Chapter 1898: Passing on the Faith

Snap—

The cup in Heart 9's hand slipped, shattering into shards on the floor.

As the Red Star departed, the crimson hue that had filled the earth gradually dissipated... He stood at the factory entrance, watching the rain of red paper scattered across the world, standing motionless like a statue.

Lord Red King... is dead?

That omniscient, omnipotent, invincible Red King...

...is dead?

Chen Ling had collided with the Red Star, shattering into a sky full of red rain. Both his aura and his body had completely vanished; one could say there was nothing left of him. The members of the Twilight Society had never imagined such an ending.

"Brother..."

"Brother??"

Li Wanhua keenly sensed something wrong with Heart 9. She tried to tug on her brother's sleeve, but received no response.

"Brother... don't scare me." Li Wanhua looked at his pale face, her voice already tinged with a sob.

Almost at the same time,

a figure carrying a drawing board landed silently in front of the factory.

It was a young man with delicate features. Li Wanhua recognized him; he seemed to be her brother's good friend... and also a member of the Twilight Society.

Plum 8's expression was gloomy yet calm. He looked at Heart 9, who stood like a statue, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Heart 9, what are you still standing there for?"

"Don't tell me you intend to wail, complain to the heavens, and give up... You should know that even if you kowtow until your head bleeds in front of Lord Red King's grave, he won't come back."

"Don't forget... we are members of the Twilight Society."

"We..."

"...should go and complete our mission."

Heart 9's body trembled slightly.

Plum 8's words were like a thunderclap, waking him from his stupor. He quickly regained his senses, and an unprecedented coldness and determination climbed into his eyes.

"You're right... we should go." Heart 9 stepped forward.

"Brother, what are you going to do?"

Li Wanhua stood at the door, watching their departing backs, and asked worriedly.

Heart 9 did not look back. He simply glanced at the direction in which the Red Star had departed and replied calmly:

"Reverse the era, restart the world."

……

Across the world, the first to recover from Chen Ling's death were not the demigod dukes, nor the Chengtian Prefecture, the Fusion Faction, the Fire Tamers, and certainly not the citizens cheering for their narrow escape... but the members of the Twilight Society.

Chen Ling's death was like a signal to all members of the Twilight Society. No one wallowed in meaningless sorrow or pain. The entire Twilight Society was like a cold machine instantly activated, beginning to operate with astonishing efficiency!

They knew Chen Ling could not be resurrected, knew the Red Star would eventually return, and knew this world would likely head toward destruction...

And the only thing they could do was the very purpose for which the Twilight Society was founded:

Reverse the era, restart the world.

Meanwhile, in a certain theater in the Red Dust Domain.

A pair of hands pushed open the old doors.

Creak—

A black dress, like star-spun silk, fluttered in the wind.

A beautiful figure stood at the entrance of the theater, her eyes devoid of any emotion as she gazed inside...

"Heart 6, Li Qingshan." Liu Qingyan spoke slowly. "Are... you ready?"

A figure in green theatrical robes stood in the dim light, back to the door, carefully adjusting his collar as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"You arrived faster than I imagined..." Li Qingshan turned to look at her, his expression complex. "Don't tell me... from the moment he went to fight the Red Star... you were already waiting for me at the door?"

"Not at the door. I was on the roof."

"You knew he would die?"

"I didn't." Liu Qingyan paused, as if forcibly suppressing her emotions. "I was just always prepared... to fulfill my duty as the Gray King. If he failed, I would execute the backup plan."

Li Qingshan nodded and placed a bag of money on the table. It was the severance pay for the only servant in his theater, and his last savings.

As the money bag fell, it meant he was bidding a final farewell to his past life. From now on, he was no longer the small theater owner on this street, nor even just the newcomer Heart 6 who had just joined the Twilight Society...

Chen Ling's passing and Liu Qingyan's appearance meant he would take on a much heavier identity.

In Li Qingshan's mind, the image of the red-clad actor who had sat under the stage and talked with him for hours not long ago resurfaced, and a complex look flickered in his eyes.

"I'm ready." Li Qingshan adjusted his mindset and walked straight toward the door.

"Where to next?"

Liu Qingyan took a deep breath:

"To..."

"...the Ancient Treasury of the Prostitution Path."

……

On the desolate earth.

A figure in a British-style coat stood silently like a statue.

Of the three knocked to the ground by Chen Ling, Ying Fu had headed straight for the Chengtian Domain without looking back the moment he saw the Red Star knocked off course... Lu Xun had stared at the direction of Chen Ling's disintegration for a long time before silently leaving, destination unknown.

Only Li Laide had not moved a single step to this moment. A heart-stopping pressure radiated unconsciously from his body, like an angry volcano suppressed to the limit.

After an unknown amount of time, several figures approached rapidly.

"King...?"

Qing Huo saw Li Laide and immediately wanted to step forward, but was stopped by Chi Tong beside him.

"Wait..." Chi Tong felt the extremely oppressive demigod aura in the surroundings, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Don't go over. The King's state is a bit off..."

The several Thief Saints kept their distance from Li Laide, wanting to go up and say something, but were too suppressed to even open their mouths.

"What's wrong with the King? Did he get angry because that Chen Ling stomped him back to the ground?" Qing Huo asked cautiously.

"...Possibly."

"Then what do we do?"

"Based on my years of knowing the King, when he's angry, you must never appear before him..." Chi Tong swallowed. "Let's do this: we'll act like we never came and back away slowly... do not disturb the King."

The Thief Saints reached a consensus immediately.

However, just as they began to retreat, the figure that had stood like a statue all this time suddenly raised his hand...

...and slowly placed the black top hat onto his head.

The next second,

his figure vanished into thin air.

Along with him, the suffocating, terrifying pressure also disappeared.

The Thief Saints felt their bodies lighten, the taut strings in their minds snapping, and they breathed heavily as if they had just survived a disaster...

"Where... did the King go?" Mo Lian asked, frowning.

"I don't know."

Lan Yu was silent for a moment.

"However... I have a feeling something big is about to happen."