Chapter 601: Worsening

"Director Wang?"

When Wang Jincheng appeared at the theater entrance covered in blood, Kong Baosheng and the others were startled. Everyone knew the situation outside the theater, and Wang Jincheng's appearance was likely connected to the Grey Realm convergence, which made them even more panicked.

In contrast, Chen Ling's expression was subtle; he didn't seem particularly eager to help Wang Jincheng.

This was, after all, the Twilight Society's temporary base. It wasn't an issue when they were disguised during performances, but now that the "professional team" had left and disasters were rampant outside, he might even have to confront them himself. Wang Jincheng's presence here was undoubtedly a problem.

Furthermore, he was still entangled with the "audience," and if he revealed anything, the situation would be disastrous.

Reluctant or not, since Wang Jincheng had arrived and was conscious, Chen Ling had to help him to maintain his disguise. After all, even a severely injured Tier 6 individual was not someone he could handle. With no other choice, he stepped towards the theater entrance.

"Director Wang! What happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?" Chen Ling exclaimed.

Wang Jincheng saw Chen Ling pause, assuming he was startled by his appearance, and spoke as calmly as possible:

"I encountered some disasters and people from the Crimson Heaven Cult outside and got a bit injured... I saw that there was no Grey Realm convergence in this area, and it was quite close, so I came over... Boss Lin, do you have any bandages or plaster splints? I can treat myself."

"No!" Chen Ling replied without hesitation.

"...Then bring me some clothes and a couple of wooden boards."

Chen Ling looked helplessly at Kong Baosheng, who immediately understood. Kong Baosheng retrieved two pieces of clothing and wooden boards from behind the stage and handed them to Wang Jincheng.

Thump-thump.

At the same time, a faint sound came from upstairs, like something heavy falling.

Kong Baosheng froze, glanced doubtfully in the direction of the sound, then suddenly realized something, and his face instantly panicked.

"Sir, I'll go upstairs to check on my grandmother first!"

With that, he picked up a lantern from the table and quickly ran up the stairs.

Seeing this, Chen Ling did not stop him, but refocused his attention on Wang Jincheng.

Wang Jincheng was severely injured. If not for his robust physique and his use of stones at the last moment to slow the rhino's impact, he would likely be shattered into bloody fragments by now. These items could only temporarily stop the bleeding and stabilize fractured bones; prolonged delay would still be life-threatening.

Chen Ling watched Wang Jincheng bandage himself, pretending to ask with confusion:

"Director Wang, what exactly happened outside? Wasn't it a Grey Realm convergence? Why did you mention the Crimson Heaven Cult just now?"

"This Grey Realm convergence was originally initiated by the Crimson Heaven Cult," Wang Jincheng said hoarsely, his eyes flashing with hatred as he bandaged his wounds.

"Those guys summoned the Wailing Wilderness and actively guided a large number of disasters here... And they are incredibly insidious! They even disrupted my Divine Path while I was fighting the disasters, making them even more despicable and shameless than the Twilight Society!"

Chen Ling: ...

"That sounds truly dangerous," Chen Ling said worriedly. "They wouldn't target ordinary people like us, would they?"

"...It's hard to say."

Wang Jincheng paused for a moment. "They might not personally kill people, but I'm worried they're plotting something else..."

"What?"

"If it's just ordinary disasters, the Transient Realm could still handle it," Wang Jincheng said, his brows deeply furrowed. "I'm worried they're determined to destroy the Mortal Realm, willing to pay any price to directly summon a 'world-ending' level disaster. If that's the case... the Mortal Realm might not escape annihilation."

Summoning "world-ending"? Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat, as if a thought had struck him.

Whoosh—!

An inexplicable cold wind swept past, and all the lanterns in the hall instantly went out, plunging the entire theater into darkness.

This sudden change startled Kong Baosheng, Huang Xuyue, and the others. Even Wang Jincheng, who was bandaging his wounds, frowned as he looked outside, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

Chen Ling glanced at the lanterns overhead, his expression in the darkness gradually becoming solemn.

Chen Ling pondered for a moment, then spoke again:

"Where are these Crimson Heaven Cultists? Are we safe here?"

"If I knew where they were, I would have gone to kill them already," Wang Jincheng sighed helplessly. "However, you should be safe here for a short while..."

Thump, thump, thump—

Kong Baosheng hurriedly ran upstairs and pushed open the door to a dim room.

The flickering candlelight illuminated a corner of the room. The bedding on the bed was tangled and twisted into a pile, but no one was there. A white-haired figure was curled up in pain on the floor, letting out whimpers of agony.

"Grandma!!" Kong Baosheng dropped the lantern and anxiously rushed to her side. "Grandma! Can you hear me? Where does it hurt??"

The old woman didn't speak; she just writhed in pain on the floor, her ancient eyes staring intently into nothingness, as if something was tearing at her consciousness. Her eyeballs involuntarily rolled upwards, exposing the whites of her eyes.

Kong Baosheng was terrified. He had never seen his grandmother in such a state, despite caring for her for so long. He frantically got up to find medicine.

With trembling hands, he rummaged through the cabinet, found the medicine his grandmother usually took, poured out the last two pills into his hand, knelt beside her, and carefully placed them into her mouth.

"Grandma, quickly take your medicine..."

Kong Baosheng prayed as he gave his grandmother water. Only after the pills were swallowed did he let out a slight sigh of relief.

But as time ticked by, his grandmother's condition did not improve in the slightest; instead, she became even more distressed. Kong Baosheng watched her face gradually turn pale, his heart pounding with worry.

"Grandma, please don't scare me... The medicine was taken properly, so why is this happening?"

Kong Baosheng forced himself to calm down and began to consider what had gone wrong. But no matter how much he thought, he could only conclude that perhaps she hadn't taken enough medicine. However, after those last two pills, there was no more medicine left at home.

Gritting his teeth, he lifted his grandmother back onto the bed.

"Grandma, please bear with it a little longer... I'll go buy a few more boxes for you, and see if there are any painkillers. I'll be back soon!"

With that, he grabbed the lantern and quickly rushed downstairs.

Meanwhile, in the first-floor hall, Chen Ling was still talking to Wang Jincheng at the entrance. Huang Xuyue and Uncle Quan sat on chairs, while Li Qingshan stood to the side in his performance costume, looking out the window with a worried gaze.

Kong Baosheng strode directly through the hall, about to rush out of the theater alone. Just as he stepped over the threshold, Chen Ling's voice suddenly rang out from behind him:

"Baosheng, where are you going?"