Chapter 737: “Chen Ling”, Chen Ling, and Chen Ling

Chapter 737: 'Chen Ling,' Chen Ling, and Chen Ling

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chen Ling walked through the audience, heading directly to the front of the stage.

Although he had regained his own face, his body still resembled a shadowy audience member. He frowned, gazing at the stage, and took a step, attempting to climb onto it...

*Thud!*

An invisible wall seemed to separate him from the stage, directly pushing him back.

"Have I become an audience member too...?" Chen Ling's expression was incredibly subtle. "I never thought this wall would one day stop me."

When Chen Ling was on stage, the fourth wall served as a means to prevent audience interference and was also Chen Ling's safety guarantee. However, he never imagined that this wall would one day stand before him, preventing him from intervening in the performance.

The moment the fourth wall repelled him, the "Chen Ling" on stage seemed to sense something and suddenly awoke from the performance.

His gaze fell to the front of the stage. After seeing Chen Ling, his eyes filled with disbelief!

"It's you?! How is this possible... You've clearly turned back into an 'audience member,' so how can you still possess self-awareness?!"

Chen Ling stared at him coldly, extending one hand towards the stage again, while slowly speaking:

"Give me back my stage!"

"You wish!*Thud!*

Chen Ling's palm was repelled once more.

Seeing this, the "Chen Ling" on stage sneered, "On a stage, there can only be one protagonist... As long as I stand here, as long as this wall remains, you will forever be just my audience!"

Chen Ling repeatedly tried to breach the fourth wall, but all his attempts ended in failure.

Ultimately, he had fallen from the stage, becoming one of the countless "audience members." And as an "audience member," he had to abide by the rules of this theater. Even a terrifying entity like Mocking Calamity couldn't casually ascend the stage, let alone him.

Amidst the sneering laughter of "Chen Ling," Chen Ling's strength gradually depleted. The continuous setbacks caused the audience's raised interest to slowly fade.Audience Expectation: 1

"Damn it..."

Pairs of black hands reached out again from the audience behind Chen Ling, pulling him little by little away from the stage and back towards the audience seats, just as they had dragged him off the stage before.

Naturally, Chen Ling wouldn't sit idly by. He struggled frantically, trying to break free from the dark tides. But at the same time, the face he had painstakingly regained slowly sank into darkness... Only the apricot-red corner of his eye remained vivid, like fire.

"You've already fallen from the stage, Chen Ling." Seeing this, the "Chen Ling" on stage involuntarily smirked. "No... you are not Chen Ling. You are merely 'Audience Member A' now, and I, I am the true Chen Ling!"

The stage gradually receded from Chen Ling's sight. His apricot-red eyes stared intently at the "Chen Ling" draped in the large red opera robe, seemingly filled with anger and unwillingness... But endless darkness began to obscure his vision, as if someone had reached out and covered his eyes from behind.

Everything went black before his eyes.

Inside Calamity's Belly, the Land of Divine Sacrifice.

"Chen Ling's" hands slowly tore open the intertwined light and shadow, and a figure in a large red opera robe stumbled out. His face was pale, but his eyes were filled with disdain and mockery as he laughed loudly at Master, who was not far away:

"What do you take me for? Some major villain in a sappy melodrama? Just a few flashbacks, a few shouts about 'love and bonds,' and I'm supposed to just meekly accept my death?! Foolish! Delusional!! I told you long ago, that old rogue of yours can't possibly come back! This body, everything about this body, is mine!!"

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng's expression also turned somewhat grim. Although he didn't understand how this fellow, despite being in shackles, could be so confident and arrogant, he still felt a hint of worry for Chen Ling.

"Senior Red King... Red Heart, he really won't be able to come back, will he?"

Master smiled faintly.

Draped in his opera robe, he slowly stepped forward over the ruins. Simultaneously, a demigod-level psychic energy poured out from beneath his feet, flowing into the complex and mysterious characters!

Rings of runes lit up in the Land of Divine Sacrifice, and the ancient shamanistic civilization began to revive. Even without the illuminating flames in the air, it was as bright as day here!

A profound and mysterious aura began to spread across the altar...

"You are mistaken," Master slowly said.

Seeing Master's display, the arrogance in "Chen Ling's" eyes immediately vanished. He became solemn, looking around warily.

"This body has never belonged to you from the very beginning... nor does it belong to old rogue." Master arrived at the last mysterious symbol, lifting his foot. "If you want to control this body, control the stage, perhaps... you should ask for someone else's opinion. What do you say, Chen Ling?"

*Thud—!!*

Master's foot landed heavily!

Amidst a world-shaking hum, a corner of the Shaman God's Way surged forth from the center of the Land of Divine Sacrifice. A soul, sealed deep within Chen Ling's memories, incredibly began to resonate with it...

In the theater, a pair of eyes, faintly glowing with purple, silently opened.

"A-Yan..."

"A-Yan!"

In the darkness, Chen Ling felt as though he was subconsciously calling out for something. His heavy eyelids slowly opened, and upon seeing his surroundings, he suddenly froze.

This was his home in District 3 of the Aurora Domain.

The familiar lights, the familiar room, the familiar snowflakes outside the window, and... a familiar young boy.

Scattered snowflakes drifted outside the window, and a bone-chilling cold enveloped the land. Chen Yan, dressed in pajamas, was curled up in his blanket, sleepily opening his eyes and looking in his direction.

And at this moment, Chen Ling was skillfully folding clothes for Chen Yan, while speaking gently:

"Brother has to go to the District 2 hospital today. I've left your clothes here, and there are steamed buns in the steamer. Be good at home by yourself, alright? It's very cold outside today, so you can sleep in a bit after we leave."

Was that himself speaking?

Chen Ling suddenly seemed to realize something.

He looked at the window by Chen Yan's bed. Amidst the white snow, the window's surface reflected the entire room... In the center of his vision, a young boy in a worn cotton coat was skillfully folding clothes for Chen Yan.

He looked identical to Chen Ling, but it wasn't Chen Ling...

That was the original owner of this identity before he transmigrated... in other words, Chen Yan's original brother, Chen Ling of District 3.

Chen Ling was intimately familiar with this scene. He had seen this memory when he used the Mirror of True Self in the Ancient Theater Trove, but at that time, he had experienced it from Chen Yan's perspective, who was in bed...

This time, he was experiencing it from the perspective of Chen Ling of District 3.

"Brother, has your illness worsened again?" He smiled slightly, reaching out to stroke Chen Yan's hair:

"No, just going for a check-up."