Hello

The sacrificial temple convulsed. The instant that intangible power rippled outward, the ruinous devastation reconstructed once more. Relying on the secret rite that blanketed the entire Border Realm and this twofold authority, it effortlessly remade the wounded, battered vista into a scene of flourishing splendor. Countless shadows reemerged from the streets and buildings, reverently bowing and kowtowing to the majestic figure at the heart of heaven and earth. Indeed, it was not merely the lingering phantoms. At this moment, every person hiding within the Border Realm—every Sin-Bearer crouching behind the ruins—was bowed low beneath that terrifying, violent gravity. Shivers ran down their spines; cold sweat drenched their backs. It felt as though an invisible noose had coiled around their necks. Fall to the ground! Kowtow! Amid peals of grand, resonant chimes, glorious brilliance swirled beneath Ji Jue's feet. Wherever it passed, all things worshipped, and heaven and earth sang in jubilation. In a single thought, all creation was remade! Even high in the sky, the silhouette of the broken tower shimmered with a strand of resplendent golden radiance. Only Duke Wuyou's roars and shrieks grew increasingly high-pitched and shrill. His eyes were bloodshot. Under the crushing gravity, thick tears of blood squeezed from the corners of his eyes, trickling down in a pitiful, bedraggled mess. What in this world could compare to such humiliation and torment? Everything he had obsessed over his entire life, suffering through sleepless nights and endless agony—everything his forebears had dreamed of achieving through generations—now appeared in the hands of his enemy. There was not the slightest trace of aloof, distant coldness; it was obsequious and tame, like a pampered pet. It came when called and left with a wave of his hand. Yet toward Duke Wuyou, it had shown no kindness whatsoever, looking upon him with utter disgust and contempt, as though casting a single glance at him would soil its eyes. "Why?! The Imperial Seal of the Realm... why—!" Wuyou roared, his body twitching and struggling violently, unable to rise. Instead, he was pressed even more brutally into the mud and foul water. He could barely breathe. The only thing he could see was the pair of feet standing right before him. It was as if Ji Jue were admiring a clown. "Do you see, Wuyou? This is the disparity in the path of Tianyuan—" "Some people are destined to be trodden beneath others' feet. Just like you." Ji Jue lowered his gaze, his lips parting in a sneer. "A swarm of glowing fireflies over rotting grass, contemptible buffoons like you... all you long for and cling to are the decaying corpses and relics left by the erstwhile Eternal Empire. All you can ever accomplish are delusional fantasies, fleeting bubbles, and phantom flowers. "Lamentable, pitiable, ridiculous, and pathetic. "Little do you know that only those who trample the so-called eternity beneath their feet, those who can truly forge the future, are fit to encompass the universe, govern all phenomena, and attain this authority that reigns over all creation." His words rippled across the deathly still Border Realm, gradually swelling into thunder that permeated all things. Like golden precepts and jade laws, immutable truths engraved into iron, stone, and soul, they spread beyond the Border Realm, resounding through every observation post in the mortal world, echoing ceaselessly! Stunned faces slowly froze and blanched, feeling that terrifying presence that seemed to transcend Heaven's Mandate itself. As for whether it was true or not... Well, as long as it looked convincing and sounded intimidating enough, that was all that mattered! When you were talking out of your ass anyway, being impressive was just a matter of how shamelessly you could spin a tale. Mindlessly stepping on others was the way to go! Running his mouth, making up buzzwords, hyping up technology to scam a budget—Ji Jue didn't even have to scratch his head to rattle off tens of thousands of unique lines on the fly! As for whether this would draw aggro? Laughable. The one doing the talking was Lu Changsheng of the Evil Transmutation Cult. What did that have to do with Director Ji of the Coast Tricycle Factory? Drawing aggro was the whole point! "I thought that with all these heroes gathered here today, a grand performance would surely unfold. Who knew there would only be clowns like you? So dull it doesn't even arouse a sliver of interest." Ji Jue let out a faint sigh. "The Federation is mediocre, the Empire bustling in vain, the Thousand Islands chaotic, and the Mid-Continent in disarray. The followers of Shangshan are all self-deceiving worms, and the disciples of the Great Sin are merely hideous monstrosities. "A cesspool where only a few maggots wriggle—monkeys crowned in robes who miss the point entirely, only making themselves an eyesore." His voice reverberated in everyone's ears with crystal clarity. "Wulou Temple, the Tianxin Society, Decaying Wind, Blood Eye... once separated from my Evil Transmutation Cult, you've all degraded into a pack of stray dogs and clay chickens, only capable of tearing into each other like cur. Not even worth a passing glance. "Scanning the entire world, one can hardly find a single figure of note. Even the so-called Tianlu..." Ji Jue glanced mockingly toward the heavens, utterly nonchalant, offering a heartfelt lament: "Looking at him now, he's nothing more than an old dog with a price tag stuck on his head, waiting to be butchered. "Surrounded by a few pieces of trash and kicked around like a leather ball—truly comical." Heaven and earth fell dead silent. Crimson eyes turned back toward the Border Realm in stunned shock, or else in dark, seething fury. To be evaluated with such brazen contempt had sent countless individuals flying into a murderous rage! Even the observers stationed far across the mortal world were left slack-jawed in disbelief. Wait, how did he dare? Has he really lived long enough?! *Boom!!!* The Border Realm shuddered as countless shockwaves and attacks swept outward from the clashes. Yet amid the barrage of thunderous explosions and violent convulsions, Ji Jue remained completely unharmed. Only Ji Jue threw his head back and laughed, spreading his arms wide to admire those dark, hideous faces and icy gazes. He didn't care in the slightest! As though looking down on everything from atop the clouds, arrogant as if by second nature, that ferocious grin amid the flames was branded into every single pair of eyes. "Now, do you understand?" And in that fleeting silence, Ji Jue finally looked down. He raised his foot and ground Duke Wuyou's face into the mud, cold and indifferent, one stomp, another, and another: "The Imperial Seal of the Realm didn't choose you because— "—from the very beginning, a piece of trash like you simply. Did. Not. Qualify!" At that moment, in the mud and gory water, Duke Wuyou's face twisted completely, as if it were about to tear apart beneath the weight of his fury and madness. Howling and roaring, his body suddenly ripped open, shattering and rapidly expanding. Within the mire of the Seed of the Tiger Tally, soul after soul and mangled torso after mangled torso manifested, erupting like a waterfall, burning, turning into an unprecedented surge of power. "Delusional fool!" Amid his shriek, the Flame Tide Seed reemerged within the deep Hole upon Duke Wuyou's chest. He exhausted every remaining living sacrifice, pouring blood and souls into it, not even hesitating to tear his own soul apart and cast it inside. What manifested in the wake of that sacrifice was an unprecedented, terrifying might. Furious, blinding light erupted as endless flames swept outward, forming a crimson storm that surged up from the ground, thoroughly engulfing the figure before him. The temperature mounted without limit, turning the entire sacrificial temple into a terrifying crucible rivaling the blazing sun itself in mere moments. Everywhere it passed, all things turned to ash and dust! Souls were burned to nothingness, and matter dissolved into dust. The moment the essence of the Flame Tide Calamity manifested here, it drove all creation toward absolute finality! The antithesis of Ascension and Desolate Ruins—the abyssal depths of spiritual death and the vortex of material annihilation—overlapped here. Amid the shifting fire, the hues morphed into an uncanny pallor. Devoid of any flaw, all that remained was pure void! "Die for me!!!" Duke Wuyou roared. Even as he himself caught fire from those terrifying flames, he paid it no heed. Watching that figure dissolve into nothingness within the blaze, he could not help but burst into uproarious laughter. "Haha, hahahaha—" He danced madly, laughing like a maniac upon the scorched earth: "Did you see that?! Did you all see that?! I am the true master of the Empire! None of you are! "I am the one truly favored by Heaven's Mandate!" "Is that so?" A voice laced with doubt came from behind him, sounding thoroughly perplexed. "How come I didn't know?" Amid the ashes, a wisp of flame rekindled. The grotesque figure that had been reduced to ash and dust actually reassembled out of thin air, like a miracle, completely uninjured in the face of such horrific destruction! If anything, his brutal aura was fiercer than before! At this moment, a pair of eyes slowly lifted, filled with curiosity and bewilderment, looking at Duke Wuyou's stiffened expression in utter disbelief—*Using anything else would have been fine, but using the Flame Tide Calamity to kill me? How the hell is that any different from recharging my batteries?* Duke Wuyou froze on the spot, his twitching expression twisting into a knot of sheer terror. Instinctively, he tried to stimulate the Flame Tide Seed, but the pale tide of flames parted before Ji Jue, cleaving in two. Unscathed! Ji Jue even reached out, casually plucking a wisp of it, toying with it in his hand, caressing it, before popping it into his mouth. "Tastes decent. A pity, though." Ji Jue sighed, slowly shaking his head. "The same trick never works a second time against a true sovereign!" Pure nonsense! No matter how arrogant a lunatic might be, they would never utter something that sounded so much like a fever dream; it was enough to make anyone laugh! Yet now, no one could laugh. Before the ironclad reality, all words of rebuttal appeared utterly pale and powerless. Even truth and laws seemed hollow before the sublime proof of imperial sovereignty. Could this truly be the majestic might of the Tianyuan Tower? Then how had that bunch of Mohists severed Tianyuan and terminated eternity back then? It was practically a nightmare... Duke Wuyou struggled, yet could no longer wake from it. "You... you... no—you—" Instinctively, he tried to retreat, stumbling and crawling backward, flailing his hands wildly as he repeatedly tried to kindle the flame tide. Yet fewer and fewer flames answered his call. In the end, beneath the downward gaze of those eyes, they sputtered out entirely. Leaving no trace behind. Until Ji Jue extended a hand. An intangible force abruptly descended, binding Duke Wuyou's body and seizing him by the throat, roughly dragging him right back before himself once more. Like meat on a chopping block. "Thanks to you, I've actually gained a bit of new insight and understanding—" Ji Jue raised a finger and smiled silently. In that instant, beneath the sacrificial temple, beneath countless buildings and ruins, boundless black flames reignited. Like oil poured on fire, they raged rampantly, swallowing the entire world in a flash. Everything rapidly collapsed under the shroud of the black fire. Just like the magnificent, tragic spectacle when eternity was annihilated in the past, the sky-covering Palace-Burning Flame surged like a tidal wave. In the end, guided by Ji Jue's raised finger, it converged, gathering at his fingertip. Eventually, it condensed into a single speck of dark light, swallowing all illumination. Slowly, inch by inch, it approached Duke Wuyou, reflected in his rapidly contracting pupils. "The... Palace-Burning..." He muttered in panicked confusion, his pupils unfocusing. "You mentioned 'Heaven's Mandate' just now, didn't you?" Ji Jue let out a teasing sigh. "Then accept Heaven's Mandate, Wuyou! Just like eternity of old—this is the fire you spread, the bitter fruit you sowed. It is only right that you swallow it down yourself!" He said, "This is the only end that suits you!" At that moment, the speck of black fire silently dropped into the darkness spreading from the Seed of the Tiger Tally. Suddenly, it rapidly expanded, soaring, erupting! Like a leaking mine being ignited. The Palace-Burning Fire that had consumed the Empire's grand achievements grew increasingly violent. Like maggots gnawing into bone, it seeped deep into marrow and soul, engulfing every corner in an instant. It caused the mud-like darkness to swell continuously. Amid the blaze, countless desiccated skeletons suddenly turned to flying ash, spewing forth and rising into the sky. Amid Wuyou's heart-wrenching wails and shrieks. Pleading, mourning, submitting, cursing, promising—no words were of any use anymore! Heaven's Mandate? No one believed in the so-called Heaven's Mandate more than the Eternal Empire. If not for Heaven's Mandate, how could there be such a glorious, prosperous age? If not for Heaven's Mandate, how could they have forged a supreme achievement rivaling eternity? The Emperor was united with Heaven's Mandate, assigning the station of all things in the world and establishing the hierarchy of all living beings. If decreed rich, then rich; if decreed poor, then poor; if decreed numerous, then numerous; if decreed few, then few; if decreed order, then order; if decreed chaos, then chaos; if decreed long-lived, then long-lived; if decreed to perish, then perish... Yet was all this seemingly glorious and eternal order truly ordained by Heaven's Mandate, or was it merely an excuse for you beasts to feast upon men?! If this was the so-called 'Heaven's Mandate,' then offer up to your Heaven's Mandate this flame sublimated from souls, blood, and tears! Let us see: what difference is there between the ashes of high lords, the ashes of base paupers, and the ashes of the so-called Emperor? Amid countless laments and cries, the flames would burn everything to cinder! To hell with Heaven's Mandate! To hell with the Emperor! To hell with eternity! Since you take such pride in this evil karma, then taste the fruit of your own making! The instant the first ember rose from bitter hatred and struggle, it illuminated the end of eternity! And now, as the endless dark flame coiled around his fingertip, Ji Jue felt the joy and exhilaration welling from the depths of his soul. The delight and fullness from the matrix felt as though, after a long and arduous journey, he had finally reclaimed a part of himself. This flame was permanently etched into Ji Jue's blood, soul, and matrix, blending into one and coursing ceaselessly. It told Ji Jue: Its name was 【Non-Fate】! Born from the iron laws of so-called destiny, sprouting under a control so suffocating that even breathing was dictated, it had ultimately burst forth within the flames that shattered eternity. The black flame was merely an outward form; its true essence was a 'backlash' drawn from the Crucible of Embers, fueled by boundless bitter hatred, blood, and tears—an intangible masterpiece of heaven! Just like an opposing reaction force. The wider the disparity, the stricter the hierarchy, the tighter the control, the more violent this backlash would be when ignited. When encountering ordinary governance and order, it could still be called peaceful and serene; but when facing bloody, sinister tyrannical laws and cruel subjugation, it would bare its fangs without hesitation! As long as a single wisp of indignation and resentment remained in the controlled spiritus and consciousness, it would be infected by this fire, serving as its medium and fuel to spread rampantly. Even if forcefully suppressed and extinguished, as long as the wicked laws endured for a single day, it could rise from the dead ashes of spiritus at any time, never resting until death! What had burned the imperial palaces to the ground back then was never mere fire, but the endless blood, tears, and white bones buried beneath high walls. That was the bitter fruit forged by the Empire itself in its so-called eternity! Now, the very same bitter fruit had descended upon Duke Wuyou. When Ji Jue's spiritus guided the fire of Non-Fate into Duke Wuyou's soul, all he sensed was the accumulated blood and wailing pooled within that nearly bottomless mire. Just how many souls had been buried within, unable to find release even in death? Now sensing the arrival of the fire of Non-Fate, beneath the shackles of the Law of Tianyuan, those broken remnants that had been keening seemed to burst into song. One after another, they scrambled to plunge into it; even if they instinctively understood they would be burnt to ash, they would rather turn to dust if it meant dragging Duke Wuyou down to hell with them! Hell had arrived. The hell forged by Duke Wuyou's own hands now welcomed Duke Wuyou himself. Within the black flames raging across that mire, Duke Wuyou's soul was surrounded by countless remnant spirits. It was as though he were being gnawed on and ignited by innumerable ants, sinking deeper and deeper amid his desperate struggles and roars. His original ability to transfer damage and substitute death via the Law of Tianyuan was rendered completely useless, receiving no response whatsoever. Only the sound of shattering locks rang out ceaselessly. In the Federation, the Thousand Islands, the Mid-Continent, and even the Empire—across the entire mortal world, countless people lifted their heads as if awakening from a dream. Suddenly, they felt their breathing become clearer than ever before, as though a noose around their necks had been loosened. Across the various islands, the majestic statues and symbols carved in the likeness of Duke Wuyou caught fire with black flames one after another, crumbling into pieces. Along with them, the subordinates bound to his Law of Tianyuan were swept up by the fire of Non-Fate, which spread rampantly, impossible to contain! The pillar of the tower had thus met his absolute end! At this moment, not only the onlookers, but even Changle and Anguo—who had awakened through different secret rites and Laws of Tianyuan—were struck dumb. In sheer terror, they severed all perception within the Border Realm, their flesh creeping. Their original jealousy and fury vanished in an instant. What took their place was unprecedented relief and gratitude. Who could have guessed that a fire which, in Wuyou's hands, could only burn the sacrificial temple would suddenly transform into something so terrifying once it fell into that man's grasp?! And what was even more jaw-dropping was the person currently controlling the flames— Incomprehensible! This move was completely incomprehensible—! You have the Imperial Seal of the Realm, fine, the sacrificial temple is your backyard, but was the Palace-Burning Fire your family's pet too? Even if it targeted Tianyuan, shouldn't the flames have burned you first?! Could the dominion of the Imperial Seal of the Realm truly be exaggerated to such an extent that even the fire forged by the Mohists of old was treated like a toy, effortlessly suppressed and commanded? Then how the hell did the Emperor of the Eternal Empire die back then?! Or had Lu Changsheng already surpassed his predecessors, ascending to even greater heights? What kind of sick joke was this?! Alas, in this dead silence, no one could laugh. Save for that eerie demon shrouded in flames, who watched Duke Wuyou's agonizing struggle and burst into uproarious laughter, his voice shaking the Border Realm like thunder. Looking down upon Wuyou's hideous writhing as he burned and wailed. Utterly delighted. Until a shattering sound abruptly rang out from within Wuyou's soul! The moment the Seed of the Tiger Tally completely disintegrated, an eerie power hidden at its deepest core gradually surfaced, taking possession of that burning wreck. Using this riddled, broken husk, it looked toward the opponent before it. In the blaze, those eyes abruptly turned a startling, pure white—devoid of anything, yet seemingly reflecting the essence of all creation. "You are not Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng is long dead." The charred bones clicked as they opened and closed, producing a hoarse voice, low and unfamiliar. The master of those eyes asked indifferently: "Who on earth are you?" Ji Jue did not answer. He merely drew closer, scrutinizing that pair of eerie eyes, taking in every characteristic and detail, letting not a single nuance escape him. An inexplicable clarity and realization welled up from his heart. Finally— He had once imagined how he would feel when this moment finally arrived. Would it be madness or fury, hatred or joy? Yet he had never been able to find an answer. Now, he finally knew. Nothing at all. He felt nothing, as though standing before a void. Within that void in his heart, all that appeared, all that remained, was a tranquility like dead ashes. At this moment, you and I finally face each other. Even though we remain so far apart... But it doesn't matter. No matter how rugged and arduous the road, one day, I will stand before you, bringing the retribution and conclusion you deserve! As long as I live, as long as you exist. Even if mountains lose their peaks, heaven blends with earth, winter rumbles with thunder, and summer falls with snow— In that split second, Ji Jue grinned silently, offering a final smile. "Hello there." He greeted softly, nodding, and then solemnly bade farewell. "Goodbye!" *Boom!* In that instant, the final fragment of the Seed of the Tiger Tally was crushed. And so, those pale eyes broke apart entirely, turning to flying ash in the burning flames. In the final moment, it seemed as if they wanted to say something more. But that was no longer important. Ji Jue didn't care. Amid the soaring ashes and dust, a wisp of eerie power carried the Flame Tide Seed, shooting into the sky, intending to flee in a flash. Immediately after, it was caught by Ji Jue, who had prepared for it all along. His five fingers closed around it. Extinguishing its final resistance. Reclaimed! Now, within his palm, he finally saw the thing that had been calling to him for so many years—the so-called Flame Tide Seed! So close. Like a crystal covered in fractures, within the Abyss Seed, iridescent light shifted as wisps of fire rose, endlessly calling, pleading, shouting. Following it was a hunger and longing welling from the depths of his heart! Even his breathing grew hurried, difficult to control. It was calling to him. Amid those laments and cries, wild laughter echoed. A power sufficient to burn mountains and seas to ash, to turn the mortal world into hell, lay in his hand, without the slightest rejection, yearning to merge with him once more. To fulfill the covenant that should have been completed ten years ago. From then on, his soul and consciousness would be truly whole, no longer fractured! All he needed was to become one— "No." Ji Jue shook his head, informing it with regret: "We were never one." Likewise, they could never become one. The instant his hands closed over the Flame Tide Seed, the Non-Offensive matrix was unleashed. Spiritus surged, flowing smoothly and effortlessly without a hint of friction, just as he had practiced countless times before. A parting gift— —The Dissociation Art!!! *Snap!* A crisp sound rang out. In that fraction of a second, boundless blinding light swallowed Ji Jue whole. And within the shadows of the mortal world, that figure that had been looking down with contempt suddenly shot to his feet, incensed beyond measure, his fury far outstripping even the rage when the Imperial Seal of the Realm had slipped through his fingers. The conclusion foreseen in prophecy had deviated once again. A mistake that could never be permitted had now been thoroughly cast into stone!