Chapter 623: Volume Finale: The Torrent of the Era

The very concept of life grew increasingly blurred, the line between it and death fading until it was impossible to say what state could truly be called ’living’.

’But what difference does any of this make? I am thinking, and neither life nor death can change that.’

An existence caught between the two, an electronic Ghost, an immortal Eternal Being—the Artifice Sage, Wu Chongwen—walked through the endless streams of online information.

He was thinking.

And so, he would not stop.

Just like this world that was gradually coming to a boil.

The world of the Extraordinary was just so: it surpassed the concepts of mortals, step by step, transcending ever higher.

The ancient threat had been cut off, and the cancer within civilization had been excised.

A civilization freed from all its shackles—which path it would choose at the crossroads, no one knew. No one could predict.

There was only one thing they could know for certain.

—The Torrent of the age was here, and no one could stand apart from it.

Whether it was the King of Divine Beasts watching Earth in confusion.

Or the disciples of Evil Demons, living new lives incognito and lurking within the populace.

Whether it was the world’s leaders, cautiously watching the future unfold.

Or the Evil-Devouring Demon Lord, who followed his own whims, his only purpose to march forward and purge evil, heedless of all else.

All were but a single current in the Torrent.

On the streets and in the buildings, people looked down at their phones, absorbing information from the web. But a growing number of them now wore personal agent terminals on their wrists. They resembled watches but were much thicker and could handle any task assigned to them—from meeting reminders to schedule organization—so long as the program was set.

However, within the military and the major Extraordinary Organizations, dedicated terminals had already emerged that could link directly to neural chips. Even a soldier who had never learned Magic and had only practiced basic Spiritual Power Cultivation could channel their Spiritual Power under a chip’s guidance to cast standardized spells.

One day, this technology would become standard issue for all humankind. Both the auxiliary chips and the personal agent terminals were destined to become part of the future human experience.

In the tidal wave brought on by the Spiritual Energy Revival, massive server farms were erected. The development of new-generation, full-dive games became the latest slogan for countless companies to attract investment. Complete virtual worlds disguised as games, the Electronic Netherworld hiding in plain sight—all were but reefs in this raging tide.

And the wealthy streamed in, an endless procession of those hoping to achieve digital immortality or give their offspring a superior starting line through genetic modification. Their appearance was not a matter of if, but when...

Of course, all this was but a small-scale ruckus on Earth. A brand-new interstellar exploration rocket stood ready for launch. The world’s major powers had turned their gaze beyond the planet, toward the vast, endless cosmos and the alien civilizations that existed on other Alien Stars. The mission to the spacecraft on the far side of the Moon was humanity’s first step into the Star Sea.

A young man with black hair walked down the street and slid into his friend’s new self-driving electric sports car. As the onboard AI spoke in a gentle, polite tone, he named a restaurant, then raised his wrist to book a private room on his terminal, using his high-level access.

"Let’s go."

The young man’s friend gave the command. The black-haired youth turned to him, complaining, "I told you, it’s my treat this time."

"Nope." The youth narrowed his violet-blue Dragon Pupils. "You’ve treated me for so many years," he said, disgruntled. "I finally feel like treating you for once, and you’re going to turn me down?"

"Besides, you’d better get used to it. In a little while, once we’re in the Divine Wood World, I’ll be the only one who *can* treat you!"

"Alright, alright..."

Amidst the two young men’s bickering, the onboard AI replied softly.

"Of course. At your service."

HMMMM.

With a near-imperceptible hum, the car started and sped off into the distance.

This was the end of the prologue.

And the beginning of a new Chapter.

—Volume 5: Hunter of Evil Demons - End

—Monsters Die When They Are Killed, Part One: Miracle Era, End