The moment Theodore saw the words appearing on the System screen, the shock in his heart refused to settle for a very long time.
"Pangu?"
"The System is saying that the thing I saw in the chaos while calculating heavenly secrets… was Pangu?!"
He drew in a deep breath.
Before this, seeing all sorts of magical-world horrors judged by the System as primordial saints had already felt absurd enough.
But all of that combined was still nowhere near as shocking as this.
Because Pangu and the other saints were not even in the same category. The Dao of Strength stood above all other paths and suppressed everything beneath it.
Had he not fallen while opening heaven and earth, then even Hongjun after merging with the Heavenly Dao would have been hopelessly outmatched before Pangu.
If the horror Theodore had glimpsed in the chaos could be judged by the System as Pangu, then at the very least it possessed power far beyond every horror Theodore had sensed until now.
And more than that, Theodore could not help making a further connection.
Pangu's single greatest defining feature was the deed of opening heaven and earth.
Could it be that this horror was likewise capable of doing something on that scale within the magical world?
A horror possessing the power to split the heavens apart—or something equivalent to that?
At that very moment, more text surfaced on the System screen.
[Your gaze has caused the Pangu within chaos to produce a slight response.]
[Pangu will awaken ahead of time.]
Theodore's expression froze.
Then it turned uglier than ever before.
If his earlier thought was right—if this horror truly possessed the power to create or destroy a world—then what did it mean for it to awaken early?
Perhaps it meant that everything would be overturned.
Theodore even felt a terrifying suspicion beginning to form.
All these signs of the so-called ancient return that he had encountered so far in the magical world… what if they were not the beginning of some return at all?
What if they were the desperate attempts of the other horrors to save themselves before "Pangu" awakened and overturned everything?
Like rats fleeing madly from a sinking ship before anyone else even realized it was going down.
Countless thoughts churned inside Theodore's mind, but after a long while, he drew in a deep breath and forcefully calmed the shock in his heart.
His composure returned.
"There's no point guessing blindly about this."
"What's coming will come sooner or later. The key is still strength."
"The thing I saw in the chaos, the one judged by the System as Pangu—even if it is not the true Pangu of the primordial world, this magical world is also nowhere near as vast as the primordial world. At most, it's only a minor world."
"And there are plenty of methods capable of destroying a minor world."
"For example, once the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation is complete, it can reset earth, fire, water, and wind. It can restart even the primordial world—so naturally a minor world would be no different. One strand of Immortal-Slaying sword-light would be enough."
"So from the perspective of the magical world, this crisis is utter despair."
"But from the perspective of primordial methods, though it is certainly no trivial matter, it has not yet reached the point of being impossible to deal with."
"There are quite a few methods that would let me survive the destruction of a minor world, perhaps even emerge from it completely unharmed while protecting a region."
Theodore clenched his fists.
The joy he had felt earlier from obtaining the Purple-Gold Crown of Auspicious Clouds and the Abi Hellscape Sword had completely vanished.
At this level of strength, before the true bodies of "Hongjun" and "Houtu" descended, he could still hold the line.
But once their real bodies came down, it would no longer be enough.
And when "Pangu" awakened—
then the gap would be far, far too great.
"I need to grow stronger."
"And faster."
"I need more destiny, more merit, more divine arts, and most importantly—more cultivation."
"All methods ultimately depend on cultivation to support them. Without cultivation, everything is just moonlight reflected in water."
"My current methods are already formidable enough. The Purple-Gold Crown of Auspicious Clouds and the Abi Hellscape Sword both far exceed my current level."
"But even with the Five-Element Reversal Origin Sea talent, my cultivation still can't catch up in a short time."
Theodore's resolve hardened.
"Using Demon-Refining Golden Pills to raise my cultivation…"
"It seems the speed is still not enough."
"I need to get that formula for the Myriad-Demon Golden Pill as soon as possible."
"And Madam Pince once mentioned the Necronomicon to me. I wonder if it contains any record of this horror?"
For an instant, the title of the horror he had glimpsed through heavenly calculation flashed through Theodore's mind.
Translated into terms he could understand, it would be—
Blind Idiocy — Azathoth.
And the very moment that strange and aberrant name passed through his thoughts, the System screen trembled again.
[Pangu represents the Dao of Strength, first among the three thousand Great Daos. Though the Great Dao does not manifest openly in the primordial world, it is present everywhere.]
[As you silently recite the name of Pangu in your heart, Pangu produces a trace of response.]
[Pangu's awakening within chaos is advanced by another slight amount.]
Theodore's face went pale.
He coughed out a mouthful of golden blood mist.
"For fuck's sake!"
He clenched his fists tightly and immediately sealed away all memory related to that thing within his own mind.
Since coming to the magical world, this was the first time Theodore had suffered such a heavy loss.
"My cultivation speed needs to increase even more."
"Pills alone aren't enough anymore."
"I need more channels for raising cultivation."
"And when that thing finally wakes up, I'd better already have attained the level of immortal or god. I'll set up the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and blast it to pieces, otherwise all the blood I vomited today will have been for nothing."
Theodore's gaze moved across the list of relationships he currently possessed in the System.
Then suddenly it stopped on one of the earliest relationships he had ever unlocked.
Ollivander, who had been judged by the System as Ou Yezi, Master of the Artifact Sect.
The first two rewards from that relationship—Smelting Gold and Refining Silver and Fire Control at Will—Theodore had long since obtained.
Especially Fire Control at Will—it had helped Theodore tremendously more than once.
But the final reward, the one tied to reaching life-and-death friendship, still remained beyond his grasp.
That reward talent was called—
Proving the Dao Through Artifacts.
With it, Theodore would be able to raise his cultivation through smithing, artifact-refining, and treasure-forging. Even merely possessing treasures such as destiny treasures or merit treasures would allow him to advance his cultivation through this talent.
Theodore already possessed the Heavenly Demon Treasure-Refining Art.
He also held both a destiny treasure and a merit treasure.
If he could obtain Proving the Dao Through Artifacts, then his cultivation speed would surge upward once again.
And combined with the nature of the Five-Element Reversal Origin Sea talent, the result would not simply be a one-time increase.
It would become a snowball effect.
Fast once—fast forever after.
At that thought, Theodore's gaze turned resolute.
He had to obtain that talent as soon as possible.
Fortunately, his relationship with Ollivander had already advanced to the level of close friendship. In the short term, it was not impossible for it to rise one step further.
…
Early the next morning, Theodore took Ron with him to Ollivanders.
On the surface, it was to help Ron choose a new wand.
But beneath that, Theodore also intended to find an opportunity to push his relationship with Ollivander forward.
"How should I begin?"
"Ollivander likes a little drink now and then. Maybe I should share a bottle with him, talk about wands, deepen the friendship that way…"
Thoughts moved through Theodore's mind as he walked, his face still slightly pale from the damage of the previous day.
Because of what had happened, his Microscopic Heavenly Eye still had not fully recovered, and he did not dare use the secrets-of-heaven calculation talent again.
Yet just as he was thinking these things through, he saw the stretcher from St Mungo's being carried out of Ollivanders.
A terrible premonition struck him instantly.
And on the System screen, under the relationship entry for Master of the Artifact Sect, Ou Yezi, new lines suddenly appeared.
[Encouraged by you, Ou Yezi resolved to create a miracle with a mortal body, to recreate the pinnacle of the artifact path, and to forge a treasure that would shake heaven and earth and make even ghosts weep.]
[Yet his cultivation was weak, and his remaining lifespan was already short.]
[Under the strain of pouring out his heart and blood, his lifespan has been consumed even faster. His life is now like a candle in the wind.]
[At this moment, you revisit the old place and may meet him one final time.]
Then the words in that relationship entry began flickering faintly, as though they were about to dim and go out.
Theodore stopped dead.
Then he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.
His eyes reddened all at once.
"Damn it!"
He strode quickly toward the stretcher.
The healers from St Mungo's immediately shouted at him to move aside.
But on the stretcher, Ollivander—who had been lying there with his eyes closed in exhausted frailty—seemed to sense something.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The moment he saw Theodore, his gaze lit up.
By some force of will that seemed to come from nowhere, he propped himself up from the stretcher.
"No. Don't take me to St Mungo's. I won't go…"
"It's no use. I know my own condition. Don't waste the effort."
"Theodore, you've come at just the right time. I was thinking of you."
"There are still many things I need to tell you."
Theodore lowered his head.
He bit down on his lip.
For the first time, a fierce tide of regret rose inside him.
If he had not encouraged Ollivander to aim beyond the Elder Wand, then the old man could have lived at least another ten years.
In the original story, Ollivander had still been sharp and full of spirit near the end of Harry's schooling. Even after suffering the Cruciatus Curse, he had not died. He had survived.
And yet now—
his life was truly like a candle in the wind, flickering toward extinction.
It was as if Ollivander knew exactly what Theodore was thinking.
A contented smile appeared on the old man's face.
"No. Don't blame yourself, Theodore."
"You woke me up."
"Because of you, the last stretch of my life has been fuller than I could ever have imagined."
"I've felt as though I were back in the most passionate days of my youth."
"For me… that is enough."
"I've left you all my notes from this period, Theodore…"
A brightness unlike anything before shone in Ollivander's eyes as he leaned close and whispered into Theodore's ear:
"I found the road."
"I found it!"
"I won't have the chance to walk that road myself."
"You must walk it for me."
"You must go all the way to the summit and see the highest scenery in my stead."
"And then tell Gregorovitch that I was better than him."
"Far better!"
As Ollivander pulled a notebook from within his robes and shoved it into Theodore's hands, the System screen produced a notification on its own, without Theodore doing anything at all.
[Before death, Ou Yezi laughs aloud. With a friend like you, my Dao is not alone!]
[Your relationship with Ou Yezi has reached the level of life-and-death friendship.]
[You have obtained the talent reward: Proving the Dao Through Artifacts.]
[The host need not worry. Talents already obtained will not disappear when the corresponding relationship comes to an end.]
The very talent Theodore had been planning for was suddenly in his hands.
Yet not the slightest joy rose in his heart.
His eyes were red as he stared at Ollivander.
"No."
"You poured too much heart's blood into that road."
"How can the final scenery be left for me alone to see?"
"As long as I'm here today, Death itself won't take you."
In the next moment, to the horrified cries of the St Mungo's healers, Theodore knocked every one of them unconscious.
Then he carried Ollivander back into the wand shop and placed one hand atop the old man's head.
The light in Ollivander's eyes was already dimming.
"Theodore… don't waste the effort."
"I know my own life…"
But Theodore cut him off in a tone like iron striking stone.
"Your life?"
"I'm telling you now—even Death doesn't get to decide it."
Confusion appeared in Ollivander's eyes.
"You… what are you trying to do?"
Theodore drew a deep breath.
Then, slowly and solemnly, he spoke:
"In the heavens stands the White Jade Capital, with twelve towers and five immortal cities."
"An immortal lays a hand upon my crown—"
"and binds my hair with long life."
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