Chapter 1566: Really?

Shen Qingzhu said nothing.

He simply lit another cigarette beside Chen Ling.

Although he didn't say anything, his meaning was clear... While he didn't intend to get involved in the affairs of the human domains outside, he wouldn't let Chen Ling be taken away in front of him, if only for the sake of these two packs of cigarettes.

Wuji Jun knew there was no hope left. After a long silence, he finally asked a question:

"Is there really a Red Star fragment deep within the Embers of Civilization?"

Shen Qingzhu's eyes narrowed slightly.

"No."

Chen Ling answered calmly, "That was just a trick to lure you in."

"..." Wuji Jun seemed to have already guessed this result. He looked deeply at Chen Ling, unable to tell if he felt anger, gratitude, or helplessness.

The spatial collapse in the Embers of Civilization was too dangerous, there were no Red Star fragments here, and with Chen Ling now protected by the Silent Angel, he couldn't be abducted... Wuji Jun had no reason to stay.

He flicked his black sleeves and turned to leave...

But the next second,

he stopped.

He hesitated for a long time before finally looking back at the two of them:

"...Thank you."

Everyone knew exactly why Wuji Jun offered those thanks. After saying this, Wuji Jun didn't linger any longer, returning directly to the Eternal Domain and steering the entire domain toward the edge of the Embers of Civilization.

Only after watching the massive black shadow gradually fade and disappear into the horizon did Chen Ling let out a long breath...

In any case, he had successfully rescued Square 8 this time... and, well, rescued himself in the process.

But these things didn't leave a deep impression on Chen Ling; after all, escaping the Eternal Domain was too simple for him. What truly surprised him was the perfect living environment of the Eternal Domain and Wuji Jun's determination to pursue eternity.

The Eternal Domain hadn't been destroyed in the Embers of Civilization, so what, in the end, would be the factor that caused its downfall...?

Just as Chen Ling was deep in thought,

Shen Qingzhu, standing beside him, suddenly spoke:

"How did you know there was... a Red Star fragment in the Embers of Civilization?"

Chen Ling: ?????

……

"It's Lord Wuji Jun!"

"Lord Wuji Jun is back!"

"Lord Wuji Jun, what was that earthquake about just now?"

"Yeah, it was so scary..."

A black-robed figure descended slowly onto the streets of the Eternal Domain. The residents, who had been cautiously emerging from their homes, swarmed around him, unable to stop themselves from asking.

"...Just some accidents, they've been resolved," Wuji Jun replied indifferently.

Wuji Jun wasn't there to answer the residents' questions. He raised his hand slightly, and the massive crack that had pierced through most of the Eternal Domain healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even the houses that had been split in half and nearly collapsed were reshaped by his power, not only returning to their sturdy state but even having their facades renovated in the process.

The black robe walked calmly through the center of the street. As he moved, invisible hands seemed to descend from the void, repairing all nearby buildings to their original state.

Fallen candles, broken plates, stopped clocks, even toothbrushes that had been worn down—everything became bright and brand new. The residents, who had just been immersed in panic, cheered with joy, rushing to dig out old items from their homes to ask Wuji Jun to refurbish them.

Wuji Jun didn't turn anyone away. He was like a creator walking upon this land; wherever he passed, all things flourished.

"Achoo—!!"

In the noisy crowd, a young girl couldn't help but sneeze.

Wrapped in a thick cold-weather suit, she stood in the crowd watching Wuji Jun. Her small face was an unnatural shade of red, and she sniffled from time to time, as if she had a cold.

"Oh, you child, running around while you have a fever... go back and lie down!" A woman hurried over from the side, touched her forehead, and pulled her hand back, burned by the heat, immediately scolding her.

"But I want to see Wuji Jun..."

"Lord Wuji Jun will always be here, there will be plenty of chances to see him. Your health is what matters now... go back and rest."

"Okay..."

Supported by the woman, the girl turned and left, looking back with reluctance. Wuji Jun, surrounded by the crowd, seemed to have heard the conversation. His gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on the back of the stumbling, bundled-up girl.

Wuji Jun's gaze didn't linger on her for long before he looked back at the messy street ahead and strode away, surrounded by the crowd.

……

"Is there really a Red Star fragment here??"

Chen Ling looked at Shen Qingzhu in surprise upon hearing his words.

Chen Ling had only said there was a Red Star fragment here to lure Wuji Jun over. After all, he had been here before and hadn't sensed any aura related to the Red Star... But now, Shen Qingzhu was saying there really was one?

"There wasn't one originally," Shen Qingzhu said, pointing to the sky.

"A while ago, after the Red Star was hit by another star, a small fragment fell off."

Chen Ling followed his finger to the void above. As if thinking of something, his eyes brightened slightly.

That was it... What Shen Qingzhu was talking about must have been when the star Lu Xun had transformed into knocked the Red Star off its orbit. Almost everyone had witnessed that scene and seen the fine fragments flying into the depths of the universe, but he hadn't expected one to fall here.

It made sense, though. The Embers of Civilization were the scar left behind after the Red Star pierced the Gray World, and it was also a passage between the two worlds. In a sense, this place was the source of the regression of Earth's civilization; if the Red Star dropped a fragment, it would likely be attracted and fall to this very place.

"Can I go take a look?" Chen Ling asked immediately.

One had to know that the last Red Star fragment that fell to Earth had given birth to the Nine Lords. If a new fragment had fallen this time... how powerful would the energy contained within it be? What kind of impact would it have?

"Of course."

Shen Qingzhu puffed on his cigarette, hesitated for a moment, and added, "However, don't get your hopes up too high... the fragment that fell is very small."

Very small?

How small could it be?

Chen Ling followed Shen Qingzhu toward the depths of the Embers of Civilization. Since this was the core area, spatial collapses occurred everywhere. If Chen Ling were alone, he probably wouldn't even be able to get in... Fortunately, with the Silent Angel clearing the way, the process, while dangerous, didn't affect Chen Ling at all.

After passing through layers of collapsed areas and shaking off countless gravitational restraints, Chen Ling finally arrived at the location of the Red Star fragment Shen Qingzhu had mentioned.