"You have this function too?"

At this moment, as soon as Brother Ball spoke, Ji Jue and Xiao An leaned on Little Bull Horse, started sneaking toward the bell tower. Fortunately, there were many buildings around and no one noticed them right away; the huge bell tower also blocked many lines of sight and gave them space to approach quietly.

"Otherwise, what do you expect me to do, use my old arms and legs to help you with that guy?" The Ghost Work Ball spun proudly: "Someone like me is a great technical tool!"

While speaking, the sphere vibrated and a faint blue light appeared, enveloping the two of them and instantly absorbed all the passing spiritual fluctuations.

"Make it quick, speed up, I've already blocked all the detection mechanisms of the bell tower and temporarily applied a disguise for you." The Ghost Work Ball humanized a whistle: "Invisibility mode, kid!"

Ji Jue couldn't help scratching his head.

He couldn't stand it anymore. Why did the subjects affected by the ability talk more and more coyly and take liberties with him?

Ji Jue pinched his chin, couldn't help feeling terrified: could it be that he really had schizophrenia?

"Is there a possibility..."

The Ghost Work Ball asked helplessly: "Is it possible that I, as a Heavenly Artisan, actually have my own consciousness?"

"But how are you so skilled with lock-picking?"

Ji Jue's forehead continuously popped up question marks, "Why would Professor Ye equip you with such sneaky skills—oh oh oh!!!"

Before finishing his sentence, he suddenly realized, pretending he had never asked such a question.

What sneaky skills?

This is considered skillful overcoming of difficulties, okay?

This is the grace of a master, the scope of a professor!

If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain!

Looking at it this way, Professor Ye must have also embraced a wide range of knowledge and collected wisdom through teamwork during his youth!

Such an excellent tradition of teacher and school, must it not continue through him?

Just like that, carrying a token and moving in a rush, even Little Bull Horse kept its engine as quiet as possible, tiptoeing around a big circle before they finally ensured there was no one spying, carefully leaning against the wall.

The Ghost Work Ball jumped from Ji Jue's hands, and in a flash over the wall, a small gap appeared. After Little Bull Horse passed through, it closed instantly without leaving any trace.

Not even a speck of wall dust had fallen.

Ji Jue was now inside the bell tower!

He couldn't help wanting to take several deep breaths...

As he looked up, he saw several huge Puppets standing quietly in the dust—there were at least four powerful ones!

Unfortunately, due to neglect over an extended period, several Guardians were covered in gaps and cracks, almost completely falling apart and no longer operational.

Two of them, upon detecting the intruders, lifted their gemstone eyes under the broken masks, emitting a beam of red light that swept over them.

What was read, however, was only the fake identification circuit created by the Ghost Work Ball.

"Put down the gun, it's one of us."

"Phew..."

Ji Jue finally exhaled a breath of relief, feeling sweat almost breaking out from his back, glanced at Xiao An, Xiao An shook his head slightly: "There's nothing alive here."

The bell tower covered a vast area, but the internal space was so simple it was almost bare, the entire first floor filled with various items, decayed tables, chairs, and benches or various household tools, even including an old-fashioned manual lawn mower, a wooden horse with peeling paint, an entire exquisite slide, the girls' favorite dolls were covered in mold, and children's size armors were full of scratches...

It was like an entire children's paradise.

"Did we go to the wrong place?"

"Upstairs"

The Ghost Work Ball suddenly regretted not being programmed with the ability to roll its eyes.

Ji Jue looked up at the stairs winding up the tower, turned back, waved his hand toward Little Bull Horse, and mounted calmly, pointing upward...

Little Bull Horse remained silent for a long time, it was a filthy silence. If it hadn't been for Ji Jue's orders not to make a sound, it would have liked to blare its unpleasing horn twice.

So, with a rattling effort, carrying both of them, they quickly ascended.

Finally, before the vehicle frame broke from exhaustion, they reached the doorway.

But seeing that the large door was merely ajar...

Ji Jue couldn't help feeling a chill in his heart.

—This trip was most likely going to be unprofitable!

After all, a doorway not blocked in any way, even unshut, seemed very unlikely to be Mercury's workshop.

He cautiously took a rod and prodded open the door, untouched for who knows how many years.

After a sharp screeching sound, there was a dull thump.

The door fell inward, the breeze lifting the dust accumulated on the floor. After centuries, the visitors now only saw a scene of chaos.

Bookshelves collapsed, ancient scrolls were scattered, inscriptions hidden within mold, now indecipherable. And around them, the spiritual circuits collapsed, runes blurred, and the Superior Totem dissipated.

The huge furnace was shattered, instruments rusted, the Melting Furnace extinguished...

Ji Jue sighed silently, his heart finally gave out.

Blue sky, white clouds...the ship sank!

This was indeed Mercury's workshop, but sadly, it was utterly beyond repair. He could even assert that the damage was not just from the past four hundred years, but it had been abandoned over four hundred years ago.

Some items that could be moved were probably taken long ago; those that couldn't be moved were left here and without maintenance, were now utterly unusable.

As for Mercury's creations and achievements, there was not a single trace.

Not to mention the Matrix.

He sighed, about to say something, but felt a tug at his sleeve; the pale-faced Xiao An hid tremulously behind him, "Brother Ji Jue, it's bad."

He lowered his voice: "There are ghosts!"

"What did you say?"

Ji Jue was utterly bewildered. Following Xiao An's direction, he looked over and nearly blurted out a curse in Hai Province Ya Yun, "Damn—"

There really was a ghost!

In the direction Xiao An was pointing, in front of the huge stained glass window of the bell tower, was half of a rotten window.

Under the blazing sunlight, a vague silhouette emerged.

It appeared to be a figure seen from behind.

Clad in a pure white woman's dress, it seemed to flutter with the wind; long hair hanging low almost touched the ground, her delicate profile faintly visible, seductive and exquisite, gazing mesmerizingly into the distance.

It left Ji Jue almost breathless.

Mercury!!

—Saint Mercury!

But there was no cold laughter or casual gesture that obliterated the two intruders along with a motorcycle, just no reaction at all.

No matter how politely Ji Jue greeted or probed, there was no response.

It seemed like a phantom.

To be precise, there was no difference from a phantom.

It was the lingering trace of a Saint's will, engraved in the fabric of time, fleeting yet eternal.

Ji Jue summoned his courage and approached, following her gaze into the distance… and saw, at the end of the heavens, a solemn and massive pillar that seemed to hold up the sky and earth.

The axial center of the world was right here, with the pillar at the exact midpoint between heaven and earth.

Just staring at it, an inexplicable feeling of majesty and oppression overwhelmed him, making it hard to breathe, filled with an urge to bow or even worship.

But when Ji Jue looked more closely, he realized that her gaze was not on the pillar but downwards, on the other side of the bell tower.

To a lavishly adorned Holy Hall.

Ignoring the continuous loud noises and tremors from the square, Ji Jue could faintly hear, intermittently, the sound of music. A busy orchestra played cheerful tunes, and amidst bustling traffic, smiling people entered, bearing flowers and blessings.

If those so-called history experts hadn't lied to him, judging by the floating veils and the congregation of numerous birds…it was a wedding.

A horn sounded once, witnessed by all guests.

The horn sounded a second time, presided over by an elder.

The horn would have sounded a third time, as the newbies were pronounced husband and wife amid applause and blessings.

But… there would be no third sound of the horn.

For sweeping across the Crack Realm were the echoes of collapsing heaven and earth, quaking ground, rupturing skies, undulating mountains, trembling cities… and it was then that Ji Jue once again saw—

A horrifying crack emerged on the colossal pillar that seemed like the axis of the world!

Grand marks appeared from the high tower, fleeting, intricate, yet austere, engulfing everything—bearing a Superior Emblem far beyond Ji Jue's comprehension!

—Tian Yuan!

Now, Tian Yuan had collapsed.

Grand destruction and collapse began; the pillar shattered, snapped midway!

But it never plummeted to the earth; numerous fragments hovered midair, emitting a terrifying glow that pervaded the Crack Realm, ascending, exploding!

Thus, stars once more lost their paths, the fierce sun dimmed, endless fire rain fell from the sky, crashing down, stirring up waves and destruction.

Wails rose from the peaceful city.

One after another.

The Holy Hall collapsed, destroyed for who knows which time; guests scattered in every direction, dust rising around them, and Ji Jue thought he saw a slender figure abandoned in the midst.

A woman dressed as a bride, kneeling amidst the dust and rubble, weakly wailing, begging for help.

But no one responded.

In her arms, the man whose lower body was crushed under the debris struggled painfully, seemed to speak to her, pushing her away with all his might.

Their final farewell.

Amidst the roaring, everything was completely buried.

Only the bride, covered in dust, stumbling out of the ruins, tears streaming down her face, washing away makeup and dust, leaving indelible scars.

She held her blood-stained chest, repeatedly screaming at the rubble, until completely desperate.

Then, utterly consumed by flames.

Invisible now, only her faint wails echoed in the wind, enveloping everything.

And in the city streets, with the collapse of the pillar, everyone plunged into chaos, the sound of fractures resounded, mutation began.

The fragile puppets once more turned into twisted monsters, killing each other, destroying everything within reach, scattering afar.

From Paradise to Hell, it seemed only a moment was needed.

Ji Jue nearly forgot to breathe.

A hallucinatory flash fell beside him, like tears.

When Ji Jue slowly turned around, he finally saw the eyes of the Saint, void-like hollows.

She watched.

Watched the calamity that had happened, watched the recurring cycle within the Crack Realm.

Silently waiting for either a miracle or true destruction to arrive.

For a moment, Ji Jue felt he understood something, perhaps, this was the reason this Crack Realm had fallen to such a state: "Brother Qiu, what exactly just happened?"

Ghost Work Ball remained silent for a moment, then answered:

"Didn't you see it with your own eyes?

—The collapse of the Heavenly Pillar."

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