Chapter 66: The Violent Will Ultimately Die by Violence

“Rongshan,” the white-haired elder said softly, his bamboo sword lightly touching the floor, “I’ve told you countless times—your duty as a Stellar Envoy is to protect, to create, not to destroy.”

“Because destruction is always easy. Protection and creation… they are exceedingly difficult.”

“Humanity has stood atop the world for so long not because of overwhelming violence, but because of wisdom and civilization.”

“True violence is merely a byproduct of wisdom, a weapon forged by civilization.”

“You may now unleash your violent power freely, fueled by the Stellar Source. You can instill fear and despair in those without such power.”

“But have you ever asked yourself this question: what if, in the future, someone stronger, more violent, more destructive than you appears? How would you face them?”

The wooden floorboards of the dojo shimmered with an aged luster as the elder spoke.

Twelve-year-old Rongshan knelt on the mat, fists clenched tightly on his knees—his defiance unmistakable.

“I’ll just make sure such a person never exists,” he replied, voice cold.

The old man sighed, disappointment etched into his face.

“Rongshan, such a person will appear. Every achievement is built upon the shoulders of those who came before. Without them, you wouldn’t have survived long enough to even encounter a Stellar Source.”

“If no one had isolated the great Stellar Beasts from humanity long ago, you’d never have lived to see this day.”

“If no one had deciphered the principles of the Stellar Source, you wouldn’t have mastered its power so swiftly.”

“You think your success is entirely your own—earned through your own relentless effort, untouched by others.”

“But in truth, you only see the vast sky above you. You don’t see the countless hands beneath your feet, holding up the earth.”

“From the moment you drew breath in this world, you were already blessed by civilization.”

“Without the wisdom and lives of countless ancestors, there would be no ‘you,’ Rongshan, today.”

“And since you’ve accepted this gift, you must also give back—with your wisdom, your life—so that future generations may have their own tomorrows.”

“But in your eyes now, I see not the wisdom of humanity… only the endless, beast-like rage and destruction.”

“So go, Rongshan. Now. Immediately. Leave my dojo.”

“Master… you’ll regret this.”

“Regret? I’ll only regret the mercy I showed you. Not the act of casting you out.”

“Because I could have crushed the devil in its cradle… but I chose to spare it—out of kindness.”

“So go. Before I change my mind. Because if you stay, I will kill you myself.”

---

Years later, Rongshan—now on the brink of stepping into the Second Gate—returned to the dojo he once fled.

His purpose was clear.

He would prove himself right.

Amidst the fire, he stared down at his dying master, barely clinging to life.

Coldly, he said, “I told you you’d regret it.”

The old man didn’t flinch. He looked up at Rongshan, his voice rasping like wind through broken reeds.

“Regret…? Rongshan, I still say: I have no regrets in sending you away. Only sorrow that I didn’t kill you when I had the chance.”

“Remember this: how you treat others… one day, they will treat you the same.”

“Because the one who worships violence… will one day die by violence.”

Enraged, Rongshan slammed his foot onto the old man’s chest, his palm pressing hard against the man’s skull.

Boom!

Scorching magma erupted from his palm, engulfing the elder’s head in a fiery torrent.

Rongshan turned and walked away from the burning, smoke-choked dojo—now nothing but scorched earth and ash.

“Die by violence? Then I’ll just eliminate every threat before it even has a chance to grow.”

With that, he vanished into the mountains, his back turned to the collapsing, flaming ruin behind him.

---

As Rongshan’s memories faded, the scene snapped back to Reality.

Now, he watched the Hei Cang fly from Tian Dao’s fingertips.

In that moment, everything clicked.

He finally understood.

He finally saw how utterly wrong he had been.

Yes, he had killed many prodigies. He had crushed countless potential threats.

But he couldn’t kill them all. He couldn’t eliminate every danger.

And in his relentless pursuit of power through violence, he had long forgotten the very essence of humanity—wisdom, creativity.

His strength had stagnated.

Had he stayed. Had he listened to his master.

Had he remained loyal to the Association instead of betraying it…

The outcome might have been entirely different.

Boom!

The Hei Cang exploded before Rongshan’s eyes.

Black light consumed his vision.

His mind, like ash, began to dissolve.

In his final breath, he glanced upward—into the cold, impassive gaze of Tian Dao, towering above him.

And in that moment, clarity struck.

“Master… you were right. Those who worship violence… will one day die by violence.”

“Because those cast aside by time and civilization… they will never find a place in the future.”

“Rongshan!”

A roar tore from the distance—raw, furious, and utterly unlike anything Claude had ever shown.

Though a Dark Stellar Envoy, a man of questionable morality, a man who had committed unforgivable sins—Claude was not devoid of human feeling.

As an Intelligent Mechanism Class, every one of his mechanized constructs required not just advanced electronics… but also ultra-durable metal alloys.

But as a wanted criminal, openly hunted, he could never acquire such materials openly.

That’s where Rongshan came in.

With his magma-based abilities and access to the right formulas, he had helped craft the very metals that powered Claude’s machines.

Over time, two outcasts—both hunted, both exiled—had forged a bond deeper than loyalty.

So when Claude had sacrificed one of his own constructs to buy Rongshan precious seconds to escape…

That wasn’t just strategy.

That was friendship.

Now, watching his only true friend—his last remaining companion—fall dead at Tian Dao’s hands…

Claude’s cold, rational mind shattered.

“Mechanical Sanctum · Overlimit Armament!”

Overlimit—beyond limits.

A desperate gamble. A sacrifice of the machine’s lifespan in exchange for a surge of power.

And the effect was staggering.

As Claude’s voice rang out, his machine on the beach exploded into thousands of precise, glowing components.

Like a swarm of fireflies, the fragments surged forward—cutting down palm trees with mechanical precision—then reassembled in the forest.

They converged upon Claude’s physical form—seated in a custom wheelchair.

Cables and data lines shot from the backrest, plunging into the ports on his spine and skull.

The pieces began to rebuild—around the wheelchair, around him—forming a towering, five-meter-tall armored mech.

A mechanical colossus emerged.

The audience gasped.

“Wait… this guy looked like he’d die any second—how is he this powerful?”

“Flesh is weak. Machines are eternal. Join the glorious evolution!”

“Dude… he’s a villain, but damn, he’s cool.”

The mech charged forward, tearing through trees with brute force, its presence overwhelming.

Tian Dao stood motionless on the glowing beach.

But his eyes—no, his gaze—did not fix on the pilot inside the cockpit.

They were locked onto the machine.

The sleek metal, the glowing blue reactor in its chest, the steam hissing from its joints.

In the sunlight, the surface shimmered with a thousand shifting reflections—pure, undeniable tech beauty.

Tian Dao, though not an Intelligent Mechanism Class himself, couldn’t help but wonder: If I were, I’d pilot this thing myself.

Originally, in the Deep Blue Metropolis’s Dark Star Four, Claude was a support specialist—master of optical camouflage, data teleportation, stealth.

But that didn’t mean he lacked combat strength.

In fact, among all Stellar Envoy types, Intelligent Mechanism Class ranked among the top tier—definitely T1, a true frontline fighter.

Now, with Overlimit Armament activated, his raw combat power surpassed even Rongshan—whose previous dominance had been built on fire and fury.

And for the first time in a long while, Tian Dao felt it.

The thrill of battle.

“Finally… this is interesting.”

As the mech’s fist—powered by jet thrusters—slammed toward him, Tian Dao’s azure eyes gleamed with excitement.

He didn’t dodge.

He met the blow head-on.

CRACK!

Sparks erupted from the mech’s joints. Overheated metal hissed with steam. The impact was beyond structural limits.

A visible shockwave rippled outward—sand exploded into the air, like a thousand tiny geysers.

The mech staggered back—six meters—before halting.

Tian Dao, meanwhile, stood firm.

The sand beneath him sank half a meter. Fluorescent sand columns shot skyward in bursts.

But he didn’t move.

Not a step.

The result was clear.

“Much better than that fire-spitting waste of space,” Tian Dao said, stretching his shoulder with a grin. “You’re actually worth fighting.”

He raised a hand, beckoning.

“Come. Show me your limit.”

Inside the cockpit, silence.

Then—engines roared.

The mech charged again.

---

The audience watched in awe.

Tian Dao, a mere Trait Class Envoy… yet his close-combat power dwarfed that of typical Enhancement or Transformation types.

Was it the Vector Control ability? Did it enhance his body?

Or was it not the power… but him?

Just as questions filled their minds…

The screen shifted.

Now, the scene was from Yujin Base—Tian Dao training inside the Gravity Chamber.

---

PS: Not kidding—Panghu’s been gone for just a few hours, and now rumors say I’m quitting? I was gonna post all three chapters at once, but better to release one now. Starting tomorrow, I’ll update daily at noon with three chapters. Whether I add more depends on what I decide later—will announce then. The other two chapters will be up at 10 PM.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end