There was no earth-shattering boom, nor any upheaval of sky falling and earth rending.
Everything was so silent.
It was like a moist breeze blowing from a distant seashore, making the branches of trees sway, dust rising in the sunlight, then falling again, and clothes gradually revealing wet stains from the rain.
Everything was naturally subject to change.
Or rather, there was no longer the possibility of change...
The earth, sky, ruins, the crimson Sea of Spirit, even the shackled remnants of saints above the vault of heaven, all lost their color under the illumination of Flame Light.
Once all hues were stripped away, only a vast expanse of hollow pallor remained.
Beneath the cleaving of the sword's edge, burning wings turned to nothingness, myriad outstretched palms were erased inch by inch, and tears and empty eye sockets gradually blurred.
The first to disintegrate was the terrifying shadow from the distant Vortex.
Once the myriad connections were severed in an instant, the projection of the Vortex could no longer sustain itself, and it was too late to interfere with everything that was happening here.
The flames of the Corrosive Furnace Core dissipated at a visible pace, dimming until at last, like a candle in the wind, they were snuffed out.
Vanished forever.
And then, the remnants of the saints, from within the silence, fell apart.
Like sand fortresses eroded by the tide, countless pale ashes rose up, spread across the heavens, and slowly fell like rain to end all.
Ji Jue watched it all before his eyes.
Yet everything felt so distant and hard to comprehend, that realm and change so lofty that even his own imagination couldn't touch, even though all of it was manifested through the shell of his own body and the Transformation of Non-attack.
But he himself was not the most critical part.
He had made a decision, he initiated the call, he lowered his gaze crowned with transformation, receiving this infinite power, fulfilling the Sage's end.
He created all of this.
Yet he was but a mere strand within this infinite change, a part of the vast system that comprised everything, a minute manifestation of the edge of transformation.
He was a component, a single part, the terminus of execution.
The intense stream of light that pierced the heavens and the earth was merely an external expression of Him, that Rusted Sword that completely established everything with just a bare edge of its blade was merely a key.
From the resonance of Mechanical Descent, he could feel the hidden, majestic rhythm.
Like a Melting Furnace revealed through the present world.
What operated from the void was the flame ignited by the infinite souls and fuel and the fervor of endless revolutions!
Each craftsman's creation was an offering to Him, and every flame in the Ember Chosen One's furnace was a tribute to Him.
This was the Embers Fire.
In the instant he perceived this essence, his consciousness was swallowed by the infinite Flame Light, as if he had merged into the sea formed by infinite changes.
As if transcending reality itself.
When the cycle that had persisted for four hundred years disintegrated, everything on the earth was erased, and what was ignited at last was the Creation Theory left by the saints, the kindling named "The First Cause."
A gentle song arose from the hollow world.
Endless recursion began.
Or rather, returning to the Embers… In the brief moment before passing, the Sage Mercury of bygone days returned all he had to the world of this moment!
The world before his eyes turned into an overwhelming stream of light—above the shattered heavens, countless stars leaped and boldly displayed their light, tracing long, intersecting trajectories that formed a complex and solemn totem.
And right in the center of the night, mighty Flame Light converged, sketching out a door like the sun, the Gate of Eternity overlooked from between the stars, illuminating all.
Thus, Ji Jue saw the endless transformations upon the earth, the magnificent rises and falls of mountains and rivers, the wandering and walking of storms and rains.
In those broken times, he saw torrential rains fall in the vast deserts, bringing forth a sprout of new green from the yellow sands.
Monstrous beings large enough to obstruct the heavens howled from the clouds, shedding crimson rain, falling upon the earth, decaying and changing into mountains.
Nomadic settlements chased after water and grass, never to be seen again.
Sands sprawled over the ruins.
He was watching.
A small village migrated, developed trade relying on the river, gradually turned into towering fortresses, went through war, peace, and turmoil, and then slowly fell into decay, battered by wind and rain, leaving only broken walls covered in moss.
As if an archaeologist trekked through the wilderness, digging down, searching for artifacts of the past, exulting as they passed by Ji Jue, he watched.
Until the earth-shattering collapse, towns turned to ruins, the bell tower's chime echoed as the Heavenly Origin Tower from above the heavens broke apart, the world shook, everything turned to ashes, the homeless saints lost everything, and the silent lamentations stopped, the song ceased.
Ji Jue still watched, witnessed the beginning of all tragedy and suffering, being helplessly swept by the torrent of time into a fragmented past.
Until, from within the distant broken times, a strain of desperate yelling was heard.
In that moment, someone rashly tried to reach out, to grab onto her clothing, but divided by four hundred years, this tug that only continued by the edge of transformation, at best, only stirred a trivial breeze.
The departing figure merely waved a hand and then vanished without a trace.
Snap!
Tiny, nearly imperceptible ripples dispersed, and the mark of Non-attack flickered, as if the invisible and tangible hands had touched for an instant.
As if a plea and call that spanned four hundred years.
"Look back!!!"
Finally, she saw the ripple's aftermath, the youth's shadow, the swiftly igniting soul, and in his hand, the same Matrix as hers!
"Look back at her one more time!" Ji Jue clung desperately to Transformation, lifted his head, and threw something from his hand, yelling toward that departing moment in time, "Even just a glance..."
In the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
Only the sound of falling was heard, landing on the ground in front of her.
The familiar pendant, now weathered and worn by time, lost the outline of its faded photograph amidst the rain and mist, becoming indistinguishable.
And swiftly, it turned to nothingness, never to be seen again.
She stood frozen in place.
From shock and confusion, she turned to look behind her.
The disordered veil of rain, the night sky shrouded by dark clouds, the tranquil town, the shadow of the bell tower, the empty square, and on the steps, the phantom of a girl who had never truly existed here.
The girl waiting among the shattered fragments of time.
Her smile.
In that instant, the lost past and the fragmented future briefly overlapped, connected by the ancient pendant. Four hundred years seemed to finally stretch into a thread, and in the endless yearning and cycles of rebirth, they met once again.
Even if still separated by an abyss, untouchable.
Mercury finally stopped in her tracks, instinctively reaching out her hand.
But in that fleeting moment of bewilderment, it seemed she understood everything. As she looked into the girl's eyes and saw her smile, she too began to smile—a smile so joyous and tender.
Minute droplets of drizzle fell from her cheeks, blending with her tears.
Thus, she gazed at the girl in time, watched her and couldn't help but look again, wanting to reach out, to touch her cheek, no matter how far the distance.
Until the faint glow of the future completely faded away.
The world grew dim once more.
She remained rooted in place, stiff, for a long time, gazing at everything before her, greedily trying to memorize it all, until finally, she withdrew her gaze.
She turned and disappeared into the curtain of rain.
In the distance, within the dark night, the towering Heavenly Origin Tower still stood.
Only a faint torchlight receded into the distance.
Like a lone boat of fate.
Just as history had predetermined, everything remained unchanged.
In four hundred years, only a backwards glance had been added.
Yet, in that moment, Ji Jue saw... at the end of his gaze, within the chaotic and dark abyss, suddenly a dazzling light burst forth!
Like a star, it rose against the torrent, erupting with endless heat and light.
Banishing all darkness completely!
.
.
As the ascent exhausted its changes, the descent began.
When he came back to his senses, Ji Jue had fallen from the heavens, towards the pale and hollow earth.
Within the Crack Realm, only desolation remained, but above the sky, before the phenomenon of the Starry Furnace dissipated, a stream of light fell.
It plunged into his soul.
The glorious transformation manifested from the light, encircling the Mechanical Descent.
Endowed with the mighty force of acting transformation, it cleaved through the stale cycles of reincarnation, cut away the Sage's mutant sins, and erased all that resulted from them.
The emblem of Superior Embers appeared, bestowing its first blessing on the Ember Chosen One it favored.
But Ji Jue had no moment to inspect it.
As he landed on the fractured core of the workshop, he saw a broken figure lying at the edge of the crevice, a creation already gasping its last within the incineration of Transformation's light.
The Prophet.
In that moment, she still stubbornly lifted her head, looking at him.
Even after feeling the collapse of the Crack Realm and the crumbling of the workshop, she still yearned for a definitive answer from Ji Jue's mouth.
"It's over, isn't it?"
"The dream and the cycles have ended, Prophet."
Ji Jue crouched down and told her, "You are free."
"Yes, free..."
The Prophet leaned against the broken wall, turned back to look at the cracks on the land, sighing softly, murmuring, "But freedom is so terrifying... I loathed this world so much, but in the end, I actually found it endearing.
"Do you regret anything?" Ji Jue asked.
"Perhaps, but there are so many things I regret that it doesn't really matter anymore."
The Prophet grinned, her final, self-mocking smile, "Thank you, Mr. Ji Jue, my mission as a tool is finally complete."
"As a Prophet?" Ji Jue asked, "Is there any last wish I can assist with? I'll try my best."
"Ha, that would be quite a lot..."
The Prophet's lips moved but no words came out, she just smiled, bidding farewell, "Thank you for your compassion and mercy. As a creation, I have nothing to repay you with, and as a Prophet, I can only offer futile gratitude.
If blessings truly mean anything, I sincerely hope that when your journey reaches its end, you too will find fulfillment."
Ji Jue couldn't help but laugh, "What journey are you talking about? I seem to still be marking time in place, I haven't even started yet."
"You will, someday, you will..."
She smiled, so certain.
The remaining light in her eyes dimmed and finally, the spiritual essence dissipated, vanishing without a trace, within that broken and empty shell, no more life remained.
The overburdened tool came to its eternal rest.