Chapter 1136: Strange Incident

"The more it dies, the stronger it gets? Do such monsters really exist?"

Jack of Diamonds still hadn't fully recovered from the shock of the apocalyptic, earth-shattering scene before him. When he was in the Boundless Domain, he had personally experienced the terror of the Mock Disaster, but at the time, he was only focused on escaping. He was even killed by the aftermath halfway through his escape, so he didn't get to see much... But now, he was witnessing the Mock Disaster's killing performance up close, even if it was just a millionth of its power.

"Is it just my imagination?" Jian Changsheng's brows furrowed. "Why do I feel like... that red cloud is getting smaller and smaller?"

Everyone paused, slightly startled, and looked up at the sky. Indeed, the red cloud that shrouded the heavens had visibly shrunk, as if some of its power had been drained away, looking somewhat... wilted?

The earth's chewing continued for about ten seconds before gradually weakening.

After a brief silence, a naked figure crawled out from the chaotic earth, already covered in wounds, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes as he looked towards the sky. The Archbishop knew very well that he had been at the end of his rope just moments ago. If the chewing had continued for a little longer, he would likely have been buried alive. But just as he thought he was about to die, the aura of the monster in the sky seemed to suddenly weaken, making even its control over the earth's chewing somewhat strained. This allowed him to seize an opportunity and save his life.

Could he truly have a path to survival today?

Hope reappeared in the Archbishop's eyes. He forced his body, which was on the verge of collapse, to his feet and sprinted across the cracked earth into the distance!

The Archbishop was incredibly fast, like a naked bolt of lightning. However, the moment he moved, countless drops of red rain fell from the sky, piercing through his body and the surrounding earth, leaving him riddled with holes! If one looked closely, they would discover that each drop of red rain was an extremely fine piece of red paper. After these papers pierced the earth, they seemed to grow wildly, erupting from the ground and transforming into dense tentacles that blocked the blood-soaked figure... The Archbishop roared, and amidst the swarm of countless red papers, he threw a desperate punch!

Bang—!!

The incomplete spectator's body fell to the ground with a thud.

Beneath the red and black theatrical robe, Chen Ling's chest heaved violently. He felt the continuously accumulating power of disaster within him, as violence and euphoria rapidly swelled in his heart, and the redness in his eyes became increasingly pronounced. He wiped the split wound at the corner of his mouth with his wrist, stepped over several spectator corpses, and once again pressed his palm against the curtain!

"Again!!"

The power of 'Divine Descent' crossed the barrier, pulling the outside spectators back onto the stage. Chen Ling could clearly see the red cloud outside shrinking due to his actions, but he was completely indifferent to it. No matter how strong the Mock Disaster's power was, it belonged to the Mock Disaster. Only the parts he 'severed' belonged to him.

As more and more spectators were devoured, the accumulated violence and mockery within Chen Ling were like a volcano suppressed to its extreme, on the verge of erupting. Yet, they were stubbornly blocked by Chen Ling's tenacious will, unable to break through his mental defenses! Having endured so many hardships and bitter experiences along his journey, Chen Ling's will had long surpassed that of an ordinary person. This was also his most powerful weapon in this 'Slaying Malevolence' battle.

Clang—

A dull thud erupted from the void. Chen Ling, immersed in the 'Slaying Malevolence,' did not notice that faint, sky-reaching stone steps had already begun to form beneath his feet...

Crimson stars twinkled silently at the end of the divine path.

At this moment, Chen Ling was fighting selflessly on the fifth step, while the countless spectators below seemed to surround both sides of the divine path, silently observing everything.

The 'Crimson Star Vow Power' brought by the two bishops and dozens of Scarlet Heaven cultists propelled Chen Ling's spiritual power to surge wildly. Having only recently stepped onto the fifth stage, he was forcibly pushed to the mid-section of the fifth stage as if riding a rocket! Just as he was rapidly ascending, a line of performance requirements appeared, shackling Chen Ling's progress like a set of chains. Devouring the Crimson Star Vow Power and gnawing on the power of disaster, Chen Ling felt his body was about to burst. He was like a beast on stimulants, his body uncontrollably surging forward. But just as he was running at his most exhilarating and joyful, chains wrapped around his body, forcefully locking him in place.

"Get out!!!"

The crimson eyes of the spectators filled Chen Ling's vision. He roared violently and impatiently at the void, then punched down an incoming spectator and lowered his head to resume devouring. Chen Ling seemed to have become a beast, his movements becoming increasingly fierce as he devoured the spectators. Limbs and broken fragments splattered all over the ground, seeping into the text of the performance requirements, turning them blood-red and grotesque. The eyes of the numerous spectators watching this scene from both sides of the divine path flickered, their thoughts unknown...

The Mock Disaster's emotions surged wildly within Chen Ling. The accumulated emotions from two consecutive devouring sessions erupted in unison, but were suppressed by Chen Ling's will. Suddenly, the other spectators Chen Ling had dragged back seemed to receive some signal; they all erupted simultaneously, transforming into eerie black shadows that actively plunged into Chen Ling's mouth!! As a large number of spectators drilled into Chen Ling's body, his chest became directly filled with black qi. The previously suppressed negative emotions exploded, and Chen Ling felt an intense wave of nausea wash over his mind. He painfully dropped to his knees, violently opening his mouth...

Ugh—!!!

The violent and mocking negative emotions were actually vomited out by him like viscous liquid, all pouring onto the steps beneath his feet. The black viscous liquid churned violently, adhering to the small text of the performance requirements on the stone steps. It moved up and down on the ground like a living creature, then transformed into a black snake, which darted off the stage and vanished without a trace. After expelling this liquid, Chen Ling felt all the pressure within his body lighten. The previously uncontrollable violent emotions also disappeared, leaving him feeling clear and transparent.

Not only that, but as the small performance text on the ground was carried away, the shackles of promotion that had bound Chen Ling also disappeared. Chen Ling could clearly feel his spiritual power surging like a rocket, all the way to the end of the fifth stage...

Chen Ling stumbled to one knee on the ground, breathing heavily for a long time before gradually regaining his composure.

"What... what just happened?"

Chen Ling slowly stood up and looked back at the gradually fading, twisted divine path... bewilderment flashed in his eyes.

Up until now, except for the first stage, every one of Chen Ling's promotions required him to complete two performances. However, his first performance for the fifth stage had just been taken away... This meant he only needed to complete one more performance to directly advance to the sixth stage.

Expelling all the violent emotions from his body, clearing the after-effects of the 'Slaying Malevolence,' and instantly reaching the peak of the fifth stage... Such extraordinary smoothness felt like a dream to Chen Ling. There was no hint of relief or joy on his face; instead, his brows furrowed even tighter. He slightly tilted his head on the empty stage, his gaze fixed on the direction where the black shadow had darted off earlier...

For some reason, he had a faint, ominous premonition.