Chapter 1396: I Refuse

At the moment the pillar of fire shot skyward, Malice, Turmoil, and Delusion were simultaneously stunned.

Even the three great cataclysms hadn't detected Chen Ling's movements, nor did they perceive the instantaneous transformation of the ocean into a pillar of fire. Chen Ling seemed to have gained control of this world in a way that far exceeded their comprehension!

“Mockery… why… can… he… control your… world?”

The three cataclysms seemed to realize something, simultaneously looking towards Thought, who was floating in the distant sky.

Thought's storm quietly hovered in the air, seemingly unsurprised by Chen Ling's counterattack. In fact, seeing the other cataclysms now as shocked as it had been before, brought it a sense of psychological balance.

It had known since last time that Chen Ling could inexplicably wield thought storms. In this world constructed from thoughts, it was not the sole master…

Chen Ling also possessed the authority to control this place.

Above the raging inferno, the grand red opera robe fluttered silently.

Chen Ling's dark face gazed down at Calamity of Rest in the sea of fire, his expression sharp, with a hint of intoxication seemingly in the depths of his eyes.

Given Chen Ling's vigilance, and the fact that he also possessed thought storms, how could he not have noticed Thought drawing his consciousness here? From the moment the thought storm appeared in the underground palace, Chen Ling had actually already awakened, but he hadn't reacted, wanting to see what trick Thought was planning.

From the sea of fire, Calamity of Rest's gigantic skeletal wings extended, and with a powerful flap, the resulting hurricane directly extinguished the raging flames below!

Calamity of Rest's wind-tunnel eyes glared furiously at Chen Ling in the air, as if it wished to tear him to shreds. Just as it prepared to leap up and engage Chen Ling in battle, Thought's will resonated in the minds of all the cataclysms:

“Enough… I didn’t call you here… for infighting… Do you… still wish to conquer the human realms?”

Calamity of Rest's raised gigantic wings froze mid-air, and after a moment of hesitation, it reluctantly lowered them…

But its gaze towards Chen Ling remained filled with chilling murderous intent.

Chen Ling cast a faint glance at it, then casually took a step, instantly teleporting back to the sea region where he had originally been.

Compared to the colossal sizes of the other great cataclysms, Chen Ling appeared small and slender, but he didn't care. He lightly snapped his fingers, and the grotesque black throne from the underground palace materialized in the air.

His grand red opera robe billowed in the wind as Chen Ling unhurriedly sat upon the throne, one hand resting lightly on it, the other supporting his chin. His scarlet, mocking eyes emanated a heart-stopping pressure as he calmly surveyed the five great cataclysms before him. Despite the significant difference in size, his aura showed no signs of inferiority!

The Scarlet Sovereign of the Mockery Abyss, the Formless King who Mocks Fate—Mockery, Chen Ling.

“Speak, why have you summoned me?” Chen Ling spoke indifferently.

“The Red Star… will return… soon.” Thought’s message echoed in the minds of all the cataclysms. “The tug-of-war with the human realms… it’s time for it to end… The decisive battle… is about to begin…”

On the throne, Chen Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.

A cataclysm conference…

Interesting.

He had just finished organizing a joint conference for the Nine Lords of Humanity, only to be immediately pulled into a decisive battle conference for the cataclysms. His identity was oscillating between savior and destroyer… One could only say, fate works in mysterious ways.

However, it made sense. With only a few days left until the Red Star’s return, these cataclysms wanted to leave the Gray Realm and preserve themselves and their subordinates by taking over Earth’s last remaining major realms. Now was the best time.

After months of protracted warfare, the combat strength of humanity’s major realms had been largely depleted. If all the cataclysms launched a simultaneous assault, it would signal the final battle. Moreover, in Chen Ling’s judgment, the human realms currently had almost no power to retaliate.

This was truly a “World-Ending” conference.

Chen Ling had intended to listen to Thought’s deployment plan for this decisive battle. Frankly, he was quite curious about Thought’s intellect; he wanted to see just how high a cataclysm’s intelligence could be… At the same time, he also hoped to glean some useful intelligence that he could secretly use thought storms to remotely inform Jian Changsheng and the others.

But Chen Ling was soon disappointed.

Unsure if Thought was deliberately avoiding him, Thought established a separate mental “connection” with each cataclysm. It was like a hidden hand, silently directing the actions of all the cataclysms, ensuring that each knew only its own task and remained completely unaware of the others’ movements.

To think, given the nature of each cataclysm, that they would actually trust Thought and allow themselves to be commanded?

How exactly did Thought manage to brainwash them?

“Thought, what is the meaning of this?” Chen Ling spoke coldly. “You’re planning in secret, yet you won’t tell us the situation? Are you truly treating us as pawns? If you do this, what if one of us is used as bait or a discarded piece?”

Since Chen Ling was here, he wouldn’t allow Thought’s plan to proceed smoothly. He deliberately posed this question to probe the relationships among the great cataclysms.

Thought’s gaze turned to him, and then a thought resonated in the minds of all the cataclysms:

“Why am I not revealing the plan… Can’t… you guess?”

Chen Ling’s brow furrowed slightly:

“You distrust me.”

“Correct… you are a madman… No one knows… when a madman will go mad. This concerns the survival of all cataclysmic territories… You can ask the other cataclysms… if they need me to reveal the plan? You can ask them… if they trust you?”

Chen Ling’s gaze swept across the other cataclysms; they were also watching him, but not a single one was willing to trust him.

Tsk…

The previous Mockery truly committed evil deeds, ruining its reputation to this extent?

“If you don’t trust me, why did you have me come here?” Chen Ling retorted.

“Regardless of whether I trust you or not… you… are ultimately one of us.” Thought paused for a moment. “Your subordinates… need a new habitat… And we… need your power…”

“Oh?” Chen Ling on the throne raised an eyebrow slightly. “What do you need me to do?”

“Of humanity’s five major realms… there’s still one left to deal with…”

“You mean…”

“We need you… we need the Mockery Abyss… to destroy the Spirit Void Realm.” The storm continued to approach Chen Ling, Thought’s eyes fixed directly on him. “Destroy the Spirit Void Realm… control the Spirit Void Lord… and that realm… will become the new territory of the Mockery Abyss.”

The storm swirled before Chen Ling, his grand red opera robe fluttering on the throne. Chen Ling’s scarlet eyes watched it for a long moment, then he let out a soft, cold laugh:

“I… refuse.”