# 549
Chapter 550: Half a Promise
“So, according to you, there’s nothing we can do?” Set frowned.
“No.” Shu stared at the city beneath his feet, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. “To stall for time, we only need to seize what he cares about most.”
“You mean—this city?”
“Exactly. Doesn’t he want to save it? Keep the city under constant threat, force him to protect it, and he’ll have no time to trouble us. Once he’s killed himself, we can take the city effortlessly.”
“How do we force him to act?”
“Amon.”
Shu’s gaze fell on a corner of the shattered city. A stream of black liquid had already seeped into Fengdu’s laws, sketching something outside the dragon-veins; a faint evil aura spread.
Suddenly the liquid sensed something, coalesced into human shape, and looked up.
He had heard Shu’s voice.
“A curse to lure beasts?” he murmured. “Troublesome…”
After a moment’s hesitation he raised the black scepter in his hand, tracing the void above his head. A sinister breath poured out, quickly forming a curse sigil.
Amon studied it, nodded, and tapped it lightly.
The sigil drifted, then melted into the void and vanished.
“Done. Don’t bother me while I work.”
He lowered his head again, continuing a ritual hundreds of times more complex—his national-luck curse.
……
Dim street.
Pop!
A soft sound; a mist of blood burst from Zhou Ping’s back. White threads drifted out, slowly merging into the sword-law of the void.
His figure turned a little more transparent.
Zhou Ping glanced at the translucent spots on his body and fell silent.
Lin Qiye, holding Jialan, frowned deeply.
“[Immortality] is sealed… there has to be another way.”
His mind raced.
[Starry Night Dancer], [Erosion of Utter Darkness], [Summon Magic], [Eternal Secret Garden]… he ran through every Forbidden Ruin and trump card he owned—nothing could help Zhou Ping.
He plunged his consciousness into the Asylum of the Gods, white coat flapping, and rushed to Merlin.
“Is there any solution?”
Merlin looked at the frantic Lin Qiye with complicated eyes and sighed.
“Never in history has a human become a god. This situation is new to me as well… I’m sorry, Headmaster.”
Lin Qiye stood frozen.
Is there really no way?
Zhou Ping watched the anxious crowd and smiled.
“No need,” he said.
They looked up.
“Don’t think anymore; my time is almost up.” His smile was gentle. “Seeing you here, having taken this step—I’m truly happy…”
“Sword Saint…”
Boom—!!
A dull roar rolled from afar. Together they turned: ahead of the drifting ruined city, bizarre creatures burst through the fog, charging like mad.
More and more appeared, auras ranging from Pool to Klein—an entire tide, eyes scarlet, killing intent sky-high.
Over two hundred “mysteries” in half a minute!
“Where did so many come from?!” Cao Yuan exclaimed.
Zhou Ping studied the tide, then spoke slowly:
“The gods lured them. They want these things to hasten my dissipation, remove the threat…”
Anger flashed in Lin Qiye’s eyes.
Fengdu’s laws repelled foreign gods, but not “mysteries” lacking rule-power—otherwise the ant-queen couldn’t have appeared in Anta County.
The two gods couldn’t break Fengdu, but the beasts could flatten the city easily.
They were forcing Zhou Ping to choose: abandon the people and kill the gods, or spend his strength saving the city—bastards!
While Lin Qiye burned with rage, Zhou Ping walked to his side.
Mimicking Lin Qiye earlier, he lifted his only remaining hand—bloodied—and patted Lin Qiye’s shoulder.
“May I leave this city to you?”
Lin Qiye froze.
He understood Zhou Ping’s meaning—and his choice—yet he refused to accept it!
They had come so far, only to watch him still die?
“Sword Saint, maybe there’s—”
Zhou Ping shook his head. “No. I can feel the laws crushing my body; the process is irreversible…
Now, I want you to listen quietly, just like in the warehouse when I taught.”
Lin Qiye opened his mouth, then finally nodded.
Zhou Ping smiled and looked at each of them—Lin Qiye, Baili Pangpang, Cao Yuan, Jialan, An Qingyu, Shen Qingzhu, Jiang Er—his eyes gentle.
“Being your teacher has been one of the few true fortunes of my life.
But for me, it’s enough.
Because
you lit up my existence…”
He drew the long sword [Prayer Abyss] from the ground, turned toward the two distant silhouettes in the sky, and stepped forward, black coat fluttering.
“I told the people: I’ll slay the gods and send them home.
I… probably won’t return,
but half that promise I can fulfill.
The rest—finish it for me.
My students…
can you?”
Lin Qiye stared, heart aching. He bent in a deep, respectful bow.
“Your command is our duty.”
The rest followed, voices united: “Your command is our duty!”
Zhou Ping smiled. He halted, lifted his head, eyes as bright as swords.
“The world says mortals cannot slay gods—I, Zhou Ping, will be the first!”
His blade quivered; space tore, and he vanished in an instant!