Chapter 602 - 49: Highly Efficient Su Zhou

Unfortunately, to finish off Bornev as quickly as possible and prevent him from recovering enough strength to escape, Su Zhou, who was still heavily injured himself, had no choice but to channel his evolved Evil-Devouring Demon Lord power. He transformed the Evil Soul into a Soul Weapon, fused it with the Blade of Annihilation, and then set it ablaze with Karmic Fire, cleaving Bornev in two with a single strike.

This was indeed a powerful burst technique unique to Su Zhou, but the price was that the Evil Souls of the Reborn and the Controller were now mere remnants.

[Evil Soul of the Reborn, Brande]

[The Blood Soul Devourer, fated to be devoured. Though its retribution was incomplete, incineration was its final end.]

[Remnants of an Evil Soul incinerated by Karmic Fire. May still have some use.]

[Evil Soul of the Controller, Levitt]

[She who saw minds and fates as toys in her palm, how could she know she was but a meal on another’s plate? Though her retribution was incomplete, incineration was her final end.]

[Remnants of an Evil Soul incinerated by Karmic Fire. May still have some use.]

The Controller was the one ’formidable foe’ Su Zhou had never fought head-on—in theory, she was incredibly powerful, but she had been instantly defeated the moment he deployed his Wish Shield, which was powered by two entire worlds. The fact that she could generate an Evil Soul proved her strength was likely just a step away from Commander Tier. She could have broken through at any moment, making her roughly as powerful as the Daoist Saint and Math Saint Su Zhou had seen in the Celestial Capital two months prior.

The Reborn was even more impressive. Su Zhou had once blocked his Naraku Demon Fire, a malevolent force with destructive power rivaling that of Karmic Fire. This Demon Fire could incinerate all feelings of joy, all pleasant memories, and any sense of optimism. Its aftershocks alone could plunge a cheerful person into the depths of severe depression.

In truth, Su Zhou couldn’t completely block the Demon Fire’s power either. The only reason he’d been able to resist its corrosion before was because of his state of mind at the time. The thought of getting to kill so many evil people made him so deliriously happy that the Demon Fire couldn’t burn away his joy as fast as he could generate it.

It was like in a competitive game, when you insta-lock a certain hero and immediately mute all nine other players. The toxicity just can’t catch up with your fun.

So, before Su Zhou could develop depression and become even more manic and dangerous, the Reborn was struck and set ablaze by his Karmic Fire Gatling. It was hard to say if that was fortunate or not. After all, it’s well known that depression can lead to mania, and Su Zhou himself couldn’t guarantee what he would become if he had a manic episode.

’Maybe I would have used the Reborn as a human lantern, just to see how long he could burn on the smallest possible flame?’

As for the Evil Souls of the other Spirit Summoning Association leaders, only the Silent’s remained relatively intact.

[Evil Soul of Silent Bornev]

[A Soul, wrapped in anguish, that can hear the hearts of men.]

[An Evil Soul containing pure demonic power.]

[Use: Greatly increases all-around spiritual resistance, greatly strengthens soul fortitude, and raises pain tolerance.]

[Can also be forged with Spiritual Energy into a ’Shared Suffering’ Enchantment, applicable to all equipment and items.]

[Forge with a special method to create the Soul Weapon: ’Dusk Scales of Penance’.]

[Refine with a special method and consume to obtain the ’Thoughtless Mind’ legacy.]

[The hearts of men are filled with void and sorrow. A child who could hear them was submerged from birth at the bottom of this ocean, never once rising to witness the surface.]

[Thus, upon seeing a light pierce the ocean depths, he became like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline, holding on so tightly he would drag it down with him.]

[It can see tranquility, and it can see anguish. The silent surface of the water is nothing but a mirror.]

’Thoughtless... so that’s how it is. The Silent was born with a Divine Technique similar to Telepathy, which meant he could naturally hear the thoughts of everyone around him?’

’And after being influenced by Dusk, his power to connect with others’ minds transformed into the power to share their pain. This guy... from the moment he was born, he shouldered the suffering of everyone around him. He listened to every sorrowful or self-loathing inner voice, until he came to believe that pain was the only truth in the universe.’

His Evil-Devouring Demon Lord Divine Technique, now enhanced by his True Soul, allowed him to analyze the essence of an Evil Soul without having to consume it. Through this Divine Technique, Su Zhou got a glimpse into the past of the monster he had just slain, and he couldn’t help but shake his head. ’That Bornev... if he had grown up in a happy, loving, and normal environment, he might have turned out to be a good person.’

’But being born in Ross Country at that time, he was surrounded by those kinds of people... Evil is like a flower. Its bloom may be what catches the eye, but the soil that allows it to take root is what truly needs to be purged.’

Then again, Su Zhou knew full well that the Silent, born with the ’Thoughtless’ ability and a naturally clear mind, could never have become an ordinary person, even if he had grown up in the kindest, most wonderful environment imaginable.

’Those who are born different are destined to be different.’

’Just like me.’

With that thought, Su Zhou returned the Silent’s Evil Soul to his Soul Space. He then stepped through the Space-Time Sect and returned to Earth, ready to wait for Rafael’s dinner invitation. The environment in the Demon Realm was truly awful. While the miasma didn’t bother him, he had no desire to linger.

Just then, a high-ranking official from the Harmony Bureau—someone Su Zhou recognized from television and a United International conference—approached him. He was accompanied by a young, pleasant-looking man from Zhengguo.

"Mr. Levler, you certainly took your sweet time getting here."

Su Zhou teased the middle-aged, blond-haired man, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and had hair that looked as if it were cemented in place with gel. He was referring to the fact that reinforcements from the Harmony Bureau had only arrived a full three minutes after he had already defeated the Silent.

"Professor Su, we arrived within five minutes. That’s hardly ’taking our sweet time.’"

The Harmony Bureau official, Levler, whose Chinese was quite good, responded to Su Zhou’s jab with a helpless sigh. "All I can say is that you’re just too efficient. Who could have possibly imagined you’d be able to take care of the Spirit Summoning Association’s people without even moving from your spot?"

"’Just lucky, that’s all. Just lucky.’"

Su Zhou replied, then turned to the pleasant-looking young man from Zhengguo who was smiling at him. "And you are...?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I am Wu Chongwen."

The young man faced Su Zhou and offered a smile that was perfect, yet a little too practiced. He extended a hand as if to shake Su Zhou’s. "Of course, I haven’t used that name in a long time."

"You can call me by a name you’re more familiar with. For instance, the ’Artifice Sage.’"