Chapter 470: Confused Turmoil

"Why is our magic ineffective against him?!"

Inside the film world, countless wizards flying in the air were startled when they saw the red-robed figure still standing upright on the shattered earth. The next moment, they watched as the figure slowly raised his hands towards the sky, his scarlet eyes filled with mockery. Then, his fingers clenched abruptly, as if gripping the void! *Rip—!!*

As "Chen Ling" slowly tore with both hands, world after world began to twist and shatter, like a script being slowly ripped apart. Jagged cracks appeared across the sky and earth... Castles, cities, starry skies, mechs... The worlds that had been layered upon him like a thousand-layer cake now buzzed as they were torn into tiny fragments, like fragile white paper!

"Damn it, these can't trap him either," Mò Jiǎo said in a deep voice. "The natural enemy of the Path of Theatrical Gods... This is the first I've heard of it." Ning Ruyu's brows furrowed, as if deep in thought. "The natural enemy of the Path of Theatrical Gods, yet imprisoned within a gifted practitioner of the Path of Theatrical Gods, and he's also our junior apprentice-brother from the Ancient Repository of Theatrical Arts..." Ning Ruyu's gaze shifted to her silent master beside her, seemingly discerning his intention in taking the junior apprentice-brother as his final disciple. If that were the case...

"He's out," Luan Mei suddenly said. *Bang—* With a soft crack, over ten discs shattered instantly. A red-robed figure, wearing a black smiling face, walked through the fragments of discs scattered on the ground. As he approached, chairs from various eras within the theater began to tremble violently, falling to the floor with dull thuds! Pairs of illusory, scarlet eyes began to appear on these chairs, constantly turning their gaze as "Chen Ling" advanced, as if watching a magnificent performance. He walked straight towards the Master.

Audience Expectation Level: 1

"Chen Ling." The Master stood quietly in place, watching him approach. "Do you, yourself, acknowledge this face?" This was the first time the Master had called him "Chen Ling" instead of "Old Six." The moment the words resonated, they seemed to carry a magical force, drilling into Chen Ling's ears and exploding in his mind like thunder! Secret Technique: True Word!

*Buzz—!* In the pitch-black world, Chen Ling's eyes snapped open. He felt as if he had awoken from a nightmare, startled by the Master's voice, cold sweat pouring from his back... He looked around at the surroundings, now dyed black, and finally realized what had happened. His sixth face... was actually the "Audience"? They had actually seized this opportunity to intervene in the performance before the expectation level dropped below 20? This was an unprecedented situation!

"Do you, yourself, acknowledge this face?" The Master's words echoed in Chen Ling's mind, and his fists involuntarily clenched. Up until now, Chen Ling had continuously maintained his expectation level through performances precisely because he didn't want to be replaced by the audience, didn't want to become a monstrous being stripped of his sanity... How could he possibly acknowledge the audience's face? How could he let a group of ill-intentioned spectators control his life? "No, I don't acknowledge it."

Chen Ling took a deep breath, and his melodious singing once again resonated through this world: "Heaven and earth are illusory, self is non-existent, the trapped spirit serves as a prop, hooking my true form..." In this world of no self and no form, his face had been occupied by the "Audience." Therefore, the only way to resist was to quickly paint his own theatrical mask, thereby reclaiming control of his consciousness!

As Chen Ling's singing began, images of his past experiences started to surface in the darkness, most of them from before his transmigration. His childhood, his growth, his friends, his family, his work... This history, spanning over two decades, formed the main component of Chen Ling's life. The moment these memories appeared, the blackness around Chen Ling gradually receded, and he gained a small space of his own.

Only then did Chen Ling understand what the Master meant by "anchor." But just as Chen Ling prepared to use this as a foundation to contend with the "Audience" for control of his consciousness, an unexpected turn of events occurred!

Amidst the surging darkness, a colossal entity swiftly took shape, and endless confusion surged into Chen Ling's mind, causing his resolve to waver wildly! "Confusion... transmigration...?" Chen Ling finally remembered the true nature of the confusion he had previously forgotten. He clutched his head in agony, a pained expression on his face. He had never expected his own confusion to erupt at such a critical moment. With the emergence of this question, his memories from before his "transmigration" were almost entirely negated, collapsing like toppled dominoes! The "anchor" belonging to Chen Ling from before his transmigration began to shatter. The darkness enveloped him once more, and under the onslaught of confusion, all his perceptions began to waver.

"What's happening? Has Junior Apprentice-Brother's face become even more grotesque?" Ning Ruyu was the first to sense the change in Chen Ling's mask, her brows furrowing deeply.

Audience Expectation Level: 1

"Chen Ling" stared intently at the Master, raising a hand and sweeping it through the void. A corner of an invisible curtain was pulled aside. Seeing this, Wenren You said in a grave tone, "Damn it! He's trying to escape!" The four apprentice-brothers moved simultaneously, rushing like lightning towards the red-robed figure. But "Chen Ling" was even faster; with a sweep and a flicker, he passed through the invisible curtain and vanished directly from the performance area!

"Where did he go?!" "He's heading to the deepest part of the Ancient Repository of Theatrical Arts!" "Stop him, quick!!" The four apprentice-brothers immediately pushed aside the invisible curtain, one after another, and plunged inside, frantically traversing the Ancient Repository of Theatrical Arts in pursuit of the red-robed figure!

With everyone gone, only the Master remained in the performance area, quietly standing in his theatrical robe. After an unknown period, his figure flickered and vanished into thin air...

Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the Ancient Repository of Theatrical Arts. An invisible curtain parted in the void, and the red-robed figure streaked across the sky like lightning! This place was deeper than the Text Area, Performance Area, and Appearance Area, and it was the core of the entire Ancient Repository of Theatrical Arts. Strangely, however, there were no records of text or images, nor anything related to "theater" visible. All that met the eye was an endless desert. Sand swirled in the air. Over the hot, barren desert, "Chen Ling" advanced straight into the depths. After a few brief seconds, Ning Ruyu and the others appeared, almost instantly locking onto the direction "Chen Ling" had taken.

However, just as they were about to give chase, the Master's calm voice resounded: "...Enough."

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