Divine Weapon, Trump Card

*Crack!* In that split second, a sound like something shattering seemed to ring out from within Tao Chen's raging fury. If he had not heard that the bitch Ye Xian's student had run off to the White Nation, he never would have voluntarily answered Old Man Zhen's summons to associate with this bunch of lunatics whose minds were filled with nothing but slaughter and devouring. Now, watching Ji Jue's utterly shameless, brazen display, Tao Chen could no longer contain his fury. Holding nothing back, he struck with all his might. "Die, you mongrel!" The grotesque scepter in his hand jerked violently. The power of the Harmonious Lord Masterwork abruptly expanded, turning into endless darkness that sealed the world. Thick, viscous dark showered down like a torrential downpour, and wailing figures trapped within crawled out of the pitch-black mire one after another. In the blink of an eye, countless aberrant souls burrowed into the flesh of the living corpses and Transmutation Wolves, reviving them once more. Like a surging tide, they swiftly closed in from all sides. *Crack!* Tong Shan grunted, veins bulging on the hand gripping Huihao. The domain he had just erected fractured with cracks, no longer able to withstand the frost stream pouring from the clouds. "Someone else is hiding in there! Watch out!" A fracturing sound came from his eye, and blood seeped from it as the ring on his index finger blazed with light. "Don't worry about me! Take out that artisan first!" *Boom!* The erupting frost stream was forcefully shattered once more. Yet another blessed creation on Tong Shan lit up with radiance—judging purely by its spiritus fluctuations, it was already close to a Masterwork! *What kind of gear-stacked warrior is this guy?!* Even Ji Jue was a bit dumbfounded. In all likelihood, Tong the Vegetable was actually at his thorniest and most dangerous when he seemed at his weakest... As for An Ning—a Hunter's strength had nothing to do with their condition. Even on the verge of death, she was still capable of delivering a blow that could decide the battle, so she needed no special protection. All Ji Jue had to do was eliminate the most troublesome artisan as quickly as possible. Still, to think that after fleeing all the way into the Kingdom of the Woods, he still had to kill one of his own peers—what kind of Embers curse was this?! *Boom!* In an instant, besieged by countless mud-covered figures, Little Niuma roared and transformed. Untold arrays of weaponry in the trunk fired simultaneously. Amid skies filled with artillery fire, the Dragon Mountain armor carrying the cockpit raised its dual autocannons, which flared with continuous, blazing light. Alchemy bullets whistled forth like a torrential downpour, completely indifferent to cost. At maximum rate of fire, it swept away every visible opponent at breathtaking speed, easily tearing rip after rip through the Harmonious Lord's territory. Immediately afterward, the countless shattered piles of mud swiftly fused back together, continuously reviving as fast as they were destroyed. Streaks of dark green, ethereal light abruptly manifested from the sky, dancing like neon and refracting among countless eerie crystals, suppressing the operation of every outside blessed creation. Midair, fissures cracked across Tao Chen's body as he transformed into a coalescence of grotesque, ethereal radiance—and it was more than just a Regeneration form... Domain: Crystal Conversion and Light Essence, unfold! In a flash, the Harmonious Lord's territory grew as stable and immovable as a mountain. The power of all blessed creations surged by fifty percent, and eerie light slithered across the space like serpents, repeatedly lunging forward, even completely dissolving and consuming incoming bullets. "You still hope to resist? Within this domain lies my workshop! The interior and exterior have long been sealed off—even if Ye Xian came in person, it would be useless!" Tao Chen's voice echoed from within his silhouette of ethereal light, brimming with malicious delight. "Kneel obediently on the ground and hand over the Ye Clan's legacy and that bitch's spiritus transmutation!" "Uh, about that..." Ji Jue scratched his head and asked curiously, "While I have a slight doubt about whether my teacher coming would really be useless, do you mean to say... this place is completely cut off from the outside world?" Midair, Tao Chen paused for a split second. All he saw was Ji Jue's heartfelt smile, brimming with delight and gratitude. "Well then, that's just fantastic!" As long as he left no survivors, he wouldn't have to worry about the Association's Absolute Sentence squad knocking on his door. Since the other guy was being so accommodating, there was no need for Ji Jue to pretend to be an upstanding gentleman either! Across that blood-stained face, within eyes burning like dark kindling, a fierce malice that eclipsed the eerie light erupted! Beneath the shattered earth, countless pale flowers abruptly burst into bloom. Amid the swirling quicksilver, near-mastery-level corruption alchemy revealed itself before Tao Chen's eyes. Crown of Isis, unfold! The moment the first eerie pale sprout emerged from the barren soil, an utterly glaring mold spot appeared within the Harmonious Lord's territory and was effortlessly wiped out. But immediately after, a second pale blossom sprouted from the darkness, followed by a third, a fourth... They were crushed, severed, incinerated, and vaporized. Without offering any resistance, they were reduced to ash. Yet wherever the countless quicksilver vapors condensed, brand-new blossoms grew forth again in an instant. In the blink of an eye, patches of white flowers had sprouted across the wasteland, even taking root and budding within the mud. The mud figures that had just reformed quickly stiffened, then began to convulse and spasm. Fluid Alchemy strengthened their intrinsic nature; Solid Alchemy interfered with the circulation of the hosts' spiritus; and then Gas Alchemy unsparingly began to siphon the hosts' consciousness, spiritus, and even their souls, recklessly taking root and flourishing. Assimilation! Boundless quicksilver blossoms rose from the flames and withered amid the frost streams, reviving as quickly as they perished, expanding their territory at terrifying, visible speed! They even broke through the Harmonious Lord's territory and took root... within his very own domain?! Tao Chen's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks, his spectral form trembling. No matter how he tried to eradicate them, as long as a single drop of quicksilver remained, massive swathes of blossoms would sprout from it anew. It was clearly so pure and brilliantly beautiful, yet its essence was as vicious as a demon! It was unimaginable that an operation of such complex magnitude was taking place. Every single blossom appeared identical, yet the conditions and environments they countered were entirely distinct; their operation and growth could not possibly follow a single uniform template! It was as though someone was simultaneously controlling tens of thousands of blossoms behind the scenes, and their numbers were still crazily surging. Even if they appeared fragile, they were endless, indestructible, and endlessly infuriating! *If that's the case...* *Then force them down, and take out the artisan!* *Boom!* Amid the riot of eerie light, the Harmonious Lord Scepter was raised once more. Violent shifts in gravity forcefully crushed everything within the domain, while boundless spectral light coalesced into a torrential flood, roaring directly toward Ji Jue! Ji Jue did not move. Yet out of the void, pale blossoms converged from thin air. Surging quantities of quicksilver formed an iron wall, colliding head-on with the blast unleashed by Tao Chen! It actually held! Even though it was being continuously depleted with every passing instant, an equal amount of restructuring occurred simultaneously! It was an exquisite balance of consumption and control down to the finest detail! Along with it came the tool's deepening resentment and distaste: [Sir, would it be too much trouble for your noble toes to take a couple of steps and dodge?] "Dodge what? I believe in you, Isis!" Ji Jue grinned. "Aren't you doing great? I'll leave it in your capable hands!" [Sir, are you out of your mind?] Isis's voice remained cold and detached. [Even as a Matrix Relic, I am only at the Beckoning stage. Managing this much is already pushing my limits. Please do not harbor unrealistic expectations of me.] "Don't worry, you won't be for long." Ji Jue grinned, revealing his Regeneration form. Amid the flow of metallic radiance, he turned back into a mechanical body once more, swiftly disabling all verifications and locks. Then, while Isis hesitated, Ji Jue's laughter rang out. "You can use mine," he said. Question one: if a Matrix Relic was defined as a creation possessing matrix specifications and blessings... then why couldn't he be a Matrix Relic? Question two: if a Matrix Relic possessed the blessings of the Embers lineage and a Non-Offensive matrix capable of instant transmutation... could Isis then be considered an artisan? With zero dignity and zero care, he casually cast aside the identity of master, completely reversing host and tool in an act of sheer madness! Even Isis fell silent for a moment, unable to comprehend her master's train of thought and utter audacity. Yet now, that vibrant, dripping pale branch of blossoms had already appeared in Ji Jue's hand. Slowly raising it, he aimed it at the back of his neck, targeting his exposed spine. He stabbed it in! *Boom!* The instant that streak of silver-white seeped into the mechanical body, the roles of master and tool reversed. Isis took the helm. As the two souls overlapped, the two matrices born of the same origin entangled once more. The collision of that single instant burst into a dazzling radiance capable of tearing through the entire domain and illuminating all creation! The boundless sea of pale blossoms abruptly surged into a frenzy, dreamlike petals fluttering and coalescing. Then Matrix Relic Ji Jue raised a hand and gently pointed a finger! Boundless spiritus and quicksilver surged together. The illusory lights of Chunjun, Pan Ying, and Zhanlu intertwined, forging a radiant sword of flowing light that spanned the heavens and the earth, slashing down toward the incoming spectral light and Tao Chen high in the sky! The domain trembled violently. Countless rays of spectral light shattered. As that fleeting burst of flowing light erupted, shocking fissures spread across the void. The scepter in Tao Chen's hand nearly overloaded, glowing scorching red. Tao Chen felt as if his heart had plunged into an icy abyss. His hair stood on end as he stared fixedly at the completely transformed Ji Jue. He could not fathom this sudden, violent change—it was as if the boy had turned into an entirely different person! "What the hell is that?!" "Hahaha, dumbfounded, aren't you?!" Chest puffed out, Ji Jue's metallic face laughed out loud at the stunned Tao Chen under his Regeneration form. "This is my true divine weapon, my winning trump card—the [Isis Spine Sword]!" For a moment, Tao Chen fell into silence as well, doubting his own ears, his brain, his sanity, and everything before his eyes. And not just Tao Chen. [Sir...] "Yeah?" [To borrow your own words: don't make me slap you while I'm in a good mood, all right?] "...Understood." Feeling that cold, merciless hand resting upon his soul, Ji Jue nodded repeatedly. At that, an almost hallucinatory chuckle sounded. [Then Isis, your humble slave and tool, shall serve you—] With that, Isis raised her hand once more toward the enemy before them. Her five fingers spread open. Then clenched tight! A chorus of sword chimes erupted from within the domain, like a swarm of bees beating their wings. The moment the boundless pale blossoms burst apart, amid the dazzling brilliance, untold numbers of Chunjun swords rose into the sky like a surging tide!