has already built up the atmosphere to this point.

Chapter 8 has already built up the atmosphere to this point.

A hazy, overcast sky shrouded the city, with massive, leaden clouds covering the horizon. Gothic buildings rose from the ground, their silhouettes stretching endlessly under the gloom, as if shrouded in dark magic. A gray, chain-like atmosphere permeated the entire city, slowly swallowing weary, fallen souls.

This is Gotham, a city where darkness reigns even in the daytime.

Shen You changed into night clothes and followed the direction marked on the bracelet to a dark and dirty alley.

Sewage overflowed onto the street, and the fragile windows were covered with a thick layer of dust, as if accumulated over millennia. Even the lights at the alley entrance appeared dim and gloomy.

A dead end.

Shen You stopped in front of the alley and checked the coordinates again. The marked location was indeed here; he hadn't gone to the wrong place.

"If I were you, I would leave there, child."

An aged voice sounded from behind. Shen You turned around and saw an old man appear at the alley entrance behind him.

His emaciated body, his filthy coat, made him seem to blend into the shadows. His face was thin and aged, the crisscrossing wrinkles silently telling tales of a life weathered by time, and his deep hooked nose bore the marks of years.

He appeared to be dressed like a homeless person, yet he exuded an inexplicable air of authority.

"Leave here, now."

The old man spoke sternly, his tone more like a command than a request.

"While you can still walk, child. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking, a strange "hehehehe" laugh echoed from the shadows.

"Oh, damn it," the old man frowned, "it's too late."

The shadow at the alley entrance seemed to flow like a fluid, quickly rising and forming a strange black shape.

The creature had a human-like physique, but carried a huge, dark green carapace covered in dense, bristly hairs. Its fluorite-like eyes gleamed in the darkness, and its legs resembled hundreds of slender, silver tentacles, sending chills down one's spine.

"A demonic spirit, a lackey of dark magic," the old man scoffed. "Since when has even a nobody like you dared to face me?"

"Ever since you've weakened to the point where you can't even sit firmly on the throne of the Rock of Eternity, you old man."

The demon chuckled strangely twice.

"Nine thousand years have passed, and every day you've grown older and weaker. Finally, you're not as formidable as you used to be? Old man?"

Good heavens, nine thousand years old! He's even older than me, Ultraman! Shen You thought to himself.

The Rock of Eternity, the wizard. He seemed to have a vague idea.

This old man is probably the old wizard who granted Bulge Batson seven divine powers in the movie "Shazam!", the original Shazam.

This old fellow is no ordinary person; he's one of the world's most powerful wizards. In both the original work and the movie, he's so old that he's searching the world for a successor with the purest heart to inherit his divine power.

Basically, it's a magical American comic version of a traditional Xianxia story where "a powerful master is about to die and urgently needs a disciple to give him nine thousand years of cultivation for free".

The wizard snorted in a deep voice, "I may be old, but I am still the guardian of the Eternal Rock, the master of all magic in the world, and the suppressor of ancient magical beasts!"

Who do you think you are to oppose me? Get out of my way at once!

With a loud shout, the wizard raised his right hand, and light and electricity immediately appeared in his palm!

It was as if he had grasped a tangible thunderbolt in his hand, as if he had hurled it like a piercing javelin. Golden lightning illuminated the entire alley in an instant, dispelling all darkness, like Zeus hurling lightning from the summit of Olympus, or Odin throwing his eternal spear from his eight-legged steed!

then

Then nothing happened.

The lightning struck the demon, probably and possibly causing a "HP-1" effect.

Even Shen You fell silent.

So, despite the dazzling special effects, the actual damage output is practically nonexistent?

The opponent was unharmed, but the wizard's knees buckled, and he half-knelt on the ground as if his kidneys had been ripped out.

"I'm so weak," he gasped. "I defeated ancient demons and suppressed countless calamities. I never imagined I'd fall to such a state."

"Hahaha, I told you, your era is over, old man. The Rock of Eternity is already ours, and all magic in the world will be under our control!"

"Don't even think about it!"

The old man stubbornly stood up, and his withered body revealed a tenacity unlike his usual appearance, like a green bamboo that refuses to break in the wind.

He took a deep breath and used his body to block Shen You's path.

"You should leave quickly, young man, get away from this place," he said with difficulty. "I may be old, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. It won't be so easy for a mere demon spirit to take me down."

You should hurry up and do it! Woohoo!

As he spoke, he vomited another mouthful of blood.

Shen You: "."

No wonder the old man was in such a hurry to find a successor; he really was about to die. But then again, he was still just a mortal. He had already extended his lifespan to over nine thousand years thanks to the power of Shazam, which was already incredibly miraculous. He should have died of old age long ago.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said stubbornly, "I have protected this world for nine thousand years. Even if my life ends here, I will have no regrets."

Even if you step over my dead body, you will find that this world will always have its protectors. Today, with the blood of the wizard Shazam, I will make you evil spirits understand.

However, the old wizard didn't finish his sentence.

Just as he was speaking at this point, a burst of bright light suddenly erupted from the area he was protecting with his body.

It illuminated the sky, tearing through the darkness.

Specium Ray!

The demon spirit was also stunned for a moment.

It had no idea this attack was coming, or rather, even if it had, it was powerless to stop it.

That beam of light that rushed towards us contained immense terror!

It was merely a low-level demon spirit, and in its entire life it had almost never seen such an exaggerated spectacle. It could hardly imagine what level of magic could rival such power.

Damn, they're all liars! What happened to the old wizard who was supposed to be clinging to life and anyone could kick him? Where did this monster come from?

A thought flashed through its mind in its final moments.

Humanity is terrifying; I want to go back to hell.

Then it was filled with light.

With a single shot, the sparks of light and electricity dissipated, leaving behind radiating ionization marks in the air, with electric snakes crackling and popping.

Shen You withdrew his right hand, and the energy cannon on his arm automatically deformed and folded, then retracted and returned to the bracelet.

Another ingenious use of the bracelet: a four-dimensional storage box. Just like Zero's transformation glasses are hidden inside the bracelet, Shen You's bracelet also has a storage function.

Shen You turned to look at the old wizard: "What were you about to say?"

The old wizard, who was halfway through his impassioned speech, opened his mouth, but swallowed back the rest of his passionate and tearful words.

The atmosphere had been built up to this point, but he didn't die, while the other side was instantly killed.

An awkward atmosphere filled the air for a moment.

(End of this chapter)