Chapter 1910: The Invitation

Li Laide gently raised his hand...

A bouquet of exquisite white flowers appeared out of thin air, which he placed gently upon the carriage.

This bouquet was larger and more solemn than those prepared by the other members, and it still retained the freshness of having just been picked. Li Laide placed it between the carriages, and the wind outside the window caused the petals to dance silently.

After doing all this, Li Laide stood quietly before the carriage, memories swirling in those deep blue eyes. No one knew what he was thinking...

The members of the Twilight Society remained frozen like statues, the Heart Pythons coiled among them, constantly devouring their memories and confusion... By the time Li Laide left, no one here would remember he had ever been there.

He was like a ghost, arriving softly and departing just as softly.

"Reverse the era, reboot the world..."

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly looked up at the hazy, gray sky... and the direction where the Red Star had departed, long since invisible to the naked eye.

Paranoia and determination surfaced in his pupils.

"Master..."

"What you didn't finish, I will accomplish."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly seemed to sense something, his footsteps pausing in mid-air.

Frowning, he took a playing card from his pocket...

A red [JOKER].

At this moment, two lines of small text were slowly outlining themselves on the back of this Red King card he had forcibly seized:

——[Tomorrow at noon, Chengtian Palace]

——[Your master awaits you]

Li Laide's pupils contracted slightly.

Immediately following, a flash of anger climbed into his eyes...

He put the playing card into his pocket, raised his hand, and gently placed a top hat tied with a red ribbon onto his head... At the same time, his crisp suit transformed into the iconic British-style coat of the Silver King.

With a flicker of his figure, he vanished without a trace.

……

Chengtian Palace.

A figure bowed respectfully before the steps of the throne:

"Your Majesty, the boy you were looking for has been found... However, he does not seem to have a younger sister."

On the throne,

an aged figure slowly raised his eyes.

"...Understood."

"Then, what next...?" the figure asked cautiously.

Ying Fu was about to say something when his gaze suddenly shifted toward the palace gates... He remained silent for a moment before speaking again:

"You may withdraw first."

"Yes."

The figure retreated respectfully.

Ying Fu did not rise from the throne but sat there calmly. Only when the hall was empty did he speak in a deep voice:

"Since you've arrived... why not come in?"

Tap—tap—tap...

Melodic footsteps echoed through the empty hall.

A figure wearing a Tang suit and small round sunglasses, carrying a lion dance head, walked through the hall at a leisurely pace.

"Well, one must show respect to an Emperor... If you didn't invite me and I barged in, that would be very impolite," Sun Bumian said with a light chuckle.

"...What is it?"

"There are some matters we need to discuss with you."

"With 'you'?"

"Oh, we've invited a few other guests as well," Sun Bumian pointed to his feet. "However, considering your limited mobility, we decided to hold it here... Do you mind?"

Ying Fu frowned slightly, staring at Sun Bumian, still unable to see through his thoughts.

He didn't ask any further questions, simply sighing:

"As you wish..."

……

Tap—

A tombstone was driven heavily into the earth.

Lu Xun looked at the seven tombstones lined up before him, a complex emotion welling up in his eyes...

Not long ago, they had personally crafted two tombstones for Wen Ruoshui and Lou Yu; he hadn't expected that in the blink of an eye, there would be seven.

[Tomb of Ji Xuan].

[Tomb of Yang Xiao].

[Tomb of Qi Muyun].

[Tomb of Wu Tongyuan].

[Tomb of Su Zhiwei].

Of the seven who had stood here, five had become the soil beneath these stones, joining Wen Ruoshui and Lou Yu as the foundation of human civilization... In truth, they had already foreseen this day.

Each of them knew exactly how the plan to ignite the Red Star would be implemented. From the very beginning, they knew they wouldn't be coming back. Only Lu Xun and Chu Changqing had a chance of survival, and even that was just a possibility.

If Chen Ling hadn't intervened, Lu Xun and Chu Changqing would also have been caught in the explosion of the ignited Red Star, so before they set out, none of them had expected to return.

"Whoever survives in the end will erect tombstones for the others..."

Neither Lu Xun nor Chu Changqing had forgotten those words of Qi Muyun.

"In the end... we still failed." Lu Xun looked at the seven tombstones, his eyes filled with exhaustion and bitterness.

"It might be too early to admit defeat now." Chu Changqing's green hair was already streaked with white, but his eyes still held the stubbornness of the Southern Sea Lord.

"The Red Star hasn't pierced through this world yet, and we are still standing here... As long as the door of hope hasn't been completely slammed shut, life will always find a way."

Lu Xun remained silent for a long time, taking a deep breath... and exhaling slowly.

The despondency in his eyes dissipated slightly, replaced by the same determination.

"You're right. We are still alive; it's too early to admit defeat..."

Lu Xun had personally assembled the team of the Nine Lords. He had watched their meticulously prepared plan fail, watched comrades who had come because of him die one by one, only for it all to fall short in the end... It was impossible not to feel pain and self-reproach.

But he was, after all, the Tian-Shu Lord. If even he lost his spirit, what would the sacrifice of the seven souls beneath the tombstones mean?

"The two of you."

A voice suddenly came from behind them.

Lu Xun and Chu Changqing turned around simultaneously to see a woman in a black dress standing not far away, her figure flickering like a ghost... Even the two Lords hadn't sensed her approach.

"I recognize you. The Gray King of the Twilight Society," Lu Xun said with some surprise. "Is something the matter?"

As he finished speaking, he seemed to realize something.

"Are you..."

"Coming to reclaim our bodies to reverse the era and reboot the world?"

Before the war, Chen Ling had mentioned to the Seven Lords that rebooting the world would require their bodies... and they had agreed that if things reached a desperate moment, they would voluntarily let the Twilight Society take their lives to collect the Red Star's wish power and reboot the world.

"Not at all. We are far from that point," Liu Qingyan paused, then spoke solemnly.

"Tomorrow at noon, I ask that the two of you head to Chengtian Palace... We have important matters to discuss with everyone."

Chen Ling had just ascended to the Red Star, and the Twilight Society was already taking action, yet it wasn't to reverse the era or reboot the world... This left the two of them somewhat puzzled, but they were Chen Ling's people, and Lu Xun couldn't refuse.

"Understood," Lu Xun nodded.

"We will be there on time."