Truly, It Is Exquisite

Chen Fu learned for the first time that Dual Divine Positions existed in this world.

The Sword of Killing Intent, thick with the stench of blood, slid down from beyond the heavens above the nine skies, and the world suddenly turned a deep red.

Chen Fu instinctively looked up. In his black-and-white Spiritual Perception vision, a small, dark red blood-colored sword bearing the authority to sever life and death assaulted his sight, filling his entire field of view. His gaze, an "inferior defying a superior," could only see the blade that occupied half of Heaven and Earth. As the giant sword descended with terrifying speed, he seemed to glimpse a pair of eyes.

What kind of gaze was that? So cold it held not a trace of emotion. Killing an intruder across realms was as casual as accidentally knocking a small knife off a coffee table, stabbing an ant to death in the fall.

Slaughtering the inheritor of another deity and destroying the one favored by the World Will—such a transgression did not stir even a flicker of emotion in Him as an Enforcer.

Because He was a god, a god high above, a god who had everything under control.

The life and death of ants, the observance or breach of rules—none of it mattered.

Because, God did not care.

The overwhelmingly powerful crimson sword aura descended slowly with the momentum to suppress the entire world, gradually wearing away within the raging will of this realm. Yet the sword aura that finally reached its destination was still not something a non-divine being could bear.

Looking up at the crimson that fell from beyond the realm like divine punishment aimed at him... to be honest, Chen Fu suddenly felt a twinge of regret.

"How has Dr. Chen been lately?"

The burly black-clad Enforcer stood outside the intricately carved wooden fence, looking at the so-called prison inside, where grass grew and orioles flew among green willow branches, and couldn't help muttering to himself.

"Not well. He keeps asking for paper. According to orders, we can't refuse any of his requests except those that would harm himself."

After carefully checking the burly Enforcer's pass and verifying it was correct, he let him in.

"Can you be more specific? My task this time is to get some information from him."

"You'll have to ask him yourself. He's been waiting for you."

Leaving behind those cryptic words, the receptionist waited outside the door and gestured for him to enter first.

"You're here. Right on time."

The gaunt man with a head of withered white hair stopped writing, put away the manuscript stained with faint traces of blood, and looked at the Enforcer sitting across from him.

"Hello, Dr. Chen. My name is Shi..."

"I don't care what your name is. And I'm not well at all."

The man, whose face was drained of all color, cut off the introduction. His bloodshot, yellowed eyes stared at him without a trace of emotion.

The burly black-clad man felt a chill run down his spine.

"I represent..."

Bang!

"Save the nonsense! You ask, I answer!"

The man, seemingly at the end of his rope, suddenly erupted with terrifying force, slamming the table with a bang that startled the other.

"Why did you disobey orders and force the Cold Nuclear Research Group to continue the experiment?"

"They trusted me!"

"...Why did it fail?"

"Yeah... why did it..."

The man's expression suddenly grew dazed, murmuring disordered syllables, his eyes gradually becoming vacant and hollow...

"Chen..."

"Shut up!"

The now somewhat manic man suddenly twisted his head and roared at the Enforcer.

"Particles! High-energy particles tampered with all my experimental data!"

"One! No, two!"

He would never forget the moment the reactor collapsed! Every detail of every image in his memory had replayed in his mind tens of thousands of times!

"Dr. Chen, please calm..."

The voice recorder captured every detail of the conversation.

"Calm your ass!"

The man, who had begun to rein in his emotions, had his pent-up fury and rage instantly detonated by those words.

"Physics is dead, damn it! We were attacked! An attack at the microscopic level from an unknown civilization!!!"

"Dr. Chen!"

"It's fine."

The man, who had been clutching his head in frenzy, suddenly calmed down. He sat back down and looked at the other.

"..."

"Let's continue with the microscopic particles..."

A few specks of scarlet dripped from the tip of his nose onto the pristine manuscript paper, blooming like demonic red plum blossoms.

"Sorry, there's not much time."

Hastily crumpling a ball of paper to stem the nosebleed, the pale-faced man pushed his bloodstained manuscript, already packed into a briefcase, weakly toward the other party.

"...What is this?"

"The Cold Nuclear Equation and its related technology."

"You! How did you manage this?!"

"Overclocked. Calculated it with the human brain."

If the machine couldn't be trusted, he'd do the math himself.

His vision suddenly blurred, warm trickles spilling from the corners of his eyes.

"You?! Medical staff! Get medical staff!"

"Instead of wasting time calling for help, you might as well talk with me a little longer."

"Madman! Brain overclocking technology is strictly forbidden!"

"I provided the material for Jiang Nan's overclocking technique. I was the first experimental subject in her hands."

Suddenly, in the pitch-black void of his fading vision, a massive apple tree laden with fruit appeared, and perched on it was a scruffy, mottled Fat Bird.

"Why go this far?!"

"I couldn't accept it..."

His survival was a fluke—the impossible result of two particles influenced by the reactor's collapse.

"Haha, that just means They value me quite a bit."

This was the enemy's highest form of respect; he couldn't be rude in return, could he?

Watching the man whose seven orifices bled blood laced with white threads, his murky, bloodshot eyes glinting with divine light under the lamp, Shi Qiang silently rose to his feet.

Shua!

The heels clicked sharply together.

A salute!

From thermal to cold nuclear would be a technological explosion no less significant than the Third Industrial Revolution, touching every aspect of civilization's development. An energy revolution meant humanity could break out of the solar system in the shortest time possible!

But humanity soon discovered that the fundamental physics required for cold nuclear had been locked away.

"Xiaotao!"

The phoenix, cloaked in multicolored radiance, transformed into a dazzling Glazed Rosy Rainbow at Xuan Zi's roar. With its wings, it shielded the youth standing alone between Heaven and Earth, facing the merciless divine might head-on. Behind it, seven Soul Rings shattered in that instant.

The Ring Detonation the youth had always scorned had somehow been fully learned by the girl, used to activate her unique seventh Soul Skill—beyond her Martial Soul True Body—the Super Ferocious Beast Jade Swan's gift of approval: Wing of Protection!

This world always seemed to have such strange, forced Soul Skills, even if the price was heavy.

I... should never have gone looking for that damned Jade Swan...

In the sacred phoenix flames, the youth looked up toward the blood-red particle cluster of light, his mind going blank.

[Checking... bodily anomalies... data...]

The girl hadn't fully blocked the Divine Punishment. The penetrating divine power slashed down toward Chen Fu, crimson Blood Qi corroded his bloodline, Soul Power was gradually being erased, and the four broken Soul Rings completely dissolved, never to be restored.

But he had survived again.

"Listen up! From now on, he's under my protection, Ma Xiaotao! If any of you dare bully him again, I'll break your legs!"

"Ah! Chen Fu, come here! You're under my protection now. You can walk sideways in the outer courtyard from now on!"

"Chen Fu... do you think I'll become really bad later because of my Martial Soul?"

"Chen Fu... if I change one day, will you leave me?"

"Chen Fu, Chen Fu! I found a cultivation method to suppress the evil fire! Even though it's freezing every time I train..."

"Chen Fu..."

The girl's hand caressed the boy's cheek, but her fingers, eroded by Asura God's divine power, broke off at the slightest touch.

"Am I... really ugly now?"

The vitality within her was being stripped away by the scarlet divine power, and the girl's delicate features withered at a visible rate.

Chen Fu stood frozen in place, his eyes hollow as he stared blankly ahead.

"Chen Fu... cough! You have to believe in yourself. You're right!"

Her body riddled with heavy metal particles, an unnatural Dark Red already spreading across her skin, Jiang Nan pressed against the special radiation-proof glass, mouthing words to the boy inside.

"Chen Fu... see? When you needed it most, I was still here to help you..."

The scarlet divine power severed all of Ma Xiaotao's life force. Her vibrant red hair yellowed and fell out at a visible speed.

"Chen Fu... trust your judgment. We haven't failed!"

Jiang Nan struggled to turn around against the specially treated radiation-proof glass. Under the high-energy radiation, her skin had already begun to slough off, and the bloody shreds of flesh from her hands smeared everywhere across the glass. She didn't want him to watch her melt from the radiation—it would be too ugly.

In the end, Jiang Nan couldn't help but look back one last time at the boy, wanting to etch him firmly into her memory.

In Chen Fu's field of vision, Jiang Nan turned her head for that final glance. Her entire face had melted into bloody fluid, irregularly deformed eyeballs sliding down from their sockets along with the bloody sludge, still twitching faintly as they flowed...

In Chen Fu's field of vision, the flesh and blood around Ma Xiaotao's body turned to ash bit by bit under the scarlet divine power. Blood evaporated into dust before it could even flow. The hand caressing her own face rapidly reduced to bone. Her beautiful cheeks were now just a skull with a few scraps of skin clinging to it...

Chen Fu thought it was utterly beautiful.

"Today we are visiting the historically famous [Ascension] Soul Tool ruins. It is the beginning of an era, a witness, an experiencer..."

"Teacher, what about that skeleton pinned to the ground by the Long Halberd in the middle?"

"You clearly weren't listening. That's the Sin God! And I heard it's still alive!"

"And do you see that Small Wooden House next to it? That is Master Chen's Arrogance in response to the Sin God's Arrogance!"

Thanks to [Book Friend 1150] [Book Friend 1779] [Shuori Shuofeng Chui Shuofang] [Book Friend 5274] [Demon Heart Daoist] [Dream of the Mortal World] [Cannon I Am Your Uncle Kong] [Flame 1] [ChristopherH] good brothers for the monthly votes.

Thanks to all good brothers for the recommendation votes.