Above Destiny

Chapter 798 Strength and Weakness, Life and Death
The following day, waves rippled between the sea and the sky.

Between the celestial pivot and the deep abyss, countless earth, stones, metals, and iron rose up like a torrential rain, rising against the sky, rushing and colliding with each other, creating countless sparks.

A magnificent and boundless scene enveloped everything, with countless spiritual substances rising and changing, and the converging earth, stones, and illusory light constantly shifting and intertwining.

Ascension and fall; purification and impurity; transformation and conflict; integration and disintegration... The essence of alchemy constantly emerges from the countless flashes of alchemy.

The surging waves of spiritual energy stung every pair of eyes, making every craftsman seem like an ant beneath those vast waves.

It's like hundreds of hands constantly vying for, building, and destroying.

Through this process, they vie for control of their own destiny, while simultaneously suppressing their opponent's performance. Their cunning and strategic battles even begin during the construction of the playing field.

Right before the Heavenly Furnace and the Anvil Elder, a complete rift suddenly appeared out of nothingness, rising from the ground. Thunder and storms constantly changed within it, and finally, desolation and abundance flowed together, and the arena, modeled after the present world, was thus completed.

Beneath the surface of open and covert struggles, countless schemes and battles rage on, with destruction and rebuilding occurring repeatedly.

Creation is carried out for the purpose of destruction; composition is carried out for the purpose of destruction.

The embers and decay clashed and clashed, never achieving any balance. Instead, they annihilated and erased each other, eventually turning into chaos.

After repeated collapses of physical properties and overloads of spiritual energy, it became a battlefield that was completely insulated from and equally disadvantageous to both sides.

"It's so nice to see a scene like this again."

The old man sighed softly, looking at the Heavenly Furnace before him and the Heavenly Pivot behind him, and chuckled softly: "More than two hundred years ago, I was right here, fighting against your teacher."

"Yeah."

Tianlu didn't even lift his eyelids, and asked in return, "More than two hundred years have passed, how come you haven't made any progress at all?"

"The embers are cruel and have no mercy for the ordinary."

The old man still smiled, patted his knee, like an old man on his deathbed, and said, "A mediocre person like me dares not aim too high, so I can only take it slowly and plan for the long term."

Fortunately, perseverance pays off; even a person as profound and wicked as myself can now stand against Lord Tianlu.

"Would you like to give it a try?"

Tianlu laughed and asked curiously, "Maybe I really am injured. Some things are worth trying."

"forget it."

The old man didn't move. "Let's wait a little longer. There's no rush."

He thought for a moment and said seriously, "You have to take things slowly. I've always been a bit slow. After all, I'm not as good as you."

It wasn't a pretense, and there was absolutely no hypocrisy involved.

He genuinely believed this.

Even if Tianlu were seriously injured and on the verge of death in front of him, he would never make a move, and he would not even waver in the slightest.

Because it's not time yet.

So don't rush.

Just as the Carrion Eater said to the Forge: He had been like this since the day he became an apprentice.

I never expected to reach the top overnight, nor did I consider myself anything special. Instead, I regarded myself as ordinary, taking things one step at a time, climbing step by step, inch by inch...

You can't see any arrogance or self-satisfaction in him, because he never really thought he was anything special.

That's precisely why it's even more terrifying.

If he can achieve his goal, he is even willing to sacrifice himself.

His obsession has no end.

There was nothing else!
"Please begin, Lord Tianlu."

He calmly reminded everyone, "Don't keep everyone waiting too long."

Right behind him, a dim light rose from the deep shadows, and a pale face appeared. The craftsman, dressed in gray, stepped out.

Among the craftsmen outside Tian Shu, a middle-aged craftsman stood up and took out his axe and chisel.

In the solemn silence, even the spirit channel was completely silent.

The sounds of laughter and conversation that had been heard earlier have all disappeared.

"Won't you have another drink?" Jiang Tongguang raised his glass. "Let's have a toast to your departure."

"No need, I just can't bring myself to like it."

The stonemason-like man shook his head. "Try it when you get back."

And so, he turned back one last time and smiled slightly.

"Everyone, I'll go first."

No one responded; everyone silently rose to their feet.

Watching him walk step by step into the rift between the sea and the sky, into that desolate, chaotic land, the rift rose up, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

There were no lengthy speeches, nor any insincere pleasantries.

There is no need for any referees or pronouncements.

The duel begins the moment the opponent is seen.

Through the rift, all that can be seen is the light and shadow inside.

The stonemason's axe trembled slightly, and cracks appeared in the earth, splitting open into a bottomless abyss from beneath his feet, revealing a dark void.

The gray-clad, enigmatic craftsman remained expressionless. Suddenly, his body swelled, dissolved, and transformed into a cloud of gray-black mist. Yet, even this mist was opened up by an invisible force.

Torn.

Soon, the eerie outlines within the fog began to appear, concealing some unknown change. They quickly merged and reformed, but then seemed to freeze again.

Stuck in place.

"The texture is exquisite and the flow is powerful; it's truly a fine piece of material."

The stonemason sighed softly as his face slowly peeled away, blood flowing down his hands and into the axe and chisel in his hands, or rather... into his reborn form.

Like most craftsmen, he transformed his own reborn form into tools and creations, entrusting everything to a pair of axes and chisels that he valued more than life itself.

He raised his hand, aiming it at the frozen gray fog.

Suddenly, the chisel-shaped outline in the void faintly appeared, pressing against the gray mist, and then the axe appeared and smashed down!

boom! ! !
Amidst the deafening roar, the circle vanished in a flash.

--【rip】!
It has no domain, no form, and even lacks substance and continuity; it is simply formed naturally in a fleeting moment of appearance and then disappears naturally.

His world exists only within the 'process,' or rather, it is the 'process' itself!

They entrusted their entire being and spirit to it, even risking their lives; everything in the realm was for this one moment of change.

In that instant, the axe and chisel came crashing down on him, and it was only natural that he would chop down!

And so, everything burst open!

A straight crack appeared above the gray mist, completely shattering from top to bottom. In the gray mist that had been cleared, a disintegrated body finally emerged, exposed to the sunlight.

The craftsman was momentarily stunned, then sighed in realization, and fell backward, looking up at the sky.

The person was divided into two equal parts.

Under the interference of the [刳] radical, just as the word itself implies, it was split in the middle and its interior was completely hollowed out.

Only an empty shell remains.

The exhausted stonemason raised his head and smiled silently.

The outcome has been decided.

Then, the smile froze on his face, the axe in his hand groaned, cracks appeared, and a bloody fissure emerged from the center of his face...

Inch by inch, it extends downwards.

It was as if he had been cleaved in two by his own inner circle!
It was divided into two parts.

Within the deep, craftsman's eye socket, a glass-like eye, riddled with crevices, silently vanished.

In the deathly silence, neither side showed any sign of life.

The outcome is now decided.

"...Let's perish together."

Jiang Tongguang paused for a moment, picked up the wine glass beside him, and sprinkled it on the dust at his feet.

The furnace is calm, the anvil remains indifferent.

This was already expected.

In the past, during the deep battles of the embers, the first, second, and even the first day, almost all the matches ended in mutual destruction, as if cursed. Even masters could be defeated by apprentices, and even experienced old craftsmen could be annihilated by a deadly attack.

Both sides remained silent, not uttering a word, and sent people to collect the remains of the deceased.

"continue."

Tianlu said.

Then, the second game began.

The noblewoman with long, serpentine hair walked towards the rift, facing the young man in the depths.

For artisans, appearance is the least important thing; physical appearance is purely a matter of habit and preference, and even a means of misleading the enemy...

In a clash between the elite forces of Ember and the Deep, the older ones might actually have some skill, but the younger ones are all formidable opponents!
Before they even actually met, both sides had already started to fight ruthlessly the moment they stepped into the Rift.

On the noblewoman's face, flesh and blood peeled away, revealing the pale skull.

Right beneath her feet, a forest of bones rose from the ground, intertwining to form buildings, with gold and jewels entwined around the withered white bones, dancing and singing poems.

But right in front of her, a dazzling light shone forth, like a divine halo appearing above the head of the Profound Craftsman. Under its brilliant radiance, everything was bathed in a shimmering golden light.

It's impossible to tell which side is good and which side is evil.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

After a few brief probing moves at the beginning, both sides went all out. Ji Jue couldn't see clearly through the Rift Realm and could only deduce the changes from fleeting glimpses.

But the situation changed too quickly. Both sides were going all out to fight to the death. After testing each other out a little, they went all out, leaving no room for onlookers to even blink.

In less than half a minute, the bones evaporated and the halo vanished.

As the last rays of light faded, the magnificent and overwhelming blaze incinerated the noblewoman, and at the same time, a high-pitched bell rang out. From behind the shadows following the blaze, a blurry figure slowly rose, wielding a long scythe, and swept it across with fluid grace!

The sounds of souls shattering overlapped. The battle was undecided; they perished together.

"next."

Tianlu remained indifferent and waved his hand again.

Then, some people in the crowd stood up again and walked towards the rift.

Unrest has re-emerged.

This time, it was a pale sea of ​​clouds and mountains rising and falling like knife edges, a brutal consumption between entropy and desolation, with rapidly expanding mountains constantly being annihilated in the eternally frozen frost clouds.

In the end, however, a foundation was preserved.

As the last wisp of cloud dissipated, a staggering figure emerged from it, almost torn to pieces, a wildly joyful smile appearing on his stone-like face.

ecstasy!

"I won! Hahaha, I won!!!"

The craftsman staggered, raised his head, and looked at the old man with the anvil.

The old man nodded slightly.

Amidst the earth-shattering roar, the Pillar of Depravity suddenly rose a notch, and the effect of the reversal of good and evil was already manifesting.

And so, he walked step by step out of the rift, basking in the sunlight. The smile remained forever on that stiff face.

Completely petrified.

died.

Perhaps he was already dead, but he was holding on and didn't die on stage.

He outlasted his opponent.

Even if it's just by a single point.

"I'll take the next round."

Despina, who was holding a dachshund, suddenly spoke up. Jiang Tongguang paused slightly and shook his head: "It's not your turn yet..."

"Isn't it the tradition of the Ember of the Deep Sea to have young people pave the way for the older generation, to use small resources to achieve big results, and to test the enemy's strength?"

Despina smiled mischievously: "I'm not old enough to sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor."

Jiang Tongguang was silent for a moment, then sighed silently. Just as he was about to speak, Egonu pressed down on Despina's shoulder.

"I'll do it, leave it to me."

Egonu's expression was solemn: "Please leave it to me."

Despina wanted to speak, but Egonu had already stood up decisively and walked straight into the rift without any hesitation.

In the silence, Despina made no further sound.

Only the dachshund in my arms whimpered softly.

Without a sound, the entire rift was instantly stained crimson with blood. Amidst the endless torrent of blood that gushed forth like a waterfall, bones shot into the sky like giant trees.

Flesh and skin clung to it, and eyes opened from all over its body, shooting out light.

That was the masterpiece of the Hundred-Eyed Giant Workshop, and around that Hundred-Eyed Giant, it seemed as if threads were suspended, rising towards the sky.

Rebirth Form: Life on the Brink!
His response was a shower of stars.

At the call of the Heavenly Craftsmanship and the Star-Responding Platform, meteorites rained down from the sky, and violent waves surged from the rift, one after another, while scorching winds swept across the land.

The earth's gravity suddenly surged, pulling at the giant's massive body and binding it to the ground, causing flames to surge and rise from the earth.

Amidst the clash of meteors and lightning, the shackled giant was rapidly torn to pieces, his flesh mangled and blood splattering everywhere.

Immediately afterward, the countless stars vanished into nothingness under the gaze of a single eye, and flesh and blood reappeared on the charred body. Within the nurturing of the [Circle of Bubbles], the Hundred-Eyed Giant was instantly reborn and even evolved once more.

Blood gushed from the cracked earth, and tendrils extended from it, wrapping around the towering Yingxingtai as if they were alive.

Pulled by the suspending wire, Egonu raised his hand, gouged out an eyeball from his own body, and crushed it. From the shattered flesh, a ferocious giant sword appeared out of thin air.

What's even more chilling is that the grotesque nature of decay and stagnation is evident in it.

The most terrifying aspect of the Hundred-Eyed Giant lies in its ability to evolve and adapt; even if it is completely defeated, it can quickly recover.
It might even use the damage that once severed it as an eyeball, etching it onto its reborn body to increase its resistance.

The more eyes a giant has, the more times it has evolved, and the more terrifying the damage it has stored.

Even if necessary, this harm can be repeated...

At this moment, with just one sword strike, using the wound left by the deep darkness of the past, Yingxingtai was cut in half at the waist!

The Yingxing Platform exploded with a deafening roar, like a blazing sun bursting forth, burning the giant to ashes. From the ashes, flesh and blood reformed, and the lifeline was reconnected.

But then, the flames reignited, and in the raging inferno, a pair of murky eyes opened. It was the profound craftsman who had transformed his self-realm and soul into the flames!

Once again, it raged and expanded, burning and exploding eyeballs one by one, no matter how Egonu targeted it.

The giant roared, burned to ashes, then revived and reformed once more, only to be slowly and cruelly burned to ashes again.

In the cycle of destruction and rebirth, the earth was burned to ashes, and amidst the evaporated blood, a lingering thread of flame was reconnected.

A body without even skin slowly crawled out of the lava.

I raised my head and looked up at the sky.

boom! ! !
Behind the old man, the Pillar of Demise suddenly trembled violently, its newly grown height rapidly plummeting, even becoming three-tenths shorter than before!
The greatest good and the greatest evil are witnessed; the lingering embers and decay are judged.

The outcome is decided!

Within the opened rift, Egonu spat out a mouthful of saliva, using his detached thigh bone as a crutch, and staggered back to Tian Shu.

He sat down again.

On the charred, exposed face, the flesh twitched slightly, as if giving them a faint smile:
"Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life."

In Despina's arms, the dachshund stretched out and licked his wound, and the flesh quickly regenerated once again.

Unfortunately, just like an explosion, the regenerated flesh suddenly burst open and burned again, billowing thick smoke.

A spark flew out and landed in the seawater, where it seemed to take root and sprout, gradually spreading.

Fireworks are like a curse, relentlessly entangled!
"It's just a minor injury, don't worry about it. It will go out naturally once the fire is extinguished."

Egonu vomited out two pieces of internal organs still burning with flames, and waved his hand slightly, only to see Ji Jue reach out and place his hand on him.

He could feel the wisps of brutal flames entangled in his lungs, flesh, and even soul, still slowly burning everything around him.

"It is indeed tricky, but not troublesome."

Ji Jue said, "Leave it to me."

He resolutely drew his Compassion sword and plunged it into Egonu's heart. Then, with a resounding clang, purple lightning and black flames erupted from Ji Jue's hand, engulfing Egonu as if setting him ablaze, transforming him into a blazing torch.

But caught off guard, everyone was stunned.

But from within the flames came a venomous screech.

Soon, when Ji Jue withdrew his hand again, Egonu, who had been completely burned to a crisp, twitched, and his flesh and blood regenerated. This time, there was no longer any lingering cursed fire.

So easy.

Egonu was stunned for a moment, never expecting that Ji Jue would have such a creation.

The effect is outstanding; it's like a cure-all!
Aside from surviving the torment of You Sui and nearly being burned to ashes by Ji Jue's fire, there were practically no problems.

It's only because of Egonu that he survived. If it were someone else with a less resilient life, Ji Jue would have cremated them on the spot!

"...Thank you."

After expressing his gratitude, he remained silent for a long time before finally turning back to Ji Jue and earnestly reminding him, "You should still brush up on your knowledge of life sciences; you can always learn something new... I have a connection at the hospital; would you be interested in taking a look?"

Bro, where did you learn first aid?
Good job saving him, don't try to save him again next time...

"Next time, definitely next time."

Ji Jue coughed awkwardly, too embarrassed to show off his obstetrics and gynecology license any further.

Actually, there are other methods besides this one. He could also use the Evil Transformation Alchemy technique, which would be easier, but he dared not reveal it. Otherwise, he might be welcoming a great evil on the spot and have to switch chairs, right?
If I'm still alive by then...
.
"Only the fourth show on the first day?"

High above, the old man raised a slight eyebrow: "Is it a bit too hasty for a craftsman like Egonu to enter the fray so early?"

“It’s not easy for the association to cultivate talent, we can’t just squander it like you guys in Yousui, can we?” Tianlu smiled: “That’s called friendship and bond, old man, you’ve never heard of that, have you?”

"I've heard a lot about it, but I never thought it would be used on craftsmen one day." The old man sighed, "The association is indeed quite adept at dealing with such heretical and unorthodox matters."

"So many years of accumulation, so many years of achievements, to have amassed such a small fortune, only to squander it all like dirt... Don't you feel any remorse at all?"

Tianlu asked curiously, "Do those guys who follow you around like a hawk and risk their lives for you know that you don't even consider them a threat?"

"The winners live, the losers die, isn't that better?"
The old man remained calm: "Good talent cannot be cultivated in the cozy games of playing house. In the midst of the strife and entanglements of insects, even a genius will be worn down to dust."

Two hundred years of preparation, wasn't it all for this day? The so-called craftsmen either succeed or fail.

I gave them the opportunity, but they were not as skilled, so their deaths would have been in vain.

Only in a brutally fair environment can true champions emerge. Only after the mediocre are weeded out can the truly exceptional talents be revealed.

Tianlu chuckled, "Even if you're the one who gets eliminated?"

"What's wrong with that?"

The old man with the anvil said resolutely, "Survival of the fittest is the natural order of things, a matter of course. Why must I, a stagnant and corrupt person, teach you this, Lord Heavenly Furnace?"

"Well said. It will also allow me to witness the strength of those who have survived the natural selection process in the deepest place."

Tianlu laughed, full of admiration, showing no sign of annoyance.

He said, "Next."

So, some of the craftsmen in Tian Shu got up, only to find that they couldn't stand up.

"...Change players."

Jiang Tongguang hesitated for a moment, looked at the young man in the corner, and sighed softly, whether in admiration or regret was unclear.

"This match is in your hands, Ji Jue."

He solemnly relayed the master's order: "Win."

Ji Jue slowly stood up, gazing at his opponent who was walking step by step into the rift in the distance, and suddenly chuckled softly.

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)