Chapter 1140: Duet

Chen Ling suppressed the headache caused by the recent chaotic thoughts and addressed Xiao Tao and the others directly: "Come here... we should go."

Xiao Tao turned around blankly, startled by the dense centipede army surrounding them. But then, seeing Chen Ling in the center, she felt a mix of surprise and confusion. "Brother Chen Ling?"

"King Chen Ling came specifically to save us!" Xiao Bai interjected at the right moment. "He traveled thousands of miles to pursue them, slaughtered the entire Crimson Sky Sect branch, and only then rescued us..."

As the centipede army parted to clear a path, Xiao Tao and the other three quickly scurried to Chen Ling's side. However, Chen Ling was in no mood to explain much to them at the moment; he simply patted a small centipede nearby.

The small centipede immediately prostrated itself respectfully, indicating that Xiao Tao and the other three could sit on its back.

"Brother Chen Ling... this..."

"Get on," Chen Ling's voice was very serious. "We need to get back quickly."

"Oh, okay!"

Although the centipedes were ugly and monstrous, Xiao Tao and the others overcame their fear and climbed on.

Chen Ling also stepped onto the head of the large centipede. His tall figure loomed in the dim light as the surrounding centipede army turned, preparing to head in the direction of the Integration Faction...

"Wait!" Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

Chen Ling, standing atop the skyscraper-like centipede, suddenly paused. With a slight mental command, he made the centipede army stop, then turned to look behind him...

Under the impact of the Disaster Thoughts, Chen Ling's mind was still somewhat muddled, and he had almost forgotten that Jian Changsheng and the others were also there.

Surrounded by the centipede army, the red-clad figure slowly turned. "What... do you need me to escort you back to the human realm?"

Jian Changsheng stared at Chen Ling's indifferent face, clenching his fists even tighter.

He smashed the nearby Crimson Sky Sect stone house with a punch, veins bulging on his arms. He glared intensely at Chen Ling, his voice extremely low: "What nonsense have you been spouting since just now... saying it's not all fake, telling us to see your true form, taking advantage of our divine path being suppressed, arrogantly slaughtering everything on your own, then turning around and leaving as if no one else matters... Have you been in the Grey Realm so long that your brain's gone bad? Do you really think this is cool?"

Sun Bumian, standing nearby, his eyelid twitching, quietly nudged Jian Changsheng and whispered, "Whatever you have to say, say it nicely..."

"How am I not saying it nicely? Look at him! Does he treat us like brothers?!" Jian Changsheng turned his head to Chen Ling, apparently furious about everything that had just happened. "What? Just because you learned a few things about Mock Disaster, you don't consider yourself human anymore?? We nearly died saving you in the Boundless Realm, even my damn pendant... And then you just walked away without a word, like it was nothing! What are we to you?! Are we brothers when we're useful and trash to be thrown away when we're not?!"

Chen Ling stood on the centipede's head, watching the fuming Xiao Jian, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What exactly do you want to say?"

"What do I want to say? You're the one who needs to give us an explanation!"

"You traveled all this way just to demand an explanation from me?"

"Yes!" Jian Changsheng broke free from Sun Bumian and Jiang Xiaohua's grasp and walked several steps forward. "I demand an explanation from you. If you can't give one, then admit your mistake properly! Say that you shouldn't have left without saying goodbye! Then, come back with us. As for your grievances with that old geezer, King Red, we can face them together. Let him scold us, let him fight us, let him oppose us! Anyway, you're not the only one who wants an explanation from him."

Sun Bumian nodded frantically.

Chen Ling looked at Jian Changsheng and fell silent.

What truly angered Jian Changsheng was Chen Ling's sudden departure without a word. On this point, Chen Ling truly had no good defense... The "Six" generation had gone to such great lengths to save him in the Boundless Realm, yet he had simply left without saying goodbye, which was indeed his fault.

Jiang Xiaohua didn't care about such things, and Sun Bumian was naturally lazy, but Jian Changsheng was quite stubborn... If he couldn't swallow something, he would charge forward headlong until he got an answer.

"Brother Chen Ling..." Xiao Tao and the others stared blankly at the scene. Although they didn't know who Jian Changsheng and the others were, they understood that these people wanted to take Chen Ling away, and their eyes showed a hint of worry.

Chen Ling knew full well that he couldn't return to the human realm. His identity as a Mock Disaster, his studies with the Integration Faction, and what he had just witnessed... he had too many unresolved matters here.

"...I'm not going back with you." Chen Ling said slowly.

Hearing this reply, Jian Changsheng was silent for a long time before letting out a bitter laugh.

He didn't seem surprised.

He continued walking forward, casually picking up a sharp piece of stone from the ground and slowly cutting his wrist...

"Spade, what are you doing?" Jiang Xiaohua exclaimed, moving to stop him.

But the next moment, Sun Bumian grabbed his sleeve. "Have you forgotten? He wants to duel Heart."

"But..." Sun Bumian shook his head at him, and only then did Jiang Xiaohua stop, quietly turning to look ahead.

"Before I came, I already guessed you'd say that," Jian Changsheng said faintly. "You are Heart Six, you are Chen Ling... Such a proud person as you, being schemed against by King Red, how could you easily return... But it doesn't matter. Whether you see yourself as human or as a disaster, whatever you are, as long as I can defeat you, I can shatter your arrogant pride and your inexplicable sensitivities... Come on. Don't you think you're terrifying and formidable after your disaster transformation? I'll stomp you under my heel and prove that all that stuff you think you are... means nothing!"

Crimson blood dripped and flowed, spreading into a pool on the ground, and also tingeing Jian Changsheng's eyes with red...

The next moment, terrifying killing intent surged from Jian Changsheng's body! Domain: Infernal Purgatory.

Chen Ling stood atop the centipede's head, looking down as the killing intent spread wildly from Jian Changsheng, engulfing him with the oppressive aura of a peak fifth-tier expert. His gaze gradually became serious.

"Are you serious?"

A black divine halo of killing intent formed behind Jian Changsheng. He reached into the void, pulling out a blood-red longsword from the killing intent, which then enveloped him in its immense power.

Jian Changsheng said nothing; his actions were the best answer.

The dim starlight reflected in Chen Ling's crimson eyes, like a layer of white frost, and he said no more, stepping off the centipede's head.

"Just breaking through one tier has made you quite arrogant..."

"Fine. I'll make you realize, once again, just how vast the gap between us is."

The large red opera robe danced wildly amidst the killing intent. Giant red paper pythons extended from beneath its hem, spreading in all directions like monster tentacles...