Chapter 1314: Unfair Performance

The moment Chen Ling approached the black-robed figure, the latter reacted with astonishing speed. Its ghostly body twisted to the side as if boneless, evading Chen Ling's punch. Then, the sleeve of the dark robe let out a sharp, wind-breaking sound, whistling as it slammed into Chen Ling’s chest.

Chen Ling's combat instincts were already top-tier, yet he still barely kept up with the black-robed figure's speed.

His pupils slightly contracted. In his vision, the fist beneath the dark robe seemed to expand and extend, defying physical laws. Even though he had retreated beyond an arm's length, the fist still pursued him like a spring.

Thud—!!

Chen Ling could only cross his arms in front of his chest in an instant, heavily blocking the punch!

An unimaginable surge of immense power traveled through his arms, as if he had been directly hit by a rapidly flying passenger jet. Chen Ling lost his balance entirely and was sent flying backward amidst a dull thud.

An unprecedented feeling of exhaustion spread from his arms; it seemed they were on the verge of being broken by that single punch. Enduring the pain, Chen Ling managed to control his body in mid-air. He suddenly grabbed onto the bodies of nearby audience members with his five fingers, and the sweeping momentum directly toppled many spectators at the edge of the stage off into the area below. Chen Ling barely managed to stabilize himself at the stage's edge, his expression extremely grave as he looked at the black-robed figure.

One must know that Chen Ling's physical prowess was already incredibly strong, yet the black-robed figure's power was a whole level stronger than his!

Moreover, the opponent's body seemed capable of doing things beyond imagination…

But wasn't it true that no skills could be used on this stage?

Chen Ling struggled to think, but under the suppression of a large amount of negative emotions, his mind felt as sluggish as if filled with lead. In that brief moment of distraction, the black-robed figure flickered again, darting directly from the center of the spotlight and rushing straight towards Chen Ling!

On this battlefield of life-and-death combat, Chen Ling had no retreat. He simply cast aside all distractions, took a stance, and concentrated his attention to the extreme!

Bang—bang—bang bang!!

Two robed figures, one black and one red, flashed and weaved under the flickering spotlight, moving so fast they left afterimages.

Left hook! Knee strike! Back elbow! Right cross!

Within a mere second, the two figures had exchanged blows multiple times. The black-robed figure's speed was too great; even Chen Ling couldn't react in time, only managing to barely predict and evade based on his combat instincts honed from countless battles.

He dared not block the black-robed figure's attacks. After all, there was a power disparity between them, and if he were to be punched directly off the stage, everything would be over.

But Chen Ling knew very well that purely passive evasion would only worsen his situation. The ruthlessness and rage brought on by the overwhelming negative emotions directly controlled part of his rationality. As the black-robed figure launched another punch, he surprisingly chose not to retreat. Instead, he did the opposite, taking the punch with his shoulder and colliding directly into the black-robed figure's embrace!

Thump—!!

As the black-robed figure's punch landed, Chen Ling's shoulder was instantly shattered, hanging limply. His eyes turned crimson as he shifted his body to absorb the force. Simultaneously, his other arm tightened fiercely around the black-robed figure's body!

There was a disparity in speed, strength, and physique. Since that was the case, it was a battle of who was more ruthless!

The moment Chen Ling's arm locked around the black-robed figure, he suddenly opened his mouth and viciously bit down on the black-robed figure's neck!!

Although the black-robed figure's body was bizarre, it was essentially still a "spectator." As Chen Ling bit down, his teeth sank directly into its flesh. The black-robed figure trembled all over, and its blurred face contorted in intense pain!

But the next moment, the black-robed figure's expression was replaced by even fiercer rage and ruthlessness. Its shark-like, ferocious maw suddenly opened, and it likewise bit down on Chen Ling's neck!

Unprecedented agony filled Chen Ling's mind, nearly making him faint on the spot, but his powerful willpower kept him lucid. He bit down hard on the black-robed figure's neck, refusing to let go.

As he was tearing at the black-robed figure's neck, a volcanic eruption of violent emotions poured madly into Chen Ling's mind!

The emotions of the spectators he had previously expelled now flooded back into his body. Though only a portion of them, the dual torment of flesh and spirit had already brought Chen Ling to the brink of collapse. Amidst these endless negative emotions, a small line of text, hidden within the black-robed figure's body, appeared in Chen Ling's mind!

On your most familiar stage, defeat your 'other self'.

This was…

The black-robed figure's performance condition?

Chen Ling instantly recalled that when he had expelled the dark figure, it had also stolen a performance condition that originally belonged to him. Chen Ling hadn't clearly seen what that condition was at the time, but he was certain that his original performance condition was definitely not this one.

Based on past experience, it was most likely that after the dark figure stole this performance condition, the "spectators" themselves had altered the content, transforming his original condition into a tailor-made performance for the black-robed figure.

In other words, having the black-robed figure defeat him here was the next performance these "spectators" most wanted to see!

Not only could this black-robed figure "cut curses," but it also possessed performance conditions just like him. Did that mean if it really completed this performance... it could also draw abilities in this theater?

The moment Chen Ling saw this performance condition, his surroundings abruptly changed. A familiar twisted divine path extended from beneath his feet towards the sky. At this moment, the small text for his Stage Six, Mid-Tier performance, which was originally some distance away from Chen Ling, actually floated up, gradually twisting and deforming under his gaze.

A new performance condition appeared before Chen Ling.

It was a line of text he found very familiar:

On your most familiar stage, defeat your 'other self'.

Chen Ling did not know what his original Stage Six, Mid-Tier performance condition was, but now, it had undoubtedly been changed by the audience on the spot. His performance condition was identical to the black-robed figure's.

Two "personalities," one "performance."

On this stage, between Chen Ling and the black-robed figure, only one winner was destined.

Under the flickering spotlight, two robed figures, pushed to their limit by pain, released their bites simultaneously and stumbled backward. A large chunk of flesh had been bitten off the black-robed figure's neck by Chen Ling, while Chen Ling's neck was even more gruesome, almost half severed.

But even so, Chen Ling forcefully straightened his head. Fortunately, this body was now that of a "spectator" rather than a "human," otherwise, he would have died once already.

Just as Chen Ling prepared to continue fighting the black-robed figure, the black-robed figure raised a hand and pointed at Chen Ling.

The next second,

The dense crowd of surrounding spectators swarmed towards Chen Ling!