Chosen: Beyond Fate

Blessed equipment and Transcendent Vision, activated!

As time accelerated fourfold, eightfold, sixteenfold, Ji Jue’s eyes blazed with light.

First, a physical enhancement from the Ember Path was applied to his hands, turning them into tools surpassing blades and axes that tore through resilient muscle and drove deep into the organs.

Then, within his fingers, motion and stillness flowed together, causing condensation and vibration, repulsion and fusion, expansion and contraction. Entirely different spirit transformations emerged between his palms, granting them unparalleled destructive power against all alchemical constructs.

Dissociation Technique, activated!

Its sole target was the matrix inside the Centaur’s body, already on the verge of collapse. It was like kicking the good leg of a cripple.

Amid the Centaur’s increasingly shrill screams, a spirit storm capable of dismantling all alchemical structures burst from Ji Jue’s fingertips, locking onto its weakest points without hesitation and destroying them outright.

After incorporating Pacifier’s manipulation of spirit matter, the destructive effect of the Dissociation Technique against spirit matter occurred once more!

The essence of the matrix was a guiding beacon toward the path of Supreme Benevolence, a route carved out by countless pioneers within the woven tapestry. At the same time, it was also a seed of miracle formed from the distilled essence of Supreme Benevolence and ascending spirit matter.

After a series of impacts and ravaging, the matrix, already operating in overload and on the verge of self-destruction, could no longer endure this annihilating strike aimed at all spirit-matter constructs, like the final ten tons of straw that broke the camel’s back.

Chains shattered as intricate spirit-matter circuits emerged from the soul on the verge of collapse, then disintegrated, cracked, and broke apart before fully dissolving. For a brief moment, Ji Jue felt as though he held an actual soul within his interlaced fingers.

He caught it. That... was actually this simple?!

In the sudden haze of confusion and realization, Ji Jue couldn’t help but pause, unable to believe what had just happened. There was no need for overwhelming power, scheming calculations, careful deliberation, or even fully focused control. The moment the essence of this skill surfaced in his mind, everything unfolded naturally on its own.

The invisible hand of Pacifier had merged with the essence of the Dissociation Technique flawlessly, as if it was meant to be. From a lofty, overlooking perspective, every change was laid bare before Ji Jue’s eyes, with no flow or shift able to escape his vision. All flaws and weak points became equally clear.

It was so simple that all he needed to do was extend his hand, find the right moment and position, push over the first domino, and it would be enough to trigger an unforeseen tide.

Crack!

An unstoppable collapse spread like a chain reaction, engulfing everything as it raged on. After such a long period of self-torment and practice, he had finally stepped across the threshold of the Dissociation Technique. In a fleeting glimpse, he saw the vast and magnificent scenery in the distance, and even the long and tortuous path leading there, so far away.

Ji Jue clenched his fists. Without the slightest mercy, he crushed everything in his grasp into powder!

The already overburdened matrix shattered on the spot. The dazzling streams of light didn’t even have time to disperse before they were completely captured and devoured by the ability of Deus Ex Machina.

Then, just before the runaway spirit matter and life force could explode like a bomb, Pacifier lit up again.

Alchemical operation, commence!

No, this couldn’t even be called alchemy. It was nothing more than a crude and direct plundering and stripping based on the properties of spirit-matter manipulation!

Using the Centaur’s body as a vessel and relying on Pacifier’s traits to control all reachable spirit matter, everything was drawn inward, forming a vortex. All life, spirit matter, and remaining blessings were gathered, violently stirred into a chaotic mass, and forcibly compressed.

After minimizing dispersion and loss as much as possible, it simultaneously formed an impure aggregate that no one could easily swallow or digest, indistinguishable from toxic waste.

“Come out!” Ji Jue shouted.

The Centaur’s body rapidly withered, turning into a dried corpse as it cracked and weathered away. When Ji Jue pulled out his hands from the remains, they shone with a strange and resplendent light.

The heart was still beating madly. A crystalline heart, formed by compressing all the Centaur’s final life force and spirit matter, emanated an eerie fragrance. Yet when drops of blood fell onto the ground, they hissed like a deadly poison, causing the cracked floor to writhe as if it were alive, veins and fascia emerging across its surface.

Due to Ji Jue’s crude methods, the moment the heart manifested, it had already begun to rapidly squirm and grow. If not for Pacifier’s suppression, it would have already sprouted tumors and turned into something unrecognizable.

In the field of alchemy, life science was a profound discipline worth a craftsman dedicating their entire life to. With Ji Jue’s level, he was simply wasting good material. Even if he brought it to Professor Ye, the only evaluation it would receive would be “trash,” nothing more.

For humans, it had absolutely no value whatsoever. For Horsey, however, it was perfect.

The moment the heart appeared, Horsey had already crept over, lying flat on the ground, its tail whipping wildly and carving deep scratches into the wall. Saliva dripped in streams from its huge mouth. It had long been drooling with desire, ready to pounce at any moment.

But when Ji Jue glanced back at it, it immediately forced itself to restrain its instincts and did not dare act recklessly.

“Sit,” Ji Jue ordered. The floor immediately shook, and Horsey sprawled flat on the ground, tilting its head up while still wagging its tail, obedient to the extreme. “Hand. Right hand, not that one. Yes, spin around, do a somersault. Good boy, good boy.”

Satisfied, Ji Jue patted its head and chin with his left hand, then finally handed over the rapidly expanding heart.

“Alright, eat.”

The headlights on Horsey’s face flared. It carefully opened its mouth toward the heart in Ji Jue’s hand, bit down, then immediately turned away and lay on the ground, tearing, biting, and devouring with unrestrained frenzy.

Even the drops of blood and strands of flesh that fell to the ground were not spared. It scooped them up together with the floor itself and stuffed everything into its mouth, chewing with loud, crisp crunches.

Meanwhile, Ji Jue looked at his empty palm. His fingers were long, fair, and clean, with no calluses or blemishes at all. Not even a trace of blood or dust remained. With his will, Pacifier’s matrix faded in and out of visibility. Finally, it was fully under his control.

On the dial on his wrist, the number 2, only halfway filled earlier, suddenly went up by a large margin. After destroying a single matrix, the progress bar had jumped by a full one-third, and even the Deus Ex Machina ability felt a kind of satiated satisfaction, as if it had eaten its fill.

More than that, within his illusory perception, the Centaur’s entire life-long understanding and perception of Supreme Benevolence seemed to flood into him as well. Along with it came a far deeper comprehension of the Vortex, to the point that it even surpassed his previously highest-attained Ember by a huge margin.

In other words, shortcuts didn’t exist only in alchemical skills. If he wanted to improve his understanding of Supreme Benevolence in the future, all he needed to do was find a few more so-called Chosen Ones and dismantle their matrices.

What nice people we have here. Everyone is so kind. Ji Jue couldn’t help but press his palms together, feeling deeply grateful. This truly was a gift from heaven.

They always said saving one life was better than building a seven-story pagoda[1]. Dead Chosen Ones could only be used as materials, while living Chosen Ones, aside from being materials, could also increase his matrix experience bar. From now on, shouldn’t he really do more good deeds and commit fewer killings?

Things were getting better and better! This life, this existence, this world and all its living beings, all of them had instantly become better!

We Ember-types are part of such a gentle tapestry that guides people toward goodness, the most compassionate and Supreme Benevolence. We are so frugal that we wouldn’t even let a grain of rice that falls to the ground go to waste. In the end, the world holds far too many prejudices and misunderstandings about us craftsmen!

“The path of the Pacifier is long and arduous.” Ji Jue sighed softly, looking at the moonlight outside the shattered window as he smiled with compassion. The moonlight shone, illuminating that ferocious, blood-stained, ravenous smile.

Nearby, in the shadows of the corner, a blond-haired man trembled uncontrollably. He didn’t dare make a sound.

It was over. He had accidentally witnessed Ji Jue eating people. Weren’t only the White Deer aberrants supposed to be cannibals? Why was an Ember-type even more savage than them?!

It’s over. I’m done for. He’s looking over. And he’s still smiling at me! Should I just make it quick and slit my throat? Or be sensible, drop to my knees right now, and beg Ji Jue to take me in as a dog? Tears streamed down his face. Please, I’m willing to do anything!

***

On the other side of the villa, the main hall had already been dyed completely crimson.

Countless corpses with identical faces were stacked upon one another, almost forming a mountain. Severed limbs and broken bodies were flung out from the sweep of blades and gunfire, and blood rained down like a downpour.

It was, quite literally, hell on earth.

BOOM!

The storm rose from the ground once more, turning into a sea of scarlet. After the waves crashed, Asura shot forward at high speed, laughing wildly as blades and swords slashed down.

The Cannibal Brothers no longer showed the ease and amusement from earlier. Cracks covered their faces, and among their split-off clones, the number of grotesque corruption kept increasing.

They were stunned. Faced with this god-sent strike, they didn’t even have time to dodge. Even their screams were snuffed out deep in their throats as they were cut cleanly in half at the waist!

In their final desperate struggle, the younger brother barely managed to keep his head intact. Before it even hit the ground, it was caught in the panicked arms of his elder brother. Using dozens of clones as suicidal distractions, he turned and fled, no longer daring to look back in his dire attempt to escape.

1. This Chinese idiom means that saving a person’s life carries greater merit and significance than constructing a pagoda for the dead.

浮屠 usually refers to a Buddhist pagoda. In Buddhism, building a pagoda is considered an act of immense virtue, and a seven-story pagoda in particular symbolizes a highly sacred and exalted structure. ☜