Chapter 1292: Chu Changqing's Conditions

The lakeside pavilion fell into a deathly silence.

Chen Ling had not expected Teacher Ye to go to such lengths. As a former teacher and now the leader of the Integration Faction, he was forced to prostrate himself before his most promising student, adopting an utterly humble demeanor to secure a slim chance of survival for the children.

Chen Ling's heart was a mix of emotions: admiration for Teacher Ye, disgust for Chu Changqing, and a touch of something akin to envy.

Teacher Ye of the Integration Faction could do so much for his students, while his own master, the Red King, had merely used him as a pawn. Chen Ling's heart ached.

Yet, it was precisely this contrast with the Red King that solidified Chen Ling's resolve to stand with Teacher Ye. He did not wish to see such a teacher and his students perish in the sea.

Chen Ling's gaze turned to Chu Changqing.

Seeing this, Chu Changqing's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Chen Ling didn't know what he was thinking, but this was Chu Changqing's most intense emotional fluctuation so far. His eyes moved from astonishment to pain, before settling into endless confusion and struggle.

Thump—thump—thump...

BOOM—!!!!

The tremors beneath the lakeside pavilion reached their most violent peak. With a thunderous roar, a corner of the South Sea Realm's sky ripped open!

At that moment, everyone in the South Sea Realm looked up in astonishment. Above the once-azure sky, a hideous black fissure, tens of kilometers long, tore across the expanse. Icy, bone-chilling seawater cascaded through the opening, mixed with a large quantity of dark objects that might have been seaweed or dismembered remains. Beyond the gaping fissure, dark figures could occasionally be seen gliding through the water, passing overhead.

For the vast South Sea Realm, this fissure was tiny, like a crack in the panoramic glass of an aquarium, with water continuously spewing out. However, it was far from enough to submerge the entire aquarium.

Yet, the very act of the sky tearing open was enough to spread intense panic.

Where there was one fissure, there would be a second, and a third. As the Calamity of Dread continuously bombarded the shell of the Three-Eyed Giant Turtle, more and more fissures rent through the realm and the ocean. Seawater, mixed with minor calamities, poured into the city, and ear-piercing alarms blared incessantly.

The Divine Dao possessors within the South Sea Realm frantically rushed towards these fissures. They could not repair the cracks in the Three-Eyed Giant Turtle's shell; their only recourse was to kill the calamities that had already penetrated and prevent more from entering the South Sea.

As the fissures proliferated and seawater surged inward, the temperature of the South Sea Realm plummeted once more. Bone-chilling cold currents penetrated every corner of the city, covering streets and building surfaces with thick layers of frost.

The blind man waiting in the distance sensed the changes in the realm, his expression turning extremely grim.

He knew well that if the Three-Eyed Giant Turtle couldn't escape the ocean and reach land quickly, it wouldn't be long before the entire population of the South Sea Realm would freeze to death, even if they avoided drowning.

Lord of the South Sea and Old Ancestor Pu were indeed both Ninth-Rank cultivators. If it were just them, they could certainly escape the Calamity of Dread.

But the current problem was that they were also carrying the cumbersome and massive South Sea Realm.

Chaos had erupted within the realm, yet the lakeside pavilion in the center remained quiet.

After an unknown period, Chu Changqing's hands clenched tightly...

Then, they weakly relaxed.

He looked at Teacher Ye, who was prostrate on the ground before him, and finally, as if having made a decision, slowly spoke:

"I can allow the Integration Faction to enter the South Sea Realm..."

At these words, a glimmer of light finally returned to Teacher Ye's dim eyes.

"However, I have three conditions."

"Name them."

"First, once inside the South Sea Realm, all members of the Integration Faction, including yourself, are only permitted to operate within designated areas. You absolutely cannot leave these areas without permission."

"No problem," Teacher Ye readily agreed.

The Integration Faction's top priority was survival. Even if Chu Changqing intended to place them under house arrest, it was better than perishing in the Forbidden Sea.

"Second, within one month, I need to see the results of the maternal gene sequence testing experiment. If you cannot produce them by then, I will still expel the Integration Faction from the South Sea."

Teacher Ye hesitated briefly, as if calculating if there was enough time, but ultimately nodded firmly.

"Understood. What's the third?"

Chu Changqing glanced at Chen Ling and slowly extended his third finger...

"Third..."

"I want Chen Ling, the Mockery of Calamity, to never set foot in the human realms again, for all eternity."

RUMBLE—

A booming thunder echoed from the sky. Torrents of seawater fell from the ravaged heavens, tearing through clouds and sunlight, sweeping across the land.

Seawater mixed with ice crystals battered the roof of the toy factory. Xiao Tao and Xiao Bai stood behind the window, watching the apocalyptic scene in the distant sky, their hearts clenched with tension.

"Has the Integration Faction still not entered the realm?" Xiao Tao murmured worriedly.

According to the original plan, Xiao Tao and Xiao Bai should have already received the Integration Faction members at the toy factory by now. But so much time had passed, and there was still no news of them.

"Nothing could have happened to them, could it?"

Rain lashed against the factory windows. In the vast factory, only the two of them remained, and a sense of fear rose from the depths of Xiao Tao and Xiao Bai's hearts.

They were afraid—not of the descending seawater or calamities, but of the unknown feeling of being isolated by the world. The Integration Faction hadn't arrived as planned, and Chen Ling had completely disappeared. In this hostile land, they felt like two disconnected individuals, unsure where their fate would lead them.

"No... Big Brother Chen Ling will surely bring the Integration Faction members in," Xiao Tao shook her head, trying to muster her spirits.

"What if... the Integration Faction members ultimately don't make it inside?"

Xiao Tao fell silent for a moment.

"Then, we'll die here eventually too."

"So cold... it's really cold..."

On the surface of the Forbidden Sea, numerous figures clung desperately to the submerged tracks. The bone-chilling cold seeped into their bodies through the metal, almost freezing the Integration Faction members solid.

After three consecutive days of travel, compounded by hunger and thirst, the children were already at their limit. Moreover, having been on the Forbidden Sea for so long, their bodies had become numb from the cold.

Each surging wave swept away a few small figures. They vanished silently into the churning waters, unable even to cry for help.

Even with Elder Wolf and the others' best efforts to protect them, they were ultimately powerless. Their strength to fight the waves had long been exhausted. In just a few minutes, one-third of the Integration Faction's children had disappeared...

And that number was visibly increasing.