Chapter 1463: Red King Chen Ling

*Whoosh—*

As the script flipped to the last page, those surging words gradually dissipated. Chen Ling only felt his consciousness sink, falling rapidly downward...

Those images, those scenes, those unforgettable past experiences of the Fifth Generation Red King, all flashed before his eyes like a rewinding movie.

The Red King did not say goodbye to Chen Ling,

nor did he leave him any letters,

but he had hidden his entire life within this very skin, displaying it before Chen Ling’s eyes.

It seemed they had no communication, yet it seemed they had said everything... In the face of this most direct, firsthand witnessing, all conventional verbal communication seemed pale and powerless. Everything he wanted to say, everything he wanted to explain, everything he wanted to guide, had already entered Chen Ling’s mind.

Amidst this chaotic light and shadow of memories, a blurry figure draped in a bright red theatrical robe pierced through, heading straight toward the falling Chen Ling!

“You...”

The falling Chen Ling was slightly stunned to see this figure.

It was the Fifth Generation Red King.

He emerged from the memories of the skin, and in a flash, he was above the falling Chen Ling. His figure was blurry, like a ghost, but in the next second, he raised his fingertip and gently tapped Chen Ling between the brows...

At the same time, a whisper echoed in Chen Ling’s ear:

“...I’m sorry.”

*Hum—!!*

Chen Ling only felt a scorching heat coming from between his brows, and his mind shook violently!

Above the tranquil lake, Chen Ling, draped in a red-based, black-patterned theatrical robe, suddenly woke up. The Red King skin on his face peeled away continuously, with only the spot between his brows glowing...

Chen Ling looked down at his reflection in the lake, and saw a mysterious pattern etched between his brows.

The moment this pattern fully appeared, his "Painted Vermilion Face" activated automatically. Those subtle makeup details that had previously been blank were being filled in by some force. Within a few short seconds, a perfect theatrical makeup was reflected in the water, every detail revealing a natural, flawless beauty!

The final stroke of the Painted Vermilion Face was completed,

and this face, belonging solely to Chen Ling, had reached perfection!

This was the final relic left to him by the Red King... and at the same time, an apology and a peace offering.

Chen Ling stared at the perfect theatrical mask in the water’s reflection for a long time before slowly coming back to his senses...

The Red King had apologized to him.

This apology was not just for that argument, but an apology for Chen Ling’s entire life. The Red King was Chen Ling’s creator and the hand behind the scenes pushing him forward. The suffering and setbacks Chen Ling had endured throughout his growth were inseparable from the Red King; he truly owed Chen Ling an apology.

And he had also filled in the final gap of the Painted Vermilion Face for Chen Ling, making this “face” belonging to Chen Ling completely whole.

It was the Red King who had once turned him from a fictional character into a physical entity, and now, it was the Red King who had completed the final soul of this character.

From this moment on, Chen Ling fully understood his past and present, understood all the causes and effects. His heart was completely clear, and not a trace of confusion remained.

From now on, Chen Ling was no longer an alternative product composed of the Mockery Calamity, Chen Yan, and Yao. He possessed his own independent personality; he was a living “human” who had walked out of the story the Red King had fabricated!

Chen Ling was Chen Ling.

From now on, his fate would be decided by himself.

Chen Ling’s thoughts stirred, and the Painted Vermilion Face slowly faded, hiding beneath his skin. He looked at the Red King in the coffin again, his expression complex...

He couldn't quite articulate what kind of feelings he had for the Red King.

Love? Not quite.

Hate? Not quite.

The Red King before him, although he looked the same as A-Yan, Chen Ling knew very well that he was not the brother he had known... He had experienced too much, endured too much, and had become another, unfamiliar person. If there was any similarity between him and A-Yan, it was perhaps only that softness deep in his heart for himself, or rather, for Yao.

Chen Ling looked at the dead, silent corpse of the Red King, remaining silent like a statue for a long time. A thousand words welled up in his heart, eventually converging into two:

“...Thank you.”

No matter how much suffering he had made him endure, at least, he had created him.

Without the Fifth Generation Red King, he would still be a “spectator” in the midst of chaos.

A gentle breeze brushed across the crystal-clear lake,

and ripples spread silently.

Beneath the gray robe, the Gray King slowly closed her eyes. She faced the figure in the theatrical robe before the coffin and bowed...

Then, she knelt on one knee.

“Twilight Society Gray King, Zhu Yu, in accordance with the dying wish of the previous Red King, implores Mr. Chen... to succeed as the Red King and lead the Twilight Society.”

This most mysterious Gray King of the Twilight Society, who was only half a step away from becoming a Ninth-Order Demigod, knelt on one knee, solemnly raising her hands toward Chen Ling... In her palms, a playing card rested quietly.

A red [JOKER].

Liu Qingyan, behind her, saw this and immediately knelt down without hesitation. Two figures, one gray and one black, dotted the lake surface rippled by the breeze, and the air fell into silence once more.

Chen Ling looked back at the kneeling Gray King and the playing card in her hands, his gaze deep and calm.

In the Red King’s memories, he had created him specifically to make him the Sixth Generation Red King, using his uniqueness to lead the Twilight Society to restart the world and find a way to rewrite everything... It was precisely for this purpose that the Red King had laid out his plans, guiding him to grow step by step.

Chen Ling didn't really like the feeling of being led by the nose.

But in the Red King’s memories, he hadn't hidden anything either; he had told Chen Ling everything directly... He hadn't forced Chen Ling to succeed him as the Red King, but instead had the Gray King ask him in this manner.

The Red King had planned Chen Ling’s growth, but at this truly critical moment, he had left no contingency plans...

He had completely left the right to choose to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling could, of course, refuse.

He was the Mockery Calamity. Even if the world fell into chaos, as long as the Red Star didn't strike the Earth again, he could live on alone even if all of humanity died...

But was that really what he wanted?

Faced with this open-ended question, Chen Ling seemed to have a choice, yet it felt like he had no choice at all. Because from the moment he inherited Yao’s memories and Chen Yan’s body, he was already a “human.” Even if he didn't care about the survival of humanity, there were always important people who would become his reason for moving forward without hesitation.

Time ticked by, second by second,

and Chen Ling remained standing before the Gray King, unmoved.

The Gray King didn't show the slightest intention of urging him, just remaining kneeling there like a statue, holding the playing card with both hands, waiting for Chen Ling’s choice...

Finally,

Chen Ling reached out his hand, slowly extending it toward the playing card in her palm.

However, just as the Gray King was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Chen Ling’s hand suddenly paused in mid-air...

And then he pulled it back.

The Gray King and Liu Qingyan were stunned, looking up at the same time.

On the rippling lake, the figure draped in the theatrical robe walked calmly past them...

He had not accepted the Fifth Generation Red King’s playing card.

Did he refuse?

Just as the Gray King’s thoughts were in chaos, the back of the red-based, black-patterned theatrical robe slowly raised a hand. At his fingertips, a [Heart 6] card face was bright and vivid...

Chen Ling’s fingertips gave a light twist.

In the next second,

that [Heart 6] turned into a brand-new [JOKER] like a magic trick!

“That is his card, not mine... Let his card face rest in peace in this world along with him,” Chen Ling said faintly.

“From now on...”

“my fate is in my own hands.”