Chapter Forty-Two: The Power of the Demon

At that moment, Gu Zhongyan’s magical power poured forth completely, like a dazzling blaze erupting from the torch of the Statue of Liberty, painting Liberty Island in a sea of crimson. A gigantic firebird roared as it shot from the tip of his wand, rising high and slicing through the heavens. Like a tidal wave, the raging flames surged toward the army of ninja from the Syndicate, each scattered feather of fire a red lotus blooming in the inferno of hell—just a touch was enough to incinerate a single ninja.

The brilliance of the flames descended upon Liberty Island like a setting sun, so vivid that even Manhattan, hundreds of meters away, could see the dazzling light atop the Torch of Liberty. With the torch at its heart, the fire spread, turning the island’s edges to scorched earth. The blaze consumed not only ninja after ninja, but even the massive copper statue began to twist in the intense heat. A searing torrent engulfed the remaining ninja army, and for the first time, Gu Zhongyan revealed to friend and foe alike the terror of a wizard unleashing his power in full.

So overwhelming was the devastation that those who had once been locked in combat found themselves lost amidst the ashes of Liberty Island. Yet Gu Zhongyan had no attention to spare for their reactions; such a spectacular magic came at a tremendous cost. For the first time since crossing into this world, he felt his body utterly drained. The excess depletion sent sharp pain stabbing through his mind; had he not gritted his teeth, he might have collapsed from exhaustion.

Not yet—not now—the real battle was only beginning!

He drew a deep breath, feeling his soul’s sea nearly parched, and shakily raised his wand, tracing a gentle line toward Su Yan. A faint vibration rang out. Beneath Su Yan’s feet, a vast magical array blossomed with blinding light, chains weaving and shifting ceaselessly. Above Liberty Island, space began to twist, a peculiar electromagnetic wave sweeping the area and rendering all electronic devices useless.

The atmosphere grew wild and sulfurous, seeping from the warped space; the sky, briefly cleared by the fire, was again devoured by red. But this time, the sky was not ablaze with radiant scarlet—it glowed with a blood-red hue, as if stained with the flow of life itself.

That bloody light illuminated the heavens, and a massive, bloated shadow struggled and howled as it emerged from the far side of the world. Sensing the unsealing of Black Void, the Beast in the hellish dimension forced its body into the boundary between hell and earth. Unbridled demonic power surged like a tide into Su Yan, transforming the Chinese boy’s body: his blood boiled like molten lava, his eyes and skin turned a vivid red, and two faint black horns protruded from his smooth forehead.

The boy, under the shadow of darkness, was about to become the vessel of the demon.

Seeing this, Gu Zhongyan swung his wand once more; white radiance burst forth, magical runes danced across Su Yan’s body, their passage banishing shadows like the dawn sun, leaving no place for evil spirits to hide. Amidst the tri-colored glow, an invisible link appeared between Su Yan and Gu Zhongyan. The enormous demonic power flooding into Su Yan, transformed by the magical array, channeled madly through the link into Gu Zhongyan.

In that instant, Gu Zhongyan’s soul’s sea opened wide, as if after a millennium of drought it finally welcomed a torrential rain, ravenously absorbing the converted demonic energy. His magic, utterly depleted after the blazing inferno, began to recover rapidly as the power flowed in. This energy seeped into his soul and spread through every bone and sinew.

At a level invisible to the eye, his cells, guided by soulforce, were restructured—stronger, more vital. Blood raced faster, energy distributed evenly throughout his body. It was as if countless fine needles pierced his skin from every direction, followed by an eruption of scorching energy.

His body, once strengthened by soulforce, now underwent new evolution under demonic power. Gu Zhongyan felt himself like an ore forged in a volcano, the surging, explosive strength the molten magma rising from the earth’s core. Pressed by the earth, the magma surged forth, carrying irresistible force to break through all barriers, ascending from the depths and crashing against the ore.

Boom!

The intense impact and searing heat did not destroy the ore; instead, repeated assaults stripped away its impurities, refining its essence. At the same time, the magma’s hidden energy was continuously infused into the ore. Gu Zhongyan even felt, for a moment, that his veins coursed not with blood, but with boiling magma.

Sensing the massive demonic force being devoured, the Beast erupted in fury. Throughout history, it was always demons who consumed human souls and toyed with mortals—when had humans ever dared to prey upon demons?

“You lowly insect! You know nothing of demonic power. You will pay a dreadful price for your arrogance!” the Beast roared, and demonic terror exploded in the void. Even greater power poured madly into Su Yan’s body.

The Beast knew Gu Zhongyan was using Su Yan to absorb its force, but proceeded anyway. For the boundaries between hell and earth meant its power could not pass directly; only through Black Void could it descend. This ensured that, after leaving the hellish dimension, its strength would not diminish, and allowed it to bypass the contract between hell and the Ancient One, avoiding being instantly shredded by the wrathful Sorcerer Supreme upon arrival.

But everything has two sides. The connection between the Beast and Black Void let it ignore the dimensional boundary; it also allowed Black Void to absorb its power in return. So long as the recipient could withstand the influx, they could even drain the Beast dry.

Yet between demon and human lay an insurmountable gulf. An ordinary person, no matter how hard they tried, could never bear the demonic power. Black Void had attempted it before, but always suffered the backlash.

Thus, unable to sever the link, the Beast simply poured its power in with all its might. If Gu Zhongyan could not withstand the overwhelming demonic infusion, he would be torn apart by its terrifying force.