The Boundary Gate!
Duan Chen's pupils contracted in disbelief as he gazed at the Boundary Gate, which had already been cracked open. He hesitated, unsure if he should step forward.
However, this hesitation lasted less than 0.1 seconds in his mind.
The next instant, a determined glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately drew his saber and charged.
Thousand Illusions Pandora, his weapon, possessed a telepathic connection with him, moving at his slightest command.
He advanced relentlessly towards the Leviathan's location, his steps cutting through the waves.
Having fused with the white piece, his physical condition and abilities had received a tremendous boost, not merely awakening new powers.
His previously insufficient spiritual energy could now sustain him as he moved across the surging waves.
Unfortunately, the madness in the Leviathan's eyes grew more intense, as it desperately battered the Boundary Gate, attempting to widen the minuscule crack.
But the Boundary Gate was not so easily opened.
Moreover, Old Zhang had sacrificed himself in his final moments, activating the Desperate Array.
The Leviathan's resurgence had only been for a brief period before it managed to open a crack in the Boundary Gate, only to be restrained by the Desperate Array that Old Zhang had summoned with his life.
The opening of the Boundary Gate had left it bloody and exhausted.
The Leviathan also seemed to regain some lucidity.
Its body was already tightly bound by what appeared to be a myriad of flowing black chains – the Desperate Array's seals!
Furthermore, the aura emanating from within the opened Boundary Gate directly injured the Leviathan.
With a final, regretful glance at the Boundary Gate, it swiftly dived into the sea and vanished.
Only then did Duan Chen reach the Boundary Gate.
He looked at the opened gate and tentatively reached out. The next moment, his fingers were instantly sliced.
Duan Chen lowered his head to examine his finger.
However, despite his body's regenerative capabilities, he found no way to heal the wound.
The blood from his injured finger simply evaporated after being cut, without even dripping.
He eyed the Boundary Gate with trepidation.
Two of his closest friends had died before his eyes, one after the other, leaving his mind in a daze.
But Duan Chen knew that this was no time for melancholy. The most important task now was to close the Boundary Gate.
"How can I seal the gate?"
Duan Chen asked, but there was no response other than the rhythmic crashing of the waves.
He turned his head, only to realize that Wu Suowei, who had been by his side, had disappeared again.
And this time, he was truly gone.
All that remained was a solitary gate standing tall in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, and himself, gazing at the wound on his finger before it.
In the Divine Palace.
"The outside is so dangerous, yet you have time to visit me? Aren't you afraid I'll take this opportunity to kill you, your most favored piece?"
Wu Suowei listened to the sinister, unrestrained laughter and calmly maintained his composure as he looked at the silhouette monster across the chessboard.
He could no longer be called a silhouette monster.
Instead, he resembled a black hole, attracting countless voids. He had taken on a human form.
However, he remained entirely black, his features indistinguishable, like a self-contained shadow.
Though the silhouette monster still couldn't comprehend Wu Suowei's previous actions, it didn't prevent him from mocking him now.
"You moved your white piece and let my black piece go, but what have you achieved? Duan Chen has indeed rejoined your side, voluntarily becoming a white piece, but the gate has been opened, and my sliver of soul from the abyss has returned to me. This is only the first. How many more Boundary Gates will be opened in the future, and how many souls will return to me? I am not like you. The more authority you delegate, the weaker you become, while I am the opposite. Do you truly believe your worldline can win against me?"
The silhouette monster cackled.
"Don't forget, this is the last worldline."
He appeared exceptionally triumphant.
Wu Suowei, who was sitting cross-legged opposite him, remained silent.
This rare silence made the silhouette monster feel a sense of unease, causing him to cautiously curb his laughter and watch Wu Suowei defensively.
"What mischief are you plotting?"
Wu Suowei smiled and said, "That has nothing to do with you."
Hearing this, the silhouette monster's internal anxiety intensified. However, he eventually brushed aside his unease and said maliciously, "You are merely arrogant for now."
"Who knows if you're just bluffing?"
"You didn't destroy the Wind Altar, nor did you go to Mirror City, and you didn't destroy my soul in the abyss. Could it be that in this final worldline, you've decided to give up and settle for mediocrity?"
Wu Suowei merely smiled.
Unlike his usual garrulous demeanor when he visited, this time he was constantly smiling and spoke little.
The silhouette monster's unease grew heavier.
Wu Suowei's lips curled slightly.
"You can ponder it slowly."
Then, his figure gradually faded and disappeared from the Divine Palace.
He left behind the increasingly anxious silhouette monster, who remained alone in the Divine Palace, trying to reassure himself.
"Impossible, he absolutely cannot have a backup plan!"
...
The rain grew heavier.
"You're back?"
Without even needing to look, Duan Chen felt the elusive Wu Suowei reappear beside him. His tone was flat, devoid of any emotion.
Wu Suowei held an umbrella.
He stood silently behind Duan Chen.
Duan Chen remained silent for a long time before turning his head with a wry smile.
"I say, no matter what, I've accepted the piece you gave me and can be considered your accomplice. With such heavy rain, can't you even share your umbrella with me?"
Wu Suowei retorted in surprise, "You need an umbrella?"
"I thought you enjoyed being rained on."
Duan Chen: ...
He pouted speechlessly, then shook his head, looking at the empty space behind Wu Suowei.
"...Old Zhang..."
There were some things he couldn't bring himself to say.
Wu Suowei paused. "In a safe place."
Duan Chen nodded.
His gaze fell upon the place where he had battled Gu Sang. It seemed as though the soul of another brother still lingered there, but he knew that Gao Tiankai would never be resurrected.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but clench his fist.
Gu Sang...
A cold glint flashed in Duan Chen's eyes.
Wu Suowei spoke, "Let's go."
"The Leviathan was severely injured when it opened the Boundary Gate this time and has returned to the seabed to recuperate. It won't emerge to cause trouble for a while."