Chapter 1116: Yarn Ball

Chapter 1116: The Ball of Thread

As soon as he finished speaking, the six shadow centipedes trembled even more violently.

The leading centipede, without hesitation, dashed straight into the depths of the Gray Realm with Chen Ling on its back. The other smaller centipedes initially tried to flee but, in their panic, bumped into each other, becoming disoriented. Following a hiss from the large centipede in the distance, they obediently followed behind, disappearing beyond the horizon.

Inside the Mother Tree, the numerous boys and girls watching were astonished, their mouths agape. It wasn't until Chen Ling and the group of calamities vanished that they finally came to their senses.

They had heard various stories about Chen Ling, but only now did they truly witness his power.

Setting aside other things, that large centipede alone could overwhelm almost all of them. After all, most were young, hadn't yet reached the level of Spirit Slayer fusion, and lacked offensive capabilities. If they were to stray outside the Mother Tree, that calamity could easily take their lives.

Yet, Chen Ling merely stamped his foot, frightening their entire family out, and with just a few words, made them obey. This level of oppressive power was beyond even the strongest fusionists; it was a terrifying dominance possessed only by a Calamity King!

At this moment, the legendary past stories about Chen Ling, circulating among the Fusion Faction, truly materialized in everyone's eyes.

"Where is Brother Chen Ling going?""He's going to save Linglong and Xiaobai, right?! So amazing!""If it's Brother Chen Ling, he'll definitely be able to save them..."

The worries and fears lingering in the hearts of all the boys and girls of the Fusion Faction largely dissipated with Chen Ling's departure. The flame of hope reignited in their eyes, and they became incredibly excited. Even when Zhao Yi and Old Wolf set out to search for people, they hadn't elicited such a strong reaction.

What brought all this about, besides the scene where Chen Ling summoned calamities, was more about the stories behind him, the admiration and trust the young people had for him... This was the power of "legend."

An atmosphere of joy and excitement spread throughout the Mother Tree.

From behind the office window, Teacher Ye quietly watched Chen Ling's departing back, muttering to herself:

"The Scarlet Ruler of the Ghost-Mocking Abyss, the Faceless King who toys with fate, is that it...?"

Teacher Ye smiled slightly, placing the syringe back into its box.

Click—

The black box locked once more.

"Sixteen...""Seventeen...""Eighteen..."

On the other side of the tree canopy, a petite figure carefully felt her way along the Mother Tree's branches, using the faint glow of a kerosene lamp to dispel the darkness. She continuously bent down to pluck wilting leaves, placing them into a small basket at her waist.

A rumble came from the distance, followed by exclamations from the crowd. Xiao Tao wiped the sweat from her forehead and couldn't help but ask:

"Sister Miaomiao, what happened over there?"

On the other side, not far from her, Miaomiao exclaimed in surprise:

"Xiao Tao, you don't need to pick any more! Brother Chen Ling gathered a group of calamities and went to find Linglong and Xiaobai himself!"

"Huh?!"

Xiao Tao paused, then, holding onto the tangled branches, slowly descended.

"Really? Where? Where?""Yes, he's already gone... in that direction."

Xiao Tao looked in the direction Miaomiao pointed, but could only see a deep, dark night and the eerie, terrifying outlines of calamity territories within the Gray Realm.

Hugging the small basket in her arms, the image of the figure in the large red opera robe appeared in her mind, and she murmured to herself:

"If it's Brother Chen Ling... it should be fine.""I think so too!" Miaomiao took her hand. "Alright, you've picked quite a few wilting leaves today. Let's head back quickly.""...Okay."

Xiao Tao nodded and followed Miaomiao under the tree canopy. Just then, her peripheral vision caught something, and a flicker of doubt crossed her eyes.

"What's wrong?""Sister Miaomiao... look at that?"

Miaomiao squatted down with Xiao Tao and looked at the Mother Tree's trunk. There, a cluster of black lines, like chaotic graffiti, was drawn on the surface of the trunk, messy and disordered, making no sense.

"It's probably someone's prank, right?" Miaomiao reached out and rubbed the lines, but couldn't wipe them off in the slightest.

"To actually scribble on the Mother Tree! We'll tell Teacher Ye when we get back; they must be found and severely punished!"

Miaomiao said this while looking away, but the next moment, she found that the cluster of lines seemed to be seared onto her retina, refusing to disappear no matter where she looked.

The chaotic lines spun wildly before her eyes, like an abstract storm, slowly devouring everything in her sight...

"Xiao Tao... something doesn't feel right... I..."

Miaomiao staggered a few steps, dizzy, trying to grab Xiao Tao's hand, only to find Xiao Tao was also standing still, petrified, just like her. A cluster of dark, disordered lines spread within Xiao Tao's pupils, eventually filling her entire eyeball.

A gentle breeze rustled through the Mother Tree's canopy as the two girls stood frozen in place.

After a long moment, they suddenly took stiff steps, as if soulless, and walked together into the depths of the Gray Realm...

Jian Changsheng sat on a large rock, propping his head with one hand, watching a mushroom-shaped, lead-grey cloud drift overhead, seemingly lost in thought.

Faintly, the calls of two other people drifted into his ears:

"Four fives!""Six sixes!""Six sixes? Open!"

Card J shouted, directly opening the dice cup in front of Sun Bumian. After counting the points, he laughed heartily, "You lost!! Drink!"

Sun Bumian scratched his hair in frustration, then turned wistfully to look at Jiang Xiaohua.

Jiang Xiaohua sat cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by empty wine bottles. After hearing Card J call for a drink, he silently tilted his head back and finished a bottle of wine without a word.

Jiang Xiaohua's cheeks were already flushed with a faint redness. He cast a faint glance at Sun Bumian and grumbled:

"You're terrible... Card J.""Damn it, this shouldn't be..." Sun Bumian's old face flushed. He stared incredulously at the dice in front of Card J. "Back in the day, I was a seasoned veteran of casinos both domestic and international. How can I not win...?"

Card J ignored Sun Bumian's muttering. After seeing Jiang Xiaohua finish his drink, he picked up his own bottle, clinked it with Jiang Xiaohua's, and spoke cheerfully:

"Come on, I'm craving a drink; I'll join you!"

After saying this, he also tilted his head back and drained his bottle.

"Again!"

Two sounds of rattling dice overlapped, irritating Jian Changsheng. He couldn't help but stand up, walk over to Card J, and ask directly:

"Seriously, guys, if we keep stopping and going like this, when will we ever reach the Fusion Faction??"

Card J looked up at him, belched,

"This is where you don't understand... Without clear directional guidance, it's best not to travel at night in the Gray Realm, otherwise, it's easy to get lost and stumble into calamity territories.

There are train tracks connecting human realms, so there's no need to worry about getting lost. But we're heading deep into the Gray Realm now... If you want to safely reach the Fusion Faction, you'll have to listen to me."