Chapter 613: Dispatch

Boom—!!

An earth-shattering explosion echoed from the ruins. Two skeletal calamities and three shadow monsters were tangled in a chaotic mass, like sworn enemies. The colossal beasts tore at each other, shaking the very ground, every movement stirring up clouds of dust and smoke.

Simultaneously, five calamity domains expanded rapidly like bubbles, annihilating all matter caught within them into nothingness.

Lu Liangren, watching from afar, was dumbfounded.

Not just him; at this moment, everyone in the Mortal Realm, except Chen Ling, had not anticipated that calamities would fight amongst themselves. For the Nine Human Realms, calamities were already extremely mysterious entities, with most people never even seeing a single one in their entire lives. Very few people even knew that the Grey Realm was divided into calamity regions, let alone that there were other conflicts among these calamities.

Lu Liangren's gaze fell upon the direction of "Ghost Mockery Abyss." A continuous stream of calamities was still crawling out, spreading in all directions. If these calamities could turn on each other, their pressure would undoubtedly be significantly reduced.

"Why now... and why 'Ghost Mockery Abyss' of all things?" Lu Liangren fell into deep thought. "Who summoned it here?"

Static crackled— A faint sound of static came from his waist. Lu Liangren pulled out his communicator and pressed the button.

"Finally, a response," Lu Liangren said. "When can you block those convergence points?"

"Not that quickly," a slurred, low male voice replied from the other end of the communicator. "The Grey Realm convergence area is too vast, with hundreds of convergence points connected. Even I need time."

"How much more time do you need?" Lu Liangren scoffed. "The Grey Realm convergence, artificially caused by the Crimson Heaven Sect, will reset automatically in ten days at most. Don't tell me you'll wait until then to seal the convergence points; by then, the entire Mortal Realm will probably be razed to the ground."

"Two hours."

"...That's more like it."

"One more thing," the man's voice on the communicator paused for a moment, "Fifth discovered a massive man-made formation underground in the main city. It looks like some kind of alchemical array, and its scope generally matches the Grey Realm convergence area."

"An alchemical array... something from the Witch God's Way again?"

Lu Liangren recalled the mysterious formation on the second floor of the cabaret at the time, his brows furrowing deeply. "An alchemical array of this magnitude can't be completed by one person alone... Could this be related to the Boundless Realm?"

"We're still not sure about the array's purpose," the voice continued, "However, this sudden large-scale attack by the Crimson Heaven Sect is very likely connected to the Boundless Realm. I've already dispatched Sixth and Seventh as envoys to the Boundless Realm to negotiate with the Witchcraft Association and see what's going on."

"This is precisely when we need manpower," Lu Liangren said, startled. "And you sent away Sixth and Seventh? Then who will deal with these calamities?"

"One Lu Liangren is worth as much as the other six Hall Masters combined," the voice replied. "You can do it."

Lu Liangren: "..."

"Sending both of them together is also a double safeguard," the voice on the other end of the communicator continued, exceptionally low. "My fear is the worst-case scenario."

"Are you saying..." Lu Liangren began to speak, then hesitated. "How could that be?"

"You must have heard some rumors about the Boundless Realm as well..." the other person said, changing the subject. "In any case, we must prepare for the worst. Give me two more hours, and I can temporarily seal all Grey Realm convergence points. The task of finding the source of that alchemical array falls to you."

"Follow the underground patterns. Perhaps you'll find something."

"...Understood."

Lu Liangren put away his communicator. He took one last look at the five calamities embroiled in chaotic battle, then raised his eight-foot brush and casually drew a line on the ground. His body quickly sank beneath the surface.

The Startled Swan Pavilion.

As Huang Suyue moved the stools and relit the candles in each lantern one by one, a corner of the dimly lit theater lobby finally regained its light.

Kong Baosheng, with clenched fists, paced behind the tightly shut theater doors, his pale young face filled with anxiety.

"The two sirs have been gone for so long and still haven't returned... Nothing could have happened to them, could it?!"

"Calm down, don't overthink things," Huang Suyue said earnestly, nearly blurting out, "The Envoy won't be harmed," but quickly correcting herself. "Espe... especially your boss. He's done good deeds and accumulated virtue; he's blessed with great fortune and a long life. He'll be fine."

Of everyone present, Huang Suyue was the least worried about Chen Ling. In her eyes, how could an Envoy, a dignified eighth-rank powerhouse, possibly encounter trouble?

Perhaps due to Huang Suyue's calm voice, Kong Baosheng's tension eased slightly. He couldn't help but think, "They say good deeds are rewarded. Mr. Lin is the kindest person in the world; surely, heaven wouldn't let anything happen to him, would it?"

Meanwhile, Wang Jincheng, wrapped in bandages and a brace, sat leaning against the doorframe. He occasionally glanced at the gray sky outside the window, his expression grave, and he remained silent.

Knock, knock, knock—

A series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.

The three of them simultaneously turned their heads toward the main door. Kong Baosheng's eyes lit up. After excitedly exclaiming, "The sirs are back!" he dashed forward and flung open the door.

Creak— As the theater doors opened, a sighing gale once again surged into the theater. Outside stood a disheveled figure dressed in a blue opera robe, covered in mud and dust, carrying a large bag of medicine.

"Mr. Li!!" Kong Baosheng exclaimed.

"Baosheng, I've brought the medicine back for you," Li Qingshan said, his voice as gentle as possible. He handed the entire large bag of medicine into Kong Baosheng's arms. "I wasn't sure exactly what you needed, so I bought all the related medicines for you. See if it's enough?"

Kong Baosheng took the medicine, flipped through it a couple of times, and nodded repeatedly. "It's enough... more than enough! It's too much!"

His face was filled with joy. With this medicine, his grandmother's condition should improve significantly... Just as he was about to happily go upstairs, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the empty space behind Li Qingshan, and he froze slightly.

"...Where's Mr. Lin?"

"Mr. Lin..." Li Qingshan opened his mouth and said with an unnatural expression, "We encountered a calamity attack on the way. We split up and got separated... But we split up not far from the theater, so he should have taken another route and will be back soon."

Li Qingshan had a talent for acting, but he wasn't really good at lying while looking someone in the eye. After he finished this pre-planned excuse, he quickly changed the subject.

"Baosheng, hurry and give your grandmother her medicine."

"But Mr. Lin..."

"Mr. Lin and I made this trip specifically to get your grandmother her medicine as quickly as possible," Li Qingshan pressed. "Now that the medicine is in your hands, wouldn't delaying further make all our efforts pointless? Hurry now. Brother Lin will be back shortly."

"...Alright, then I'll go up first!" Kong Baosheng said. "If Mr. Lin returns, please make sure to call me!"