Chapter 00231: As Soon As I Pull the Line, I’ll Run
# As Soon As I Pull the Line, I’ll Run
Chapter 231
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 231: As Soon As I Pull the Line, I’ll Run
In modern alchemy, there exist numerous classifications.
Although its history is relatively short compared to the thousands of years that ancient alchemy has been around, its emergence as a mainstream practice owes much to the fact that it stands on the foundation of ancient alchemy, carving out entirely new pathways and directions.
Not only has it unified standards and measurements, allowing successors to easily step into the hall of wisdom, but its openness and inclusivity far surpass that of ancient alchemy.
Over the course of several hundred years, modern alchemy has absorbed the essence of ancient practices, refining and synthesizing these elements, resulting in the development of over a dozen different classifications and disciplines based on the four fundamental processes of ascension, purification, extraction, and integration.
Life Studies, without a doubt, is one of these major categories.
It is intricately connected to the theories of spirals, and is closely linked with the popular field of pharmacology.
Such a profound and lofty discipline is not something that an apprentice like Ji Jue could dare to claim expertise in.
In reality, even with the boost from the mechanical god storm absorbing abilities, his current level can only be described as barely scratching the surface.
From the standpoint of skill, he was not yet capable of turning the dead into the living; however, he was quite adept at accidentally turning the living into the dead.
Because of this, making ‘human skin masks’ often appeared quite horrific and tragic.
It’s just like when you go shopping—you can’t always expect to get something that is fast, effective, and as cheap as if it were given for free.
You always have to make some trade-offs.
Thus, this rather awkward situation arose.
If one wanted to avoid losses and maintain the authenticity of the disguise, then they must resort to live transplantation; having a bone knife on hand naturally made this possible.
Considering the short time available, the layer of skin was applied rather awkwardly, but it seemed understandable, right?
It was just that the person opposite did not seem ready to forgive.
There was nothing to be done about that...
Before bending down to pick up the mask, Ji Jue casually stabbed his last shimmering blade into her abdomen.
Under the effect of “Light and Dust,” she instantly found it difficult to move, unable to even make a sound.
Then, the compassionate bone knife pierced in, cleaving flesh from soul.
Both were rendered powerless.
Since he had already been exposed, Ji Jue didn’t hold back, removing both pieces of skin, tossing them aside, and retrieving an ugly face soaked in a solution from within his robe, reapplying it to his own.
“Nothing beats the original!”
His ten fingers glided over the seams, reconnecting flesh, and with the infusion of ancient wisdom, it regained its original function to at least seventy to eighty percent.
As for looking even uglier… that was inconsequential!
Ugly is ugly.
Once he returned to Old Zhang for some treatment, he could get back to factory settings.
In comparison, the most troublesome aspect was the injury where his legs had broken; without the aid of mercury exoskeleton, walking would be a hassle.
After completing all this, Ji Jue leisurely continued forward, wandering through the precious material preservation room, marveling at the sights.
“Truly the work of a master, incredible.”
He sighed, admiring the treasures one by one.
Two-person-sized natural blessed metal sat there, containing innate blessings and a stone marrows crystal as big as Ji Jue's own head; there were even mutated items frozen solid in boxes, unable to break free...
Almost every item on the shelves stirred his dark thoughts, tantalizing him with thoughts of pulling off a few more heists or perhaps shaking down the president, spending some time to plunder this place clean...
Well, if he was alive and able to escape by then.
According to the bald woman, this was merely a secondary preservation room; nearly all the truly precious materials were kept in the private domain of Jian Yuan himself.
Moreover, the items here were only a small portion recently added and not yet classified...
Isn't that just too rich?
As he alternated between holding his breath and exhaling hot air in disbelief, Ji Jue dared not look too long; if he did, his mindset would surely shatter.
However, soon, the most important target of this trip appeared before his eyes.
Then he felt… utterly suffocated.
“What the hell?”
Ji Jue’s vision darkened, disbelief washing over him.
He finally understood why Lou Feng was so certain that his aunt was still alive—based on the lichen art passed down in the Lou family, there was a life-preserving technique developed from spirit molding.
At a moment of imminent death or danger, the Chosen would execute the last spirit molding—“Deadlock.” At such times, the spirit crystal would envelop the user’s body and soul like a coffin, hardening to the extreme, becoming indestructible.
It was like being encased in a shell, making it difficult for opponents to strike.
As for whether one would be dragged back to be slowly refined or drilled open to take their life, that was another matter entirely.
At the very least, it could provide a brief respite.
Yet, faced with Jian Yuan’s attack, Lou Yanyue applied the most thorough type of molding within the deadlock at the final critical moment.
After reaching the rebirth stage, the spirit molding possessed properties of being retained with the master; as long as Lou Yanyue did not die, it would not dissipate.
And as long as Lou Yanyue remained alive, the spirit would continuously reinforce the outer crystalline lock.
To kill her, one would have to thoroughly deplete all her spirit and cause her soul to shatter, thereby completely eliminating her potential as a material.
It seemed Jian Yuan also intended to keep her around for a time to teach her conscious material crafting.
But unfortunately, he likely wouldn’t have that chance now.
And Ji Jue began to question his life.
“Aunt?”
Ji Jue leaned in closer, eyes widening as he stared at the incomplete outline sealed within the spirit crystal: “Are you freaking kidding me, is this your aunt?!”
Inside the locked and frozen spirit crystal, the body bore horrific wounds; her legs were severed at the roots, and only one arm remained.
Even her face bore signs of having been sliced by a blade, both eyes shattered, transforming her once-beautiful visage into something ugly and grotesque, rivaling Ji Jue's current ghastly appearance.
But the problem was, she… she… she looked like she was underage!!
“Sixteen? No, fourteen… thirteen…”
Ji Jue squinted, getting closer, nearly setting off the alarm as he repeatedly assessed—this is just fourteen years old! It couldn’t be any older!
A fourteen-year-old rebirth?!
Surely, it wasn’t some sort of mistaken practice of divine magic causing her to revert to a younger age?
Ji Jue gasped cold air, then another, and another, wishing he could drain the central air conditioning from Jian Yuan.
After all, it was a big family; the foundation was truly rich, but the generational hierarchy was a complete mess!
Lou Feng’s grandfather was still vigorous… he had a daughter, and yet she was younger than his grandson?
No wonder Lou Feng always had a complex look when mentioning his aunt; if he had an aunt who was seven or eight years younger than him and was already a core combat force of the safety bureau, truly a talented cultivator, he couldn’t help but feel oppressed!
There was no time for sighing or reflecting now.
Time waits for no one.
Ji Jue’s movements were swift; his hands brushed along the shelves, sensing the spirit pathways, analyzing and reading carefully, the separation technique flashing briefly...
Through the outer layer of spirit structure, his spirit hand reached in, accurately damaging the recognition sequence and relevant modules.
Before the warning sequence could self-check and sound the alarm, he had five minutes left.
He pulled out the ‘Aunt Detection Device’ crafted by Lou Feng from his pocket and directly pressed it against the spirit crystal of Lou Yanyue.
In an instant, the two spirit molded crystals collided, merging into one.
Spirit itself was a carrier of information, and not to mention that the Lou family had their own unique method of communication.
To avoid dragging Ji Jue down or causing chaos, Lou Feng’s spirit crystal not only stored its own unique spirit wave recognition but also the unlocking program for the deadlock, along with relevant condition explanations and Ji Jue’s identity.
In the brief silence, Ji Jue suddenly saw the incomplete body within the spirit crystal seem to spasm slightly.
Emerging from a long dream.
Absorbing information from her family’s nephew, she swiftly grasped the reality.
As the deadlock slowly began to shatter, the spirit vibrated through the air, producing a hoarse, muffled voice.
“... Ji Jue?”
The indistinct hand of spirit molding brushed across her face, exploring, and quickly realized: “That brat Ah Feng, really has made a name for himself… you’re his friend?”
“Yeah, a very good friend, the kind where we trust each other's lives and backs!” Ji Jue replied decisively: “Don’t let my youth fool you; he calls me Big Brother Ji! He even demanded a signed photo, which he takes back to worship with an incense burner, bowing three times morning and night. It’s been two years without stopping, didn’t he tell you?”
A hint of laughter emerged within the muffled voice.
“He’s not saying it like that about you.”
“Just a tsundere; you can't only listen to his mouth, his body is always very honest!”
“Indeed.”
Lou Yanyue in the deadlock contemplated for a moment and nodded in agreement: “Among all the younger generation in the family, he’s the one who cries the longest when punched.”
“Your family culture is quite peculiar.”
Ji Jue wiped cold sweat off his brow; throughout the small talk, his hands never paused—penetrating a craftsman’s workshop and trying to modify the permissions and rules he set from within was too much of a challenge for Ji Jue.
He could only crudely destroy the critical parts through the separation technique, futilely trying to stall for time.
His movements continued.
He dashed back and forth, categorizing and installing the size bombs that were bound under the black robe.
“How’s your condition? Are you ready?”
Ji Jue finally asked, “We’re running out of time.”
Within the slowly dissolving deadlock, the last layer of the frozen body maintaining life still remained within the crystal.
Ji Jue lifted it up, feeling it soft and light.
It wasn’t nearly as heavy as he had imagined.
“How much longer?”
Lou Yanyue seized the time to recover her spirit.
“5…”
Ji Jue glanced at his watch, not waiting for Lou Yanyue to speak, adding, “4…”
“Hey, you little rascal!”
Lou Yanyue couldn’t help but laugh.
And as the countdown ended… an unprecedented chain explosion erupted from the corridors, floors, and even the ceilings, flames bursting forth, engulfing everything.
Boom!!
Amidst the intense shaking and chaos, Ji Jue stuffed her into a box, hoisted it onto his back, and ran like mad.
He mingled into the panicked crowd outside.
Three minutes later, the sound of the explosion roared once more from the entrance, as trucks waiting to be loaded beeped to life and smashed through the doors.
They surged forth one after another.
Disappearing in every direction.
(End of Chapter)