Chapter 1334: The Radio

In the dim light, Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes.

The dull ceiling came into his view. The emptiness and headache following a hangover washed over him like a tide. He frowned instinctively, braced his palms against the bed, and sat up bit by bit...

The underground palace was silent and empty. Aside from Chen Ling, no living creature made a sound; it was as quiet as a cage outside the world.

The figure draped in the bright red opera robe sat silently by the bed, motionless like a statue...

I do not know how much time passed.

A sigh echoed through the vast palace.

Chen Ling decided to go for a walk. He stood up, walked along the empty corridor of the palace, and stepped outside.

This time, Wu Yi's figure did not appear at the palace entrance; only two small centipedes waited respectfully. Chen Ling recognized them; they were Wu Yi's underlings, members of his former centipede legion.

Seeing Chen Ling emerge, the two small centipedes became somewhat nervous. They simultaneously prostrated themselves, waiting respectfully for Chen Ling to sit on their backs.

Chen Ling casually chose one and stepped on.

[Great King, where are you going?]

"...I don't know." Chen Ling paused for a moment. "Just wandering around."

The two centipedes exchanged a glance. Though puzzled, they carried Chen Ling straight toward other parts of the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery.

The first place Chen Ling arrived at was the open ground where the primitive challenge had taken place yesterday. Before he could even get close, a thick, bloody stench drilled into his nostrils. He frowned instinctively, and the next second, the severed limbs of various poisonous insects came into view.

It looked as if countless death matches had occurred here; blood and venom had permeated the earth, and cracks from the fighting were everywhere. In the center of the clearing, atop the already hollowed-out corpse of the centipede poison head, a massive, bloody, spherical mass of flesh stood silently.

"What is that?" Chen Ling asked, puzzled.

[Great King, that is Lord Wu Yi.]

[After you went back to rest yesterday, Lord Wu Yi encountered several primitive challenges in a row and fought for the entire night. If it weren't for the fact that Lord Wu Yi had been baptized by your power, possessing an exceptionally tenacious vitality, and had frantically devoured the body of the original centipede poison head to recover his strength, he would have long since...]

[However, I don't know if it was from eating too much of the poison head's body or because of your baptism, but this morning, a strange mucus began to secrete from his body. Finally, he curled into a ball and became this sphere... no matter how we call him, he won't wake up.]

A flash of surprise crossed Chen Ling's eyes.

Normally, a calamity of the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery shouldn't turn into a "ball." Even if Wu Yi ate the original centipede poison head, it shouldn't have mutated to this extent... Therefore, it was highly likely due to the Red Star Willpower within him.

Could it be that Wu Yi was severely injured yesterday, fought to the death, and finally triggered the Red Star Willpower accumulated within him, causing it to begin nourishing his body in his near-death state?

If that were the case, it would definitely be a good thing for Wu Yi. Perhaps when he breaks out of this sphere, he will give me a surprise...

After confirming that Wu Yi was not in any life-threatening danger, Chen Ling stepped back onto the centipede's back and wandered around the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery.

But he soon discovered that there really wasn't anything to see here.

The Abyss of Ghostly Mockery was just a giant den of poisonous insects. Aside from centipedes burrowing in the ground, geckos crawling on walls, croaking toads, scorpions crawling about, and venomous snakes sleeping in their respective holes, there was nothing else.

If one had to point out something different, it was that every time he arrived at a place, the surrounding insects would stop what they were doing and bow to him respectfully...

And then, those that burrowed would burrow, those that crawled would crawl, and those that slept would sleep.

No grand architecture, no complex social interactions, only pitch-black, deep burrows and countless insects in the darkness—all the same.

Chen Ling soon grew bored. He should have realized it sooner; he was a human who had experienced two brilliant eras—how could he possibly be on the same frequency as a bunch of bugs? It was like lying on the ground watching ants as a child; at first, there might be some curiosity, but after a while, you realize it's just that.

According to common sense, a mischievous child at this point would start using fire, water, or firecrackers in the ant hill, or all sorts of whimsical methods to torment the ants and take pleasure in their reactions...

Thinking of this, Chen Ling suddenly understood the former Calamity of Mockery.

In such a boring place, only by actively creating some chaos could one bring a glimmer of fun to a life as stagnant as dead water.

"No more wandering... let's go back." Chen Ling waved his hand in boredom.

The two centipedes immediately turned around, carrying Chen Ling back to the underground palace.

Compared to watching the daily lives of a bunch of bugs, perhaps exploring the personality of the former Calamity of Mockery was more interesting.

Chen Ling began to explore the rooms of the underground palace one by one. It felt like opening blind boxes; you never knew if the next door you opened would lead to a perverted dismemberment room, a pink dressing room filled with various dresses, or an artistic painting gallery...

"Hmm?"

"How is this thing here?"

Chen Ling picked up an old-fashioned radio he had dug out from a corner of a room, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

He tapped the surface of the radio, activating [Communication Equipment and Electromagnetic Induction Principle]. With a burst of distorted electromagnetic noise, a signal from the human realm crossed the barrier of the Gray World and connected directly to the radio.

"Sshhh, sshhh, sshhh..."

"Welcome to today's 'Spirit Void Competition Talk'. I am your host, K2."

"After fourteen days, the final duel between two generations of Chess Saints has finally come to an end. The former ten-time champion lost by half a move, and a new generation of Chess Saint has emerged, becoming the new leader of the [Chess Soul] and ascending to Tier 8!"

"The 'King of Competition' qualifiers start today. One hundred and forty-six contestants will compete together, and only the top six will have the chance to obtain a promotion seat. Today, K2 is also very lucky to have the previous King of Competition, Li Shengmen, as a guest on our program. Next, let's invite Mr. Li to make predictions for this year's tournament..."

“……”

Chen Ling, as if he had discovered a treasure, carried the radio out of the room and walked toward the throne.

This radio might be his only form of entertainment for a long time to come...

Chen Ling kept tuning the radio's frequency, trying to receive signals from more realms. Amidst the bursts of static, a voice sounded again.

"I am Chen Yu, a frontline reporter for the Xuanyu Realm!"

"I am currently on the battlefield at the border of the realm, reporting the latest situation to everyone. This broadcast has been authorized by the Xuanyu Realm government, so please do not panic..."