Above Destiny

Chapter 805 The Filthy Swamp
What is this thing?

The moment the light and flames rushed towards him, in the frantically accelerated sense of time, Ji Jue's mind went blank, and he stared in disbelief: How could a perfectly normal person suddenly explode?
Could it be that the craftsman, so resolute and unyielding, decided to perform a hardcore speedrun of life on the spot to avoid humiliating himself?
No, with your save time, you're way off the fastest playthrough record!

What's the point?

But soon he finally understood the other party's purpose: nothing more than wanting to die, nothing more.

As a tool, as a puppet, as a work of art, it was presented to him.

Then--

—【May Heaven and Earth Live as Long as We Are】!
It is unimaginable that such a terrifying flame could rise from such a tiny human body, constantly expanding, expanding, and expanding again, engulfing everything within it.

It's unclear how many random things were implanted into his body, but once the explosion started, it triggered a chain reaction like a fusion bomb.

It tore the sky apart, burned the earth, and disrupted the entire rift.

At the very center of the explosion, as the body turned to ashes, countless ashes expanded and erupted once more, annihilating all matter while releasing even more destructive spores that bloomed anew.

In the blink of an eye, countless explosions overlapped within the entire rift, causing the entire rift to violently tremble. Even right under the noses of the two grandmasters, it subtly expanded, almost unable to contain the spreading storm within.

The explosions, confined within the enclosed space, echoed repeatedly, each time causing the radiant light emanating from the rift to suddenly boil and rise, turning into clouds and mist, which were then dispersed by the gale.

Thick smoke billowed, endless flames and ashes rose and fell, and the shattered earth that had been suspended in the void was now almost entirely gone, riddled with cracks and devastation.

The rift, after the complete collapse of physical laws, seemed to have turned into the void of the universe.

There was no gravity, no air, only a terrifying residual heat, like the primordial chaos, sweeping back and forth like a tide in the dead silence.

Even in this desolate and desolate place, a massive silhouette still stood, half-crouched on the ground, raising its arms to protect its face, using its body to shield the craftsman.

Longshan!

At the most critical moment, the Prosperity, which had been hidden high in the sky since the beginning, descended from the heavens and stood in front of the raging tide of destruction.

Its entire body was scorching red, its steel melting away, revealing a texture like obsidian beneath, with layers of cracks faintly emerging, its face mutilated and becoming increasingly ferocious.

The countless armors formed by the three linked blessings were almost completely annihilated by that terrifying impact. Even so, the main body remained stable. Although it seemed to be severely damaged, it was just a problem that could be solved by replacing the parts and replenishing some materials.

In comparison, what was even more troublesome were the streaks of pitch-black color that mingled and wandered between the dark world and the heavens, clinging to Long Shan and Ji Jue like a malignant tumor, relentlessly entangled.

Curse of the Abyss, Bliss of the Unending Age, Annihilation of the Frost, Nowhere in the Rainbow, Filth and Twisting, Poison of the White Pavilion... all sorts of carefully crafted contaminants constantly change their form, like living things, flowing and spreading inwards without leaving a trace.

Just like the little ingredient Ji Jue used to like to add to bombs, the malice concocted by his cunning manifested itself in the explosion and took effect on him.

Following closely behind, outside the rift appeared a gaunt human figure.

His body was slightly hunched, he looked a little older, his hair was gray, his hairline was high, and he had begun to go bald.

He wore a pair of slightly clumsy tortoiseshell glasses, had a goatee, and carried a briefcase, looking like an old scholar who had appeared out of nowhere.

He smiled warmly at Ji Jue.

"Wow, quite a lot has been unearthed..." he sighed admiringly. "Mr. Ji's wealth is truly enviable."

"【Filthy Swamp】!"

A crack appeared in the wine glass in Jiang Tongguang's hand, and he heard Gustav's command: "Call Ji Jue back immediately. This absolutely cannot continue!"

As a victim of corruption who was given a prestigious title, he was more commonly known as a hyena or a vulture before receiving this name.

Even in the Deep, he was notorious, and even the Deep's craftsmen were reluctant to associate with him.

There's no way around it, it's just too disgusting.

Just like its name suggests, it's a stinking swamp. Win or lose, once you're stuck in it, the stench travels for miles. Even if you win, you'll be disgusted for decades.

His greatest skill was dueling between craftsmen. But compared to Ye Xian, who directly and head-on attacked regardless of the situation, they were not even in the same category, let alone comparable.

Because he does everything except face-to-face confrontations, using every possible means, but he never gives his opponents a real chance to demonstrate their strength.

For a craftsman, using any means necessary is instinctive, but this guy has gone so far as to disregard the end goal in order to achieve his goals.

He didn't even care about the final gain, only wanting to feel the humiliation and anger of his opponent, and even the feeling that he was helpless against him... He would even deliberately spare his opponent's life for repeated amusement, until he was completely tired of the revenge, and then let his opponent die a meaningless and humiliating death.

The Weaver Girl who won the battle but died tragically, the Stone Maiden who was on the verge of death but could not die, the Xuan Ying who was sure of victory but was betrayed by his student and fell into the abyss, and even the Zhu Yan who led him into the dark abyss back then...

From the Association to the Deep, and even from the mortal world to the Vortex, regardless of friend or foe, strength or weakness, far too many victims have been created for his pleasure and the taste of victory.

Among countless drastically different tragic cases, the only thing they have in common is the ending—the moment he appears face to face with his opponent, the true outcome is already firmly in his grasp!

All that remains is the brutal ravages and amusement of the enemy.

But now, his steps stopped before the rift.

He had absolutely no intention of stepping inside. He simply stroked his beard, smiled warmly, and looked at his opponent within the rift.

"Would you like to continue, Mr. Ji?"

He asked considerately, "Is your spiritual energy reserve sufficient? Is your spirit abundant? Is your mental strength depleted? Has this body of steel been worn out too much?"
Do we need to rest for a while longer?

It's okay, it doesn't matter how long it takes.

"The duel between you and me hasn't even begun yet. If we want to give up, we can do so anytime."

He paused for a moment, then smiled:

"Just admit defeat."

Just like looking down at a victim teetering on the edge of a cliff, a friendly helping hand is extended, and the price is simply saying "please" and "thank you".

That's it.

The only response he received was silence.

Enveloped in a dark curse, Ji Jue remained silent, not uttering a single word.

She simply raised her head expressionlessly, looking at him with a mixture of doubt and disdain.

【You?】

Hui Nao shrugged helplessly and spread his hands.

as expected.

But when she looked up, her smile became even brighter as she gazed at the sky.

"May I begin?"

The Heavenly Furnace lowered its gaze, looking down at the dust.

"Grandmaster!" Gustav shouted, almost roaring, losing his composure. "Please replace them immediately, Grandmaster! The Association is not short of personnel yet, Grandmaster!!!"

Tianlu remained silent and ignored the situation.

He didn't even look at Ji Jue.

His complexion was normal.

“Then let’s continue,” he said.

Then, Hui Nao laughed silently, looking at Ji Jue, who was afflicted with evil curses in the Rift Realm, full of mockery, yet unable to help but let out a soft sigh.

"Whether it's the secluded place or the association, what's most unbearable is the pretentious and self-righteous attitude of you guys... Every single one of you is walking into a dead end and never looking back."
They all think themselves superior, arrogant and haughty, never considering how ridiculous they truly are.

Hui Nao walked into the rift and sighed helplessly: "When I finally reached the end of my road and was crying my eyes out, I never thought that I had brought this end upon myself."

It's absolutely ridiculous!

Ji Jue remained silent, coldly staring at the figure, and slightly beckoned with his hand.

Come!
It can remain still in the filth and mire.

Instead, he stood still, calmly opened his briefcase, took out a bottle, and smashed it on the ground.

Instantly, the swamp stored in the test tube began to sway and spread as if it were alive. The gray-black swamp resembled some kind of spiritual polymer, writhing incessantly. Countless withered bones faintly emerged from the surging swamp, still tightly clutching their proud creation and hard work.

They will never find peace, not even in death.

And so, the swamp surrounded him, making him as immovable as a mountain and as impregnable as a fortress.

"You may have misunderstood me. I am not like a fierce warrior like you who draws his sword. I am all bark and no bite, cowardly as a mouse. I am always afraid of not having any guarantees when I do things, and I always look before and after. I do not seek any achievement, but only a lot of stability. My greatest wish is to live a peaceful life, and at the same time find some pleasures that cannot be told to outsiders..."

He rambled on and on, pulling out a bunch of random things from his pocket. His topics kept jumping around, and he kept rambling on and on: "Many people say I'm despicable, and that's true. After all, what I'm best at is this kind of dog-eat-dog warfare, where everyone shows their true colors, without any disguise, revealing their own despicable nature... Those who lose to me are often far better than me, but in terms of despicableness, they can hardly reach even a fraction of my level."

You see, right now, I don't need to rush. I already have the advantage, and my reserves are huge enough. Victory is within my grasp, so there's no need to rush into any rash tests.

The reason it's been delayed until now is simply because we cobbled together a bunch of borrowed materials.

Just like…

boom!!!!

Purple lightning and black flames roared in, only to vanish into thin air before a lamp's light.

In vain.

(End of this chapter)