Chapter 1087: Consciousness Entanglement

Zhao Yi's voice echoed through the curtain and across the stage.

In the chaotic battle, Chen Ling, already pushed to his limit, heard the voice. His blurred consciousness regained clarity. After punching down an audience member in front of him, he stood unsteadily, looking towards the curtain.

"Zhao Yi..." Chen Ling murmured to himself.

"According to the latest theoretical doctrine of the Fusionist school, the biological DNA similarity between humans and calamities is 47.83%, only 1% higher than yeast. Therefore, physically, we differ greatly from calamities... However, research has found that calamities also emit brainwaves similar to human consciousness, with an overlap of up to 95%."

"This means that under specific conditions, humans can engage in consciousness entanglement with calamities, and it's even possible to completely replace a calamity's consciousness!"

"This process, in the Fusionist doctrine, is called Calamity Slaying!"

Zhao Yi's voice was exceptionally loud. Although Chen Ling didn't fully understand the first part, a faint light sparked in his eyes when he heard "consciousness entanglement with calamities" and "potentially completely replacing a calamity's consciousness."

This was the first time Chen Ling had heard of Calamity Slaying, but it seemed that the Fusionist theory closely mirrored his current predicament.

Chen Ling's concentration was intense.

Just as he intended to listen closely to Zhao Yi's explanation of Calamity Slaying, the "Mocking Calamity" outside the curtain vanished. A red afterimage crossed Jian Changsheng's sea of killing intent, ready to strike at the inexplicably appearing noisy "fly" from a distance.

"Holy Son, look out!!"

Even though Skeletal Wolf was vigilant enough, he still couldn't keep up with Mocking Calamity's speed. By the time he shouted the warning, it was already too late...

The sky-full of red paper suddenly twisted, swirling towards Zhao Yi's face from all directions. The end of each sheet of red paper opened into a grotesque maw, tearing wildly as if endowed with life!

Boom—!!

A streak of killing intent, a sword gleam, grazed past Zhao Yi's body!

The dark killing intent pulsed like fire under the night sky, forming a curtain descending from the heavens that isolated Zhao Yi from all the red paper. Simultaneously, an afterimage swung a sword, stabbing into thin air, and a dark figure holding a large red paper umbrella materialized...

"Mocking Calamity, you've got the wrong target," Jian Changsheng grinned through gritted teeth. "I'm not dead yet!"

The "figure's" gaze shifted back to Jian Changsheng, seemingly finding him utterly annoying. After a slight wave of its hand, a scarlet eye vanished from its socket. The next moment, a colossal eye made of red paper, like a crimson sun, hung high in the sky.

As the crimson sun-eye locked onto Jian Changsheng, another ominous premonition welled up in his heart...

"Damn it, am I going to die twice again?"

Jian Changsheng muttered, then turned his head and shouted to Zhao Yi,

"Say what you need to say quickly!! I can't hold on for much longer!!"

Zhao Yi: ...

Zhao Yi took a deep breath, trying his best to free himself from the pressure of the life-or-death crisis. He condensed the Fusionist scholars' theories, which spanned over a dozen classes, and shouted again:

"The key to Calamity Slaying is not the 'struggle' between humans and calamities, but the 'absorption' of consciousness!"

"No matter how two people fight, they both end up bruised and battered. Moreover, human consciousness is relatively weak and, in most cases, no match for calamities... To truly defeat a calamity, one must first become a calamity!!"

Hearing these two sentences from Zhao Yi, Skeletal Wolf couldn't help but speak:

"Holy Son, that's far too brief... Can Chen Ling even understand it??"

By this point, Zhao Yi's voice was hoarse from shouting. He coughed twice and nodded without hesitation:

"He can. That kid is much smarter than I am..."

Skeletal Wolf opened his mouth, wanting to quip, "Being smarter than you isn't exactly rare," but considering the current situation, he forced himself to hold it back.

"Then he'd better understand quickly." Skeletal Wolf glanced at the rapidly shrinking sea of killing intent beneath Jian Changsheng's feet, his tone low,

"After all, we don't have much time left..."

"Not 'struggle,' but 'absorption'..."

While fiercely resisting the swarming audience around him, Chen Ling constantly pondered the meaning of these words in his mind, his brow furrowed deeply.

His struggle with the audience was essentially a fight for the stage. The only way to claim the stage was to knock everyone else off the audience seats... This could only be achieved through "struggle." If so, what did "absorption" mean?

How was he supposed to absorb these "audience members"?

Chen Ling had no clue, or rather, his mind was tormented to its limit by the physical pain, making it impossible for him to think rationally as he normally would...

Each punch he threw was delivered with the mindset of it being his last. His stamina had long since reached its limit. And with the audience's frantic attacks, his entire body was no longer recognizable as human; his original skin had fallen away, revealing the dark, audience-like body beneath.

A dark figure was fighting a dense mass of dark figures on the stage. At first glance, it was impossible to tell which one was Chen Ling. Only his intricate theatrical robe and the grotesque Nuo mask still distinguished him from the other calamities.

Finally, Chen Ling's swaying body was heavily kicked to the ground.

Pain and exhaustion radiated from every inch of his body, leaving Chen Ling's mind dazed and sluggish. He struggled to get up from the ground, but the surging crowd of audience members kicked him down again and again.

As Chen Ling fell, his interference with Mocking Calamity became increasingly scarce. The red and black flames visibly began to dissipate, and Jian Changsheng, still fighting Mocking Calamity outside, felt the pressure intensify. With a moment's inattention, he was cleaved right through by the large red paper umbrella...

"This is troublesome..."

Jian Changsheng regenerated amidst blood and killing intent, but this time he could distinctly feel that his stored demigod-level killing intent was almost depleted. At most, he could hold on for a few more minutes before he would fall in rank and revert to a Fourth-tier.

By then, Mocking Calamity killing him would be simpler than crushing an ant.

Thump—thump-thump...

The booming sound of stomping echoed in Chen Ling's ears.

He vaguely felt several hands dragging his body, step by step, towards the edge of the stage, about to toss him into the audience seats like garbage...

Chen Ling's consciousness gradually sank into an abyss.

Just then,

The image of Ning Ruyu, covered in blood, flashed through his mind.

"Senior Brother..." Chen Ling mumbled as if in a dream, his eyes slowly opening once more.

Simultaneously, the images of his other senior brothers and sisters within the Ancient Opera Repository, along with Yao and Jian Changsheng, surged into his mind... Chen Ling was not afraid of death, but if he died here, everyone he cherished would be buried with him.

Unwillingness and rage once again filled Chen Ling's heart. He didn't know where the strength came from, but his dark hands reached out again, gripping tightly onto the arms of the audience members who were about to throw him down...