[Leaving Linji Island]

The Black Longsword was blocked once more.

But Ye Zhen, who shared no blood with him, was in no better shape. The force behind the sword sent him flying, and he crashed onto the cold floor.

The marble floor caved in beneath him.

Ye Yun gave his opponent no chance. He gripped the Black Longsword and brought it down on Ye Zhen.

Earlier, this had been your home turf.

Now, it was mine.

You couldn't get away with anything forever.

"Bastard!"

Ye Zhen scrambled to his feet and charged toward Feiran and the others.

"Clang!"

A dull sound rang through the Great Hall.

Ye Yun suddenly appeared in front of him. The sword in his hand lashed out like a nimble snake and smacked into Ye Zhen.

In an instant,

the armor on Ye Zhen's chest shattered, and he was sent flying sideways back onto the cold throne.

Ye Yun stopped attacking, resting the Black Longsword on his shoulder as he watched with interest while Ye Zhen landed on the throne.

Now that was power.

Ye Zhen was indeed fast, but Micro Wormhole Transport Technology still gave him far too great an advantage.

His Super Gene covered many fields,

including time and space, speed, and more.

No matter how fast you were, speed was nothing in the face of spatial power.

Electric arcs flickering across his body, Ye Zhen struggled to his feet on the throne and asked, "What exactly are you? A bio-engineered weapon, or something else?"

"You can think of me as a god!"

As he spoke, an indescribable, lofty aura rose from Ye Yun.

It was the disdain of a higher life-form for a lower one.

"A god?"

Ye Zhen couldn't help laughing. "If you said that science eventually leads to theology, I might believe you. But if you say you're a god, I really don't buy it."

"Actually, gods are just something ignorant people made up to give themselves something to believe in. The way I see it, a god is simply a life-form stronger than an ordinary person. Like a certain civilization whose people were only a little stronger than ordinary people, yet they called themselves gods."

Ye Yun shrugged, reminded of a civilization in the universe he'd once lived in, and couldn't help making fun of it.

"So you've encountered an alien civilization?" Ye Zhen asked curiously.

"No." Ye Yun shrugged. "I just came to that conclusion from watching an anime."

Ye Zhen: "..."

He had a few choice words on the tip of his tongue.

Behind him, Feiran and the others struggled to hold back their laughter.

"All right, enough joking. Prepare to die."

In a flash,

Ye Yun charged at Ye Zhen with the Black Longsword in hand.

It was time to end this.

In response,

Ye Zhen slowly closed his eyes.

He understood.

His plan could no longer be carried out.

Because of the young man before him,

the era of the Intelligent Beings had ended the moment they attacked the Ancient Castle.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound rang out.

Ye Yun's sharp Black Longsword cut Ye Zhen's head from his neck.

The cut was neat and smooth,

as if it had been made with a laser.

Electric arcs crackled inside the head.

"It's over."

Ye Yun bent down, picked up the mechanical head, and set it on the throne's armrest. He pushed Ye Zhen's corpse aside and sat down on the throne.

The throne didn't really mean anything.

If it had any significance,

it was probably just the seat where the Ancient Castle's owner sat.

He stowed his equipment in the Dark Dimension, looked around at everyone in the Great Hall, and smiled.

"Y-you... how?" Feiran ran over, staring at him in disbelief.

"I heard my future children would take my surname, so I turned back after nearly going through the gates of hell."

Ye Yun smiled at Feiran standing before him.

"You, you, you..."

She covered her little mouth and stared at Ye Yun. Judging from the way he spoke, it seemed he'd known for a long time.

"Get ready to leave. All of you."

He looked toward Professor Qin Hui, Professor Jianjie, Qi Yang, Zhuo Ran, Qin Yan, and the others. "And take the Intelligent Beings with you. I hope you'll keep what happened today to yourselves. Otherwise, I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth."

"Y-yes. We understand."

Zhuo Ran wasn't about to act foolish now. He nodded again and again.

Ye Yun's power was absurd.

He had to be the protagonist of some movie or TV show. Otherwise, how could someone get beaten up, come back to life on the spot, and become countless times stronger than before?

"Um, I..."

Qin Yan looked at Ye Yun, unable to bring herself to finish.

"I have a fiancée. I was only teasing you back then and trying to make her jealous." Ye Yun could tell why Qin Yan was hesitating. "Go back. You've still got school."

"Are you a devil?"

At Ye Yun's last remark, indignation showed on Qin Yan's flawless face. Are you a devil?

I just wanted to skip class at your Ancient Castle for a while.

"My name's Show Off."

Ye Yun grinned and waved at Qin Yan.

"Well, then, we won't stay here any longer. I hope you'll invite me to your wedding with the lovely Feiran so I can raise a glass. After all, we went through a lot together."

Qi Yang gave a slight nod and looked at Ye Yun, seated on the throne.

"Sure."

Ye Yun watched as they left with the Intelligent Beings Qin Yan, Ye Yun, and Ye Qiao Er. He turned his gaze to Qiya, the Intelligent Being Qiya, Feiran, and the Ice Weapon, but said nothing.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye,

half a year passed.

News that the Intelligent Beings had been completely destroyed swept across the world.

The world celebrated.

The World Security Council also outlawed Intelligent Beings, prohibiting any company anywhere in the world from producing them. Anyone who violated the ban would be fined until they were bankrupt.

As for Ye Yun,

he returned to an ordinary life.

Qiya left Linji Island with the Intelligent Being Qiya and the Ice Weapon. She gave up her claim to the Ancient Castle and passed it on to her older sister.

The repaired Intelligent Being Feiran also chose to enter hibernation.

At the Ancient Castle,

Ye Yun looked quietly at Feiran. "Sis, I'm thinking of going out for a while. Do you want to come with me?"

"No, I'll stay home and keep being a shut-in."

Feiran had no idea what Ye Yun meant by going out for a while. She smiled and picked up her computer, tinkering with it again.

In the end, they still hadn't taken that step.

Though Feiran dressed in a revealing, fashionable style, she was conservative at heart.

She said she wouldn't give herself to Ye Yun until after they got married.

"All right. Take good care of yourself. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He gazed deeply into Feiran's eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head, but just before their lips touched, he stopped. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't overwork yourself. It may take me a long time to come back."

"Okay."

Feiran nodded solemnly. Watching Ye Yun walk away, sadness crept across her face.

Once he left,

the house would truly feel empty. She didn't know when he would return.

Just as he was about to leave the Ancient Castle,

Ye Yun turned back again. "Why don't you come with me?"

Ye Yun was truly afraid that if he left, he might return to the Divine River Universe and not be able to come back for who knew how long.

Or,

by the time he did return, everything might have changed beyond recognition.

He couldn't bear that thought.

Time Flow Rate differed from world to world.

"You should go by yourself. I won't come."

Feiran shook her head gently.

"What if I told you I might never come back?" Ye Yun gazed deeply into her beautiful eyes, his voice full of reluctance.

"Then I'll just wait for you."

She smiled sweetly.

"All right. When I come back next time, I'll tell you my secret." Seeing Feiran's resolve, Ye Yun made the promise solemnly.

When he came back next time,

he would tell her his secret.

He picked up his luggage and left.

This time, he really was leaving.

Feiran put down her computer and ran toward the Ancient Castle's entrance.

But Ye Yun was already nowhere to be seen.

She slowly crouched down. Tears welled in her eyes, then began to fall despite her efforts to hold them back. They streamed down her beautiful face and dropped onto the marble floor.

After leaving Linji Island, Ye Yun flashed into the Bronze Tower.

The moment he entered the Bronze Tower,

a familiar milky-white beam shone down from its Bronze Portal, enveloping him.

Beneath the light, Ye Yun felt as warm as if he were in his mother's arms. The Super Gene inside him grew more active as the mysterious milky-white energy washed over him.

Then, indescribable pain swept through his whole body. His face contorted, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

His body convulsed involuntarily.

"Ugh."

Time seemed to stretch on for ages. After the unbearable heat passed, he felt cool and refreshed.

A foul, nauseating stench rose from his body.

Ye Yun immediately left the Bronze Tower, returned to the world where he'd lived for over twenty years, jumped into the sea for a refreshing wash, then entered the Bronze Tower again.

Back inside, Ye Yun clenched his fist. His strength seemed to have increased again.

He held his arm out in front of him. On the Bronze door, which seemed to have weathered the ages, his information appeared: "First Order."

With a slight push, the Bronze door slowly opened.

Beyond the portal lay an endless expanse of black, with two bright stars facing each other from afar.

Just as he thought.

A smile appeared on his handsome face.

He figured there'd be a chance to come back someday.

He just didn't know when.

The moment the Bronze Portal swung fully open,

a powerful, irresistible force came from within.

Ye Yun didn't resist. The force dragged him through the Bronze Portal.

As he was pulled inside,

he silently prayed that he'd end up in Super Seminary. If not Super Seminary, then Link Click would do.

He just didn't know whether his wish would come true.

After the darkness, like an abyss, swallowed Ye Yun, the ancient, weathered Bronze Portal slowly closed with a rumble.

End of this volume!