Chapter 619: Clearly Enjoying It

By Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1183

Chen Ling was swelling, quite literally.

After killing dozens of people, he had absorbed most of the red mist floating in the air. His eyes burned like a scorching red sun, and his entire body had swollen by a full circle compared to before.

Even so, Chen Ling showed no intention of stopping. A large amount of crimson star energy continued to pour into his body, and the chilling glint from his weapon flashed repeatedly, harvesting the lives of the fleeing Scarlet Heaven Cult members.

In the distance.

Plum Blossom, witnessing all of this, wore an extremely strange expression.

"This guy... he really is a monster."

"What? Just because he sang a few lines, you think he's normal now?" Hearts Nine spread his hands helplessly. "Don't forget, that guy has a 'World Ender' inside him... Him being abnormal is normal."

As the two spoke, two more figures rapidly approached: Jian Changsheng and Diamonds Ten.

"You really are here!" Jian Changsheng's eyes lit up upon seeing Hearts Nine. "Diamonds Ten said that with all this commotion, you two would definitely be drawn here... We knew we'd find you by coming here."

After Jian Changsheng finished speaking, his gaze drifted to the blood-red tide not far away. He suddenly froze when he saw the swelling, red-clad figure engaged in a massacre.

"Isn't that Hearts Six? I haven't seen him for a bit, how did he get so fat?"

"...He's not getting fat; he's about to burst," Plum Blossom calmly explained. "Not everyone can withstand the crimson star energy. For ordinary Scarlet Heaven Cult members, even a trace of it is their limit, enough to shorten their lifespan and cause their bodies to regress to a primitive state... Those who can withstand a few more traces are capable of becoming bishops. Although Hearts Six harbors a 'World Ender,' his body is only third-tier. It's a miracle he hasn't exploded after devouring so much crimson star energy from all these people in one go."

Hearts Nine pointed at Chen Ling, who was devouring with gusto, and blinked. "But he looks like he's having a blast!"

"Those aren't mutually exclusive. Perhaps he's too engrossed to notice his body's abnormalities?"

"So, should we help him?"

"It's too late," Plum Blossom shook her head. "Besides, look at his current state... he's like he's possessed. Even if we went up there, we might not be able to stop him."

"But I don't understand, why are these Scarlet Heaven Cult members fleeing? Weren't they willingly sacrificing themselves to summon the Calamity of Repose?" Hearts Nine asked, perplexed. "Whether they're killed by Hearts Six or bleed to death, they're still dying... Why do they seem particularly terrified of Hearts Six?"

"This... I'm not sure either." Plum Blossom mused, "The Scarlet Heaven Cult frequently interacts with the Grey Realm and knows more about the Calamity of Mockery... Perhaps they know some secrets about it?"

*Thud—!*

With the last few heads thrown high, the Scarlet Heaven Cult members around Chen Ling were almost entirely wiped out.

This gruesome and bizarre massacre was not without witnesses. Members of the Twilight Society like Plum Blossom, and members of the Transient Painting such as Yang Muquan, all saw everything unfold... yet no one stepped forward.

The Twilight Society members, naturally, kept their distance. Even Yang Muquan, one of the Nine Great Halls of Transient Painting, stood cautiously afar. Although he didn't know Chen Ling's origin, the fact that Chen Ling could unilaterally suppress the Scarlet Heaven Cult members and even absorb the red mist was undoubtedly something no one else could do.

Chen Ling's slaughter of the cultists and disruption of the ritual did not conflict with the Transient Painting's objectives. However, his methods and appearance were so bizarre that he hardly seemed like a good person, leaving Yang Muquan unsure of how to react.

"Fragrant... so fragrant..."

Thick blood rose past Chen Ling's soles. He moved as if walking through true waves, each step sending ripples through the gore. Beneath his large red opera robe, his rotund, swollen body slowly scanned his surroundings. Upon realizing that the ordinary Scarlet Heaven Cult members had been almost entirely eradicated, he moved with an uncanny gait towards the cardinal who was also engaged in bloodletting.

The cardinal, whose wrists were still profusely gushing blood, suddenly changed color. He exchanged a glance with another bishop, and both simultaneously bolted in opposite directions!

Between the two, Chen Ling unhesitatingly chose the cardinal who was actively bleeding. He ascended into the air with a cloud-stepping gait, swiftly giving chase. Behind him, countless scarlet eyes seemed to fill the void, simultaneously locking onto the fleeing cardinal!

Even though the cardinal couldn't see those eyes, a chilling sensation of being targeted surged through him, making him shiver with dread!

A dark shadow streaked overhead, causing the cardinal's hair to stand on end. Just as he prepared to dodge sideways, a swollen figure descended like a cannonball, colliding with him with a *thump*!

The cardinal and the swollen figure fell simultaneously, tumbling several times in the pool of blood, their heads and faces caked with thick bloodstains.

During this, Chen Ling's hands clutched tightly around the cardinal's neck, showing no intention of letting go. At such close range, the cardinal could even distinctly hear Chen Ling's swallowing sounds right next to his ear.

"!!!" The cardinal roared, slamming a fist into Chen Ling's body.

*Thud—!*

Chen Ling's left shoulder instantly deformed, his bones cracking from the blow. Yet, he seemed to feel no pain, his mouth slightly agape. Wisps of red mist astonishingly streamed directly from the cardinal's bleeding wrist wounds, burrowing into Chen Ling's mouth!

The concentration of crimson star energy within the cardinal was dozens of times higher than that of ordinary cultists. If others were mere small fry in Chen Ling's eyes, needing dozens or hundreds to make a single mouthful, then the cardinal could just barely be considered a complete river shrimp...

As the red mist dissipated, blood gushed even more frantically from the cardinal's wrists. His face visibly paled, as if he were on the verge of being drained dry.

"Roar—!!"

The cardinal stared at Chen Ling in horror, his hands desperately tearing and pounding at Chen Ling's body, rendering him a bloody mess.

But the scarlet eyes behind Chen Ling remained unaffected, still watching the cardinal mockingly, as if observing a dying lamb struggling.

*Thump, thump, thump—*

Chen Ling's swollen body erupted in bursts of bloody mist, and his shattered head was twisted and deformed by the cardinal's blows. Yet, his eyes remained filled with ecstasy... His saliva, mixed with blood, flowed onto the cardinal's face, and the cardinal, pinned beneath him, was barely breathing.

In the sticky sea of blood, both their lives were rapidly ebbing away.

Finally, Chen Ling's riddled body, bloated like a balloon from the crimson star energy, exploded violently with the cardinal's last desperate punch!