Victory and Defeat

The moon was dark, the wind high, and clouds stretched for ten thousand miles. Flames blazed fiercely, resembling a festive bonfire. The fragrance of white phosphorus and ash drifted through the air like blossoming flowers. On such a fine night and splendid occasion, Jiang Xuan suddenly felt a delightful lightness, as if celebrating the New Year. Scores of opponents capable of killing him a dozen times over if he made the slightest misstep were within arm's reach, yet his spirits soared as if taking flight, his body impossibly light. It was just like in a certain card game, where a sunny young man looked down with a grin at his hand: *Hmm, Ancient Ingot Blade, Wine, Iron Chains, and a Strike...* Unable to hold back any longer, he threw his head back and roared at the top of his lungs. "—Now we're talking!" Jiang Xuan bared his teeth and burst into wild, unbridled laughter. The heavy machine gun in his hands accelerated into a spin, unleashing in an instant a terrifying torrent of blazing light capable of tearing straight through the entire ruined battlefield. *D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dat—* Quicksilver surged like a deluge, spewing from the red-hot revolving barrels at a rate of thirteen hundred rounds per minute. Scattered sparks converged into lines, and those lines of silver light, rapidly evaporating and dispersing, broadened as they swept through the air into fluid, devastating sheets of fire. Silver light reaped like a scythe, howling outward. A shrill, agonized screech tore from the lizard-transformed Celestial Chosen's maw. Scales thick enough to withstand a point-blank shotgun blast cracked and deformed in less than a second under the silver light's barrage. An instant later, mangled flesh flew in all directions, rising into the air alongside blooming sprays of blood. Arms as thick as tree trunks looked as though they had been shoved into an invisible meat grinder, stripping to bare bone in a heartbeat. Yet even the white bone shattered and splintered under the relentless pounding. Wailing in agony, the Vortex Celestial Chosen opened its maw and spat a torrent of roaring flames. But Jiang Xuan stamped his left foot forward, and a massive iron wall erupted from the earth, planting itself squarely before the raging flames and cleaving through the fiery tide. Worst of all, an aperture had been left right in the center! Aiming straight at the gaping maw vomiting fire, the silver torrent blasted right in, throwing the flames into violent turbulence and erupting into a gory spray. In just a few short seconds beneath that insane, concentrated firepower, the giant lizard's breath weapon was completely snuffed out. Even if it hadn't been, it wouldn't have mattered. Its entire maw, jaw, and upper torso had been reduced to pulped muck by the machine gun's sweep. Had it not been for the formidable vitality that was the pride of the Vortex branch, it would have been blown in half on the spot. Under that savage onslaught, not only were the enemies fleeing in panic with their heads in their hands, but even his own allies ducked down, terrified that a slip of Jiang Xuan's hand might send them to the afterlife on the spot. When the lizard finally managed to brake, no longer caring about claiming heads and wanting only to flee, it found its feet seemed to have taken root in the earth. At some point, a puddle of writhing quicksilver had risen from the mud, wrapping around its limbs and rapidly gleaming with an eerie, crystalline sheen. Hardening · Metallic Quality! A blessing originally meant for defense had transformed, beneath the flow of quicksilver, into shackles that plunged its opponent into utter despair. No matter how frantically the creature struggled, even willing to tear its own limbs apart, it could not break free. The shifting quicksilver clung tenaciously like maltose, burrowing into its flesh, coiling around its bones, and sending countless fine threads sinking into the earth and wrapping around its surroundings. In just a few seconds, more than half of the mutated giant lizard's body was enveloped in quicksilver, rendering it helpless to escape—like an insect half-trapped in amber. "Save me! Save me!" it shrieked in terror, raising its head to call out, only to find its companions running faster than the last. High in the heavens, the vast gale of blood and shadow clashed ceaselessly against the Burning Star Manifestation, neither side sparing even a downward glance. In the end, even the fierce light above was eclipsed by shadow. From the brief silence, the giant lizard turned its stiff neck, only to see an iron giant standing before it, grinning in silent, feral laughter. The red-hot machine gun raised, casting a heavy shadow across the lizard's face in the reflection of the flames. The mutated face twitched involuntarily, tears welling in its single remaining eye. "C-Can... surrender..." Jiang Xuan merely smiled and raised a single finger. He wagged it gently. *Shh, don't speak—* Ignoring the lizard's frantic thrashing, the glowing barrel was shoved brutally into its gaping maw, spinning once more amid his uncontrollable wild laughter. *—Feel it with your heart!* Amid a final, bloodcurdling shriek, the muffled gunfire rose in crescendo alongside a fountain of blood. From countless fragments of shattered flesh, savage firepower poured forth once more. The storm resumed. And right now, Jiang Xuan felt as though he were the storm incarnate! He was death, he was destruction, he was the goddamn god of firepower! He could go wherever the hell he pleased! Laughing uncontrollably, he hoisted the heavy machine gun and sprinted through the ruins like a hound chasing rabbits, entirely untethered. Relying on the immense mass and arm strength granted by his transformation, he absorbed the horrific recoil flawlessly, sweeping the belt of fire spewing from his waist amid deafening roars. Belt after belt was mindlessly fed into the chamber without even needing Ji Jue's help to reload. Completely self-taught! Never had he felt so utterly invigorated. For the first time in his life, he felt the sheer, exhilarating joy that blasting things to pieces brought him! Or rather, the joy of money. This heavy machine gun had been cobbled together from parts scavenged from Layla, dodging markups of dozens of times over. Yet even with that markup included, its retail price couldn't hold a candle to a single crate of ammunition. Without the trio of Non-Offensive, Masterwork Nature, and Fluid Alchemy to mass-process quicksilver and imbue it with enhanced traits, a single alchemical bullet with augmented armor-piercing and destructive power retailed for four thousand bucks—and that was assuming a bulk discount. A single belt held two hundred and fifty rounds, totaling exactly one million. In terms of labor, crafting that many would take an apprentice working around the clock in a workshop for two solid months, after which they'd never want to see anything shaped like a bullet for the rest of their days. As for masters, no artisan would ever waste their precious time on such repetitive work. Even an organization as deep-pocketed as the Military Department would simply ramp up the explosive yield when faced with a lack of destructive power; they would never dream of issuing such lavish gear to line-fodder rookies. A million a minute? What kind of imperial joke was that? For that kind of cash, why not chip in a few extra bucks for a cruise missile to blow the enemy sky-high? Or at the very least, buy a few water bottles and ship a herd of local sheep to the Mid-Continent base to give everyone a decent meal! None of that mattered to Jiang Xuan. The military had plenty to worry about, and artisans had plenty to consider, but as the user, all he had to do was raise the gun and blast every goddamn thing that moved to smithereens! Having mastered the weapon, Jiang Xuan stood atop the crushed bones of the giant lizard, towering over the battlefield as he scattered his firepower far and wide. Relying on the absurd resilience of the Desolate Ruins, he ignored all incoming stray bullets and ranged strikes, spraying fire and thunder with total abandon. Slaughter! Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill! Unfortunately, good times were always fleeting. After what seemed like only a brief moment, the melodious, rolling thunder came to an abrupt halt, replaced by an empty clicking. *Clack, clack, clack.* Jiang Xuan reached behind him, grasping at nothing but thin air. The grin froze on his face. *Bullets? Where are the bullets? Out of ammo!* When he finally looked back, he saw only empty crates, shattered links of ammo belts... and Lou Feng, curled up like a turtle beneath the iron wall. The dreamlike, glorious time was over. Every single round had been spent. Holding the glowing-red machine gun, he let out a wistful sigh, a wave of hollow disappointment washing over him. Once accustomed to such fulfillment, there was no going back. Coming to his senses, he was already calculating his bank balance and mulling over how to write this off as an expense. He wondered if that kid Ji Jue could issue an official invoice... Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He stared back once more, finally realizing what was wrong. Why the hell was Lou Feng the only one there?! "Where's Ji Jue?!" he asked in horror. Lou Feng sighed as if life had lost all meaning and pointed ahead... Out among the ruins, past the siblings Ji Liu and Ji Xue, who were fighting tooth and nail to harvest weakened enemies, a figure was crawling forward on his belly, glancing around furtively like a thief. Seizing every opportunity, he stretched out his wicked little hands toward the still-warm corpses. His left hand unleashed Dissociation Art, seizing each matrix, crushing it, and vacuuming up every drop of Sovereign Virtue essence. *Vortex, Mirror, Ascension, Swarm, Desolate Ruins, White Stag, White Stag... Why another White Stag? Evil Transmutation Cult, don't be so terribly biased!* Disordered insights surfaced in his mind in rapid waves, accompanied by corruptive filth, but before the corruption could spread, it was instantly purged by an incensed Non-Offensive. Meanwhile, his right hand deftly extracted the dispersing spiritus, using Solid Alchemy to infuse and seal it into quicksilver, looting alchemical creations and anything carrying the trace of a blessing. Empowered by Masterwork Nature, his cautious movements moved so fast they blurred into afterimages, exhibiting astonishing efficiency. *Gotta do it while they're warm! Absolutely while they're warm!* Ji Jue kept his eyes and ears wide open, sharply scanning for any corpse that had only just begun to cool. Those close by were stripped clean on the spot; those farther away were dragged over by quicksilver tentacles before being stripped bare. Though it was a chaotic, bloody battlefield, a jubilant, festive atmosphere seemed to surround him. *Happy New Year! It's the New Year!* In this brief window alone, Ji Jue had used the matrices extracted via Dissociation to fill twenty percent of the Tier 3 progress bar on his wristwatch. With a bit more effort, he might top it off entirely. Yet alongside the excitement, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. Watching so many valuable materials dissipate before his eyes because he lacked a stable environment to preserve them was agonizing. If only Brother Ball were here, this single haul might have set him up for good—he might not have lacked crafting materials all the way until the Regeneration tier. While he was lost in his painful bliss, his allies felt their vision going dark with exasperation. Struggling to hold his ground under desperate assaults, Ji Liu stumbled backward. When he looked back and saw Ji Jue still crouched on the ground, frantically scavenging, his head throbbed with stress. "Can't you back the hell up a bit?! Stop fooling around!" The instant Ji Jue looked up, in a blind spot not far from his line of sight, a shattered, charred corpse suddenly sprang to life. A spark of vitality returned, eyes gleaming with vicious malice as it pounced straight toward him! It had lain concealed there for who knew how long, enduring the agony of being burned, utterly motionless. Now erupting, its momentum was like wind and thunder! As the saying went, to capture the bandits, one must first capture the king. But Tong Shan was holding his own one-versus-two without giving an inch, so a scrub had zero chance of capturing him. But if he could grab an artisan, there was still hope. At the very least, he could use the hostage to bargain for a way out... Unfortunately, no sooner had he sprung from the ground than he flopped like a fish slapped onto a chopping board in a market, twitching for a single moment before collapsing flat onto the earth, breathless once more. A glorious launch, followed by instant demise. Seamless. He had gone from pretending to be a corpse to becoming an actual corpse. All that remained on his exposed back was a gruesome, gaping puncture wound. Blood mingled with shredded entrails slowly seeped out. In the crimson stain, the silhouette of a spiritus hand materialized out of thin air. Having punched through the mangled torso, Dissociation Art crushed the matrix in a single grip, draining the residual Sovereign Virtue essence before vanishing without a trace. Across that twisted face, caked in mud and gore, a pair of eyes stared wide, bewildered even in death. He had no idea what had just happened. *How on earth was I exposed?* Ji Jue finally breathed a sigh of relief. Drenched in cold sweat, he instinctively touched the back of his head. Between strands of hair, a miniature infrared camera affixed there was still faithfully doing its job, which, combined with numerous cameras on his back and chest, provided an uncompromised, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of his surroundings. *Dumbass, I place wards!* Professor Ye had a great saying: when entering Chrono Ruins, exploring Border Realms, or looting ancient tombs, one needed eyes in the back of one's head. Ji Jue wasn't from the Vortex branch and lacked related blessings, so he naturally couldn't grow physical eyes. That was fine, though. Everything seemed expensive these days, except for cameras, which grew cheaper by the year. He hadn't even used up all the spare accessories that had come with his drone purchase. However, as he hastily scavenged this latest corpse, his movements suddenly froze. His smile vanished, replaced by an expression of grim solemnity. "This is bad..." He looked up toward the sky. High above, crimson and darkness churned continuously, violent thunder and tempests spreading outward. Under the high-speed offense and defense of the Regeneration tier, even when Ji Jue channeled the blessing of Transcendent Vision, it was difficult to discern the details. Yet without a doubt, at the eye of that storm stood Tong Shan! Telekinetic force surged like an oceanic tide. Facing the combined assault of two experts of the same tier—Yan Chong and Ling Zhi—he took them on two-versus-one and didn't yield an inch. In fact, far from yielding, he seemed to be pressing them back! *Is this really still Wanyu?!* Ji Jue's face twitched in awe. *Is this what a pro gamer looks like?* Telekinesis was one of the most common types of abilities, lauded for its versatility. Offense, defense, mobility, crowd control—it had it all. But that also meant it was exceedingly prone to being a jack of all trades and master of none. Wanyu was the most common matrix in the Tianyuan branch. Beloved by many Tianyuan Celestial Chosen for its broad adaptability and compatibility, having no weaknesses meant... it often had no strengths either. After all, even with identical telekinetic abilities, people possessed vastly different operating habits, giving rise to numerous classifications: vector interference, fulcrum manipulation, mental extension, and force-field control. In terms of favored targets, some specialized in tangibles like iron and stone or liquids, while others manipulated intangibles like gases and energy. Not to mention, some excelled at handling colossal masses to crush foes like falling mountains, while others favored guiding dust and dew, subtle and soundless... And as for all those categories and schools? In Tong Shan's words—he was slightly proficient in all of them! From delicate, micro-scale manipulation to wide-area suppression, from controlling tangible matter to harnessing intangibles, not to mention countless methods of operation, he had mastered and perfected every single one. In the application of telekinesis, he possessed no blind spots whatsoever! It wasn't that he couldn't find a rare, specialized matrix; rather, only Wanyu—an unbiased matrix offering all-around adaptability—was the true path tailored for him! Now, beneath the Burning Star phenomenon, blazing light swirled through chaotic gravitational currents, forming the eye of a storm that safeguarded Tong Shan at its center. Deftly redirecting force with force, he deflected the blades flickering from within the shadows. Completely unscathed! Yan Chong's expression grew increasingly grim. The shattered sword in his hand howled with ravenous hunger, yet he had failed to graze so much as the hem of Tong Shan's clothes. This man had intended to stall them from the very start... "What's the matter, gentlemen? Found yourselves riding a tiger you can't get off?" Waving the fluttering Burning Star Banner, Tong Shan's nonchalant voice drifted down. "I suggest you pick up the pace. Otherwise, your lapdogs are all going to end up dead." "You little bastard..." In Yan Chong's crimson pupils, literal flames burned. His entire form looked like a mutated monster cloaked in blood and fire, eyes opening in fury across his forehead and cheeks. He opened his mouth and roared. Yet no sound emerged. Only faint crimson ripples spread, carrying the sound of countless fractures. On the ground, the corpses decayed and weathered at terrifying speed, their spiritus scattering into nothingness. The spine of the shattered sword in his hand surged, absorbing the death and despair of his subordinates. Catalyzed by their demise, it expanded into an eerie, colossal blade tens of meters long. Before the edge, the raging storm halted abruptly, and every surging wave of telekinesis fell apart. The blessing [Blood and Fire Coexistence] burned residual souls without limit, converting them into pure strength. Under the observation of [Anticipate the Enemy], every trajectory and direction Tong Shan could use to dodge was completely sealed off. Then, a streak of blood-red light breached all obstacles, lunging forward! In that split second, the trump card hidden since the start of the battle was revealed. An unknown number of blessings linked together, giving rise to the superior synergy effect: [Vow of Blood Contention]—an absolute domain that forbade evasion by either party! All room for dodging or retreat was erased for both combatants. Even space seemed warped. In every direction—front, back, up, down—no matter where Tong Shan moved, he would only draw closer to Yan Chong! Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. Tong Shan's expression was calm as still water. The spear-like finial atop his banner thrust forward like a lance, carrying an explosive surge of telekinetic power akin to an erupting volcano, crashing head-on into the colossal shattered sword. A piercing sound of shattering rang through the heavens, rippling outward. In that close-quarters deadlock, Yan Chong's savage grin grew increasingly feral, paying no heed to the fact that the surging telekinetic tide was slicing him into pieces, exposing bare bone. The target of this strike had never been Tong Shan. It was the banner in his hands, now snapping right down the middle! In an instant, the Burning Star Banner shredded into countless fluttering silk fragments. With the breaking of the banner, the Burning Star Manifestation cloaking the entire battlefield silently collapsed. Like a castle made of sand, it disintegrated into nothingness. And having lost the suppression and deflection of the gravitational torrent, a hazy figure quietly coalesced in the frigid shadow behind Tong Shan, closing the distance in an instant. Seizing the critical opening Yan Chong had forged. A blade of ruin, cloaked in shifting shadow, stabbed out— The outcome was decided! In that instant, watching from the ground below, Ji Jue finally breathed a sigh of relief. "We won."