In the momentary deathly silence, gunfire thundered like roaring thunder.

Bullets whooshed past.

The instant the lever-action rifle was raised, Lou Feng instinctively ignored it without a care, but the next moment, he felt a sudden chill throughout his body, realizing something was different, and subconsciously ducked to evade.

Only after the roaring had spread did he notice the profound chisel marks on the spiritual Shield in front of him.

Even the chill at his temples.

A streak of silver light grazed from the corner of his forehead, plowing a slit through his disheveled hair, blood slowly seeped out, thick and ice-cold, bringing waves of dizziness.

Alchemy Bullets!

And the Mercury inside the bullet...

Upon recognizing the material, he was instantly horrified by his sudden realization!

— Fluid Alchemy?

Yet Mercury was also a common alchemy material, even widely used in the realm of modern alchemy, merely relying on a bullet, one could not discern the true from the false.

But his heart was already in disarray.

Clutching the exploded bullet, his eyes gradually turned blood-red, no longer able to contain his fury, "Slan, kill them!"

"Understood—"

The waiting Returning Knights hesitated no longer, their Spiritual Horses neighed fiercely, charging boldly into the skilled movements of the young protagonist!

Like an iron wall pushing forward!

Merely a dozen or so knights from the formation, but they blocked any space for dodging, no longer allowing the opponents any escape.

And right then, on the swiftly moving tricycle, the quiet little An Ran tugged at Ji Jue's sleeve and finally spoke, "They started it, Brother Ji Jue."

"Right," Ji Jue nodded in agreement, "It seems now, there simply is no pleasant way to end this."

"If they are enemies, then there's no helping it."

The youth blinked and asked that final question, "Can I kill them?"

For a moment, Ji Jue was silent, recalling Wen Wen's instructions before leaving.

Little An was a very obedient child, clever and quiet, never troublesome.

Because he lacked common sense, or rather, growing up in a place like the An Family, he never possessed any normal person's concepts, including but not limited to morality, good and evil, and pity... just like Cliff City people have never seen winter.

He was clear on this, thus relying on others' assistance, guidance, and thinking.

So, do not give him complex tasks, nor expect him to think weakly like ordinary people. He will protect you, risking his life, but do not expect him to treat others as his kind.

Do not let him engage with people unless necessary.

But now, there was no longer any possibility of tolerance and evasion.

He said, "As you wish."

Click!

In that moment, it seemed an invisible shackle had loosened.

A tender yet beautiful smile floated on that youthful, lady-like face, so gentle and bright, like a child basking in the sun at an amusement park.

Because blood had fallen on his face.

Ji Jue hadn't even clearly seen how the boy had vanished from behind him, just that in the blink of an eye, the boy had disappeared like mist.

Then immediately, he had crossed tens of meters to appear in front of the Spiritual Warhorse.

Dark Star withdrew from his sleeve, pinched between his fingertips.

Thus, he waved it effortlessly!

Then afterward, passing knights and horses, as if they collided head-on with invisible blades, were sliced into pieces, scattering forward from their inertial momentum, sketching fleeting bright blood blossoms in the air!

Then immediately, screams burst forth, fingers twitched slightly, and iron fragments already shot from within his sleeve, transforming into a streak of white light amidst the Sword Qi roaring, rushing forward.

But then, Slan's figure suddenly accelerated, darting from the back to the front in an instant, squarely blocking the iron fragments shot forward. Enveloped in bloodstained heavy armor, he raised the round shield on his arm, the scarred shield collided with the Sword Qi and white light, releasing a deafening crash.

The iron fragment ricocheted, but immediately after, a scream echoed from his side.

The refracted iron pieces burst forth with renewed force, accelerating, correcting their trajectory, then piercing from the side into another knight's chest, carving a deep, gaping hole!

Blood gushed, causing instant severe injuries!

— Throwing Pot Ceremony Book·Valiant Arrow!

Slan remained unmoved, not even shifting his gaze, the spear hung over the saddle thrown forward, thundering as it roared, piercing through the earth, embedding in the position where An Ran originally stood.

But the young boy had vanished once more, appearing like a ghost within his blind spot—behind him! Dark Star slashed horizontally, slicing through the helmet with unstoppable momentum, then immediately, collided with the inverted blade, sparking flames!

As the confrontation abruptly began, both parties remained undisturbed, expressions unchanged.

One, seasoned in battle, had long disregarded life and death; the other, from birth until now, had never conceived of life and death in his mind.

The slaughter machine following the Empire's path and the White Deer Path's Hunter clashed instantaneously, engaged, altered moves, then disengaged.

On Slan's helmet, a fine crack emerged, crossing the eye socket, thick blood seeping from the crack, nearly piercing the brain with one strike.

While once more landing, little An flicked his finger, a line of blood dripping from the fingertip.

The ghastly wound on his arm unfolded, then under the contraction of the muscles, closed over the exposed skeletal hue. Only half of the sleeve was gradually stained crimson.

He flicked his finger again.

Dozens, hundreds of iron pieces flew from his sleeve, turning into a vast array of stars, converging, forming a torrent, roaring out, colliding with the Returning Knights' iron stream.

In an instant, the pale Sword Qi was dyed crimson. The sound of steel friction and breakage was incessant. As countless scattered Sword Qi re-collected from his hand, above the Dark Star, it forged a deeply crimson sword blade that seemed to be dripping blood.

Slender and elusive, transitioning freely between reality and illusion, it moved back and forth within the massive hall, even pulling the weightless body of An Ran, rising and soaring freely through the void.

It was as if the invisible wings had unfolded, freeing itself from the bondage of the earth and gravity.

It revealed a completely new shape!

— Matrix·Sword Sound!

A cold snort arose amidst the sound of iron hooves as silver-white mist suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

A vaguely blurry figure emerged from mid-air, and the clone created through Spiritual Shaping once again exhibited its unique transformation. Countless spiritual particles vaporized into a state nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, but in an instant, they sealed the sky, easily creating numerous cuts on the young man's body.

However, Slan's face suddenly changed.

"No!"

The Returning Knight Captain turned his head back, yelling, roaring.

Towards Lou Feng who had made a sudden vicious move.

Issued a warning!

Then, Lou Feng noticed, that subtle and vague sound, like insects crawling on the floor, and the dream-like metallic flash!

It was Mercury!

Massive amounts of Mercury flowed on the ground, one segment after another, creeping and changing.

They sprouted bug-like limbs like living beings, flexibly crawling through gaps, on walls, and ceilings, or squirming, dragging their bulging 'bellies'.

At that moment, Lou Feng was already surrounded.

Then a crisp sound arose.

It seemed something got pulled open, those clumsy and ugly Mercury creations all opened their mouths in unison, spitting out something familiar looking...

Hand grenade rings?!

In that instant, Lou Feng's face turned pale, and he turned back to roar:

"Ji—"

Ji Jue smiled, his hand clenched tightly.

Boom!!!!

Sixteen bursts of rampant Flame Light exploded close at hand, completely engulfing him.

Without blinking an eye, he emptied all the hand grenades in his inventory in an instant, countless shrapnel flying, the intense heat and flashlight and even the noise burst forth from the same moment, air waves howling, impacting each other, making the booming sound become distorted and sharp.

The mercury-laden mist instantly contracted, shielding in front of Lou Feng, but then evaporated at a visible rate from an unexpected terrifying impact.

In front of Lou Feng, the spiritual clone's illusion violently flickered. Its blurred face struggled to lift, then, a hand nonchalantly pinched on that blank face.

Clapped shut.

Snap!

A vague roar sounded, but everything quickly returned to silence.

Right in front of Lou Feng, the spiritual clone of the Lou Family elder had no resistance, completely disintegrated in Ji Jue's hand, losing its shape and scattering into viscous spiritual substance, disappearing without a trace.

He didn't have time to react when the dark muzzle was raised, aimed at the dazed Lou Feng, pulling the trigger without hesitation.

After directly enduring the explosive impact of sixteen defensive grenades, the Dragon Scale Armor shrouding Lou Feng whelped, and under the impact of the Mercury-transformed bullet, he was sent flying backward.

Not even time for a shocked yell.

Bang!

"Sorry, there's been an update, Spiritual Shaping got nerfed!"

Ji Jue pursued relentlessly, his movements in his hands non-stop, pulling the trigger repeatedly at Lou Feng, without any break, like swinging a copper belt, whipping the Lou Feng inside the shell all over the place:

"In the new season, we've made a lot of very COOL modifications, including many new heroes from minority groups, you'll definitely like it!"

And atop his hands, within the intricate matrix totem, Spirit Light flickered.

This was the sole reason completely overturning the battle, leaving Lou Feng powerless to fight back—[Matrix·Non-attack]!

The difference between Chosen Ones with matrices and those without was vast, just by looking how the once newbie Ji Jue struggled under Lou Feng's oppression.

The enhancement brought by the matrix to Chosen Ones was a complete transformation!

And now, it was Mr. Lou's turn to experience the frustration!

Although it seemed like he was always frustrated, it wouldn't hurt this time to add a bit more!

Non-attack.

Its effect was just as its literal meaning suggested, lacking any active offensive capabilities, even all the blessings it pointed to in subsequent advancements had no direct lethality.

Even the most advanced matrices have limits, it's not possible to want everything.

You can't expect a single matrix to have both an Ascension Series that boosts the soul and will, Tian Yuan's suppression and control around, White Deer's speed, penetration and burst, or Mirror's stealth and change, Ruins's defense and toughness, and Embers' control and usage of external objects...

Such a thing never existed, even if a Master of the World forcibly created it, it wouldn't be something a human soul could bear, only to be placed in a display case as a beautiful yet foolish exhibit. Perhaps it would even be the most convenient lethal weapon, if someone foolish enough decided to implant it.

And Non-attack was undoubtedly a representative of matrices that focused on one aspect by discarding the irrelevant.

The Heavenly People of the past, with an almost utilitarian mindset, eliminated everything else, sacrificing all offensive and defensive capabilities, to obtain the utmost Superior compatibility and unprecedented precision!

Simply put, the primary purpose of designing this Matrix wasn't to resist the corrupt and brutal rule of the Empire, but to facilitate its user to...

Run away with a jug at any time without hesitation!

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