Chapter 930: Goodbye Lou Yu

Author: SanjiuyinyuWord Count: 1241

Four figures stood silently like statues on the deserted, rain-slicked street, their clothes gently rustling in the wind.

Ying Fu closed his eyes in resignation. He had anticipated the fate of the First District. Days earlier, rumors had circulated among residents that the Philosopher's Stone would once again be refined there. This led Ah Qian's parents and other families to unite with the mages, desperately sending their children out of the Boundless Realm. He never expected, however, that within just a few days, the First District would be utterly devastated. All the children they had sent away perished in the Gray Realm, leaving only him and Ah Qian alive. They were likely the last survivors of the First District.

Chen Ling cast a cold glance at the Silver King, unsurprised by the horrific scene within the house. He had personally witnessed the calamity in the Mortal Realm; if Lord Hongchen and Yao Qing hadn't intervened then, the entire realm would have been transformed into the Philosopher's Stone. It was likely that Lord Wuji, having been severely weakened in the Mortal Realm and lacking a new place to refine the Philosopher's Stone to house his soul, had no choice but to use the nearby First District as a sacrifice. As the saying goes, a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow. The fewer people in the Boundless Realm, the less productive it becomes. It appeared Lord Wuji had been pushed to his absolute limit this time.

"If we had known earlier that the First District was Your Majesty's hometown, we would have chosen another district as our target," the Silver King said, spreading his hands in resignation. "But there was truly no other way. Without the Philosopher's Stone, Lou Yu couldn't regain his mobility. However, this will be the last time I permit him to sacrifice residents of the Boundless Realm. From now on, if he needs more Philosopher's Stones, he'll have to find a way himself."

Ying Fu ignored the Silver King's explanation, his gaze fixed on the small figure frozen by the doorway. Ah Qian stared at the horrific scene inside, her body trembling uncontrollably. She stumbled backward, as if caught in a nightmare, her face utterly pale. Just as she was about to collapse and scream, a sigh emanated from behind her. Ying Fu's palm gently patted her head. Ah Qian let out a muffled grunt and instantly collapsed, unconscious, into Ying Fu's arms.

"Poor child," the Silver King said, an apologetic expression on his face. "Someone in the church specializes in making pastries. Perhaps a few more slices of apple cake would cheer her up... Of course, the Portuguese egg tarts are also quite good." Despite his apologetic expression, his tone was casual and calm, sounding less like an apology and more like a recommendation of his home's desserts to Ying Fu and Chen Ling. A flicker of pride even appeared in his eyes when he mentioned the apple cake.

"...Is that so?" Ying Fu replied expressionlessly, holding the unconscious Ah Qian. "I should thank you very much."

"You're welcome." The Silver King smiled elegantly.

The three continued walking. Along the way, they frequently saw charred, carbonized figures sprawled haphazardly around the street, leaving long drag marks on the ground—exactly like the scene with Ah Qian's parents in the house. What was eerie was the complete absence of fire damage on the surrounding buildings or streets. It was as if the flames had erupted from within the victims' bodies, consumed them, and then vanished without a trace. Was this some form of large-scale sorcery?

As Chen Ling pondered, the Silver King's voice broke the silence once more. "We're here."

Chen Ling and Ying Fu simultaneously looked up. The outline of a massive cathedral, shrouded in shadow, shimmered faintly through the mist. There were no guards outside the building, nor any signs of the Usurpers, making it appear like an abandoned church rarely visited. Was this the Silver King's main base of operations within the Boundless Realm?

The three ascended the heavy stone steps, stopping before the cathedral's massive doors. Its floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows cast a hazy, dreamlike glow outwards. Yet, this light brought Chen Ling no sense of security. Instead, it filled him with an inexplicable chill, as if a dangerous beast lurked within the cathedral.

The Silver King snapped his fingers lightly, and the cathedral's grand doors slowly swung open. A magnificent and artistic long corridor appeared before Chen Ling. The opulent corridor stretched into the distance, adorned with intricate murals on both sides and overhead, etched with the passage of time and history. The sight was dazzling; anyone entering for the first time would surely be stunned. In Chen Ling's experience, the only place that could compare was the palace in the Floating Life Painting. Chen Ling's expression was peculiar. He glanced back at the simple church exterior and felt as if an entire Louvre Museum had been crammed beneath the shell of an ordinary church! So much for the Silver King's "integrity church"...

Chen Ling and Ying Fu followed each other into the corridor, venturing deeper into the cathedral. After pushing open another grand door, a figure came into Chen Ling's view. It was a man clad in a black robe, intricately patterned with alchemical symbols that emitted a faint glow. He stood in the center of the church's pews, directly beneath a suspended mercury moon. Seemingly aware of their arrival, the man tilted his head slightly, revealing a familiar face. It was Lord Wuji, Lou Yu.

The current Lou Yu was vastly different from the one who invaded the Mortal Realm. His lab coat, a symbol of science, had been replaced by a mysterious black alchemist's robe. Only one Philosopher's Stone remained on his brow, and his fatigue was visibly evident.

"How does it feel to regain a body?" the Silver King's voice gently asked.

Lou Yu stared intently at him, his hand beneath his robe clenching into a fist before reluctantly relaxing. "...Adequate. With only one Philosopher's Stone, it can't sustain much power."

"The Philosopher's Stone refined from the First District was merely to give you a body for now. If you want more, you'll have to refine them in other realms. You cannot touch the Boundless Realm again."

"This realm was supposed to be mine."

"It certainly was yours once," the Silver King chuckled. "But now, it is our shared Boundless Realm... isn't it?"

Lou Yu did not reply. His gaze swept over the three individuals before him, narrowing slightly upon seeing Chen Ling. He then shifted his attention to Ying Fu and Ah Qian, asking in a low voice: "Who are they?"

"I was just about to introduce them," the Silver King said, gesturing towards Ying Fu. "This is Ying Fu, the Emperor of this era... Oh, 'Ying' as in Qin Shi Huang." Then, he gestured towards Chen Ling. "You should have met this one in the Mortal Realm: Mr. Chen Ling, the fusionist of world-ending calamities, a powerful weapon capable of sweeping through both human realms and Gray Realm disasters."

"Ying as in Qin Shi Huang?" Upon hearing those words, Lou Yu's gaze toward Ying Fu immediately shifted, as if a character from a history book had magically stepped into reality. As for Chen Ling, Lou Yu required no introduction.

Lou Yu, Chen Ling, and Ying Fu exchanged glances, and silence descended once more. The Silver King, Lord Wuji Lou Yu, Emperor Ying Fu, and World-Destroyer Chen Ling—the four stood together in silence, a strange atmosphere filling the air.