Chapter 1000: The Dungeon

[Audience Expectation +4]

[Current Expectation: 49%]

As these two lines of characters floated up before his eyes, Chen Ling slowly stood up straight, the smile on his face gradually dissipating.

At this point, Chidong’s life force had been completely extinguished by Hongxiu’s killing intent, but even so, he still glared fiercely at Chen Ling, unable to close his eyes in death.

Even in death, Chidong couldn't figure out how Chen Ling had escaped the memory swap of the Silver King, and how he hadn't revealed a single flaw for so long. At the same time, he had actually managed to turn Hongxiu against them right under everyone’s noses...

"Based on his work ability, he could be a talent anywhere..." Hongxiu glanced at the pile of documents on Chidong’s desk and sighed. "It’s a pity he chose to throw his lot in with the Silver King."

"As long as he is of the Thief God Path, he must obey the Silver King; it has nothing to do with whether he wants to or not." Chen Ling said faintly.

"In order to consolidate his absolute authority over the Thief God Path, the Silver King took away the 'Eighth-Order' of the Thief God Path. He did indeed achieve his goal, but the drawbacks are obvious. If he had delegated power to Chidong this time and allowed Chidong to promote to Eighth-Order, our plan would never have succeeded so easily..."

"In the end, Chidong died because of the Silver King’s ambition."

Chidong was not stupid. Since the Fire-Usurpers took over the Wuji Domain, he had been the one to complete the political rule through his own efforts, and he was the only one among all the Thief Saints who had leadership talent. It was just a pity that he encountered a King who didn't trust him, and a pervert who could retain his memory under the Silver King.

Even Fang Liangye, who was performing the "Empty City Strategy" outside, was created by the Silver King himself...

Hongxiu moved Chidong’s corpse and hid it under the desk. Chen Ling waved his hand, and the blood splattered on the floor was reshaped and solidified, then tossed out the window. In less than ten seconds, all traces of Chidong’s demise were erased.

"We don't have much time. With Chidong dead, I don't know if the Silver King will sense it." Hongxiu’s face was extremely grave.

Chen Ling gave a hum, pushed open the office door, and wearing Chidong’s face, said in a deep voice:

"Someone come here!!"

A few seconds later, a Fire-Usurper rushed over.

"Lord Chidong, what are your orders?"

"I want to go to the dungeon."

"...The dungeon?" The Fire-Usurper was a bit puzzled, but he wouldn't refuse Chidong’s order. "Yes, I will go get the keys and open the way for you right away."

The Fire-Usurper left briefly, then returned with a large ring of keys, leading Chen Ling and Hongxiu toward the depths of the church.

As the Fire-Usurper used the keys in his hand to open two doors in succession, a narrow staircase leading underground appeared before Chen Ling.

Empty cages passed by Chen Ling one after another. The surrounding lights grew dimmer, as if some force was suppressing the light... This was Chen Ling’s first time entering the depths of the church. He kept a vigilant eye on his surroundings, guarding against any possible danger.

But facts proved that with Hongxiu by his side, there was no danger in the entire church. The wisps of killing intent that Hongxiu occasionally emitted directly drove away the surrounding darkness, ensuring the kerosene lamp in their hands remained bright.

"Lord Chidong, we have arrived at the dungeon... Do you have any instructions?"

The Fire-Usurper asked cautiously.

Chen Ling didn't answer. He walked slowly along the narrow stone path, examining the cells on both sides one by one...

The cells near the dungeon entrance were basically empty, but the deeper they went, the more people were imprisoned in the cells.

Some were witches captured during the Wuji Lord’s reign, others were Rat Party members captured during the Silver King’s era. These people curled their bodies in the dark corners, with only pairs of cold eyes silently staring at Chen Ling as he passed by.

Suddenly, Chen Ling stopped in front of a cell.

In the dim and crude cell, a black-haired woman wearing knight’s armor sat straight by the bed like a statue. Her eyes were closed, as if she were meditating... Sensing Chen Ling’s gaze, those eyes opened instantly like a drawn sword, sweeping across him.

The moment he met her gaze, a chill surged from the soles of Chen Ling’s feet to the top of his head, as if he had been locked onto by some dangerous beast!

This sense of oppression did not come from the knight’s rank, but from the anger and killing intent contained within that soul—it was the pressure that had seeped in from the extreme cold of the world’s northernmost reaches.

Undoubtedly, what was imprisoned within this knight’s body was the soul of the world’s first female Asura, the Chief Justice of Aurora City.

Just like the situation with Chen Ling and Fang Liangye, the gap between Hongxiu and the knight was too large. Even though their memories were swapped, the knight’s memories were still influenced by Hongxiu’s body, becoming cold and stern. And the injection of Hongxiu’s memories into the knight’s body also made the gaze of this body full of oppression!

The knight’s gaze swept over Chen Ling and then looked at Hongxiu beside him. Their gazes met in the air, and the very air seemed to stagnate.

"You are..."

The knight looked at that Justice trench coat, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

Sensing the change in the prisoners in the dungeon, the Fire-Usurper’s forehead began to bead with sweat. He ran to Chidong’s side and whispered:

"Lord Chidong, what exactly are you trying to do? Tell us, won't you?"

Chen Ling glanced at him faintly. "Make him shut up."

The Fire-Usurper was stunned.

Bang!

Before he could react, Hongxiu pointed casually, and with a flick, shattered his head from a distance. Blood and brains splattered everywhere, and the headless corpse slowly fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The entire dungeon fell into dead silence.

The breathing of all the prisoners present grew heavy. They looked at Chen Ling and the black-clad woman beside him in disbelief, their thoughts momentarily stalled... Some of them recognized Chidong, some didn't, but regardless, that person had just killed a Fire-Usurper in public inside the dungeon.

Anyone with a brain could keenly sense that something was wrong... What had happened outside?

The next moment, they saw Chen Ling slowly raise his hand and tear hard at his chin!

As a layer of skin dissipated into mid-air, a figure wearing a bright red drama robe replaced the original Chidong, standing in the dimness of the dungeon. The faint light of the kerosene lamp reflected in those deep pupils as he slowly swept over everyone.

"I am Heart 6 of the Twilight Society, Chen Ling."

"Since you are all locked up here, it means you are enemies of the Wuji Lord or the Silver King..."

"Coincidentally, those two are my enemies as well..."

"I love creating trouble for my enemies, so... I hope everyone here can become 'trouble'."

Chen Ling gave Hongxiu a look. The latter nodded slightly and flicked her hand again. A wisp of killing intent instantly swept through the entire dungeon, and the chains covered in incantations hanging on all the cage doors snapped, opening dozens of cages simultaneously!

The candlelight of the kerosene lamp cast Chen Ling’s drama-robed figure onto the wall like a demon swaying in the flames. He curled the corners of his mouth slightly and chuckled:

"The Silver King is away, the Wuji Lord is restricted... Everyone, it’s time to rely on your own abilities."