Chapter 1653: Star Positions Gather

The whistling wind swept past Tu Tian’s ears.

He looked at Chen Ling, who had stopped his battle flag with just one finger, his pupils contracting violently!

How could this be??

He was already at the seventh rank now, and this full-force strike of the God of Strength’s path couldn’t be stopped so easily even by an ordinary eighth-rank… Had Chen Ling’s power actually become this terrifying?!

Although Tu Tian’s mind went blank, his body reacted extremely quickly, immediately gripping the battle flag and leaning backward.

The next second, a cold glint grazed his nose!

If Tu Tian hadn’t moved fast enough, that cold glint would probably have taken his head off by now.

Tu Tian’s figure flashed backward in the rain, not stabilizing until he had put a full distance between himself and Chen Ling… He looked at the figure in theatrical robes holding an umbrella in the rain, and an indescribable sense of frustration surged in his heart.

Back in the Heavenly Pivot Domain, he and Chen Ling were still evenly matched. After such a long time of growth, Tu Tian thought he had improved fast enough, but he didn’t expect that when he fought Chen Ling again, he wouldn’t even be able to touch the hem of his clothes!

Chen Ling didn’t pay any attention to what Tu Tian was thinking. He looked up at the rain clouds above, raised a hand, and the bone-carving knife turned into a cold light that shot into the clouds.

Between the gloomy clouds, one could vaguely see the afterimage of a giant centipede dancing like a swimming dragon!

“What are you doing?!”

Tu Tian looked at the rain clouds in the sky, and for some reason, an ominous premonition surged in his heart.

“What I’m doing, is it any of your business?” Chen Ling’s ruby-like eyes narrowed slightly, and he said faintly.

Tu Tian was about to say something.

Just then, a faint sound of a baby crying came from a shop in the heavy rain.

Tu Tian and Chen Ling were both startled, looking suspiciously at the shop beside them. The latter, as if sensing something, kicked a pebble at his feet casually.

Swish—

The pebble tore through the air, smashing the wooden plaque of the shop, and a tightly wrapped swaddle fell from behind!

The baby’s crying became clearer and brighter.

Chen Ling raised his eyebrows slightly.

So it was a baby… No wonder he hadn’t felt any fluctuations of thoughts nearby just now. It seemed highly likely that the child’s father or mother had hidden it directly to prevent anyone from snatching the child after they went out.

After all, in this evil era of famine, adults eating children was not uncommon.

But now it seemed that the child’s parents were unlikely to return.

Tu Tian moved extremely fast. The moment the swaddle fell from the door, he had already stepped directly underneath it, his hands gently reaching out to catch the baby…

But immediately after, a red snake darted out from above, coiled around the swaddled infant in mid-air, and then rapidly retreated to the side!

The red snake coiled back into Chen Ling’s sleeve. With one hand holding his umbrella and the other slightly raised, he held the infant securely in his arms.

His eyes were cast downward.

The infant’s crying grew more intense.

“Chen Ling, give me the child.” For some reason, Tu Tian felt a sense of unease upon seeing Chen Ling’s expression. He spoke in a deep voice, “Your Twilight Society shouldn’t be taking in infants, right?”

“……Give it to you?”

Chen Ling’s palm gently stroked the infant’s head, and the child’s sharp cries gradually quieted. He said indifferently, “Give it to you, and then what?”

“And then?” Tu Tian was taken aback, then replied, “Of course, I’ll take it back and have the orphanage help find someone to adopt it… If there’s no one in the Cangyun Domain, there’s always someone in the Tian Shu or Ling Xu domains. Regardless, the child is innocent.”

“Oh.”

Chen Ling nodded, then lightly raised his hand and tossed the swaddled bundle toward Tu Tian.

The tight string in Tu Tian’s heart finally relaxed. He immediately caught the swaddled infant with both hands and was just about to say something more when he froze in place.

At some point, the small figure in the swaddle had fallen into silence… it had completely stopped breathing.

No struggle, no pain; it was as if death had occurred in an instant.

“You……”

Holding the infant’s corpse, Tu Tian looked at Chen Ling in the rain with disbelief, his entire body trembling with rage!!

“Chen Ling!! You wouldn’t even spare an infant?!” Tu Tian’s bloodshot eyes widened, his roar echoing through the sky.

Chen Ling did not answer. The rim of his large red paper umbrella obscured half of his face, making his expression unreadable, save for the cinnabar earrings swaying and dancing in the wind and rain…

Tu Tian was truly furious. Although he had never been on good terms with Chen Ling, there was no deep-seated hatred between them… In fact, if it weren’t for Chen Ling, they might have died long ago during the battle for the Tongtian Star Positions. After Chen Ling wreaked havoc in the Wuji Domain, he had even joined other Tongtian Star Position holders in defending Chen Ling…

He had never considered Chen Ling to be a villain, but what he had seen and heard today had completely shattered his perception of him.

People…

Perhaps they really do change.

“Chen Ling… I will never let you go!!” Tu Tian’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. He stomped his foot heavily on the ground, sending water splashing in all directions. He pulled something that looked like a calligraphy scroll or a talisman from his chest and crushed it between two fingers!

An aura blending the Dao of Books and the Dao of Chess spread through the air…

“……Hm?”

Sensing this peculiar fluctuation of energy, a flash of surprise crossed Chen Ling’s eyes.

As the aura permeated the area, the space around Tu Tian began to ripple violently. It was as if a mark had been branded in the void, like a target for a pitch-pot game. Simultaneously, five distant auras began to respond, like arrows piercing through space, heading straight toward this location!!

*Rip—!*

The first crack appeared beside Tu Tian, and a young man in black stepped directly through space, appearing instantly at his side.

Chen Ling recognized this person; it was one of the six Tongtian Star Positions, the Dao of Chess, [Pitch-Pot] Li Shengmen.

“It actually worked……”

Seeing that he had truly traversed space and been “pitched” here, Li Shengmen looked pleasantly surprised himself. This was his first time activating this ability.

Following Li Shengmen, Pu Xiachan, Cui Ran, and the Young Sect Master appeared one after another… With the final crack opening, Li Qingshan’s figure also stepped out.

He saw the situation around him, especially Chen Ling standing in front with his umbrella, and was slightly stunned.

“Holy crap, it really can teleport over long distances? Shengmen, your ability is too OP!” Pu Xiachan was equally thrilled to find herself teleported here all the way from the Tian Shu Domain.

“This is Cangyun, right… why is there an aura of the Gray Realm here?” Cui Ran frowned slightly.

“Was it the talisman Tu Tian crushed? Where is the enemy?” the Young Sect Master asked next.

“Exactly, I want to see what kind of enemy is worth gathering all six of us human Tongtian Star Position holders!” Pu Xiachan was already eager to fight, rubbing her fists. There was no fear of battle in her eyes, only the excitement of their first collective stand!

In the torrential rain, Tu Tian slowly raised his hand… pointing toward the red-robed figure in front.

“Everyone.” A soft chuckle rang out from the rain,

“……Long time no see.”