novelnext Chapter 1525 - 777: Whence Comes Water and Fire? (Silver Alliance Bonus for the Legendary Orange Meow)
Chapter 1525 - 777: Whence Comes Water and Fire? (Silver Alliance Bonus for the Legendary Orange Meow)
With just one glance, he had already seen through the other's essence.
The remnants left behind by the Family God...
No, perhaps for the Chopra family, this is the very essence?
Countless ancestors of Chopra, their souls, their insatiable greed, and the evil deeds they wrought—when the Flame of Decay spread throughout the Seven Cities, the inevitable mutation and transformation began.
No, it should be said that from the day the family fire was ignited, the appearance of today was destined...
To consolidate power, they created the Family God.
To gain status, they voluntarily embraced the blood curse, then cemented this desperate cycle that each generation fought hard to escape yet could not avoid.
Born from the family, returning to the family.
Shaped by the family, devoured by the family.
In the endless cycle, seduced by the lure of power and status, one family member after another threw themselves greedily into the Family God's maw, turning themselves into the finest sacrifices.
As long as the Chopra remains, this sacrifice knows no end.
Binding themselves in a cocoon, suffering self-made consequences.
Ultimately, isn't the wicked outcome brewed just like this?
At this moment, the wicked outcome sprouts from the mire; the fully mutated Family God broke free from the shackles of the Paradise System, completing its final hatching in the Flame of Decay.
Instinctively thirsty, instinctively chasing the family's descendants, the current Family Head...like a centipede monster as large as a building, roared and, losing all self-control, lunged forward!
Immediately following, a giant descended from the sky!
BOOM!!!!
As if an iron mountain suddenly fell, it whipped up a storm, meteors ravaging, shaking the entire Xiang State with a wail.
Ruthlessly, it trampled!
The Steel Giant God Dragon Mountain stepped on the rampaging monster, crushing it in two, but then a giant hand extended, roughly kneading them back together, squeezing the hollow, frenzied faces into a writhing mass of flesh and blood.
Then, again, a punch, another punch, and yet another punch!
The terrifying sound of breaking continued. The once-overbearing monster now howled in vain, struggling, without even the strength to fight back.
When most souls and power were taken by Ji Jue and integrated into the Paradise System, how could the meager remnants accumulated by the Family God over hundreds of years stir up any trouble?
Now looking fierce and frenzied, it's merely an underdeveloped premature infant.
Not posing any threat at all.
At best, only serving as a punching bag for Dragon Mountain.
In the fierce winds, Minkler heard Ji Jue's order, "Next, the Paradise System will forcibly take over Luo Island. You arrange the people to assist with all your strength."
"Understood!"
He nodded without hesitation, not caring whether he would be sidelined, if the so-called power had been seized. After witnessing the tragic fate of subordinates who only paid lip service, not only Ji Jue, even he wanted to personally eliminate those pests and failures.
Now that Ji Jue has stepped forward to take charge and clean up the mess, how could he possibly disagree?
"It's just...some civilians have mutated..." He hesitated for a moment, ultimately mustering the courage to ask: "How to handle it?"
Ji Jue was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Leave it to the exoskeleton company and Peacekeeping Cat. If they're not a threat, just keep them under watch first."
Minkler decisively nodded, wiping his cold sweat, his fear unworn, looking back at the howling remnants of the Family God and the chaotic city.
From the sky, green firelight continually falling.
The whole world seemed to have transformed into something unrecognizable to him, yet oddly, he felt no surprise, as if it had always been this way.
This paradoxical feeling made him dizzy, his expression twitching constantly, panting, "What on earth...is going on..."
Ji Jue did not speak, casting one last glance at everything before him.
He turned and walked toward the direction where the flames rose.
.
.
BOOM!!!
Amidst the spreading flames, the grand hall collapsed with a crash, mutated and transformed outlines screaming, shrieking, dancing, and reveling in the fire.
The Seven Cities Council Hall was consumed in the hysterical shrill singing.
Everything within sight, the countless efforts and painstaking patches of a lifetime, the only bit of achievement left, just like that, fell into the flames beyond recognition.
Never to be seen again.
"Help...help me...Mr. Fernan...help me..."
The burning eerie remnants squirmed, raising a hand, grasping the bewildered old man, howling in vain, yet immediately, it seemed as if pain and despair vanished.
Laughter and song, so sharp, emanated from the flames.
Fernan staggered back, fell, got up again, wandering the streets, staring blankly at everything around him, opening his mouth to hoarsely roar, shout.
But no one responded.
In the end, he had no strength left, sinking to the ground, his once proud spine bending inch by inch, unable to bear everything before him.
"Suffering as flame, human heart as furnace—"
"Turning natural disasters into man-made catastrophes, subtly influencing in the turning of the world, unnoticeable, omnipresent, ultimately, indeed all things self-transform!
"Who would have thought You Sui's craft could be so grand and magnificent!"
At the end of the flames, a voice full of admiration rang out.
In the ash falling like snow, the figure of the craftsman emerged from the deepest part of the fierce flame, walking step by step, applauding toward the true Creator of all this.
From the heart, expressing admiration!
"Truly, an eye-opener!"
"..."
On the steps, the hunched old man raised his head, looking at him blankly and wearily, as if unable to comprehend.
"What are you talking about..."
"Why bother with pretenses, Mr. Fernan, or rather, Master Fernan."
Ji Jue stood in front of him, bending down and adhering to the Association's etiquette, offering respect and admiration to the former master: "Isn't everything today your creation?
Including myself, everyone has been played like fools by you, and now that the grand work is complete, why continue pretending?"
"I can't understand what you're saying at all!"
Fernan's expression contorted, gradually reddened and livid with anger that was hard to suppress, as if feeling the accusations from Ji Jue.
"This is fundamentally not me! This was never what I wanted! I... I..."
His lips trembled, burned whiskers quivering, choking with embarrassment: "You're here to humiliate me, right? Whatever, none of it matters... I've poured a lifetime of effort, devoted all my time, and it's all destroyed, completely ruined!
Seven Cities could have been better, damn everything could have been better!
Instead, it's you, an outsider who cares about nothing!"
His bloodshot eyes stared fiercely at Ji Jue, angrily questioning and rebuking: "What do you understand?! I'm doing all this for... for the Seven Cities..."
"Is that so?"
Ji Jue laughed, dismissively waving his hand, "Let's say it's like that. But, Mr. Fernan, have you really made any contribution to the Seven Cities?"
Fernan's expression froze.
He opened his mouth, wanting to refute or defend, but heard Ji Jue's voice.
"Legislations ensuring the legality and freedom of prostitutes ended up driving countless distressed people to sell their bodies to survive, exploited legally and discarded like trash.
Now, even the selling rights for eight-year-old children are protected.
The laws ensuring regulated use of banned drugs led instead to their rampant spread. Investments to collectively build orphanages facilitated the largest child trafficking industry chain in the Southwestern Endless Sea. The Seven Cities Alliance's nursing homes are filled everywhere with organs and souls ready for harvest.
Moreover, there's the unusable healthcare, the impossibly implemented minimum wages... not to mention just a few days ago, you were stabilizing prices for food, medicine, and Fuel Element."
Ji Jue sighed, lightly: "Sometimes, it's hard to distinguish you from those vermin, but perhaps because of this, they tolerate someone so right among them?
They even love you more than they imagine, more inseparable from you.
The entire Seven Cities, only you keep providing them new excuses for exploitation, assisting them step by step in breaking limits, crafting a brighter future."
"Shut up!"
Fernan was furious, staggering forward, grabbing his collar, pulling and shaking forcefully, gripping tightly, eyes almost shedding: "I've, I've done everything I could! Besides me, is there anyone in the entire Seven Cities..."
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Crisp applause sounded.
Filled with admiration.
"Yes, right, Mr. Fernan, precisely, this is what I admire most about you."
Ji Jue patted his shoulder, sincerely admiring: "My teacher taught me that a true craftsman can create beautifully and also righteously mess things up. I thought I understood, but compared to you, I am nothing!
After all, you don't need to do anything but be a well-intentioned failure, squander goodwill, and things naturally become progressively worse!
Even at the end, even now, even in future history books, no one will blame you!
After all, everyone knows, you did it for everyone, you did your best!"
Even as an enemy, Ji Jue couldn't restrain his admiration for Fernan.
Water drips wearing the stone, rope saws cutting the wood... compared to this decades-long dedication, more importantly, persistence and endurance.
Abandoning sainthood and wisdom, thoroughly defeating Ember's arrogant heart, severing the craftsman's nature, genuinely transforming into a redundant nobody.
Like a rational person forcing themselves to immerse in fur, blending into the zoo's monkey troop every day.
Day after day, playing games with monkeys.
For any craftsman, this is torture more terrifying than death, yet he can persist until now, never giving up.
Even becoming someone everyone eventually thanks and reveres, a Saint!
Those corrupted and despairing because of it perhaps never considered... the Fernan they respect, never considered saving anyone!
So many laws and policies were merely painting a pie they could never taste, a dream they'll never realize.
Time and time again letting them rise, only to push them back down.
Throughout countless changes, nothing changed from beginning to end.
Throughout transformation attempts, from start to finish, no transformation.
Merely futile cycles, endlessly replaying past events, until the final flame completely extinguishes.
The entire Seven Cities is his Melting Furnace.
The present reality is his creation.
This has been a sustained Upper-level Summoning for decades over three generations!
Who would have thought, the true maker of this Hell isn't affliction, nor despair, but everyday habit...
After blows and despair, becoming completely numb, after Embers reignited time and again, no warmth remains, the heart for transformation has entirely extinguished.
From now on, all will sink into the mire.
In that instant, the Corrosive Furnace Core arrives by summoning.
No, long before that, everything has already fallen into the Realm of Decay!
It's just that they never realized...
Turns out, they've been living in Hell.