Chapter 00172: It’s Not Opened, It’s Not Closed
# It’s Not Opened, It’s Not Closed
Chapter 172
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 172 – It’s Not Opened, It’s Not Closed
The Soul-Summoning Bell is just a tool.
Do not expect too much from a mere tool.
This was once the advice that Professor Ye had given.
A tool only has meaning when someone uses it.
Likewise, the value of a tool depends more on the person using it than on the tool itself…
True, the Soul-Summoning Bell is an exceedingly rare gifted creation.
With a little extra effort to improve its quality or provide a complete set of matching components, it could very well be called a masterpiece of heaven’s workmanship.
It can be said that every ember and every ethereal practitioner longs, at any cost, to possess it.
But the reason it is so attractive to the path of embers and ether lies in the fact that other righteous seekers hardly need to trouble themselves with such matters.
Know this: its strength as a creation, aside from being limited by the number of remaining spirits, ultimately rests on the practitioner’s own cultivation.
With limited spiritual essence and materials available, one must meticulously eliminate even the slightest waste in order to completely transform that essence into a harbinger of destruction.
In doing so, one converts every bit of the artisan’s theoretical prowess into real combat power!
The same bell in the hands of Professor Ye and in the hands of Ji Jue is, frankly, like night and day.
If one were to simply use one’s presumptions to casually mold a black-skinned giant lizard and call it Godzilla, in the end all one would get is merely a fake semblance.
Without the enemy even striking, a mere gust of wind might cause it to collapse at the slightest touch.
Its principles inherently impose many restrictions—there must be a sufficiently high rank to withstand the pressure, there must be enough remaining spirits to consume, there must be an understanding of the underlying theories, there must be personal insight and perception, and one must be able to control the bell so that it does not backfire.
Ji Jue truly understands all this; he has too much insight and experience.
Ever since he became the Chosen of Heaven, of all the strongest beings and forms he has seen, known, and truly comprehended… aside from the Saint Mercury who once severed the Tower of the Heavens and even once upended time itself, who else can compare? This is the very essence of Non-Attack, and it is also the inherited legacy of Non-Attack.
This is the refined quintessence of the ember, and it is the saintly perfection of the ember!
First came the experiences and principles imparted wholeheartedly by the prophet; then came his own eyes witnessing and perceiving the form; and later, under the intervention of revolutionary impetus, he experienced it himself… Ji Jue can confidently declare that in this whole world, no one understands Mercury better than he does! No one!
Even so, it remains too fantastical… For Ji Jue, the entire process of creation is simply unbelievably smooth!
At the moment the idea of “Recreating Mercury” flashed in his mind, the principle of Non-Attack immediately went into operation and took over the running of the Soul-Summoning Bell.
Intricate markings appeared on both his hands, spreading toward the bell, and then, accompanied by the final ring, a trace of flame-like light emerged from the infinite remaining spirits.
Within the Non-Attack matrix, every mark and record left behind by the Celestial Beings flowed and projected themselves, revealing an archetype.
This is the most precious legacy left by Mercury for his successors.
As a chosen one merging with the bestowed grace, she accomplished herself, laying the origins in the distant past and establishing the celestial form of beings manifest in this world—the saintly complete form! The image of ten thousand wings, ten thousand eyes, and ten thousand hands is simply the most fitting portrayal of this power in the real world.
It is as if it were an already finished blueprint.
In that instant of guided manifestation, the spiritual essence condensed from the infinite remaining spirits spontaneously converged.
Its true form took shape, the underlying principles interconnected, the textures fused, and wings unfurled… Ultimately, the true form was revealed!
Answering the call of the successor, this power—embodied by the strength and aspiration passed down from Non-Attack—reappeared from the ruins.
As for whether it might backfire… Ha, what a joke! As a creation of Non-Attack that has inherited nearly all of Mercury’s traces, even if it seems like only a semblance, its abhorrence for all that is wicked is far superior to any chance of backfiring.
Hatred would never fall upon itself!
Moreover, at this moment neither the malice and resentment left by the remaining spirits nor the vague instincts of that fading shadow are aimed even an iota at itself.
In fact…
—They lend wholehearted aid!
In just an instant, they tore apart the infection and blockages of the spawned matter, once again seizing total control! Even without a theory of creation, without the realm of circles, without the many blessings that had long since merged with one’s spirit, and even without spiritual essence, compared to the true self, it is worth less than one in ten thousand.
But even as little as that is enough to pulverize the spawned matter of the Evil Cult in front of him!
At that moment, the saintly shadow in the heavens set into motion, and ten thousand hands spread out.
The fluid alchemy of inherent instinct quickly spread along with the violent fluctuations of spiritual essence, enveloping everything.
Then, on that saintly shadow which unfurled like an enchanting lotus, a single finger slowly rose and pointed into the void.
Then, like a cascading waterfall, a loop of spiritual essence erupted, covering the sky and the earth.
Like chains, it extended toward the enraged bone wheel, binding layer upon layer, entwining heavily.
As the heavens changed—as if the sun rose and set, the moon waxed and waned, the earth’s crust heaved, like lakes and seas surging with waves, and rivers flowing fast—the heavens and the earth were about to be remade under its hands.
An indistinctly transparent, formless sword was drawn out from the endless flux of transformed spiritual essence, pulled from void itself—unseen, unheard, hardly noticeable by ordinary mortal eyes.
Yet at this moment, whenever one looked up, every sentient being could clearly sense that at the center of the saintly projection, surrounded by ten thousand hands, there was unmistakably a sword present!
To cut off the omen of injustice—this is Non-Attack; to eliminate distinctions of superiority and inferiority—this is the principle of Oneness; to negate prescribed fate—this is Non-Destiny; to establish a world of mutual benefit and no harm—this is Universal Love; to reconstruct everything in this world—this is Heavenly Will…
Within the eternal flow of refined essence, everything converged upon the unseen blade.
It was as if a distant, ancient sigh was heard.
Then, ten thousand hands gripped the sword.
The edge of the world’s might began to emerge!
The bone wheel shook violently.
On flesh and blood, a pair of brilliant green eyes suddenly widened, the light within them swirling, their colors transforming endlessly.
Countless twisted visions, bizarre ideas, absurdities, and deliriums swirled, erupting and transforming from the void into a huge mirror that reflected the entirety of the ruins, splitting into endless illusions and possibilities.
Everything was in flux.
In the blink of an eye, endless transformations left the world barren, only to have it suddenly fill with booming crowds; sometimes desolate and pale, sometimes bustling and clamor-filled.
Wastelands, mountains, cities, paradises, and even hell—all these infinite possibilities emerged from the mirror’s reflection, standing before the saintly shadow.
Yet, the sound of ruptured wails continued unabated.
Under the countless bizarre ideas and changes, all were shattered by the formless sword’s slicing and piercing, as the sword’s blade crushed everything in its path, eliminating all wicked thoughts and deviant views!
The spawned matter branches that had sprung from the transformation’s shadow seemed to roar in anger, denouncing this false empty shell with complaint, ridicule, slander—even denial! But the empty shell did not care.
The projection of the saint, which originated from Mercury, had no rationality, had never possessed a self—even its original instincts were almost entirely absent.
The reason it did not collapse the moment it manifested was solely due to Ji Jue’s call.
In tune with that resonance from Non-Attack and fulfilling the sincere plea of the successor, he once again performed the duty of a saint…
Spawned matter, perish!!!
In an instant, the formless sword transformed, as if becoming one from all things, and through the sweeping ten thousand hands, it locked down the ruins of heaven and earth, and fiercely attacked the spawned matter that parasitized within.
Meanwhile, on the rapidly revolving bone wheel, one of those eyes flared open in furious anger.
Amidst endless changes of light, it was as if souls were being continuously born and extinguished, expounding on wicked insights and odd ideas, repeatedly staining the ruins from the void, resisting the corrections imposed by the saintly projection.
The changes and clashes were so transcendent and swift, ever-changing in an instant, that Ji Jue could barely comprehend what he was witnessing.
The high-level maneuvers were so advanced they exceeded the limits of a novice’s understanding.
But that was alright.
—When Pokémon battle, how can trainers just sit on the sidelines?!
Ji Jue took a deep breath.
Then, in the half-empty space beneath the bone wheel, Lian Cheng suddenly saw darkness before his eyes.
Uncontrollably, he was thrown backward!
When his delayed vision finally transmitted to his consciousness the process of a massive object slowly enlarging within his sight, he heard a voice echoing in the air:
“Die for me!”
Boom! As if he were watching a basketball wedged in a frame, Ji Jue leaped and executed a slam dunk that slammed Lian Cheng onto the ground.
But before Lian Cheng could bounce back into the air and fall, a sudden boom erupted out of nowhere—like a ghostly apparition.
Ji Jue reappeared right in front of him.
Close at hand.
Lian Cheng, struggling in vain in midair, widened his eyes in shock, instinctively covering his face.
Then he saw Ji Jue’s movements slowed nearly by tens of times under the blessed transformation.
Ji Jue raised his hand, elbow striking downward.
With a strange “men!” sound, Lian Cheng’s eyeballs practically popped out of their sockets.
His entire body bent at the waist and fell back to the ground.
And from the excruciating pain of his shattered body, he sprang up again.
He watched in horror as Ji Jue delivered a high whip kick, striking his chin.
Pure force shattered the intangible defense formed by Lian Cheng’s consciousness, pouring over and crushing his jawbone into the ground like mud.
His neck nearly broke from that blow!
So fast! Too fast! Faster than that damn white deer! And at the same time, unbelievably hard—as if it were made of iron or stone.
No, its strength and stability even exceeded that of iron or stone…
Are you serious? Did my mind just play tricks on me? What in the world?!
How the hell did he do that?!
Countless questions swirled in Lian Cheng’s mind, yet they all seemed to merge into one—he simply couldn’t understand.
What Ji Jue did with his legs was far too advanced, completely surpassing the limits of a beginner’s understanding.
But it didn’t matter.
—When Pokémon are fighting, how can the trainers just sit idle?!
Ji Jue took another deep breath.
Then, beneath the bone wheel high in the air, in the blink of an eye, before Lian Cheng’s eyes went completely dark, he was knocked backward!
When the blurred vision finally began to deliver to his consciousness the image of a large, rounded object slowly magnifying in his sight, he heard once more that reverberating phrase:
“Die for me!”
Boom! Just like watching a basketball jammed in the hoop, Ji Jue leaped up to execute a slam dunk, slamming Lian Cheng onto the ground.
But before Lian Cheng could rebound in midair, a sudden thundering noise erupted out of thin air—eerily ghostlike.
Ji Jue reappeared in front of him, just inches away.
Lian Cheng, already struggling uselessly in the air, widened his eyes.
Instinctively, he tried to cover his face until he noticed Ji Jue’s movements—now slowed to nearly a fraction of normal speed, thanks to the blessed transformation.
Ji Jue raised his hand, then his elbow, and struck down.
With a strange “men!” sound, Lian Cheng’s eyes shot out of their sockets.
His body bent at the waist and crashed to the ground again.
Amid the shattering pain, he was forced upward once more.
His eyes could only watch in disbelief as Ji Jue unleashed a high whip kick—landing a blow directly to Lian Cheng’s chin.
Pure force shattered the intangible defense built by Lian Cheng’s consciousness, pouring in and crushing his jaw into a powdery mess.
His neck nearly broke from that singular blow!
So fast! Too fast! Faster than that damn white deer! And shockingly hard—as if made of iron or stone.
No, this hardness and stability even surpassed that of iron or stone…
Are you serious? Is there something wrong with my mind? What kind of sorcery is this?!
Every imaginable question raced through Lian Cheng’s head, yet they all boiled down to one thing he couldn’t understand—a phenomenon even more absurd than the grace and contamination of spawned matter.
Yet even more terrifying than the preposterous speed, power, and hardness were those hands… every time they struck him, they released a shock of spiritual essence!
It was as if the restraints of flesh were being shattered, the blows landing directly upon his soul and his already corrupted matrix.
Even the blessings struggled to remain stable, unable to stand against the surging waves of spiritual energy and impacts.
Had it not been for the sustaining grace of the Lord at this very moment, Ji Jue’s sudden assault might have already shattered Lian Cheng completely—from his body to his spirit!
Lian Cheng screamed, his eyes reflecting hallucinatory light.
He even activated the same “Transcendent Vision” equipment that Ji Jue was using, ramping up its speed and multiplier far beyond even Ji Jue’s level, trying to wait for an opening, to slow down the pace.
But then he realized... the one taking the hits was none other than himself!
For the transformation technique, once Transcendent Vision sped things up, any battle could feel like a well-thought-out turn-based fight.
But even a turn-based fight becomes unplayable when one move hits dozens of times in a single round—each blow shattering armor with critical impacts and slicing relentlessly.
It was like being pounded against a wooden post.
In just a few seconds, Ji Jue had unleashed an entire set of the secret military fist techniques passed down from Lu Feng on Lian Cheng, not even pausing to catch his breath, as if he were in a state of clear-headed exhilaration.
Yet amidst the fracturing of bones and continuous agony, only then did Lian Cheng’s eyes finally see the real focus...
It wasn’t Ji Jue himself that was most important.
It was that semi-transparent palm that had been pressing on Ji Jue’s shoulder all along!
Under that palm, a loop of spiritual essence burst forth like a waterfall, enveloping Ji Jue from head to toe, carving itself into his skin, his flesh, his bone, and his innards…
Strengthen! Strengthen! Strengthen!
It was as if, after being locked up for countless rounds, one finally reacted, clicked open the boss’s attribute panel, only to see numerous BUFF icons overflowing past the screen’s edge.
Lian Cheng’s vision went dark and then dark again.
This is outrageous! Not only is this matching mechanism lousy, but these damned righteous ones clearly have no intention of implementing an anti-cheat system!
After so many years—after having once been so filled with humiliation and powerless anger that he joined the Evil Cult because of his disdain for the brilliant and the radiant—Lian Cheng felt once again the sting of that past humiliation and powerlessness.
He had searched the entire world, found a bright future, obtained the Lord’s blessing, and seemed to regain the dignity he had once known.
Yet he still couldn’t figure out where the “report” button was hidden…
In his furious eyes, blood and tears intertwined: He’s been “open” this whole time! From the very start until now, there’s not been a single pause!
Up in the sky, the saintly remnant—while ferociously beating under the Lord’s medium—did not forget to extend a hand, pressing down on Ji Jue’s shoulder, continuously administering strength.
In fact, it was as if it were channeling Ji Jue’s Non-Attack matrix back onto him, adjusting the physical properties using the ember techniques it was most adept at.
With precise operations far beyond Ji Jue’s limits, it reinforced vital points, increased toughness and strength, and, combined with mechanical divinization… transformed Ji Jue’s flesh into something akin to a machine!
At this moment, Ji Jue’s entire body was covered in countless righteous totems.
Even his heels bore the marks of ruins, reinforcing his flesh and blood.
Then, once more, from the void came an unstoppable blow.
A mocking smile quickly enlarged before Lian Cheng’s eyes, coming so close as to be almost within reach.
With a casual sweep, it brushed aside Lian Cheng’s feeble attempt to block it, sidestepped the impending soul shock, planted its feet firmly into the ground as if nailed there, and then—drawing upon the techniques he had stealthily learned from Professor Ye’s rigorous spiritual essence attack and defense class—unleashed the “Sun Character Rush Hammer”!
The clamor was unending, a tremendous roar!
Had Professor Ye been present, he probably couldn’t bear to even watch—the moves were loose, the transitions sluggish, mere form without substance, hardly a single action properly executed.
Even if Professor Ye were to object, he couldn’t deny that every move Ji Jue made, every punch he threw, perfectly matched the simplest and most refined principles of mechanics.
There wasn’t the slightest bit of waste: every bit of force was maximally directed at the opponent.
It was like a machine working with utmost intelligence, delivering work output in the most straightforward and concise manner!
Yet compared to the pain of the flesh, the final straw that truly broke the camel was the pitiful whisper carried by the wind: “Looks like your Lord doesn’t like you that much… Otherwise, why wouldn’t He, like the leg you summoned, help you out in battle?”
Lian Cheng roared in fury, his eyes nearly bleeding with rage.
He raged, fissured, cracked—again and again—but all he could do was seethe in impotent anger.
After all, compared with lies and deceit, truth is often the swiftest knife that slices through one’s defenses.
The noble, cold goddess who had long indifferently treated him while he feverishly chased after her, even though he savored every bit of it.
But when that pure girl on the ghost-train seat, wrapping her arms around a blond man’s waist, turned her head and smiled sweetly, that was a real, devastating blow to a bootlicker…
Damn it, why?!
Why is it that the leg you summoned works so hard, fighting on the side of Evil Cult as soon as it’s called to action, while you, after all your scheming and planning, sacrificing everything—selling your blood, your strength, your descendants—have not been given so much as a shred of the Lord’s protection?
And as if that weren’t enough, at the same time, besides suffering Ji Jue’s brutal beating, Lian Cheng’s soul had to endure the onslaught of the aftermath from the saintly projection’s vicious attack, sharing the damage.
In the midst of frantic dodging and retreating, Lian Cheng’s face was nearly soaked in blood and tears.
He screamed, he howled, and he shouted, “Die for me!!!”
Ignoring the immense pressure exerted by the Lord at this very moment, and disregarding the consequences of his soul’s imminent shattering, he poured every ounce of strength he had into the effort.
His shattered hands, driven by a forceful mental command, reached out once more, gripping Ji Jue’s shoulder tightly.
Then Lian Cheng’s face inched near; a massive amount of spiritual essence transformed into fierce light burst forth from his eyes!
“Witness the true master, and merge with us!”
Lian Cheng laughed manically.
The vast torrent of wicked insights, malicious thoughts, absurdities, and lunacy—the accumulated spawned matter of his ascent—poured from that spiritual essence flood, all surging into Ji Jue’s soul.
But at that moment, Ji Jue finally saw the smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
It was as if he were letting out a long-held sigh of relief.
In the wind, a faint, lingering sigh echoed: “Finally… you’ve fallen for it…”
Amid the onslaught of that torrential wickedness—which should have instantly mutated Ji Jue with no hope of resistance—Ji Jue slowly raised his head and grinned broadly at Lian Cheng, who was now almost right in front of him.
In spite of the warmth of his smile, to Lian Cheng it appeared as monstrous as a demon’s.
Facing the contamination of his ascendant spawn, Ji Jue showed no trace of resistance or fear; instead, he seemed overjoyed, inhaling like a storm!
Merge into one, huh? Fine!
But there’s one thing—I forgot to mention.
Up until just now, it really wasn’t “opened,” and now… sorry, I forgot to close it!
In that instant, the matrix that had enveloped both Ji Jue’s soul and flesh silently contracted.
Just like that, it unlocked its shackle, allowing the infection of the undying disease and Lian Cheng’s corruption to spread without restraint.
And right before Ji Jue’s eyes, a long-dormant pop-up appeared: [Internal Spiritual Essence Distortion Detected.
Extract?]
[YES]!
The moment Ji Jue unhesitatingly clicked “YES,” a wail erupted.
Not only did Lian Cheng—standing nearly nose-to-nose with him—emit such a cry, but even the revolving bone wheel in the heavens and the sinister eye in the void carried a piercing, high-pitched lament…
It was as if a storm had manifested; inside Ji Jue’s soul, a bottomless black hole suddenly opened up, violently extracting every ounce of distortion and corruption.
In an instant, all traces of the wicked contamination that had entered his body were swallowed up whole.
Yet it still was not sated; its hunger only grew, seeking to trace its origins…
It reversed direction!
Following the open connection and resonance that Lian Cheng had willingly provided with his soul, it rushed into his body and soul—a devouring, monstrous whale—and even, against the natural connection between soul and spiritual essence, it shot straight upward…
Its greedy little hand reached out toward the ascendant spawn high above!
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
Lian Cheng convulsed violently, his whole body trembling.
He instinctively tried to let go, but it was too late.
Instead, Ji Jue grabbed him by the shoulder, wrenching his head upward.
The endless tide of sinister light converged into a torrent that burst uncontrollably from Lian Cheng’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, all merging into Ji Jue’s eyes, as if falling into an abyss without bottom.
In an instant, all his spiritual essence was squeezed dry, leaving not a speck more—but it wasn’t over yet.
That dreadful suction had already spread along the resonance between him and the Lord, extending toward the bone wheel in the heavens and the sinister eye.
Even if he wanted to stop it, it was too late.
Even interrupting the connection and resonance with the Lord was utterly impossible.
It was like a momentary misstep where a foolish youngster clings to a mature lady’s black-stockinged leg, deluded into thinking he’ll enjoy endless riches.
And when the lady pulls out her whip, candles, steel balls, and little steel nails, everything is lost… To survive, one can only call home, tricking more comrades into leaping into the bottomless pit, clinging on for a little longer.
At the moment Lian Cheng realized this, his face changed dramatically—shock, terror, pain, and sorrow all mingling.
Then, without hesitation, he maximized the link and resonance between himself and the Lord, cranking it up to the maximum!
“Come on, Lord—this is your moment!”
“Stay focused! Good job! Don’t lose your nerve!”
“Crush him!”
(The chapter ends.)