[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-destiny":3,"chapter-above-destiny-above-destiny-chapter-23":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Heavenly Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2225708,4117,"Chapter 23: Dragon (Thanks to Buqi Shixian","above-destiny-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>The first to crawl out was a battered electric bike. Beneath the shattered plastic shell, the wheels twisted, as if bleeding tears, sparks flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twitching and trembling, from the twisted steel, two fingers made of wheel spokes reached out, two arms, one long and one short, raised up, crawling on the ground, like a dog!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the face composed of a distorted liquid crystal panel, it was filled with scarlet and madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It opened its mouth, spat out thick smoke, and roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It pounced!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following closely was the second, the third. One electric bike after another, amidst trembling and thick smoke, turned into strange creatures with twisted limbs, crawling desperately, pouncing onto Lawrence’s body, opening their mouths to bite, arms pulling, releasing electric currents!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the roar of cars. When the shattered shells were cast off, bodies like wild oxen or elephants ran wildly, crashing into the writhing monsters, crushing, engines roaring, spitting thick smoke!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like giant spiders, or eerie giant birds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those furious steel objects composed of gears and machinery hissed, gathering into a tide, trampling and squeezing each other, one after another climbing up, almost completely covering the mutated Lawrence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, what is this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distorted monster roared, two limbs sweeping across, easily tearing apart the machines climbing on its body. That eerie Heavenly Work Long Blade · Nightfall slashed, like a hot knife through wax, unstoppable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was nothing but a minor ailment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But under the giant tree, Ji Jue just raised his hands, slowly closing them, and issued the first command to his creation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Aggregate]!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, countless sounds of steel grinding erupted again. Hundreds and thousands of complex machines gathered in the same place. Regardless of whether they were fragments or complete structures, they actually connected, embedded, and riveted like living things, forming an unprecedented massive aggregate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Jue’s vision went black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out his hand again, clenching it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, from the torn machines, brand-new structures grew out again. The limbs composed of electric bikes, motorcycles, computers, telephones, and lawnmowers writhed, suddenly contracting, shackling. Then came the second, the third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the constantly changing mechanical structure, faces full of resentment and pain appeared, roaring loudly, thick smoke rolling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, it actually suppressed Lawrence underneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Open mouth, bite!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood flew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gnawing on flesh, tasting internal organs, chewing bones, this hearty feast was even more monstrous than the monster itself. Lawrence hissed, struggling, but for some reason, he felt an unprecedentedly strong sensation from the gaze of that face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Named... fear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nightfall swept across, but stopped abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it gripped?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Minerva!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting the blade cut her palm, her five fingers slowly contracted. Amidst the crisp sound of crystal proliferation, the blade wailed and shook violently, breaking... from the center!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavenly Work shattered!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, it was trampling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the so-called dragon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Wen stepped on his head, shaking her head contemptuously: \"It’s just, too weak!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pah...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lawrence, being gnawed on in the mud, struggled to open his mouth, spat at her, and roared: \"Too hypocritical, Minerva, too ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Path of Ruin you follow is the very track left by the dragon! Isn't what you pursue the same as mine! Why pretend!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are obsessed with phantoms, pinning all your hopes on things you have never seen, not knowing that...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Wen looked down, her expressionless face having only increasing frost, \"—that kind of thing, which doesn't even count as human, will never respond to your prayers!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the dead silence, a high-pitched, sharp sound arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crystal rubbed, proliferated, grew, turning into a stone wing reaching toward the sky, covering the sky and sun, covering everything, shrouding the earth in a dreamlike, indifferent light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lawrence was struck by lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One eyeball after another opened in horror from the broken flesh, blinking constantly, trying to distinguish whether it was some vicious illusion or his own hallucination, but no matter what, it was hard to believe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Y-you... you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice became more shrill and sharp, as if swallowed by a nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He witnessed with his own eyes everything happening on Wen Wen. It wasn't blood, and it wasn't just blood; it wasn't a body, and it wasn't just a body. Even her soul completely revealed its true form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold, solemn, cruel, and vast...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was, a dragonization even more thorough than his own!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s wrong? Haven't you been chasing the dragon all along, Lawrence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Wen spoke, her cold voice turning into thunder that resounded through the firmament, echoing within the circle boundary: \"Consider it my final mercy... let you die at the hands of what you have been chasing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It can be considered, dying in the right place!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she reached out her hand again and grasped toward the sky, what fell was ten thousand feet of thunder. The light of the whole world gathered between her five fingers, turning into a crystal long spear too dazzling to look at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Dragon’s Breath!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manifested in material form, [Destruction]!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that final moment, Lawrence opened his mouth, as if wanting to shout something, curse or beg, but it no longer mattered; no one cared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parasites, blood, bacterial strains, monsters, the remnants of bitterness and despair, and even the unrealistic dream of becoming a dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was submerged in the dragon’s breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the fierce light that burned all eyes flashed and disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A storm arose, ashes rose to the firmament, countless writhing scarlet ectoplasms evaporated and disappeared, the giant tree disintegrated, collapsed, and turned into a phantom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for the giant pit where even charred remains didn't exist, no other traces remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One couldn't even find fragments of the explosion or tearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A portion of matter had eternally disappeared from the world, not even a single particle left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the power of the dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the long silence, Wen Wen stood before the deep pit, the giant wings behind her disappearing without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Phew, that’s why I didn't want them to come and help.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She murmured softly, sighed, tilted her head to look behind her, and grinned: \"Hey, Ji Jue, remember to keep my sec...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words stopped abruptly, her smile stiffening on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps, she didn't need to worry about anyone leaking this secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the ruins and the blood-colored mud pit, Ji Jue sat slumped on the ground, breathing with difficulty, so disheveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right on his body, the remaining dragon blood was still slowly spreading, distorting flesh, twisting his body, growing a layer of eerie scales, gradually taking away the light belonging to a human in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Degeneration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distortion that made Heaven-Chosen turn pale at the mention was spreading, and he was on his last breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he seemed not to care at all, even though he had already reached his limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s wrong, Sister Wen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Jue raised his head, his face covered in dust and mud, smiling with difficulty: \"Did I... accomplish something today?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The astonishment was sudden. Wen Wen was silent, but suddenly recalled the words they said when they parted yesterday. And the boy’s smile at that time, and now, so determined and calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, that’s right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She reached out, solemnly wiping the dust from Ji Jue’s face, and told him: \"Knowing you is my honor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Jue was stunned, his face blank, fearing that Wen Wen’s next sentence would be 'I see you also seem to have some charm left'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But immediately after, he saw Wen Wen stand up solemnly, take a step back, raise her hand again, and grip the crystal thunder spear that had fallen from the sky, aiming it at her own face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't worry, I won't let you feel pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eye sockets seemed slightly red, and she asked softly: \"Any last wishes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn, don't!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Jue was so scared his face turned white, screaming in horror: \"I think I can still be saved!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big sister, what are you doing? I thought you were just plotting against my body, I didn't expect you to want my life directly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need to lie to me anymore, Ji Jue. Once degeneration begins, both soul and body will collapse in pain.\" Wen Wen took a deep breath, her trembling palm returning to stability: \"Don't worry, I will preserve your dignity as a human being.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can have dignity while alive too, big sister, I just lost too much blood, don't scare me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Jue could no longer care about playing dead, his mind frantically clicking the prompt box popped up by the watch: [Detected internal active distorted ectoplasm, extract?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>YES! YES! YES!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hurry up and extract it for me!!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, a crisp cracking sound rang out. From Ji Jue’s body, all the spreading distortion and the scales that had grown out shattered, turning into dust and dissipating without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The irreversible distortion dissipated in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the silence, Wen Wen froze in place, staring blankly at everything happening before her. For a long time, she almost forgot she was still holding the dragon’s breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the awkwardness grew exponentially every second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long time, she made a sound like a sleepwalker, confused beyond belief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who am I? Where am I? What happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I just see someone’s signs of degeneration reverse and disappear? This kind of thing, if spread out, would be enough to blow the minds of those lunatics in the hospital. I have absolutely never heard of it, damn it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what was I just doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly wanted to look in a mirror to see if there was a little red ball on her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You bastard, give me back the tears that were about to fall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I silence him now, is it still in time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, her eyes gradually became dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sister Wen, don't be like this, I still have family!\" Ji Jue’s tears were almost falling, \"Spare my dog life, I’m good at work and not clingy, the service is very good, it would be a pity to use it when it’s cold!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The furious dragon’s breath spear grazed Ji Jue’s neck and plunged into the brickwork next to him, leaving a shocking crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Wen grabbed his collar, warning him word by word: \"If you still want to see tomorrow’s sun, bury everything about me and your ability to reverse degeneration in your stomach. Don't tell anyone who asks, not even in your sleep, you know?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh? Huh?! Not plotting against my bo... cough cough, okay, no problem.\" Ji Jue nodded frantically, wishing he could shake his brains out: \"I bumped into something and fainted, I don't know anything!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Wen nodded, her smile becoming gentle. She helped him straighten his collar and patted it twice, \"Did you accidentally bump into something? Is your head okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Jue was dumbfounded, subconsciously wanting to say something. Finally, what he saw was Wen Wen’s raised fist, small, exquisite, and cute, showing no sign of how many people’s lives it had taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After experiencing the Vortex Planting Art, ectoplasm erosion, despairing nightmares, the Heaven-Chosen Ceremony, a desperate counter-kill, and surviving a great disaster, Ji Jue’s vision went black, and he completely checked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Cause of death', friendly fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even turning off friendly fire, reality is truly a shitty game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, it’s finally raining in Hekou... then my house was flooded... so miserable, I’ve been busy since I opened my eyes until 4:30, only then did I remember to set the timer, probably have to work until night... wuwuwu... ===== CHAPTER 24 =====\u003C\u002Fp>",1935,"2026-06-17T22:07:39.404Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","5023d0502989e5c6eea981a5be9a6d71a10ed5af9c3edb9a28e72d20a6e1ef5a","above-destiny-chapter-24","above-destiny-chapter-22",461,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-heavenly-fate-cover.jpg"]