Chapter 00071: Seeking Guidance
# Seeking Guidance
Chapter 71
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 71: Seeking Guidance
In the depths of my being, a flicker of a memory whispered to me; it told of an image preserved from the annals of history, a crucial turning point in time.
Once, the Eternal Empire, with all its might, raised the Tower of Heaven’s Origin in the very center of the world, seeking to control all that was supreme, to rule for eternity over the realm.
Yet, before the Heaven’s Origin pillar could be completed, it came crashing down, leading to the complete collapse of the old order—Heaven’s Origin split in two, indirectly giving birth to the Federation and the Empire over ninety years later.
From the sky, stars fell, and from the ground, flames surged.
Rain fell like blood for three years.
A plague ravaged the land for over twenty-one years, wreaking havoc until the Eternal Dynasty was completely extinguished.
Yet the echoes of that time still linger, and to this day, disasters continue to plague the earth.
This was the final mournful cry before the downfall of the Empire, taking with it two-thirds of life on the ground.
After the Initial Epoch and the Epoch of Chaos, it was believed that the endless Glory Era had come to an end.
Yet, at that time, the curtain had yet to be lifted on the Calamity Era.
The disorderly days of chaos persisted for ninety-three years until the Twelve Supreme Beings regained their positions, and the Heaven’s Origin seat was once again established.
The two sages—the First Heavenly Supervisor and the Earth Guardian—restored the foundation of order.
But the sky and earth did not return to stability; instead, they welcomed a long, unending friction and stalemate between the Federation and the Empire.
The world was frozen, not yet broken apart, yet chaos erupted with hatred and hostility, flames of battle flickering.
More than four hundred years later, a sudden, foreboding calamity descended once again.
As natural disasters swept across the land, leaving behind the only survivor.
Ten years later, that fortunate soul unknowingly became the Chosen One, finally stepping into this place.
Thus, time and history intertwined through countless struggles, pain, turmoil, and death, manifesting in a thread of fate that continued on in Ji Jue.
So, across the vast expanse of time, he finally witnessed the shadow left behind by the sages on the other side.
This was a complex tapestry woven from threads of human affairs, dyed by the Supreme Beings, carried by time.
Though they dwelled in different realms, far apart, they were subtly connected.
To the sages and the world, they were exquisite designs, while Ji Jue was merely a pixel among countless colors.
In that sudden daze, Ji Jue gazed outside at the scenery and the seemingly close remnants of the sages, once again feeling his own insignificance—like a grain of sand in the ocean.
"When the Heaven’s Origin Tower collapsed, what else happened?" Ji Jue inquired.
"You should ask what didn’t happen. Everything that should have occurred did, and everything that shouldn’t have also happened. The downfall of the Eternal Empire was too sudden; most records left behind contradict each other. But one thing is for sure… Mercury was not here at that time."
The Ghostly Mechanic Ball reminded him: "As the Empire's greatest threat, a member of the Ink Clan, Mercury had already become a sage, holding status in the organization no less than that of their leader, 'The One.' At that time, all of the Ink Clan members had fled to the Tower of Heaven’s Origin. Afterwards, countless pieces of evidence pointed to them; they could very well be the culprits behind the tower’s collapse. Mercury definitely played some important role, and possibly, the tower's downfall was her doing."
"...", for a moment, Ji Jue turned back in shock, looking at the phantom.
The phantom remained still.
Just a gaze, as if the culprit stared back at the sins and sufferings she had forged.
In that instant, the phantom seemed to finally glance back, through the long passage of time, looking at the young man who intruded upon her abandoned workshop countless years later.
But after the fleeting shock, when Ji Jue focused his gaze, he found that the phantom had silently vanished.
Gone without a trace.
A chill ran up his spine; was it really haunted?
But Xiao An remained unfazed, still squatting on the ground, curiously poking at those abandoned, broken instruments.
Noticing Ji Jue’s gaze, the little one looked over in confusion, utterly perplexed.
"We should go, kid."
The Ghostly Mechanic Ball flickered with blue light, as if feeling helpless: "Checked eight or nine times; there's nothing here, not even a trace of the matrix. Well, I misjudged this time and ended up wasting a trip."
"Go?"
Ji Jue hesitated instinctively.
After all, there was no difference between having made a venture and not having made one, and being startled for nothing; he had to recover something to avoid losing completely.
But as he surveyed his surroundings, he realized it wasn’t that the Ball wasn’t effective, but rather that there was really nothing of value left.
When the workshop moved, important items would certainly be taken; as for anything nonessential, it had fallen into complete disrepair after so many years without care.
Now, all that remained was a furnace, fixed in place and immovable, in a state so dilapidated that it would be better to rebuild from scratch.
And it had been out of commission for so long that it resembled scrap iron; without the relevant spirit matter circuits and devices, trying to salvage anything was like chasing a dream.
Wait, the furnace?
Ji Jue suddenly halted, his gaze fixating on the rusty furnace, unable to look away.
His eyes shone bright!
How had he forgotten such a treasure?!
He swallowed hard and suddenly ran to the window, glancing below; within mere minutes, the guardians and returning knights were engaged in a fierce battle, the situation critical...
He spun around.
"Brother Ball, can this furnace still be started?”
"???"
The Ghostly Mechanic Ball was enveloped by countless question marks.
"No, brother, this thing has been off for how many years? It has no value. If you try to start it recklessly, it’d be a miracle if it doesn’t blow up. You really want to replicate something a sage once used?"
"Yes!" Ji Jue nodded decisively.
"Whatever it is, don’t ask, don’t worry—just tell me whether it can be done!"
"…"
The Ghostly Mechanic Ball fell silent for a moment.
Deep down, it wanted to refuse such a reckless command, but in the end, the base-level instructions and permissions left by Professor Ye compelled it to comply: "If you're seeking death, I can't stop you, but I make no promises about the outcome."
"As long as I don’t get blown up."
Ji Jue grinned, rubbing his hands together as he gazed at the silent furnace, eyes gleaming: the child was still young; now that he was here... he had to at least give the furnace a touch!
Afraid it would blow up? Ji Jue didn't care if it did!
Even if it had lain dormant for over four hundred years, even if it had aged poorly, as long as it could be started, it meant there was still a potential to awaken it!
Such a vast experience package—so long as he didn’t die, it was more than enough!
"Start for me!"
In a critical moment, Ji Jue held nothing back, pouring all his spirit matter into the Ghostly Mechanic Ball.
The ball soared into his hands, and in an instant, it shattered into pieces, its nearly infinite recursive structure suddenly unfolding and expanding.
In an instant, complex circuits were laid across the walls, floor, and ceiling!
Like a sea of stars, runes clustered around the emblem of the supreme being, fading into the void but re-linking everything, layer by layer connecting to the external interface of the furnace, forcibly incorporating it into its own system.
The base-level instructions were rewritten, specifications transformed, main structures adjusted…
Ji Jue was dazzled as it all completed in an instant.
—The mobile workshop was fully deployed!
And at that moment, a deafening sound of friction erupted from outside the temporary workshop set by the Ghostly Mechanic Ball—the Secrets of the Rift Workshop activated, locking onto the anomalies present here in an instant… the battle between the workshop and the Heavenly Artifice began once again!
[Stealth operations concluded, defense mode activated, parasitic operations commencing]
The voice of the Ghostly Mechanic Ball lost all emotion and fluctuation, leaving no energy to engage its simulated personality: [Consumption of temporal sand reserves commencing, estimated duration: 1 minute and 14 seconds.]
"Thank you, Brother Ball, and I’ll replenish the spirit matter later!"
Ji Jue no longer had the luxury to be polite; his hands were already pressing down on the furnace before him, issuing commands.
—[Awaken]!!!
The command was issued for the first time, as if facing emptiness, with no response.
The second command ushered forth a dim light amidst the silence.
With the third command, that faint resonance, like a candle flickering in the wind, exploded into an overwhelming echo that engulfed Ji Jue’s soul and consciousness!
It was as if he had opened the cover of a dry well, reigniting the motor, and from within surged forth a torrent more powerful than a waterfall.
Spirit matter rapidly drained away, yet there was no stopping it; his hands felt as if they were glued to a black hole, unable to pull back.
On his wrist watch, the numbers in the spirit matter reserve plummeted erratically, and in the blink of an eye, it was completely emptied.
The furnace seemed to desire even more, yet it paused, not reopening its vast maw.
Only lightly tasting the essence, it chose to stop on its own.
Ji Jue collapsed onto the ground, pale-faced, drenched in cold sweat, feeling waves of dizziness.
Nearby, Xiao An, quick as a flash, pulled out an emergency booster injection from the backpack, aimed for his neck, and pulled the trigger, preventing Ji Jue from slipping into unconsciousness due to the lack of spirit matter.
Never before had he used his abilities to awaken such a massive creation.
It wasn’t the sheer size nor the complexity of the structure, but the overwhelming remnants and traces left by the past, the monumental marks of bygone sages.
So much so that simply granting it consciousness left Ji Jue utterly hollow.
And now, the furnace trembled slightly, rust peeling away, as a flicker of faint light danced within its opened heart—a phantom glow of the soul, pondering, reflecting, understanding, and gaining wisdom.
[It has been so long… four hundred years, has it?]
Within his consciousness, an aged voice resonated, bearing a metallic echo, weary yet filled with regret: [Thank you for your assistance, stranger.
How may I serve you? Sadly, I can no longer be of use.]
Ji Jue sat on the ground, straightened his back, and earnestly said, "I, a humble apprentice, humbly seek your guidance."
The furnace fell silent, as if in contemplation.
[I understand.
If that’s all...—]
At that moment, Ji Jue had no time to respond.
The dregs of fire in the furnace burst forth violently, a torrent of light rushing towards him!
Then…
It entangled itself around the little calf horse.
“Beep? Beep?”
The motorcycle, squatting nearby, stared blankly upward, caught off guard, still not able to struggle.
And so it was...
Dragged inside!
The furnace closed, flames surged, and only the final echoes of terrified screams lingered in the air.
“Beep—!!!”
(End of chapter)