Chapter 1291: I'm Begging You... Okay?

I'm Begging You... Okay?

Thud—— Thud—— Thud...

The ripples beneath the Pavilion in the Heart of the Lake grew higher and higher with each layer. Amidst bursts of dull drum-like sounds, they even evolved into waves in the lake.

Chen Ling didn't know what was happening outside, but he could guess that the South Sea Domain's current situation wasn't good... At the very least, Chu Changqing's expression had changed from its initial calmness to becoming gradually solemn.

"I don't actually care how you view me... I've long since gotten used to it." Chen Ling calmed his emotions and spoke slowly,

"But at the very least, you should let the children of the Integration Faction in."

Chen Ling was telling the truth. Along this journey, he had long become accustomed to the malice brought upon him by the "Calamity of Mockery" label. In the final analysis, Chu Changqing was just like them. It was Chen Ling who, through his experiences in the Timeline Save File, had raised his psychological expectations, which was why he felt angry.

But now, he had completely let go...

He and Chu Changqing were simply not as familiar with each other as he was with Yang Xiao, Su Zhiwei, and the others. Since that was the case, why should he care about the other party's view?

Hearing this sentence, Chu Changqing's brows furrowed again. He glanced back at Chen Ling and sneered:

"So... this is your purpose."

"If you don't trust me, you should at least trust Teacher Ye, who personally nurtured you. I don't know what happened between you two back then, but now is not the time to let personal conflicts affect your judgment." Chen Ling said calmly,

"After Teacher Ye injects the Potion, he can also unleash power comparable to a Demigod for a short period of time. Along with the other Fusionists under him, as long as they coordinate properly, they can greatly reduce your pressure... What they want is just a place to stay and some food."

Chu Changqing was just about to say something when his gaze suddenly flashed, looking towards a certain patch of emptiness nearby...

A figure wearing a simple shirt had appeared there at some unknown time.

Teacher Ye?

Seeing Teacher Ye appear out of thin air, Chen Ling was incredibly surprised. Just now, neither he nor Chu Changqing had sensed anyone approaching this pavilion. He was like a ghost from another dimension, appearing here in the blink of an eye.

No, wait...

Chen Ling looked down at Teacher Ye. In the Pavilion in the Heart of the Lake, he didn't have a shadow.

Was he really a ghost??

"...Teacher Ye."

A touch of complexity flashed through Chu Changqing's gaze towards Teacher Ye. "Casually intruding into someone else's mind comes with a price."

From the time Chen Ling met Chu Changqing until now, this was the first time he revealed an expression other than "disgust" and "solemnity." Chen Ling could sense that Chu Changqing's attitude towards Teacher Ye was very subtle, completely different from his pure dislike towards himself.

Teacher Ye similarly gazed at Chu Changqing, his tone incredibly bitter:

"If you hadn't pushed things to such an absolute extreme, why would I need to take this risk..."

"You know what my attitude towards the Integration Faction is."

"...I know."

Teacher Ye seemed to have remembered something, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. "I know what you experienced in the Gray World, and I know that experience made you detest the existence of all Calamities... But you cannot let your personal emotions affect your rational judgment. Those persecution delusions of yours have no scientific basis at all!"

"Teacher Ye, you understand me." Chu Changqing's tone was soaked in indifference. "I am one of the Nine Monarchs. The burden on my shoulders is very heavy. I will not risk the future of humanity... It was like this in the past, and it is still like this now."

"On what basis?!" This sentence of Chu Changqing's seemed to touch the scar deep in Teacher Ye's heart. His tone was somewhat agitated,

"Are the Nine Monarchs so amazing?? You open and close your mouth talking about the Nine Monarchs. Using the title 'Nine Monarchs' as an excuse, can you just lightly deny another person's lifelong research results? Don't forget, the reason the Nine Monarchs are the Nine Monarchs is because it was a commendation given to you by the survivors back then, not a golden medal you slapped on yourselves!"

This was the first time Chen Ling had seen Teacher Ye lose his composure like this, but thinking about it carefully, it also made sense...

Teacher Ye was the pioneer of fusion technology. He had expended countless years and painstaking effort in this field and obtained fruitful results, but in the end, it was completely denied by his proudest disciple. Most importantly, all this had no theoretical or experimental support, purely because the title of "Nine Monarchs" brooked no risks...

Chen Ling didn't speak again. Firstly, because he didn't understand science and technology, and didn't know exactly what the "persecution delusions" they were arguing about were. Secondly, because since Teacher Ye was here, it was best for this pair of teacher and student to resolve the next matters themselves.

And during this process, Chu Changqing also didn't speak. He just quietly watched Teacher Ye's expression gradually transform from anger to calmness.

Teacher Ye took a deep breath and said again:

"I'm already conducting the Matrilineal Gene Sequence Test experiment. I will use facts to prove that you are wrong."

Chu Changqing still didn't respond.

He knew Teacher Ye simply had no chance to complete the experiment... He, and those children of his, would all die in the Forbidden Sea.

The entire Pavilion in the Heart of the Lake fell into a dead silence.

Teacher Ye understood Chu Changqing's silence.

He bitterly closed his eyes:

"I can choose not to enter the South Sea Domain... At the very least, let those children in."

"This isn't a question of whether you enter or not." Chu Changqing finally responded. "Any Calamity Fusionist absolutely cannot enter the South Sea Domain. Those children of yours are the same."

"They only fused with some ordinary Calamities, and the fusion isn't deep... They are absolutely fine."

Teacher Ye's tone carried a trace of pleading.

Chu Changqing calmly shook his head:

"No."

Teacher Ye's fists clenched tightly.

Thud—— Thud—— Thud...

The roars beneath the Pavilion in the Heart of the Lake became more and more frequent. The entire South Sea Domain trembled like an earthquake. The heavy turtle shell seemed to have gaps smashed into it, and the bone-piercing cold from the Forbidden Sea drilled into the city bit by bit.

The cold wind swept across the turbulent lake surface, and Teacher Ye's heart plunged into an ice cave.

He was silent for a long time, and his feet slowly took a half-step back...

Then,

His entire person dropped to his knees with a plop in front of Chu Changqing.

Chen Ling was stunned, and Chu Changqing before him was also slightly taken aback...

Teacher Ye's body slowly bowed down. Both hands pressed against the flower-filled ground of the stone pavilion, and his forehead knocked heavily against it, letting out a dull thud.

At this moment, the pride and dignity of an elderly teacher were personally kneeled into pieces by him. Every time his forehead knocked down, it pierced his heart, leaving it dripping with blood... In an extremely humble posture, he kowtowed three resounding times to the student who was once his proudest.

"Little Chu..."

"Please be magnanimous and give the children a way to survive... It was me who turned them into Fusionists... It was me who brought them to the South Sea Domain..."

"Consider it your teacher begging you... Your teacher is begging you... Okay?"