Chapter 1241: South China Sea Region

Across the desolate gray landscape, a red figure sped by, riding a centipede.

Chen Ling had left the centipede army with the Fusionists, taking only one centipede as his mode of transport as he quickly made his way towards the Sea Domain of the South. However, due to the Fusionists' location being deep within the Gray Realm, it would take Chen Ling a considerable amount of time to reach his destination.

Standing on the centipede's back, Chen Ling looked down at Xiao Tao, who was breathing heavily in his arms, his eyes growing increasingly solemn.

Xiao Tao was still unconscious, and Chen Ling could clearly feel her body temperature rising. A strange purple hue spread across her skin, as if something was consuming her vitality beneath the flesh.

"King Chen Ling, Xiao Tao, she..."

Xiao Bai's worried voice emerged from the shadows.

Chen Ling pondered for a moment, then raised his fingertip. A faint shimmer of starlight appeared from nothingness and, guided by him, slowly flowed into Xiao Tao's body.

Although Chen Ling possessed numerous abilities, he lacked healing powers. The only thing remotely connected to healing was the God-Sacrifice Dance, but his version was different from Shen Nan's. Chen Ling's God-Sacrifice Dance integrated the essence of the Twisted God-Play Path and the Divine Sacrifice Land, essentially a chaotic version of Nuo. Once activated, he couldn't control its intensity, and the cost was too great for him to bear.

Therefore, he could only rely on Lu Xun's starlight to control Xiao Tao's condition for now.

As the starlight flowed into Xiao Tao's body, the faint purple hue beneath her skin dissipated somewhat, as if brought under control. Xiao Tao's body temperature also stopped rising.

Seeing this, Chen Ling finally relaxed slightly.

The toxin in Xiao Tao originated from a calamity, a component of "evil." While the starlight could temporarily suppress it, more specialized medical treatment was needed for a complete recovery.

In a daze, Xiao Tao's eyes slowly opened...

"Chen Ling... Big... Brother?"

Xiao Tao's face was etched with fatigue, as if she had just endured a fierce battle. She vaguely recognized the figure holding her and paused slightly in surprise.

"Xiao Tao, how do you feel?" Chen Ling asked.

"I... I feel terrible. My whole body aches... I think I have a fever..."

"More than just a fever! Xiao Tao, you nearly scared me to death," Xiao Bai's voice chimed in. "If it hadn't been for King Chen Ling just now, I was afraid you would have..."

"Where... are we now?"

"We're on our way to the Sea Domain of the South," Chen Ling calmly replied. "You can sleep a little longer. Once we arrive, I'll find someone to help you."

"The Sea Domain of the South...?" Xiao Tao sounded concerned. "But will doctors in the Human Domain treat us Fusionists?"

Chen Ling's brows furrowed slightly.

"Don't worry, with the King here, everything will be fine," Xiao Bai said, brimming with confidence in Chen Ling. "The King is a hero of the Human Domain. When we reach the Sea Domain of the South, someone will surely help us."

"Oh..." Xiao Tao's voice was barely a whisper, but she was visibly more at ease, weakly shrinking into Chen Ling's arms.

A hero of the Human Domain, indeed...

When Zhao Yi first created these stories, he likely never imagined that the Fusionists would one day relocate to the Human Domain. Now, all the Fusionist children view Chen Ling as the omnipotent Red-robed God, their beacon of hope saving them from the darkness.

Yet Chen Ling knew precisely what role he truly played in the Human Domain.

After a long silence, Chen Ling finally spoke:

"I'm no hero; those are just stories Zhao Yi made up."

Xiao Bai paused, then responded, "Don't be modest, King. You are the King of the Ghost-Mocking Abyss, a world-ending calamity, yet you care for humanity and personally rescued us from the Crimson Heaven Sect... If you're not a hero, then who in this world is?"

Xiao Bai quickly seemed to realize something, nodding repeatedly:

"Oh, I see... The King wants to remain low-key, I understand... I won't say another word."

Chen Ling: ...

Xiao Bai had already integrated the calamity of the Ghost-Mocking Abyss, which naturally gave him a filter of adoration for Chen Ling. Combined with Chen Ling's numerous acts of assistance to the Fusionists, the image of a hero was deeply ingrained. It wouldn't be easy to alter their perception now.

Chen Ling was about to say more, but he realized that Xiao Tao, who had just awakened, had fallen asleep again in his arms.

He said nothing more, quietly continuing their journey.

After an indeterminate amount of time,

At the far end of the monotonous, desolate landscape, some changes finally appeared.

The dark land was segmented by winding lines, and light gray waves surged on the horizon. Chen Ling had reached the very edge of this land, and beyond that lay the boundless Gray Realm ocean.

It wasn't Chen Ling's first encounter with the Gray Realm's sea; he had crossed the Frozen Sea on his way to the Ancient Arsenal. However, the sea before him was unlike the northern one. There was no biting cold wind or surging ice floes, only tumultuous, endlessly rolling gray waves.

"So the Sea Domain of the South is really on the sea..."

Chen Ling dismounted the centipede, patted its head, and gestured for it to return. After all, centipedes couldn't swim, so Chen Ling would have to cover the remaining distance on foot.

As the centipede burrowed into the ground, Chen Ling, cradling Xiao Tao, ascended into the air with his Cloud Steps, beginning his journey across the sea.

This time, he didn't need to follow the Domain Train tracks. After more than half a year of studying with the Fusionists, it would have been a waste if he still didn't know the coordinates of the Nine Great Domains.

After navigating and traveling a certain distance, Chen Ling spotted a colossal structure rising majestically from the sea.

It was a mountain, shaped like a colossal tortoise shell, resembling an iron dome sprawled across the ocean surface. Its peak reached into the clouds, and its footprint was no smaller than an entire province. Even from tens of kilometers away, its sheer immensity astonished Chen Ling.

Around this iron dome, several thin lines could be seen piercing the sea surface and connecting to its interior. It wasn't until Chen Ling approached that he clearly discerned these "thin lines" were, in fact, the tracks of the Domain Train.

How had they managed to lay train tracks on the ocean surface?

Chen Ling was thoroughly puzzled.

"Is this the Sea Domain of the South?" Xiao Bai, witnessing the sight for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so big... like an enormous tortoise shell."

Chen Ling stood beneath the lead-gray sky, contemplating how to enter the colossal iron dome. With every entrance above and below sealed by the dome itself, the only way in appeared to be through a gate...

However, without an insider, entering through a gate openly would undoubtedly lead to detection by the Sea Domain of the South...

Just as Chen Ling was deep in thought, a roaring train whistle sounded in the distance.

A Domain Train was seen steadily decelerating along the ocean tracks, heading directly towards a small gate in the Sea Domain of the South. As the train drew closer, the small gate slowly opened.

Chen Ling's eyes lit up.