Chapter 1310: Joy

A deafening hiss rose from the dense mass of venomous creatures below as Chen Ling finished speaking.

The entire Ghost Mocking Abyss seemed to boil. Countless venomous creatures began rolling in the wine and mud. At the same time, the five venomous leaders each took a large gulp of Five-Venom Wine, and an unnatural, toxic glow began to emanate from their skin.

Although called wine, Five-Venom Wine was essentially a potent poison, which explained its powerful excitatory effect. Its purity was such that even an eighth-tier venomous leader could get high on it. In other words, the entire Ghost Mocking Abyss was intoxicated by the very poison they had brewed.

Chen Ling's gaze fell upon the cup of Five-Venom Wine in his own hand.

The cup he held clearly contained the highest purity, even exceeding that in the pools of the five venomous leaders. Even they seemed barely able to tolerate it. Just the smell of it made Chen Ling feel a subtle loss of control over his body.

For his past self, the Mocking Calamity, this cup of Five-Venom Wine would have been nothing—pure euphoria without harm. But what effects it would have on his current self, Chen Ling had no idea.

Chen Ling's peripheral vision caught the pools of the five venomous leaders. The Toad and Gecko were ecstatically enjoying the thrill of the Five-Venom Wine. The Scorpion beside them was completely at ease, while the Snake had almost fully submerged itself in its pool, gulping down the wine, seemingly eager to pass out drunk.

Only the Centipede drank distractedly from its pool, occasionally casting glances at him, as if observing something.

A hint of coldness flashed in Chen Ling's eyes.

He knew this so-called welcoming banquet was far from simple. His gaze then shifted to the joyous Toad.

This banquet had been initiated and hosted by the Toad, and it was also the one who prepared the Five-Venom Wine. Had it intentionally set up this situation, or was it being used? If it was the latter, that would be acceptable, but if it was the former, then this Toad might be the greatest threat. Regardless, Chen Ling's most urgent problem right now was how to deal with the cup of Five-Venom Wine before him.

Chen Ling hesitated almost imperceptibly, then smiled at the jubilant Ghost Mocking Abyss below. With an elegant tilt of his head, he directly downed the entire cup of high-purity Five-Venom Wine!

At this point, as the King of the Ghost Mocking Abyss, not drinking was simply not an option. Since that was the case, there was nothing to agonize over. Besides, since he had decided to spend the rest of his life in the Ghost Mocking Abyss, any negative effects this wine might cause were irrelevant. The worst outcome would be to die directly from the poison, then release the Mocking Calamity to crush these venomous leaders with a single slap.

Chen Ling had nothing left to fear.

Glug—glug—glug...

Crash!!

The overflowing wine trickled down Chen Ling's lips, soaking his large red opera robe. After finishing it completely, Chen Ling directly smashed the cup onto the ground, his face flushing crimson!

His form flickered continuously between red paper and human, eventually stabilizing in human shape. But he felt as if his bones had been removed, swaying even when standing. Yet, at the same time, his eyes shone with an unprecedented light!

An unparalleled sense of exhilaration surged into Chen Ling's heart. It felt as if someone had taken his head, poured out all his indignation, depression, self-reproach, and grievances like garbage, and then violently crammed the purest joy inside. In that moment, Chen Ling felt lighter than ever before!

"Ha... haha..."

"So this is... Five-Venom Wine..."

"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!"

"Amazing!!!!!"

"This is absolutely incredible!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!"

*Boom—!!*

The pain that had once crushed him like a mountain, making him breathless, was now completely swept away without a trace. Chen Ling had never been so happy in his life. He couldn't stop laughing wildly, and his large red opera robe instantly transformed into endless red clouds, spreading furiously around him!

The King's elation pushed the atmosphere of the entire banquet to its climax. Countless venomous creatures below completely let loose, rolling around and drinking even more joyfully. The entire abyss was utterly transformed into a chaotic land of ultimate bliss.

But amidst everyone's revelry, the Centipede stared intently at Chen Ling's frenzied figure, pondering something unknown.

Beneath the sunless abyss, the ecstatic banquet lost all concept of time. Chen Ling couldn't remember how long the frenzy lasted. He only knew he was highly stimulated, even experiencing hallucinations...

He saw himself back on Frost Street, saw Chen Yan holding his hand and taking him to school, saw himself stepping onto the stage in his large red opera robe and delivering a thunderous performance in front of many schoolmates.

He saw Yao sitting beside him, watching Chen Yan dance gracefully on stage, her face filled with warmth and doting affection.

He saw King Hong bringing Ning Ruyu and other senior brothers and sisters to visit, specifically setting up a small opera stage for Chen Yan at the most central intersection of District Three, pulling him and Chen Yan to perform a grand opera together with great fanfare.

He saw Jian Changsheng, Sun Bumian, and Jiang Xiaohua sitting in the front row of the audience, occasionally muttering comments, but applauding more enthusiastically than anyone else when the curtain fell.

He saw Han Meng smiling by the wall on the roadside.

He saw Huang Suye carrying a small briefcase, smiling as beautifully as a flower below the stage.

Chen Ling had not completely lost his mind; he knew that everything he saw was an illusion. But these visions brought him an unprecedented joy. His eyes were hazy, a smile on his face, as he sat on the throne, swaying his head back and forth, on the verge of falling.

By now, the abyss was no longer as noisy. Some of the calamities had been knocked out by the poisoned wine, falling unconscious straight onto the ground. Another portion, with relatively better alcohol tolerance, had almost lost their minds and were having drunken fits.

For these calamities, drunken fits had only one outlet: combat.

Drunk calamities were fighting each other, group after group, engaging in the most primitive venomous creature brawls. There were no special abilities, no combat techniques, just raw instinct as they bit and tore at each other. Everyone was heavily intoxicated, with no concept of holding back. Chen Ling personally witnessed a sixth-tier Scorpion being bitten to death by another sixth-tier Centipede, and then the wounded Centipede was swallowed whole by a Toad.

The five venomous leaders showed no intention of stopping it, as if self-mutilation was a perfectly normal occurrence in the Ghost Mocking Abyss.

Just then, the Centipede, which had also drunk a lot of Five-Venom Wine, crawled out of the pool, equally intoxicated. It rolled twice on the ground, then directly collapsed at Chen Ling's feet.

It wobbled to its feet, letting out a hiss that reeked of wine!

In that moment, the other four venomous leaders looked as if they had seen a ghost, startled awake from their drunken stupor in surprise!

The Centipede leader was challenging the King?