Chapter Nineteen: Homecoming

“…The Old Days shall soon return, and the gods will inevitably come back… You need only wait in peace.”

With those final words, Xi Gu temporarily severed his connection with Yang Luo.

Though he could still perceive the other’s every movement and the state of his life through his senses, once the connection was cut, he could no longer hear the other’s inner voice, nor could he communicate with him.

Recalling what he had just said, Xi Gu pondered for a moment.

“The Temple of Emanation… The Divine Elixir of Emanation… and things like ‘the Old Days’ or ‘the gods’—aren’t these impromptu settings a little too melodramatic?”

A faint sense of embarrassment welled up within him.

But instead, Xi Gu laughed.

“So what… Let it be melodramatic then. The descriptions in myths and legends throughout history are far more over-the-top, and yet they still have so many devoted followers.

“…Besides, the initiative is always in my hands. If I wish, I can create an endless stream of extraordinary beings… Power is what truly matters—words are always secondary. I can always add new settings or patch up the current ones later!”

He shrugged, his mood entirely at ease.

And just then, a faint cry rang through heaven and earth. From thousands of meters above, far beyond the sight of ordinary people, a black dot streaked toward him at a speed rivaling that of a jetliner.

From afar to near, the black dot grew larger, revealing the outline of a black hawk.

—It was none other than Black Moon!

As it flapped its wings and drew within several meters of Xi Gu, the turbulent air from its high-speed dive had already transformed into a gale, howling across the wilderness—

Whoosh!

The wind sprang up, and within a circular area dozens of meters in diameter, centered on Xi Gu, grass and mud flew as a thunderous roar echoed.

The gray shadow that had been lazily lying at Xi Gu’s side had its fur blown backward by the gale. Annoyed, it stood up and bared its teeth at Black Moon.

Black Moon raised its head disdainfully, folded its wings—each several meters long—at its sides, and placed its talons on Xi Gu’s shoulder, striking a haughty pose.

The gray shadow grew even more displeased, its back arching slightly as if gathering strength.

While Black Moon appeared indifferent, its wings quietly bristled, the razor-sharp feathers at their tips standing upright and glinting with a cold, black sheen.

The tension was palpable—it seemed another battle of eagle versus hound was about to erupt.

At this moment of confrontation, Xi Gu waved his hand.

“All right, all right, both of you settle down.”

The gray shadow instantly released its gathered strength, muttering a grumbling sound from its throat—something like “whimper, it was the hawk who started it”—then obediently lay down again, rubbing against Xi Gu’s trouser leg.

Black Moon, though still holding its head high in utter disdain, also withdrew the blade-like feathers from its wings.

“This time, Black Moon, you did very well. You patrolled the skies for several days and found me a suitable test subject, helping my plan advance another step.”

Not long ago, he had seemed the enigmatic and unfathomable “Master of the Temple of Emanation,” standing beyond the universe itself. Now, standing on the wildlands at longitude 119°32′ east, latitude 29°72′ north on Earth, he smiled at the “Divine Envoy Black Moon.”

Though the “Divine Envoy Black Moon” looked proud beyond measure, upon hearing Xi Gu’s praise, its inner voice radiated with delight:

“My master’s tasks… I will always complete them perfectly, unlike that foolish dog.”

As it spoke, it shot a sidelong glance at the gray shadow.

Though he could not hear its inner voice, Xi Gu could well imagine what Black Moon was saying. The gray shadow snorted in response, clinging even more devotedly to Xi Gu’s trouser leg, letting out a plaintive whimper.

“Can’t the two of you show a little more extraordinary awareness and extraordinary dignity?” Xi Gu smiled helplessly.

He patted the gray shadow’s head.

“All right, don’t be so aggrieved. You’ll have plenty of chances to shine in the future… the future Divine Envoy Gray Shadow of the Temple of Emanation!”

…

Unaware of what was happening out in the fields, Yang Luo, after his connection with the “Master of the Temple of Emanation” was severed, set out drenched in sweat toward his rented apartment in Qingxia City.

To call it “walking” was not quite accurate. Now, with only a slight exertion, he could leap dozens of meters in the blink of an eye. If he sprinted at full speed, he could instantly cover more than a hundred meters in a single bound.

Fortunately, the enhancement brought by the “Divine Elixir of Emanation” included not only a fundamental leap in the level of life itself, but also subtle, precise control and incredibly powerful perception. Thus, Yang Luo did not find himself in the awkward situation of immediately becoming a viral sensation on short video apps.

Moving like a wandering dragon, he traversed hills and mountains, slowing down only upon entering the city so as to appear like a bedraggled hiker. While he still attracted attention, he avoided becoming an urban legend.

As he walked the city streets, Yang Luo’s mind lingered on the words just spoken by the “Master of the Temple of Emanation.”

“…The Old Days shall soon return, and the gods will inevitably come back—”

That phrase weighed upon his heart like a boulder.

He had no way of knowing that it was merely a setting someone had devised on a whim for their own amusement, to add a touch of style to the future “Age of the Extraordinary.”

For Yang Luo, the power within him and the voice in his mind were irrefutable proof. The stronger he became, the more he realized the greatness of the existence behind that voice. He believed every word Xi Gu had spoken without reservation.

—Because there was no reason to doubt.

And if he believed it all, even a single sentence like that contained enough information to occupy his thoughts for a long while, making the world seem ever more mysterious and profound.

“Haa…

“…‘The Old Days,’ ‘the gods’… Just hearing those names, I can sense an existence unimaginably hidden and powerful—beings worthy of the title ‘god.’ If they should appear in this world, the shock they bring… I fear that in the very moment they reveal themselves, the rules of the entire world would be reshuffled…”

“…Luckily, I have already inherited the legacy of the Temple of Emanation. Though it’s just my feeling, I suspect the Master himself may well be a being on par with a ‘god’… Sheltering beneath a mighty tree, at the very least, if the gods truly return, I should be able to secure a place for myself in the newly changed world…

“…But, since they are ‘gods,’ there are likely others like the Master. In that case, perhaps others will have the chance I had, becoming the disciples or believers of other divinities…

“…I still know too little; all this is only speculation.”

He let out a soft breath and raised his head.

His apartment door was before him. Unbeknownst to him, he had already walked home.

Opening the door, the familiar arrangement greeted him. It had been less than a day since he left, yet returning now, Yang Luo felt as if a lifetime had passed.

—On the table lay both his suicide note and his phone. Looking at the words on the note, Yang Luo instinctively touched his chest. Never before had he so deeply felt how insignificant he had been.

“Humans are so fragile…”

He picked up his phone, unlocked it, and saw that the scheduled message to his parents had not yet been sent. He canceled it at once, feeling relieved. Grasping the suicide note in his hands, he rubbed it between his palms until it crumbled into drifting gray-white ash.

The paper fragments fell like snowflakes.

The scraps on the floor resembled his former life.

“…It’s all over.”

In that moment, he felt it with absolute clarity.

“I’ve been given a second chance—an opportunity beyond anyone’s imagination. This time, I won’t waste it. I’ll make sure my parents and I live a happy life.”

With this thought, a deep longing rose in his heart. Having survived disaster, the urge to see his family again welled up powerfully within him.

Yang Luo picked up his phone and called his parents.

“Hello, Dad, Mom… It’s nothing, really, I just missed you…

“I’ll come home in a few days… What? Still living in the village? Not used to the house in town? Sigh, you’ve worked hard all your lives, it’s time for a good rest—no need to work the fields anymore…

“All right… I’ll come see you soon…”

Yang Luo put down his phone, the warm smile lingering at the corners of his lips.

But at the same time, his gaze grew razor sharp.

“A few more days before I go home… But before that, I have an account to settle.

“Whether it’s Sheng Yi, or the team leader and Huang Cheng, I can fully understand their actions—it was all to cut costs and increase profits… In that case, I trust they’ll also understand what I’m about to do, won’t they?”