Chapter 1018: The Return of an Old Friend

"You said... who?"

Seeing the man emerge from the room, the old man looked him over with slight surprise and asked in return, "How much time has even passed... and you've already succeeded?"

"Yeah," Han Meng replied indifferently.

"To think that a genius like you would appear in the Third District all those years ago... It’s a pity. If you had been born a few years earlier, perhaps the fate of the Aurora Domain could have been changed." The old man let out a long sigh.

"I have no interest in reminiscing about the past with you. Tell me, what happened to Chen Ling?"

"Didn't I already tell you? He’s going to die."

The old man raised the slip of paper in his hand and handed it to Han Meng. After reading it, the latter’s expression turned grim.

"Destroying the Aurora Domain, assassinating the Aurora Sovereign... Does anyone actually believe these charges?"

"Does it matter if anyone believes them?" the old man said leisurely. "At the end of the day, they just need to pin a label on him to find an excuse to kill him... Who cares if the label is true or false?"

Han Meng snorted coldly. He tossed the paper onto the ground and walked into the darkness without looking back.

"Where are you going?" the old man asked.

"To save someone."

The old man didn't seem surprised by Han Meng's answer. He continued slowly:

"It’s not a short trip from here to the Wuji Domain. In your current state, do you have the ability to cross that Gray Realm?"

"Perhaps." Han Meng answered calmly. He looked down at his own hands. "I also want to see... just how far I can push [Judgment] now."

The old man didn't try to persuade him. After spending this time together, he had long since figured out Han Meng’s personality. Once this taciturn man set his mind on something, ten oxen couldn't pull him back.

The old man finished his last bite of breakfast and sat alone at the dim table. Watching the back of Han Meng in his Arbiter’s trench coat, he suddenly spoke:

"Han Meng."

Han Meng stopped in his tracks.

In the darkness, the corners of the old man’s mouth curled into an aged smile, as if entrusting him with something. "Don't embarrass our Aurora City."

Han Meng looked back and gave him a deep, lingering glance. After a long moment, he nodded.

The trench coat of the world’s last Arbiter swayed silently,

And his figure vanished into the end of the cold...

Beneath the aurora.

……

The Gray Realm.

In a world of black, white, and gray, a massive, withered tree stood silently beneath leaden, heavy clouds.

To call it a giant tree is an understatement; its scale exceeded anything on Earth. It resembled the World Tree mentioned in ancient religions where dragons once roosted, covering an area nearly half the size of a county town...

Its withered branches were like black spikes, pointing messily toward the sky. The trunk was riddled with dense hollows like an insect nest, each one the size of a four or five-story building. Faintly, one could see figures moving within them.

Deep inside the giant tree, a young man dressed in hemp robes, his hands wrapped in black bandages, walked slowly forward.

His attire resembled that of a wanderer in the desert. A wide hood obscured his face, and black hair fluttered silently beneath it. Through the occasional flicker of sunlight, one could see dense, mysterious black incantations on his neck, looking incredibly eerie.

Finally, he stopped in front of a wide tree hollow.

"Holy Son, that person has been waiting inside for a long time," a figure dressed similarly as a wanderer said at the entrance.

"Did they say what they wanted with me?"

"No. You'll know the specifics once you go in."

"Hmm."

He walked straight into the tree hollow.

Passing through a stretch of dimness, the scene before him suddenly opened up. This appeared to be the interior of the World Tree. Mysterious vines hung down from above, emitting faint fluorescent light that dispelled the shadows...

A figure stood before the vines. Seemingly hearing the footsteps, they slowly turned their head.

"You’re too slow, Zhao Yi," the person said, sounding somewhat displeased.

Zhao Yi shrugged. "You can't blame me for that. It’s way too winding in here. I’ve been here so long and sometimes I still can't figure out the direction..."

"Is that your excuse for breaking into the women's bathhouse last time?"

"I was framed, Boss!! I really took a wrong turn last time, and I didn't see anything! At most, I just saw a few tails, wings, and... um... ears..."

"...Enough. I brought you here for serious business."

Zhao Yi blinked, waiting for the rest.

The person in front of the vines flicked a piece of paper, which spun through the air. Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow and easily caught it between his fingertips...

"This is a communication signal we intercepted just now. See for yourself," the person said slowly.

Zhao Yi looked down at the text on the paper, and his whole body suddenly jolted!

"Execute... Chen Ling? Is it *that* Chen Ling??"

"There is only one World-Ending Fusionist in this world. What do you think?"

"He... he he he... how did he get captured by the Wuji Domain??"

"It’s complicated. In short, the Wuji Domain seems to be using him as bait..." The person paused for a moment. "I brought you here because I want you to lead a team."

"Lead a team?"

"Go to the Wuji Domain and save him."

Zhao Yi’s eyes lit up instantly!

"As a Fusionist of a World-Ending Calamity, Chen Ling is able to maintain his sanity perfectly. He is too important to us Fusionists... Regardless of whether the Wuji Domain really wants to kill him, we must ensure his safety.

Zhao Yi, you are very familiar with Chen Ling. I will send people with you to the Wuji Domain. You must save him, and then... invite him to join the Fusionists."

"That’s great! I’ve been wanting to recruit him for a long time!" Zhao Yi was excited, then seemed to remember something. "By the way, Boss, aren't you going? ...Then how are we going to deal with the Silver King?"

"I can't leave here for the time being," the Boss shook his head.

"As for the Silver King... don't worry too much. That kid Chen Ling isn't that simple. Behind him, there are guys even more terrifying than the Silver King."

"Then when do I leave??"

"Now."

Zhao Yi turned his head and discovered that, at some point, seven hooded wanderers were already waiting at the entrance of the tree hollow. They were dressed differently, but all had their faces and skin covered, and their bodies radiated a terrifying aura of calamity.

Seeing these seven, Zhao Yi’s heart shook. Having been with the Fusionists for so long, he naturally knew who these seven were...

It seemed the Boss’s regard for Chen Ling was far beyond his imagination.

Zhao Yi grinned. He strode out of the tree hollow, followed closely by the seven Fusionists. They reached the edge of the giant tree’s trunk, took a deep breath, and jumped down simultaneously without hesitation!

The wind roared, and their clothes snapped violently. Zhao Yi’s hood was blown back, revealing a pair of eyes engraved with calamity incantations... Flashes of his time in the Aurora Domain crossed his mind, along with that figure draped in a bright red opera robe.

He gazed into the distance toward the Wuji Domain and chuckled softly:

"Chen Ling..."

"I'm coming for you!!"