Chapter 1364: The Lamp in the Hall Burns Out

## Chapter 1365: The Palace Lamps Burn Out

Fortune and Misfortune Divination: Boundary Separation.

In an instant, the two streams of auspicious and inauspicious qi around Sun Bumi were stripped away and separated. All the golden auspicious qi surged into the Awakened Lion Headgear, while all the black malevolent qi burrowed into his own body...

The Abyss of Ghost Mockery was inherently a place of immense malevolence. After Sun Bumi consumed the malevolent qi here, his aura rapidly ascended, also reaching a level close to the Seventh Rank!

Emitting a terrifying aura, he raised his palm and directly clawed at the shadow giant's head!

One sword, one palm;In that instant, both Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumi unleashed their strongest killing moves.

As the two streaks of light approached, the shadow giant surprisingly split in two, forming two heads and four arms. It surged forth, facing the sword and the palm separately, and black, world-ending qi, like swirling dark clouds, engulfed both of them!

Boom—!!!

A deafening roar emanated from the sky. Jiang Xiaohua, who was feigning death, silently looked up for a moment, then immediately buried his face in the dirt.

The colossal sound in the sky lasted for several seconds. A pained groan was heard first, followed by a mournful sword hum slicing across the sky. A dull longsword flew backward out of the black cloud, and with a clang, embedded itself into a cave in the cliff, nearly splitting a sleeping venomous snake in half.

The swirling black clouds gradually dispersed, and the shadow giant's body had vanished.

The dark opera robe flapped in the wind. Chen Ling hovered in the air, one hand grasping the unconscious Sun Bumi, the other holding the exhausted and fainted Jian Changsheng. He glanced at the two unconscious figures in his hands, a casual smile playing on his lips.

The ferocity and battle intent in his crimson eyes gradually receded... The crimson opera robe regained its color.

“They really... can't take a hit.”

With a wave of Chen Ling's hands, the two were directly tossed onto the backs of the two centipedes at the entrance, lying motionless like two stiff pieces of cured meat.

Chen Ling's form slowly descended from the air. He walked over to Jiang Xiaohua, who was still feigning death, and patted his shoulder:

“Stop pretending, it's over.”

Jiang Xiaohua wriggled for a moment, finally pulling his head out of the dirt. Specks of dirt rustled down from his snowy white hair, and he looked at Chen Ling with pleading eyes:

“No more fighting?”

“...No more, they've already fainted.”

“Then can I... leave too?”

“Yes, go with them.”

Jiang Xiaohua nodded, got up from the ground, and seeing the two men neatly sprawled on their respective centipedes, he self-consciously walked towards the back of the last centipede.

The moment he stepped onto the centipede's back, its body visibly swayed, as if it was nearly crushed... Fortunately, Chen Ling had specifically chosen a stronger centipede for Jiang Xiaohua, otherwise, there would have been no way to carry him out of the Abyss of Ghost Mockery.

“Plum Blossom,” Chen Ling suddenly said.

“Hmm?” Jiang Xiaohua, who had just climbed onto the centipede's back, turned around in confusion.

“Who exactly are you?”

Jiang Xiaohua blinked. “I am Jiang Xiaohua.”

“I know that, but what I mean is...” Chen Ling opened his mouth, apparently finding it difficult to explain his question to Jiang Xiaohua. He simply rephrased it, “You carry the same curse as I do... Can you tell me why the Nuo curse is on you?”

Jiang Xiaohua thought for a moment. “To help a friend.”

“To help a friend?” Those three simple words baffled Chen Ling. “What friend? How did you help them?”

“A friend is just a friend... He's very much like you, Red Heart.” Jiang Xiaohua paused.

“But you are different.”

Chen Ling wanted to ask more questions, but Jiang Xiaohua had already sat cross-legged on the centipede. He looked at Chen Ling and couldn't help but speak again:

“Red Heart... I want to drink.”

Chen Ling's question, already on his lips, remained unasked after a moment of hesitation.

He nodded.

“Someone, bring this King a jar... no, three jars of Five-Poison Wine.”

At Chen Ling's command, the surrounding venomous insects immediately went to fetch the wine for him. Chen Ling himself walked over to the startled venomous snake, casually pulled out the longsword that had been knocked away, and placed it back on Jian Changsheng.

A moment later, the three jars of Five-Poison Wine were tightly bound to the centipede, making it look bulky and somewhat comical.

“Is that enough?” Chen Ling asked.

“It's enough, Red Heart, it's too much.” Jiang Xiaohua nodded repeatedly.

“They probably won't wake up for a while, so you'll have to protect them on the way.” Chen Ling paused for a moment. “When they wake up, please relay a few words from me to them...”

After Chen Ling finished speaking, Jiang Xiaohua hummed in affirmation. “I've remembered.”

“Good, you may go.”

Jiang Xiaohua settled onto the centipede, and while waving at Chen Ling, he suddenly asked:

“Red Heart... we'll see each other again... right?”

Chen Ling froze slightly.

A moment later, a smile touched his lips. “We will.”

“Oh... goodbye.”

The three centipedes, carrying the unconscious Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumi, and Jiang Xiaohua, who had already quietly started secretly drinking the Five-Poison Wine, left the Abyss of Ghost Mockery in this manner, their massive forms gradually disappearing over the cliff face.

Chen Ling simply stood there silently, watching them depart until they were mere specks, and still he did not leave...

He stood motionless, like a statue.

After an unknown amount of time, he spoke in a low voice:

“Wu Yi.”

Hearing Chen Ling's call, Wu Yi immediately emerged from the ground, and respectfully awaited by his side.

“Take some subordinates and destroy the terrain around the Abyss of Ghost Mockery.” Chen Ling spoke calmly, looking in the direction the three had departed. “The more chaotic, the better. Ideally, they should never find their way back... And assign people specifically to guard the perimeter. If they approach next time, just drive them away.”

Wu Yi tilted his head, his eyes full of confusion:

My King, aren't they your friends?

“For the great heroes of the human realm to get too close to a world-ending calamity... it's not a good thing.” Chen Ling slowly closed his eyes, a bitter smile on his face. “In this world, what kills most are rumors and human hearts...”

He brushed his vermilion sleeve, and turned to walk alone towards the dim underground palace...

Without Sun Bumi's auspicious qi, the underground palace returned to its dead silence and coldness. Everything here was quiet, with only Chen Ling's footsteps remaining... just as it had been when he first arrived at the palace.

Yet in various parts of the palace, candle flames still burned brightly.

Those were the candles Jian Changsheng had lit last night.

Every night he stayed here, Jian Changsheng would personally light the lamps. The recent battle had extinguished the candles in the dining area, but it hadn't affected those outside.

But from today onwards, no one would light candles for him here; no one would arrange auspicious blessings; and no one would sit beside him, clamoring to drink with him... These few days of companionship felt like an ephemeral dream of a lonely king's slumber. Now that he had returned, everything felt as if it had never happened.

A thousand red candles burned silently, like the last scattered lights in the dark palace. The crimson opera robe ascended the steps, past the flickering candlelight, and casually picked up a half-empty cup of Five-Poison Wine, tilting his head back to drink it deeply!

His Adam's apple bobbed violently. He swallowed all the wine in one gulp. A sensation, neither spicy nor painful, surged into Chen Ling's heart, but immediately after, a false euphoria forcibly suppressed the bitterness...

Bang—!!

He smashed the empty wine cup to the ground.

The crimson opera robe spread its sleeves, as he stood before the empty, lonely throne. He took a deep breath, and a torrent of inexpressible emotions, fueled by the alcohol, surged within him. He gently opened his mouth, and a sorrowful, beautiful singing voice echoed within the dim, deserted palace:

“They speak of golden needles, silver threads embroidering dragon robes~”

“Yet truly, they are a thousand threads, ten thousand strands, entrapping the body!”

“Poisoned wine fills crimson tears...”

“Palace lamps burn out... old opera stone tablet...”

Hahahahahahahaha...

With a gentle flick of his crimson sleeve, the myriad candle flames in the underground palace instantly extinguished!