Chapter 1492: Gathering

The moment that familiar voice rang out, the three of them froze in place.

Jian Changsheng looked up in shock, only to see the "contact" boss slowly raise a hand and peel at his chin... As the skin dissolved, a familiar face was revealed!

"You... you you you..."

Jian Changsheng’s eyes widened, his expression one of having seen a ghost!

"Heart!!" Jiang Xiaohua opened his arms in delight, "Long time no see!"

Sun Bumian’s expression shifted from initial shock to amusement. He looked at Jian Changsheng, who had just been "bad-mouthing" Heart to his face, with a look that said he was ready to watch the drama unfold.

"What? You were so insistent on saying it," Chen Ling said softly. "I’m standing right in front of you. If you have any complaints, feel free to say them directly."

"Heart... no... actually, I..."

Jian Changsheng’s brain was in total disarray. He didn't actually have any real grievances against Chen Ling; he was just frustrated about the 6-series being "ignored"... but he had already vented all that frustration just now.

Who the hell would have thought that the dignified Red King of the Twilight Society would disguise himself as a lowly contact and play games with them??

"I... I was just talking nonsense," Jian Changsheng said, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.

Chen Ling smiled.

He pushed the drinks he had already prepared toward the three of them.

"I didn't contact you for a while because I was busy with other things... The situation in the Spirit Void Realm is too complex, and it wasn't easy for me to come find you directly," Chen Ling explained earnestly. "As for the 'high and mighty' stuff you mentioned... to me, I am 'Chen Ling' first, and the Red King of the Twilight Society second."

"I promised you I would take you to the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury to find that ancient well... so, I’m here."

Jian Changsheng stared at Chen Ling under the dim light, stunned for a long time, his gaze filled with complex emotions...

He had actually remembered all along.

The lingering resentment vanished completely in that instant. Jian Changsheng opened his mouth, a thousand words welling up in his heart, but in the end, only two words came out:

"...Thank you."

"Wait!" Sun Bumian suddenly said with a strange expression, "Are you saying our mission this time is to go to the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury??"

"That’s right," Chen Ling replied truthfully. "To reverse the era and restart the world, the Dao Foundation fragments of the Eighteen Divine Paths are essential. This time, we are going deep into the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury to retrieve one of those fragments."

"Leave it to me!" Jian Changsheng jumped up, thumping his chest as if he’d been injected with adrenaline, "Let’s just do it!"

"Sit back down. Do you have any idea how dangerous the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury is?"

Sun Bumian pushed him back into his seat.

"I’ve been to the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury too many times. It’s crawling with crises behind the Ghost Gate, and the local Envoys each have Tier 8 combat power! In every reincarnation, I only dared to try and break through after reaching Tier 8... You’re only at what tier, and you’re going to 'leave it to you'?"

Sun Bumian was currently only at Tier 6, and Jian Changsheng was also at Tier 6 without his domain stacked. Chen Ling might be the only one among the four capable of going head-to-head with an Envoy, but killing his way through the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury alone was nearly impossible.

"I know this might be risky, but we really don't have time to drag this out," Chen Ling said sternly. "Once we enter the Treasury, we’ll act together. Coordinating with each other will give us a better chance."

Every Ancient Treasury is fraught with danger, whether it’s Medicine, Shaman, Puppet, or Evil Path—everyone is taking risks. As the Red King of the Twilight Society, Chen Ling naturally couldn't be the first to back down and wait for everyone to reach Tier 8.

In truth, Chen Ling had considered asking his seniors to escort them, but they were the Artifact Spirits of the Theater Path Ancient Treasury and couldn't enter others. As for the Tier 8 Calamity Poison Heads, it went without saying—once they entered a Treasury, it would immediately trigger a frantic counterattack from the Treasury itself.

"Exactly! The four of us have come this far, what storms haven't we seen? Human demigods, world-ending calamities—haven't we seen enough big scenes? A tiny Ghost Path Ancient Treasury, what’s there to be afraid of!" Jian Changsheng remained full of confidence.

Seeing this, Sun Bumian stopped trying to persuade him and just sighed helplessly, lost in thought.

"Heart... this wine isn't as good as the Five-Poison Wine."

While the other three were pondering how to conquer the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury, Jiang Xiaohua had already finished everyone’s drinks without a word, holding his empty glass and looking at Chen Ling with puppy-dog eyes.

"I’ll bring you a few jars when we get out of the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury," Chen Ling comforted him.

"Right, you said earlier that not everyone was here yet?" Jian Changsheng seemed to realize something, "Besides the four of us, is there anyone else entering the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury?"

Chen Ling nodded slightly. Just as he was about to say something, the tavern door slowly opened...

*Ding-dong—*

The rusty bell rang again.

A figure wearing a wool coat and a dark blue scarf slowly stepped into the dim tavern.

Seeing that person, Jian Changsheng exclaimed in delight:

"Senior Chu!!"

"Long time no see... everyone." Chu Muyun smiled slightly, the lenses of his silver-rimmed glasses reflecting a faint light. He looked at the figure behind the bar wearing a red-based, black-patterned opera robe and spoke solemnly once more,

"Spade 7, Chu Muyun, greets the Red King."

Chen Ling was taken aback and laughed, "Senior Chu, what are you doing? We don't need to use such titles between us... You can just call me Chen Ling."

Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng had both been personally mentored by Chu Muyun, and Chen Ling didn't want his current status as Red King to become a barrier between them.

Chu Muyun seemed to understand Chen Ling’s character and nodded with a smile.

"Senior Chu, are you coming with us into the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury?" Jian Changsheng asked.

"Yes." Chu Muyun looked at Chen Ling again, "Thanks to Red... thanks to Chen Ling for agreeing to my request and transferring me out of the Medicine Path Ancient Treasury team."

Sun Bumian wasn't as familiar with Chu Muyun. Sensing that Chu Muyun was also only at Tier 6, his already worried expression grew even heavier... Could they really make it out of the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury in one piece with just this group?

Forget it...

At worst, he’d just kill his way through the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury alone.

Thinking of his own hidden potential, Sun Bumian straightened his back a bit.

Chu Muyun’s letter hadn't mentioned why he wanted to switch to the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury, and Chen Ling didn't ask. He glanced at the time on the wall and said sternly:

"Everyone is here. Let’s go."

"Right!" Jian Changsheng was about to stride out of the tavern when he stood there blankly the next second, "Uh... where is the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury?"

"I only know that the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury is located in the Tianxue Realm." Chen Ling turned to look at Sun Bumian,

"For the specifics, we’ll have to ask Diamond."