Above Destiny

Chapter 789 The unknown person
Everything exists naturally here, and everything is as it should be.

Including the current outcome of the game.

There were absolutely no surprises.

Ji Jue raised his hand, and a wisp of spiritual energy flowed out, calmly transforming into a sword. With nothingness penetrating the space between things, he easily crushed Fernand's counterattack with effortless ease.

It is not limited to alchemy.

When this force is applied to the struggle, from a lofty perspective, all consequences and possibilities, changes and likelihoods become clear and distinct.

There's no need to exert yourself to control or completely dominate everything; just reach out and give a gentle push at the right moment...

Thus, all things follow their natural course and transform themselves.

So Easy.

The so-called self-transformation of all things is nothing more than this natural process.

As proof of achievement bestowed by the embers, the existence of all things transforming themselves can even be described as a consequentialist view.

Half of it was destiny, and half was simply what was to be expected. Half was the skill of the craftsman, and half was the work of nature.

They can even tell the quality of the final result just by glancing at the raw materials before the furnace is opened.

After seeing through all the possibilities and changes, even accidents and mutations are part of what nature has already predetermined.

"Shall we continue, Fernand?"

Ji Jue lowered his eyes, gazing at the shattered face, without a trace of impatience: "There's enough time. We can do it again, and then again..."

Until you give up.

Fernand did not speak again.

She remained silent, watching him for a long time. Her broken expression twitched, and in the midst of her calmness, she sighed silently and released her grip.

The work of a master craftsman has fallen into the dust.

"It's over, Ji Jue."

He raised his head and looked at the faint glow of the rising sun on the distant sea, sighing wearily, "Perhaps, it should have ended long ago."

A futile struggle, an arrogant self-righteousness, or perhaps, years of decline and forbearance.

There is no longer any need for a desperate struggle, nor any room for wishful thinking or possibility.

He chose to give up.

In that instant, a cracking sound rang out. Right behind Fernand, the teetering celestial figure finally gave out, and after exhausting itself for an entire night, it vanished completely.

As the seven cities rose to prominence, they met their demise.

What goes with it is life, soul, obsession, and even everything...

"you win."

Fernand's body gradually hunched over, as if weathering away.

As the cracks spread, that face bathed in sunlight gradually became blurred.

"Ha, a lifetime of torment, futile rises and falls, all for naught. No matter how high one ascends, one will ultimately fall... Heaven's will is clear, how cruel it is to me?"

At the height of his confidence, he overestimated himself and ran into the plow maker; at the moment when he was closest to ascension, he encountered an opponent like Ji Jue.

Those who succumb to fate will ultimately fail to achieve their goals.

But when resentment and hatred surged, and a thousand words gathered, when they finally reached the tip of the tongue, only a sigh of shame remained:
"I am the old man carrying the anvil..."

Not only did the guidance on the path to ruin fail, but the cultivation within the abyss also came to naught. Now, even the grand plan of the abyss, spanning a hundred years, the westernmost pillar among the thirty-one pillars of the endless sea, has been lost because of him.

He is already beyond redemption, even if he were to die a thousand deaths.

At that moment, as the afterimage of the celestial being collapsed, the lighthouse shattered with a deafening roar.

The remaining, stagnant flames erupted, rising in vain, unable to further erode or spread. Finally, like a living thing, they surged forth in a vast, unstoppable tide, disappearing into the distance…

The whole world seemed to tremble suddenly for a moment.

Ji Jue raised his head and sensed a distant rumbling, but it was too blurry to be clearly heard.

All that can be felt is the pollution of great evil flowing through the world, raging and sweeping across the endless sea like a mountain torrent bursting its banks.

From the satellite imagery, towering, dark gray pillars rise into the sky. Then, dark gray clouds spread like a curtain over the sea.

From an outsider's perspective, anomalies rise and fall like waves.

Amidst the raging storm, a mutation that had been brewing for countless years erupted!

The pollution spread rapidly.

On the endless sea, how many more cities have been sunk for so long?
Among the thousands of islands, Fernand is not the only one stirring up trouble.

At this moment, in his final moments, Fernand, who had witnessed all of this, couldn't help but smile with relief.

With the ambition of the old man, who has planned for over a hundred years, how could the overwhelming momentum he has built up be ruined by the loss of a single city or place?
Ascension is merely an occasional occurrence; decline is the norm.

Now, right before Ji Jue's eyes, the changes that have enveloped the entire reality are finally beginning to unfold...

He fell silent.

They even ignored the approaching dark clouds in the distance, and the annihilation-level monster, Charybdis, which everyone had forgotten.

The ravaged beast, hiding in the thunderclouds and torrential rain, is rushing towards us, hungry and impatient!

Destruction has never been stopped.

At best, it only delayed things for a moment.

"The bait to lure it is inside my cane..."

In the deathly silence, Fernand's voice broke through, weak and feeble: "I placed it in the council chamber of Pucheng..."

In the very end, he chose to accept reality as a craftsman.

There was neither resentment nor malice.

Just calm.

Since the outcome has already been decided, why dwell on it?

Ji Jue was taken aback for a moment, glancing at Fernand, but unfortunately, he showed no sign of tension or urgency, completely unconcerned. "No need."

He laughed, “I have reinforcements.”

In the distance, thunder roared.

Without warning, a large hole appeared in the cumulonimbus clouds during the torrential rain.

Then, under the light of the sky, the shattered behemoth howled and slowly collapsed onto the sea, its blood spreading and rolling.

The futile struggle lasted only a moment, unable to break free from the chains binding him.

In the end, he died.

Right in front of the shattered monster, an unremarkable ship was speeding towards the Seven Cities from the Sea of ​​Blood.

Everything fell silent again, yet the world seemed to be in constant turmoil, with loud noises echoing endlessly.

From the satellite cloud imagery, those towering, dark gray beams of light began to tremble one after another, breaking apart at a speed visible to the naked eye!

In an instant, half of the pillars of light were annihilated, leaving the remaining ones dim and teetering on the brink of collapse.

Fernand stared wide-eyed, panting, but unable to utter a sound.

It wasn't until Ji Jue raised his hand and, right in front of him, took out a mask from his pocket and held it up to his face that he realized what was happening.

"You already know I'm with the association..."

He asked curiously, "Do I really look that unlike a penalty shooter?"

As the chosen one of the Embers, a pillar of the Association, a role model for craftsmen, and a rising star and promising talent of the new generation, a future master in the making, what could be his first reaction when he encounters the Deep?
Of course I'll report it!

In this world, power and connections matter!
Which craftsman is foolish enough to roll up his sleeves and draw his sword at the first sign of trouble? Do you think I'm one of those uncultured big shots?

When Ji Jue encountered a wolf, he knew he couldn't eat alone. How much more so when faced with such a major change in the entire Seven Cities? If he still didn't know to call Jiang Tongguang, then he would have been out of his mind!

Even though he didn't know Fernand's background at the time, the mere existence of the Rotten Ape was enough for Ji Jue to bombard him with phone calls.

Hu Jian had already made the call, so how could he possibly miss Huang Xu? And even his own teacher?

As soon as the call ended, his message was relayed directly to the Taiyi Ring Council through Jiang Tongguang.

The association isn't blind to the truth.

Ji Jue could see from the Dust and Haze Workshop that You Sui was researching the Disaster Beasts. The council members and masters had even wider information channels and had seen more. After the information was gathered, they used multiple methods to investigate. Even if it wasn't very clear, they could still conclude that You Sui was causing trouble during the Harmful Wind!

There's no need to dawdle any longer with the rest.

Damn it, the Punishment Team, mobilize! Mobilize them all!

kill! kill! kill! kill!

At this moment, on the endless sea, apart from Ji Jue, there are at least twenty forcibly recruited masters and more than six large workshops who are killing indiscriminately with the list issued by the association and the permission issued by the high-ranking officials of the Federal Empire!

Who cares what you, You Shen, want to do?

Just kill them!
After a long period of concealment, once a hidden agent like Fernand reveals himself, he will be met with ruthless extermination.

In fact, if it weren't for Ji Jue's meritorious report, he wouldn't have been able to take control of the seven cities all by himself!
Even so, there is still support on the way to ensure his safety.

That unremarkable fishing boat sailed all the way from the sea to the shore, smoothly cutting through the mud and rocks as if they were water.

It stopped in front of Ji Jue.

On the hull, a layer of sticky blood had not yet dried, while the blood below, which had already dried, was almost forming a thick shell.

Even the craftsmen who emerged from the ship's cabin had beards and hair bearing traces of fire and still-wet blood.

"Sorry, I ran into a few tough guys on the way, so I'm a little late."

The 'captain,' with a pipe in his mouth, dragged a heavy grappling hook as he stepped out of the deck and looked at him: "Need any help with the finishing touches?"

"No need, thank you for making the trip. Everything has been taken care of."

The blood-stained craftsman nodded, exhaled a puff of smoke, turned around, and looked at Fernand with indifferent scrutiny: "Who is this?"

"He?"

Ji Jue turned around and looked at the nearly destroyed wreckage on the ground.

Those empty eyes trembled as they looked at him, with a hint of pleading and entreaty.

He was already speechless.

But in the very end, what is it that it fears?

What are you afraid of again?
What right does a defeated opponent have to demand?
Ji Jue coldly withdrew his gaze.

"Just an unknown nobody."

He said, "It's nothing to mention."

In the silence, the last glimmer of light in those eyes vanished, and all was silent.

The final tremor was a mixture of resentment and relief, it was hard to tell.

Or perhaps, gratitude.

He abandoned his former name, abandoned the honorific title bestowed upon him by Yousui, and in the end, even his last efforts vanished completely.

In a few years, even the name Fernand will be forgotten.

Why rely on destiny?
He had already fallen into depravity.

Thus, the nameless disappeared.

Never again.

On satellite cloud images, the spread of pollution and the diffusion of distortion have not yet stopped. Even with the association's relentless pursuit and targeted cleanup, the deep-seated backlash has only just begun.

We don't know what will happen next.

"Old man of the anvil..."

As the sound of the tide gradually rose, Ji Jue looked up at the dark sky.

He just wanted to know what, after exhausting all his efforts, what would he ultimately create in this sea of ​​human suffering, given that the mortal world is now a furnace, sorrow is a flame, and harmful winds are constantly changing?

(End of this chapter)