Chapter 00168: The Devotion of Love
# The Devotion of Love
Chapter 168
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 168: The Devotion of Love
The air seemed to freeze.
At this moment, as Ji Jue's words echoed, pairs of bloodshot, fanatical eyes burned like flames, all turning toward Lian Cheng.
What he felt was nothing but suffocation.
Those gazes were like nooses, one after another, tightening around his neck.
Gradually, they tightened.
In the midst of this chilling dread, there was no escape.
The abominations that had once been like puppets, obediently manipulated and toyed with by him, were now, under Ji Jue's control, transformed into a blade hanging over his head.
The sudden change had plunged Lian Cheng into what felt like hell.
He still remembered just a few days ago, when his plan had begun to unfold, the entire time rift had been brimming with vitality, a world where all things flourished.
But now, how had it turned into a place that would become his grave?
Sweat poured down his back.
Lian Cheng stared fiercely at Ji Jue, who sat across the table, breathing heavily.
He wished he could transform into the calamity beast on the second floor right then and there, open his jaws, and devour this damned little bastard, chew his bones, feast on his flesh, and make him wail in agony for eternity, never finding release!
But now, if he hesitated any longer, it would be his own body that would be shattered into pieces.
He had no choice left.
"Alright..."
He forced the words out through clenched teeth, struggling to maintain a smile.
But without a mirror, he couldn't see how abstract and strained that smile looked.
Then, he saw Ji Jue, sitting across the table, slowly raise his hands.
With great enthusiasm, Ji Jue began to clap.
One by one, the applause overlapped, filling the eerie conference room with thunderous clapping and waves of cheers.
The dean and the other doctors couldn't help but wipe their faces, tears streaming down as they applauded this sacred act of devotion.
Amidst the applause and cheers, the two men locked eyes across the table.
Both wore smiles, but the contrast between them was stark—one of falsehood, the other of sincerity.
Lian Cheng's smile only made him look more wretched.
As their gazes met, a moment of ferocity clashed with calm.
Lian Cheng's eyes widened as he burned that detestable smile into his memory.
Cold sweat drenched his back.
Only now did he feel the uncontrollable chill that filled his body and soul.
He had already stepped one foot over the edge of the cliff, and the other was teetering on the brink...
Under the gaze and laughter of the abominations, there was no turning back.
He could only move forward.
Next, just as he didn't know how he had entered the conference room, Lian Cheng, surrounded by numerous figures, walked like a lifeless corpse toward the deepest part of the inpatient building, beneath the hanging mass of flesh and tumors, amidst countless wailing faces.
It was like some kind of cult temple, with grotesque doctors surrounding him, clapping and offering praise and smiles.
They watched as the new offering walked toward the altar.
Under the pale light, there was a restraint that resembled an electric chair.
Layers of bloodstains overlapped, dried and scabbed, forming a horrifying black-red color.
"This is the call of the heart, this is the devotion of love..."
At the forefront of the doctors, the dean wiped away what seemed like endless bloody tears, clapping and singing in praise: "This is the spring breeze of the mortal world, this is the source of life..."
"Even Death hesitates, flowers of happiness bloom everywhere..."
Amidst the wailing faces that rose and fell within the mass of flesh, the tearful doctors followed suit, singing, "Ah, if only everyone could give a little love, the world would become a beautiful place!"
The repeated hymns and songs brought no warmth.
Only the pairs of crimson eyes stared intently at the two about to step onto the stage, already impatient.
Lian Cheng swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
But then, he heard the voice that had begun to make him shiver habitually, tinged with mockery and ridicule: "If you surrender and beg for mercy now, there's still a chance to regret."
Lian Cheng stiffened, then turned to glare, forcing out the words through clenched teeth: "In your dreams!"
"Then forget I said anything."
Ji Jue continued to smile, looking ahead: "By the way, I was lying earlier. Even if you were to cry and kneel before me now, it wouldn't make a difference. But, such an obvious lie, you wouldn't take it seriously, right?"
Visibly, Lian Cheng's body trembled.
He took a deep breath, his face rapidly turning red, then pale.
The blood vessels in his eyes burst, turning even more crimson.
I will kill you!!!
I will definitely kill you!
Even if Shang Shan comes, it won't matter.
Right here in this time rift, I will tear you to pieces...
"I will tear you to pieces..."
Ji Jue suddenly asked, "Did you just think that?"
Lian Cheng said nothing more.
In his shock and astonishment, he restrained himself from turning to look.
Only the chilling dread of his rage spread uncontrollably...
"After you, senior."
Ji Jue stepped forward, gesturing with his hand: "The beautiful devotion is right before you."
Lian Cheng stiffly raised his hand, roughly pushing Ji Jue aside, and stepped forward.
Amidst the cheers, he sat down on the "electric chair."
Pale lights, like those of an operating room, shone down, making his twisted face appear almost saintly.
The dean stepped forward, fastening the cold shackles.
Hands, legs, neck.
Completely restrained.
Around him, the applause continued, the songs unending.
The clapping sounded again, synchronized, one after another...
The massive, grotesque tumor filled with dark blades began to pulsate in rhythm with the clapping.
Like a heart.
Countless faces emerged from within, flesh squirming like hands, seeping out from decay and dryness, crawling upward along the electric chair.
Finally, they penetrated Lian Cheng's neck.
In that instant, an unprecedented, piercing scream erupted from the inpatient building, so high-pitched it seemed as if all the souls unable to die were now using his lungs and mouth to let out their despairing wails.
Convulsions, spasms.
Veins bulged from his neck, crawling up to his face.
Tears, snot, saliva, and other bodily fluids flowed uncontrollably.
Lian Cheng convulsed violently, and a third eye opened on his face.
His flesh continuously transformed, as if monsters were writhing beneath his skin.
The implantation of the Undying Curse was complete!
But this gift from the White Hall was far more terrifying and profound than he had anticipated...
In the Cult of Corruption, all core members had undergone the erosion of higher abominations.
Through years of coexistence, they had gained greater resistance than ordinary chosen ones.
Even to the point of deep, bone-deep changes.
One could say they had become utterly inhuman.
The matrix, after undergoing corruption and mutation, had completely broken away from Shang Shan, now pointing toward the Vortex.
Its core was the blessing of the abomination, far more violent and unreasonable than Shang Shan's gifts, and even more cruel.
After all, even among Shang Shan, there were incompatibilities.
The Celestial Origin and the White Deer would fight to the death, the Heart Pivot and the Ascendant could never see eye to eye, the Wasteland and the Mirror were fundamentally incompatible...
The rejection and conflict among the Nine Abominations were even more severe!
After undergoing the transformation of different higher abominations, and now being eroded by the Undying Curse, Lian Cheng felt as if his body had become a battlefield between two狂暴 wills, on the verge of being torn apart.
Tendrils of flesh extended from his body, mouth, and nose, flailing wildly, while his body rapidly expanded and mutated.
The electric chair shook violently, almost torn apart by him.
But soon, the dean reached out, taking a black blade pulled from the tumor, and thrust it into Lian Cheng's gaping mouth.
It plunged in to the hilt!
Blood gushed like a spring, and the wails grew even more piercing.
But miraculously, with the blade's penetration, the mutation stopped.
Large chunks of flesh withered and turned to ash, leaving only a heavily mutated, unrecognizable body, twitching and spasming unconsciously, as if on the brink of death.
The worsening of the Undying Curse had been halted?!
Ji Jue leaned in, examining closely.
He reached into Lian Cheng's mouth, gripped the hilt, and pulled it out slightly...
Instantly, the screams erupted again, wailing in agony.
Then he pushed the hilt back in, and the mutation ceased, leaving Lian Cheng barely alive.
It actually worked!
Ji Jue raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue in amazement.
If it weren't for the doctors watching, he might have pulled it out and stabbed it back in a few more times, just to see the show and hear the screams.
But alas, there was no such opportunity.
Still, from that brief touch, he could sense the strange aura emanating from the blade.
Without a doubt, like the Undying Curse, it bore the mark of corruption!
Using another form of corruption from the Nine Abominations to forcibly suppress and reduce the effects of the Undying Curse.
It was like drinking poison to quench thirst, fighting fire with fire!
On the surface, it seemed effective.
But only to a certain extent...
Even if the curse on the blade temporarily killed most of the cells, the infected cells, even if only a single one remained, would quickly recover.
And when they did, they would intensify their erosion of flesh and soul, making the condition even worse.
The reason it hadn't worsened for so long was simply because, within the inpatient building, all the infected had long been beyond saving, their conditions irreversibly severe!
No, that method of treatment...
It was more like transformation!
Relying solely on the brief feedback from the blade, perhaps an ordinary person wouldn't be able to tell, but to Ji Jue, it felt all too familiar.
It was as if, using the Undying Curse as a breeding ground, this mutated life was being transformed into something entirely new!
This method sounded so familiar.
Where had he seen it before?
He pinched his chin, deep in thought, when suddenly an old, cackling face appeared in his mind!
—Lawrence!!!
Using life as a foundation, implanting foreign objects to achieve transformation and produce results.
This line of thinking was exactly the same as the Vortex Implantation Method!
Even if the methods and forms differed, it was merely replacing the "womb" and "vessel" with patients of the Undying Curse, and the resulting "fruit" becoming something even more dangerous!
He never expected that, after all this time, Lawrence's influence was still growing!
But the Cult of Corruption, the Dragon Sacrifice Society...
So you guys have some kind of villainous tech exchange program, huh?!
In the brief pause, the face on the electric chair, once streaked with tears and snot, finally calmed, awakening from the pain and torment.
Even as he was helped up, he mustered all his strength to lift his head.
Staring at Ji Jue with even more venom.
"Next, it's your turn!"
Instantly, all the doctors' eerie gazes turned toward Ji Jue, the malice almost tangible.
But Ji Jue seemed unfazed, as if a gentle breeze had brushed past him.
He smiled slightly.
"Alright."
He raised his hands, straightened his collar, and placed the miscellaneous items from his pocket—like pens, notepads, and bracelets—on the side.
Then, he strode forward, heading toward the electric chair.
"Come on, hurry up."
He rubbed his hands together, eager: "I can't wait to dedicate my life to the medical cause!"
His casual demeanor made Lian Cheng's heart tighten.
He widened his eyes, pushed away the support, and stumbled forward, reaching out to feel.
Face, hands, body.
Just as he was about to feel more, Ji Jue grabbed his hand.
"That's enough, that's enough. Any more and it's just rude!"
"..."
Lian Cheng was stunned, unable to comprehend.
This wasn't an illusion? No tricks, no shortcuts.
He could even sense that the person before him was a genuine chosen one, with no trace of corruption.
But something was wrong.
How could he dare?
There must be something!
But there wasn't enough time to find new clues.
Doctors were already stepping forward, fastening Ji Jue's shackles and restraints.
Ji Jue calmly let them proceed, even joining in with the other doctors' singing: "In the wasteland without love~ Even Death hesitates~ Flowers of happiness bloom everywhere~"
Hey, this song actually sounded quite heartwarming!
"You..."
The director, who was personally fastening Ji Jue's restraints, paused for a moment.
His exaggerated smile seemed to flicker.
As if he wanted to say something.
He looked at Ji Jue.
But in the end, he simply patted Ji Jue's shoulder.
"You're good."
He said, "You're the best resident I've ever had."
"All for the patients, right?"
Ji Jue smiled.
The director turned and left, his figure blending into the crowd of white-clad, mutated doctors, no longer distinguishable.
Only the increasingly fervent songs echoed, and the grotesque tumor above pulsed rhythmically.
Flesh spread, tendrils extended.
They crawled up the electric chair and, in an instant, pierced Ji Jue's spine!
Cold and tingling, it was unexpectedly stimulating...
Ji Jue blinked.
Lian Cheng blinked too, then blinked again, unable to resist leaning closer—no screams, no wails, not even the slightest abnormality.
Even his breathing remained steady...
The implantation of the Undying Curse had already begun!
At this moment, as all eyes were on Ji Jue, no one noticed that behind them, among the pile of items Ji Jue had casually tossed aside, a fingernail-sized spirit spider crawled out from a pen cap, carrying a thin scroll of records, and scurried away.
On the electric chair, Ji Jue finally changed expression.
Lian Cheng's eyes widened, unable to hold back his desire to laugh.
Then he heard Ji Jue open his mouth and let out a burp.
"Has it started?"
The Ji Jue who should have been screaming in agony looked up curiously at the dean: "I don't feel anything. Did the patient not eat?"
Sorry for the delay, I had trouble sleeping last night, and today my ears have been ringing non-stop, wuwuwu...
(End of Chapter)