Chapter 600: "Death"

The ground trembled, and a rustle of dust drifted down from the ceiling.

In the basement of the Big Dipper Conglomerate, three figures in black robes stood at the core of a massive, shimmering alchemy array. The flickering light, alternately bright and dim, veiled their faces in a mysterious glow.

If anyone could now see through to the underground of Hongchen Main City, they would witness intricate lines extending from this alchemy array. These lines stretched out in an incredibly regular and aesthetically pleasing pattern, covering a full third of Hongchen Main City, largely overlapping with the area where it intersected with the Gray World. From above, it resembled a blooming red flower.

And whenever someone died in a particular area, the corresponding underground array lines would light up, like pulsating veins transporting ethereal souls to this array-filled basement, causing it to glow brightest!

A silvery-white alchemical powder filled the underground space. Through this powder, one could vaguely see phantom souls wailing in agony, their features and torsos gradually squeezed and distorted. A head might burrow into a throat, an arm might emerge from an ear, before they were increasingly condensed into smaller and smaller forms. Finally, they solidified from spectral to real, transforming into tiny, dark-red droplets suspended in the air.

“Is this... the Philosopher's Stone?” At the edge of the basement, Mu Chunsheng's eyes were wide with shock as he witnessed this scene.

“Far from it,” one of the black-robed figures said indifferently. “Even the most ordinary Philosopher's Stone requires a million souls as material, and there's still a risk of failure... Lord Wuji's soul is too powerful. To contain his soul, one Philosopher's Stone certainly won't be enough. A rough estimate would be seven to ten.”

“A million souls for one Philosopher's Stone??” Mu Chunsheng exclaimed, astonished. “So, even if we kill everyone in the Hongchen Realm, we still wouldn't be able to refine more than a few?”

“Exactly.”

“Then when can I have a Philosopher's Stone and achieve immortality?” Mu Chunsheng immediately asked. “We of the Big Dipper Conglomerate have truly invested heavily, carving out such a vast and complex network underground for you in such a short time. And the materials you used to draw the alchemy array also came from me... My contribution isn't small.”

“Fijia and the others just finished replacing your body; living for another decade or so won't be an issue... What's your rush?” The black-robed figure glanced at him. “Besides, Hongchen isn't the only realm in this world. There will always be opportunities in the future.”

Mu Chunsheng opened his mouth, then helplessly fell silent... The Witchcraft Association would certainly prioritize Lord Wuji for the Philosopher's Stone made by these means, as he was their greatest reliance. It was already fortunate if he could get a share, even a small one, in the future.

“How many souls have been collected so far?” one of the black-robed figures asked.

“It's just the beginning. Fewer than twenty thousand have died so far, and a large portion are severely wounded and near death... However, this array itself can forcibly absorb the souls of the dying. In a while, the number of absorbed souls will skyrocket.”

“As time passes, more and more calamities will enter Hongchen Main City, and the death toll will increase at an accelerating rate. A conservative estimate is that the first Philosopher's Stone can be refined within twenty-four hours.”

“Don't forget that the Ephemeral Painting has already entered the scene. Those Hall Masters are no pushovers.”

“So what? The people of the Vermilion Sky Sect are also preparing for a second mass suicide ritual. As long as they successfully summon the world-ending descent of the 'Wailing Wasteland,' even if all nine Hall Masters were bound together, it would be useless... If it goes smoothly, that one world-ender alone can flatten the Hongchen Realm, and we can refine all the Philosopher's Stones in one go.”

“How many people will the Vermilion Sky Sect have to sacrifice to summon such a massive entity?”

“Unknown. For the Vermilion Sky Sect to commit so thoroughly, the Wuji Realm must have paid an immense price.”

“The world-ender of the 'Wailing Wasteland'... I wonder what kind of existence it is?”

“You'll know when it descends.”

Jinghong Tower.

“Sir, are you truly alright?”

Kong Baosheng repeatedly checked Chen Ling's fingertips, finding no wounds, and finally let out a slight sigh of relief... But he still didn't understand why the teacup, which had been used for so long, had suddenly shattered.

Chen Ling blinked lightly, and the four characters "Wailing Wasteland" on the floor vanished without a trace, replaced only by an unremarkable puddle of water.

His brow unconsciously furrowed.

Since he had gradually mastered the use of the theater, the "Audience" had rarely interfered with his performances. And after acquiring "Vermilion," Chen Ling had believed he could suppress some of the "Audience," but unexpectedly, they had reappeared.

He still had an "expectation value" of "72," so why were they starting to influence him again at this moment?

Had he done something that displeased them again?

As Chen Ling thought about this, the four characters "Wailing Wasteland" from earlier reappeared in his mind... A thought suddenly struck him.

The "Audience" within him was most likely "Chao," the world-ending calamity from the Abyss of Ghosts and Mockery. Their unusual behavior had only begun after he encountered the ashes following the convergence with the Gray World...

Could there be some sort of conflict between Chao and the Wailing Wasteland?

Or perhaps... it had a grudge with the "world-ender" of the Wailing Wasteland? Was it sensing the other's aura just now that triggered this abnormality?

The more Chen Ling pondered, the more he felt this was a possibility.

He snapped back to reality and saw Huang Suyue and the others gathered around him. He immediately waved his hand, saying, “It's nothing, I might have just accidentally used too much force when I took it.”

With the outside world in chaos, Huang Suyue and the others were on edge. After learning Chen Ling was fine, they still returned to their positions, but their gaze remained distracted, fixed on the door as if they were worried about something.

Chen Ling didn't know how to comfort them. He turned and sat down in the chair he had just been using, but as soon as he shifted his weight onto it, the chair beneath him instantly split apart. Caught off guard, he landed directly on the floor!

Under everyone's stunned gaze, Chen Ling bewilderedly got to his feet. He looked back at the ground; the shattered chair fragments had reconnected to form a large character: "死" (death).

Audience Expectation Value -1Current Expectation Value: 71

Chen Ling: ???

Chen Ling naturally knew who was behind this. And the character "死" was likely not directed at him personally... From the Audience's behavior, it seemed they didn't want him to simply stay in the playhouse. They urgently wanted him to go out and "kill" the Wailing Wasteland.

Just as Chen Ling was pondering this dilemma, a blood-soaked figure stumbled to the playhouse entrance, leaning against the wall.

“Cough, cough, cough...” Wang Jincheng coughed violently in the sighing wind. As he tried to step over the threshold, his legs suddenly gave way, and he lost his balance, tumbling headfirst into the room.

“Boss Chen... help me up.”