Chapter 1244: I Heard Mr. Chen Needs a Doctor?

Others might just be speculating, but the moment Chen Ling saw this article, he was almost certain that this was the work of the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest.

The location of the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest was already very close to the Cang-Yun Realm, and Chen Ling had seen the methods of the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest's invasion with his own eyes. This group of flesh-and-blood plants wasn't good at frontal assaults like the Sighing Wilderness; they were more like a foul-smelling, drizzling rain that continuously permeated the target. By the time everyone realized it, the intricate, entrenched roots had already occupied their hearts.

Even if the Cang-Yun Realm knew it was the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest causing trouble, they had no way to deal with it, because the Turbid Calamity and the other Calamity entities of the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest were probably thousands of miles away. They didn't dare to take the initiative to leave the Cang-Yun Realm and kill their way to the Turbid Forest—such behavior was no different from seeking death. They could only grit their teeth and clear the underground roots over and over again, but this consumed a great deal of the realm's combat power. In a war of attrition, how could humans compete with the entire Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest?

From the very beginning, the Cang-Yun Realm had already fallen into a disadvantage, and currently, Chen Ling couldn't see any hope of them turning the tables.

Sometimes, invisible wars were more desperate than the head-on collisions of the Sighing Wilderness.

Chen Ling flipped through other newspapers; most of the following reports were related to the Tian-Shu Realm.

Overall, the Sighing Wilderness was still in the siege stage and hadn't launched an attack. Among these reports, three articles promoted that the Heaven-Reaching Tower had made sufficient preparations and even disclosed news about some secret weapons, which sounded impressive... There were also two exclusive interviews with the Red Dust Lord. The Red Dust Lord, Su Zhiwei, stated that she had recovered to her peak state and was not afraid of the Breath Calamity;

The rest were reports related to the Tian-Shu Realm's sufficient supplies, the unity of the military and civilians, and high morale.

There was even an article that specifically interviewed an old man selling breakfast at the city gate. Every day, this old man provided "energy breakfast" for free to the Heaven-Reaching Tower members patrolling the edge of the realm. In the reporter's lens, he held a rolling pin in one hand and raised his fist in the other, showing a confident and bright smile. The title was "The Tian-Shu Spirit Will Never Fall."

After reading it, Chen Ling threw the newspaper into the trash can.

From the newspapers, the Tian-Shu Realm seemed to have the determination to win, making people feel that the world-ending siege was just a piece of cake... But Chen Ling knew very well that the facts were not so.

Not to mention how strong the Calamities of the Sighing Wilderness were, the Breath Calamity itself was the nemesis of the Craft God Path. Under its dragon breath, all civilized creations would turn into dust. The Heaven-Reaching Tower was almost completely countered; how could it look so confident?

As for the interview with the Red Dust Lord, it was even more ridiculous. Chen Ling knew that was definitely not the tone Su Zhiwei would use; it was highly likely that the newspaper office of the Tian-Shu Realm or the South Sea Realm had fabricated it out of thin air... Even if the Nine Lords in their prime were to fight the world-ending Calamity one-on-one, the chance of winning would be less than 30%.

Chen Ling believed that whether it was the Tian-Shu Realm or the Cang-Yun Realm, the real situation was far more serious than what was seen in the newspapers. These articles in the newspapers had long been guided by some invisible hand, no longer focusing on the truth itself, but serving to stabilize the hearts of the people.

Chen Ling didn't linger outside. After buying some food for Xiao Bai and Xiao Tao, he returned to the hotel.

Xiao Tao still hadn't woken up. She lay on the clean sheets, her brows furrowed, breathing heavily, and dense sweat oozed from her forehead, looking as if she were having a nightmare.

"You haven't eaten all day, you must be hungry." Chen Ling handed the bread to Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai shook his head,

"King, I can't eat right now..."

"Being anxious is useless," Chen Ling said calmly. "There's still some time before nightfall. If you don't eat something, you won't be able to hold on."

Under Chen Ling's almost commanding tone, Xiao Bai finally took the bread and took a mechanical bite, chewing it as if it were tasteless wax:

"King... if no one comes by tonight, what will we do?"

Chen Ling looked in a certain direction outside the window. He was silent for a moment,

"Then I'll go find the South Sea Lord."

When he went downstairs to buy newspapers just now, Chen Ling had also inquired about the whereabouts of the South Sea Lord. Now, the fact that the South Sea Lord had awakened was common knowledge, and he was currently living in a small pavilion in the middle of a lake in the center of the South Sea Realm.

Chen Ling had saved Chu Changqing and believed there was still some friendship between them. Although so many years had passed and Chu Changqing might have changed a lot, Chen Ling felt he wasn't an ungrateful person... If it weren't for Teacher Ye not wanting to contact him, Chen Ling would have gone directly to find Chu Changqing the moment he entered the South Sea Realm.

Hearing Chen Ling's answer, Xiao Bai's heart was finally put at ease.

"As expected of the King," Xiao Bai smiled. "Even the South Sea Lord has to give the King face!"

Chen Ling: ...

Chen Ling didn't waste his breath explaining but waited quietly in the hotel.

As the daylight gradually dimmed, the dim sunset shone on every corner of the South Sea Realm, as if plating the streets with a layer of warm gold. Any anxious atmosphere seemed to melt like snowflakes in this golden light. Xiao Bai, having taken Chen Ling's reassurance, had already leaned against the wall and fallen into a deep sleep.

Chen Ling suddenly came back to his senses!

That's not right...

Chen Ling came from the outside. He knew that the South Sea Realm was sheltered under a steel dome. Since that was the case, where did this sky and sun come from?

Could it be that there was a Blue God Path organization like the Floating Life Painting in the South Sea Realm that had painted the sky and sun here? Or was that also something created by the Heaven-Reaching Tower? But the change in the twilight light was a bit too realistic...

Just as Chen Ling was pondering, a rhythmic knocking sounded on the door.

Knock, knock, knock—

Chen Ling's body instantly tensed, his gaze vigilantly looking outside the door... Even Xiao Bai, who was dozing off on the side, perked up, swallowing nervously.

Chen Ling signaled him to stay where he was, stood up slowly, and walked toward the door silently.

Whoever was knocking at this time was either the South Sea police coming to arrest them—though that possibility wasn't high, as all of Chen Ling's movements along the way had been very covert—or it was...

【Audience Expectation +3】

【Current Expectation: 43%】

Chen Ling slowly opened the door.

The dim sunset shone through the corridor window onto the old door eaves. In this halo of light, a figure wearing a white wool coat and a blue scarf was standing quietly outside the door, their silver-rimmed glasses appearing gilded in the sunset.

Seeing Chen Ling open the door, the person gently raised their hand and greeted him with a smile:

"I heard Mr. Chen needs a doctor?"

Seeing that long-lost face, Chen Ling was stunned for a moment,

then a faint smile curled at the corners of his mouth.