Above Destiny

Chapter 813 Permanent Motion
The bell rang once again.

The sea stood still, and the gale froze.

Between the desolate sea and sky, that tiny figure, leaning on a cane, walked step by step toward the Rift, all alone. He seemed too old, so much so that with each step, his body would stagger slightly, one step at a time, unsteady and faltering.

He leaned his weight against the ebony cane in his hand.

For some reason, despite his thin and frail body, the insignificant weight of his body caused the entire world to tremble slightly when he struck down with his cane.

The ocean trembled, the mountains echoed, and a vast, resounding bell rang out.

The distant, dark shadows seemed to tremble slightly, right in front of this solitary figure.

The old man's expression changed slightly.

In the darkness, one enormous figure after another faintly appeared, staring intently in the direction of the newcomer, filled with apprehension, vigilance, and suspicion.

The Bell Tower is now the strongest craftsman below the Grandmaster level in the Association, the undisputed ace of the Association, and only one step away from the Grandmaster level!
As a disciple of the Carrion Eaters, he had already entered the Imperial Senate more than 110 years ago, in charge of the maintenance and operation of the Imperial axis. He was hailed as the craftsman closest to the pinnacle of power, the uncrowned dragon of the empire.

At this moment, his mere appearance was enough to put the entire Youxu under immense pressure!
"……Now."

The old man raised his eyes: "Isn't it a bit too hasty to hastily discard the trump card for victory?"

"Fast or slow, it's all the same. The sooner the better. I'm so annoyed."

Tianlu rested his chin on his hand, nonchalantly: "Anyway, no one says you can't play your trump card at the beginning, right? Is it because Youxu is deserted and dares not accept the challenge?"

"Then let's continue."

The old man announced, looking down behind him. Soon, from the writhing shadows, countless pale colors, like flying snowflakes, gathered and merged into a faint outline, appearing in front of the clock tower.

"It's you again, Chalk."

The clock tower smiled knowingly, as if sighing: "I remember a similar scene seemed to have occurred two hundred years ago. We stood outside the venue, as witnesses, shoulder to shoulder..."

Now, however, they must become enemies.

He said, "What a pity."

"Having finally crawled out of the empire's turtle shell, have you already grown so old that you're starting to dwell on the past, Li Lin?"

Bai Ye said indifferently: "You have dedicated your whole life to your damned heritage and family, and for your empire, you have severed the connection between dragons and sages, and now you've fallen to this state, with only an old man left, and you still come out to lament the passing of spring and autumn... A hundred years of wasted time, nothing accomplished, is this the last time you realize that it's too late to regret it?"
Or are you hoping I'll use our past friendship to introduce you to a better path?

"I'm just marveling at how fast everything goes by..."

The old craftsman sighed softly, "A lifetime passes in the blink of an eye, and time waits for no one. I still have plenty of time, but your time is running out."

In that instant, he raised his head and looked at his 'old friend', and with deep sympathy and pity, solemnly bid him farewell.

He said, "Goodbye."

On the wrinkled, aged face, a shimmering light, like scales, silently appeared, as if a dragon in the mist were revealing its outline, only its scales and claws.

The chalk suddenly changed color.

late.

Before the words were finished, a magnificent bell rang out, resounding throughout the entire Rift Realm. It even broke through the Rift Realm's blockade, echoing between the sea and sky, causing the heavens to shimmer and the ocean to boil.

In the blink of an eye, the sky has brightened and dimmed countless times, and the boiling ocean has surged into the sky, dancing and trembling amidst the tolling of bells, its mournful cries never ceasing.

All the onlookers instinctively held their breath and wanted to back away the moment the bell rang.

The craftsmen in Tian Shu instinctively lowered their heads and looked down at their feet.

In the cracks between the wooden planks on the rooftop, a wisp of wild grass silently sprouted and quickly withered. The flourishing and fading of life occurred in the blink of an eye, and the rooftop swayed, decayed, and collapsed.

Like the vast ocean in a fleeting moment, yet spanning millennia!

That is……

—The Timing of Heaven and Man: [Constant Motion]!
It is a terrifying power constructed by combining the ways of embers, blending the changes of matter and time, and integrating the essence of the desolate ruins and the gate of eternity.

The world changes, and all things are in constant motion.

By remaining still, we etch the vicissitudes of time and the changing of the years.

Amidst the vast tolling of bells and the rifting realm, a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye... The figure of Bai'e remained forever frozen in place, his shattered face still bearing the expressions of rage and bewilderment.

"You... what exactly..."

Li Lin remained silent, not uttering a single word.

A crack appeared in the shadow of the clock tower behind, yet it still stood tall, overlooking everything.

And so, there were no other voices.

The chalk was reduced to ashes.

The craftsman who pursued the eternity of material things eventually turned to dust.

In that instant of a thousand years, he was already dead, leaving behind only his broken last words, destined to receive no response.

The last wisp of pale ashes rose in the wind, ascended into the sky, and drifted away into the distance.

"What a beautiful day!"

Li Lin raised his head and gazed at the sky that contained the flying ash. He couldn't help but be slightly lost in thought: Was the sky this clear two hundred years ago?

It seems to have rained, but it also seems very sunny.

I can't remember.

Memories have become too blurry; time has long since changed everything.

It's alright. Everything is in constant motion. As long as you have enough patience, you'll eventually see a similar season again amidst the changing times. So the old man continued to wait in the same spot.

Gazing at the desolate, silent shadows in the distance.

Raise your hand.

He said, "Next!"

No need for a long, tumultuous wait; now, everything from the past is recreated in my hands!
"Next!"

In the quiet hall, Jiang Tongguang's voice rang out, urging urgently: "Hurry, hurry, don't dawdle, time is running out—"

Right before everyone's eyes, a ripple suddenly appeared on the dusty mirror, reflecting the scene on the other side. After the first person disappeared into the shadow of the mirror, the second person rushed straight in, followed by the third, the fourth...

The craftsmen, who had been waiting for a long time, jumped into the mirror without hesitation according to their positions. In a moment of turbulence, they passed through the narrow gap that had been specially reserved for them.

It descended precisely from the present world, falling into the deepest part of the vortex.

Lock down the Deep Valley!

"Thank you for your help, Master."

When Jiang Tongguang finally stepped into the mirror, he nodded to the middle-aged craftsman with gray hair and downcast eyes in front of him and said, "The follow-up will be troublesome too."

"One hour."

The plow maker sighed wearily. "Don't have too much hope. Remember, this can only last for an hour at most. After that, no one can save you."

"It's ok."

Jiang Tongguang gave a final laugh and disappeared into the shadows.

One hour?

Whether you live or die, you'll have more than enough!

On the mirror, the last ripples disappeared silently, and amidst countless changes in rainbow light, a hideous shadow emerged from beneath the vortex. Countless scenes intersected and rushed towards us.

boom!!!
The moment Ji Jue leaped into the mirror, he felt the familiar fall begin once again.

Just like when I fell from the ancient temple into the world beyond, in that familiar feeling of weightlessness, it felt as if the air, gravity, and everything else I depended on for survival were rapidly leaving me.

But unexpectedly, I didn't feel panicked or uncomfortable; on the contrary, I felt incredibly comfortable.

It felt like being back in swaddling clothes, so reassuring.

He once fell aimlessly, as if swept away by a storm and a torrent, but now it's more like he's sliding down a water slide. Even as the world spins, he's still on track, with no possibility of losing control.

You can even open your eyes and admire the scenery beneath the whirlpool.

Unfortunately, there was no scenery.

In the darkness, their figures seemed to flicker incessantly, breaking through layers of invisible walls in a chaotic manner. The world before their eyes kept changing, dazzling and mesmerizing.

In short, it was a state of utter chaos.

It's like a poorly made CG generated by an AI that used some unknown resource library. The outline of a dilapidated city emerges from the darkness, but the outline gradually dissolves into a wasteland full of cracks and corpses.

The wasteland rapidly expanded, transforming into a raging torrent. After solidifying, the torrent changed direction and miraculously became a lush garden. Countless branches and leaves converged, forming a blurry human face. As if sensing a prying gaze, it abruptly turned around, but before it could, the world before Ji Jue's eyes transformed into a rocky hillside…

In the ambiguous chaos, it seems that some kind of change is being conceived at all times. Often, just by changing the perspective, everything becomes completely different.

Everything happened so naturally and logically, which only made them, the intruders, seem like the odd ones out.

In this void, countless things abandoned and severed by the present world lie buried and submerged, overlapping and clashing with each other, creating apocalyptic scenes everywhere.

Without a guiding light or resonance, even if it's within reach, it's difficult to reach; sometimes, taking a single step will plunge you into an eternal abyss.

Only demons at the Celestial Realm can carve out a fixed domain beneath the vortex, and even extract this infinite chaos for their own use.

And what they were heading towards was one of the few realms even beneath the vortex, a stagnant and decaying realm pieced together from the painstaking creations of countless profound artisans—the [Profound] itself!
Whether you call it a well or a valley doesn't matter; it's simply a difference in observation brought about by different personal perspectives.

But when everything was truly brought into Ji Jue's view, he saw mountains and tides formed by endless emerald flames, a furnace that violently drew out endless chaos and gave birth to endless changes!
The flames in the furnace flickered slightly, like an eye opening.

They fell into the pupils.

The world spun around them, and they fell into the dust.

In the dead silence, suppressed coughs rose, and the sound of shattering echoed incessantly.

Those are amulets worn by the craftsmen.

It's like plunging into the deep sea; no matter how thick the protective gear, it can't withstand the terrifying water pressure. If you try to resist rashly, you'll only alert the enormous creatures in the deep sea. You can only grit your teeth in silence and endure the pressure.

Or, pretend to be uncomfortable and hide your true feelings of being at ease.

"Cough-cough-"

Ji Jue coughed twice, and then, feeling that it wasn't strong enough, he coughed twice more. Looking around, he found himself in a dilapidated workshop covered in dust.

Inside the workshop, the furnace continued to burn silently, forming a barrier that isolated the inside from the outside. At the same time, it had been pre-arranged with a guide that resonated with the present world, silently pulling the falling ones into the abyss.

For a moment, he couldn't help but admire it.

It's an association, after all, a big and powerful organization. They even have offices right under the noses of this scandal.
boom!
Before anyone could think or react, the workshop trembled violently amidst the deafening roar, and a massive shadow slowly rose outside the dust-covered workshop.

In the dim darkness, a huge eye that filled the entire window slowly opened and approached inch by inch.

Looking into the workshop!

(End of this chapter)