Chapter 1339: Triumphant Return

In the ruined village, a figure clad in a large red opera robe slowly emerged.

Seeing this, the Scorpion Legion, waiting at the village's periphery, collectively prostrated themselves, a dark mass seemingly welcoming their king's triumph. Xie Yi moved through the Scorpion Legion to the front, respectfully bowing down and waiting for Chen Ling to step onto his back.

Just then, it noticed a large, bulging, yet constantly "wriggling" bag in Chen Ling's hand and seemed somewhat puzzled.

"Trophies. Take them back for me."

Chen Ling casually tossed the large bag of tableware onto a nearby scorpion, then slowly climbed onto Xie Yi's back.

Understanding dawned in Xie Yi's eyes...

"Got it,"

"The King's new toy."

Standing on Xie Yi's back, Chen Ling cast a faint glance at it, then placed a palm on its head, gradually applying pressure. Xie Yi was startled at first, then surprise and fear simultaneously appeared in its eyes. It thought it had done something wrong, replaying all its actions from the past few days in a single second, its heart instantly leaping to its throat!

"Is the King going to hit me? Or kill me?!"

"Did the King discover that I secretly incited the centipede to challenge him before? Is that why he specifically took me out of the Ghost Mocking Abyss, planning to get rid of me in a secluded place??"

As Xie Yi stiffened, caught in a whirlwind of thoughts, a mysterious and terrifying aura suddenly poured from its head into its body! Xie Yi felt a power not its own vigorously cleansing every corner of its body, then, as if sentient, it surged directly towards its pincers and tail stinger. Its aura began to rapidly ascend, its life force burning fiercely like a flame, making its entire body unbearably hot.

Its whole body trembled violently, as if realizing something. It suddenly turned its head to look at its two front pincers, which, in the darkness, were now tinged with crimson!

"This is... the same power as that centipede named Wu Yi?"

"The King has actually shared this power with me?!"

Xie Yi was first shocked, then ecstatic. It wanted to look up gratefully at the King, but with Chen Ling on its back, it couldn't see him no matter how it twisted. Frantic for a moment, it finally just plopped down, prostrating itself on the ground once more.

Simultaneously, a calm voice spoke from its back:

"Serve me well, and I will not treat you unfairly."

"However, if you ever scheme against me behind my back again... your fate will be far more miserable than that centipede's."

Chen Ling idly toyed with the boning knife, which had centipede legs, gently tapping Xie Yi's head with its blunt side. The moment his words fell, Xie Yi felt as if plunged into an ice cave!

"The King still discovered what I did??"

Xie Yi's heart pounded with fear, but as the Red Star Power transformed its body, gratitude towards the King surged wildly, eventually turning fear into deep remorse. At that moment, Xie Yi's feelings were incredibly complex.

It had seen so many "kings," but Chen Ling was the first to proactively share power with these poisonous leaders. And it, Xie Yi, had actually tried to scheme against the King before?

"I truly deserve to die!!"

At this moment, Xie Yi's slight reservations and wariness towards Chen Ling completely vanished, leaving only absolute loyalty and gratitude in its heart, expressed through a series of hisses.

Chen Ling understood that Xie Yi was pledging loyalty and did not interrupt, simply waiting for it to finish.

For Chen Ling, the Red Star Power he instilled in Xie Yi was merely a small portion he couldn't fully digest after advancing to the peak of Tier Six. For some reason, other calamities seemed unable to draw power directly from the Red Star Power themselves. If they desired this power, they had to wait for him to absorb it first, then disperse and transfer it to them. This near-monopoly advantage was, for Chen Ling, undoubtedly the best way to consolidate support within the Ghost Mocking Abyss.

Chen Ling now somewhat understood the King of Silver. Back then, the King of Silver monopolized all Tier Eight of the Divine Thief Path, forcing all Incendiaries to serve him. This feeling of absolute power was truly captivating. However, the King of Silver's methods were too extreme and stingy, far less efficient and stable than Chen Ling's approach of combining grace with authority.

"That's enough," Chen Ling said, patting Xie Yi's head. "Let's go. Return to the Ghost Mocking Abyss."

"Cube, do you really know the way to the Ghost Mocking Abyss?" Jian Changsheng asked, unable to help himself, as he looked at the monotonous, barren land around them under the lead-gray clouds.

"I've never been there, how would I know? I can only go by the general direction." Sun Bumian glared at him speechlessly. "But you, haven't you fought with the venomous creatures from the Ghost Mocking Abyss before? And you still need me to lead the way?"

Jian Changsheng gave an awkward laugh, about to say something, when Jiang Xiaohua quietly spoke up beside him:

"Last time, we were being chased by a calamity and accidentally fell in... We didn't pay attention to anything on the way."

"...I knew it." Sun Bumian sighed.

"What do you think Heart will look like when he sees us?" Jian Changsheng's expression was a little excited.

"Surprised?" Jiang Xiaohua tilted her head.

Sun Bumian: "I just hope it's not a fright."

"Fright? What's there to be frightened of? Besides, I've brought a gift!" Jian Changsheng pulled out a document stamped by the official Suspended Jade Realm authority from his inner pocket, waving it in the air. "Do you know what this is? An amnesty! An invitation! The Twilight Society has existed for so many years, and I'm the only one who's gotten this! I don't need to explain its value."

"Alright, alright, you're the best, happy now?" Sun Bumian responded perfunctorily while carefully discerning their direction, his gaze fixed on the dark land in the distance.

"It should be there."

The three quickened their pace, and a bottomless abyss, cutting through the land, gradually appeared before them. A chilling aura permeated from the abyss's depths, drifting outwards as if connecting to the underworld, causing goosebumps to involuntarily rise. As the three looked at the dark abyss, which seemed to devour people, their heartbeats quickened simultaneously, their instincts constantly warning them not to approach.

"Is this the Ghost Mocking Abyss?" Sun Bumian rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, muttering, "Hiss... it's a bit creepy, isn't it?"

"I remember now, this is where we fell last time," Jian Changsheng said, slapping his thigh.

"Heart, does he live down here?" Jiang Xiaohua peered into the abyss, seeming to find his situation a bit pathetic. "It's so dark and cold. I can't believe he lives here."

Jian Changsheng put away the document, stretched his limbs, and said, "Come on, let's go down and find him, and get him out of this godforsaken place." With that, Jian Changsheng jumped down along the edge of the abyss without hesitation.