“Director, they want to leave,” the assistant director came back to report to the director.
Kemairo’s expression remained calm. “Then let them leave. Just do whatever they ask for.”
The assistant director finally couldn’t hold back and asked, confused, “Those two don’t seem like particularly powerful Transcendents. Is there really any reason for us to be afraid of them?”
Kemairo smiled and replied, “It’s not about being afraid or not. They’re Transcendents, after all. Since we’re helping them now, who knows? They might come in handy someday.”
The assistant director’s eyes lit up. “You’re sharp, Director.”
“Besides, they’ve agreed to let us use the footage in the movie. That means whatever they’re going through isn’t anything secret. We don’t have to worry about being silenced or anything. Just think of it as making a couple of friends.”
……
Su Mo was carried by Hong as they flew toward Shikoku Island. He planned to visit Shikoku Island first, then head back to Tokyo.
He wasn’t going to Shikoku Island for any other reason—he just wanted to see with his own eyes what had happened there.
In just one month, Earth had changed dramatically.
Stories about the volcanic eruption on Shikoku Island, the mysterious old man saving humanity, and all sorts of other tales were spreading like wildfire online. For a while, everyone had their own version of events.
Su Mo couldn’t learn much from the internet. He only knew that a month ago, Shikoku Island suddenly experienced a volcanic eruption of immense power that affected almost the entire globe. In the end, a mysterious old man stepped in, reversed time itself, saved humanity, and sealed off the disaster zone—Shikoku Island.
Besides text, there were also photos, but it was impossible to tell which ones were real and which were fake. The whole time-reversal thing, though… that was just way too absurd.
Was that something a human could even do?
But coincidentally, the day the disaster happened was exactly the same day he, Hong, and Yun had been fighting inside the volcano ruins. The timing matched perfectly.
When Su Mo saw this news, he felt like someone was pressing down on his heart, so heavy that he could barely breathe.
He had used Yin Fire to ignite the mine, but ended up accidentally causing a massive explosion throughout the entire volcano ruins.
He did that.
So, was the volcanic eruption related to that?
He wished it wasn’t. But all the signs pointed to the fact that he was the culprit behind the Shikoku Island volcanic eruption. He was the one directly responsible for the deaths of millions, the direct suffering of tens of millions, and the indirect harm to hundreds of millions—including many citizens of Xia Country.
If that mysterious old man hadn’t stepped in, the consequences would have been even more unimaginable. Hundreds of millions could have died unnatural deaths. Billions would have suffered to some degree. The nearest island nation might have faced total annihilation.
When Su Mo first learned about this, he almost fainted dead away. The only reason he didn’t completely break down was that Hong was there, guiding him through it.
But even so, he was now like a walking corpse—utterly drained, mentally exhausted to the extreme, his pretty face completely drained of color.
“Princess Consort?”
“Yeah.”
Hong carried him as they flew over the Pacific Ocean, getting closer and closer to Shikoku Island.
She called out to him every now and then, afraid that he might fall into despair and have a mental breakdown.
Truth be told, she had always harbored some hatred toward Su Mo. It was just lighter now. After all, he really had almost blown her up. If she hadn’t activated her forbidden technique at the critical moment to return to the Celestial Demon Domain, she probably wouldn’t even be ashes by now.
It was only during their time in the Celestial Demon Domain that their relationship started to improve. And in a way, Su Mo had helped her kill Yun—a fellow Seeker and a traitor of the Celestial Demon Tribe.
So even though she didn’t hate him as much anymore, it wasn’t like they were on good terms either. If it weren’t for the Celestial Demon King Shuang’er’s orders, she probably would have already thrown him into the sea to feed the fish.
As Shikoku Island appeared on the horizon, Su Mo finally lifted his head. What greeted his eyes was a world utterly devoid of life.
Everywhere he looked, there was volcanic rock. The air was gray and hazy. It looked like hell on earth.
A transparent dome covered the entire Shikoku Island like a pot lid. But the space above the dome was still a restricted zone because the temperatures there were extremely unstable. This had also caused far more typhoons in the surrounding area than usual.
They didn’t get too close. There were military patrols in the area, along with quite a few Transcendents inside.
“Don’t blame yourself too much. What if the volcano ruins were going to explode anyway, and you just lit the fuse, making the disaster happen earlier?” Hong said as she flew with him toward Tokyo. “I mean, you’re only a C-rank. No matter how strong Yin Fire is, it couldn’t possibly blow up an entire ruin.”
Su Mo had thought about that too. Yin Fire couldn’t have destroyed the ruins. But that still didn’t mean he had nothing to do with what happened.
He just responded flatly, saying he was fine.
He always thought of himself as strong-minded. But he still couldn’t accept this.
It was too horrible.
Millions of lives. So many families…
“Sister Hong, let’s not go to Tokyo first.”
Hearing him speak, Hong finally let out a sigh. “Where do you want to go, then?”
Su Mo was silent for a moment. “Just find any city and drop me off. I want to be alone for a while.”
Hong caught the meaning behind his words and said, with a hint of displeasure, “So you’re basically trying to get rid of me.”
Su Mo forced a faint smile. “You have your own things to do. You don’t need to be my personal chauffeur.”
“Fine. Give me your phone number. Once I get my new identity papers, I’ll call you. That way we can stay in touch.” Hong didn’t say much else and agreed to his request.
In the end, Su Mo was dropped off in Osaka. He walked alone through the neon-lit city, looking rather downtrodden.
Soon enough, a few young hooligans with dyed hair—who clearly had nothing better to do—noticed him. They followed him for a while. After confirming he wasn’t a Transcendent, they surrounded him.
“Hey there, little sister. Breakup got you down? Why the long face? How about we keep you company?” The leader of the three was a skinny, tall guy with flashy green hair and a fierce black dragon tattooed across his bare chest.
The other two flanked him, looking cocky.
Su Mo shot them a cold glare. “Get lost.”
The icy look in his eyes made all three feel like Death itself was staring at them. They froze in place, not daring to move. Those beautiful eyes held such terrifying intimidation.
The green-haired guy refused to believe it. He chased after her again. “Ice queen. I like that.”
Suddenly, a devastatingly handsome man rushed out from the side. He kicked the green-haired guy square in the stomach, and the guy immediately started howling in pain.
“Hey there, beautiful. Are you okay?” The insanely handsome man asked with concern. “Where do you live? Need me to walk you home?”
Su Mo was taken aback. That voice sounded familiar. He turned around and saw that it was none other than Cao Shanghong. But since Cao Shanghong was currently disguised, he didn’t recognize Su Mo.
“Thanks. No need.” Su Mo pretended not to know him and turned to leave.
Cao Shanghong was utterly stunned. He ignored me?
The thing was, with his looks, no girl ever walked past without at least glancing back. But this one acted so cold and indifferent.
Watching Su Mo’s retreating figure, Cao Shanghong murmured to himself, “I like her…”
