Heroes Return

"To save him, this is the only way," Dao Qizhan said calmly.

"..." The bespectacled man remained silent until Lin Jie and the others decided to step forward and offer some words of comfort. Only then did he calmly speak: "I... damn it, why is it that even after such painful training, mine still won't work!"

After saying that, the bespectacled guy looked at Lin Jie, Xiao Zhan, and the others with a displeased expression: "Do I really look that weak?"

"To be honest, it doesn't seem to pose much of a threat. If you're interested, you could try going for the 'warm guy' route." Xiao Zhan sighed helplessly, "Sorry, it seems your chance has been shattered this time."

"So what if the Kunlun Mirror is broken!" The bespectacled man seemed somewhat indifferent. "After all, something like that shouldn't be used directly by any one person. There are just too many secrets to its power. It wouldn't be a good thing to give such a thing to anyone else."

"It's good that you can think positively." Lin Jie walked over at this time: "There is a gap of a whole thousand years between you and the Mirror Master. If you could beat the Mirror Master with a simple improvement, that would be truly unfair."

Chapter Thirty Epilogue

When Lin Jie and the others reappeared outside Kunshan, William and Jiu Ming had already disappeared.

"Huh? Where did those two guys go? I was hoping to have a good chat with those two arrogant bastards." Xiao Zhan held the comic book while looking around at the scenery, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Forget it, those two are gone, let them go." Lin Jie didn't seem to care much. "I believe that after this incident, they won't easily provoke others again."

"That's true." Xiao Zhan nodded helplessly after hearing Lin Jie's words: "But these two guys really have guts to mess with Senior Dao Qizhan!"

Upon hearing the other party's words, Dao Qizhan's expression remained unchanged. He simply said calmly, "Now that this matter is settled, let's take our leave."

After saying that, before Lin Jie and the others could react, Dao Qizhan's figure had already transformed into a sword light and disappeared into the sky.

The sword light continuously traversed the heavens and earth, eventually returning to the place where Dao Qizhan had appeared—the sacred ground of the Sword Hall. And atop the mountain gate of the Sword Hall Sacred Ground, hundreds of Sword Hall experts were waiting. Each of them exuded an incomparably powerful and exceptionally sharp aura. However, the moment Dao Qizhan appeared, all of them involuntarily concealed their auras.

"I didn't expect that all my senior uncles, grandmasters, and fellow disciples would be here to welcome me." As Dao Qizhan returned to the Sword Hall, he spoke calmly to everyone present. Although he spoke with great respect, there was no change in his tone of voice.

"It seems you're finally going to take that step!" Seeing Dao Qizhan's appearance, the leading elders of the Sword Hall all nodded in agreement. One of the elders stepped forward and said, "It seems your master didn't die in vain. From today onwards, you are the ninth generation leader of our Sword Hall! I just don't know how long you can stay here as leader."

Hearing the other party's words, Dao Qizhan's expression remained calm, even frighteningly so: "The cause and effect are settled, and I should be leaving soon. This place contains the eyes of the founding patriarch and the credentials of the sect leader. The grandmasters should find a successor as soon as possible."

"So fast? No wonder you are the most talented disciple since the founding of our Sword Hall." An old man said to Dao Qizhan with a slightly surprised tone, and as he spoke, he had already taken the items that Dao Qizhan handed over: "From now on, you can focus on your cultivation. Also, do you have a suitable candidate in mind for the position of Sword Hall leader? After all, the leaders of each generation are appointed by the previous leader."

"I've only taken on one disciple, but she's not strong enough yet," Dao Qizhan said calmly, before walking towards a distant mountain peak. "I'm going into seclusion for a while."

"Really? We understand." Upon hearing Dao Qizhan's words, the others around him remained silent.

"I already know about Xiao Sansheng's matter." Just as Dao Qizhan was about to disappear from everyone's sight, he suddenly turned to the crowd and asked, "In your hearts, is he still a traitor of the Sword Hall?"

“If he wants, he can come back anytime,” an elder from the Sword Hall suddenly said. “But unfortunately, that’s impossible now.”

"..." Upon hearing his words, Dao Qizhan walked towards the mountain peak without further questions.

Both Dao Qizhan and the others in the Sword Hall knew very well that when Dao Qizhan left that mountain again, it would be the time when he completely left the Sword Hall and had no further connection with this world.

……

With Dao Qizhan gone, Lin Jie and the others didn't hesitate any longer. Lin Jie carried the girl left behind by the Kunlun Immortal Sect on his back, and the group walked down the mountain together.

"Speaking of which, what are you planning to do with this beauty? Should you leave her with me and let me take care of her?" Xiao Zhan suddenly asked Lin Jie.

"Since Dao Qizhan has entrusted her to me, why don't you come and stay at my house for a while?" Lin Jie said with a smile to everyone present. "After all, this girl is, in a way, my mentor's daughter. By the way, you're not planning to take advantage of this opportunity to do anything to this ancient beauty, are you?"

"You underestimate me!!" Hearing the other party's words, Xiao Zhan only gave Lin Jie a disdainful look: "I have seven or eight big men secretly watching me every day. If I dare to do anything ambiguous with other women, these big men will immediately jump out and break my third leg..."

As he spoke, Xiao Zhan was almost in tears. Seeing Xiao Zhan's expression, Lin Jie fell silent.

"By the way, Glasses Bro, you said you followed a light called Dawn Starlight back to your body? And inexplicably gained the Kunlun Mirror's approval?"

"..." While Lin Jie and the others were talking, the man with glasses didn't seem to be listening. His gaze remained fixed on his feet, as if he were deep in thought. It wasn't until Lin Jie asked several times that the man with glasses finally looked up suspiciously.

"That point of light? The person I met did say that to me." The bespectacled man thought for a moment, then said to Lin Jie and the others, "That light was truly amazing. Although I don't know what that point of light did, I'm certain that the changes in my body are related to that point of light."

"The starlight of dawn?" Upon hearing his words, Lin Jie grabbed the bespectacled man's shoulder immediately: "Where exactly is that point of light now?"

As soon as Lin Jie grabbed him, the bespectacled man instantly felt a powerful force pierce through his arm and exclaimed, "Damn it! Are you planning to cripple me?"

As he spoke, the bespectacled man began to struggle violently. Lin Jie noticed his distress and quickly stepped back, releasing his grip on the bespectacled man's arm: "Where is that light spot now! I've been wanting information about it!!!"

"According to one point of view? I remember trying to grab it. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't touch it. And when I returned to my body, the light spot went out on its own." The bespectacled man frowned and thought for a moment.

"So you still didn't see its true face after all?" Hearing the bespectacled man's words, Lin Jie couldn't help but show a look of frustration on his face, but he quickly regained his composure: "I know. By the way, what were you thinking about just now?"

As Lin Jie and the others were speaking, they had already left the illusion of Kunlun Mountain, and the surroundings had once again returned to the appearance of the tourist site.

"My abilities seem to have improved," the bespectacled man suddenly said to Lin Jie. "Although I don't know why, there's one thing I'm certain of: now, if you give me a mirror, or a piece of glass, or even the pond we're standing in, I can immediately take you to another mirror or pond. I can get you across using a time-travel method."

As everyone was talking, the group of people present had already left the Kunlun Mountains. Upon seeing this scene, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but speak up.

“In that case, let’s just use the buildings along the road to get back. That would be more convenient, right? Are the windows on the side of the buildings okay? Just set the return point to my building. After all, my building has a lot of large windows downstairs,” Xiao Zhan said after thinking for a moment.

“Leave it to me. Now all you have to do is walk into the glass with me at the same time.” The bespectacled man said, pulling everyone present towards the glass of the building. “All of you grab me and follow me. I’m pretty sure I can handle Shu Yong’s strength with ease.”

Immediately to everyone's surprise, the man with glasses and his companions entered the glass enclosure.

What's amazing is that the exit on the other side of the glass is right on the glass of Xiao Zhan's building, but there's still a slight difference. Although the exit is on the exterior glass of Xiao Zhan's building, it's actually on the 32nd floor...

"Glasses—I—fuck—your—first—man!" With each word uttered, Xiao Zhan and the others fell straight down the building.

……

Then it appeared on the front page of the daily newspaper the next day.

The title, “Shocking! A notorious villain, under pressure from public opinion, actually dragged his teammates to commit suicide by jumping off a building!!!” was followed by three large exclamation marks. As for the face in the emoji, it was undoubtedly Lin Jie's, except that his eyes were covered by a black line.

"Holy crap! What's with this treatment, like being caught soliciting prostitution and getting it reported?! Oh my god!!" Lin Jie almost smashed his phone upon seeing this. However, after some deliberation, he ultimately gave up.

But he had just put down his phone when his gaze met Lin Wan's slightly resentful look at the dining table.

"What's wrong with you, Lin Wan? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You know what? Bro, there's nothing wrong with a guy bringing one girl home. But a guy who keeps bringing girls home is a jerk." Lin Wan said to Lin Jie with a hint of resentment, "And didn't you promise me you wouldn't bring any more girls home?"

"Well... it's really nothing, isn't it?" Hearing Lin Wan's words, Lin Jie said helplessly, "These are all beyond our control. Haven't I already explained them to you?"

"I know, but I'm still upset. Why has my brother, who used to be a useless loser that nobody wanted, suddenly become a scumbag who keeps bringing girls home?" Lin Wan said with a resentful expression.

"Actually, I..."

"Sister, what is a scumbag?" Mu Mu asked Lin Wan in confusion after hearing her words.

"Yeah, what is a scumbag?" Tristette, who was at the same table, suddenly asked Lin Jie with a puzzled look.

"You can tell just by looking at him," Lin Wan said irritably.

"Is that so? Then Mu Mu likes scumbags the most!" Mu Mu said with a smile after hearing Lin Wan's words.

"Absolutely not! Remember this: if you ever find out who's a scumbag, you must kill them immediately!" Lin Wan explained right away.

"But brother..."

"Except for my brother..." Lin Wan, at a loss for words, helplessly explained to Mu Mu.

Seeing this scene, Lin Jie felt much more relaxed.

Volume 27, Destroying Gods

Chapter One

What exactly is God? Some people think that anyone who can do things that ordinary people cannot is a god, but others have a different understanding.

To another group, God is a symbol, an abstract spiritual anchor. Humanity's inherent weakness and fear of the unknown drive them to seek something to rely on, even if it's just spiritual dependence. They yearn to live under the protection of a supreme being, an entity representing all phenomena in the world. And it is precisely for this reason that those who hope to live under such protection will ultimately call this being God.

In the minds of these people, God governs everything in this world, and it is with the appearance of God that myths and stories began to be born in different places and different worlds. Even different civilizations, different races, and different countries. But they all unanimously choose to believe in one god.

In this respect, all humanity was once the same. God's power was once above all other rights in this world, because in people's eyes, God was the world itself, the will that belonged to this world.

However, with the rise of civilization, the invention of the steam engine, and the emergence of electricity, humanity entered its first technological explosion in history. It was during this period that all the gods disappeared. Although some still firmly believed in the existence of deities, no one ever saw them again or received any divine revelation.

Gradually, another group of people emerged: atheists.

At this point, the world was divided into two viewpoints. The first was that of atheists who firmly believed in science and refused to believe in deities. The second group, however, believed that humanity should believe in deities because only in this way could the human spirit exercise self-restraint, preventing the committing of so many outrageous and terrible acts, and thus avoiding the fear of retribution.

However, the latter forgets one thing: those who are unwilling to believe in gods still believe in themselves, in basic human morality, and in the law and fundamental human decency. In contrast, during the theocratic era, humanity was far more brutal. In the name of God, humans could commit acts that even the devil would find terrifying.

……

Sipping his red wine, Solomon gazed at the distant sky. He was atop a building somewhere in the city, elegantly enjoying his wine and watching the sunset. Lately, the image of a certain man had been frequently appearing in his mind. That man was Lin Jie, a man who had shattered all prophecies and speculations.

As he spoke those words to Papiyas, he looked up at the sky. Right before him, a man in white robes was watching Solomon.

“We hope you will hand over that pillar.” The white-robed man spoke calmly once more. “The gods need that pillar. This is the will of the world, and you should not disobey it. Long ago, long before you were born, everything was arranged. This is your mission, and now you should fulfill it.”

"So you're saying you're on one side this time? I never expected you'd choose that side this time?" Hearing this, Solomon calmly replied, "Is this the truth you've pondered for thousands of years? To bring the gods back to the world and start a divine war?"

"It all depends on you." The white-robed man's tone remained calm: "Hand over that pillar, and the war of the gods will not happen. You can also reappear before the world in a greater capacity."

"Hehe, do you think I wouldn't agree? You know I'm a demon! Why would I help a god?" Solomon said, and a pair of bat wings appeared behind her. Around her, the figures of girls from all over the world appeared, each dressed in special magical clothing and holding a wand. They were looking at the white-robed figure with puzzled expressions.

These are all girls who signed contracts with the messengers of Baphomet during this period and became witches. In fact, in their eyes, they have only become magical girls who protect the world, but they are unaware that their bodies have been unknowingly transformed into something forbidden.

"It seems you're still unwilling to cooperate." Seeing this, the white-robed man sighed helplessly: "For the sake of truth, for the sake of the world's order, this time our Council of Truth has no choice but to take action."

"Your Council of Truth's truth? All I see is utter folly, Master Awakening," Solomon sneered, then slowly said, "Do you think you can handle me and the seventy-two demons with your strength alone? Besides, the Seven Deadly Sins will all descend!"

"The Seven Deadly Sins? Sorry, they won't descend." Hearing this, the man known as the Awakening Master simply smiled and said to Solomon, "You should know that this time, none of the lower-ranking demons can emerge. Before the Great Cleansing and the New Era arrive in this world, the demons will have no chance to act."

"Hehe, I was hoping to scare you, but it seems I can't now. But you can't defeat me by yourself!" Solomon said with a smile again, "Speaking of which, I still don't understand what your Council of Truth is doing. It's clearly just a bunch of old fogies sitting down for a tea party, yet you're spouting all sorts of childish nonsense."

They often act superior, believing they hold humanity's destiny in their hands. But it seems you've long since lost control of this world, haven't you?

"We have never controlled the world. All we have to do is guide humanity, which has strayed outward, back onto the right path," the Awakening Master said calmly.

"The right path in your eyes? It may not be what humanity wants! I think humanity seems quite happy with its life right now!" Solo and the others said with a smile.

"They are indeed very happy, but such happiness will only lead to the premature destruction of this planet. Therefore, we need a new era." The Awakening Master said with a smile, "Humans only care about themselves and do not pay attention to everything in this world and the truth. So someone needs to stand up and pull them back to the right path."

"Hehe, to put it bluntly, it's still just the path you think is right!" Solomon said with a smile. "If that's all you have to say, then I think I can make my move! Taking out one of the members of the Council of Truth first seems like a good idea!"

"Hmph! Do you really think you can kill me so easily?" the Awakening Master said, and a staff suddenly appeared in his hand. It was a staff without any light, and it looked completely different from others, but as soon as Solomon saw this staff, his eyes narrowed involuntarily.

"The Staff of Truth!"

"As expected of one of the wisest people in human history, you even recognize this? In that case, you should know what his appearance represents. Don't try to oppose the Council of Truth, you should just give up."

"Of course I know! Since you came alone, you must have brought some troublesome things." Solomon smiled again. "That's why I've been stalling for time! Hehe."

Do you believe there is anyone among humanity who can save you?

"I don't know if I can handle it. But I'll protect this woman." A slightly lazy voice suddenly rang out, and almost at the same time, Lin Jie appeared in front of everyone present.