Chapter 932: Deep Abyss

By: Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1291

The Boundless Realm.

Fine rain pattered lightly against the dreamlike stained-glass windows of the church. Chen Ling slowly emerged from the prayer room, his large red opera robe strikingly conspicuous in the Western-style corridor.

There was still some time until the banquet began. Chen Ling had no desire to linger in the church with the Silver King and Lou Yu; he preferred to get some fresh air, even if it meant letting the cold rain soak his body.

Before Chen Ling had taken more than two steps, another figure emerged from the prayer room, also heading towards the church's main entrance.

Chen Ling glanced back and saw it was Ying Fu…

He expressionlessly averted his gaze and continued forward.

“Chen Ling,” Ying Fu said, initiating the conversation.

Chen Ling stopped.

“...What is it?”

“There is one thing I have never understood,” Ying Fu paused. “In the Imperial Ancient Vault, how were you able to call out my name the moment you saw me? We had never met before, so why did you harbor murderous intent towards me?”

The moment Chen Ling entered the Imperial Ancient Vault, he went directly for “Ying Fu.” The previous Li Fu might not have thought deeply about it, but once he became Ying Fu, he found that everything was forming a strange closed loop. From Ying Fu’s perspective, Chen Ling seemed to possess foresight, as if he had already seen through everything.

Even after being brought here by the Silver King and trapped in the Boundless predicament, Ying Fu remained calm. Yet, this particular matter baffled him completely. He might be able to see through everything else, but Chen Ling remained an enigma.

Chen Ling had anticipated this question and simply replied:

“Why should I tell you?”

Ying Fu’s brows furrowed slightly.

Naturally, Chen Ling couldn't explain the USB drive and the Era Archive to him; they might not even be aware of its existence yet. It was even less likely that Chen Ling would tell him that he would hunt him down in the Era Archive in the future.

The Era Archive...

At this thought, Chen Ling’s mind stirred, and he fell into contemplation.

He paid no further attention to Ying Fu and walked directly to the church doors. Just as he was about to push them open, an invisible force, like a wall, forcefully separated him from the entrance!

Chen Ling stepped back half a pace, his gaze fixed on the doors, utterly grim.

At the same moment,

Ying Fu walked over to him.

“It seems the Silver King has no intention of letting you leave this church,” Ying Fu said, glancing at Chen Ling, then at the prayer room at the end of the corridor. “This church is a cage... You, and that Lou Yu... you are both trapped beasts.”

Having said this, Ying Fu pushed forcefully on the door handle. A low creaking sound echoed as the church doors slowly opened before him.

Drizzle, accompanied by a cold wind, swirled in through the open doorway, dampening both Ying Fu’s and Chen Ling’s clothes.

Chen Ling frowned and attempted to step forward, but an invisible force consistently blocked him, preventing him from leaving the church. Just as Ying Fu had said, the Silver King would not allow him to depart.

“Why can you?” Chen Ling asked, frowning.

“Why should I tell you?”

Ying Fu stepped out of the church, descending the steps one by one. The stained-glass glow from the church windows illuminated his retreating figure as the large doors on either side slowly closed.

Meanwhile, after a moment of silence, Ying Fu turned back again...

“Chen Ling,” Ying Fu said faintly, “No matter what happened in the Imperial Ancient Vault, now, both you and I are imprisoned...”

Thud—

The church doors closed completely.

Chen Ling was trapped behind the doors, Ying Fu’s words still echoing in his mind...

Being imprisoned didn’t just refer to Chen Ling’s confinement in the church; it also referred to Ying Fu himself. Although Ying Fu had the authority to move freely within the Boundless Realm, this was still within the Silver King’s domain. The Silver King could still decide his fate at will.

The only difference between Ying Fu and Chen Ling was that Ying Fu was confined within a comparatively wider cage.

Ying Fu’s final words, and his gaze, were filled with deep meaning. Although he said nothing explicitly, Chen Ling could sense a subtle attitude in his unspoken message.

No matter what happened before, now both you and I are in a cage... We are in the same predicament, perhaps... we can help each other?

Chen Ling’s expression was nuanced.

One could only say that the Chinese language was profound and expansive. Ying Fu had merely objectively stated their mutual predicament, yet he had implicitly conveyed an ambiguous attitude to Chen Ling. Even if the Silver King, that foreigner, had overheard their conversation, he might not have grasped its deeper meaning.

It seemed Ying Fu’s attitude towards the Silver King was indeed not so simple!

Chen Ling pondered for a long time before the closed doors. The moment he turned around, his pupils involuntarily contracted. At some unknown point, the Silver King, dressed in a shirt and waistcoat, was standing behind him, smiling.

“My apologies, Mr. Chen,” the Silver King shrugged, “I forgot to mention just now that for safety reasons, unless I specifically request it, you should ideally not leave the church alone. But rest assured, all your daily needs will be taken care of. As for your room, I’ve already had it prepared.”

The Silver King clapped his hands softly, and a woman in a long dress, resembling a Victorian maid, approached from behind and bowed respectfully to Chen Ling.

“Take Mr. Chen to his room.”

“Yes, sir.”

The maid gestured for Chen Ling to follow.

Chen Ling gave the Silver King a cold look but did not refuse. Instead, he flicked the hem of his opera robe and walked straight towards the other side of the church.

Chen Ling followed the maid into the deeper parts of the church, where several arched doors were lined up, resembling dedicated living quarters.

The maid opened one of the doors.

“This is your room.”

The room was larger than Chen Ling had expected. Although the floor was made of large stone tiles, it was smooth and even. The dim light filtering through the church’s arched stained-glass windows prevented the space from feeling gloomy.

Antique Western-style oil lamps illuminated other corners of the room, making Chen Ling feel as if he were in an ancient castle.

If this was indeed his prison cell, at least it looked quite comfortable. Given the Silver King’s pursuit of quality living, even a prison cell had to be refined and elegant.

After escorting Chen Ling here, the maid closed the door and turned to leave.

Wearing his large red opera robe, Chen Ling walked through the faint glow of the oil lamps and stopped before several large windows. He gazed out at the dim city shrouded in persistent rain, muttering to himself:

“The Abyss, then...”

Chen Ling still remembered Bai Ye’s gaze at him then... and the words “The Abyss” from his mouth.

Chen Ling didn’t know why Bai Ye called the Usurpers “The Abyss,” nor why he had betrayed them back then. But for Bai Ye, a dignified seventh-tier Thief Sage, to describe it in such a way, Chen Ling believed it must contain some horror.

However, the information Chen Ling currently possessed was still too limited. Since arriving in the Boundless Realm today, besides the Silver King, Lou Yu, and Ying Fu, and a maid, he had seen nothing else. This place seemed perpetually gloomy and solitary. The constant rain and everything within the church felt as if they concealed some secret, leaving Chen Ling feeling uneasy.