Chapter 972: Gray Angel

“Calamity…”

Seeing the familiar deep-sea monster, Chen Ling's pupils constricted slightly.

Chen Ling was currently in the era archive. The Calamity before him was definitely not the one he had encountered in the Nine Sovereigns' era, but rather the Calamity of *this* era! Yet, at this point, the Gray World shouldn't have intersected with Earth. How could the world-ending disaster from the Forbidden Sea appear here?

“W-what is that?!” Yang Xiao and the other two felt as if they had entered a gray world. Seawater churned beneath their feet, and the monster from the deep roared, inching closer, as if to swallow them whole.

Yang Xiao and his two companions were of too low a rank; Shen Nan was merely an ordinary person. Before the world-ending destructive intent, they were as minuscule as ants at the foot of Mount Tai. The world-ending pressure, mixed with the freezing wind from the Forbidden Sea, instantly stiffened their bodies. Their faces turned pale, and they involuntarily collapsed, their lives flickering like candles in the wind, seemingly ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Especially Shen Nan: his skin had turned an unnatural red, and his eyelashes and lips seemed frosted. He trembled, trying to put his mask back on, but under the Calamity's pressure, he, an ordinary person, couldn't even move his pinky finger.

A roar— The low growl from the Forbidden Sea echoed in their ears. This oppressive force, from one of the strongest beings in another world, directly plunged the four into the abyss of despair.

Just as their consciousness began to blur, a vermilion figure flashed in front of them. He glared at the Calamity, which seemed to span across the void, and took a deep breath...

“—Get out!!!”

Pairs of furious crimson eyes opened from the void behind Chen Ling. Another "World Ender" hidden within him seemed to sense the Calamity's provocation and launched a counterattack. Under the horrified gazes of Yang Xiao and the other three, Chen Ling was surrounded by countless crimson eyes. A world-ending aura, even more oppressive than the Calamity's, erupted from him!

Boom—!! The Forbidden Sea, which had been on the verge of swallowing them, was instantly torn open by a roar, forming a hideous chasm. Towering waves exploded outwards from the Calamity, as if an invisible hand had forcefully pressed down on its head, pushing it back beneath the surface of the sea!

Almost simultaneously, the aura of the Divine Sacrifice Land was forcibly severed. The gray tide in the sky receded, and the corner of the alternate world, forcibly connected to Earth, completely disconnected and vanished into the void.

The cold wind wailed, and icy rain once again enveloped the land.

In front of the dilapidated hut, four figures lay on the ground, gasping in pain. Their gazes were fixed in disbelief on the figure in the theatrical robe, who also emanated the aura of a world-ending monster. The air fell into a dead silence.

The crimson eyes behind Chen Ling gradually faded. He finally recovered from the shock of the aura he had unleashed, large beads of sweat trickling down his face, which was as pale as paper...

“Director Chen... you...” Lu Xun's voice was hoarse.

Lu Xun didn't know what to say. Yang Xiao, beside him, also opened his mouth, hesitating to speak. In their minds, Chen Ling had always been mysterious yet benevolent. That's why, even when Bureau 749 insisted Chen Ling was some kind of "Ghost Mimic World Ender," they didn't believe it at all. However, the aura Chen Ling had just emitted was definitely not human; it was the aura of a monster, just like the deep-sea behemoth they had seen.

Shen Nan lay on his back on the ground, seemingly still recovering from the recent events.

“A gray world...” he murmured. “So... what I saw back then was real...”

Shen Nan closed his eyes, his memory drifting back to the great earthquake. After he had fainted in the ruins, he had a dream where he heard many people praying to him. After all the prayers ended, he vaguely saw a gray world. That world was desolate and lifeless, devoid of humans, with only countless bizarre and grotesque creatures. Deep within that world, he heard a voice. Perhaps because that world was too distant, Shen Nan couldn't make out what the voice was saying. However, he vaguely sensed that it was the voice from deep within the Gray World that had drawn his consciousness there.

At the time, Shen Nan was in a daze and didn't know what was happening. Yet he tried his best to discern the owner of that voice. Finally, he saw it... even if it was just a blurry outline. It was a six-winged gray angel.

After that, Shen Nan's consciousness detached from the gray world. When he awoke in the hospital, he couldn't tell if it had been reality or a dream. He wasn't sure if such a terrifying world truly existed. But the moment the Calamity appeared, Shen Nan knew for certain that everything he had seen back then was not a dream.

“...Are you all right?” Chen Ling stood in the rain, looking back at the four figures on the ground, his hair already drenched.

Shen Nan stumbled to his feet and immediately asked, “What was that thing just now?”

Chen Ling was silent for a moment. “I told you, in the near future, a gray world will drag Earth into an abyss... That was the Gray World.”

“The Gray World...” Shen Nan murmured to himself.

“Director Chen.” Lu Xun composed himself, but still asked, “What was that you just did...?”

Chen Ling knew what he wanted to ask, but at that moment, he had no mind to explain the Mocking Disaster. Furthermore, he hadn't even fully understood his own connection to it. He just gave a vague answer: “It's nothing. Everyone has their secrets, don't they?”

Before Lu Xun could ask anything further, Chen Ling waved his hand. “I'm tired... I want to be alone.” With that, Chen Ling turned and walked into the rain.

Watching Chen Ling's retreating back, Yang Xiao, Lu Xun, and Su Zhiwei exchanged glances. Ultimately, they shook their heads and walked into the hut.

Shen Nan looked at Chen Ling's departing figure and the scattered fragments of the Nuo mask on the ground, a deep sense of loss filling his eyes. Chen Ling had still failed. If it had merely been an issue with the Nuo mask or an incorrect ritual dance, Shen Nan was confident he could help Chen Ling resolve it. But he now realized that what Chen Ling faced was something he simply could not comprehend. He didn't even know why Chen Ling had failed, or why he had drawn the Gray World and that terrifying monster. Perhaps his path truly couldn't be replicated, and there would never be a second Nuo in this world.

Shen Nan clenched his fists tightly, then helplessly released them. Just as he was about to leave, a crisp ringing sound suddenly emanated from his pocket. Shen Nan pulled out his phone, pressed the answer button, and said, “...Hello?”

Under the gloomy clouds, Chen Ling walked alone along a deserted country path. Rain soaked his theatrical robe and streamed down his face, cold and damp, but he paid it no mind. His thoughts were entirely on the Gray World that had just manifested.