What to Do? Just Kill!

The sea and sky were dead silent. Amid the rumbling, the colossal Pillar of Perdition descended by another fraction! The next one, and then the one after that... Having fought two consecutive duels, the overly young Embers artisan still stood upon the battlefield, unscathed, showing not the slightest sign of fatigue. Even as the iridescent light within the Profound surged relentlessly and malevolent gazes bore down on him, he did not care in the least. He merely yawned out of sheer boredom, tilting his head back to gaze at the sky. His face remained devoid of expression. Right before his eyes, the heavens gradually turned murky, pale, and dim. The sea froze inch by inch, and in the biting wind that blew in his face, powdery snow fell in flurries. Out from the darkness, a bloated figure bundled in a heavy, padded coat walked toward him step by step, staggering and hunched over, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Layers of frost clung to his exposed beard and hair. It was as cold as being trapped inside an ice cavern. Yet stranger still, wisps of sparks and thick smoke continued to pour from his body. "*Hah...*" Amid heavy, ragged panting, the blackened, corpse-like face finally opened its shut eyes. No pupils could be seen within—only viscous flames swirling endlessly inside charred sockets. He stared at Ji Jue. Just looking at him was enough to make one's insides burn, as if one were about to ignite alongside him. Though heaven and earth were bitterly cold and the frost-laden wind bit to the bone, a spark slowly rose from the drying ground right in front of Ji Jue. Countless sparks danced upward like fireflies in invisible flames! "You... you... look..." The figure's expression twitched for an instant, splitting open into something resembling a smile as he mumbled incoherently: "...delicious!" "That's... Torch Plague!" Jiang Tongguang shouted in outrage, "What the hell is the Profound doing?!" This was the duel of Embers and Stagnant Rot. How could they send such an incomprehensible monstrosity onto the field?! Never mind whether it could still be called a Stagnant Rot artisan—whether that thing even counted as human or was still alive was up for debate! Seventy years ago, the artisan now known as Torch Plague had burst onto the scene, utterly unmatched in fame and virtually leading the trends of his era within the Profound. Over forty years ago, after having the honor of an audience with Grandmaster Beigong, the artisan sought to take another step forward and threw caution to the wind, pouring everything into an alchemy he could not possibly control. In the end, he lost himself in the boon of Stagnant Rot. He had quite literally suffered a deviation and succumbed to fire and madness, losing all control and irreversibly objectified! His soul, life, and consciousness were burned to cinders in the furnace. All that remained in the world was his reified shell. Over the past decades, shaped by the malicious ingenuity and meticulous reconstruction of numerous Profound artisans, this corrupted, objectified husk had been continuously augmented, repaired, and even utterly transformed... In the end, it had turned into a tool, a weapon, a crucible of calamity that only incubated destruction, eroding and corrupting everything in its path! What unfolded before Ji Jue's eyes was the final outcome created when artisans lost control, fell into corruption, and were objectified—the dead end they walked upon! It was itself an oversized source of Stagnant Rot contamination! It possessed no thoughts, no reason, and nothing that could even be called consciousness. The only things that remained were the former artisan's instinctual alchemy, uncontrollable chaotic mutations, completely corrupted and warped techniques, and... the absolute malice that creations of the Great Sin harbored toward Supreme Good artisans! The so-called Torch Plague! "Can't take it..." When the sound of shattering chains rang out before Ji Jue, the bloated figure hugging his chest trembled violently. The smile on the charred face widened, stretching almost to the nape of his neck. The melting shackles turned into molten iron, dripping slowly from his withered hands. The frost covering his entire body swiftly vaporized and vanished. The heavy clothing that served as bonds—carefully crafted flame-retardant artifacts—also caught fire and burned beneath the expanding flames. Viscous fire erupted from the sensory organs of that face, screeching like living creatures, writhing and spreading as if dancing. "*Heh-heh, haha, hahahahaha—*" Hysterical laughter echoed from within the fire, repeating past madness and ecstasy: "I get it, I finally understand it all! The transmutation of all things, the flux of all phenomena—it's so simple!" *Crack!* A fissure appeared across the face, and flames burst forth. Under the illumination of the firelight, all phenomena between heaven and earth seemed to be consumed by invisible flames, revealing their origin from within a brutal crucible. Amid the wailing of the fire, countless drops of rain fell from the sky, pervading everything yet remaining impossible to touch. Like tears, they caused everything to rot and decay at terrifying speed. The earth turned to charcoal, and flames rose from the cinders. Countless corpses and bones turned into kindling, melting into the fire. Broken skulls seemed to retain maniacal laughter, and writhing corpses resembled dancers. Mountains gradually dissolved within the blazing fire, and chasms spewed black tides amid the rain, unleashing one staggering mutation after another. Right before Ji Jue's eyes, rocks in the soil shattered, and dust coalesced into clay figures. Bloody tears flowed from their exaggerated facial features, filled with bitter malice. The clay figures squirmed and pieced themselves together, instantly turning into a colossal monstrosity that cannibalized itself before breaking apart and collapsing back into perdition. The futile cycle was endless, meaningless transformations repeating without pause. The so-called world was nothing more than an unending loop of tears, misery, and despair. Torch Plague surged forth from that vessel like a tide, flooding everything, cutting off every other manifestation of the Supreme Good, and turning the entire Border Realm into a crucible breeding Stagnant Rot! Beneath the raging tide, Ji Jue's figure was completely swallowed up. He had not even had time to resist. He had vanished. "Oi, old man, is this really okay?" Above the heavens outside the Border Realm, the Grandmaster looking down on the scene suddenly spoke up: "Isn't it a bit uncalled for to let something like that take the field?" "What kind of nonsense is that?" Elder Zhen retorted. "Though today's candidate was chosen by my subordinates, Torch Plague belongs to the Profound and is a creation of Stagnant Rot. What reason is there not to let him fight?" "No, what I mean is... even if you're throwing the match, you should at least put on a show," Tianlu sighed. A faint smile suddenly surfaced on his cold face, brimming with gratitude. "Serving up a win so blatantly... word of it won't sound very good once it gets out, will it?" Torch Plague? Stagnant Rot? Contamination? A crucible? You must be joking! From the very beginning, he had never taken the so-called Torch Plague seriously! Never mind Torch Plague—even if the nameless artisan who created Torch Plague were still alive, would he be a match for today's Ji Jue?! Would he pose the slightest threat to Ji Jue?! "In four hundred years, not only has the Association forgotten what Embers once looked like, but it seems even the Profound has completely forgotten how those Mohists, once branded as heinous traitors, handled their business." Tianlu grinned, letting out a rueful sigh: "—Have you all underestimated Non-Offensive a bit too much?" *Boom!* From the deepest depths of the endless tide of murky corruption, a gleam of silver light suddenly leaped out, flashing, piercing through the darkness, and dazzling the eyes of every onlooker. It was merely an insignificant speck, so minuscule, yet impossible to ignore. It did not even do anything. Its mere presence caused all incoming corruptions to burst like bubbles. From within the all-devouring tide, it effortlessly opened up a sanctuary, a domain entirely free of pollution. There was no need for Ji Jue to deliberately push his power or launch a calculated counterattack. Long before such a thought could even cross his mind, his hands had already reacted instinctively. Countless intricate silver insignias surfaced on his hands, extending into the void like sharp blades, slicing through the incoming tide. The surge of Torch Plague's corruption was split down the middle, veering to the sides in terror, unable to advance inward by even a single fraction! Non-Offensive! Non-Offensive's wrath! The spirituality contained within, the legacy left by ancient Sages, the prayers entrusted by past Mohists, and the instinctual reflexes accumulated through Ji Jue's countless alchemical feats—all of them operated of their own accord at this moment, pouring forth! Like a wisp of dreamlike silver flame, its mere presence prevented Torch Plague's erosion and mutation from advancing an inch. When Ji Jue raised his hand, the raging tempest of rain and fire came to an abrupt halt, as though frozen, hanging suspended before him. "Pulling this kind of trick in front of me?" Ji Jue lifted his head, staring at the scene before him. Flames surpassing Torch Plague's own gradually rose within his eyes. "You dogs really don't know when to die, do you?" No matter how many times he saw it, such a sight made it impossible for him to remain calm and peaceful. It was not just the fury of Non-Offensive. Long before that, the former curse-bearer named Ji Jue had already been consumed by rage. Kanemoto, Elder Zhen, Fernand who had only just died... and now another incomprehensible freak had jumped out to create hell right before his eyes! The artisan carrying the Mohist legacy sighed softly, filled with bewilderment: "You abominations... why can't you ever be wiped out completely?" No one answered. Ji Jue did not care, nor did he need anyone to answer for him. If they could be wiped out, he would kill them; if they couldn't, he would kill them all the same! Kill one if there was one, kill a pair if there was a pair! From the Association to the Profound, from Embers to Stagnant Rot, and from the mortal world to the Vortex! If there were still more, he would kill his way from the Thousand Islands to the Mid-Continent, and from the Federation to the Empire! Kill, and keep on killing! If more remained, kill again! Until a world where everyone loved one another and hell no longer existed arrived! Eradicate the root of calamity, exterminate the seeds of oppression and devastation, so that this world might find peace and tranquility, forever free of cruel strife! "Today, I'll let you abominations learn firsthand." Ji Jue's voice rang out, drowning out the tempest and echoing endlessly within the Border Realm: "—What is meant by Non-Offensive!" In that instant, he raised his palm toward Torch Plague. And clenched his fist. *Boom!* The rain of tears stopped; the corpse-flames froze. The sweeping tide seemed to hit an iron wall and abruptly shattered. A wisp of silver light rose from Ji Jue's fingertips, rippling outward in all directions. Wherever it passed, the charred earth returned to barren wilderness, and the Border Realm enveloped in dim pallor revealed a blank expanse of sky once more. Within the tide of Torch Plague, the hysterical laughter ground to a halt, boiling and churning as if in furious roars. Quicksilver continued to spread, cycling through the three phases in endless flux. It was as if he had grasped everything in his palm, commanding and dominating it at will... The bone-deep corruption swiftly regressed, and all phenomena sinking into Stagnant Rot returned to purity! Ten fingers upon two hands, recreating all phenomena under heaven! The alchemy of Non-Offensive began anew. Restoring all that had been disfigured beyond recognition back to its original form!