Chapter 532: Sleeving the Sky

Chen Ling froze in place.

Ning Ruyu's three sentences, each more shocking than the last, left Chen Ling momentarily unable to react.

"Are you saying... this Limitless Lord resisted the passage of over three hundred years?" Chen Ling's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Chen Ling had personally witnessed Lord Aurora, from his awakening to his demise, a process that lasted less than half a day. He couldn't forget the trembling hands in the coffee shop, or the body that aged and disintegrated in the Forbidden Sea. Even someone as powerful as one of the Nine Lords couldn't withstand the ravages of time.

"It seems so," Ning Ruyu said gravely. "Rumor has it he is undergoing a 'metamorphosis.'"

"...Metamorphosis?"

"Discarding the aging human body, replacing biological cells with a completely new material, breaking free from the constraints of carbon-based life, and thereby achieving immortality."

Material replacing biological cells... material??

At this moment, Chen Ling seemed to realize something, and a figure suddenly sprang to mind!

Lou Yu, one of the exploration team members, a doctor of materials science!

Chen Ling had personally seen Ying Fu wield Lou Yu's authority, possessing the power to completely alter materials. He could even pull a golden holy spear from earth full of soil and rocks. Material in his hands was like everything; "turning stone into gold" was merely a trivial trick. If Lou Yu used this authority to forcibly replace human bodies with some new material, it wouldn't be impossible...

If this were the case, it would also explain why the Limitless Lord would want to eliminate the Mortal Lord. After all, in the era archives, their faction also listed Su Zhiwei as a prime target, indicating either a feud between Su Zhiwei and him or an extreme mutual suppression relationship.

"So, Master's and Fourth Senior Brother's departures are both related to this?"

"More or less. Master didn't react much to the Limitless Lord's early awakening, but he was very interested in the mysterious person who leaked the information, so he went to investigate... As for Fourth Brother, I sent him to scout out the situation in the Limitless Domain," Ning Ruyu slowly explained.

"After the Limitless Lord awoke, the original order of the Limitless Domain was completely disrupted. A large number of alchemists, witches, and esoteric organizations related to the Way of Witch Gods were all purged and absorbed, the government was overthrown, and countless people died due to mysterious phenomena... In short, it has become the most dangerous and unknown place among the Nine Domains. Even Bai stumbled there. Now, only Fourth Brother has the ability to gather information."

"I see..."

"The Mortal Domain and the Limitless Domain are very close. If the Limitless Lord were to move against the Mortal Lord, it would most likely destroy the entire Mortal Domain. This is why I didn't want you to go there now... Currently, nowhere is more dangerous than these two domains."

Chen Ling looked at the white-clad figure blocking the entrance to the Ancient Repository of Theatre Arts and fell silent.

He naturally understood Ning Ruyu's painstaking efforts. As the eldest senior brother of the Way of Theatre, knowing that the Mortal Domain was on the verge of chaos, he naturally couldn't bear to let his junior brother risk himself. Teaching him the 'Da' (Strike) secret technique was merely an excuse to hold Chen Ling back.

However, Chen Ling couldn't live under his wing forever. It wasn't that Chen Ling didn't want to, but that he couldn't...

Audience Anticipation: 5

As the audience's anticipation value rose sharply, Chen Ling knew he had no other choice.

The "audience" wouldn't accept a mediocre, uninteresting hiding plot. They craved him to take risks, expecting him to navigate danger daily. If he chose to stay in the Ancient Repository of Theatre Arts, his anticipation value would likely plummet to 20 within days, and there would be little in the era archives to interest them in the short term...

But if he chose to enter the Mortal Domain, dancing on the edge of blade and death, the audience's anticipation value would rapidly increase, accumulating opportunities for him to revive, or turning the tide for him at critical moments, allowing him to advance and gradually grow stronger through one spectacular performance after another!

In truth, Chen Ling never had a choice from the beginning. From the moment he stepped onto the stage where he was "watched" by the audience, his path was destined to be fraught with peril.

"Forgive me, Senior Brother," Chen Ling said, slowly closing his eyes. "Precisely because of this... I must go."

Ning Ruyu simply watched him, and after a long time, offered a bitter smile.

"Fourth Brother was right," he said. "You really do have a certain wildness about you..."

Ning Ruyu patted his clothes and let out a long sigh. "If you insist on going, I won't stop you anymore. However, it would be better if you first learn this 'Da' (Strike) secret technique. With the four fundamental secret techniques of the Way of Theatre, even if you encounter danger, you'll have the power to protect yourself."

"Are you really going to teach me this time, Senior Brother?"

"I never lied to you," Ning Ruyu said, taking out a blank disc from his sleeve. "Practicing the 'Da' (Strike) secret technique does carry risks, but in the past few days, I've found a way to reduce those risks for you. Even if something unexpected happens, your life won't be in danger.

However, whether you can comprehend it is still up to you."

Chen Ling's expression was complicated. He had just thought that his Senior Brother was merely finding excuses to delay him these past few days. He hadn't expected that he was genuinely preparing him to master the 'Da' (Strike) secret technique. His eyes were filled with gratitude.

As the disc in Ning Ruyu's hand opened, Chen Ling's surroundings suddenly transformed.

The sky visibly darkened, and a briny sea breeze danced wildly beneath the clouds. He now stood upon dark, jagged rocks, as terrifying, tsunami-like waves surged and crashed towards them in layers!

"This is..." A flicker of shock passed through Chen Ling's eyes.

"Among the four fundamental secret techniques of the Way of Theatre, 'Da' (Strike) is the most offensive and has the highest potential," Ning Ruyu said calmly, standing suspended in his white robes at the top of the rocks. "Activating this secret technique requires no spiritual energy and no specific rank. As long as the timing is right, even a first-tier actor can potentially kill a third- or even fourth-tier enemy, transcending ranks."

"No spiritual energy, and it can kill across three ranks?" Chen Ling was utterly astonished, as if listening to a fantastical tale. "How is that possible?"

"It's true, and someone has actually done it in history."

Ning Ruyu lightly tapped his toes, gracefully landing on a rock beside Chen Ling. The jade pendant at his waist swayed in the strong wind. His gaze shifted, finally settling on the monstrous waves that seemed to swallow the horizon.

No domain unfurled, not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation. Ning Ruyu was like an ordinary person, slowly raising his sleeve towards the giant waves...

His wide white sleeves rustled in the wind. Ning Ruyu closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, slowly opened them.

His eyes shone like a blazing sun amidst the dark rocks.

"Junior Brother, watch closely... This move is our Way of Theatre's 'Da' (Strike) secret technique."

"Its name is..."

"Sleeve Parts Heaven."