Chapter 1016: Living

The factory warehouse.

Jian Changsheng and his two companions sat silently in a dark corner, their heads bowed, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive. This was the Rat Party's temporary refuge within the factory. After separating from Chen Ling, the trio had returned directly here. Besides them, other members of the Rat Party and the Human Rights Union were also present, but the light had faded from their eyes.

"Is no one going to say anything?" Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth, breaking the silence. "Chen Ling has been captured again by that bastard, the King of Silver. His fate is uncertain. Are we just going to sit here and do nothing?"

"What else can you do?" Sun Bumian doused his fervor. "Rush out now to challenge the King of Silver to a duel? Forget the King of Silver, Lord Wuji, or even those Adjudication Agents... Can all of us together defeat a single Robber Saint?"

Jian Changsheng opened his mouth, unable to retort, his face contorted in an ugly grimace.

"The King of Silver... he's just too powerful," Wu Duo murmured, shrinking back. The image of the King of Silver's near-omnipotent presence flashed through her mind, and she pressed her lips together. "He commands all paths of the God of Thieves, capable of stealing virtually anything. Such an entity... is simply unbeatable."

The moment she spoke, the gloom in everyone's eyes intensified, and a profound despair settled over their hearts. Neither the Rat Party nor the Human Rights Union had ever witnessed the King of Silver's true power before. Only now did they truly grasp the nature of the entity they sought to confront.

Sun Bumian, sensing the shift in their mood, hesitated for a moment before speaking. "The King of Silver is certainly formidable, but he's far from unbeatable. Any Ninth-Tier Demigod can achieve a certain conceptual 'invincibility.' In our perception, the King of Silver seems unconquerable simply because we are not Ninth-Tier."

"Matter, spirit, space, the divine path... He can steal almost anything. What concept could possibly kill him then?"

"I don't know either," Sun Bumian shrugged. "But there's definitely someone in this world who can."

Sun Bumian had dampened Jian Changsheng's impulsiveness to make him face reality. His conviction that someone could kill the King of Silver was meant to offer a glimmer of hope, not total despair. Yet, it seemed his encouragement had no discernible effect on anyone present; the atmosphere remained bleak.

From behind his small, round sunglasses, Sun Bumian's gaze swept over the group. He propped his chin with one hand and sighed inwardly. These young ones... they're truly difficult to manage.

Just as Sun Bumian was scratching his head, pondering how to lift their spirits, a figure rushed into the warehouse.

"Well? Any news?" Jian Changsheng abruptly stood up.

"...Yes," the person paused before continuing. "The Silver Government has conveyed a message... it's about Chen Ling."

Hearing Chen Ling's name, the three of them stirred, and Jian Changsheng immediately asked, "What is it?"

"The Silver Government claims... that Chen Ling, the Integrator, is a pawn planted among humanity by the Calamity of World Annihilation. They say he destroyed realms, assassinated Lord Aurora, and nearly ruined the Mortal Realm... his crimes are utterly heinous. Therefore, they have announced that in three days..." The person hesitated for a moment, unable to vocalize it.

"In three days! What are they going to do?" Jian Changsheng grabbed the person's collar, an ominous premonition rising within him.

"In three days... he'll be publicly executed."

Jian Changsheng and his two companions instantly blanched, as if struck by lightning.

Tap—tap—tap...

In the desolate, dimly lit corridor, Ying Fu walked slowly across the shattered marble floor. The gloom shrouding the Wuji Realm permeated the view outside the windows, creating a suffocating sense of oppression. Ying Fu calmly surveyed the drastically altered church, his face devoid of expression.

Ying Fu had not entered the church in a long time; indeed, to the Usurpers, he had almost faded from memory. Compared to Chen Ling, who frequently caused upheavals in Wuji, Ying Fu was so low-key that he seemed an unnoticed shadow.

Ying Fu walked through the corridor, passing a door that was slightly ajar. From the corner of his eye, he glanced past the door and saw Lou Yu, cloaked in black robes, seated among the dim pews. Lou Yu seemed to sense his presence, subtly raising his head to meet his gaze. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, then simultaneously averted, as if they had never even noticed each other.

Ying Fu did not pause at his door, but continued straight to the confessional deeper within the church. He pushed open the door to the confessional.

As the heavy door creaked shut, Ying Fu's form was gradually enveloped by shadows. Dim light filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting an eerie glow on the crimson figure affixed to the cross.

Hearing someone enter, Chen Ling, who had kept his head bowed, slowly lifted his gaze. Seeing that it was Ying Fu, he seemed to lose interest once more. "...It's you."

Ying Fu stopped before the cross. He surveyed Chen Ling, who was pinned to the cross, and after a moment, slowly began to speak. "Not pretending this time?"

"You could tell I was pretending earlier?" Chen Ling countered.

"...No," Ying Fu paused. "But my intuition tells me you're not so easily manipulated... After all, you are also an emperor."

Chen Ling let out a cold laugh. "You've kept such a low profile in the Wuji Realm for so long, and now you emerge to visit me, a 'dangerous individual'... Aren't you afraid of drawing the King of Silver's suspicion?"

"The King of Silver has already left Wuji."

"What for?"

"I don't know, but it's likely related to Lou Yu."

Hearing this, Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, as if something had occurred to him.

"...It doesn't matter anymore. In any case, I'm just a dying man," Chen Ling stated indifferently. "You should leave. You won't get any useful information from me."

"I'm not here for information."

"Then what are you here for?"

"In the Ancient Imperial Repository, you granted A Qian and me a path to survival. This time, I've come to repay that debt."

Chen Ling paused, then chuckled softly. "How do you plan to repay it? By releasing me from here right now? My limbs are already under the King of Silver's control, not to mention there are four Adjudication Agents guarding this church outside. Even if you release me, I still won't be able to escape. And if the King of Silver senses anything, he could return instantly, and then neither of us would escape."

"No, I'm not here to release you..." Ying Fu paused. "I'm here to tell you how to kill the King of Silver."

The smile faded from Chen Ling's lips. He frowned, staring at Ying Fu as if confronting an unfathomable iceberg lurking beneath the ocean's surface. "What method?" Chen Ling asked.

Ying Fu raised a hand, pointed at Chen Ling, who was pinned to the cross, and slowly spoke two words: "Live."