381: Going against the rules, I am destiny itself.

The woman in his arms was still sinking in endless pain.

That body, which had just been pulled back from the abyss of 'non-existence', had now become the most cruel execution ground.

The dark gold shackle brand was like a throbbing, malicious tumor; every time it flickered, it took away a sliver of Li Hanyue's vitality and replaced it with a more intense agony.

Her body curled up helplessly in Lin Fan's arms, convulsing; her pale face was covered in fine cold sweat, and broken cries were suppressed in her throat.

Lin Fan looked down at her.

On that deathly still face, for the first time, a drop of scalding liquid that did not belong to Li Hanyue rolled down.

It was his blood.

Blood seeping from the corners of his eyes, which had split open again due to the extreme condensation of his will.

“Lin Fan...”

Zhao Linger trembled, reaching out her hand, but she didn't dare to touch Lin Fan, let alone touch Li Hanyue, who was enduring inhuman torture.

She could only look at Lin Fan with pleading eyes, tears falling silently.

“We... we'll find a way... there must be one...”

Her consolation was pale and powerless.

A way?

Lin Fan's thoughts entered an absolute, inhuman state of frantic calculation.

The opponent was a wielder of high-dimensional Laws.

A brand casually planted had bound Karma and locked down the Soul's Origin.

Any conventional means were just a joke.

Unless... use Law to fight Law.

His consciousness sank into the System panel, pinning itself firmly onto a line of a mythic-grade reward he had just obtained.

【Karma Tampering (V1.0): Passive. When you suffer a fatal attack, you can consume all existence value to perform a logical grafting of part of the 'Karma' of this attack.】

Passive.

Fatal attack.

These two terms were two great mountains standing in front of him.

“Heh...”

A low laugh of unknown meaning squeezed out from the depths of Lin Fan's throat.

He laughed.

Amidst the painful cries of the woman in his arms and the blood constantly seeping from the corners of his own eyes, he laughed.

In that laughter, there was no joy, no relief, only a kind of determination and madness that would burn everything to ashes.

“System.”

Lin Fan's will resounded in his Sea of Consciousness, terrifyingly calm.

“I want to actively use 【Karma Tampering】. ”

【...】

The System, for the first time, fell into a silence lasting three seconds.

It was as if this intelligence, which Lin Fan had molded himself, was being shocked by his crazy idea, leading to a disruption of its underlying logic.

【Command rejected.】

This time, the System's notification was no longer a formulaic judgment, but instead carried a hint of... human-like astonishment.

【【Karma Tampering】 is a passive skill and cannot be actively activated. This is the System's highest-level protocol and cannot be violated.】

“Then change it.”

Lin Fan's will was simple and crude.

“Judge this 【Shackle of the Soul】 as a 'fatal attack' on me. Then, trigger the passive.”

【Warning! Warning! The Host is attempting to modify the System's underlying rules!】

【This action will trigger unpredictable chain reactions! It belongs to the highest level of illegal operation!】

The System's notification was more urgent than ever, even becoming somewhat shrill.

【To force execution, the price you must pay is... everything you have!】

“Speak.”

Lin Fan spoke only one word.

【First, your existence value limit, which was just restored, will be used as fuel and permanently burned! You will be even more 'fragile' than before!】

【Secondly, the System will enter a forced hibernation of unknown duration due to its underlying logic being forcibly torn! During this period, the 'Infinite Resurrection' protocol will not be able to start!】

【Finally, and most importantly! 'Karma Tampering' is a mythic-grade passive; forcing its activation is equivalent to using a Mortal body to pry the Laws of the Universe! The success rate is less than one in a billion! Once it fails, your Soul's Origin will be backlashed by the law of karma along with the 【Shackle of the Soul】 and completely annihilated! That will be true death! Eternal death!】

A series of blood-red warnings frantically scrolled across the System panel.

This time, even the words "cannot be resurrected" did not appear.

Because that would be a kind of ultimate extinction that even the System could not define or recover from.

Inside the Command Hall.

Fatty Zhang and the others were already scared witless.

Although they couldn't hear the conversation between Lin Fan and the System, they could feel the aura of destruction that was frantically rising from Lin Fan's body.

It wasn't an increase in power.

It was a person who was igniting everything they had, preparing to bloom into a brilliant and fatal firework that only happens once in a lifetime.

“Lin Fan! You're crazy!”

Zhao Linger finally broke down; she rushed forward, trying to grab Lin Fan's arm.

“Don't! Please don't! Let's think of another way! There must be one!”

However, her hand passed through Lin Fan's body, which had already begun to become illusory.

Lin Fan didn't look at her.

He just lowered his head, taking one last look at that cold and elegant face distorted by pain in his arms.

He gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with his illusory sleeve.

Then, he slowly raised his head.

Those bleeding eyes pierced through the Void Realm, as if staring directly at that high-and-mighty Elder.

“In front of me.”

He spoke one word at a time, as if reading an oracle.

“No one is qualified to be enslaved!”

Boom!

An indescribable, terrifying will erupted from the depths of Lin Fan's Soul!

“I don't care about any protocols! I don't care about any rules!”

“Today, I am the rules!”

“System! Execute! At any cost!!!”

The final roar was not from his mouth, but from his entire Soul, exploding in his Sea of Consciousness!

【...Host...】

The System's astonished notification only had time to utter two words before being completely submerged by this unreasonable, demonic flood of will.

Buzz—

The space of the entire Command Hall shook violently.

Lin Fan's body instantly became as transparent as paper; the existence value limit that had just skyrocketed due to the mythic-grade reward was like gold thrown into a furnace, melting frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye!

They turned into the purest fuel, being poured into the engine of the passive skill named 【Karma Tampering】!

【Warning: existence value limit is being permanently burned... 90%... 80%...】

【Warning: System core overloaded, about to enter hibernation... 10... 9...】

【Warning: The law of karma has been forcibly shaken...】

All warnings turned into a blurred background sound.

In Lin Fan's world, only one goal remained.

He slowly raised his hand, which was burning with an illusory flame.

In that flame was mixed his madness at any cost, his anger that burned everything, and... his bone-deep pity for the woman in his arms.

He pressed his hand against Li Hanyue's smooth forehead.

Pressed against that dark gold shackle brand that represented eternal slavery and shame.

Fingertips.

And the brand.

The moment they touched.

An invisible ripple that distorted light and shadow suddenly spread out from the point of contact.