Chapter 932: Abyss

Wuji Domain.

Drizzle tapped against the dreamlike, glass-like cathedral windows, making a faint, rustling sound. Chen Ling walked slowly out of the prayer room, his bright red opera robe looking particularly striking in the Western-style corridor.

There was still some time before the banquet started. Chen Ling didn't want to stay in this cathedral with the King of Silver and Lou Yu; he would rather let the cold rain soak his body than stay inside to catch his breath.

Before Chen Ling had taken two steps, another figure walked out of the prayer room, also heading toward the cathedral gates.

Chen Ling looked back; it was Ying Fu...

He withdrew his gaze expressionlessly and continued forward.

"Chen Ling," Ying Fu initiated.

Chen Ling stopped.

"...What is it?"

"There is one thing I have never understood," Ying Fu paused. "In the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury, why were you able to call out my name the moment you saw me? We had never met, so why did you harbor killing intent toward me?"

When Chen Ling first entered the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury, he had gone straight for "Ying Fu." Li Fu might not have thought deeply about it, but after becoming Ying Fu, he realized everything was closing in a bizarre loop... From Ying Fu’s perspective, Chen Ling was like a prophet who had seen through everything.

Even after being brought here by the King of Silver and trapped in the Wuji predicament, Ying Fu remained calm and composed, but he couldn't figure this out... He might be able to see through everything, but he couldn't see through Chen Ling.

Chen Ling guessed he would ask this, so he replied flatly:

"Why should I tell you?"

Ying Fu’s brows furrowed slightly.

Chen Ling naturally couldn't explain the USB drive and the Era Archive to him; they might not even know of their existence yet. And Chen Ling certainly couldn't tell him, "In the future, you will hunt me down inside the Era Archive..."

Era Archive...

Thinking of this, Chen Ling’s heart stirred, and he fell into thought.

He ignored Ying Fu and walked to the cathedral gates on his own. Just as he was about to push the door open, an invisible force, like a wall, forcibly separated him from the gate!

Chen Ling stepped back half a step, his gaze toward the gate becoming extremely grave...

At the same time,

Ying Fu’s figure walked up beside him.

"It seems the King of Silver does not intend to let you leave this cathedral," Ying Fu glanced at Chen Ling, then at the prayer room at the end of the corridor. "This cathedral is a cage... You, and that Lou Yu person... are both trapped beasts in a cage."

Having said that, Ying Fu pushed hard on the door handle. A low creaking sound echoed, and the cathedral gates slowly opened before him.

Cold rain and wind rolled in from the open door, wetting the clothes of Ying Fu and Chen Ling.

Chen Ling frowned and tried to step forward, but an invisible force consistently hindered him, preventing him from leaving the cathedral... Just as Ying Fu said, the King of Silver would not allow him to leave.

"Why can you?" Chen Ling frowned.

"Why should I tell you?"

Ying Fu walked out of the cathedral, stepping down the stairs one by one. The glass-like glow from the cathedral windows illuminated his back, and the gates on both sides slowly closed.

At the same time, after a moment of silence, Ying Fu looked back again...

"Chen Ling," Ying Fu said flatly. "Regardless of what happened in the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury, now, you and I are both trapped in a prison..."

Thud—

The cathedral gates closed completely.

Chen Ling was trapped behind the door, Ying Fu’s words still echoing in his mind...

Being in a prison didn't just refer to Chen Ling being under house arrest in the cathedral; it also referred to Ying Fu himself... Although Ying Fu had the authority to move freely within the Wuji Domain, this was still the King of Silver’s territory. With a single thought, the King of Silver could still decide his life or death.

The difference between Ying Fu and Chen Ling was merely that he was locked in a relatively more spacious cage.

Ying Fu’s last sentence, along with his gaze, was full of deep meaning... Although he hadn't said anything explicitly, Chen Ling could feel the subtle attitude in his words.

"Regardless of what happened before, now you and I are both in a cage... We are in the same predicament, perhaps... we can help each other?"

Chen Ling’s expression was subtle.

One could only say that the Chinese language is profound and vast. Ying Fu had merely pointed out their situation objectively, yet he had managed to convey a vague attitude to Chen Ling invisibly... Even if that foreigner, the King of Silver, had heard their conversation, he might not have grasped the deeper meaning.

It seems Ying Fu’s attitude toward the King of Silver is indeed not that simple!

Chen Ling pondered in front of the closed door for a long time. As soon as he turned his head, his pupils subconsciously contracted... Without him noticing, the King of Silver, wearing a shirt and vest, was standing behind him with a smile.

"My apologies, Mr. Chen," the King of Silver shrugged.

"I forgot to mention earlier: for safety reasons, unless I specifically request it, you had best not leave the cathedral alone... But rest assured, all your living needs will be prepared for you... As for your room, I have already had it cleaned."

The King of Silver clapped his hands gently. A woman in a long dress walked over from behind, looking like a Victorian maid, and bowed respectfully to Chen Ling.

"Take Mr. Chen to his room."

"Yes."

The maid gestured for Chen Ling to follow.

Chen Ling looked coldly at the King of Silver, did not refuse, but brushed his opera robe sleeves and walked straight toward the other side of the cathedral.

Chen Ling followed the maid to the depths of the cathedral, where several arched doors were lined up, looking like dedicated guest rooms.

The maid opened one of the doors.

"This is your room."

The room was larger than Chen Ling had imagined. Although the floor was made of large stone tiles, it was flat and smooth. Several arched stained-glass windows let in dim light, so it didn't feel stuffy.

A vintage Western-style kerosene lamp illuminated the other corners of the room, making Chen Ling feel as if he were in an ancient castle.

If this was the prison cell he was locked in, at least it looked quite comfortable... Given the King of Silver’s pursuit of quality of life, even a prison cell had to be exquisite and elegant.

After delivering Chen Ling here, the maid closed the door and turned to leave.

Chen Ling, wearing his bright red opera robe, walked through the faint glow of the kerosene lamp and stopped before several massive windows... He gazed at the dim city shrouded in rain and muttered to himself:

"The abyss, huh..."

Chen Ling still remembered the look Bai Ye had given him at the time... and the word "abyss" he had spoken.

Chen Ling didn't know why Bai Ye called the Fire-Tamperers the "abyss," nor did he know why he had betrayed them back then, but to have a seventh-rank Saint of Thieves like Bai Ye describe it that way, he believed there must be some terror hidden here.

But the intelligence Chen Ling currently possessed was too scarce. Arriving at the Wuji Domain today, besides the King of Silver, Lou Yu, Ying Fu, and the maid, he hadn't seen anything else... This place seemed forever dull and lonely. The rain and everything under the cathedral seemed to hide some secret, making Chen Ling feel uneasy in his heart.