Circle Of Life

A blood-red mist rose like rain from weak wails and bitter weeping. This time, even the ghost-like howls turned indignant and resentful. As the crimson stream gradually thinned, they lost even the strength to struggle and glare. Only muffled sobs remained, laced with faint, pathetic pleas. It was beyond comprehension. Everyone had come here for a feast. How had they nearly ended up on the menu before the banquet had even begun? *Stop drawing! Stop drawing!* *The family members' lives are fucking lives too!* Tears welled in crimson eyes, voices choking on sobs: *Does your hospital only care about the patient and give zero fucks about whether anyone else lives or dies?!* Unfortunately, reality was often disappointing. Sorry, but yes. "No..." The moment Ji Jue's voice sounded again, Director Qian didn't even wait for him to finish. He waved a hand immediately: "Transfuse!" Across his blood-smeared, stitched face, amidst his usually exaggerated, malicious grin, a sliver of relief and admiration actually appeared. Gazing at that figure fighting over the operating table to save both mother and child, it was like looking at a rising, radiant future! With a doctor like this, why worry that the disease of immortality could never be eradicated? Why worry that patients could never be cured! This was the fighting spirit a doctor ought to have! He couldn't help letting out a sinister cackle. If not for his position and the solemnity of the occasion, he would have raised his arms and cheered him on right then and there! "Done, Director!" When Ji Jue's shout rang out, Director Qian waved again without a second thought: "Transfuse!" Only when the blood and souls of the family members had been squeezed practically dry did he realize something seemed off... "Done?" He frowned. "Are you sure? With such an arduous surgical technique, isn't it better to be safe than sorry?" "It's fine. It's more or less finished anyway." Ji Jue tilted his head, signaling for Tong Hua, who was standing beside him completely numb, to wipe his sweat. His eyes were already illuminated by the brilliance of spiritus. In his perception, he had completely tuned out everything in the outside world, focusing entirely within that living crucible. Hands invisible and visible seemed to intertwine and overlap within the raging flames, fusing completely into one. Through repeated trial, error, and reconstruction, the two spiritus demonic fetuses had become utterly unrecognizable. Amidst the seemingly endless torment and ravagement, their initial savagery and madness had vanished without a trace. Right now, two pairs of eyes were brimming with tears, purer and cleaner than college freshmen stepping onto a new campus. Having tasted more than enough of Ji Jue's vicious slaps, they no longer dared to show the slightest resistance. Told to part their legs, they parted their legs; told to roll over, they rolled over. And now, the ten fingers of Ji Jue's hands hovered in midair, motionless. Only slender yet razor-sharp vibrating beams of spiritus extended from his fingertips, interweaving in thousands of threads to envelop the creation within. For a brief moment, he felt as if he had drawn close to the essence of Primacy of Mind. The core of Ascension lay in the soul's indelible thirst for transcendence. Yet the foundation of spiritual existence was the presence of will and thought. Right now, when he had forgotten everything else and immersed himself in this grueling refinement, after countless attempts and constructions, he actually felt it once more... The existence of his own soul, the existence of himself—or rather, the existence named Ji Jue. As his spiritus surged, his thoughts, his considerations, and his will seemed to expand outward from the spiritus, converging upon his hands and even spreading beyond! Tracing along the myriad threads of spiritus, it truly manifested into an invisible hand. There was no need to painstakingly search or feel for it. In this moment, everything had become so real. With just a thought, spiritus would shift according to his will, extending and shaping itself to his intention! To truly grasp those two completely distinct souls in his hands! *Snap!* In that instant, a crisp auditory hallucination surfaced in his consciousness. The old world shattered, and a brand-new world emerged before his eyes, born and enveloped in ubiquitous spiritus fluctuations where everything became crystal clear. Everything was within his control! Within Ji Jue's soul—flanking and guarding it around the core matrix—a brand-new spiritus circuit and structure appeared between the two blessings, Masterwork Nature and Primacy of Mind, linking them together! Success! Ji Jue's eyes lit up: this was the linkage between blessings that Professor Ye had spoken of! Though it was merely a single thread of fusion between Embers and Ascension, it allowed the effects of Primacy of Mind to extend to Ji Jue's hands. The complete alignment of will and physical flesh granted Masterwork Nature a qualitative leap in its ability to interfere with spiritual bodies! At the same time, the resonance between blessings made the forging of Non-Offensive even swifter. The operation between the blessings and the matrix became smoother and more efficient than ever before, like washing away grime and breaking free of shackles, returning at last to how it was meant to be! And right at this moment... "—All done!" With a cheer from Ji Jue, his hands lifted high. Bathed in the sacred light of the surgical lamp, the newborn held aloft in his hands—finally freed from torment and ravagement—burst into a loud, ringing cry! The wails echoed clearly. At this moment, whether it was the mother under the light or the family members prostrate on the floor who could no longer stand, none could hold back their overwhelming emotion and joy. Instantly, tears blurred their eyes! Watching this scene of a baboon hoisting a lion cub, Tong Hua felt that if the setting hadn't been so wildly inappropriate, she really ought to sing "Circle of Life" on the side as background music. It hadn't been easy. It truly hadn't been easy. A surgery that physically tortured the opponent while mentally contaminating the teammate was finally over. When she looked closer at the newborn in Ji Jue's hands, the corner of her eye couldn't help twitching violently. The woman had been carrying twins—how had it turned into just one in his hands? No, wait, it was still two... Ji Jue had fucking stitched them together! During Ji Jue's reckless modifications and smelting, the two ferocious spiritus demonic fetuses had continued tearing at each other, so much so that no matter which one was completed alone, the other would never let the matter rest. In that case, why not just treat them as one! Of course, Ji Jue's crude craftsmanship wasting a massive amount of material was another major reason... but looking at it now, the bizarre infant covered in black sutures at least appeared whole. It was just stitched up so much like Director Qian that, paired with the director's beaming smile right now, it made one strongly suspect a blood relation between them. "Not bad, not bad at all! To deliver such an outstanding performance on your very first time at the table!" The grotesque physician stepped closer, scrutinizing the infant in Ji Jue's hands. Right now, the left half of the demonic fetus's face was twisted in rage and anguish, while the right half wore a ravenous, manic grin. As the expressions constantly shifted, a translucent spiritus head would occasionally squeeze out from the flesh, exposing itself to the air in an eerie spectacle. Even now, the two still fought inside the same body like colliding whirlpools, but this time, they could no longer harm the completed form. On the contrary, no matter which one fed or grew, it would become their shared nourishment and spiritus. The more they ate, the stronger they grew; the stronger they grew, the hungrier they became, never satisfied. Under Non-Offensive's modification, they had been turned into a half-living, half-object state—part monster spawned by the Chrono Ruin, part unhinged product of spiritus alchemy. "Mm, five kilograms. Both mother and child are safe!" Director Qian nodded with satisfaction. "The surgery is a complete success!" *Right, sure, both safe, both still breathing!* Tong Hua snarked numbly in her head: *To come out breathing from under this dog Ji Jue's hands, how could that not count as a complete success?* Meanwhile, Ji Jue was already playing with his brand-new creation. With a casual squeeze from him, a gust of scarlet frost wind blew from the demonic fetus's mouth, causing the room's temperature to plummet. "Whoa, baby, you're a hair dryer!" Ji Jue marveled in wonder. He gave it another squeeze, and all four eyeballs flashed with light as gray mist spread outward. A piercing cry rang out, shaking the soul and inspiring dread. "Whoa, baby, you're a smoke grenade!" As the residual spiritus was devoured completely by the demonic fetus, two more arms actually sprouted out. The bisected, incomplete faces split wide, revealing a gaping maw dripping with thick drool. This drew an ecstatic shout from Ji Jue: "Baby, you're a refrigerator! Double-door!" "Mm, good, very good." Director Qian nodded approvingly. "Since you delivered it personally, caring for the newborn is your responsibility as well. Make sure to get along with the patients, hehehehe..." Amidst bizarre laughter, the stitched physician melted into the darkness and vanished. When the operating room doors swung open, the remaining family members scrambled out on all fours, fighting to escape, terrified that taking another breath in this damned place would mean forced blood donations. Watching the misshapen nurses wheel the mother away, Tong Hua, whose clothes had been soaked with sweat countless times, finally let out a long breath of relief. Turning back, she was greeted by a sight that made her vision go black. The freshly born 'infant' was scuttling across the floor at incredible speed, an iron chain fastened tightly around its neck and held firmly in Ji Jue's hand. "Tong Hua, look, it's so weird!" Ji Jue walked the baby across the room, remarking in amazement, "*Tsk-tsk-tsk*, look how lively it is once you leash it!" "Is it the weird one, or are you?!" Tong Hua instinctively recoiled, darting aside. But the more frightened she was, the more excited the demonic fetus seemed to get, crawling toward her while croaking and squawking. How to put it? Watching the silly young mistress panic and dodge in terror was actually quite entertaining! Taking his teammate's mental endurance into account, after having his fill of fun, Ji Jue finally hauled in the chain and hoisted the writhing monstrosity into the air. "Whew, that was close. We barely made it through that hurdle," Ji Jue remarked, turning back to ask, "I'm sweating all over. How about you?" "What do you think, you bastard!" Tong Hua rolled her eyes, carefully keeping her distance from the thing in Ji Jue's grip. "So, did you figure it out?" Ji Jue asked solemnly. Tong Hua had been present throughout the surgery, and Ji Jue had seen her touch several objects, including surgical instruments. Her Eye of Aether had quietly activated multiple times as well. The Yesterday Once More matrix was best at reading records and messages left on objects, tracing back history and the past. When it came to gathering intelligence, nothing was more convenient than the Aether branch. "I did," Tong Hua nodded. "They're all dead." "..." For a moment, Ji Jue was rooted to the spot, entirely unprepared for her to make such a momentous discovery. He couldn't help letting out a sigh of deep admiration. "Great observation. Don't observe next time." Who the fuck couldn't see that?! "I mean, before the Chrono Ruin formed, they were already dead. To be exact... they've been dead for at least several decades." Tong Hua fought through a wave of dizziness, her face growing paler. "They died very painfully. Very, very painfully." As if plunged into Avici... Reduced to nothingness amidst the torments of purgatory, leaving behind only empty husks to wander the Chrono Ruin, transformed into ghosts. "See for yourself." She reached out and pressed a finger against Ji Jue's forehead. And so, remnants of the past roared into motion, surging like a mighty tide. Howling forward!