Chapter 00171: A Small Opening Doesn’t Count as an Opening
# A Small Opening Doesn’t Count as an Opening
Chapter 171
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 171: A Small Opening Doesn’t Count as an Opening
Flames surged and roared, rising high into the sky.
A scorching wind carried with it dust and shattered stones, scattering them like rain, mingled with streaks of blood.
Outside the outpatient building, on the plaza, figures scrambled to dodge the downpour of severed limbs and debris, their faces pale and grim.
At the very back, Tong Hua wiped the sweat from her forehead, gasping for breath.
She had never felt so exhausted in her life, like a dog run ragged.
That bastard Ji Jue had handed her a stack of records without lifting a finger, while she had been the one running around like crazy.
Carrying the bombs he had given her, she had installed them everywhere—gas valves, oxygen valves, dust dispersion devices—all manually operated by her.
If Ji Jue was the mastermind behind this terrorist act, then she was undoubtedly an accomplice.
If this had happened outside, that guy from the Security Bureau would have surely turned on her, even if she was from the Tong family!
Making her, the young lady of the Tong family, blow up a hospital… What the hell was Ji Jue thinking? If word got out, this would be a black mark on her reputation for life.
Wait a minute…
Tong Hua suddenly became alert—was this bastard trying to use this to blackmail her?!
But then again…
Watching such a massive explosion right before her eyes, one she had personally set up, she couldn’t help but feel an indescribable sense of accomplishment and thrill.
It actually felt… kind of good?
Unfortunately, the exhilaration didn’t last long.
From beneath the ruins of the hospital, a pained roar echoed.
The rubble shifted, and then, a grotesque, massive head composed of countless human heads emerged, revealing itself fully.
The disaster beast, formed from the mutated and distorted bodies of countless patients, had finally shown itself.
Just looking at it made her scalp tingle.
She could feel its overwhelming vitality, unshaken even by the explosion, and its ferocious, ravenous aura…
If this thing were outside the Time Rift, it would probably be classified as a [Hazard-Level] threat, requiring the mobilization of an entire army to exterminate it.
But now, she calmly took a step back, shielding the listless Chosen Ones in front of her, along with Xie Lan, whose face was twitching.
“It’s your turn,” she said.
Xie Lan’s eye twitched violently, and he let out a helpless sigh.
“Although I appreciate you notifying me and the other survivors to evacuate in advance, I’m just a researcher,” he said coldly. “Even if we set that aside, how did Ji Jue know I would help him?”
“He said…”
Tong Hua recalled the contents of the record book, her expression turning strange. “—You know my identity. If you protect me well, the Tong family will reward you handsomely.”
“I don’t need money.”
Xie Lan shook his head without hesitation, a disdainful smirk on his lips.
What a joke! The research funding in our Vortex System might be substantial, but at least the input and output are proportional! Besides, I’m backed by the medical business, which is practically a money-printing machine.
Do you think everyone is like you Ember guys, a bottomless pit?!
Hilarious!
“He also said…”
Tong Hua continued to relay Ji Jue’s words. “If you’re useless, don’t even think about getting a single sample of the Immortality Syndrome. He’ll take all the specimens for himself. Including what you’ve collected so far—the Security Bureau will strip you of everything.”
She paused, then delivered the final blow:
“—Doctor, you wouldn’t want your medical license revoked, would you?”
“…”
The moment those words left her mouth, Xie Lan’s disdainful smile froze on his face, his eyes twitching violently.
Inside his pocket, the rat was rolling around with laughter, unable to stop.
Hahaha, Xie, you’ve finally met your match!
“You Ember craftsmen are all heartless bastards!”
Xie Lan fumed, wishing he could spit in that dog’s face.
That bastard had been eyeing me for a while, hadn’t he? Dragging a harmless doctor like me into his suicidal schemes?
“…Fine, I can help a little,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “But don’t expect me to help him with the Immortality Syndrome!”
As soon as he finished speaking, strands of dreamlike light appeared in the scorching wind.
Countless venomous insects spread out, their wings fluttering as they soared.
Like a dazzling river of light, they flowed toward the disaster beast struggling to climb out of the ruins.
In an instant, the countless grotesque human heads on the beast’s body seemed to fall into a dreamlike state.
Their expressions twisted, and their hollow eyes filled with despair or malice as they thrashed wildly.
The beast plunged back into the ruins, fighting against the flames and unseen monsters within.
Then, Xie Lan whistled, and the listless puppets behind him sprang to life.
Their dull eyes regained a glimmer of clarity, followed by fear and panic.
“Go, deal with that thing,” Xie Lan pointed forward, his heart aching. “If you succeed, I’ll fulfill the contract and let you leave the hospital.”
In an instant, the chaotic eyes lit up with almost manic joy.
Without needing further urging, they threw themselves at the beast, keeping the frenzied monster occupied.
At this moment, Lian Cheng, who had been confidently commanding from beneath the bone wheel, was stunned into silence.
Confusion, doubt, and disbelief filled his mind.
Where the hell did my outpatient building go?
It’s gone!
In the brief silence, he heard a faint “plop” from below.
So clear.
When he looked down in anger, he saw Ji Jue looking around, covering his mouth.
His bloodshot eyes grew even more crimson and wild.
“I’m going to kill you!!!!”
“Enough, enough. Important things only need to be said once. No need to keep repeating your trashy lines… Where’s your move? Show it!”
Ji Jue tilted his head, beckoning with his finger. “If you’ve got a lighter, bite it. If you don’t show off now, you won’t get another chance!”
He paused, his smile growing even more mocking. “High Priest, you wouldn’t want people to know that the Heretic Cult is just a bunch of loudmouths with no real skills, would you?”
You’re digging your own grave!!!
Lian Cheng wanted to shout that in rage.
But as he opened his mouth, he recalled Ji Jue’s mockery.
Shame and fury intertwined, leaving him unable to muster the courage to even threaten.
What he couldn’t ignore, however, was the chill creeping up his spine.
And the pressure and caution rising in his heart.
At this moment, Lian Cheng, who had almost merged with the Lord’s Medium, felt a sense of dread and wariness when facing Ji Jue.
It wasn’t just the cunning and ruthless tactics or the manipulation of the Time Rift’s rules.
It was an instinctive warning and a realization born of experience…
Everything was telling him—this guy in front of him was a genuine monster!
The inpatient building, now completely transformed, had become a demonic realm.
The moment the Lord’s power descended, all benevolent forces should have been expelled, turning the area into a black zone.
Yet, this Chosen One was still standing before him, unharmed and lively.
Behind Lian Cheng, the bone wheel spun endlessly, the tumor-like mass pulsating like a heart, its eyes gazing down at everything… Yet, the gaze that could instantly mutate any Chosen One had no effect on Ji Jue.
In this demonic black zone, Ji Jue’s spiritual light still shone brightly.
Unshaken.
Even the erosion of the Immortality Syndrome hadn’t caused the slightest change in him.
Now, even though he had merged with the bone wheel, the trembling in Lian Cheng’s heart hadn’t lessened.
Instead, it grew stronger because of that mocking smile, making him even more paranoid…
If he was going to strike, he would do so without holding back, going all out!!!
“—Die!”
Amid the roaring of the bone wheel, Lian Cheng, floating in mid-air, extended his hand.
The aura of the Ascension System merged with the dark fluctuations of the abomination, and countless spirits integrated into one.
Then, from above, a devastating judgment descended.
Pure spiritual energy, after undergoing intense transformation, became a violent impact on the soul, carrying the corruption of the abomination, shooting forth!
One, two, three, four…
Countless soul impacts overlapped, forming a dazzling yet sinister dark trajectory in the air, piercing straight toward Ji Jue.
Then, a piercing scream rang out.
Wailing and shrieking.
In Ji Jue’s hand, a chain pulled, and the stitched ghost fetus suddenly appeared, acting as a shield, blocking the soul impact that could instantly shatter any consciousness.
Without any finesse, it literally took the hit head-on, absorbing all of Lian Cheng’s output.
The overwhelming spiritual impact collided with flesh, producing a dull “thud”!
No, perhaps it wasn’t the sound of collision.
It was the final cry before a blood vessel burst.
For a moment, the ghost fetus’s stitched-together head swelled to twice its size, and thick blood oozed from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
The two spiritual heads squeezed out of the flesh instantly exploded.
But then, under the reconstruction of Non-Aggression, they were forcibly restored, only to continue screaming in despair, enduring wave after wave of spiritual attacks.
Soul shattering, mental fragmentation, consciousness going mad, memory erasure… These side effects were insignificant.
As long as Non-Aggression was in hand, it could instantly reconstruct.
Whether the soul impact turned it into an idiot or the brutal corruption mutated it into a monster, it couldn’t end.
“Is this it? Is this it? Is this it?”
Ji Jue almost laughed out loud, waving the screaming ghost fetus in his hand. “Hear that? It’s asking if you’ve eaten, telling you to put some effort into it…”
Instantly, the ghost fetus’s wails grew even more shrill and agonized.
The mocking laughter and cries were like needles, pricking Lian Cheng’s face, turning it from red to green. “I’ll kill you!!!”
In Lian Cheng’s roar, the bone wheel spun again, the eyes on the flesh glowing brightly.
An even more violent torrent than before erupted.
But before that, a heart-stopping sound rang out.
A bell.
As if from the netherworld.
“Out of moves, huh?”
Ji Jue said. “Now, it’s my turn!”
At some point, he had taken out the Soul-Summoning Bell and stuffed it into the ghost fetus’s hand.
Once again, he rang it!
Ding—
The first ring of the Soul-Summoning Bell awakened all residual spirits within the perception field.
When the bell in the ghost fetus’s hand, which it couldn’t shake off no matter how hard it tried, rang for the first time, the call and summons from the netherworld had already spread throughout the Time Rift!!!
It was like holding a red-hot iron.
The ghost fetus’s screams grew even more piercing, a ghastly crack appearing on its head, countless spiritual energies leaking out.
It couldn’t withstand the terrifying pressure and extraction from the Soul-Summoning Bell.
All the spiritual energy it had consumed over the days was drained in an instant!
The restrictions Professor Ye had placed on it were now completely undone by Ji Jue’s Disintegration Technique—this wasn’t some tightly sealed lock.
On the contrary, when applying the restrictions, Professor Ye had deliberately weakened the spiritual circuits’ resistance to the Disintegration Technique.
In other words, it was easily broken!
Who knows, when you’re out and about, when you might need to go all out? Professor Ye had faced countless dangers when exploring the Time Rift and ancient tombs, narrowly escaping death more times than he could remember.
When it’s time to go all out, you go all out.
These restrictions are just for show on normal days.
When it really matters, you tear them off.
—Screw it, I’m going all in!
The crisp sound of the bell echoed through the chaotic Time Rift.
In an instant, what appeared was a waterfall of residual spirits, covering every inch of the land, enveloping every space, even gushing out from the ruins!!!
The greenish glow was everywhere, densely packed to an extreme.
Under Ji Jue’s relentless (ghost fetus) exploitation, they were all awakened from their slumber.
Opening their eyes.
Then, Ji Jue’s hand moved, gripping the ghost fetus’s tiny hand, and rang the bell a second time—the second ring of the Soul-Summoning Bell, inciting the ferocity of all residual spirits!
Boom!
The first to explode was the ghost fetus’s head.
As if caught in a meat grinder, under the unrestrained violent extraction of the Soul-Summoning Bell, the two spiritual heads instantly shattered, only to be reconstructed again, forcibly maintaining their form.
The small body rapidly withered, like a charred corpse, falling apart.
Then, Ji Jue stuffed the fully loaded skull spiritual energy cage into the ghost fetus’s arms.
The spiritual remnants of countless patients, monsters, and even eight or nine Chosen Ones were devoured in an instant.
And the overwhelming green light, under the influence of the bell, had turned into a towering tsunami.
Raging and sweeping through everything.
The overlapping wails of countless spirits echoed, forming an inescapable soul impact.
Not only was Ji Jue’s nose and mouth bleeding profusely, but even Lian Cheng, floating in mid-air, felt his vision darken.
Finally, the withered, shattered hand of the ghost fetus dropped the Soul-Summoning Bell into Ji Jue’s palm, where it was tightly gripped, sizzling.
This was the final hurdle, one that couldn’t be bypassed or escaped by any means.
He took a deep breath, facing the torrential impact Lian Cheng had unleashed.
—And rang the bell a third time!
Ding—
Though it was just a crisp ring, it sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
From deep within their souls, they felt the terrifying shadow spreading at this moment…
And in Ji Jue’s consciousness, a thunderous roar erupted, almost shattering his soul!
Even though most of the pressure had been borne by the ghost fetus, which was now completely annihilated, the final terrifying pressure from the Soul-Summoning Bell still made his vision go black.
The Non-Aggression surrounding his soul trembled violently, almost unable to hold, cracks appearing!
An unprecedented tearing pain emerged from his soul.
The spiritual energy within his body was drained in an instant, almost completely drying up his soul.
Then, the spiritual energy reserve in his wristwatch kicked in.
The stored energy plummeted like a stone.
Since entering the Time Rift, even when facing the erosion of a high-ranking abomination, Ji Jue had never suffered such severe damage.
But now, he felt like he was about to be turned to ashes by the terrifying suction from that damn bell!
Fortunately, with the buffer provided by the ghost fetus, the consumption of the skull spiritual energy cage, the spiritual energy reserve in his wristwatch, and the support and protection of Non-Aggression…
This blessing artifact, specifically crafted for Rebirth-Level Chosen Ones, finally revealed its true power!
Instantly, the raging torrent before him came to a halt.
Stopped right in front of Ji Jue.
Even though the next moment could tear him to shreds, destroying both his body and soul, that tiny gap was like an insurmountable chasm.
As if time had stopped.
At this moment, within the entire Time Rift, the rising flames, drifting dust, collapsing ruins, frenzied monsters, and all spiritual energy changes…
All came to a standstill.
Or rather, were held in the grasp of an invisible hand!
A deafening roar spread.
In the sky, the bone wheel trembled in rage, as if trying to continue spinning, but it was powerless… It had already been firmly gripped by that invisible hand!
“All things flourish by this hand’s creation.”
Ji Jue looked up and said softly, “Everything in this world is formed by these ten fingers.”
At this moment, behind him, a pure white wing slowly unfolded, followed by a second, third, fourth… Countless wings overlapped, extending, rising into the sky, covering everything.
Then, on the wings, an eye slowly opened, then a thousand, ten thousand, as if endless, gazing down upon all.
As the countless wings overlapped and transformed, countless arms slowly unfolded, revealing their true form.
Innumerable fingers intertwined, as if caressing the ever-changing phenomena within the Time Rift!
Though it was formed from countless residual spirits, like grains of sand, this indescribable entity made Lian Cheng’s heart and lungs tremble with fear.
Incomprehensible, unfathomable, and utterly bewildering!
A mere temporary construct, yet it could rival the bone wheel that controlled the entire Time Rift, even suppressing the manifested authority of the Lord!
“Haven’t seen this before, have you?”
Ji Jue raised his hand, wiping the thick blood oozing from his nose and mouth, and grinned. “Don’t worry, a small opening doesn’t count as an opening.”
In that instant, as he spoke, the infinite wings, eyes, and arms that had risen into the sky spread, opened, and extended their fingers.
Once again, they took control of everything!
The world stood still.
The phenomena of the Time Rift once again fell into those countless hands.
This was the creation of Non-Aggression!
This was the result of burning all the residual spirits, exhausting the power of the Soul-Summoning Bell, and Ji Jue’s reference to the strongest entity he had ever witnessed.
A manifestation modeled after the form of the Mercury Abomination…
—Spiritual Creation: Sage’s Shadow!
(End of Chapter)