Chapter 1081: Destroy It

The Boundless Domain.

The cries of Luan Mei and the others echoed in the sobbing cold wind. Ning Ruyu’s blood gradually stained the earth red. Beneath the large red paper umbrella, Mockery withdrew its gaze casually.

Ning Ruyu’s sacrifice had indeed bought time for the people within the "bridge," and many had already left the Calamity Domain and reached the safe zone in the Gray World.

But the majority of civilians were still on the bridge.

The "figure" gazed into the distance at the golden chains in the sky, raised its hand again, and reached into the void...

Of the nine Tier 8s present, five were already dead, and the remaining four were severely injured and dying... Looking across the entire domain, there was no one left who could stop the Calamity of Mockery in the slightest.

"It's over..." Sun Bumian’s bitter voice came from the side. "That agent was right; we are all going to die here..."

Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth. For some reason, as he watched the "figure" holding the red paper umbrella, his heartbeat accelerated, as if something was about to burst out from his chest.

Jian Changsheng knew that most of those hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't survive, so he simply closed his eyes, waiting for the arrival of despair.

However,

Just as the "figure" reached into the void, everything around them suddenly froze.

In the deathly silence, Jian Changsheng felt something strange... He opened his eyes in a daze and saw everything before him folding like paper.

Ning Ruyu’s corpse, Luan Mei and the others, even Sun Bumian, Jiang Xiaohua, Hong Xiu... everything within his sight folded and collapsed behind Jian Changsheng like a 3D children's pop-up book, eventually turning into a blank disc that floated quietly in the hands of a youth in theatrical robes.

Jian Changsheng stood in the hollow void, stunned for a long time before he finally came to his senses, exclaiming with joy:

"Senior Red King?!"

The familiar, youthful face before him was no different from a savior in Jian Changsheng’s eyes. If there was anyone left who could save them, it was the Red King of the Twilight Society, who had yet to show himself... After all, since leaving the Red Dust Domain, he had been suppressing the Calamity of Mockery and had even rescued Chen Ling.

But the next moment, Jian Changsheng paused slightly.

Compared to the Red King in his memory, the one before him looked much more haggard. Moreover, his bloodshot eyes revealed deep exhaustion and complexity; beneath the shell of a youth, it seemed to house a weary soul.

"The Calamity of Mockery is here; I cannot maintain this 'archive' for too long." The Red King’s voice was very calm as he got straight to the point.

"Spade 6, Jian Changsheng, do you... want to save Chen Ling?"

"I do, but..."

Jian Changsheng came to his senses, a bitter look appearing on his face. "But I'm just a Tier 4; I wouldn't even be a snack for Mockery... I still have to rely on you to save him."

"This time, I cannot save him." The Red King shook his head.

"The Calamity of Mockery has two states: a 'stable state' where one consciousness dominates, and a 'disordered state' where all consciousnesses are in chaos simultaneously... The 'Mockery' we traveled with in the Gray World was in a stable state.

In a stable state, I can find opportunities to use the tablets to restrict his actions, but in a disordered state, the tablets cannot contain him... Unless one of the consciousnesses within Mockery regains dominance."

"Then... how can we make Chen Ling’s consciousness regain dominance??"

"That can only depend on him." The Red King said faintly. "Only if he takes that step himself will there be a glimmer of possibility for him to completely control the Calamity of Mockery in the future... If he cannot do it, 'Chen Ling' is destined to fail... and this era is also destined to fail."

Jian Changsheng didn't understand what the Red King meant, so he asked cautiously:

"Then... what happens if he doesn't take that step?"

The Red King was silent for a moment. He glanced at Ning Ruyu’s corpse in the disc, the dying Luan Mei and others, and the Calamity of Mockery exuding an eerie aura... He spoke slowly:

"Then I will immediately kill all the remaining Nine Monarchs, reverse the era, and restart the world."

The Red King’s tone was indifferent and calm, as if this were not a difficult task for him, but to Jian Changsheng, it was so shocking he couldn't even speak.

Jian Changsheng could feel that the Red King was serious...

"Then what did you mean when you said you wanted me to save Chen Ling?" Jian Changsheng asked.

"If Chen Ling wants to take that step, he must face the backlash of Mockery’s other consciousnesses. During this period, if someone can divert Mockery’s attention, his success rate will increase significantly." The Red King paused.

"But I am of the Drama God Path; without using the tablets, my abilities are almost entirely ineffective against Mockery..."

"You don't mean... you want me to do it???" Jian Changsheng’s eyes widened. "How could I possibly..."

"You are the only one who can possibly divert Mockery’s attention right now."

The Red King looked at Jian Changsheng with unprecedented solemnity. "Jian Changsheng, the power within you is far greater than you imagine..."

"The power within me?"

Jian Changsheng was a bit confused. Every time Chen Ling lost control before, he seemed to have some reaction within his body, but he didn't know exactly what was happening.

"Within you, you carry the soul of a former Soldier God Path demigod." The Red King paused. "But right now, his power is only at Tier 7. Relying on this to divert the Calamity of Mockery is almost impossible."

Hearing the first half, Jian Changsheng was clearly startled. After all, having a second soul hidden inside him sounded quite terrifying, and he hadn't noticed it himself at all...

"Then..."

"His power is not enough to divert the Calamity of Mockery, but you have something on you that has been continuously suppressing the demigod’s killing intent all this time, like a reservoir, storing it and isolating it from the outside world.

If you release all the killing intent stored there, you can gain the power of a demigod for a short time and divert the Calamity of Mockery.

So, the one who can help Chen Ling is not the soul inside you...

It is you, Jian Changsheng."

Jian Changsheng froze.

As if realizing something, he looked down at his neck...

There, a silver pendant shaped like a sword hilt was hanging quietly.

"It's this..."

This pendant was made by Chen Ling and Sun Bumian using a Heaven-Reaching Star Position, and it stored a massive amount of human fortune... It was precisely because of its existence that Jian Changsheng’s misfortune was suppressed. Although he didn't possess good luck, he was at least close to the level of an ordinary person.

Jian Changsheng also learned for the first time that his misfortune was caused by the demigod’s killing intent, and this pendant had isolated that killing intent within him, allowing him to temporarily shield himself from the misfortune...

"What do I need to do to release the killing intent?"

"Destroy it."

The Red King spoke slowly. "Destroy the container, and all the killing intent accumulated inside will be released in an instant. But the misfortune that was once isolated will also return like a tide... In other words, your life will become difficult once again.

I will not force you to make any decision. Whether to save him or not, you choose."

Jian Changsheng gripped the pendant tightly and lowered his head into silence.