Chapter 1121: Archbishop

The sound of whimpering wind circled in the deathly silent night.

Jian Changsheng and the four of them stood alone on the barren earth. The road they had come from had been trampled into a mess by the Calamities of the Sighing Wilderness, and they could no longer find the original direction. The surroundings were pitch-black, as if they were in a completely unfamiliar world.

Jack of Diamonds wiped the sweat from his forehead, felt the gazes cast by Jian Changsheng and the others, and shrugged, saying,

"Don't look at me. How would I know where this is? I'm not a local of the Gray Realm."

“……”

Sun Bumian sighed slightly. "We are already an unknown number of kilometers off our original route... The terrain and landscape have also been trampled by Calamities. It's probably impossible to find our way back."

"Why would it be impossible?" Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth. "Isn't it just that direction? We can just keep walking back!"

"...Are you sure?"

Jian Changsheng's gaze was hesitant, but if they gave up now, they would be completely lost in the Gray Realm. Not to mention finding the Fusion Faction, they might not even be able to return to the human realm... He steeled his heart and said decisively,

"Sure, it should be... probably that direction!"

Seeing this, Sun Bumian wanted to persuade him, but seeing the persistence in Jian Changsheng's eyes, he nodded:

"Alright, let's try walking and see."

Jack of Diamonds didn't say anything, just followed quietly behind Jian Changsheng.

The four of them trekked across the uneven earth, walking for a long time in the direction Jian Changsheng pointed, until the sky began to turn white, but the surroundings were still completely unfamiliar and barren...

Jian Changsheng's mentality went from original confidence to doubt, and then bit by bit fell into despair, his eyes full of bloodshot veins.

"That shouldn't be... It should be this direction..." Jian Changsheng muttered to himself.

"When we were running for our lives just now, we ran at least several hundred kilometers... At such a long distance, even if the direction is off by just a little bit, the error will be huge, let alone 'about a finger's width'." Sun Bumian finally spoke.

Jian Changsheng looked at the unfamiliar territory before him, the unwillingness and anger in his heart climbing up, turning into deep self-reproach. He let out an annoyed low roar and punched the hill beside him.

Boom—!

The terrifying giant force directly shattered the entire rock hill into pieces!

"It's all my fault... If it weren't for my damn luck, we should have almost reached the Fusion Faction by now!!" Blood flowed from Jian Changsheng's knuckles, but he seemed completely unaware, gritting his teeth and saying,

"As long as I'm here, I'll only ever be a drag..."

Sun Bumian and Jiang Xiaohua exchanged glances, their gazes complex. Jiang Xiaohua wanted to comfort Jian Changsheng but didn't know how to start, so he could only silently walk forward, handing the half-bottle of whiskey he had carried for hundreds of kilometers to him, and asked cautiously:

"...Want a drink?"

"..." Jian Changsheng's eyes were red. He stared at the whiskey for a moment and said hoarsely, "I don't want to drink."

"Actually, you don't have to be so pessimistic." Sun Bumian walked forward slowly. "Before there was no Heavenly Star Position, although you were unlucky, there would occasionally be a turning point after being unlucky... isn't that right?"

Jian Changsheng was silent for a long time and smiled bitterly:

"A turning point? We're lost in the Gray Realm, where would a turning point come from??"

Jian Changsheng seemed to have lost all his strength, lying flat on the ground, staring blankly at the sky like a corpse... Lead-gray clouds flowed in the air, oppressive and dull.

Suddenly, Jack of Diamonds' eyes narrowed.

"Over there... is there someone?"

Hearing this, Jian Changsheng was stunned, and then, as if realizing something, joy appeared on his face:

"Humans can't walk in the Gray Realm... Is it someone from the Fusion Faction?"

"...Doesn't seem like it. That person... why isn't that person wearing any clothes? It's a bit of an eyesore." Sun Bumian looked in the direction Jack of Diamonds was pointing, his expression somewhat subtle.

Not wearing any clothes?

Jian Changsheng sat up and saw several figures walking slowly through the desolate Gray Realm in the distance. The leader was tall and broad-shouldered, but he walked with a hunched back, his arms hanging down to his knees like an ape.

He wore no clothes, save for a skirt made of leaves around his waist. Dense hair covered his entire body, making him look exactly like the apes one might see at a zoo.

Behind him followed two robed figures, though they too wore nothing beneath their garments. As a breeze swept by, their naked, hair-covered bodies were exposed to the Gray Realm, appearing exceptionally jarring.

"...Is that the Jiangtian Sect?" Seeing this bizarre getup, Jian Changsheng immediately recalled the Jiangtian Sect members from the Red Dust Realm.

"That's right. And by the looks of it, that's an Archbishop-level one," Square J nodded slightly.

"An Archbishop? How do you tell them apart?"

"It's simple. Jiangtian Sect members draw energy from the Red Star, which affects everything in their vicinity—even their own linguistic functions.

Those who wear red robes and can speak are ordinary members; those who wear red robes but cannot speak are Bishops; those who wear nothing but a leaf skirt are Archbishops... because an Archbishop causes any textile product that touches their skin to degenerate, they are unable to wear human clothing," Square J explained patiently.

Jiang Xiaohua looked at the group, silently turned his head away, and after holding it in for a long time, managed to squeeze out:

"...Exhibitionists."

"...You're one to talk?"

Sun Bumian glanced at Jiang Xiaohua, who was wrapped only in bandages and exposing his upper body in the Gray Realm, and felt speechless.

"Why would a Jiangtian Sect Archbishop appear here?" Square J frowned. "...Where are they going?"

"Should we follow them and see?" Jian Changsheng, perhaps feeling he had no other way out, couldn't help but suggest.

"Are you crazy?" Square J shot him a look.

"The Jiangtian Sect is a natural enemy to those of you who possess Divine Paths. Furthermore, the opponent is an Archbishop. If a fight really breaks out, anyone below the Seventh Rank is guaranteed to die, and even an Eighth Rank would be in trouble... Following them is just asking for death!"

"Aren't you a Fusionist? Are you afraid of him too?"

"I... while I won't be affected by his abilities, an Archbishop's methods are far from ordinary and quite troublesome."

Square J had completely lost the desire to track the Jiangtian Sect and only intended to get as far away from this place of trouble as possible. But just as he turned his head to look at their position again, he found that the spot was already empty.

Square J’s heart skipped a beat!

"Oh no!!"

Jian Changsheng and his two companions reacted with lightning speed, immediately activating their Divine Paths to dash in the opposite direction. But at that moment, two tall, ape-like figures in red robes stood behind them like ghosts.

Jian Changsheng and the others felt a blur before their eyes, and all their Divine Path skills instantly failed. A whistling whip-kick swung out from beneath a red robe, slamming heavily into his face!