Chapter 1089: Pain

Crack—

A faint cracking sound emerged from the "figure's" surface. As red and black flames intertwined, fine cracks appeared on its dark skin, as if something was about to burst forth!

The Calamity Domain violently churned. The Mocking Calamity, meanwhile, stiffened eerily. The large red paper umbrella froze mid-air. Under its pair of crimson eyes, the world-ending aura was like a gas tank whose pressure had reached its limit, poised to explode in the next instant!

“No!”

Jian Changsheng, whose demigod aura was on the verge of fading, acutely sensed the danger. Without hesitation, he channeled all his remaining murderous aura into his sword. Then, in a single step, he teleported in front of Han Meng, Sun Bumian, and Jiang Xiaohua!

Boom—!!!!

Almost simultaneously, the "figure," swollen to its extreme, exploded with a deafening roar!

The world-ending domain, which had enveloped the entire Boundless Realm, collapsed and contracted in an instant, condensing into a fist-sized ball, before exploding uncontrollably. A visible crimson shockwave swept outwards.

The earth cracked, and roads shattered. All buildings on the surface of the Boundless Realm instantly crumbled like sandcastles. Severely injured, Luan Mei, Wen Renyou, Mojiao, and Hong Xiu simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious on the spot. Even members of the Twilight Society who had fled dozens of kilometers away were not spared. Those of higher rank fell, severely wounded, while those of lower rank immediately lost consciousness, their internal organs ruptured, collapsing like ragdolls onto the ground.

In that moment, it was as if the world was ending.

Buzz—!!

As the crimson shockwave swept through the void, even the "bridge" suspended in another dimension seemed to be affected. Dense cracks began to spread along its middle section. The rapidly crossing civilians felt a violent jolt, and terrified cries for help erupted continuously.

“What’s going on? I feel like this bridge is about to collapse??”“It’s not a feeling! It really is collapsing!!”“It’s the Mocking Calamity… the Mocking Calamity that just appeared!! It wants to kill us all!!”“Why did everyone ahead of us cross fine, but something’s happening to us now?! We were just minutes away from escaping completely…”“No, I finally managed to escape the Boundless Realm, I don’t want to die!!”

The chaotic cries of the civilians echoed within the "bridge." The several individuals with Heavenly Star ranks, responsible for their evacuation, watched as the end of the bridge slowly disintegrated, their eyes filled with anxiety.

“Damn it! We were so close…”“Can this bridge still hold? Just one more minute would be enough! This is the last group of people!” Pu Xiazhan stomped her foot in frustration.

Li Shengmen looked at the chaotic situation at the end of the bridge, bitterness and sorrow appearing in his eyes.

“Hold? Who will hold it? Who *can* hold it?”

“No one could have predicted the Mocking Calamity would appear so suddenly…” Li Shengmen’s mind replayed the image of those two crimson eyes piercing through the void. “In the face of world-ending calamity, unforeseen sacrifices… are inevitable.”

Young Master Huai Mang remained silent. He simply stared blankly at the void outside the bridge, his eyes filled with worry.

“Brother… you’ll be okay, right?”

The aftershocks of the world-ending event gradually dissipated.

The entire Boundless Realm had been flattened, resembling a desolate desert. Traces of murderous aura drifted through the void. Jian Changsheng’s rank had completely plummeted. He propped himself up by thrusting his sword into the ground, his face utterly drained of color.

At the moment the Mocking Calamity exploded, Jian Changsheng had wielded his sword, standing in front of Sun Bumian and the others. It was precisely because of this that Han Meng, Sun Bumian, Jiang Xiaohua, and Zhao Yi were the last humans still standing in the realm.

“Black Spade! Are you okay??”

Sun Bumian quickly stepped forward and reached out to touch Jian Changsheng’s shoulder, only to find the latter’s muscles had stiffened. He stood rigidly, like a statue, his eyes fixed intently on the dust settling before him.

Within the dust, a figure cloaked in an elaborate Nuo opera robe had replaced the original Mocking Calamity, lying silently on the ground.

Upon seeing the familiar figure, Jian Changsheng’s pale lips finally curled slightly into a smile.

His extremely weak voice murmured:

“It’s Red Heart. We’re saved…”

Before he could finish speaking, Jian Changsheng relaxed completely. His hands, which had been propping him up with the sword, loosened, and he toppled to the ground with a thud, having fallen into unconsciousness.

“I… I’m back…?”

Chen Ling felt his head was about to explode. He felt as if he had just returned to reality from the extreme euphoria of a drug high. On one hand, his entire body ached with exhaustion; on the other, his mind was overwhelmed with a lingering frenzy and mockery.

He could no longer recall how he had devoured the audience on the stage just moments ago. He only knew that after he took the first bite, his body gradually ceased to feel like his own. He instinctively continued to devour. And as he consumed more and more audience members, a ferocious brutality surged within him. It was as if another personality was about to break free.

He craved stimulation, he craved pleasure, he craved everything new and mad.

In that moment, Chen Ling felt as though he had completely become the audience.

“Ugh… Ugh!!!”

Chen Ling felt as though he had been split in two. The intense headache made him dry heave repeatedly, nearly rendering him unconscious. Yet, he was acutely aware that he still had unfinished business.

With astonishing willpower, Chen Ling temporarily suppressed the other personality within his mind. He took a deep breath and shakily rose from the ground.

He had painstakingly earned this one chance to change everything. If he were to collapse now, everything would be meaningless.

Chen Ling reached out into the void, and the tattered red paper umbrella, lying nearby, automatically flew back into his palm.

After devouring the audience, Chen Ling seemed to have indeed gained a portion of the Mocking Calamity’s power, including this paper umbrella used to imprison souls.

Chen Ling slowly rested the large red paper umbrella on his shoulder. With a slight twist of the handle, the souls imprisoned within it were released from their endless torment. They silently flew outwards—scholars, butchers, Tian Huai, farmers, and the many Twilight Society members who had just been killed by the Mocking Calamity’s aftershocks. Although their souls were extremely blurry, Chen Ling, holding the paper umbrella, could vaguely discern their forms.

He gazed intently at the souls. Suddenly, a figure in white flashed past among them, turning its head mid-air to look back at Chen Ling.

The soul’s gaze was filled with tenderness and sorrow.

A gust of wind, from nowhere, stirred in the void, making the red-and-black opera robe rustle.

The Boundless Realm was annihilated; the world was dead silent.

Witnessing this scene, Chen Ling’s hunched body trembled slightly. All the pain and hardship he had just endured vanished from his mind in that instant. He felt as if he had returned to the ancient treasury of the theatrical path, a gentle and natural smile finally gracing his pale lips.

“I’ve come to save you… Senior Brother.”