Chapter 86: A Temporary Farewell

In the rift of the void, the battle between the Ancient One and Mephisto had raged for a long time. Mephisto was immortal, while the Ancient One’s sorcery was unmatched through the ages—both stood as titans in the current universe, neither able to overcome the other.

In the end, Mephisto chose to withdraw. With no clear victor in sight, there was little point in prolonging the fight. Their clash had already drawn the attention of powerful beings from various dimensions. Just as Mephisto had said—the Ancient One had more foes than merely Dormammu, and so too did Mephisto in his own hellish domain. In fact, compared to the Ancient One, Mephisto’s enemies in Hell were even more numerous. Demons, after all, were inherently treacherous creatures; betrayal was common between father and son, and rebellion an everyday affair.

If the two truly fought to the death, the ultimate outcome would only be mutual destruction, allowing a third party to reap the spoils. Besides, the Ancient One had watched over Earth for a century, instilling fear in myriad dimensional gods. If truly provoked, she could unleash the Eye of Agamotto, that supreme artifact; even if she couldn’t kill Mephisto, she could grievously wound him. In that case, it would be Mephisto who suffered most.

“Ancient One, I’ll be back. You’d better pray that when you die, Earth will have a worthy guardian. Otherwise—hmph!” With a final threat, Mephisto retreated to Hell, his face twisted in unwillingness.

Watching Mephisto’s departing form, the Ancient One gazed coldly into the void, her detached eyes seeming to pierce through all dimensional realms. Those dimensional gods who had been restless, hoping to exploit the chaos during the battle, froze instantly, a chill sweeping over their hearts. They quickly withdrew their probing gazes and shrank back to their own domains.

After quelling the ambitions of beings from every dimension, the Ancient One retracted her gaze, glanced indifferently toward the western regions of America, opened a portal, and returned to her sanctum.

Meanwhile, in the western United States, on a stretch of interstate highway dozens of kilometers outside Sacramento, California, countless streams of air had gathered into a hurricane, swirling around Su Yan as if dancing.

Richard stared in shock at the scene before him. This journey had pushed him to his limits. First, a demon had appeared out of nowhere; then, his friend turned out to be a wizard; his unrelated younger brother possessed superhuman strength; and now, unbelievably, he had just watched him absorb a demon entirely.

He had a feeling that after today, nothing—no matter how bizarre—could ever surprise him again.

Floating in midair, Su Yan looked at Gu Chongyan with panic. “Brother Gu, what’s happening to me? I—Brother Gu…”

Seeing Su Yan hovering uncontrollably, Gu Chongyan understood. Su Yan, having just gained his powers, was like a newly awakened mutant—unable to control himself.

“Don’t worry, Su Yan. Calm down,” he said urgently. “Take a deep breath and focus on your heart. Can you see the winds swirling around you? That’s your power. Feel it—sense it. Control it.”

Guided by Gu Chongyan’s words, Su Yan gradually calmed, and the raging winds around him slowly subsided. He manipulated the air currents, gently landing on the ground. Opening his palm, he watched a vortex of air twist slowly within it.

Excited, he turned to Gu Chongyan. “Look, Brother Gu! I can control it now!”

Seeing Su Yan master the air so easily, Gu Chongyan couldn’t help but think wryly that this truly was a Marvel-style plot: no matter someone’s background, all it took was “follow your heart,” and they’d go from novice to expert in a flash.

He shook off the thought and asked, “Very good. How do you feel? Any discomfort? And do you know what abilities you have now?”

Su Yan shook his head, indicating he felt fine. He then proceeded to demonstrate his powers. He had inherited the Wind Demon’s abilities: controlling air currents to conjure storms of force eight or nine, condensing air into blades or spheres for attacks, flying on the wind, and briefly becoming one with the air.

In short, he was a knock-off version of Storm.

Besides showing off his new powers, Su Yan noted that, dozens of kilometers away, he sensed two other presences that strongly attracted him.

At this, Gu Chongyan thought to himself that those two presences must be the Water Demon and the Earth Demon. Like the Wind Demon, they could possess Su Yan’s body, but now, having devoured the Wind Demon’s power, Su Yan could likely consume them as well. If he managed to absorb their strength, he would probably be almost as powerful as Gu Chongyan himself.

Without further hesitation, Gu Chongyan decided that before searching for the San Venganza Contract, he would deal with the Water Demon and Earth Demon, bolstering Su Yan’s strength before heading to the cemetery to find Old Man Carter.

With a wave of his wand, he restored the ravaged highway to its original condition. Then he revealed the existence of the Water Demon and Earth Demon to Su Yan and Richard.

When he suggested that Su Yan should absorb the other two demons, Su Yan had no objection, but Richard hesitated before speaking up. “Well, maybe you two should go on without me.”

Meeting Gu Chongyan’s gaze, Richard explained his thoughts. “I don’t know what kind of demons you’re up against, but I’m guessing they’re similar to the last one. You both have powers and can handle yourselves. I’m just an ordinary guy—if I go, I’ll only drag you down. I don’t want to be a liability and distract you.”

“To be honest, today’s events have left me exhausted. I’d like to rest, clear my head, and process everything.”

He looked Gu Chongyan in the eye. “Sean, you didn’t really come on this trip just for a graduation vacation, did you?”

Gu Chongyan hesitated, but ultimately decided not to hide the truth. He nodded. “No, I’m actually searching for a magical artifact.”

“I thought so,” Richard said with a knowing smile, then shook his head. “I won’t go to Sacramento, then. Let’s part ways here.”

“Los Angeles isn’t far from here. If I’m going to travel after graduation, the City of Angels seems like a good choice. I’ve never been to Hollywood—I might as well go sightseeing.”

“So, let’s stay in touch?”

Gu Chongyan thought about it and agreed that Richard’s choice made sense. If he were in Richard’s position—surrounded by super-powered companions and unable to help—he might also choose to leave.

He patted Richard on the shoulder and said sincerely, “In that case, take care of yourself. If anything comes up, call me anytime. We’re still friends, right?”

Richard paused, then broke into a heartfelt smile and nodded firmly. “Of course. Good friends.”