Chapter 1683: Bewildering and a Blessing

“Also, if I need to increase my combat power in a short time… I should still have a way.” Chen Ling looked toward a certain direction in the Gray World. “Perhaps I can also briefly erupt with demigod-level combat power…”

“…Then that’s the only way.” The Gray King knew this wasn’t the time for hesitation. Every second they wasted might lower their chances of restarting the world. She said in a deep voice,

“Once we kill the Calamity of Taboo and obtain the foundation of the Witch Path, we will immediately send someone to deliver it to you.”

“Hmm.”

The death of Lord Red Dust and Lord Wuji on the front lines was undoubtedly bad news. The Twilight Society had to disrupt all their current plans, and the restart process, which had been progressing steadily, suddenly became bewildering.

Facing an opponent that even Lord Red Dust and Lord Wuji couldn’t defeat, what were Chen Ling’s chances of winning?

Without the Red King presiding, what were the chances of the Twilight Society members killing a world-ending calamity?

But neither Chen Ling nor the other members had a choice now. No matter how severe the situation was, they had to go forward without hesitation to fight for that glimmer of hope… They had long since passed the point of no return.

“…I’ll leave this place to you all.” Chen Ling looked at Sun Bumian and Jiang Xiaohua, his brow furrowed with solemnity.

“Don’t worry.” Sun Bumian smiled. “I’ve calculated it; this trip will be auspicious! Even if I die… I will make sure someone personally delivers the Witch Path foundation to your hands.”

“Heart, you must be careful yourself.” Jiang Xiaohua said, full of worry.

Chen Ling’s gaze was complex. He knew this might be the last time they would all meet, but fortunately, they all had his poison. As long as they died by poison, it would count as souls he had personally killed… [Abyssal Ghost Crossing] would summon their ghosts back into his paper umbrella.

“Alright, don’t be so sentimental.” Sun Bumian seemed to see through Chen Ling’s complexity and waved his hand. “We’ll meet again anyway… Just as you said, we’re just wrapping up early in this play.”

Chen Ling nodded slightly. This really wasn’t the time for goodbyes… No matter what, he had to kill Lord Lingxu first and ensure the restart.

Chen Ling said a brief goodbye to them and prepared to turn and leave.

Just then,

Heart 7, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke up:

“Wait!”

Chen Ling turned back in confusion.

Heart 7 gritted his teeth, walked straight up to Chen Ling, and, gambling on a whim, pulled a tattered, empty bowl from his chest…

Then he shook it vigorously in front of Chen Ling.

“？”

Even Chen Ling was bewildered for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“Have some pity, Lord Red King!” Heart 7 said, shaking the broken bowl while pleading. “I’m about to die soon; I don’t want to be a poor ghost!”

Chen Ling: …

Chen Ling felt Heart 7 was a bit inexplicable. Although he knew this guy’s ability had something to do with begging, he didn’t know the specifics… For a moment, he couldn’t tell if this guy was being abstract or truly begging for money.

Chen Ling hesitated for a moment, then pulled a gold brick from his chest and dropped it into Heart 7’s broken bowl with a clatter. The solid weight almost made Heart 7 drop both the bowl and the gold to the ground.

“Although I don’t know where you spend all your money… if the world can be restarted, I’ll give you a raise.”

Chen Ling patted his shoulder with pity and turned to leave.

Heart 7 looked at the heavy gold in his bowl, stunned for a moment, and then an unprecedented brilliance appeared in his eyes!

Mysterious power surged within him, and he shouted toward the direction Chen Ling was leaving:

“Thank you, Lord Red King!!”

“May the heavens assist you on your journey, Lord Red King! May you be invincible!!”

……

Chen Ling couldn’t hear clearly what Jin Fugui was shouting anymore.

After saying goodbye to them, he immediately used his fastest speed, whistling toward a certain direction.

The direction he was heading was toward the Lingxu Realm… and between the Forbidden Sea and the Lingxu Realm, he would pass through one more place.

That was the place where Chen Ling had placed his final hope.

Having acquired [Wall-Breaking], Chen Ling, who could convert his body into two dimensions, was unimaginably fast. He was like a shadow skimming across the earth, silent and covering thousands of miles in an instant.

Chen Ling kept calculating speed and time in his heart, guessing how fast Lord Lingxu was recovering. After who knows how long…

His shadow rushed into the wreckage of a city that had been left behind in the depths of the Gray World, a city that did not belong to this world.

Embers of Civilization.

Entering the Embers of Civilization for the third time, Chen Ling was already familiar with the path. In his two-dimensional state, he ignored all dangers and explored spaces, stepping into the deepest area.

At the same time, a figure with six gray wings on his back descended from the sky.

“Zhuai-ge.”

Chen Ling stepped out from the shadows, his body returning to a three-dimensional state. His opera robe with black patterns on a red background fluttered in the wind, his gaze incomparably grave.

Shen Qingzhu looked him over with surprise. “You’re already Eighth-Order? That fast?”

“Eighth-Order… is far from enough.”

Chen Ling gave a bitter smile.

“True.” Shen Qingzhu seemed to have guessed something. “The aura of the Red Star is getting closer again. The third return is imminent; you should be preparing for the restart… Is it going smoothly?”

“…Not very smoothly.”

Chen Ling told Shen Qingzhu the situation truthfully. After hearing it, a flash of surprise appeared in Shen Qingzhu’s eyes.

“This is already the third return, and there are still Nine Lords alive… The humans this time are indeed more tenacious than the previous few times.”

Shen Qingzhu was someone who had experienced several restarts. According to his knowledge, whether it was the Fourth World or the Fifth World, by the time the timeline reached the third approach of the Red Star, humanity had already been mostly wiped out…

All the Nine Lords had withered, all realms had been destroyed, and at most, some scattered humans were still struggling to survive in the Gray World.

Therefore, by this stage, the conditions for the Twilight Society to restart the world had already been met in previous times, with the only thing missing being the timing of the Red Star’s return.

But this time, not only were realms able to be preserved, but there was even a Lord Lingxu with explosive combat power standing tall…

“You came to find me, wanting me to kill Lord Lingxu for you?” Shen Qingzhu guessed Chen Ling’s intention.

“If possible, that would be best.”

Shen Qingzhu sighed softly.

“…No?” Chen Ling’s heart sank.

Shen Qingzhu didn’t answer immediately but instead asked: “When you came in this time, didn’t you notice anything different here compared to before?”

Chen Ling was slightly stunned. He had come in a two-dimensional state, and his mind was full of wanting to find Shen Qingzhu quickly, so he hadn’t really paid attention to the changes in the surroundings…

When he turned his head to look at the Embers of Civilization carefully again, his brow furrowed involuntarily.