Chapter 1318: Turning Point

Ning Ruyu's eyes lit up!

"Master, are you finally going to help Junior Brother?!"

"The internal struggles of the Ridiculous Calamity cannot be interfered with by any external force. Otherwise, why would I have gone to such lengths to push him towards the Integration Faction?" The Red King shook his head helplessly. "...This step, only Sixth can take himself."

"But didn't you say someone cheated? That's not fair to Junior Brother!" Ning Ruyu frowned deeply.

The Red King spoke calmly, "Ruyu, you must have faith in your Junior Brother."

"Do you think your Junior Brother reached this point because he was lucky? Or because I helped him?"

"You are wrong..."

"No one is born standing at the peak. All I did was give him a 'self'. Back then, his ability to stand on stage with the persona of 'Chen Ling' was purely the result of his own struggles, punch by punch. These subsequent 'Shabha' eliminations were also him breaking through relying on his own strength and will."

"The world only saw Chen Ling's high-profile rise and assumed he merely relied on the inherent power of the Ridiculous Calamity to get to where he is today. But in reality, he didn't rely on anyone."

"Everything he possesses related to the Ridiculous Calamity, he seized through his own capabilities."

"No matter how cunning the cheaters are, they are ultimately opportunistic. I believe that with Sixth's intelligence, he will always find a way to break through... All he needs is an opportunity to turn the tables."

Hearing this, Ning Ruyu immediately asked, "Master, where is this opportunity?"

The Red King smiled.

He casually played with a small cluster of confined thought-storms in his hand, answering unhurriedly: "The opportunity, isn't it right here in my hand?"

After speaking, a wisp of subtle red energy seeped into the thought-storm.

Snap—!

The storm in the Red King's hand violently agitated, then was crushed as if it were a glass bead!

***

The Abyssal Ridiculous Calamity, Underground Palace.

Pfft—!!

The black-robed Play Shadow, sitting on the throne, suddenly turned pale and violently spat out a mouthful of blood!

He staggered to his feet from the throne, his eyes fixed intently on a spot in the void, violence and venom filling his pupils, as if he yearned to tear that Play Robe figure to shreds.

"Red King... just you wait!"

"Once I've completely devoured the 'ego's' soul and regained my power, I'll go to the Ancient Play Arts Repository and tear you to pieces!!"

The black-robed Play Shadow took a long time to recover from the backlash of the thought-storm. He looked towards the gate of the underground palace, a sinister smile returning to his lips, and slowly walked out.

He was a persona born from within Chen Ling's being, a product of the negative emotions accumulated after Chen Ling devoured a large number of spectators; he felt that Chen Ling's ego was too pathetic.

A dignified Ridiculous Calamity, bound by human values, willingly consuming a Vow Gu for a group of hybrid mongrels, leaving the South Sea Domain, being cursed and accused by those fly-like commoners, and then just turning around and walking away as if nothing happened...

In this world, no one should have the right to threaten him; in this world, no one should have the right to curse him; if Chu Changqing threatened him with those from the Integration Faction, he should have retaliated by slaughtering all the Integration Faction children, then united with the Scared Calamity outside and directly overrun the entire South Sea Domain; if those commoners dared to utter a single insult, he should have immediately unleashed the Centipede Legion to slaughter the entire street and stuff their severed heads up their asses!

But now, it no longer matters...

He had already overcome the ego; he was now the new master of this body. From now on, he would avenge himself against this era in his own way. He would personally kill every human who once shared a bond with Chen Ling's ego. This was not only his morbid pleasure but also his way of completely severing Chen Ling's ego's ties with humanity. Friendship and emotion were the most useless things; a king should be alone, trampling the entire era underfoot!

He had just used the thought-storm to spread nightmares to everyone who had ever met Chen Ling's ego. One reason was to show off, and the other was to tell everyone that the former Chen Ling was dead, and the current "Chen Ling" had been reborn!

As for now...

First, he would thoroughly toy with the Abyssal Ridiculous Calamity.

The black-robed Play Shadow slowly walked out of the underground palace. A massive centipede, glowing faintly red, was respectfully prostrated at the palace entrance, its body already covered in dust.

Six days had passed since Chen Ling began the 'Shabha' eliminations. Immersed in the stage's carnage, Chen Ling had not perceived the passage of time, but Wu Yi outside had faithfully waited for six days, not going anywhere during that period. One reason was that it no longer felt such an urgent need to feed. The other was that it was somewhat concerned about the unusual movements from the underground palace earlier and worried about Chen Ling's safety.

As the familiar figure walked out of the palace, Wu Yi first rejoiced, then suddenly froze in place...

It could feel that the King who emerged this time... was somewhat different.

Seeing Wu Yi respectfully prostrated outside, a sinister, playful glint appeared in the black-robed Play Shadow's eyes.

"It's you..." The black-robed Play Shadow's mouth stretched into a grin from ear to ear, "You've been waiting here for a long time, haven't you? Are you waiting for me, or... for him?"

Wu Yi's pupils suddenly constricted.

An inexplicable chill surged through Wu Yi. It instinctively wanted to turn and flee, but the next moment, a hand firmly pressed down on its long body. The world-ending oppressive force from the King of the Abyssal Ridiculous Calamity instantly immobilized it!

This centipede was Chen Ling's ego's confidant. The black-robed Play Shadow could sense that the ego had a strong fondness for this centipede... In that case, this centipede could not be allowed to remain.

The black-robed Play Shadow's light laugh seemed to emanate from the netherworld: "It seems my palace has some small 'toys' specifically for dealing with centipedes... Wu Yi, why don't you come and play with me, your King?"

***

The Stage.

A shattered Play Robe figure lay on old wooden planks, its severed head facing the dark, densely packed audience below. Chen Ling's eyes were unfocused and hollow.

Chen Ling was not dead.

This was the spiritual world of the Ridiculous Calamity. He was a "spectator," not a human, so even with his head severed, the concept of "death" did not apply. Here, there was only one true death... to be completely devoured by one's own kind.

The black-robed Play Shadow was merely a persona born from within Chen Ling's being. Only by devouring Chen Ling could it become truly complete. However, Chen Ling was unlike other withered "spectators"; the "information" contained within Chen Ling's soul was too vast. The black-robed Play Shadow simply could not fully digest it in one go, and a rash attempt might result in a personality split...

Therefore, the black-robed Play Shadow's best option was to slice Chen Ling into segments like cured meat, devouring a little bit each time to ensure its own persona remained unaffected.

The black-robed Play Shadow, currently preparing to torment Wu Yi, did not notice that, as a subtle red light flickered through the void, a faint spark of life returned to the eyes of Chen Ling's head, which had been empty and fallen.

Two faint blushes of red emerged from the corners of Chen Ling's eyes.

Drawing the Crimson Countenance.