Chapter 59: The Final Battle.
What is death?
Floating in the pitch-black river, Lu Xiu fell into unconsciousness. In that stupor, a magnificent dream slowly unfolded.
The eternal wind that had blown through the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass for ten thousand, a hundred thousand, even a million years, came from the ancient times, howling towards eternity. What, then, is eternity?
Sixty-five million years ago, during the mountain-building movement, the Himalayas and Nyenchen Tanglha slowly rose from the earth like the spine of a giant beast, a process that took a full four million years.
In a hundred years, humans face death; in a thousand, dragons confront it; in a hundred thousand, rocks turn to dust; in a million, rivers run dry; in ten million, mountains flatten...
Yet, in the world's 4.6 billion years, all these are but a moment.
Even a dragon, in this grand scheme, is no different from an ant.
Standing at the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass, it felt like one could touch the blue sky with an outstretched hand. Beneath the fluttering wind horse flags, Jiang Hong carefully tied a faded memory, then turned back and called out to him.
"Lu Xiu!" he called out with a smile.
Compared to the vastness of the universe, they were so insignificant, unable to resist or change their inevitable destiny. In the grand scheme of the world, who isn't?
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong called out again, seeing him standing lost in thought.
Should he move on? At the end of everything, there is separation. He couldn't even accompany Jiang Hong through a lifetime, merely a passerby in a few short years...
"I must go now," Lu Xiu finally said, "Jiang Hong, you will live well."
But Jiang Hong seemed not to hear, shouting, "Lu Xiu—!"
"Lu Xiu!"
In the dark, icy river waters, Lu Xiu's shattered body felt like the devastating pain once experienced under the thunderstorm. From the distant land, his voice came, calling out his name ceaselessly.
"Kuru—! Kuru!"
"Lu Xiu—!"
Surrounded by a myriad of lightning flashes, the voices overlapped. Lu Xiu suddenly opened his eyes, transforming into a stream in the darkness, breaking through the space and rushing into the endless void.
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong yelled in panic, holding the battered Lu Xiu in his arms, anxiously asking, "What's wrong with you? Why are you bleeding so much? Are you okay? Lu Xiu?! Senior! You won't die! Senior..."
A drop of water fell on Lu Xiu's face, sliding down.
He opened his eyes, confused to see Jiang Hong crying. Jiang Hong, like a child, held him tight and sobbed.
This was the first time Jiang Hong saw Lu Xiu so gravely injured. He was extremely frightened, as if the sky had fallen. Never before—Lu Xiu had never shown such vulnerability, even when battling the Xian, he would stand up immediately after falling injured.
Now, he lay weak and limp, his limbs dangling, blood continuously dripping from his body.
Lu Xiu said, "So noisy."
Jiang Hong was startled, then came to his senses, realizing Lu Xiu was still alive. He stared at him, breathing heavily.
Lu Xiu watched Jiang Hong, sizing him up as if he didn't recognize him. Jiang Hong's eyes and nose were red, his expression one of confusion and helplessness.
"Why... are you crying?" Lu Xiu asked, half in confusion, half in pain, frowning, "What's there... to cry about."
Jiang Hong struggled to wipe his tears, asking, "What happened to you? How did you end up like this?"
Lu Xiu, exhausted, said, "I encountered my own self... I... couldn't beat him."
Jiang Hong immediately understood, "It's all my fault. I didn't warn you in time. I should have summoned you right away... I'm sorry..."
"I knew it all along," Lu Xiu replied. "Next time I see him, I will definitely..."
Lu Xiu tried to get up, but the pain made it impossible.
Jiang Hong quickly said, "You should rest first, I'll... I'll think of something. Can you move?"
After a brief loss of control, Jiang Hong's rationality returned. He needed to help Lu Xiu recover quickly. He helped Lu Xiu to sit up and move to the bed, clumsily fetching a towel to press on his wounds.
"I'll check what's here," Jiang Hong said, "Maybe there's some medicine."
"Where is this?" Lu Xiu asked, closing his eyes again.
"Your dormitory."
"This isn't my dormitory," Lu Xiu replied.
As Jiang Hong searched the drawers, he briefly explained what had happened. Lu Xiu didn't respond, just listening quietly. Jiang Hong wanted to ask what happened but, realizing talking must be painful for Lu Xiu, he refrained from asking more.
If it's a complete replica of Lu Xiu's dormitory, then the items should be the same, right?
But there were no medicines in Lu Xiu's dormitory. Jiang Hong did his best to stop the bleeding. There were three claw marks on Lu Xiu's left abdomen, one of which had even torn into the abdominal cavity, exposing raw, bloodied flesh. Jiang Hong tightly wrapped the towel around it and bandaged the wound on his leg.
"Don't you keep medicine in your dormitory?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Ordinary medicine doesn't work on dragons," Lu Xiu replied, "Let me rest for a while. I will heal slowly. Stop looking for things, it's giving me a headache."
Jiang Hong could only come over and sit beside Lu Xiu, feeling extremely heartbroken.
Lu Xiu said, "I'd like a cup of coffee, do you have any?"
Jiang Hong replied, "I'll check."
Finding the coffee machine in the dorm identical to the original, Jiang Hong boiled water and made coffee for Lu Xiu, saying, "This place seems to be the other place where you lived."
Lu Xiu asked, "Aren't you suspicious that I might not be me?"
Jiang Hong: "..."
Reminded by the question, Jiang Hong was momentarily stunned, having forgotten to confirm. But then he saw the scar on Lu Xiu's chest, over his heart, and said, "No, I know it's you. Do you want the coffee now?"
In fact, as soon as Dark Lu Xiu entered the hotel room, Jiang Hong had quickly realized it.
Lu Xiu hummed in response, "Add more sugar."
Lu Xiu seemed much better, able to sit up. Almost naked, he sat on the edge of the bed, watching Jiang Hong add sugar, and said, "Add a bit more."
Knowing that his recovery required a lot of energy, Jiang Hong added about ten packets of sugar. Lu Xiu slowly finished the coffee and then requested, "Another cup, please."
Jiang Hong went to make more coffee, glancing back at Lu Xiu, noticing that the bleeding had stopped and the wounds were healing. Golden runes appeared on his bare skin, glowing from his face to his arms, across his chest and back, down to his waist, thighs, calves, and even his ankles, as if some spell was at work.
Lu Xiu looked up and caught Jiang Hong's eye.
"What is that?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu answered, "It's a seal, placed by the principal, Principal Xiang Cheng."
Jiang Hong came over, sat beside him, and handed him the coffee. Lu Xiu continued to drink, explaining, "The seal prevents me from reverting to my dragon form for long periods. It's because of this seal that I can maintain human form most of the time and not revert to my original form when injured and weakened."
Jiang Hong frowned, "What's the name of this seal?"
Lu Xiu replied, "It doesn’t have a name, as it's the only one of its kind in the world. The impostor doesn't have this seal. When he reverts to his dragon form, he's stronger than me. There's no denying it, I lost."
Jiang Hong fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Can't the principal, or someone else, help remove it?"
Lu Xiu looked at Jiang Hong and said, "He can't remove it himself."
"Ah?" Jiang Hong said in confusion, "Why? Doesn't it restrain your power?"
Lu Xiu answered, "He asked me, and I agreed. He wanted me to learn to live as a human."
Jiang Hong: "So... does the seal stay with you for life?"
Lu Xiu responded, "No, it will disappear on its own when certain conditions are met."
Jiang Hong asked, "What conditions?"
After finishing his second cup of coffee and feeling somewhat restored, Lu Xiu sat quietly, avoiding the question. Then he said, "Alright, let's go. Since this is the impostor Chen Zhen's territory, he'll return sooner or later. We shouldn't stay here too long."
Lu Xiu unwrapped the bandaging towel. His external injuries had healed, and there was no more bleeding. Jiang Hong knew Lu Xiu must still be very weak and needed time to recover. He was about to suggest waiting, but Lu Xiu had already opened the wardrobe, taken out a shirt and trousers, put on sneakers, and said to Jiang Hong, who was still sitting, "Let's go, take a look outside."
Jiang Hong didn't insist and followed. Lu Xiu's steps were a bit unsteady, and he staggered as he walked.
"Lean on my shoulder," Jiang Hong said.
After a moment's consideration, Lu Xiu leaned on Jiang Hong, who wrapped an arm around his waist. Lu Xiu was slightly taller, and half of his body weight rested on Jiang Hong.
"When I was captured, I was so scared," Jiang Hong murmured to himself, "afraid of being trapped here forever. Thankfully, you came."
"Scared of what?" Lu Xiu said. "I would have come to rescue you."
Jiang Hong said, "But what if they created a copy of me and placed it by your side?"
Lu Xiu seemed a bit angry as he said, "You think I wouldn’t have noticed?"
Jiang Hong thought about it and then asked, "How did you realize it at first?"
Lu Xiu answered, "Something felt off, and you wouldn’t have let me go there alone. You could have just summoned me with a scale."
"Oh, right!" said Jiang Hong.
Lu Xiu continued, "At first, I just suspected someone was imitating your voice, but when I saw the same appearance, I knew you were in danger. How much longer do we need to stay here?"
Jiang Hong replied, "Just a moment!"
As Jiang Hong was about to open the door, Lu Xiu held his hand, saying, "Check the characters on the door."
Jiang Hong had already informed Lu Xiu about the strange phenomena here. Lu Xiu then said, "Get a piece of paper and a pen, draw it for me to see."
Jiang Hong showed Lu Xiu the ancient seal script appearing on the door. Lu Xiu said, "One-two-six, let's go."
Pushing the door open, they found another double dormitory on the other side, which looked as though someone had been living there.
Jiang Hong: "What should we do?"
Lu Xiu suggested, "Make a mark on the wall with a pen to show we've been here. Just write 126 and also note it down on paper."
Jiang Hong: "Ah! How did I not think of this method?"
Lu Xiu: "Keep going, we need to find the exit Zhu Jingling mentioned."
After making a note, Jiang Hong checked the door again. Lu Xiu interpreted, "One-eight-nine, let’s open and see."
Behind the door was an odd place, an empty room that seemed yet to be furnished.
"Don’t go in, just mark it and leave," Lu Xiu said. "Close the door, then open it again to see."
"The number on the door refreshes automatically each time it’s closed and reopened," explained Jiang Hong. "I’ve been continuously refreshing this number before you came."
"One-zero-three," said Lu Xiu, after seeing Jiang Hong's note. "Let's go, enter."
Inside was a library. Lu Xiu said, "This is the Exorcism Committee's library. Let's move towards doors with smaller numbers, see what's in rooms zero or one."
"Oh—" Jiang Hong thought to himself how smart Lu Xiu was.
They kept moving through rooms, opening and closing doors. Jiang Hong discovered a pattern: directly using the open and close method to refresh the number seldom made it smaller. They had to go through the door first, then reopen and close it.
They passed through an aquarium, a kitchen, and many inexplicably empty rooms, and then through several corridors, finally arriving at a room numbered "eleven."
It was a spacious bedroom, but this time, as Jiang Hong used the Book of Everything, a line of text suddenly appeared in the upper left corner of his vision: "Time until Chen Zhen arrives: 00:07:43."
Jiang Hong: "..."
Lu Xiu: "?"
"Keep going," Lu Xiu urged after hearing Jiang Hong's explanation, "It means we are getting closer to him."
"Is it the impostor Chen Zhen or the real Chen Zhen?" Jiang Hong was confused. He wondered if the Book of Everything could distinguish the real from the fake. If even it couldn't tell who the real one was, did that mean... in the perception of the Book of Everything, both were Chen Zhen?!
Jiang Hong had too many questions. Who had replicated all these impostors? How were they replicated? The exorcists... who else had been copied, and who among the originals were trapped in this vast prison?
"Is there still a display?" Lu Xiu, having mostly regained his strength and able to walk freely, kept one hand symbolically on Jiang Hong's shoulder as they pushed open the door and entered.
It was a carpeted corridor, seemingly just one among countless identical ones.
"Huh?" Jiang Hong said. "It’s gone. What number is this?"
Lu Xiu suggested, "It must be the rooms with higher numbers. Try a smaller one."
After opening and closing doors several times, Jiang Hong found room number fifteen. The phrase "Time until Chen Zhen arrives: 00:06:31" appeared again.
"He might be on our essential path," Lu Xiu surmised, "and it's boss Chen Zhen, not the one from the Exorcism Committee. Let's go."
Opening the door again, searching for the exit, they found the room at the end of the corridor labeled “one.”
The phrase "Time until Chen Zhen arrives" now read 00:00:47.
Jiang Hong immediately said, "Wait."
Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu exchanged looks, with Jiang Hong asking, "Can you... fight?"
Lu Xiu responded, "What do you think?"
Jiang Hong read a certain meaning in Lu Xiu's eyes. Was it a do-or-die situation or a fight with their backs against the wall?
"No," Jiang Hong pressed Lu Xiu's hand, saying, "I don't want you to be in danger."
Lu Xiu said, "He will find out soon, and he’ll eventually find us."
Jiang Hong was conflicted, having never witnessed the capabilities of Dark Chen Zhen. What if the battle didn't rely on physical combat? If it involved magic or mental attacks, perhaps Lu Xiu could barely resist…
But he was more worried about Dark Lu Xiu also being present.
"Do you trust me?" Lu Xiu suddenly asked.
Jiang Hong nodded, then added, "But..."
Lu Xiu said, "No 'buts'. As long as you trust me, I can defeat them."
"Really... really?" Jiang Hong was shocked. At that moment, he didn't understand the full meaning of Lu Xiu's words, but Lu Xiu nodded affirmatively, saying, "My conviction comes from the moment you sealed me as righteous, as determined by fate."
While Jiang Hong was still pondering, Lu Xiu had already pushed open the door.
The countdown on the Book of Everything ended, the "Time until Chen Zhen arrives" hit zero, and the words in the void transformed into "Warning: Chen Zhen Appears."
Suddenly, a bright light appeared before them—the sunlight from the outside world. Another morning had dawned. The room was furnished just like Chen Zhen's office at the Exorcism Committee. In front of the floor mirror, "Chen Zhen" turned around.
The three of them exchanged glances. Dark Chen Zhen looked puzzled but seemed to grasp the details in just a second.
"You've recognized your master?" Dark Chen Zhen spoke, then raised a hand, and in his grasp, boundless darkness erupted, swirling towards the two!
Jiang Hong instinctively shouted, covering his head with both hands. The world turned pitch black, and he couldn't see his own hand before his face. Lu Xiu, however, stepped forward, standing in front of Jiang Hong, shielding him from all the darkness.
Lu Xiu used his body as a barrier, creating a vacuum behind him. There seemed to be escaping light, slowly flowing in the sealed space.
Jiang Hong held the Book of Everything, looking up to see the area filled with spiritual mist.
Erase? Jiang Hong tried to diminish the mist effect, but Dark Chen Zhen's spiritual power was too strong. A slight reduction in the mist caused more black fire to surge forth.
"Stay hidden!" Lu Xiu's bright voice suddenly echoed in the boundless darkness.
Then, a spark of light appeared. Jiang Hong couldn't see clearly what was happening. It was like the struggle in the Qilian Mountains. Dark Chen Zhen's power overwhelmingly suppressed Lu Xiu, but in the blink of an eye, a bright light burst forth in front of Lu Xiu, clashing with the black fire—it was dragon flames! The dragon's flame turned from indigo to white-hot, growing in intensity and transforming into golden fire, erupting fiercely, creating a balance of magical forces.
"To break this ultimate fate," Dark Chen Zhen said coldly, "you must rely on yourself…"
Lu Xiu didn't respond. His magical power was obviously inferior to Dark Chen Zhen's, and his body was being forced to retreat by the black fire. Seeing this, Jiang Hong firmly supported him from behind.
Jiang Hong had learned in practical classes that Lu Xiu’s style was classified as a "Swordsman" type, focused on combat, while Dark Chen Zhen was clearly defined as a "Mage." In a battle between a Swordsman and a Mage, the Mage has an absolute advantage at a distance. Lu Xiu's only hope to turn the tables was to find a moment of weakness in Dark Chen Zhen and strike decisively.
Although Lu Xiu's magical power was strong, it was not on the same level as Dark Chen Zhen, who specialized in magic. Jiang Hong knew Lu Xiu was waiting for the right moment to act, their only chance to break free.
Maybe I can divert Dark Chen Zhen's attention... What else can the Book of Everything do?
In a confrontation between two boss-level exorcists, Jiang Hong knew his limitations. Though he wasn't directly hit by the black fire, he definitely couldn't withstand it. He gripped the Book of Everything tightly, aiming to create an opportunity for Lu Xiu in the ongoing battle.
The Book of Everything was like a pirated version of Photoshop, with most functions not working. Sometimes it required voice commands, sometimes thought control, and sometimes physical touch. Jiang Hong hadn't figured out how to use it yet, but in the darkness, he accidentally triggered a new feature.
What's this? When activating the Book of Everything, Jiang Hong suddenly saw two flat, glowing bars appear before him.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
One was short and red, emitting a faint light, while the other was blue, longer than the red one and slowly shrinking. The empty slots displayed a row of neatly arranged question marks.
Jiang Hong: "??"
In front of the short red bar was an empty slot. Then Jiang Hong exclaimed in frustration, "Is this a health bar?!"
Lu Xiu was fiercely resisting Dark Chen Zhen and couldn't hear Jiang Hong. Jiang Hong then reached over Lu Xiu's shoulder, pointing the Book of Everything at Dark Chen Zhen.
Above Dark Chen Zhen's head appeared health and mana bars. As Jiang Hong adjusted the display, both Dark Chen Zhen and Lu Xiu's bars showed as "?????/?????" with no visible specific values.
Dark Chen Zhen's health bar was full, while Lu Xiu's was only at 20%, presumably due to previous injuries. Underneath Lu Xiu's health bar were icons for bleeding, severe injury, and other debuffs.
The rate of decline in their mana bars also varied significantly. Dark Chen Zhen's mana bar was almost static, while Lu Xiu's was slowly depleting. At this rate, Lu Xiu would soon exhaust his magical power.
Bad news, Lu Xiu is losing!
But what use is this feature of seeing health and mana bars? Jiang Hong thought in desperation, and he couldn't even see the numbers! Was it meant to predict who would win?
Dark Chen Zhen's voice was distant and unclear, speaking unintelligibly. Lu Xiu's mana began to deplete rapidly, and then his voice transformed into Dragon Language, each word resonating clearly in the depths of Jiang Hong's heart!
Jiang Hong was still desperately looking for a way to break the deadlock. At this moment, just a push against Dark Chen Zhen could be enough... What exactly was Lu Xiu doing? Was he casting a spell?
Jiang Hong aimed the Book of Everything around him. In the darkness, he could faintly see the outlines of furniture. Would dragging the furniture to hit Dark Chen Zhen be effective? But suddenly, he noticed a red health bar, belonging to a third party?
The health bar showed: 7391/7420.
Is it a minor character? Jiang Hong pointed the Book of Everything towards it. Was it a friendly?
The health bar moved around in the distance, never getting closer. Jiang Hong managed to erase some of the black fire, revealing a windowed door. He immediately realized, the other person couldn't get in! Was it a friendly? The only possibility was it had to be!
Could the windowed door be opened? Jiang Hong clicked with the mouse, trying to slide the window open, but found runic barriers on it. So, he switched to an eraser tool and erased part of the barrier on the window.
Nothing changed. Lu Xiu's mana bar was nearly depleted when suddenly another force entered the room from the outside window, like a purple thread, rolling up from behind Dark Chen Zhen and entangling him.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
Under Dark Chen Zhen's health bar, a debuff icon appeared, flickering for just half a second.
Seizing the opportunity, Lu Xiu completed his spell preparation. Behind him, a dragon's phantom emerged, suddenly charging at Dark Chen Zhen!
The energy dragon roared, gathering strength, and released a dark orb from its mouth, seemingly condensing all of Lu Xiu's magical power into a single energy ball. Then, suddenly, all sound ceased, and the black fire around them cleared. With Lu Xiu's full-power blast, the energy crazily spread in all directions, followed by an explosion akin to a supernova!
Lu Xiu unleashed a spell that condensed his entire life's cultivation, destroying the entire room in a self-destructive manner, as if sacrificing himself. Gravity disappeared momentarily, but in the final moment, he turned and embraced Jiang Hong, protecting his head with one hand. The black fire and dragon flame collided and dispersed.
All the furnishings in the room vanished. Dark Chen Zhen was nowhere to be seen, and the room transformed into an endless cosmic void. Lu Xiu, holding Jiang Hong, floated in the void.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Hong gasped for breath.
Lu Xiu was covered in sweat, nodding wearily as he looked around. In the void, there was only one mirror — the floor-length dressing mirror that had been present from the beginning in Dark Chen Zhen's office.
The moment Jiang Hong saw the dressing mirror, he instantly realized — that was the exit! The only exit!
"Hurry up and come out!" Zhang Xiting's voice urgently called out, "Professor Lu!"
Immediately, Lu Xiu turned, holding Jiang Hong tightly, and the two flew towards the mirror, suddenly passing through it.
The scene brightened, and Jiang Hong finally returned to the real world. He heard chaotic shouting nearby, a hand gripping his tightly, helping him stand.
"Are you okay, Jiang Hong?" Zhang Xiting asked anxiously.
Blinded momentarily by the strong daylight, Jiang Hong squinted, regaining his senses and quickly asked, "Lu Xiu! Lu Xiu! Are you alright?"
"I saw you two fighting with the enemy in the mirror. I was so worried," Zhang Xiting explained, "Are you hurt?"
Lu Xiu raised his hand to signal he was fine, slowly standing up. Jiang Hong carefully examined Lu Xiu with the Book of Everything. Lu Xiu's health bar was at 10%, his mana bar depleted but slowly recovering, and under the health bar hung a "Weakened" debuff, counting down from 120 minutes.
Jiang Hong breathed a sigh of relief and embraced Zhang Xiting.
"You actually made it!" Jiang Hong exclaimed, finding some good news amidst all the bad.
Lu Xiu said, "Zhang Xiting, can I borrow your phone?"
Zhang Xiting handed his phone to Lu Xiu, who immediately called Cao Bin to inform him about what had happened.
"If you asked me to come, of course I would," Zhang Xiting said. "But what exactly did you find out?"
Jiang Hong, conflicted, thought for a moment and then said, "Oh no, Teacher Zhu Jingling and the others are still inside, we need to go back..."
"They're already out!" Zhang Xiting said. "Let me explain it to you briefly."
It turned out that twelve hours earlier, Zhang Xiting had already arrived in Guangzhou. Unexpectedly, he found he could no longer contact Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu. At that time, Jiang Hong had been captured, and Lu Xiu didn't have his phone with him. Based on Jiang Hong’s last memory, Zhang Xiting had gone to the Baiyun Psychiatric Hospital and coincidentally met An Jie, who was looking for Jiang Hong.
Zhang Xiting, also an intern at the Exorcism Committee, had met An Jie and immediately realized that something had happened to Jiang Hong. Following their leads, he used his Endless Dream spell to draw conclusions quickly.
The floor-length mirror in Zhao Yan's office was actually one of the entrances between two worlds. The Yuèhuò Organization was using it to control many members of the Guangzhou Exorcism Committee. During one of the controls over Zhao Yan, the enemy lost control while she used a self-sealing spell to negate the mental manipulation—
—This caused Zhao Yan's memories to become jumbled. Since she had access to a lot of personnel records and Yuèhuò didn’t want to kill her yet, she was confined in the psychiatric hospital.
Upon receiving the news, Zhang Xiting immediately returned to the Guangzhou Exorcism Committee and found the mirror. Shortly after, Zhu Jingling also found the exit on the other side of the mirror. They escaped from there an hour before Lu Xiu and Dark Chen Zhen began their final battle.
However, it seemed to be a one-way passage, only allowing exit, not entry. Zhang Xiting stood guard outside the mirror, searching for Jiang Hong, and soon saw Dark Chen Zhen's figure and the ensuing battle.
“What about An Jie?” asked Jiang Hong. “I need to inform him and Chen Zhen immediately.”
After hanging up the phone, Lu Xiu said, "I’ve informed Principal Cao of the general situation. The S-level exorcists are in a meeting."
Zhang Xiting added, "An Jie took the remaining exorcists to confront Yuèhuò."
“They started fighting?” Jiang Hong said in surprise. “But isn’t that impostor still inside the mirror?”
Zhang Xiting gestured for Jiang Hong to look around. The sheer amount of information in such a short time was overwhelming, and Jiang Hong hadn’t even noticed they were in a space like a factory warehouse, surrounded by concrete walls and unfinished building structures. In the empty warehouse, there was only that conspicuous mirror.
Zhang Xiting then pointed towards a nearby spot, and Jiang Hong walked to the edge of the unfinished building, looking outside.
Lu Xiu also slowly walked over, and the three of them stood side by side, observing the scene before them.
In Guangzhou, the banks of the Pearl River had turned into a vast ocean, with the river level rising more than ten meters, engulfing numerous buildings. Rescue kayaks and the rooftops of small buildings that were still above water were everywhere.
In the distance, smoke billowed under the dark clouds, with frequent flashes of lightning and booming thunder, as if a battle was raging.
"Ten hours ago, the Guangzhou Exorcism Committee was destroyed," Zhang Xiting said. "The barrier was broken, and a black dragon caused the Pearl River to flood, submerging many areas."
The tide continued to surge downstream, and the first major city in the south was on the verge of becoming a vast ocean.
Chapter 59: The Final Battle.
What is death?
Floating in the pitch-black river, Lu Xiu fell into unconsciousness. In that stupor, a magnificent dream slowly unfolded.
The eternal wind that had blown through the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass for ten thousand, a hundred thousand, even a million years, came from the ancient times, howling towards eternity. What, then, is eternity?
Sixty-five million years ago, during the mountain-building movement, the Himalayas and Nyenchen Tanglha slowly rose from the earth like the spine of a giant beast, a process that took a full four million years.
In a hundred years, humans face death; in a thousand, dragons confront it; in a hundred thousand, rocks turn to dust; in a million, rivers run dry; in ten million, mountains flatten...
Yet, in the world's 4.6 billion years, all these are but a moment.
Even a dragon, in this grand scheme, is no different from an ant.
Standing at the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass, it felt like one could touch the blue sky with an outstretched hand. Beneath the fluttering wind horse flags, Jiang Hong carefully tied a faded memory, then turned back and called out to him.
"Lu Xiu!" he called out with a smile.
Compared to the vastness of the universe, they were so insignificant, unable to resist or change their inevitable destiny. In the grand scheme of the world, who isn't?
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong called out again, seeing him standing lost in thought.
Should he move on? At the end of everything, there is separation. He couldn't even accompany Jiang Hong through a lifetime, merely a passerby in a few short years...
"I must go now," Lu Xiu finally said, "Jiang Hong, you will live well."
But Jiang Hong seemed not to hear, shouting, "Lu Xiu—!"
"Lu Xiu!"
In the dark, icy river waters, Lu Xiu's shattered body felt like the devastating pain once experienced under the thunderstorm. From the distant land, his voice came, calling out his name ceaselessly.
"Kuru—! Kuru!"
"Lu Xiu—!"
Surrounded by a myriad of lightning flashes, the voices overlapped. Lu Xiu suddenly opened his eyes, transforming into a stream in the darkness, breaking through the space and rushing into the endless void.
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong yelled in panic, holding the battered Lu Xiu in his arms, anxiously asking, "What's wrong with you? Why are you bleeding so much? Are you okay? Lu Xiu?! Senior! You won't die! Senior..."
A drop of water fell on Lu Xiu's face, sliding down.
He opened his eyes, confused to see Jiang Hong crying. Jiang Hong, like a child, held him tight and sobbed.
This was the first time Jiang Hong saw Lu Xiu so gravely injured. He was extremely frightened, as if the sky had fallen. Never before—Lu Xiu had never shown such vulnerability, even when battling the Xian, he would stand up immediately after falling injured.
Now, he lay weak and limp, his limbs dangling, blood continuously dripping from his body.
Lu Xiu said, "So noisy."
Jiang Hong was startled, then came to his senses, realizing Lu Xiu was still alive. He stared at him, breathing heavily.
Lu Xiu watched Jiang Hong, sizing him up as if he didn't recognize him. Jiang Hong's eyes and nose were red, his expression one of confusion and helplessness.
"Why... are you crying?" Lu Xiu asked, half in confusion, half in pain, frowning, "What's there... to cry about."
Jiang Hong struggled to wipe his tears, asking, "What happened to you? How did you end up like this?"
Lu Xiu, exhausted, said, "I encountered my own self... I... couldn't beat him."
Jiang Hong immediately understood, "It's all my fault. I didn't warn you in time. I should have summoned you right away... I'm sorry..."
"I knew it all along," Lu Xiu replied. "Next time I see him, I will definitely..."
Lu Xiu tried to get up, but the pain made it impossible.
Jiang Hong quickly said, "You should rest first, I'll... I'll think of something. Can you move?"
After a brief loss of control, Jiang Hong's rationality returned. He needed to help Lu Xiu recover quickly. He helped Lu Xiu to sit up and move to the bed, clumsily fetching a towel to press on his wounds.
"I'll check what's here," Jiang Hong said, "Maybe there's some medicine."
"Where is this?" Lu Xiu asked, closing his eyes again.
"Your dormitory."
"This isn't my dormitory," Lu Xiu replied.
As Jiang Hong searched the drawers, he briefly explained what had happened. Lu Xiu didn't respond, just listening quietly. Jiang Hong wanted to ask what happened but, realizing talking must be painful for Lu Xiu, he refrained from asking more.
If it's a complete replica of Lu Xiu's dormitory, then the items should be the same, right?
But there were no medicines in Lu Xiu's dormitory. Jiang Hong did his best to stop the bleeding. There were three claw marks on Lu Xiu's left abdomen, one of which had even torn into the abdominal cavity, exposing raw, bloodied flesh. Jiang Hong tightly wrapped the towel around it and bandaged the wound on his leg.
"Don't you keep medicine in your dormitory?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Ordinary medicine doesn't work on dragons," Lu Xiu replied, "Let me rest for a while. I will heal slowly. Stop looking for things, it's giving me a headache."
Jiang Hong could only come over and sit beside Lu Xiu, feeling extremely heartbroken.
Lu Xiu said, "I'd like a cup of coffee, do you have any?"
Jiang Hong replied, "I'll check."
Finding the coffee machine in the dorm identical to the original, Jiang Hong boiled water and made coffee for Lu Xiu, saying, "This place seems to be the other place where you lived."
Lu Xiu asked, "Aren't you suspicious that I might not be me?"
Jiang Hong: "..."
Reminded by the question, Jiang Hong was momentarily stunned, having forgotten to confirm. But then he saw the scar on Lu Xiu's chest, over his heart, and said, "No, I know it's you. Do you want the coffee now?"
In fact, as soon as Dark Lu Xiu entered the hotel room, Jiang Hong had quickly realized it.
Lu Xiu hummed in response, "Add more sugar."
Lu Xiu seemed much better, able to sit up. Almost naked, he sat on the edge of the bed, watching Jiang Hong add sugar, and said, "Add a bit more."
Knowing that his recovery required a lot of energy, Jiang Hong added about ten packets of sugar. Lu Xiu slowly finished the coffee and then requested, "Another cup, please."
Jiang Hong went to make more coffee, glancing back at Lu Xiu, noticing that the bleeding had stopped and the wounds were healing. Golden runes appeared on his bare skin, glowing from his face to his arms, across his chest and back, down to his waist, thighs, calves, and even his ankles, as if some spell was at work.
Lu Xiu looked up and caught Jiang Hong's eye.
"What is that?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu answered, "It's a seal, placed by the principal, Principal Xiang Cheng."
Jiang Hong came over, sat beside him, and handed him the coffee. Lu Xiu continued to drink, explaining, "The seal prevents me from reverting to my dragon form for long periods. It's because of this seal that I can maintain human form most of the time and not revert to my original form when injured and weakened."
Jiang Hong frowned, "What's the name of this seal?"
Lu Xiu replied, "It doesn’t have a name, as it's the only one of its kind in the world. The impostor doesn't have this seal. When he reverts to his dragon form, he's stronger than me. There's no denying it, I lost."
Jiang Hong fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Can't the principal, or someone else, help remove it?"
Lu Xiu looked at Jiang Hong and said, "He can't remove it himself."
"Ah?" Jiang Hong said in confusion, "Why? Doesn't it restrain your power?"
Lu Xiu answered, "He asked me, and I agreed. He wanted me to learn to live as a human."
Jiang Hong: "So... does the seal stay with you for life?"
Lu Xiu responded, "No, it will disappear on its own when certain conditions are met."
Jiang Hong asked, "What conditions?"
After finishing his second cup of coffee and feeling somewhat restored, Lu Xiu sat quietly, avoiding the question. Then he said, "Alright, let's go. Since this is the impostor Chen Zhen's territory, he'll return sooner or later. We shouldn't stay here too long."
Lu Xiu unwrapped the bandaging towel. His external injuries had healed, and there was no more bleeding. Jiang Hong knew Lu Xiu must still be very weak and needed time to recover. He was about to suggest waiting, but Lu Xiu had already opened the wardrobe, taken out a shirt and trousers, put on sneakers, and said to Jiang Hong, who was still sitting, "Let's go, take a look outside."
Jiang Hong didn't insist and followed. Lu Xiu's steps were a bit unsteady, and he staggered as he walked.
"Lean on my shoulder," Jiang Hong said.
After a moment's consideration, Lu Xiu leaned on Jiang Hong, who wrapped an arm around his waist. Lu Xiu was slightly taller, and half of his body weight rested on Jiang Hong.
"When I was captured, I was so scared," Jiang Hong murmured to himself, "afraid of being trapped here forever. Thankfully, you came."
"Scared of what?" Lu Xiu said. "I would have come to rescue you."
Jiang Hong said, "But what if they created a copy of me and placed it by your side?"
Lu Xiu seemed a bit angry as he said, "You think I wouldn’t have noticed?"
Jiang Hong thought about it and then asked, "How did you realize it at first?"
Lu Xiu answered, "Something felt off, and you wouldn’t have let me go there alone. You could have just summoned me with a scale."
"Oh, right!" said Jiang Hong.
Lu Xiu continued, "At first, I just suspected someone was imitating your voice, but when I saw the same appearance, I knew you were in danger. How much longer do we need to stay here?"
Jiang Hong replied, "Just a moment!"
As Jiang Hong was about to open the door, Lu Xiu held his hand, saying, "Check the characters on the door."
Jiang Hong had already informed Lu Xiu about the strange phenomena here. Lu Xiu then said, "Get a piece of paper and a pen, draw it for me to see."
Jiang Hong showed Lu Xiu the ancient seal script appearing on the door. Lu Xiu said, "One-two-six, let's go."
Pushing the door open, they found another double dormitory on the other side, which looked as though someone had been living there.
Jiang Hong: "What should we do?"
Lu Xiu suggested, "Make a mark on the wall with a pen to show we've been here. Just write 126 and also note it down on paper."
Jiang Hong: "Ah! How did I not think of this method?"
Lu Xiu: "Keep going, we need to find the exit Zhu Jingling mentioned."
After making a note, Jiang Hong checked the door again. Lu Xiu interpreted, "One-eight-nine, let’s open and see."
Behind the door was an odd place, an empty room that seemed yet to be furnished.
"Don’t go in, just mark it and leave," Lu Xiu said. "Close the door, then open it again to see."
"The number on the door refreshes automatically each time it’s closed and reopened," explained Jiang Hong. "I’ve been continuously refreshing this number before you came."
"One-zero-three," said Lu Xiu, after seeing Jiang Hong's note. "Let's go, enter."
Inside was a library. Lu Xiu said, "This is the Exorcism Committee's library. Let's move towards doors with smaller numbers, see what's in rooms zero or one."
"Oh—" Jiang Hong thought to himself how smart Lu Xiu was.
They kept moving through rooms, opening and closing doors. Jiang Hong discovered a pattern: directly using the open and close method to refresh the number seldom made it smaller. They had to go through the door first, then reopen and close it.
They passed through an aquarium, a kitchen, and many inexplicably empty rooms, and then through several corridors, finally arriving at a room numbered "eleven."
It was a spacious bedroom, but this time, as Jiang Hong used the Book of Everything, a line of text suddenly appeared in the upper left corner of his vision: "Time until Chen Zhen arrives: 00:07:43."
Jiang Hong: "..."
Lu Xiu: "?"
"Keep going," Lu Xiu urged after hearing Jiang Hong's explanation, "It means we are getting closer to him."
"Is it the impostor Chen Zhen or the real Chen Zhen?" Jiang Hong was confused. He wondered if the Book of Everything could distinguish the real from the fake. If even it couldn't tell who the real one was, did that mean... in the perception of the Book of Everything, both were Chen Zhen?!
Jiang Hong had too many questions. Who had replicated all these impostors? How were they replicated? The exorcists... who else had been copied, and who among the originals were trapped in this vast prison?
"Is there still a display?" Lu Xiu, having mostly regained his strength and able to walk freely, kept one hand symbolically on Jiang Hong's shoulder as they pushed open the door and entered.
It was a carpeted corridor, seemingly just one among countless identical ones.
"Huh?" Jiang Hong said. "It’s gone. What number is this?"
Lu Xiu suggested, "It must be the rooms with higher numbers. Try a smaller one."
After opening and closing doors several times, Jiang Hong found room number fifteen. The phrase "Time until Chen Zhen arrives: 00:06:31" appeared again.
"He might be on our essential path," Lu Xiu surmised, "and it's boss Chen Zhen, not the one from the Exorcism Committee. Let's go."
Opening the door again, searching for the exit, they found the room at the end of the corridor labeled “one.”
The phrase "Time until Chen Zhen arrives" now read 00:00:47.
Jiang Hong immediately said, "Wait."
Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu exchanged looks, with Jiang Hong asking, "Can you... fight?"
Lu Xiu responded, "What do you think?"
Jiang Hong read a certain meaning in Lu Xiu's eyes. Was it a do-or-die situation or a fight with their backs against the wall?
"No," Jiang Hong pressed Lu Xiu's hand, saying, "I don't want you to be in danger."
Lu Xiu said, "He will find out soon, and he’ll eventually find us."
Jiang Hong was conflicted, having never witnessed the capabilities of Dark Chen Zhen. What if the battle didn't rely on physical combat? If it involved magic or mental attacks, perhaps Lu Xiu could barely resist…
But he was more worried about Dark Lu Xiu also being present.
"Do you trust me?" Lu Xiu suddenly asked.
Jiang Hong nodded, then added, "But..."
Lu Xiu said, "No 'buts'. As long as you trust me, I can defeat them."
"Really... really?" Jiang Hong was shocked. At that moment, he didn't understand the full meaning of Lu Xiu's words, but Lu Xiu nodded affirmatively, saying, "My conviction comes from the moment you sealed me as righteous, as determined by fate."
While Jiang Hong was still pondering, Lu Xiu had already pushed open the door.
The countdown on the Book of Everything ended, the "Time until Chen Zhen arrives" hit zero, and the words in the void transformed into "Warning: Chen Zhen Appears."
Suddenly, a bright light appeared before them—the sunlight from the outside world. Another morning had dawned. The room was furnished just like Chen Zhen's office at the Exorcism Committee. In front of the floor mirror, "Chen Zhen" turned around.
The three of them exchanged glances. Dark Chen Zhen looked puzzled but seemed to grasp the details in just a second.
"You've recognized your master?" Dark Chen Zhen spoke, then raised a hand, and in his grasp, boundless darkness erupted, swirling towards the two!
Jiang Hong instinctively shouted, covering his head with both hands. The world turned pitch black, and he couldn't see his own hand before his face. Lu Xiu, however, stepped forward, standing in front of Jiang Hong, shielding him from all the darkness.
Lu Xiu used his body as a barrier, creating a vacuum behind him. There seemed to be escaping light, slowly flowing in the sealed space.
Jiang Hong held the Book of Everything, looking up to see the area filled with spiritual mist.
Erase? Jiang Hong tried to diminish the mist effect, but Dark Chen Zhen's spiritual power was too strong. A slight reduction in the mist caused more black fire to surge forth.
"Stay hidden!" Lu Xiu's bright voice suddenly echoed in the boundless darkness.
Then, a spark of light appeared. Jiang Hong couldn't see clearly what was happening. It was like the struggle in the Qilian Mountains. Dark Chen Zhen's power overwhelmingly suppressed Lu Xiu, but in the blink of an eye, a bright light burst forth in front of Lu Xiu, clashing with the black fire—it was dragon flames! The dragon's flame turned from indigo to white-hot, growing in intensity and transforming into golden fire, erupting fiercely, creating a balance of magical forces.
"To break this ultimate fate," Dark Chen Zhen said coldly, "you must rely on yourself…"
Lu Xiu didn't respond. His magical power was obviously inferior to Dark Chen Zhen's, and his body was being forced to retreat by the black fire. Seeing this, Jiang Hong firmly supported him from behind.
Jiang Hong had learned in practical classes that Lu Xiu’s style was classified as a "Swordsman" type, focused on combat, while Dark Chen Zhen was clearly defined as a "Mage." In a battle between a Swordsman and a Mage, the Mage has an absolute advantage at a distance. Lu Xiu's only hope to turn the tables was to find a moment of weakness in Dark Chen Zhen and strike decisively.
Although Lu Xiu's magical power was strong, it was not on the same level as Dark Chen Zhen, who specialized in magic. Jiang Hong knew Lu Xiu was waiting for the right moment to act, their only chance to break free.
Maybe I can divert Dark Chen Zhen's attention... What else can the Book of Everything do?
In a confrontation between two boss-level exorcists, Jiang Hong knew his limitations. Though he wasn't directly hit by the black fire, he definitely couldn't withstand it. He gripped the Book of Everything tightly, aiming to create an opportunity for Lu Xiu in the ongoing battle.
The Book of Everything was like a pirated version of Photoshop, with most functions not working. Sometimes it required voice commands, sometimes thought control, and sometimes physical touch. Jiang Hong hadn't figured out how to use it yet, but in the darkness, he accidentally triggered a new feature.
What's this? When activating the Book of Everything, Jiang Hong suddenly saw two flat, glowing bars appear before him.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
One was short and red, emitting a faint light, while the other was blue, longer than the red one and slowly shrinking. The empty slots displayed a row of neatly arranged question marks.
Jiang Hong: "??"
In front of the short red bar was an empty slot. Then Jiang Hong exclaimed in frustration, "Is this a health bar?!"
Lu Xiu was fiercely resisting Dark Chen Zhen and couldn't hear Jiang Hong. Jiang Hong then reached over Lu Xiu's shoulder, pointing the Book of Everything at Dark Chen Zhen.
Above Dark Chen Zhen's head appeared health and mana bars. As Jiang Hong adjusted the display, both Dark Chen Zhen and Lu Xiu's bars showed as "?????/?????" with no visible specific values.
Dark Chen Zhen's health bar was full, while Lu Xiu's was only at 20%, presumably due to previous injuries. Underneath Lu Xiu's health bar were icons for bleeding, severe injury, and other debuffs.
The rate of decline in their mana bars also varied significantly. Dark Chen Zhen's mana bar was almost static, while Lu Xiu's was slowly depleting. At this rate, Lu Xiu would soon exhaust his magical power.
Bad news, Lu Xiu is losing!
But what use is this feature of seeing health and mana bars? Jiang Hong thought in desperation, and he couldn't even see the numbers! Was it meant to predict who would win?
Dark Chen Zhen's voice was distant and unclear, speaking unintelligibly. Lu Xiu's mana began to deplete rapidly, and then his voice transformed into Dragon Language, each word resonating clearly in the depths of Jiang Hong's heart!
Jiang Hong was still desperately looking for a way to break the deadlock. At this moment, just a push against Dark Chen Zhen could be enough... What exactly was Lu Xiu doing? Was he casting a spell?
Jiang Hong aimed the Book of Everything around him. In the darkness, he could faintly see the outlines of furniture. Would dragging the furniture to hit Dark Chen Zhen be effective? But suddenly, he noticed a red health bar, belonging to a third party?
The health bar showed: 7391/7420.
Is it a minor character? Jiang Hong pointed the Book of Everything towards it. Was it a friendly?
The health bar moved around in the distance, never getting closer. Jiang Hong managed to erase some of the black fire, revealing a windowed door. He immediately realized, the other person couldn't get in! Was it a friendly? The only possibility was it had to be!
Could the windowed door be opened? Jiang Hong clicked with the mouse, trying to slide the window open, but found runic barriers on it. So, he switched to an eraser tool and erased part of the barrier on the window.
Nothing changed. Lu Xiu's mana bar was nearly depleted when suddenly another force entered the room from the outside window, like a purple thread, rolling up from behind Dark Chen Zhen and entangling him.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
Under Dark Chen Zhen's health bar, a debuff icon appeared, flickering for just half a second.
Seizing the opportunity, Lu Xiu completed his spell preparation. Behind him, a dragon's phantom emerged, suddenly charging at Dark Chen Zhen!
The energy dragon roared, gathering strength, and released a dark orb from its mouth, seemingly condensing all of Lu Xiu's magical power into a single energy ball. Then, suddenly, all sound ceased, and the black fire around them cleared. With Lu Xiu's full-power blast, the energy crazily spread in all directions, followed by an explosion akin to a supernova!
Lu Xiu unleashed a spell that condensed his entire life's cultivation, destroying the entire room in a self-destructive manner, as if sacrificing himself. Gravity disappeared momentarily, but in the final moment, he turned and embraced Jiang Hong, protecting his head with one hand. The black fire and dragon flame collided and dispersed.
All the furnishings in the room vanished. Dark Chen Zhen was nowhere to be seen, and the room transformed into an endless cosmic void. Lu Xiu, holding Jiang Hong, floated in the void.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Hong gasped for breath.
Lu Xiu was covered in sweat, nodding wearily as he looked around. In the void, there was only one mirror — the floor-length dressing mirror that had been present from the beginning in Dark Chen Zhen's office.
The moment Jiang Hong saw the dressing mirror, he instantly realized — that was the exit! The only exit!
"Hurry up and come out!" Zhang Xiting's voice urgently called out, "Professor Lu!"
Immediately, Lu Xiu turned, holding Jiang Hong tightly, and the two flew towards the mirror, suddenly passing through it.
The scene brightened, and Jiang Hong finally returned to the real world. He heard chaotic shouting nearby, a hand gripping his tightly, helping him stand.
"Are you okay, Jiang Hong?" Zhang Xiting asked anxiously.
Blinded momentarily by the strong daylight, Jiang Hong squinted, regaining his senses and quickly asked, "Lu Xiu! Lu Xiu! Are you alright?"
"I saw you two fighting with the enemy in the mirror. I was so worried," Zhang Xiting explained, "Are you hurt?"
Lu Xiu raised his hand to signal he was fine, slowly standing up. Jiang Hong carefully examined Lu Xiu with the Book of Everything. Lu Xiu's health bar was at 10%, his mana bar depleted but slowly recovering, and under the health bar hung a "Weakened" debuff, counting down from 120 minutes.
Jiang Hong breathed a sigh of relief and embraced Zhang Xiting.
"You actually made it!" Jiang Hong exclaimed, finding some good news amidst all the bad.
Lu Xiu said, "Zhang Xiting, can I borrow your phone?"
Zhang Xiting handed his phone to Lu Xiu, who immediately called Cao Bin to inform him about what had happened.
"If you asked me to come, of course I would," Zhang Xiting said. "But what exactly did you find out?"
Jiang Hong, conflicted, thought for a moment and then said, "Oh no, Teacher Zhu Jingling and the others are still inside, we need to go back..."
"They're already out!" Zhang Xiting said. "Let me explain it to you briefly."
It turned out that twelve hours earlier, Zhang Xiting had already arrived in Guangzhou. Unexpectedly, he found he could no longer contact Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu. At that time, Jiang Hong had been captured, and Lu Xiu didn't have his phone with him. Based on Jiang Hong’s last memory, Zhang Xiting had gone to the Baiyun Psychiatric Hospital and coincidentally met An Jie, who was looking for Jiang Hong.
Zhang Xiting, also an intern at the Exorcism Committee, had met An Jie and immediately realized that something had happened to Jiang Hong. Following their leads, he used his Endless Dream spell to draw conclusions quickly.
The floor-length mirror in Zhao Yan's office was actually one of the entrances between two worlds. The Yuèhuò Organization was using it to control many members of the Guangzhou Exorcism Committee. During one of the controls over Zhao Yan, the enemy lost control while she used a self-sealing spell to negate the mental manipulation—
—This caused Zhao Yan's memories to become jumbled. Since she had access to a lot of personnel records and Yuèhuò didn’t want to kill her yet, she was confined in the psychiatric hospital.
Upon receiving the news, Zhang Xiting immediately returned to the Guangzhou Exorcism Committee and found the mirror. Shortly after, Zhu Jingling also found the exit on the other side of the mirror. They escaped from there an hour before Lu Xiu and Dark Chen Zhen began their final battle.
However, it seemed to be a one-way passage, only allowing exit, not entry. Zhang Xiting stood guard outside the mirror, searching for Jiang Hong, and soon saw Dark Chen Zhen's figure and the ensuing battle.
“What about An Jie?” asked Jiang Hong. “I need to inform him and Chen Zhen immediately.”
After hanging up the phone, Lu Xiu said, "I’ve informed Principal Cao of the general situation. The S-level exorcists are in a meeting."
Zhang Xiting added, "An Jie took the remaining exorcists to confront Yuèhuò."
“They started fighting?” Jiang Hong said in surprise. “But isn’t that impostor still inside the mirror?”
Zhang Xiting gestured for Jiang Hong to look around. The sheer amount of information in such a short time was overwhelming, and Jiang Hong hadn’t even noticed they were in a space like a factory warehouse, surrounded by concrete walls and unfinished building structures. In the empty warehouse, there was only that conspicuous mirror.
Zhang Xiting then pointed towards a nearby spot, and Jiang Hong walked to the edge of the unfinished building, looking outside.
Lu Xiu also slowly walked over, and the three of them stood side by side, observing the scene before them.
In Guangzhou, the banks of the Pearl River had turned into a vast ocean, with the river level rising more than ten meters, engulfing numerous buildings. Rescue kayaks and the rooftops of small buildings that were still above water were everywhere.
In the distance, smoke billowed under the dark clouds, with frequent flashes of lightning and booming thunder, as if a battle was raging.
"Ten hours ago, the Guangzhou Exorcism Committee was destroyed," Zhang Xiting said. "The barrier was broken, and a black dragon caused the Pearl River to flood, submerging many areas."
The tide continued to surge downstream, and the first major city in the south was on the verge of becoming a vast ocean.
