Chapter Forty-Four: The End

Two opposing forces clashed madly within Gu Zhongyan’s sea of spirit—a hellish fire and a fire of freedom colliding with ferocity. Sparks exploded, scorching the battlefield as hatred and the will to be free were ground away in their struggle, until, at the heart of the conflict, all that remained was a single, faint speck of light, fine as a grain of sand.

This was the essence of the soul—whether the hellish malice wielded by the Beast or the will to freedom embodied by the Lady of Liberty—at their core, both were powers of the spirit. Yet such forces were mottled and tangled, their influence on the soul immense. The former would drive one into hatred and slaughter, transforming them into a demon consumed by darkness, a madman beyond control. The latter, seemingly noble, also diluted the purity of the soul, spawning countless personas as it bore the weight of so many hopes, ultimately losing its original foundation.

But this speck of light, like a grain of sand, was the purest essence left behind when good and evil wore each other away, all impurities stripped. This was the primordial power of the spirit, the perfect nourishment for a soul mage’s growth.

Like a tender sprout, the guardian spirit began to sway and grow within the sea of spirit. Delicate roots stretched into the sandy essence, and at once, the tiny guardian spirit, no larger than a thumb, swelled in size. At a rate visible to the naked eye, the sprout unfurled its first leaf, its first branch.

In moments, the spiritual essence scoured from the two colliding forces was completely absorbed by the guardian spirit. The fragile shoot finally matured into a young seedling, taking root and sprouting within the sea of spirit.

Sensing the presence of the guardian spirit, the once placid sea began to ripple, waves rising and falling like the tides. Pure waters of the soul ceaselessly nourished the growing guardian. At the same time, the guardian spirit radiated a potent force, steadfastly protecting the sea of spirit.

This mutual integration of the sea and its guardian signaled the Beast’s final defeat. No matter how much hellish malice remained, it could no longer corrode or taint Gu Zhongyan’s spirit. Indeed, with the fusion of the pure essence, the once stagnant sea of spirit transformed into a living spring.

If, before, Gu Zhongyan’s spirit could only passively absorb external powers to expand, from this day forth, the higher his knowledge and magical skill, the more his sea of spirit would grow. How far he might go depended on the path he chose from here. But for now, this marked the end of the battle.

Deprived of its last means, the Beast could no longer resist the dragonbone chains. One by one, the chains dragged its bloated form, pulling it from Su Yan’s body. With the Beast’s power waning, its enormous shape shrank at a staggering pace. Once it had been fully extracted, the monstrous demon, once three or four meters tall, was reduced to the size of an insect.

Seeing this, Gu Zhongyan brandished his wand, and the dragonbone chains, now fine as hair, drew the Beast’s final remnant into the wand itself. Only then was Gu Zhongyan’s wand truly forged: fourteen inches long, crafted from dragonbone, its core pulsing with demonic power. With its completion, Gu Zhongyan felt a surge of strength. He now rivaled the sixth or seventh-year talents of his past life; save for the rarest forbidden spells, few advanced magics could challenge him.

As the Beast was drawn out at last, howling before being sealed within the wand, becoming the source of its power, the other ten onlookers were struck dumb. The entire scene fell silent, still as standing water.

It was not until Gu Zhongyan’s gaze swept over the Five Fingers of the Hand Society that they snapped out of their stupor and sprang into action. But this time, rather than storming the statue of Liberty, they tried to flee. Who would be fool enough to stay and fight, when the demon venerated for four centuries had fallen to Gu Zhongyan’s hand? Dragonbone lost, the Beast dead—none of it mattered. So long as they lived, they could find another path to immortality. They were certain of it.

The five scattered in five directions, moving so fast that even Matt and the others, who had just grappled with them for ages, were left astonished. Had they shown such speed in battle, perhaps they would not have been stopped.

Seeing them attempt escape, Matt and his companions hurried to intercept. But Gu Zhongyan was faster.

Watching the five split up, trying to escape by scattering, a faint, mocking smile curled on Gu Zhongyan’s lips. “You know nothing of a wizard’s true power—Chain Lightning!”

He flicked his wand. With a crackling sound, a dazzling bolt of lightning shot forth, striking Alexandra with such speed that she had no time to react.

A scream split the air. The leader of the Hand Society was reduced to a charred husk by the lightning, tumbling into the deep blue sea below.

But Alexandra’s death was only the beginning. As the brilliant bolt incinerated her, it bounced back through the air, streaking toward Sowanda. Like Alexandra, faced with lightning swifter than thought, Sowanda screamed and fell as she had.

Next came Murakami, the Gambler—and finally, the blazing white arc howled through the air, descending upon Madam Gao.

Chain Lightning was unimaginably swift, but after seeing four companions fall in quick succession, Madam Gao had time to prepare. As the silver dragon of lightning bore down on her, she did not flee. With a shout, she crossed her arms before her, unleashing the energy of four centuries in a single instant, conjuring an invisible shield that wrapped her in its protection.

With a thunderous crack, the lightning crashed down from above, wild and blinding, like a dragon straight from the heavens, its force and brilliance earth-shaking as it struck the shield. The explosion forced Madam Gao back nearly ten meters, her feet carving shallow grooves in the sand. In the end, she withstood the blow.

But this was her limit. Afterward, it was as if she had aged decades in a heartbeat. Her already thin frame shriveled, and she stood trembling on the shore, as though the faintest breeze might topple her. She fixed Gu Zhongyan—standing atop the torch—with a bitter, unwilling gaze from her gloomy triangular eyes, and then, like a discarded rag doll on the tide, she finally slumped and fell forever.