Get Lost
Under the spotlight, that face attached to the shadow was incomplete and broken.
Although it was similarly Chen Ling's face, at this moment, at such a close distance, the two possessed entirely different temperaments... That incomplete face was full of hostility and furious rage, like a clumsy imitation thrown into a trash can.
Chen Ling looked at him calmly, and spoke slowly:
"Because, I am me."
His fist was raised high under the spotlight...
Then smashed down with full force!
Bang—!!
Another muffled sound.
Black fresh blood stained Chen Ling's fist. He slowly stood up, a pair of apricot eyes calmly looking down at the unconscious shadow...
On this Stage, he was the only one left standing in the end.
Chen Ling raised his hand to pull this shadow up, took off the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe on its body, and then forcefully threw it off the Stage.
As the shadow fell back Off Stage, the shadow arms of the "Audiences" stretched out from the darkness like a tide, grabbing the unconscious shadow, dragging it into the audience seats, and vanishing...
Just like how they dragged Chen Ling away back then.
In the center of the Stage, Chen Ling meticulously put on the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe. He adjusted the collar and hair ends, standing under the spotlight, his gaze slowly sweeping over the squirming dark audience seats, seemingly having undergone a Complete Transformation.
The corners of his mouth slightly curled up. With one hand behind his back and the other elegantly placed below his chest, he bowed slightly towards Off Stage:
"The good show... begins."
...
Edge of the Forbidden Sea.
The Great Red Paper Umbrella stopped spinning on the sand and rock beach. The rampaging aura burned fiercely in the gray world like flames.
A shadow struggled frantically back and forth in the sea of fire, ultimately returning to dead silence... It lay quietly in the ruins, like a corpse.
A curtain pulled open from the void. A youth wearing a Theatrical Robe holding an unconscious young man lightly landed on the sand and rock beach. With a pained groan from the young man, he abruptly began to vomit violently.
Master clicked his tongue in disgust, threw him aside, and walked straight towards the black shadow in the sea of fire.
Regarding "Chen Ling"'s unconsciousness, Master didn't seem surprised. He squatted down in front of the black shadow, one palm slowly reaching towards Chen Ling's chest...
...
Thump— Thump— Thump!
On the Theater Stage, Chen Ling heavily smashed that curtain a few times, but it only emitted dull sounds of striking steel.
Chen Ling's expression was somewhat helpless.
With District 3 Chen Ling's help, although he successfully descended back to the Stage and reclaimed The Role that belonged to him... this was only returning to the initial starting point.
Every previous time Chen Ling released the "Audience" and wanted to return to his body, he would be hindered by the curtain. When the Expectation Value was above 17%, this layer of curtain was like mud, but as long as Chen Ling exerted force, he could pass through it.
When the Expectation Value was at 15%, this layer of curtain gradually hardened into a wall. Although it was extremely strenuous to pass through, it wasn't impossible. This Expectation Value was the limit Chen Ling could currently control himself.
And when the Expectation Value was at 13%, he could no longer pass through the curtain by himself. Last time at the Stars Chamber of Commerce, it was only by relying on Mo Jue's assistance that he managed to escape.
But this time when he released the "Audience", the lowest Expectation Value was only 5%. This layer of curtain had already become like steel. No matter how Chen Ling tried, he couldn't leave the slightest mark on it...
Just as Chen Ling was pondering how to pass through this layer of curtain, a palm suddenly stretched out silently from behind the curtain, as if crossing time, space, and dimensions.
The moment he saw this hand, Chen Ling froze.
That was a youth's hand, with slender finger joints and fair skin. It slowly opened up in front of Chen Ling, and a line of small words written on the palm was displayed before Chen Ling:
— [Hold tight onto your master].
Chen Ling's pupils slightly contracted.
"... Master?" Chen Ling's eyes were full of astonishment!
One must know, this was the Theater, the deepest part of his mind, and also the place sealing the [Mockery] Calamity. Ever since Chen Ling first woke up here, no one other than him had been able to reach here... even if it was just a palm.
Seeing this scene, light flickered in Chen Ling's eyes, countless thoughts surging in his mind.
But he didn't hesitate for too long before reaching out his hand and tightly gripping that youth's palm!
The next moment, an indescribable power was released from the other end of the palm. The terrifying Path of the Actor's aura seemed to be able to pierce through all time, space, and dimensions, forcefully pulling Chen Ling's body into the hard curtain!
Dense cracks began to spread on the surface of the curtain. At the same time, Chen Ling was returning to his main body bit by bit...
...
Edge of the Forbidden Sea.
The originally surging World-Ending aura was gradually dissipating... while another Demigod Tier Path of the Actor's aura erupted from the deep pit!
The earth trembled due to Master's aura. Countless phantoms of "stories" flashed frantically in the nothingness. As Master pushed his aura to the extreme, the space and time here became unstable.
While vomiting, Jian Changsheng saw the sand and rocks beneath him sometimes turning into glass beads, sometimes turning into sand, sometimes turning into countless glazed jewels, and sometimes turning into infinity stones containing terrifying energy...
He rubbed his eyes vigorously and couldn't help but exclaim "fuck":
"Crap, my brain got jolted into having problems!"
A youth draped in a Theatrical Robe slowly stood up from the deep pit. His palm seemed to be dragging something, breaking open that shadow shell bit by bit...
Roar—!!!
At the same time,
At the end of the churning frozen sea, a mountain-like giant shadow slowly surfaced...
The entire Forbidden Sea had already been enraged by the [Mockery] Calamity. That Calamity of Taboo which had laid dormant in the deep sea for an unknown number of years without showing its face, actually reappeared in the world.
Under the wrath of this king of the Forbidden Sea, countless Calamities began to leap out from beneath the sea surface, like a surging black tide, rolling towards this sand and rock beach covering the heavens and earth!
"Red... Red... Red... Senior Red King!!" Jian Changsheng finally returned to his senses, his face deathly pale under the impact of that World-Ending aura.
Crack—
With a soft sound, a gap cracked open on that shadow shell.
A palm was dragged by Master, forcefully pulled out from the shell, followed by an arm, a shoulder... Master, who was using all his strength trying to pull Chen Ling out, furrowed his brows and abruptly turned to look behind him!
His brows furrowed tightly, seemingly feeling incredibly annoyed by the Calamity of Taboo interrupting him at a critical moment. The space, time, and dimensions around his body crazily intersected.
The next moment, a layer of facial skin drifted down from Master's cheek. His entire person directly changed from a youth's figure back to an adult's height, and then facing the monstrous wrath of the Forbidden Sea, he slowly opened his mouth...
A loud sound like thunderous wrath burst from the tip of his tongue!
"— Get lost!!!!"