Superman's End Manual

“No,” the sect leader shook his head, “Every form of Shadow Heart is unique. Since the founding of the Ninja Sect, through more than a dozen generations of disciples, those who have been able to comprehend ‘Shadow Heart’ have all become the next sect leader of the Ninja Sect. In other words, you are destined to become my successor and take over the position of sect leader in the future.”

Ke Xiaomo remained silent for a long time: "Is someone like me qualified for such an important position?"

"Of course, you are far more suitable than you think." The sect leader smiled. "As long as you can turn your shadow heart into reality, that will be the day you take over my position."

"Turning the abstract into the concrete... How can this be achieved?"

"There is only one key point. Listen carefully: every form of Shadow Heart has its unique symbolism, which is a kind of spirit." The sect leader said slowly. "Therefore, you must understand what your Shadow Heart symbolizes, understand it, feel it, and then you can truly become one with it and merge into one."

"What does my Shadowheart mean..."

Ke Xiaomo pondered.

"You can only find the answer to this problem yourself; you won't find it through others," the sect leader said.

"Then what does Master's Shadow Heart symbolize?"

The sect leader was silent for a moment, then said, "Ambition."

With his hands behind his back, he said self-deprecatingly, "But after stumbling and struggling for half my life for the sake of so-called ambition, I finally realized that the people around me are the most important."

"The lion represents ambition... and what does the bird of prey symbolize..."

As Ke Xiaomo was pondering, she suddenly heard birdsong coming from the setting sun. She looked up at the owls in the sky and watched them fly towards the sunset.

He opened his mouth slightly and unconsciously uttered a word.

"free."

Ke Xiaomo's body plummeted from a height of 100 meters to the ground, tumbling and twisting continuously. The howling wind tore at his face and twisted every hair on his body.

His hazy gaze was fixed on the shards of glass, on which memories and chaotic images flashed by like a revolving lantern.

Immediately afterwards, I heard faint human voices.

At first, it was completely inaudible, but it gradually grew louder and louder.

The patriarch's daily teachings resounded in my ears like thunder.

"We must kill all the dragons of calamity."

"The Dragon of Calamity is our enemy for generations."

The world seemed shrouded in the mournful roar of a dragon and solemn teachings, and between them, ten thousand people struck the ground with the hilts of their swords, like an ancient courtroom.

Even if it's your brother.

Even if it's your family.

"These are the rules."

"This is a matter of great principle."

No.

I was born...

They are as free as birds of prey.

There's absolutely no need for that.

Bound by any rules...

If the rules are wrong, then I will...

Break the rules.

The next moment, Ke Xiaomo slowly raised her eyelids, her expression like that of the most devout martyr in the world, the midday sun reflected in her slightly open pupils.

It was like the sunset I saw at the bottom of the valley that day.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp glint flashed across his eyes.

Just as his body was about to hit the ground, a waterfall-like trail suddenly appeared on his back, like a dark pillar of light rising straight into the sky and swallowing up all the light.

It was as if day and night had suddenly changed.

Above the thousands of shards of glass that fell with him, a jet-black bird of prey was simultaneously reflected.

The next instant, a pair of enormous wings that blotted out the sky grew from his back, and each flap of the wings stirred up a turbid wind carrying woven shadows.

The cry of an eagle echoed throughout the entire sky.

At that moment, Ke Xiaomo seemed to transform into a hawk forged from shadow. He raised his eyes and looked up at the enormous shadow lion at the very top of the building.

Then he slowly raised his right hand, and a shadow blade gathered in his palm, the tip of which extended from the beak of the hawk.

Immediately afterwards, Ke Xiaomo violently flapped her wings, her body shooting upwards like a slashing knife, the cry of a bird of prey resounding throughout the sky, drowning out all the noise.

At this very moment, on the glass curtain wall at the very top of the skyscraper, the Shadow Lion behind the sect leader lay prone on the ground, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey.

"He did it, merging with Shadow Heart, turning the illusory into the real..." the sect leader murmured, "What an irony, the Ninja Sect's once-in-a-millennium genius, is he a traitor?"

His gaze was piercing, his pupils reflecting the dark owl circling upwards from the bottom of the tall building, and a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"You've grown up, Mo."

As he spoke, the sect leader raised his gleaming longsword and sprinted along the glass curtain wall to the very bottom, the lion behind him running alongside him.

It's like running the path one is meant to walk in a lifetime.

From the shattered glass, the Shadow Lion descending from the sky collided with the Bird of Prey rising from the valley floor, creating a deafening roar.

At that moment, the whole world seemed to be submerged by an overwhelming shadow, leaving only black and white as the monotonous colors.

Ke Xiaomo and the sect leader simultaneously swung their katana forward. The clear, lake-like light of their blades clashed at that moment, producing a clear cry like that of a bird in flight.

The shadow lion and the bird of prey merged for a moment, then separated, one above the other.

The general's armor on the sect leader cracked, spreading out in countless fissures; then, the dark red helmet flew off along a corner of the building's eaves and disappeared into the city.

Near the pierced abdomen, a deep groove ran down Ke Xiaomo's waist, reaching to the bone. He knelt on the glass wall, turning his head to look down.

The lion was crashing to the ground, slowly disintegrating. The sect leader's pale hair swayed in the wind as he slowly closed his eyes, his lips moving.

"Go do what you want to do," he said silently.

Ke Xiaomo stared as the old man fell to the ground, turning into a pool of soulless flesh and blood.

He then slowly lost consciousness, the shadow eagle clinging to his body dissipated, and the shadow beneath his feet that had been attached to the exterior of the tall building vanished.

He lost his balance and, pulled by gravity, plummeted toward the earth, closing his weary eyes.

At that moment, a dark figure suddenly flashed through the air, caught his body, and carried him down to the ground.

Ke Yinzhi lowered her eyes and looked at Ke Xiaomo's face, using a layer of dark substance to stop the bleeding. "Well done, you beat that old man."

Ke Xiaomo reached out with trembling hands, grabbed his arm, and whispered, "The Dragon of Calamity... is Yong, Yongzhu."

"I see it."

As Ke Yinzhi spoke, he turned his head and glanced at the calamity dragon that had emerged from the bronze bell. This dragon had completely lost its mind and was consumed by a rage that was destroying everything in its path.

"Brother, save him... save us, little brother."

Ke Xiaomo opened her eyes slightly and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I will... You get some rest, the hospital pillows smell nice."

Ke Yinzhi spoke softly, picked up Ke Xiaomo, and temporarily placed him inside the Gibran Library. Then he stepped onto the street and walked toward the paralyzed Mo Xiejia.

At this very moment, the ink writer collapsed amidst a pool of murky blood and ink.

Ten seconds ago, he witnessed the Black Judge crush the dragon he had summoned with the Blood Ink Forbidden Technique into thin air with just two moves.

At the same time, it shattered all his self-confidence.

Immediately afterwards, the Mo family could only place their hopes on the Ninja Sect Master, only to see the Master exchanging blows with Ke Xiaomo on the surface of the high-rise building. Both of them used Shadow Heart, turning the illusory into the real and merging them into one.

He thought the sect leader would win the contest and come to his rescue.

But in the end, it was the sect leader who was defeated.

At that moment, Mo Xiejia felt his world had been turned upside down, first by this black judge, and then by that Ke Xiaomo.

"What kind of monsters are in this family...?"

He sighed silently in his heart.

Ke Yinzhi stopped beside him and asked with a smile, "Well, did you see that? Your sect leader was taken care of by my brother." He shrugged. "I told you... no one in the Ninja Sect can stop him."

“I admit it, your brother is a monster too.”

The writer, Mo Xiejia, clutched the bloody hole in his chest with both hands and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Just take it as a compliment," Ke Yinzhi said with a smirk. "How about this, I'll spare your life, and you can stay by Xiaomo's side and assist him from now on."

"I don't understand, what do you mean by that?" Mo Xiejia asked haltingly.

"Doesn't your Ninja Clan have a rule that if any ninja defeats the current sect leader, he will immediately be promoted to the next sect leader?"

Ke Yinzhi tilted her head and said in a curious tone.

Mo Xiejia was silent for a moment: "I see, I understand. I will stay by Ke Xiaomo's side from now on and help him manage the Ninja Sect. Thank you for sparing my life."

"You're welcome, this is a fair trade."

Ke Yinzhi smiled and looked up at the rampaging dragon. "It's time to teach our little brat a lesson. We can't let him cause trouble in the streets."