Chapter 1080: Jade Shattered

"We cannot let him destroy the 'bridge'," Han Meng said in a deep voice. "There are hundreds of thousands of lives there..."

As he spoke, Han Meng stepped directly toward the direction of the Calamity of Mockery. He had only taken one step when Jian Changsheng grabbed him firmly.

"Are you crazy? He crippled the Silver King with three slaps and kills Tier 8s like they're chickens. You're a Tier 7—are you going up there to throw your life away?!"

"Every second we can stall is a second gained."

Han Meng pulled his hand away from Jian Changsheng’s grip and replied calmly.

For Han Meng, the "justice" in his heart was the standard by which he measured everything. Now that the Tier 8 combatants had been almost entirely wiped out and he watched the Calamity of Mockery about to crush hundreds of thousands of people, he could not sit idly by.

Even if he could only delay the Calamity of Mockery for a second, perhaps hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people might escape danger...

But when Han Meng looked at the Calamity of Mockery again, he froze in place.

……

A blood-stained hand had grabbed the wrist that the Calamity of Mockery had raised.

Beneath the large red paper umbrella, the "figure" slowly turned its head to look to its side. It saw Ning Ruyu, blood-red and nearly split in two by a blade, staggering as he stood beside it. Even though his blood was almost entirely drained, his eyes remained incredibly resolute.

The moment Ning Ruyu appeared, not just Han Meng, but everyone present was stunned...

Ning Ruyu was the most severely injured person on the scene, and the only one who had repeatedly blocked the Calamity of Mockery... Logically, he should have been struggling just to stay alive, yet he was somehow able to move his body and stand in front of the Calamity of Mockery?

"You are not allowed... to use the Junior Brother's hands... to slaughter civilians..."

Ning Ruyu's voice was incredibly hoarse. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he managed to force the Calamity's wrist to stay suspended in mid-air. "The Junior Brother has already suffered enough... Your sins... should not be borne by him..."

The scarlet eyes stared at Ning Ruyu, who was within arm's reach. The air fell into an eerie, deathly silence.

The next moment,

A mist of blood exploded from Ning Ruyu's chest!

Countless red paper scraps, like dancing tentacles, pierced through his body, crushed his heart, and slammed him violently onto the ground nearby.

Ning Ruyu's body, now like a pile of mud, sank into the earth. Fragments of his blood-red robes fluttered in the air. The moment his eyes went hollow, a soul was drawn in by the spinning red paper umbrella, silently merging into it...

Luan Mei, Wenren You, and Mo Jiao’s pupils contracted instantly...

"Senior Brother?!!!!"

……

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

A heart-wrenching roar erupted from the dark auditorium.

A figure with fists covered in blood was pounding against the wall in front of him like a madman. Chen Ling’s eyes were covered in hideous bloodshot veins; he looked as though he had completely collapsed.

"MOCKERY!!! I will kill you!! I will definitely kill you!!!!"

"Let me go back!! Let me go back!!!"

"Give me back the Senior Brother's soul!!!"

Trapped in the auditorium, Chen Ling had seen the entire process unfolding outside and witnessed Ning Ruyu's death... The tenderness and resolve in his Senior Brother’s final moments were like an unprecedented blade, leaving Chen Ling’s heart scarred and devastated.

Moreover, Chen Ling knew very well that those killed by the Calamity of Mockery could not have their souls transcend; they would suffer eternal torment in despair.

Anger, unwillingness, self-reproach... Intense emotions flooded Chen Ling’s mind. He could not forgive the Calamity of Mockery for doing this... yet he knew all too well that, in a sense, the Calamity of Mockery... was himself.

"Yao... Yao!!!"

Chen Ling clutched at the last straw, frantically calling out Yao's name. "Send me to the stage like last time... Let me go back!! Let me go back!!!"

After a brief silence, Yao's bitter voice echoed in his ear:

"This situation is different from last time... Last time, the Master had imprisoned the Calamity of Mockery, and we were in the Land of Divine Sacrifice, which allowed it through the blessing of the 'Sacrifice'... Besides, this time, there is more than one 'actor' on the stage. Even if you were transported back now, you wouldn't be their match."

The last Calamity of Mockery had been released by Chen Ling himself, and only one "audience member" had stepped onto the stage to gain control of the body. But this time, it was more like the chaotic period before the Master stuffed the fragments of the Soldier God Path into him to create "Chen Ling," when all the audience members were fighting for control on the stage—the most primitive form of "Mockery."

Just as Yao said, even if Chen Ling stepped onto the stage now, he might not be able to defeat all the "audience members" and reclaim control.

Hearing this, a look of despair appeared in Chen Ling’s eyes...

"...Actually, there is one other way." Yao hesitated. "If... if it succeeds, you won't just be able to return to the stage; you might even be able to reclaim a portion of the 'Mockery's' authority and snatch back the Senior Brother's soul."

"What way???"

"With just your power and mine, we cannot cross the Fourth Wall, nor can we defeat the 'audience'... Since that's the case, we can only rely on external force."

"...External force?"

"The power of the 'Sacrifice'."

"But we aren't in the Land of Divine Sacrifice right now. Where would we get the power of the 'Sacrifice'?"

"Have you forgotten? Even when not in the Land of Divine Sacrifice, we have invoked its power before..." Yao’s figure took shape beside Chen Ling, and he pointed to the hideous ghost face on Chen Ling’s collarbone.

Chen Ling seemed to realize something, and a sharp glint erupted in his eyes. "You mean... [Nuo]?"

Last time in the era archive, when Chen Ling first attempted to perform the God-Sacrifice Dance, he had crossed space with Yao and invoked the power of the Divine Sacrifice. Although it was only for an instant, that power was strong enough to shake the Calamity of Taboo.

"But we failed last time." Chen Ling frowned. "My Drama God Path comes from the Calamity of Mockery, and your Witch God Path is too powerful. No Nuo mask can bear our combined power."

"I actually have a way to solve the Nuo mask issue..."

Yao paused for a moment. "But there is one more problem... [Nuo] itself is a form of 'Sacrifice,' and 'Sacrifice' requires a price. For example, every time Shen Nan performs the God-Sacrifice Dance, he loses a significant amount of his lifespan.

Shen Nan is just an ordinary person; our power is stronger and more unique than his. To be honest, if we truly invoke the power of [Nuo], no one can imagine how strong it would be... But at the same time, the price required will inevitably be something we cannot bear.

You... need to be mentally prepared for this."

There was another example Yao didn't voice. Back at the mountain, he had made a wish through the ritual of "Sacrifice," which eventually brought Chen Ling to him on that rainy night... The price was that he lost everything he originally had, leaving behind only this soul, with nowhere to return.

But at this moment, Chen Ling no longer cared about the price; he would even sacrifice his life without hesitation...

"Whatever the price, I can accept it." Chen Ling replied directly, then asked, "But how do you plan to solve the problem of the Nuo mask?"

Yao slowly turned his head to look at Chen Ling’s face...

"Don't forget... you already have a 'mask' on your face." Yao paused for a moment.

"Your... [Painted Rouge]."