old Deng into a disordered object and sent it back to the central city."

When it came time for his trial, Old Deng suddenly yelled "White Bond Forever!" and exploded right in front of those bastards... Wouldn't that be quite the spectacle?!

As he spoke, his inspiration flowed involuntarily. He only regretted that Fan Yun, that old dog, had left too quickly, that one life wasn't enough to kill him. He considered whether he should wait for an opportunity to dig him out of the shadows of the tower and kill him again to vent his anger.

"That's good enough, it's already very good enough."

Ni Lin quickly tried to dissuade him.

To be honest, even a terrorist like him on the bounty list would only kill someone and then fall to the ground.

The overwhelming resentment and boundless hatred could be satisfied by simply beheading the corpse and leaving it to rot in the wilderness. At worst, one could be so depraved as to eat its flesh and sleep on its skin. No matter how long one ponders, the limit of imagination is only to dig up the skull and use it as a drinking vessel...

Who would have thought that there were such bizarre craftsmen in the world!

From head to toe, inside and out, absolutely nothing was wasted...

Even looking at Ni Lin makes me feel like he has no humanity.

But... to be honest, it was really awesome.

He still can't suppress the urge to smile.

Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but sigh softly and solemnly said, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Wolf. If Your Majesty could know this in the afterlife, you would surely consider me a confidant!"

"Perhaps it's best not to know?"

Ji Jue sighed, frowned, and said, "Also, what's with that form of address? Didn't I tell you to change it?"

Ni Lin was bewildered: "But I have accepted your oath. You are my wolf lord, and I am your subordinate. What else can I call you if not wolf lord?"

“Mr. Ji, Boss Ji, you can just call me by my name Ji Jue, as long as you don’t call me Wolf Lord.” Ji Jue emphasized again, “Don’t call me that! I’m a law-abiding craftsman, the conscience of the Federation!”

Whether someone is kind or not doesn't really matter.

The key point is that there's a hunter watching you from behind.

Who knows when she'll break down and suddenly stab herself... It's already troublesome enough to have a name on my heart, what if she leaves a mark on my face next time? How am I supposed to live?
"Boss Ji..."

After stammering for a long time, Ni Lin finally said helplessly, "It's up to you."

There's nothing I can do; he's an honest person and doesn't talk much.

In the past, as a loyal guard of the king, Ni Lin followed the White King, abandoning the highest good and voluntarily accepting the great sin, transforming into a wolf. Now, in principle, he should also go with the White King.

The key point is that, at the very end, the White King actually severed his wolf blood oath.

To prevent him from losing control again, Ji Jue decided to go all the way and used his own White Deer Privateer's License to re-root him.

From then on, Ni Lin, who had already been promoted to the Superior Rank many years ago, was also considered Ji Jue's employee.

In other words, after the death of the White King, he was disheartened and spent all these years except for resisting the urge to eat people. He even went so far as to work at the Chongguang Church to earn money in order to raise the child he had taken in. Otherwise, how could the Rot Scales have the opportunity to show their faces everywhere under the name of the White Alliance and swindle people?

As for Ji Jue... he doesn't even know if he's a wolf or what...

Although the essence of the third wolf's transformation was indeed within himself, after the White Deer's radical changes and the fusion with the evil demon, he has become unrecognizable.

It's like confiscating the black market assets of Unborn Wolf and then transferring them to Ji Jue's company, putting his asset label on the original trademark.

The essence remains, and many enhancements and amplifications haven't been compromised, but it has completely severed its ties with the Unborn Wolf.
The advantage is that they no longer eat raw people; the disadvantage is...

—We've switched to eating cooked food!

To be precise, it's 'refined processing'.

Without even opening its mouth, it can directly plunder the opponent's life and spiritual essence through touch...

This wave of changes has seen werewolves being drastically modified into vampires.

Walking down the street, everyone looks like a pre-cooked dish.

Ji Jue didn't even have this kind of need or trouble—the mechanical deus ex machina ate much more intensely than this, and that little bit of craving was solved incidentally when eating junk food, which was even more 'nutritious' and 'healthier'!
However, the problem is...

Look at others, they're wolves in the mountains, wolves in their hearts, wolves in the forest. What kind of wolf am I?

A wolf among deer?
Or is it a wolf in the hearth?!

Forget it, just hearing that makes me want to sprinkle some cumin and chili powder on it.

Having fully experienced his tragic talent for naming things, Ji Jue has given up. He hasn't even named his own workshop yet, and the association has been urging him to come up with a name, but he still can't. If he can't think of one, he'll just leave it for now.

He didn't even intend to bring his "reverse scale" back to the Federation.

Having the White King's former guards following him around was too conspicuous, and besides, although Shinjuku was a bit chaotic, there was no place for him to play a role.

He and Huangji were working together so closely that if he quietly set up a wolf, Chen Xingzhou probably wouldn't be able to sleep well.

In contrast, the Baibang, now in complete chaos, is a place where great things can be accomplished.

Whether he wants to defy the king and expel the barbarians, restore our land, or continue raising children, it doesn't matter, he can do whatever he wants. If he really feels lonely, Ji Jue even introduced him to a part-time job!
This action, besides stemming from resentment, also served as an opportunity for him to seek revenge and prove himself.

Now that Fan Yun is on the road, the materials are in hand.

With Brother Bai Lu's reward, the main materials and offerings for Yu Chang have been prepared, and even the hidden conditions for 'assassinating the king' have been met, so there's no need to worry anymore.

Using the celestial soul, spirit, and blood of Tianyuan to consecrate the sword is more than enough.

The hottest deal, Time Wedge, was passed on to Old Man Deng of the Strange Tales...

and many more!

Ji Jue held his wine glass, slowly turned around, looked at the silent, smiling old Deng beside him, and frowned.

We've eaten, drunk, taken, and killed people. Now, the group should be disbanding, but why are you still here?
Fan Qian, who had just killed a member of his own clan, grinned and smiled slightly.

Suddenly, he asked, "Are you done enjoying yourself?"

"I've had my fun."

Fan Qian nodded, then asked again, "Is he a brother enough?"

"You're a true brother!"

Ji Jue nodded decisively.

Fan Qian's smile grew even wider, and he asked again, "Then shouldn't you help your brother with something?"

"Wait a minute!"

Ji Jue raised his hand, speaking righteously: "Accepting help doesn't mean I'm joining Nirvana! Besides, aren't I already recruiting new members for you guys? Isn't one sore spot enough?"

Fan Qian shook his head: "A sore spot is a sore spot, and you are you. How can you lump them together?"

Ji Jue glared: "Then I treated you to a meal!"

"Eat at the cafeteria?"

Fan Qian was so angry he laughed. He pointed at the table and said, "Look at this dish! Stir-fried bean sprouts, stewed bean sprouts, boiled bean sprouts, tofu, bean noodles, bean curd sheets... So many beans! Even fish would fart after eating this! And you can't even spare me a single meat dish!"

Besides, we didn't force you to come in; you came up to us on your own initiative and placed the order!"

The more he spoke, the more heartbroken he became.
"I killed the person for you, and I took the blame for you too. When those old devils from the Heavenly Overseer went crazy and came looking for him, it wasn't you who was in a hurry, was it?"
I know you made money in the city…

After a series of lengthy accusations, he said seriously, "You don't want to be associated with us, but isn't the relationship deep enough?"
Besides, the principle of non-aggression still applies to you; you at least bear that name, right? You can't just deny it, can you?

"Ha, I didn't pay! I gave you the biggest share!"

Ji Jue immediately became anxious: "Besides, if you bring this up, then we'll have to do some serious calculations!"

"When you asked me to make guns, you didn't say they were for attacking my master, did you?!"

He slammed his fist on the table, his face contorted with rage, “It’s bad enough that you almost drove me to betray the sect, but what if something happened to my master? How could I possibly live up to his high expectations and the cultivation he placed in me!”

"..."

Fan Qian remained silent.

Ji Jue also remained silent.

In the long, long silence, Fan Qian looked at his expression and couldn't help but remind him, "Friend, you're about to burst out laughing."

"……Excuse me."

Ji Jue coughed, turned around, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

Serious again.

In the end, I couldn't help it...

puff!

"have a look!"

Ji Jue's expression twitched, but he remained stubborn: "You've made me laugh out loud!"

"Ah!"

Fan Qian's expression grew increasingly mocking.

He picked up the teacup, gulped it down, put it down, and sighed one last time.

"To be honest, no one has made any excessive demands on you, after all, we really don't need you."

Now that things have come to this, if you want to part ways, fine, I don't care. But if you truly have any conscience, any sense of responsibility for the transmission of sagehood, at least come over for a cup of tea and meet me.”

"..."

Ji Jue remained silent for a long time before asking, "Are you sure you only want tea?"

"What else? You want to indulge in lavish parties and get massages?"

Fan Qian stood up abruptly, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

tired.

This dog is so stubborn and hard to control...

If I hadn't seized the opportunity, he would definitely have turned his back on me in a couple of days.

"Alright, come with me. I know you, Boss Ji, are very busy. I won't take up too much of your time. I'll try to get you back before dinner so you can continue eating your lousy bean sprouts!"

The snake-like hat was removed and thrown on the ground, then stretched open by both hands into a large, dark hole. Fan Qian took a step out and jumped down.

Ji Jue sighed, followed by Ni Lin.

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

Rabbit hole!
It's still a rabbit hole.

However, in the real world, this is clearly a masterpiece from the Eternal Gate series, and it can specify the direction and location, and comes with its own key and verification.

In less than two seconds, Ji Jue had already landed in the field.

Nestled amidst green hills and clear waters, a tranquil village comes into view in the distance.

No one could have imagined that such a tranquil and peaceful village would be the lair of Nirvana, and moreover...

"A rift?"

Ji Jue looked around.

"Hmm, what else? Stay in the mortal world? Wait to be wiped out eight hundred times a day?"

Fan Qian led the way, encountering many familiar faces along the way. Some waved, others nodded, but no one asked each other much. But, weren't there a few people?

Ji Jue frowned: "Isn't this a bit too casual? At least have a reception desk, you don't even have an office building..."

"Should we hold meetings from 9 to 5, day and night, to empower key areas, align granularity for cost reduction and efficiency improvement, and set KPIs and performance targets?"

Fan Qian rolled his eyes: "That's enough, Director Ji, stop your magic tricks."

Nirvana is a loosely organized group. Everyone has their own things to do; they just come together because of a shared goal. Occasionally, they'll have a team-building session when something interests them. At most, they help each other out; there's no forced assignment of tasks, and they don't stand on ceremony... Just think of it as a hobby club and mutual aid group.

"Your club's team building activities are pretty high-end, huh? You can even kill the emperor for fun when you're bored..."

"Don't be shy, if you have time, you can kill the president too."

"..."

Reaching the center of the village, in front of a building that looked like a meeting place, Fan Qian stopped and glanced at Ji Jue: "Alright, go in. The chief is waiting for you inside."

"What about you?"

“I’ll take Ni Lin to handle the formalities. When you’re done, go to that chicken-foot-shaped house in front and call me. I’ll open the door and take you back.”

Ji Jue waved his hand, and Ni Lin followed Fan Qian away.

He was left alone, standing in front of the door.

After hesitating for a long time, he sighed silently.

The person sitting behind the door is probably the current leader, the biggest terrorist in the entire world, while I... am just a mere craftsman.

But what can be done?

If you don't agree to be dragged onto this pirate ship, you might just smash a cup as a signal, and eight hundred white owls would jump out and shoot you to death.

We're already at the door.

Just as Fan Qian said, he was practically bound to the Mohists from head to toe. He couldn't jump ship even if he wanted to. He was going to be killed whether he stuck his head out or not. He had to meet them eventually, so what was there to hesitate about?
Therefore, Ji Jue made up his mind.

He pushed open the door.

click -

There were no executioners, no show of force, no White Tiger Hall behind the door, and no group of strange figures glaring at him angrily.

There was only one old long table with empty takeout boxes on it.

And, a figure sitting at the end of a long table, head down, playing on a mobile phone.

"You've been dawdling for so long, I thought you were just going to turn around and leave."

The leader of Nirvana raised his eyes and looked over.

Under the lamplight, the bald head shone brightly, and the burly man with a stubble beard raised his head with a warm smile, leaned back in his chair, and grinned.

"What's wrong, Ji Jue?"

The chieftain asked curiously, "Now that you have met the Master, why do you not bow?"

"..."

Ji Jue remained silent.

In the silence, he slowly stepped forward, approached, and examined him closely, his gaze sweeping over his face inch by inch, his brows slowly furrowing.

I couldn't help but sneer.

"What kind of logic is it that the Master is being so secretive, yet expects me to bow down immediately?"

Disappointed!

An indescribable disappointment!

Ji Jue finally made up his mind to meet the contemporary leader, but what he saw was only a disguise wrapped in illusion, a hypocritical smile, and a pretentious attitude.

That's ridiculous.

fake!

No matter how realistic the illusion's disguise, under the reflection of the Mirror of Images, some flaws will still emerge. No matter how insignificant the flaw, in front of the wolf's enhanced intuition, it's no different from directly exposing one's underwear.

The leader seemed to be slightly taken aback.

Change in expression.

There was no anger, only regret.

"...Well, that's true."

He shrugged and sighed: "After all, my identity is sensitive, and I rarely see people. Even when I do appear in public, I always pretend to be someone else, so much so that I've gotten used to it."

To see you like this is indeed too disrespectful... But in the end, I'm doing this for your own good!

"This is utterly absurd!"

Ji Jue sneered, "If you really care about me, why drag me into Nirvana? Besides, you've been watching me for quite some time now, ever since the Mercury Rift."
"In that case, let's part ways amicably. And I implore the chief to be merciful and spare a mere craftsman like myself, what do you say?"

"Fine, since you've put it that way..."

The leader looked at him with a strange expression, but ultimately had no choice: "Then let's be frank with each other."

I just hope you won't regret it later.

"Ah……"

Ji Jue chuckled, glancing at the way he reached out to remove his mask.

The smile froze on her face.

In the dead silence, the illusion dissipated, and after the original rough and cheerful disguise disappeared, what appeared before my eyes was an unexpected contrast.

He didn't look unkempt at all.

This leader of Nirvana, the current ruler, is remarkably handsome, dressed in pristine white robes. When he sheds his unreliable smile and treats people with seriousness, his extraordinary and refined demeanor captivates all who behold him.

If there's one minor flaw, it's that the bloody hole on the forehead is a bit of an eyesore...

In the silence, Ji Jue stood there, stunned, forgetting to breathe.

My vision was getting dark.

It was as if I had finally felt the malice coming from the whole world.

Now that things have come to this, it's too late to find a new pair of eyes to see things from.

But who can tell me that the leader of Nirvana is the world's largest terrorist organization and number one terrorist...?

He couldn't hold back any longer and screamed in agony.

—Holy crap, it's a furnace!!!!
"Holy Lord—"

In the dimly lit temple, a weary traveler pays homage and prostrates himself: "By order of Your Majesty, I have returned from Baibang. What Sheikhi found in the deepest part of Shangri-La is right here."

As he spoke, he spread his arms, and a huge iron box slowly rose from the darkness and appeared in the hall.

The sower nodded, "It's been a long and tiring trip."

"It's just my duty."

The traveler bowed his head humbly, his joy mixed with barely suppressed rage: "It's a pity that the White Alliance plan has been ruined. Those wolves in sheep's clothing are not fit for great responsibilities; instead, they tampered with the Holy Lord's plan for their own selfish desires..."

"I know."

The sower said.

The traveler was stunned, incredulous and unable to comprehend: "If that's the case, why let such a two-faced person waste resources..."

“I entrusted the plan to him. No matter what happens, whether it succeeds or fails, it doesn’t matter. It’s not his fault… It’s rare to travel together like this. Even if we end up in different places, there’s no need to be critical.”

The sower remained calm, showing neither pity nor mercy, only regret...

“Even until the very end, your heart was still empty, Sheikhi.”

He reached out and pressed his hand on the iron box, letting out a soft sigh.

If one could restrain one's ambition, how could one end up on such a dead end?
No one responded.

On the rust, the ashes of ambition rose in the wind, fell into the flames, and were never seen again.

The box slowly opened.

Nestled within layers of careful and solemn wrapping was a letter written by Sheikh, and ultimately, a treasure offered to his Holy Lord.

A broken stone tablet buried in mud and dust.

Over the years, wind and rain have eroded and peeled away the original appearance, making it impossible to recognize what it once looked like. Even the writing on it is no longer legible.

In the silence, the sower fell silent, as if lost in thought.

"I dare to ask—"

The man with pale, desolate eyes looked up and asked in confusion, "What exactly is on this? Could it be that the King of Tzu Chi left behind some kind of prophecy?"

"It's nothing more than the remnants of the past..."

The sower reached out and brushed his hand across the mottled, broken stone tablet: "What prophecy can a lost traveler, who cannot even see his own path ahead, leave behind?"

A final glimmer of light appeared on the shattered stone tablet.

For example, a wish made long ago is revived.

The last words left in this world by the compassionate and benevolent King.

Here, the transformation from confusion is returned to the world.

Here, the seeds of a new world are sown.

Thousands of years ago, a monk known as the King of Compassion and Salvation abandoned everything and passed away.

Millennia later, the sower, known as the Holy Fool, awakens from the deepest darkness of the vortex and opens his eyes…

The past is long gone, and all memories have been severed.

Even when Tzu Chi was about to pass away, they wouldn't have considered everything that followed as a continuation, would they?
Even if there is the slightest connection across such a long period of time, their hearts are completely different.

Perhaps it is the beginning of all causes, but merely one branch among all sources.

Unfortunately, in the end, everything he hoped for never came to pass.

The clear and bright world is still far away, the true nature of all things and phenomena has not yet been seen, and everything is gradually becoming ambiguous and increasingly blurred in the midst of distortion.

It seems that the answer will remain elusive until utter destruction arrives...

The sower asked the stone tablet, "Since you have already passed away, why do you still cling to it?"

Then, a cracking sound rang out.

Right before the sower's eyes, the greeting left for the long years to come vanishes silently.

The stone tablet vanished into thin air.

No residue remains.

Only a distant, soft sigh echoed endlessly.

"Even the greatest good and the greatest evil have their limits. If you start off on the wrong path, no matter how much you rise or fall, it's just wandering on a wrong path. No matter how much you understand or how determined you are, it's just a mirage."

Saint Yu raised his eyes and gazed at the dim, fading light above the vortex, which seemed to reflect the burning of the world. "What future can there be in this futile, endless cycle of death?"

Only when everything old is completely destroyed.

A new world can only begin to sprout...

(End of this chapter)