A Cornered Beast's Struggle

"Ji Jue, come out and fight me one-on-one! "You bastard surnamed Ji, come on out! Don't just stay quiet out there, I know you're home! "I'm going to tear you into ten thousand pieces!" Roars and bellows echoed continuously within the cage, ringing out without cease. Yet no matter how he screamed and shouted, to Ji Jue it was nothing more than dog barking, unworthy of even a moment's notice. He turned a deaf ear. He merely directed Zhanlu with cold detachment, endlessly unleashing purple lightning and black flames, while Chunjun's swords of spiritus poured like a tempest, raining from the sky and erupting from the earth. Like boiling a frog in warm water, he pinned them down and wore them out, using the massive torrents of shifting quicksilver to divide the battlefield, systematically and leisurely disposing of the teammates the man had brought with him, one by one. No rush. Once his hands were completely free at the end, he could slowly surround him and kick the shit out of him! He didn't care whether Longdu's current state was helpless rage or if he was clutching some trump card, fishing for an opening. If you have tricks, bring them out; don't try to hide them. Everyone here was an Embers artisan who prepared. Since you didn't prepare enough, then I'll just have to prepare *you*! "As expected of Tianlu's successor..." From beneath that painted mask came a voice tinged with regret, devoid of fury or resentment, sounding almost filled with admiration: "Setting aside other skills, this knack for hiding your head while showing your tail, for putting on pretense—that you've certainly mastered to perfection!" *Bang!* That hunched, withered body abruptly burst apart. Countless pieces of deadwood and crushed stone manifested within it, gushing out, rapidly growing and expanding. In an instant, foundations laid themselves, followed immediately by jade beams and golden pillars soaring upward. In a trice, as if breaking through layer upon layer of lockdown, it rose like a solitary high tower upon a hundred-foot cliff, connecting to the firmament above. Let the raging tides surge as they would; it stood firm as a mountain, unruffled, no longer bearing any trace of its former flustered and beleaguered state. Like an illusion, stars ignited within the enclosed cage, hanging aloft. Amid the swirling of infinite stars, they flowed like a magnificent river across the empty dome of the sky. Countless specks of starlight converged around that stargazing tower, circling like a colossal wheel. Yet what rained down was not cool silver brilliance, but a dim, eerie glow that drained all color from creation! The Tri-Phase cycle abruptly stalled. It was as if a foreign object had suddenly jammed into tightly meshed, high-speed machinery, pebbles wedged between the gears. Beneath the reflection of that eerie glow, the river-like rush of quicksilver rapidly ground to a halt, freezing, losing responsiveness and variability. Material properties decayed; spirituality dispersed! Under the eerie light, every alchemical creation began wearing down and aging, rapidly decaying like equipment left without maintenance for years, repeatedly failing to respond, slipping out of control, and crashing. In fact, it wasn't just Embers. Even the decrees and suppression of Tianyuan were swiftly weakening and crumbling under the eerie radiance. The light of withering and ruin shone in all directions, decay spreading like poison, contagious, pervading everything in an instant! The iron-walled cage that Ji Jue had meticulously prepared beneath Luo Island couldn't keep out this pervasive infiltration; fissures were spreading across it at a pace visible to the naked eye! "Du Luojia, quit pretending!" Longdu's hoarse voice rasped right beside the blood-soaked Ucchusma Vajra's ear: "If you don't fight for your life now, you won't get another chance!" *Boom!* Amid the salvation of the Veil, the crack-riddled Ucchusma Vajra manifested a wrathful visage, spitting lightning as a boundless sea of fire abruptly unfurled beneath its feet, sweeping outward in all directions. Thunder and fire were the manifestations of a wrathful mind and a discriminative mind—cruel and tyrannical as thunder and fire, yet imbued with the meditative visualization of a monk. Converting his own calamities and hindrances into a means of repelling foes, forcing his opponents to bear the erosion and torment of the Abyssal Depths in his stead. As long as a single thought remained unextinguished, it could never be put out! Beneath the slashing thunder and burning flames, Badanta's Golden Body of Tears of Blood shuddered violently, another crack tearing across it. *Crash—* In that split-second opening and delay, a storm of crimson blood was already blowing into his face. Old Tom, with three heads and six arms, brandished sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, hacking wildly down upon that solemn, majestic face! Slash! Hack! Chop! Cleave! Just keep chopping, and that's that! In less than the snap of a finger, Du Luojia's body was chopped into mincemeat with extreme uniformity. Yet as the blades fell, there wasn't the slightest tactile feedback—it was like cutting into water or thin air, completely empty. Not until the very end did a descending blade strike something indestructible, recoiling back. From within the shattered body, a dazzling jewel rose. That was Du Luojia's true vital point, the vessel of his soul! Cultivated day and night through Vajrayana and candali meditation, his entire being and consciousness had been transformed into a jewel hovering between reality and void, existence and nonexistence. As long as the one mind did not perish, it would endure without end. To Old Tom, however, it made no difference. The boss paid enough. Man or ball, spirit pearl or demon orb, he'd hack it all the fucking same! A fracturing sound rang out. The jewel had been struck by who knew how many blades, crisscrossed with cracks. Yet at the same moment, a glimmer of light flowed through the fissures, followed by a thunderous detonation as a tempestuous deluge erupted outward, completely ripping apart the mandala and breaking through the restraints. It was practically like a self-destruction! No, this *was* a fucking self-destruction! *Boom!* "Holy shit!" Old Tom's face warped. He pulled back at breakneck speed, retreating, dodging by a hair's breadth the ripple that had looked so insignificant. Immediately afterward, he saw that wherever the ripple passed, everything completely collapsed, annihilated, scattering like dust. *Om! Tare Tuttare Ture Sva—* A mantra echoed in the void. After the violent shockwave tore through more than half of the iron walls, it contracted inch by inch at an incredible speed, drawing inward and returning once again into the form of the jewel, completely unharmed. It was just like turning back time! Under the blessing of his dharmapala, Du Luojia's time was forcibly rolled back by a second, reconverging into a whole, pristine state! Shielded by the starlight radiance of Longdu, he had weathered the most perilous moment unscathed—and even underwent a magical-girl-style transformation... The Eight Legions reappeared: the Kinnara representing the uncanny Vermin, the Mahoraga representing the life of the White Pavilion, and the Gandharva representing the indulgence of Weiyang converged into one, draping over Du Luojia's jewel and manifesting an incarnation of extraordinary sublimity. The Tara Manifestation! The dharmapalas of Yaksha, Deva, and Asura converged and layered over one another, landing in Tara's hand and transforming into an incomparably sharp vajrakīla that blazed with searing light! Boundless, immense strength manifested. Tara was the Majestic, the Vanquisher of Enemy Armies, the Victorious Lady, the Great Wrathful Lady, the Sovereign of Fierce Might! At this moment, she roared at the top of her lungs, a voice shaking the four seas. Even the vast Luo Island trembled slightly; through thick layers of earth, the ocean churned with surging waves. A strike with nothing held back, struck with all her might! Under the cleaving strike of the vajrakīla, the ceiling was smashed to pieces like splitting bamboo. It slammed head-on into the weight of Tianyuan, causing the Chixiao Pennant to ring out continuously, displaying baleful might as if consumed by rage. Yet Du Luojia couldn't help laughing madly in silence. This iron-walled cage had finally been shattered by his hand! No more shackles! He was free! In that instant, he finally saw, just beyond the ceiling, the magnificent figure looking down on everything—a ferocious silhouette like a steel giant, casting cold, downcast eyes. Dragon Mountain had waited for this moment! Facing the vajrakīla of boundless power, the colossal steel colossus merely raised its arm and clenched its fist. The weight of the Barren Ruins smashed down ruthlessly! "Wha—" Du Luojia's eyes went wide with disbelief. Just as he focused every shred of attention, bracing for impact, that iron fist—falling like the collapse of heaven itself—actually... brushed past him. As if it didn't care about this speck of dust at all, as if his existence meant nothing. It directed that purest form of violence solely onto the precarious tower and swirling stars into which Longdu had transformed. *Boom!* Why? Amid the howling storm, Du Luojia stared with wide eyes, unable to understand. Nor did he understand why his vision was growing darker, blacker, and increasingly blurred. There was only a slight ache at the back of his head. *Crack!* Only now did the crisp sound of shattering finally reach his ears. A hand that emerged from the shadows, wrapped in uncanny flames, had soundlessly appeared from his blind spot while all his attention was fixed in vigilance on the enemy before him. It reached forward. Like a wolf's claw, it slipped lightly and fleetly into the back of his head, gripping tightly onto the jewel that housed his soul. The lurking wolf struck from the shadows... "Praise be to the Wolf Lord!" Ni Lin · Inayat offered devout praise in his heart. Five fingers clamped around the jewel. In the swirling flames, a ferocious wolf-like silhouette took shape, opened its jaws, and bit down on the jewel, devouring it in ravenous gulps. In that fleeting span of less than a second, having licked the morsel clean and swallowed it whole, Ni Lin faded back into the shadows and vanished. As if he had never existed at all. All that remained in midair was Tara wailing as she disintegrated. The dharmapalas of the Eight Legions fell to pieces, swallowed up by the descending Veil once more, never to be seen again. Dead. And beneath that long-charged iron fist, the stars dimmed and the high tower collapsed. Everything disintegrated; only the magnificent thunderous crash echoed without end, tearing at eardrums... Beneath layer upon layer of suppression, the purest force of matter brought down the ultimate judgment. Stars burst with mournful shrieks; the tower crumbled inch by inch. In Tong Shan's grip, Huihao slashed down once more. Ink cleaved from the void like a sword, piercing through inside and out, thoroughly nailing down every possible transformation of the foe. Immediately following that, in the grasp of the Dragon Mountain giant, a four-fluted spinning sword of thunder and fire surged forth, plunging into the ruins of the pavilion and the Encircled Realm, wreaking havoc and ruin. Thunder and fire intertwined, spiraling outward like an electric drill, boring through layer after layer, incinerating everything to ashes! Until the Encircled Realm, teetering on the verge of collapse, blew apart completely. A dust-caked mask appeared for merely a split second before its wearer could even react, only to feel his vision suddenly plunge into darkness. An invisible spiritus hand manifested out of thin air. It clamped down onto Longdu's face. And then... [Jingzhen]! *Boom!* The mask shattered, breaking apart to reveal an aged face stricken with shock and horror, contorted and warped. He opened his mouth, trying to roar, but no sound could come out. The invisible spiritus hand pressed down once more! [Jingzhen]! *Boom!* Much like how the more people you get to know, the more you love dogs— The more peers Ji Jue got to know, the more he loved the Dissociation Art... He even hoped his peers would love it too! Jingzhen! Jingzhen! Jingzhen! Jingzhen! Jingzhen! To hell with whatever you've got—just vibrate the fuck out of them, and that's that!