Chapter 159: Tai Ji!
"If there's a way, just show it directly!"
It seemed that Matthew's call had been heard.
The "Data Display" from the passive ability of the Legendary Feat - Fate's Choice once again gave a prompt.
"Ding, would you like to consume 40,000 experience points and 5,000 Fate Coins to strengthen the Legendary Feat - Fate's Choice?"
"This appetite is truly enormous!"
Rubbing his fingertips, Matthew shook his head helplessly.
He once naively thought that he could control his own fate through his own efforts without relying on this ability.
Now it seems his efforts weren't enough!
Firmly remembering this moment, Matthew chose to agree.
After all, the sense of crisis was growing stronger, as if it was about to become reality.
Matthew didn't dare gamble with his life, just like when he first arrived in this world—if he chose wrong, he would face the despair of a black dragon's breath!
A dazzling blue light began to gradually radiate from Matthew's body.
Yaya also saw this scene, sensing the omnipresent danger, and unhesitatingly moved closer.
The blue light enveloped them both entirely.
To Matthew's surprise, this time, he could clearly "see" the changes.
The flickering blue light slowly surrounded his soul, attempting to remodel it once again.
However, what made Matthew uneasy was that the deadly threat did not dissipate as the blue light approached.
Instead, it reached a peak that made his soul tremble!
Matthew suddenly widened his eyes, only to see that the blue light surging forward was not acting on the soul adorned with spell runes and model patterns, but rather aiming directly at the depths of his soul!
There was something there!
Something was devouring the power of the Fate Coins!
Matthew shuddered, staring blankly at the gradually thickening blue threads.
They originated from the depths of his soul, and upon closer inspection, at the source of the blue threads, he saw a twisted face!
It was none other than the goddess of fate, Tai Ji, whom Matthew had once killed and dragged down with him!
A flash of lightning streaked through his mind, and Matthew finally understood.
The oddities in his thoughts and actions over the past two days, as well as the various coincidences he'd encountered, all stemmed from the same place.
Tai Ji's primal power was fate itself, and the silent design was her handiwork!
Matthew had been careless!
The smooth journey so far had made him feel uneasy, yet he couldn't pinpoint where the danger was coming from.
And now, Tai Ji had finally obtained what she wanted!
"The power to alter the fate of 5,000 lives!"
The dazzling blue light was gradually being absorbed by Tai Ji.
Her once broken form was becoming clearer.
It was an incomparably beautiful face, unforgettable at first glance, deeply captivating.
Only her eyes were filled with endless venom.
She let out a sharp roar that echoed in Matthew's sea of consciousness:
"Damn and lowly mortal, how dare you? How dare you commit the sin of deicide?"
Matthew cracked a smile, calm yet confident, and spoke softly with tranquility:
"You want me dead, so I dare to take your life!"
"This is true fairness, this is fate itself!"
Even though he realized something was wrong, Matthew would never admit defeat in front of her.
He tried to open his eyes and leave his meditative state.
But the surging blue light firmly trapped his consciousness, making it impossible to control his body.
The power of fate, which had always been Matthew's trump card and cheat, finally revealed its price!
The more blue light it absorbed, the more Tai Ji's once dissipated body began to manifest.
Hearing Matthew's reply, and recalling her own torment and suffering, Tai Ji let out a hysterical roar:
"How dare you speak of fate so arrogantly!"
"You are nothing but a mere mortal!"
Surrounded by the blue light, Tai Ji charged fiercely towards Matthew's consciousness.
Matthew tried to dodge but was trapped in the ocean of consciousness, with no room to escape!
He watched helplessly as Tai Ji's grotesque and twisted face collided with him!
Boom!
At the moment of contact, Matthew's vision went black.
He felt a sharp blow to his thoughts, as terrifying pain and endless agony spread from Tai Ji's body.
Matthew felt an unspeakable scorching heat, along with an incomparable, terrifying pressure crushing his body bit by bit.
Yet, his body was incredibly resilient, and in this repeated tearing and grinding, endless pain was born.
Tai Ji's once venomous expression suddenly vanished.
Replaced by an indescribable joy, she laughed wildly at the sight of Matthew's pained consciousness:
"Does it hurt? Does it ache? What you're feeling is but a fraction of what I've endured."
"But don't worry, once I take over your body, we will have all the time in the world to talk!"
"Speaking of which, I should thank you."
"You allowed me to cross the true river of fate, to undergo fate's baptism, and become a true goddess of fate."
"Ha, I can almost hear fate laughing!"
"Hahaha...!"
As she spoke, Tai Ji's entire body transformed into strands of blue light, seeping into Matthew.
Bit by bit, it began to envelop him, gradually penetrating deeper.
Matthew was surrounded by pain, and he realized that this was Tai Ji's experience, her memories of torment.
Countless fragments of memories turned into chaotic thoughts, constantly bombarding Matthew's consciousness.
This was also a form of attack!
And an exceptionally deadly one!
Matthew struggled, but could only barely hold on amidst the torrent of painful memories.
Tai Ji had existed for an untold number of years, her memories spanning tens of thousands of years, terrifying and vast.
Even though Matthew's mind was sharp, he could only barely hold on in the face of this unprecedented memory crush.
What filled Matthew with even more despair was the twisted and terrifying consciousness that was slowly creeping into the depths of his mind through Tai Ji's "tentacles."
It was slowly infiltrating, spreading, and devouring all his memories, taking control of his mind.
Unspeakable fear completely enveloped Matthew.
He could feel that once it fully spread, his thoughts, consciousness, memories, and wisdom, even his entire body, would be completely replaced.
What would replace him was the god who had crossed time and space with him, enduring the crushing and grinding of the river of time, yet still not dying—Tai Ji!
A genderless voice echoed layer upon layer in Matthew's consciousness, filled with joy and the arrogance of impending rebirth:
"Don't worry, I will inherit everything from you!"
"Your thoughts, your will, your body, and even your territory!"
"You will be able to clearly see everything I do to them, but you will be powerless to stop it, only able to endure eternal torment!"
"You, a pathetic mortal!"
"Cry forever!"
"This is your fate!"
"And I will be reborn in this world, becoming the master of fate!"
"I am fate!"