"Ahem... well, uh, you... er..."
Tong Shan gave an awkward smile, trying to change the subject. "Did you... make another breakthrough?"
Ji Jue said nothing.
He simply raised two fingers and pointed them at him.
A thin wisp of purplish-black lightning, fine as wire, flickered between his slightly parted fingertips. It flashed for an instant with a soft *pew*~.
Tong Shan's vision blurred. The thirty-two layers of telekinetic barriers he routinely maintained around himself were pierced clean through in a single strike—from outside to inside, then inside to outside, sixty-four layers in total punched straight through!
Effortlessly...
Now, it was Tong Shan's turn to sweat.
*What the hell was that?!*
Ji Jue's previous Entropy-aligned creation hadn't produced such an exaggerated effect. Though its destructive power was still terrifying, it had remained confined to state changes and explosive bursts, lacking such bizarre properties...
"Shock Terrifies?"
Hailing from an Aether lineage after all, Tong Shan understood in an instant, which only made him all the more bewildered. "Is *Shock Terrifies* even supposed to be used like that?"
The blessing sequence of Shock Terrifies encompassed Tianyuan, Entropy, and the Barren Ruins. Its essence lay in governing the formless and turning it into the tangible, endowing pure energy with concussive force proportional to its magnitude, allowing what had been immaterial lightning and fire to inflict physical damage equivalent to their magical output.
In plain terms: the higher the voltage, the higher the temperature, the harder it hit.
This was a clever trick concocted by Entropy Celestial Chosens after suffering endlessly against the turtle shells of the Barren Ruins: if fire couldn't burn you to death, it would smash you to death, and if smashing didn't kill you, it would keep on burning.
The catch was, nobody ever said this thing granted magic penetration!
"That's pressure, Brother Shan," Ji Jue said, his smile practically billowing black smoke. "The answer is: pressure of extraordinary purity!"
As everyone knew, the magnitude of pressure depended on the ratio of force applied to contact area; under equal force, the smaller the contact area, the greater the pressure.
The good news: physics still existed!
And it worked!
Even if the implementation wasn't very physical, choosing physics was undoubtedly choosing success!
As an epic overachiever capable of scoring straight A's in Material Mechanics at Tianmen University's School of Mechanical Engineering, the moment Ji Jue completed the blessing sequence of Shock Terrifies, he had thrown himself relentlessly into developing corresponding techniques.
He didn't pursue wide-area destructive power or massive bursts. Instead, using his consummate control, he focused that destruction to the utmost degree onto a point smaller than a needle's tip.
Zhanlu, forged by his own hands, harbored neither arrogance nor turbulence, answering to his will like an extension of his own arm.
Under the control of Non-Offensive, the stable mastery boost of Masterwork Nature, and the empowerment of blessings like Primacy of Mind and Sovereign Axis, the technique had been successfully developed.
It was like fitting an alloy drill bit onto a ten-thousand-ton hydraulic press. Never mind what materials or armor stood in the way; as long as its qualitative change was sufficient, a single punch would punch right through, leaving a neat hole.
Once the defense was breached, Zhanlu's spiritual essence could detonate from within the target, unleashing its terrifying corrosiveness and destructive force.
With this trick in hand, he'd never have to worry about tickling stat monsters with chip damage again!
"I see."
Tong Shan came to understand. After pondering for a moment, he spread his hands, fully focused and eager to test it further. "Again."
Ji Jue raised his hand once more.
*Pew~*
Lightning flashed, accompanied by a dull thud.
Tong Shan's hair stirred without wind. His entire body jolted, and fissures instantly tore open through the air around him. Yet this time, the breach couldn't pierce straight through as before; instead, it veered off at an angle.
Deflection!
"You adjusted the air density?"
"Not just air density—I applied forces from different directions and adjusted various properties." Tong Shan raised a hand. The air within his palm shifted continually under his telekinetic manipulation.
Resilient one moment, rigid the next, shifting continuously between stiffness and toughness; now like steel, now like rubber, or even like a viscous liquid, layered in ceaseless overlapping circulation.
As a result, when facing multiple layers of defense with varying properties, materials, and forms all at once, Zhanlu's momentum rapidly depleted, ultimately deflecting outward.
"As expected of you, Brother Shan," Ji Jue sighed softly.
*Telekinesis really is fucking versatile!*
To think that on the very second attempt, he already had a counter and resistance in place...
"Back at the base, I keep up thirty layers of static defense for practice. But once outside, I adjust in real time according to the situation. In combat conditions, I enhance it even further, even infusing calamity phenomena into it..."
Tong Shan advised, "If your technique wants to breach that kind of defense, a single shot won't cut it. You need doubles, triples, or if possible, simultaneous strikes on multiple points at an even higher frequency.
"Most importantly, never give your opponent time to prepare.
"Entropy is all about damage output. If you can't guarantee crowd control, pump your damage to the absolute maximum in one go, and do your best to burn them to ash the instant you clash."
Ji Jue was silent for a moment before repeating:
"As expected of you, Brother Shan."
Was it really wise to blatantly tell someone how to kill him?
Even if they trusted each other, wasn't this a bit much? Yeah... a little too heavy...
"If I didn't say it, wouldn't you figure it out anyway?" Tong Shan chuckled, completely unbothered. "Besides, you think I don't have other gear?"
To be fair, he had a point.
As an Exaltation-rank master among masters, while Tong Shan relied on solid technique and supreme mechanics out in the field, he had never hidden the fact that he was a pay-to-win warrior drowning in Federation currency.
Especially after taking up his post in the Mid-Continent, his wealth had become visibly apparent. He carried four blessed artifacts on him, every single one packing its own blessing sequence. It was a testament to his prowess that he could even withstand the drain and strain of bearing them all.
"Most Tianyuan users have little resistance against this trick, as long as they don't see it coming," Tong Shan added as a final reminder. "If there's anyone you really need to watch out for, it's the Barren Ruins."
The Barren Ruins. It always came back to the Barren Ruins.
Nothing could be done about it—the Barren Ruins was simply that tough. You could always count on their speed at stacking armor and their endless bag of mechanics. It was precisely because Entropy users couldn't crack Barren Ruins defenses that they tilted and researched this blessing sequence in the first place. Regrettably, even after developing it, whenever it couldn't penetrate, it still couldn't penetrate.
Hard counters were everywhere.
Like the one trailing behind Ji Jue's rear right now.
Little Niuma.
As the workshop's chief driver, transport vehicle, and damage-test dummy, Little Niuma's only limitation was that it couldn't talk. Otherwise, it would have spouted no end of taunts.
*Immovable as a Mountain, kid!*
No matter how high the pressure, it was useless. Dragon Mountain armor could forcibly disperse incoming damage across all surrounding matter, sharing the brunt.
Unless Ji Jue blew the numbers completely off the charts or found a way around the mechanic, he could only stare helplessly.
If he were to fight Sister Wen like this, he'd probably do nothing but futilely tick off -1, -1, before getting grabbed by the scruff and having her drive an attack straight down through his skull...
*Wait, why would I fight Sister Wen? Shouldn't Sister Wen be tanking on the front line to give me room to deal damage?!*
At the thought, Ji Jue gave a soft snort of amusement.
"All right, no time to waste."
Ji Jue slapped his thigh. "Let's go. Time to hunt some calamities."
"..."
Tong Shan fell silent, hesitating. "Is there any chance... that in broad daylight, I actually have to work?"
"Uh..."
Ji Jue was taken aback. "Then tonight?"
Tong Shan's expression grew even more complicated. "Overtime."
*Who the dog-fucking hell invented going to work? Wait, I own factories too, so I probably shouldn't say that. But what is up with your Security Bureau? Daily overtime, this much workload...*
*Oh, wait. Looks like I was the one who caused it.*
*Never mind, then.*
"Help me cultivate whenever you have free time, then," Ji Jue sighed in resignation.
Even though calamities were everywhere in this godforsaken place, a support like Tong the Vegetable, who matched Zhanlu's transmutation and metamorphoses so seamlessly, was exceedingly rare.
Without him, Ji Jue would have to expend at least tenfold the effort, and even then, he might not match the same results and progress.
At that realization, the leg Ji Jue had stepped forward with snapped right back, and he plopped down onto a nearby chair.
He waited with infinite patience.
He could sit here till the end of time.
"..."
Seeing this bastard squat in front of him like someone hawking an eagle to tame it, Tong Shan couldn't take it anymore.
After all, anyone sitting across from an artisan who gazed at them as if they were a piece of fine uncut jade would feel their vision darken with dread.
Especially when the bastard squatting there was named Ji Jue, the darkness was all the more absolute.
"Looking for calamities, right? Help me clear what's on my plate first," Tong Shan said, pulling a massive stack of assignment sheets from the clattering printer and dumping them in front of Ji Jue. "These are all recent anomaly reports. The ones on the left need verification on whether anomalies exist. The ones in the middle need confirmation on whether conditions have deteriorated. The ones on the right require deeper checks to ensure no terrorists from the Restoration Front are hiding out.
"Since you're so free, why don't you lend me a hand?"
"Why are they all petty, trivial odd jobs?"
Ji Jue leafed through them, utterly perplexed. "Aren't there any major assignments?"
"What else is an ostracized newcomer supposed to do besides pour tea and fetch water? It's lucky there's work to do at all," Tong Shan said calmly, picking up his teacup. "Certain troublesome matters... if you don't handle them, there's no telling how others will."
"Ah, Tianyuan..."
Ji Jue shook his head and flipped through the documents, understanding at once.
In a cesspool like the Mid-Continent where human decency was scarce to the point of pity, the guns pointed at good people were only ever more numerous. If you wanted to do your job properly, you'd inevitably invite criticism; if you wanted others to do theirs properly, you were daydreaming.
Tasks like verifying situations or checking anomalies—menial errand work with zero glory—were brushed off perfunctorily by some.
As for screening terrorists and corrupted ones, if someone found it too troublesome, they'd simply slaughter them all. Who had the imperial time to interrogate and sift through them one by one?
Only an oddball like Tong Shan would meticulously investigate every single detail.
"All right, these, these, and these—leave them to me."
Ji Jue picked up the stacks on the left and middle, treating it as doing daily chores for Tong the Vegetable.
These troublesome tasks, which made up over ninety percent of the total volume, could easily be handled by his equipment. In the span of a breath, the drones Ji Jue had scattered across the wilderness were already booted up.
"This one, this one, this one, and this one."
Ji Jue singled out several files and pushed them over to Tong Shan. "Nothing going on in these locations—all false alarms... This informant has a pretty high false-alarm rate; you should look into whether he's pocketing kickbacks.
"Then there's this serial murder case in Tacheng's south district. Hmm, let me see... both culprits are on the bounty board. They changed their looks and have been holing up in an apartment for about two months now.
"Mm, downstairs and across the hall are their lackeys, too, so there's no need to hold back when making a move. Here's the general intel. Just send Brother Liu and Sister Xue to wipe them out.
"And this, uh, this one, these few..."
Before he had even finished speaking, exact room numbers, photographs, and even takeout delivery logs were pinging Tong Shan's phone.
Along with that, bounties unearthed by trailing clues through server searches were sent over as well. In for a penny, in for a pound—might as well send them all packing together and rake in some extra bounties and merit.
Over the past few days, Ji Jue hadn't missed an opportunity to seed cameras and surveillance equipment throughout Tacheng and White Nation territories, so he simply activated them all at once.
Not like he had anything better to do.
Soon, as reconnaissance reports from drones across the regions flowed in, Ji Jue gave a flick of his finger, and formal report sheets and on-site photos began spewing from the printer like snowflakes.
The formatting, phrasing, and font sizes were all flawless, mimicking Tong Shan's habitual vocabulary down to the letter. All that was missing was a signature and a stamp.
A mountain of verification and scouting tasks was cleared at visible speed through the coordination of drones and assorted devices. For situations that couldn't be fully confirmed on the spot, spiritus samples were collected for subsequent analysis or in-person verification.
In five minutes, more than half had been cleared.
"The rest should be wrapped up before tonight. If you get any more of these tedious errand jobs in the future, just use this software. It'll save you at least half the hassle."
Ji Jue tapped his phone a few times, letting Deus Ex Machina automate the workflow, then sent the newly compiled office-work app to Tong Shan's phone.
Done.
All that remained were the most troublesome tasks that required in-person screening and verification.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
Tong Shan sat frozen, dazed. Before he could even react, he saw Ji Jue take a travel backpack from Riot Cat's hands and wave:
"No time to lose, Brother Vegetable! Duty calls!"
"..."
In a moment of hesitation, Tong Shan—who had originally planned to grind through this for days—stared blankly at the pile of finished reports in his hands, feeling as though something wasn't quite right.
Especially when, after climbing into the back seat, a small head peeked out sneakily from the passenger side of Little Niuma, eyes blinking.
"Are you guys going out to play?"
An Ning curiously raised her hand. "Is there action the moment I arrive? Count me in! Count me in!"
"Sit properly and buckle up." Ji Jue skillfully shoved her back into the passenger seat and started the engine. "Stop messing around. We from the Security Bureau are going out on official business!"
"Ooh, then I can help too!"
An Ning grew even more excited. "Who are we killing?"
"This is called eliminating villains, protecting the innocent, and keeping the peace!" Ji Jue scolded. "We Tianyuan are here to preserve peace and maintain order. How could that be the same as you White Stags breaking the law?"
"Oh, oh, I get it!"
An Ning looked enlightened. "Grandfather said—after you kill people and rob their stuff, you still expect them to say thank you. Completely shameless, right?"
"Yes, exactly, spot on."
Ji Jue nodded repeatedly. "A teachable pupil! Come, practice with me: 'No trouble at all, don't mention it, it's all in a day's work'... And if the other side has a terrible attitude, then evil must be eradicated completely."
"What if their attitude is really good?"
"Then we come back to kill them next time. Why be polite? Buy one, get one free!"
"..."
In the back seat, Tong Shan hesitated several times, words caught in his throat.
He only felt that things were straying further and further off course...
*Was this right?*
That said, they couldn't just run amok.
No matter how unscrupulous the Security Bureau's methods could be, Tong the Vegetable was ultimately a man of principle.
Well, the guy was great in every way, except for one thing: he got a bit carsick.
There was no helping it. When Ji Jue modified the vehicle, he poured everything into horsepower, completely neglecting shock absorption. Add to that the atrocious road conditions of the White Nation wilderness, livened up occasionally by earthquakes, storms, and mudslides, and Little Niuma at full throttle was practically a hamster ball. Ride in it at night, and it could spin your breakfast right out of your stomach.
Exaltation rank or not, Tong Shan couldn't stop his vision from darkening repeatedly:
"...Is this how you drove back in the rally?"
"Mm, road conditions were a bit better than this, I think? Don't worry, you get used to it the more you ride."
No matter how violently the car jolted, An Ning sat in her seat as composed as ever, even finding the mood to whip out her phone, leaning sideways to include Ji Jue in her selfies.
Snapping photo after photo.
Then sending them to Xiao An...
So much so that Ji Jue's phone constantly buzzed with crying-cat emojis.
*You two siblings are unbelievable!*
*Installing Wi-Fi in this car was a mistake.*
Ji Jue cut off the connection directly, interrupting her before she could start throwing a tantrum. "Weren't you out hunting wolves? Why did you come back?"
"After we killed a bunch, the rest went into hiding and won't show their faces for anything," An Ning said, shaking her head. "Why did the Wi-Fi—"
"So you aren't going to keep searching?" Ji Jue cut in again.
"Huh? Searching won't do any good, will it?"
An Ning's attention was hooked, and she shrugged it off. "Anyway, confirming there are wolves gives us the initiative. If those guys are genuinely scared, they won't poke their heads out no matter what; if they aren't, then however long they lie low, they're bound to slip up eventually. In any case, my uncles are on their way here, plus the elites from Wilderness Market. Worst comes to worst, we can just bag the whole lot when the time comes!
"Brother Ji Jue, my Wi-Fi—"
"We're here."
Ji Jue slammed on the brakes. Ahead, a desolate village loomed faintly.
An Ning glared. "Brother Ji Jue, the Wi-Fi..."
"What Wi-Fi? Time to work, time to work!"
"You did that on purpose!"
"On purpose doing what?"
Ji Jue feigned innocence. Pouting angrily, An Ning hopped out of the car.
She began hunting for rats.
Regrettably, no rats were found.
Even more regrettably, there was no longer any need to enter the village ahead.
"Burn it, Brother Shan," Ji Jue said, staring at the feed relayed by the drone, letting out a silent sigh.
"The Security Bureau's report was already too late."
Only two days had passed since the Security Bureau received the anomaly calamity alert. But before the White Nation's provisional government forwarded the alert, how much time had been squandered?
Long enough that not a single living soul remained in the village.
After calamity beasts tore through, the place had turned into an insect nest. Massive spiders crawled silently in and out of the dilapidated buildings, scavenging the last scraps of sustenance.
Mountainous piles of spider eggs were heaped atop desiccated skeletons, while countless tiny spiders crept like a tide across rotting flesh...
Tong Shan remained silent.
He closed his eyes, looking away.
Domain unfolded—
—*Calamity Prevention Codex · Fire-Heaven Great Possession*!
Chapter 619