Chapter 1700: Sleep

The pattering rainwater flowed down Jian Changsheng's black armor, dripping arrays of ripples onto the murky sea surface.

He slowly stopped his footsteps in front of the aged Sun Bumian.

"Diamonds... are you alright?"

Jian Changsheng's face was full of worry.

Sun Bumian gave a bitter smile, "Do I look alright to you like this?"

Jian Changsheng looked at the incomparably haggard figure in the Tang suit before him, and bursts of sourness surged in his heart. Ever since he had known Sun Bumian, the other party had always been a leisurely, calm, and composed youth. But the Sun Bumian in front of him had completely turned into an old man in his declining years.

He opened his mouth as if wanting to say some words of comfort, but he didn't know what to say.

"Alright, stop wearing that bitter melon expression." Sun Bumian sat on the ground and casually waved his hand. Although he looked old in appearance, his style of doing things was still no different from his former youth. "My mission is already completed... It doesn't matter if the Power of Samsara in this body burns out. Anyway, I can still go to the next world. When that time comes, maybe I'll be a good man once again!"

"It's just Xiaohua, he..."

The next world...

Jian Changsheng also fell into silence for a moment.

Jian Changsheng knew that he, likely just like Jiang Xiaohua, also couldn't meet them in the new world. But after hesitating for a moment, he still didn't say anything.

This was his agreement with Bai Qi. Since it was decided, it shouldn't be changed. Telling Sun Bumian now, other than adding to everyone's inner grief, would serve no purpose at all... What's more, Bai Qi had helped him. Jian Changsheng absolutely couldn't do something like uniting with Sun Bumian, Chen Ling, and the others to figure out a way to kick him when he's down.

"Clubs' origin is so mysterious, maybe there's still a possibility of him coming back," Jian Changsheng could only comfort him like this.

"...Sigh."

Sun Bumian shook his head. He knew what rebooting the world meant. Even if Jiang Xiaohua's origin was incredibly grand, he still couldn't cross different worlds...

"You kid... We haven't seen each other for so long, and you've become quite capable." Sun Bumian complicatedly looked at Jian Changsheng wearing the shattered armor. "You could even pick up the Ancient Vault of the Military Path to hack people... I've lived for so many years, yet this is my first time seeing it."

"The ones who lifted it were not me," Jian Changsheng looked back at the ruins of the Ancient Vault of the Military Path behind him. "It was the past Demigods of the Path of the Soldier."

"Regardless, thanks to you, our mission is complete."

Sun Bumian looked toward Jian Changsheng's palm.

In Jian Changsheng's left palm, a gem-like substance faintly glimmering with purple light was exuding the dense aura of the Path of the Witch God's Dao Foundation... That was exactly the final puzzle piece to reboot the world, the very thing the Dusk Society had bet everything to obtain.

Sun Bumian let out a long breath of relief. He slowly laid flat on the sea surface, his dry, grayish-white hair gently brushing along with the water waves. He spoke softly:

"You deliver this thing to Hearts yourself."

"Aren't you going with me?"

"I can't walk anymore..." Sun Bumian shook his head. "Moreover... I don't want Hearts to see me like this."

Jian Changsheng fell silent.

Jian Changsheng could understand what Sun Bumian was thinking. Right now, Chen Ling was the Dusk Society's Red King. He carried too many responsibilities on his shoulders. If he was allowed to see the tragic price the Dusk Society paid today to encircle and annihilate the Calamity of Taboo, even if he knew everyone would meet again in the next world, he would feel incomparably guilty in his heart.

Since that was the case, it was better for everyone not to meet... It was enough as long as Chen Ling knew that they had successfully brought back the Witchcraft Path shard for him.

"Then you..."

"I'm tired." Sun Bumian slowly closed his eyes. "Clubs has already gone a step ahead... I should sleep too."

Jian Changsheng opened his mouth. Looking at the haggard figure on the water's surface, he spoke hoarsely:

"Alright..."

"Falling asleep is only temporary. You are Sun Bumian... When the time is right, you will definitely wake up."

Sun Bumian smiled helplessly:

"Perhaps."

"Then I'll be going."

"Right, help me pass a message to Hearts."

Jian Changsheng looked back at him, "...What is it?"

"Don't forget my gold," Sun Bumian spoke faintly. "As the current Red King, he should at least pay back the debt owed by the previous generation's Red King, right?"

Jian Changsheng blanked for a moment, and then a helpless smile surfaced on his face.

"Alright, I got it."

Jian Changsheng took one last deep look at Sun Bumian, turned around, and walked toward the direction of the Spirit Void Domain.

As Jian Changsheng's figure drifted further away, on the dead silent and cold frozen sea, Sun Bumian just quietly watched the gloomy clouds above his head... After an unknown amount of time, he seemed to feel a bit sleepy and gently crushed the poison between his teeth.

The final wisp of vitality was extinguished above the frozen sea. The figure in the Tang suit slowly sank into the seawater, vanishing without a trace.

...

"The Calamity of Taboo..."

"Disappeared?"

Atop the ruins of the Spirit Void Ancient Temple, the Lord of Spirit Void, who had just sat down preparing to recover his injuries, suddenly seemed to sense something and looked toward the north in surprise.

He pondered for a long time but still couldn't think of anyone else in this era who could kill the Calamity of Taboo...

The Calamity of Taboo's combat power was ranked among the top of all World-Ending Calamities. But now, other than him, humanity shouldn't have any other Demigod combat power. Could it be that Chen Ling didn't come looking for him, but went to fight a life-and-death battle with the Calamity of Taboo?

The Lord of Spirit Void realized that he actually seemed to be unable to understand the current situation. Although there were fewer and fewer top-tier combat powers in the world, the surprises brought to him were increasing...

"There's not much time left."

The Lord of Spirit Void once again looked up into the void, as if a Crimson Meteor was rapidly approaching here.

...

Outside the Spirit Void Domain.

The bleak, cold wind swept past the pitch-black earth, blowing the hem of the theatrical robe with a red background and black patterns into a flutter.

After an unknown amount of time, that figure's pinky finger twitched slightly. A pair of confused and exhausted eyes slowly opened...

Where...

Is this?

Chen Ling just lay there on the ground like this, blankly watching the sky with lead-gray clouds flowing overhead, unmoving like a sculpture.

After a brief silence, some fragmented memories began returning to his mind.

His pupils abruptly contracted!!

The originally sculpture-like him violently sat up from the ground. Looking down at his own body, unprecedented horror surfaced in his pupils!

"I fainted?!"

"I actually... fainted?!!"

"At a time like this?!!"

Chen Ling felt as if his head was about to explode right now. Immediately after, one terrifying question after another surged into his mind!

How long had he been unconscious?

To what extent had the Lord of Spirit Void recovered?

How was the situation on the Dusk Society's side? Did they successfully deal with the Calamity of Taboo?

How... did he get here?!

Chen Ling was incomparably remorseful right now. He wished he could give himself two slaps. One must know that now was the crucial period deciding humanity's destiny. The heavily injured and dying Lord of Spirit Void was right before his eyes, and the Dusk Society members were still desperately encircling and annihilating the Calamity of Taboo...

Yet he actually fell asleep here?!