The giant sword cleaved through the sky, splitting the final monster in two. Thick, pitch-black demonic mist twisted and dissipated in the air.
Gu Qing stood before the charred remains of the black tree, sword in hand, his gaze calm as still water.
The enormous tree was already riddled with wounds. Demonic energy still surged within it, yet no longer with the same overwhelming ferocity.
It continued to struggle. Branches trembled, roots writhed, as if unwilling to accept defeat.
“Enough,” Gu Qing said quietly.
In the next instant, he raised his sword and pointed forward. Spiritual fire descended with a thunderous roar. Azure flames spread rapidly along the roots, devouring the entire black tree. Thick smoke billowed upward, echoing through the air like the dying wail of a colossal beast.
Gu Qing turned away without another glance at the scorched wasteland and swiftly hurried back to where Rehn and Ace were fighting.
—The battle was nearly over.
The remaining demonic creatures were being eliminated one by one.
At the center of the battle line, Ace’s mech stood firm, both hands gripping a beam sword. The blade hummed faintly, vibrating with intense fighting spirit. He sheathed the weapon and turned around, cutting down the last monster at his feet. At that moment he spotted Gu Qing descending from the sky.
“Gu Qing!” Ace’s eyes lit up. He practically rushed forward as he called out, unable to hide the excitement and pride in his voice. “Look—I finally managed to condense a beam sword just now!”
The sword shimmered lightly in his hand, almost as if it were sharing his excitement while proudly presenting itself to Gu Qing.
Rehn and several beastman squad members followed close behind, their voices full of admiration.
“Those waves of monsters were like a flood, but Ace held the entire western flank alone!”
“Incredible… he’s really our savior!”
They spoke all at once in praise. Ace lifted his chin with a smirk.
“Hmph. That was just an average performance. I’m still not strong enough.”
Yet the hand gripping the sword trembled slightly, unable to conceal the thrill within him.
Gu Qing’s gaze fell upon the beam sword before shifting to Ace.
“Well done,” he said calmly.
But there was warmth in his eyes—an unusually sincere recognition.
Inside the mech, Ace froze.
A faint ringing filled his ears.
Gu Qing was normally strict and restrained. That single sentence of praise meant more than any military honor.
His throat tightened, his vision blurring slightly. He quickly turned his head away and blinked hard, suppressing the sudden surge of emotion.
However, the beam sword in his hand grew even brighter as its owner’s emotions fluctuated.
The group rested briefly before preparing to move toward the next area.
During this time, Gu Qing noticed that the small familiar consciousness within his sea of awareness had grown strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
Frowning slightly, he sent a thought into his mindscape.
“Little dumpling, why are you so quiet today?”
The little being seemed startled and replied in a flustered voice:
“N-No reason! I just thought you’re all working really hard right now, so I… I didn’t want to bother you!”
Gu Qing raised a brow, about to ask more, when a thunderous roar erupted outside.
Another wave of demonic creatures surged forward like a bursting mountain flood. They had already reached the second monster-dense zone.
The team quickly reformed their formation and charged back into battle.
As blades flashed and monsters fell, Gu Qing’s gaze occasionally drifted toward Ace.
The young man gripped his beam sword tightly, his expression focused. His movements flowed together with the swordlight, each strike swift and decisive.
Then Gu Qing noticed something unusual.
Although the monsters still surged forward in waves, whenever the beam sword swept across them, they instinctively recoiled—as if they feared the power contained within that light.
Wave after wave of enemies fell. Gradually the group pushed closer to the core of the mining zone.
But another cluster of monsters blocked their path.
Unlike before, these creatures clearly showed hesitation. They seemed unwilling to approach the core area.
“…Strange,” Gu Qing thought.
He immediately extended his spiritual sense forward.
—Snap.
The moment it touched something ahead, it felt as though it had collided with an invisible barrier and was violently rebounded.
Gu Qing’s eyes narrowed.
After clearing the remaining monsters, they finally stepped into the core of the mining zone.
Before them unfolded a dazzling underground wonderland.
The surrounding rock walls shimmered faintly. Crystals were embedded throughout the ground and stone like scattered stars. Some were half-buried in the soil. Deeper inside, entire clusters of energy ore glowed quietly, radiating a mistlike aura reminiscent of spiritual vapor.
Soft spiritual light filled the entire cavern.
The place was so beautiful it hardly felt real—almost like a sacred cultivation secret realm.
Gu Qing froze.
He knew this spiritual aura concentration very well.
These crystals were identical to the high-grade energy stones he had once seen in the military mech laboratories.
So this was their source.
Threads of information rapidly connected in his mind. Many vague suspicions suddenly aligned.
Just as he was deep in thought, a faint sobbing sound echoed within his sea of consciousness.
The little dumpling spoke softly, its voice filled with sadness.
“Gu Qing… do you think I’m useless…? I’m supposed to be the Heavenly Dao, the one who protects this world, but I can’t help at all…”
“Even that little guy Ace can fight enemies now… but me… I can’t do anything…”
Its voice grew quieter until a single silver tear fell within the mindscape.
Gu Qing’s heart softened.
“How could you be useless?” he said gently. “If you hadn’t been accompanying me all this time, I might not have made it this far.”
“That’s not true…” the little dumpling sniffed in protest. “You’re already so strong. You could do everything without me… but without you, I can’t do anything…”
“No,” Gu Qing replied softly. “You’re mistaken.”
He looked around the crystal-lit cavern, his voice pausing slightly as though unveiling a hidden truth.
“This place… is the answer.”
The little dumpling fell silent, seemingly stunned.
Gu Qing continued, gazing at the faintly glowing stones.
“Look closely. Don’t they feel familiar? They’re extremely similar to the high-grade spirit stones from the cultivation world.”
The little dumpling gasped.
“W-Wait, you’re right! Why are they here?”
Gu Qing paused, his gaze growing more serious.
“I just tried to probe deeper with my spiritual sense, but a barrier formed from dense spiritual energy blocked me. That barrier wasn’t natural. Something consciously protects the core to prevent demonic energy from infiltrating.”
“This is proof,” he said slowly but firmly. “Proof that this world itself is resisting the demonic corruption.”
“These spiritual energies… are meant to fight the demonic energy?”
“Yes—but that’s not all.”
Gu Qing continued.
“Do you remember why female Zerg rely on male Zerg?”
“…Because they purify the spiritual sea?” the little dumpling replied timidly.
“Exactly. The mental power of male Zerg can naturally cleanse spiritual pollution. And the essence of Ace’s beam sword is pure spiritual power.”
His tone grew deeper.
“The monsters’ reaction to that sword just now—instinctive fear—because it is one of this world’s own mechanisms for resisting demonic energy.”
The little dumpling froze.
Gu Qing spoke gently.
“Do you still think you haven’t helped?”
“You are the will born from this world itself. The world created you in order to protect itself.”
“And wasn’t it you who brought me here?”
Silence lingered in the sea of consciousness.
After a long moment, the little dumpling spoke again, its voice trembling with fragile hope.
“So… all this time… I really have been protecting this world?”
“That’s right,” Gu Qing affirmed. “You always have. And you’ve done very well.”
The little dumpling burst into loud sobs.
“Waaah! So I’m actually useful?! But I don’t want to just be useful… I want… I want to become strong enough to protect everyone…”
Its silver light quivered in the mindscape like a melting jelly.
Seeing this, Gu Qing’s voice softened further.
“Then you must choose your own path.”
“Huh?” the little dumpling asked blankly. “My… path?”
Gu Qing looked at the shimmering silver glow.
“That is something only you can discover yourself. Perhaps only when you find your own Dao can you truly grow into… a complete Heavenly Dao.”
The silver light flickered faintly.
For the first time, it seemed to feel the weight of destiny.
It said nothing more, simply shining quietly within Gu Qing’s mind. Rings of gentle light spread outward like ripples on water—calm, steady, and resolute.
Several days later, the cleansing operation began.
The demonic derivatives lingering around the mining zone were eradicated one after another.
Under the leadership of Gu Qing and Ace, the troops finally secured the entire region. Abandoned energy transmission facilities were reactivated, frontline communication relays restored, and the first wave of reinforcements and supplies arrived safely.
It was a rare victory.
Recapturing the mining zone was a critical turning point for the entire battlefront.
Gu Qing arranged guards for the area and personally inspected the defensive network and energy towers. Only after confirming everything was stable did he finally turn away.
Then he set out on the road to reunite with Milton.