Legend of the chosen ones: Beyond Destiny

The once abundant and surging Dragon Blood transformation had suddenly come to a halt.

In just a short moment less than a snap of the fingers, it was enough to pulverize him to dust!

Boom!

As Minerva's iron fist slammed down once more, the storm of destruction blew away all flesh, even suppressing the incomplete Dragon Blood, completely smashing his head to pieces.

From top to bottom, embedded in his chest.

Lawrence roared, his bare skeletal arms revealing intricate scales, forcibly blocking Wen Wen's fist; from behind his shattered wings, his eyes opened, gazing towards the location of the giant tree.

He then saw, wrapped in tangled roots, the awakening Ji Jue, and his smiling lifted middle finger.

"Surprised or not?"

He softly greeted, "I said I know you, and many helpful souls sent me back!"

Just like that, Ji Jue opened his mouth and suddenly bit down on the nearby roots.

The giant tree vibrated violently, countless tentacle-like branches writhing, seemingly withering.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Lawrence's voice trembled, unable to believe, even more terrified than Minerva's assault, "Stop, stop!"

Vortex Planting Technique!

The progress of his Vortex Planting Technique had actually stopped?!

No, it was more than just stopping... an unprecedented void had formed inside, greedily swallowing up what should have been his achievement, plundering the Dragon Blood that should have flowed into his own heart!

What the hell? What happened? How did he manage that?

"Stop!!!"

Lawrence roared.

Ji Jue turned a deaf ear, spreading his arms wide.

His wide-open eyes were already filled with scarlet, the agonizing and despairing spiritual essence filling his body, stimulating hunger and madness. As the recipient of the Vortex Planting Technique, he was embracing the erosion of Blood Thirst, even turning the tables, under the push of countless Mutated Spirit Essences, continuously seizing control from Lawrence!

To hell with the disaster weapon, to hell with the fine talents, to hell with everything!

In life, you eat; when there's food you eat food, when there's shit you eat shit—no matter what Mutated Spirit Essence, I fucking eat eat eat eat!

Thus, he swallowed the Dragon Blood greedily, like consuming burning magma, the pains and despair seemingly also departed, uncaring.

Lawrence was bellowing, trying to rush forward; flesh grew like thorns, extending to interrupt him, but a Crystal Stone column surged from the ground, shielding Ji Jue behind it.

Now, the roles of attacker and defender were reversed.

Amidst roaring and screeching, Lawrence's body swelled further, frantic, attacking recklessly, no longer the ease and joy of before.

It was as if, inside his body, someone was sucking out his life and blood with a straw.

Now, the host and recipient were connected through the Vortex Planting Technique.

Inseparable.

When Ji Jue in turn shook his control, what was initially a one-way pump had started wrestling, tugging, each vying for the Dragon Blood extracted by the technique.

The difference was, the suction from Ji Jue's side was getting stronger!

From the erosion and transformation of Dragon Blood, Ji Jue roared, his eyes gradually elongating like those of a beast, scales faintly emerging on his limbs before shedding, as if undergoing a genetic mutation.

"Stop it, Ji Jue!"

Wen Wen turned back, yelling, "You are not yet the Chosen One; if you keep sucking, you'll be completely Mutated! Stop!"

But Ji Jue no longer cared.

He even accelerated.

Inside his body, the suffering and resentment left behind by countless people flowed like a tide, driving him towards the source of sin, launching vengeance!

Mauling! Crushing! Tearing apart! Torturing!

Finally, turning him into a myriad of pieces!

"Am I not busy? What's the rush?" Ji Jue gritted his teeth, fiercely suppressing the violent impulses within his soul, lifting his head to look up at the empty night sky.

And beyond the dim stars, those vague outlines, those looming behemoths.

They were watching him.

"Chosen One right? You've been watching for so many years, what are you waiting for?"

Ji Jue beckoned, roaring towards Them, "Come on, choose choose choose, all damn love to choose!"

"—Who let me choose one?!"

In the roaring sound, Minerva's expression changed, even under the suppression of the Matrix with the lowest emotional fluctuation, still like ironstone, yet still astonished and bewildered.

She even couldn't help turning back wanting to crack open Ji Jue's skull to see what the hell he was talking about.

The Chosen One is for you to choose? Do you think you're picking cabbage at the supermarket, saying you choose whenever you want? Even if you're a self-awakened being with talent and potential, you can't just…"

In that moment, she stood frozen in place.

Because the sky had shattered.

It was not just above the hospital, not just within the Circle Realm here, and not even just in the Northern Mountain District.

From the range of the surging waves to the emerald mountains, the entire expanse of Cliff City, within a thousand miles, all stars had completely vanished, disappearing as if exiting the stage with the raising of a curtain.

Replacing them was an expanse of majestic radiance that was difficult for the naked eye to perceive.

Solemn and cold silhouettes emerged from within, like a vast form composed of all phenomena, made manifest from the changes and events of the mortal world forming the supreme authority!

An invisible entity embracing all things, towering majestic citadels, crowns made of intertwined bones and blood, a deer head adorned with the carcasses of wolves, vortexes woven from countless lives, the weeping sun, ever-changing flames and lightning...

"Ascension, Tian Yuan, the crowd, White Deer, Vortex, Gate of Eternity, entropy, Embers, Ruins..."

Twelve Superior, ruling over nine!

From a fleeting glimpse, Wen Wen nearly froze in place, doubting her own eyes.

The signs of Heavenly Destiny appeared so abruptly, like a blessing bestowed by the stars, while the myriad Chosen Ones who pursued it for a lifetime rarely received such favor, were now filling the night sky, occupying every inch of space!

They filled the night, rapidly expanding, pushing against each other, no longer with their past aloofness and nobility, but more like customers at a discount sale, frantically waving money to snatch at the only treasure, desperately vying to bestow blessings upon themselves... Shut up, and then take my money!

In the span of a moment, all collisions and struggles had disappeared.

It was as if the victor had already been determined!

All other glorious sights vanished, filling the night sky were stars burning like fiery furnaces, casting brilliant light, as if even the entire heavens had turned into a giant melting furnace.

As the dazzling stars burned out, the glorious melting furnace tipped over, and the flickering embers spilled out, transforming into a waterfall plunging down, completely engulfing Ji Jue.

As if it had fallen into his soul, igniting it as well.

Such an apparition...

—Superior: [Embers]!

Through unprecedented agony and fulfillment, Ji Jue's soul, where his previously vague and dim talents lay, now bathed in the afterglow of the stars, embraced its ultimate Transformation.

In the realm of nothingness, emblems formed, orange-red light flowed continuously, with complicated patterns emerging, resembling overlapping gears and levers, the silhouette of some intricate mechanism... Even Ji Jue could barely make it clear.

[Chosen One Ritual, complete!]

[Registration identity change initiated, Chosen One: Ji Jue, login complete]

[Spiritual reserves storage, access granted, error, error, error... Please proceed to Central Station to complete formal employee registration!]

...

Within the wristwatch, dozens of pop-up windows emerged, dazzling to the eyes.

But none of that mattered anymore.

From the burning of Embers Fire, Ji Jue grinned, lifting his head to look at the stupefied Lawrence.

"Hello."

He nodded politely, "I have many friends who asked me to send their regards... But after much thought, it's better to let them come and tell you themselves."

"Are you ready?"

Ji Jue raised his hand, posing the final question—receive this suffering and despair you created yourself!

In that instant, a waterfall of Scarlet Spirit Essence burst forth from Ji Jue's body!

Within the silent Circle Realm, suddenly a tide sound surged! Countless wails and moans echoed from every gap, every corner.

Steel scraping, engines running, in the rubble of the Ruins, dormant mechanics suddenly came back to life. From collapsed car sheds filled with broken electric cars and motorcycles, to the cars still intact in the parking lot, to the mobile phones and computers lying on the floors of hospital buildings...

Every extinguished screen lit up again, displaying blood-red, the motors running wildly in intense vibration.

The remnants of those who had passed, their resentment and pain, were now rising again within Ji Jue's soul, falling into countless machines, awakening once more!

But it was still not enough!

Nowhere near enough!

Even if he exhausted all his spiritual essence in an instant, it was still not enough to demonstrate the vast scale of the whole.

In the pain of burning, Ji Jue lifted his hand, grasped a sharp Crystal Fragment, and stabbed it into his own neck!

Blood gushed out, spurting forth!

The wristwatch filled with mass Mutated Spirit essence vibrated suddenly, familiar pop-ups appeared.

[Employee Ji Jue detected facing life-threatening danger, error, error, error, error!]

[Standard emergency survival protocol initiated—during the protocol's effective period, Chosen One's abilities will undergo a Double Transformation—Double Transformation complete!]

On the wristwatch, the numbers of the Spiritual reserves storage began to jump crazily, plummeting to the bottom initially but quickly soaring back to full with the supply of massive external spiritual essence.

In the intense operation, as if even the gears had completely heated red, hissing like hot steel.

But at that moment, the piercing sound of countless steels resonated throughout the Circle Realm.

The earth trembled.

Because a tide of machinery emerged from the Ruins, rushing forth!