But if you could not master that power, it would master you.
Compared to that, what was cyberpsychosis? The terror of Path lunatics...
Fang Jie wore it with gusto. Cut the crap, hand it over! Did you not see what was beside me?
But he treasured it like some damn Wubbaboo, while most of that power fell upon the part of him that represented self-annihilation.
Only a small portion... had to keep resisting the force pulling Fang Jie toward the "sun" within the Path.
Destruction protected him.
By comparison...
After silently glancing at Rin, who was still rolling around, Fang Jie had already guessed what the blade in his hand was.
—Jizo Mitama!
Upon touching it, Fang Jie clearly sensed the presence of a mind. He could also sense the immense presence of Rin, who had separated from—or rather, discarded—that part of herself.
They came from the same source, but she no longer needed a Herrscher Core to wield her authority.
Was that not an absurd upgrade? She seemed to have completely broken free of the restraints of being a Herrscher and reached ascension—no, Welt's realm.
Before, everyone had been evenly matched in that hospital-room free-for-all. Now, free of all restraints, she had effortlessly reshaped Yae Sakura's body, forged Jizo Mitama, and even remade her clothes.
And do not let her constant rolling around fool you. Fang Jie would not mistake the sight of steam floating around them against gravity.
It's pretty absurd that I can understand this too.
Thinking that, Fang Jie released Jizo Mitama. He would not be bewitched or tempted by the power of that authority, even if it was truly within reach.
Though he did not know why Rin had become well-behaved after catching Destruction's attention and finding her true self... since she was not attacking, Fang Jie truly did not want to fight anymore. The price he paid every time he went "all out" was simply too high.
Thus, Fang Jie silently regarded himself as having voluntarily split into two. He would not consider how strong he was at full power; he would focus on the part he could control—
"First, Path energy."
The burning Flame Fist had already gone out, returning to an ordinary, casserole-sized fist. Yet it was slightly twisted and deformed. The skin on his fingers was clean and translucent, almost free of wrinkles, blemishes, and pimples. His pores had shrunk, while flakes, hair, grime, and other impurities separated from his body and automatically perished...
That was only the surface. Far more astonishing changes had taken place within.
Just as, in the world of Honkai 3, Honkai energy corrosion embedded all kinds of information into organelles, first integrating energy units capable of containing and utilizing Honkai energy, Path energy now flowed through Fang Jie's cells.
It filled his flesh, organs, and bones, seeped into the spaces between his cells, and enveloped his entire body. It had not altered the biological properties of his base cells, but it had indeed connected him to another energy system, adding Path energy beyond the chemical energy of molecular bonds!
In a sense, he had become a Herrscher, linked to the Path's Imaginary Space and drawing energy from it.
"Then let me see your limits."
Fang Jie spoke softly. Endless Imaginary energy surged through his body. Drawing upon that Path energy, he instinctively forced out strength—
His body temperature rose to several hundred degrees, igniting the freezing snowfield. Lava-like radiance flowed beneath his still-fair skin, while his neural reaction speed, regeneration, and physical strength improved by orders of magnitude.
"Winter" was not a supreme technique, but a dead end.
"Spring" was the future. Let life burn.
And so, Fang Jie, who had absorbed vast amounts of Honkai and Path information, naturally activated the "Imaginary Barrier" as effortlessly as breathing or the beating of his heart.
An ordinary carbon-based life-form—a human—contained roughly forty to sixty trillion cellular structures.
Unlike those "humans" from Honkai 3 or the galaxy, whose genetic structures had been optimized and modified who knew how many times, Fang Jie, who considered himself an "ancient human," had only that many cells.
At that moment, the energy from every single cell was mobilized and erupted:
Ten cells—one hundred—one thousand—ten thousand!
One million—ten million—one hundred million—one trillion!
—All of them!
Thus, the "field" was born. No, it was strengthened to the point where it could be perceived more clearly, constructing a truly existing invisible force field over Fang Jie's body.
Cells and Path energy combined perfectly, forming a "field" under instinctive control: a biological force field.
It was no different from an electromagnetic field or force field. It was a life-matter form with special extensibility that existed within cosmic space, rigorously structured and complex. It was also a special result of the outward leakage of life matter's internal field properties under that special structure, a manifestation and form of life's existence and effect in space-time.
Even cannon fodder in the galaxy could do this, but the difference between the lower and upper limits was immense.
"Now, I probably won't slip anymore."
The leg that had always been missing was restored. Fang Jie stood atop the hot spring in the posture of a true powerhouse. Though the water below boiled without rest, it did not affect his footing in the slightest... on the steam.
Slip? What slipping? He could just fly.
At this stage, let alone something like artillery shells, as long as he had enough energy and no other Path energy to neutralize his force field, he could withstand the destructive force of a planetary explosion without suffering any damage.
Of course, the power of a dying star was still too fierce. If he encountered it, he had better run.
Compared with the Anti-Matter Legion's cannon fodder, which loved to self-destruct at the drop of a hat, he undoubtedly possessed a strong desire to survive—though he could self-destruct too.
Besides self-destruction, he had talents engraved into his body, bestowed by the "information remnants" from Honkai, Pseudo-Herrschers, and the Herrscher of Corruption.
Destruction's gaze did not merely grant new power; it also stimulated the talents you already possessed and forged them into one.
In other words, besides gaining power by walking the Path of Destruction, Fang Jie could develop Honkai energy himself. What had once peaked at becoming a Death Trooper had now reached at least Pseudo-Herrscher level, since a true Herrscher had to connect to Honkai's Imaginary Space.
After briefly sensing the intensity of his "biological force field at full output," he reckoned that it could withstand his previous "self-destruction" within the Path, which had possessed quasi-planetary explosive force.
Fang Jie began reducing energy consumption. The drain was too terrifying. Even though Path energy continued replenishing him afterward, it could not keep up with the expenditure. He could only maintain it for five seconds.
That was already enough. It could withstand a planetary explosion.
He lowered it to one percent output. With Path energy replenishing it, the strength of the life force field he could maintain continuously would probably let him endure a nuclear strike without injury—one slash from Himeko.
That was roughly the level of the previous "Yae Sakura." No, he was stronger than her. She still had to avoid the ultra-high temperatures in the narrow core region, but Fang Jie did not. Even if Himeko risked her life against him, it would feel like a breeze brushing his face. She could no longer hurt him.
"Using Himeko as a stepping stone, huh? Obviously, if I fought her, I wouldn't have an endless supply of Path energy."
So Himeko had not been devalued by this wave of Fang Jie's stat inflation.
"Then my template can be summarized as follows: fire attribute, weak to ice, and a Path-energy neutralizing force field with quantum attributes. Once broken, it deals direct damage. Exceptions apply to cheaters with penetration and other cheats."
Of course, that was only phase one: utterly ordinary, fearful of the galaxy's cheating bastards.
As for phase two...
On his face, black blood no longer trailed from his eyes, but his irises, which had changed from gray to dark green, remained connected to that empty power of despair, impossible to refuse.
"Seems like there are no weaknesses."
It unilaterally suppressed all Path powers, mercilessly swallowing everything, even himself.
If possible, Fang Jie hoped he would never have to use that posture of ever-increasing power and realm.
The power of Nihility was too unsolvable. Whether you submitted or resisted, you were still part of Nihility.
What? You decided to give up? My god, instantly refined!
Once one stepped onto that path, there was no return. One could only travel farther and farther down the road of Nihility, growing stronger step by step.
But this power, too, belonged to Nihility.
Enough thinking. Fang Jie continued examining himself, making discoveries one after another as inspiration struck.
To his delight, under the integration of the biological force field, the residual information from Sato Yuno had made cellular reorganization instinctive. Only by burning themselves could his cells withstand the eruption of the Path of Destruction.
There was also the power of corrosion. Though incomplete, it retained the basic framework of a cellular information network—the highly efficient method by which Rin's body, whose essence was a virus, communicated and exchanged information internally.
Otherwise, how could Fang Jie spread his will to every cell and control them? Clearly, this was far more efficient. It could be said that it was the powerful support allowing Fang Jie to adapt so easily to this new power. He had found the reason he could instantly refine Jizo Mitama.
After all, the galaxy was science fiction. Even thought required support—especially thought. It did not merely consume energy; it needed actual hardware and software. Every Path lunatic had their own unique tricks, and life-forms came in all varieties, but Fang Jie could only borrow what was available for now.
It was like awakening a Stigmata and mastering black technology directly written into one's genes. At first, who had written it was not very important.
His defense had already been roughly sorted out. What about his offense?
Recalling the memory of self-destructing the "moon," it would naturally not be so easy to achieve in reality. Various Path powers, including but not limited to Equilibrium's transformation into the galaxy itself, intertwined to protect things. Even a Lord of Ruin could only blow up mountains on the Xianzhou.
But it was not that difficult, either. For an ordinary planet, piling up enough antimatter and detonating it could destroy the planet.
What Fang Jie was uncertain about was his instantaneous explosive output, his energy conversion rate—more bluntly, his combat power.
How should he attack?
First, rule out self-destruction.
Ah, he had it. Just like raising a shield, he could tear open the gate between the Imaginary and the real, then pour out the Destruction he had prepared...
Or the reverse: transfer an attack his shield could not withstand into the Imaginary, then send it back.
He could do it. That was just how the galaxy worked.
That was why Pathstriders had so many unique techniques. As long as they could skillfully use Path energy, that Imaginary energy, they could greatly shock the material reality with the madness of Path lunatics.
What seemed idealistic was still quite scientific.
"If I can't develop it myself, I can copy it. Copy the Herrscher of the Void."
His path suddenly became clear. Fang Jie could follow the Path, or he could fleece Herrschers.
Before that, however, he needed to face a small problem.
It was not Rin. Though he did not know why she had stopped attacking, Fang Jie would not voluntarily start another battle.
It was something he could defeat!
Look, a Fragmentum monster!
The bird of fire soaring across the distant sky—the flame-born creation, that terrifying Fragmentum monster—had limitless growth potential. From killing people, setting fires, and slaughtering villages, to destroying nations, annihilating planets, ravaging civilizations, and swallowing suns...
It had forced him to play dead before. It absolutely could not be spared!
"You still dare appear before me? Just wait. I'll develop a new move and erase you soon."
With old grudges and fresh enmity alike, Fang Jie looked around and abandoned the idea of going up there to self-destruct and test his attack power. Even Black Fox Rin could remain so peaceful, merely rolling around and throwing a tantrum. Why was he being so irritable?
He was already so irritable that merely standing still dispersed the cold wind and warmed Yae Sakura's slumber. It was probably getting a little too hot.
How could you sleep so well?
Wake up already. Everyone else is working hard to level up, so why are you sleeping? Get moving...
Forget it, let her sleep. Rin was beside the bed. For all he knew, Yae Sakura might never wake up.
Fang Jie did not want to disturb her either. He was not Kallen, and Yae Sakura might not be an ally. He had to rely on himself!
He began examining another power within his body, making the most of his time.
—Honkai energy, another form of Imaginary energy.
Compared to using "fire attributes" against a fire-element life-form, the "electricity" closest to organisms, cells, and life itself was naturally more useful. Fang Jie's bioelectric energy, awakened when Honkai energy had corroded and strengthened him, was better suited for the job.
"Bioelectricity produced merely through cellular movement, and its passive enhancement with special effects, has already been devalued. Now, it's time for you to advance to a new realm."
That was what Fang Jie believed, because he had already stepped into a new realm, even if he was just some unremarkable cannon fodder without a "complete realm" or any madness.
Let him use another image to describe his power. Calling it lunacy always felt inauspicious.
Something on the scientific side... How about a genetic lock? Compared to lunatics, it could anchor his identity as a human and uphold his beliefs.
Within the constantly active biological force field, sensing the growing harmony between all kinds of information exchanges and the feeling of strength, Fang Jie easily found a system he could use as a reference.
This was very scientific. Geniuses studied magic too; fantasy was creativity.
"Stage one—I opened it long ago. My combat instincts and perception of danger... could be considered beyond ordinary people."
"Stage two allows control over ninety percent of the body, bringing out one hundred percent of its latent power. Muscles, blood, nerves, and the five senses are all greatly enhanced, and one can even control some of the energy flowing inside the body... Skip, skip."
"Stage three develops the brain. Besides greatly enhancing memory, intelligence, and thought speed, it can awaken a sixth sense, simulate others—including using the corresponding abilities—and predict an enemy's next attack... Uh, I'm probably at this stage. It needs development."
Actually, it was stage four. Although it had all been forced into him, Fang Jie really could achieve "microscopic precision." How could indiscriminately devouring everything not count as microscopic precision? He would not waste even the slightest trace.
Tearing apart the sky, burning the earth, the principle of destroying civilization...
As long as he was willing, he could do it.
Completely black lightning blossomed, flowed, and hummed across Fang Jie's body. His cells began moving, producing "electric current" within the biological force field before in turn driving cellular movement and reorganization.
Fang Jie's eyes could now see more than Path energy. Perceiving infrared and ultraviolet light beyond the three primary colors, as well as electromagnetic waves, was no difficulty. Even spatial curvature... as long as he was willing to keep developing, he could become the strongest hacker, warrior, and scientist. But the price would be a body gradually collapsing and emotions growing ever thinner.
In the end, everything returned to Nihility.
Better revoke his license first. He sealed himself away.
Honkai energy was safer after all.
The electric radiance began to spread. It was freer than Path energy, which was bound even more tightly to the medium of "self" because of Nihility—a power he could maintain at all times.
Before you continue