# 1009
Chapter 1010: Chaos Ends
Strands of demon energy drifted out from the demon ape's body as it began to dissolve into nothingness, fading into the midair.
The demon ape's form faded piece by piece. Its head lowered to glance at the wound in its chest, then at the Straight Blade in Chen Han's hand. Its brilliant golden eyes erupted with unprecedented不甘 and fury.
It suddenly opened its mouth, letting out a violent roar, but with its vocal cords already dissolved, no sound emerged.
Snow fell in flurries. The demon ape vanished. A soundless roar...
Its body had already dissipated without a trace. The remaining half of its head furiously bit toward Chen Han, but before its fangs could touch Chen Han's body, it turned to nothing and vanished completely.
Snowflakes danced in the howling wind, as if they were the demon ape's reluctant roar.
For some unknown reason, all the "Mystical Beings" who witnessed this scene suddenly felt a strange sense of desolation and solemnity.
The lingering doubts that had arisen when they saw the demon ape crush the Tumbler had completely vanished, replaced by the image of the demon ape's reluctant dissipation.
The demon ape... had done its best!
Until the very last moment, it had been desperately trying to kill Chen Han. Unfortunately, Chen Han's strength seemed far above its own.
Just how strong was he?
In the nearby streets, all the high-level and low-level "Mystical Beings" who witnessed this scene looked at Chen Han with changed gazes. Deep in their eyes, fear flickered.
Chen Han gripped his blade stiffly, standing motionless like a statue.
He didn't understand.
Everything that had just happened exceeded his comprehension... so much so that even now, he hadn't snapped out of the illusion that he had personally "slain" the demon ape.
Had he killed the demon ape?
He had, yet it felt like he hadn't...
However, the good news was that after the demon ape accidentally killed the Tumbler, the number of "Kleins" besieging him had dropped from three to two... The situation seemed to be back on track.
The demon ape's appearance had inexplicably boosted his prestige. As long as he killed these two remaining "Kleins," his deterrence would essentially be complete.
Chen Han took a deep breath, gripped his blade, and scanned the two distant "Kleins" with calm eyes.
They immediately shuddered!
...
Wild Mountain.
Lin Qiye's physical body stood motionless on the spot. His eyes were tightly closed, but the crimson-black eye on his forehead remained vigilant, constantly scanning the surroundings.
The black eye with [Gaze of Secrets] could briefly glimpse traces of the future. Having it serve as an early warning radar for Lin Qiye was absolutely the safest choice.
Suddenly, a illusory shadow walked over from the distance and gently merged into Lin Qiye's physical body.
A moment later, Lin Qiye's tightly shut eyes slowly opened.
He exhaled deeply, exhaustion evident in his gaze.
Although the [Heaven-Equaling Avatar] hadn't used his own spiritual power, the experience was still a tremendous burden on the departing soul.
The reason he had chosen to kill one "Mystical Being" in the chaos and then retreat was, on one hand, because his own soul could no longer sustain the [Heaven-Equaling Avatar], and on the other hand, because if he had killed a few more "Mystical Beings" in the chaos, this act would seem too fake.
Killing the Tumbler could be attributed to it striking first, since those two strikes from before could only be considered "accidental injuries."
But if while fighting Chen Han, Chen Han remained unharmed while he "accidentally injured" the other two "Mystical Beings," even if the other "Mystical Beings" had low intelligence, they would likely realize something was wrong.
After all, from the very beginning, Lin Qiye's purpose in transforming into the demon ape had only been two things: to rescue Chen Han from his predicament and to build Chen Han's prestige.
He had killed one "Klein." As for the remaining two, Lin Qiye believed Chen Han could handle them himself. After that, the demon ape dying at Chen Han's hands would invisibly elevate Chen Han's deterrent power by a great margin.
This was a perfect rescue.
Lin Qiye had done everything he could. Now, it was up to Chen Han himself.
He waved to send the nurses back to the Asylum of the Gods. After one final glance toward Chen Han's direction, he turned into a wisp of night and vanished into the desolate Wild Mountain.
...
Successive explosions rang out from within the city.
Shao Pingge gazed at the place where the demon ape had vanished, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Suddenly descended, accidentally killed one 'Klein,' then mysteriously died at Chen Han's hands? Doesn't this resolution feel a bit too convenient..." he murmured to himself.
What on earth was that demon ape?
He contemplated for a long time but still couldn't make sense of it.
Time ticked by, and the battle fluctuations in the distance gradually subsided.
After a long while, a man wrapped in a military coat walked to Shao Pingge's side on a high-rise building, carrying the heads of two "Mystical Beings."
In the end, Chen Han had slain the two "Klein" realm "Mystical Beings."
Shao Pingge glanced at him, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"All the 'Mystical Beings' throughout the city are in a state of silence. It seems your prestige-building was successful."
"Just luck." Chen Han sighed deeply. "To be honest, I still don't understand how that demon ape died... It's too suspicious."
"As long as the result is good, that's what matters."
Shao Pingge stood up, patted Chen Han's shoulder, and said with a smile, "After so many fierce battles, you must be near your limit, right? Go back and rest."
Chen Han was stunned. "What about you?"
"I have to wait for the logistics department to finish cleaning up the battlefield before I can wake the civilians, and only then can I leave." Shao Pingge extended his hand, pointing at the devastated Shangjing City. "Headquarters will handle the follow-up cleanup work."
Up to now, Shao Pingge had only opened one eye. The other eye was shut tight, as if asleep.
Chen Han nodded slightly. "Alright."
He turned and walked toward the stairs.
"Chen Han."
Shao Pingge suddenly called out.
"Hm?"
"You did well." Shao Pingge smiled. "Leaving Shangjing City in your hands... I'm at ease."
Chen Han looked back, gazing at Shao Pingge for a moment.
"...Thank you."
...
Thanks to the efforts of the logistics department, the shattered streets were restored at an astonishing speed. In less than half an hour, Shangjing was restored to its original state.
People who had sleepwalked to various shelters orderly returned to their beds. The drowsiness lingering in their hearts receded like the tide.
The snow clouds gradually dissipated. As sunlight poured down, this sleeping city began to slowly awaken.
"Wow! How did I sleep so long?"
"Why didn't my alarm clock go off today?"
"Oh no, I wanted to wake up early to buy more New Year supplies, and now I've overslept!"
"Honey! Wake up, we still have to go to the countryside today!"
"Huh? Why am I in a pigsty..."
...
The Shangjing City that had never experienced sleeping in, on this New Year's Eve, awakened drowsily in the winter sunshine, bustling about to welcome the brand new year.
No one noticed that the three snowmen sitting on the high-rise building had quietly melted away.