Chapter 308: Witnessing the Dusk

"Where are we going...?" Chen Ling asked, black snowflakes settling on his shoulders as he took a black umbrella from Bai Ye.

"To witness the demise of a domain," Jian Changsheng quickly answered before Chu Muyun could speak. "That's what they told me too... and they insisted I change my clothes, making it all very mysterious."

"Witness its demise?" Chen Ling's confusion deepened.

"What do you think we're about to do?" Chu Muyun asked.

Chen Ling eyed them, hesitated, then tentatively replied, "Like attending a funeral..."

"Precisely."

"A funeral, really?" Jian Changsheng frowned. "But whose funeral would require the Twilight Society to..."

Jian Changsheng trailed off mid-sentence, his mouth slowly widening as if something just clicked.

Chu Muyun extended his hand, pointing to the ground beneath their feet: "We are holding a funeral for the domain."

Upon hearing these words, both Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng looked shocked.

"So the rumors aren't true?" Jian Changsheng's eyes widened. "Everyone outside says the Twilight Society destroyed the Ruoshui Domain, killed over four million people within it, and even stole Lord Ruoshui's body..."

Bai Ye couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"The Twilight Society is indeed powerful, but that doesn't mean we can slaughter entire domains at will," Chu Muyun glanced at him. "However, stealing Lord Ruoshui's body is true..."

"That wasn't stealing," Bai Ye corrected, shaking his head. "That was preparing the body for a grand burial."

"...So, the Twilight Society's real goal is actually the bodies of the Nine Lords?" Chen Ling instantly grasped the key point.

"Do you remember the ultimate goal of the Twilight Society?"

"To reverse the era and reset the world," Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng replied simultaneously.

"Exactly... and to reset the world, the Nine Lords are an indispensable part. There's something crucial within their bodies," Chu Muyun said earnestly. "Only by recovering that component from them can we achieve a 'reset'."

Hearing this, Chen Ling immediately recalled the secret he had learned at the Aurora Base...

Before the Great Cataclysm, the Nine Lords allegedly absorbed energy from the Red Star fragments while tracking them, which is how they became the "Nine Lords." Could the "component" the Twilight Society mentioned be the Red Star fragments within their bodies?

"Recover... the Nine Lords?" Jian Changsheng was baffled.

The Nine Lords were the foundations of the nine great domains; if even one of them faced an issue, it meant the destruction of an entire domain. For the Twilight Society to want to "recover" the Nine Lords, didn't that mean they were completely opposing all nine domains? No wonder they were called madmen and listed as humanity's most wanted; they were practically public enemies of this era!

"However, we usually don't resort to forceful recovery, as that typically means making an enemy of an entire domain," Bai Ye interjected, explaining. "Generally, like this time, once we learn a Lord is about to pass away, we enter the domain beforehand to prepare and await its demise."

"So, the rumored destroyed domain..."

"The destruction of the Ruoshui Domain stemmed from the rebellion of its lower-class people and internal strife among its high-ranking officials. The rules and order of that domain weren't as perfect as the Aurora Domain; calling it a chaotic and dark wilderness wouldn't be an exaggeration... Of course, the most crucial factor was the death of Lord Ruoshui, which led to a large-scale convergence of the Gray World."

Chu Muyun replied calmly, "Ultimately, those people even started to fight over Lord Ruoshui's body. The Twilight Society naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing... After killing some people, we were branded with the accusation of destroying the domain."

Bai Ye shrugged, "You know how it is. The higher-ups of the domains like to shift blame to deny their own negligence and conceal the news of a Lord's impending death... As their old adversary, the Twilight Society is naturally the perfect scapegoat."

"Of course, under normal circumstances, the Twilight Society doesn't get involved in internal domain conflicts. To us, whether they fight or unite, it's all meaningless."

"To put it plainly, we are just a professional funeral service team..."

Chu Muyun paused for a moment:"We bury domains; we prepare the Nine Lords for burial;We witness the twilight of all beings; we pursue the dawn of humanity.As for everything else... we simply don't interfere."

Hearing all this, Chen Ling finally understood what was going on... So, the Twilight Society wasn't an evil organization at its core; it should be considered a neutral group adhering to the philosophy of "resetting." However, because its ideals clashed with the nine great domains and its methods were easily misunderstood, it had been branded as "public enemy number one."

"So, is it just the four of us burying the Aurora Domain this time?" Jian Changsheng asked.

Chu Muyun, holding his black umbrella, calmly shook his head. "Of course not."

No sooner had Chu Muyun finished speaking than an ancient, low bell toll echoed from the other side of the city!

Dong—!Dong—!!Dong—!!!

From the bell tower of Aurora City, a figure in a suit was striking the bell repeatedly with a frost-covered log. Tiny shards of ice scattered from the colossal bell's surface. The deep tolling, like a city's lament, reverberated through the black snowfall. Scattered figures across Aurora City slowly looked up towards the sound.

Regardless of their previous identities or how they had hidden within Aurora City, at this moment, they meticulously donned black suits, opened black umbrellas, and stepped onto the desolate, icy streets. They had come to welcome the twilight of this domain.

"Change your clothes, Red Heart Six," Chu Muyun said, looking at Chen Ling. He pulled a black playing card from his pocket and handed it to him. "I didn't have clothes tailored for you; after all, it wouldn't be meaningful for you... But this card, specially prepared for the funeral, should be useful."

Chen Ling took the card and immediately felt its unusual material. It wasn't like the cheap paper playing cards sold in small shops outside; instead, it felt like an extremely thin metal. Its obsidian-black surface was deep and solemn. In its top-left and bottom-right corners, a white '6' was etched, with a white heart symbol below it.

"This card is specially made and only used on important occasions... Now, the time has come."

Chen Ling looked at the card in his hand and nodded calmly. Black snowflakes lightly drifted onto his shoulders. He raised his right hand and forcefully tore at his chin!

Beneath the mask was the same face, but his original clothes instantly transformed into an identical black suit, tie, and leather shoes. The style and size perfectly fit his body, outlining his slender and well-proportioned physique.

Chen Ling placed the card into his chest pocket, letting the white '6' in the corner show.

In the heavy snow, the black umbrella in his hand slowly opened...

"Let's go."