Chapter 1080: Jade Shattered

## Chapter 1080: Shattered Jade

"He can't be allowed to destroy the 'Bridge'," Han Meng said in a deep voice. "Hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake..."

As he spoke, Han Meng strode directly towards Chaozai. He had barely taken a step when Jian Changsheng abruptly yanked him back.

"Are you insane?! He crippled the King of Silver with three slaps, killing eighth-tier combatants as easily as slaughtering chickens. Are you, a mere seventh-tier, going to your death?!"

"Even one second of delay counts."

Han Meng calmly answered, breaking free from Jian Changsheng's grip.

For Han Meng, his internal sense of "justice" was his ultimate standard. With virtually all eighth-tier combatants wiped out, and Chaozai poised to crush hundreds of thousands, he couldn't stand idly by.

Even if he could delay Chaozai for just one second, perhaps hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people could escape danger...

But when Han Meng looked at Chaozai again, he froze.

A blood-stained hand had seized Chaozai's raised wrist.

Beneath the large red paper umbrella, the "figure" slowly turned its head to look beside itself. There stood a bloodied Ning Ruyu, almost split open by a blade, staggering beside him. Even with his blood nearly drained, his eyes remained incredibly resolute.

The moment Ning Ruyu appeared, not only Han Meng but everyone present was stunned...

Ning Ruyu was the most severely injured person there, and the only one who had repeatedly blocked Chaozai. By all accounts, he should have been struggling just to stay alive, yet he could still move his body and stand before Chaozai?

"Don't... don't use Little Junior Brother's hand... to slaughter civilians..."

Ning Ruyu's voice was incredibly hoarse. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he somehow managed to hold Chao's wrist suspended in mid-air. "Little Junior Brother is already pitiful enough... your sins... shouldn't be borne by him..."

Crimson eyes stared at Ning Ruyu, who was just within reach. The air fell into an eerie silence.

The next moment,

A mist of blood erupted from Ning Ruyu's chest!

Countless pieces of red paper, like wildly dancing tentacles, pierced through his body, crushed his heart, and slammed him lifelessly into the nearby ground.

Ning Ruyu's limp body sank into the earth, fragments of his blood-red robe scattering in the air. The moment his eyes became vacant, a soul was drawn by the spinning red paper umbrella, silently merging into it...

Luan Mei, Wen Renyou, and Mojiao's pupils constricted instantly...

"Senior Brother?!!!!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

A heart-wrenching roar erupted from the dark auditorium.

A figure with blood-soaked fists frantically pounded the wall in front of him like a madman. Chen Ling's eyes were veined with grotesque blood vessels; he appeared to have completely collapsed.

"Chao!!! I'll kill you!! I *will* kill you!!!!"

"Let me go back!! Let me go back!!!"

"Give me back Senior Brother's soul!!!"

Trapped in the auditorium, Chen Ling had witnessed the entire sequence of events outside, including Ning Ruyu's death. Senior Brother's gentleness and resolve in his dying moments were like an unprecedentedly sharp blade, tearing Chen Ling's heart to shreds.

And Chen Ling knew clearly that those killed by Chaozai could not have their souls transcend; they would suffer eternal torment in despair.

Anger, indignation, self-reproach... intense emotions flooded Chen Ling's mind. He could not forgive Chaozai for everything that had happened... yet he also knew, in a sense, that Chaozai... was himself.

"Yao... Yao!!!"

Chen Ling, as if grasping at a last straw, frantically shouted Yao's name. "Like last time, teleport me to the stage... Let me go back!! Let me go back!!!"

After a brief silence, Yao's bitter voice sounded in his ear:

"This situation is different from last time... Last time, Master imprisoned Chaozai, and we were in the Land of Divine Sacrifice, able to do so with the blessing of Ji. Moreover, this time there's more than one 'actor' on the stage; even if you teleport back now, you won't be their match."

Last time, Chen Ling himself released Chaozai, and only one "audience member" ascended the stage to gain control of the body. This time, however, the situation is more akin to the chaotic period before Master gave him the fragments of the Way of the War God to create "Chen Ling" – a time when all "audience members" fought for control on the stage, essentially the most primitive form of "Chao."

As Yao said, even if Chen Ling were to ascend the stage now, he might not be able to defeat all the "audience members" and reclaim control.

Hearing this, despair flickered in Chen Ling's eyes...

"...Actually, there's another way," Yao said, hesitating. "If... if it succeeds, not only could you return to the stage, but perhaps you could also reclaim a portion of Chao's authority and retrieve Senior Brother's soul."

"What method???"

"Your power and mine alone are insufficient to cross the Fourth Wall, nor can we defeat the 'audience members'... Since that's the case, we can only rely on an external force."

"...External force?"

"The power of Ji."

"But we're not in the Land of Divine Sacrifice now, so where would the power of Ji come from?"

"Have you forgotten? Even when we weren't in the Land of Divine Sacrifice, we managed to draw upon its power..." Yao's figure materialized beside Chen Ling, and he pointed to the grotesque ghostly face on Chen Ling's collarbone.

Chen Ling seemed to realize something, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Are you saying... Nuo?"

Last time, during the Era Archive, when Chen Ling first attempted the God-Worshiping Dance, he and Yao had crossed space together and drawn upon the power of the divine sacrifice. Although it was only for an instant, that power was strong enough to shake Jizai.

"But we failed last time," Chen Ling said, his brows furrowed. "My Way of the Drama God comes from Chaozai, and your Way of the Shaman God is too powerful. No Nuo mask can withstand our combined strength."

"Regarding the Nuo mask, I actually have a solution..."

Yao paused for a moment. "But there's another problem... Nuo itself is a form of Ji, and Ji always demands a price. For instance, every time Shen Nan performs the God-Worshiping Dance, he loses a significant amount of his lifespan.

Shen Nan is just an ordinary person. Our powers are far stronger and more unique than his. To be honest, if we truly activate the power of Nuo, no one can imagine its full strength... but similarly, the price required would undoubtedly be something we couldn't bear.

For this... you need to be mentally prepared."

There was another example Yao didn't voice. Back in the mountains, he had made a wish through the ritual of Ji, ultimately drawing Chen Ling to him on that rainy night... The price for that was losing everything he once had, leaving only a rootless soul with nowhere to belong.

But at this moment, Chen Ling didn't care about any price; he would even sacrifice his life without hesitation...

"Whatever the price, I'll accept it," Chen Ling replied directly, then asked, "But how do you plan to solve the Nuo mask problem?"

Yao slowly turned his head to look at Chen Ling's face...

"Don't forget... you already have a 'mask' on your face," Yao paused for a moment,

"Your... Painted Vermilion Face."