Chapter 1397: I Refuse

The moment the pillar of fire shot into the sky, the Calamity of Taboo, the Calamity of Turbidity, and the Calamity of Delusion were all stunned.

Even the three of them had not captured Chen Ling’s movements just now; they hadn't even sensed the transformation of the ocean into a pillar of fire... Chen Ling seemed to have taken control of this world in a manner far beyond their understanding!

"Mockery... why... can you also... control... your... world?"

The three calamities seemed to realize something and looked simultaneously at the Calamity of Thought in the sky.

The storm of the Calamity of Thought floated quietly in the air, seemingly unsurprised by Chen Ling’s counterattack. Seeing that the other calamities were just as shocked as it had been earlier, it actually felt a bit more balanced.

It had known since last time that Chen Ling could inexplicably use the thought storm. In this world built of thoughts, it was not the only master...

Chen Ling also possessed the authority to control this place.

Above the raging flames, the red theatrical robes danced silently.

Chen Ling, with his pitch-black face, looked down at the Calamity of Breath in the sea of fire. His expression was sharp, and deep within his eyes, there seemed to be a hint of drunkenness.

Given Chen Ling’s vigilance, and the fact that he also possessed a thought storm, how could he not have noticed that the Calamity of Thought had dragged his consciousness here? From the moment the thought storm appeared in the underground palace, Chen Ling had actually already woken up. However, he hadn't reacted; he wanted to see what kind of tricks the Calamity of Thought was planning.

The skeletal giant wings extended from within the sea of fire, and with a powerful flap, the hurricane directly extinguished the raging flames below!

The Calamity of Breath’s wind-tunnel pupils glared at Chen Ling in the sky, as if it wished to tear him to pieces. Just as it prepared to take flight and engage Chen Ling in a fierce battle, the intent of the Calamity of Thought echoed in the minds of all the calamities:

"Enough... I called you here... not to engage in infighting... Do you... still want to occupy the human realms?"

The giant wings raised by the Calamity of Breath stalled in mid-air, and after a moment of hesitation, it lowered them for the time being...

But its gaze toward Chen Ling remained filled with murderous intent.

Chen Ling glanced at it indifferently, took a casual step, and his figure flashed, returning to the area of the sea where he had originally been in the next second.

Compared to the size of the other world-ending entities, Chen Ling appeared small and thin, but he didn't care. He snapped his fingers, and the hideous black throne from the underground palace manifested out of thin air.

The red theatrical robes rose in the wind, and Chen Ling sat down on it unhurriedly. One hand rested lightly on the throne, while the other propped up his chin. His scarlet, mocking eyes radiated a heart-stopping pressure as he calmly watched the five great world-ending calamities. Even with the massive size difference, his aura did not lose out in the slightest!

【The scarlet master of the Ghost Mockery Abyss, the faceless king who mocks fate】

——Calamity of Mockery, Chen Ling.

"Speak, why did you bring me here?" Chen Ling said indifferently.

"The Red Star... is about to... return." The thoughts of the Calamity of Thought echoed in the minds of all the calamities. "The tug-of-war with the human realms... is time to end... The decisive battle... is about to begin..."

On the throne, Chen Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.

A world-ending conference, huh...

Interesting.

He had just organized a joint meeting of the Nine Human Lords, and then he was dragged into the decisive meeting of the world-ending calamities. His identity kept jumping back and forth between savior and destroyer... One could only say that fate is truly marvelous.

However, it made sense. With only a few days left until the Red Star’s return, if these world-ending calamities wanted to leave the Gray Realm and use the last few human realms to preserve themselves and their subordinates, now was the best time.

After months of tug-of-war, the combat power of the major human realms had long been worn down. As long as all the world-ending calamities launched an attack simultaneously, they could sound the horn for the final battle. Moreover, according to Chen Ling’s judgment, the human realms currently had almost no power to fight back.

This was a true "world-ending" conference.

Chen Ling had intended to listen to the Calamity of Thought’s deployment for this final battle. To be honest, he was quite curious about the Calamity of Thought’s wisdom; he wanted to see just how high a calamity’s intelligence could be... At the same time, he wanted to see if he could extract any useful information to secretly notify Jian Changsheng and the others via the thought storm.

But Chen Ling was soon disappointed.

He didn't know if the Calamity of Thought was deliberately avoiding him, but it was "connecting" with each world-ending calamity individually in their minds. It was like a hand behind the scenes, silently directing the actions of all the calamities, ensuring that each one only knew what it needed to do while remaining ignorant of the others' actions.

One had to realize what kind of existences these world-ending entities were. Could they really trust the Calamity of Thought and let it command them?

How exactly did this Calamity of Thought brainwash them?

"Calamity of Thought, what is the meaning of this?" Chen Ling said coldly. "Planning in the dark, but not telling us the situation? Are you really treating us as pawns? If you do this, what happens if one of us is used as bait or a discarded piece?"

Since Chen Ling had come, he couldn't let the Calamity of Thought proceed so smoothly. He deliberately threw out this question to test the relationships between the major calamities.

The Calamity of Thought looked at him, and then, a thought echoed in the minds of all the calamities:

"Why I don't disclose the plan... can't you... guess?"

Chen Ling’s brows furrowed slightly:

"You are suspicious of me."

"That's right... you are a madman... no one knows... when a madman will go crazy. The survival of all calamity territories is at stake... You can ask the other calamities... do they need me to disclose the plan? You can ask them... do they trust you?"

Chen Ling swept his gaze over the other world-ending calamities. They were looking at him as well, but not a single one was willing to trust Chen Ling.

Tsk...

The previous Calamity of Mockery really did some evil deeds, didn't he? To have ruined his reputation to this extent?

"If you don't trust me, why did you have me come?" Chen Ling countered.

"Whether I trust you or not... you... are ultimately one of us." The Calamity of Thought paused for a moment. "Your subordinates... need a new habitat... and we... also need your power..."

"Oh?" Chen Ling on the throne raised an eyebrow slightly. "What do you need me to do?"

"Of the five human realms... one is still left unresolved..."

"You mean..."

"We need you... we need the Ghost Mockery Abyss... to destroy the Lingxu Realm." The storm moved closer before Chen Ling’s eyes, and the Calamity of Thought’s pupils stared straight at him. "Destroy the Lingxu Realm... control the Lingxu Lord... that realm... will become the new territory of the Ghost Mockery Abyss."

The storm swirled before Chen Ling, and the red theatrical robes on the throne fluttered. Chen Ling’s scarlet eyes stared at it for a long time, then he let out a soft, cold laugh:

"I... refuse."