Chapter 162: Gods Can Be Killed, and They Can Die!
Matthew glanced at Tai Ji dismissively. He knew his absorption speed wasn't fast enough, and the capacity of his soul was limited.
It was practically impossible to absorb all that fate power in such a short time!
If Tai Ji, exhausted and weakened as she was, managed to absorb even a small portion, she could use her divine strength and high status to recreate the scene from earlier!
So, Matthew had no intention of hoarding all the fate power for himself.
The brilliant blue fate power passed through Matthew's soul and into the weakened Yaya via their life bond.
Yaya, already frail and drained from the earlier battle, began to rapidly strengthen as she absorbed the fate power.
Her previously weak soul was quickly reinforced!
And to Matthew's surprise, as Yaya's soul power increased,
The feedback he received further strengthened his own soul's resilience.
His control over the power of time also grew stronger.
As his soul digested more of the fate power, he could transfer even more to Yaya!
They were mutually reinforcing each other, continuously growing stronger!
This created a positive feedback loop.
Just like when they first forged their life bond!
Together, they devoured the dazzling fate power at an astonishing pace.
Seeing this, Tai Ji felt an inexplicable panic.
As the fate power dwindled, her curses and roars gradually weakened, eventually fading into cold silence.
She stared intently at Matthew and Yaya!
Finally, all the fate power was consumed, becoming nourishment for the growth of Matthew and Yaya's souls.
Tai Ji, who had remained calm until now, suddenly went mad.
She burst out from the depths of Matthew's soul, clawing and snarling, trying to tear these two wretched souls apart!
"This is impossible! How could two lowly souls possibly wield the power of fate?"
"Give it back! Give it all back to me!"
"I will bring you the most miserable fate; I will make you regret this for all eternity."
In Tai Ji's mind, even though Matthew and Yaya's souls had strengthened, she still believed that as a god, even reduced to a mere fragment, they could never resist her will.
After all, she was a god!
But things did not go as Tai Ji had expected.
Matthew's soul opened its eyes once more—there was no panic, no fear, no mockery, no pride.
He simply looked calmly at the onrushing Tai Ji.
At that moment, a small crack appeared on Matthew's forehead, and a faint gray light silently fell upon Tai Ji's face!
Tai Ji, with her grotesque expression, froze as the intangible power of time enveloped her completely.
She couldn't move an inch!
Matthew slowly descended, staring intently at the twisted and snarling remnant of a soul before him.
Feeling his soul's energy rapidly depleting, he reached out as Tai Ji watched in disbelief.
He grasped her in his hand.
"Thank you for the gift of your memories, which taught me how to control and absorb the power of fate."
"And I must also thank you for guiding me on how to manipulate fate, rather than being driven by it."
From the moment Matthew began using "Fate's Choice," countless events and encounters had been orchestrated and manipulated by Tai Ji.
For a long time, Matthew even believed these were his own thoughts and plans!
This was another of Tai Ji's powers:
The power to dictate and arrange others' fates!
Seemingly free individuals, under this power, couldn't even muster the will to resist or struggle.
Hearing Matthew's calm words, Tai Ji, unable to break free from the encircling time, was filled with fear.
She had never expected that Matthew would find such crucial memories among the countless chaotic, fragmented recollections!
Regret flooded Tai Ji's heart.
If she hadn't been so greedy, trying to devour Matthew all at once and indulging in her twisted desire for revenge and torment, how could she have lost such vital memories?
"How could he be so lucky? I am the Goddess of Fate!"
Tai Ji roared in defiance, struggling madly.
Her already broken face became even more fragmented, but all she could do was create faint ripples in the barrier of time.
However, what she didn't know was that the wearied expression in Matthew's eyes was not due to the luck she imagined!
To accurately obtain the power to control fate, he had painstakingly combed through nearly half of the Goddess of Fate's chaotic memories.
With the help of time, and at the risk of his willpower nearly collapsing, he had finally found these crucial memories!
Of course, Matthew wasn't about to share that with Tai Ji.
He simply watched her calmly, letting her exhaust what little power she had left.
Suddenly, Tai Ji stopped her frantic struggles.
Even though her twisted face was now almost ethereal, she still managed to sneer, speaking in a cold, triumphant tone:
"You almost had me fooled! But so what if you have mastered the power of fate?"
"With your abilities, you can't hurt me in the slightest; you can't even scratch me!"
"But our souls are one. As long as you continue to wield the power of fate, my strength will gradually recover."
"Your time power can't hold me forever!"
"I can wait!"
"You have no choice but to maintain the power of time. You won't grow any stronger, and I will wear you down!"
"You're doomed!"
Tai Ji's face was filled with post-crisis triumph and arrogance.
She couldn't help but laugh, eager to see the terror on Matthew's face, but all she saw was him nodding.
Her heart skipped a beat—something felt wrong, but all she heard was Matthew's calm reply:
"I know."
The unease in Tai Ji's heart grew stronger and stronger. Uncertain of what Matthew's next move would be, she couldn't help but taunt him:
"You can't keep the time barrier up forever, and you can't stop the fate power from seeping in!"
"Whether you kill or save, you'll actively or passively gain fate power."
"As soon as it appears, I can seize control of it completely. I'll grow stronger and stronger, while you'll be stuck in place!"
"One day, your body will belong to me!"
Matthew nodded in agreement, then gently patted Tai Ji's twisted face.
He wasn't mourning the loss of time power!
He was reluctant to let the special knowledge in Tai Ji's mind disappear.
Yet he still sighed in regret, uttering words that filled Tai Ji with terror:
"You're right; I can't kill you."
"Doing so would be the same as killing myself."
"But I don't need to harm you. On the contrary, I need to thank you!"
As Matthew spoke, the once radiant and brilliant soul dimmed considerably. The faint crack between his brows gushed out more time power!
"Thank you for allowing me to experience the power of fate. It was a valuable lesson."
"In return, I'll let you experience the power of time!"
"My mother once said that not even gods can resist the erosion of time!"
"She also said that gods can be killed, and they can die!"