Chapter 1853: Chen Ling's Past

Chen Ling's Past

Substantial-like light and shadow circulated above the firmament.

The moment Chen Ling stepped onto the divine path, fragmented memories were displayed before the eyes of tens of millions of people through the Imperial Seal.

That was a figure draped in a Great Crimson Theatrical Robe, hobbling wretchedly in the heavy rain.

"I..."

"Who am I?"

When this scene appeared before everyone's eyes, they all froze slightly.

"Is this the memory of a World-Ending Calamity?"

"I seem to have heard that when advancing to Rank 9, one needs something like... Divine Path Certification? It seems heaven and earth will bear witness to his past."

"So strange... Isn't he a World-Ending Calamity? Why did his memory... start from a human city?"

"Wait, the aurora above his head seems a bit familiar."

"Isn't this the Aurora Bastion?"

"No, I'm in the Aurora Bastion, this place seems different from ours..."

"Where exactly is this place?"

"..."

Chen Ling's past circulated rapidly in the light and shadow.

When everyone was either indifferent, curious, or sneering at Chen Ling's past, that blood-covered figure in the Theatrical Robe was hobbling along the first step of the Twisted Divine Path.

The bone nails continuously squeezed Chen Ling's bones. With every step he took, large patches of fresh blood flowed onto the ground. He was like a dying person who had lost too much blood, as if not knowing after which step he would fall forever on this Twisted Divine Path.

Chen Ling breathed heavily. In his eyes, he couldn't see the strange gazes of others, nor could he see his past flashing around him. He seemed not to care at all how the people of this world viewed him... In his eyes, there was only that Twisted Divine Path leading straight to the horizon.

To walk this path ascending to the heavens, he had waited too, too long.

A long blood trail dragged across the ground of the first step, like a cinnabar mark wiped by heaven.

At the end of this mark, Chen Ling slowly lifted the sole of his foot, and slowly but firmly stepped onto the second step...

...

"Since just now... who were you talking to?"

Puff——

In his memory, that candle flame in the cold wind suddenly went out.

Tens of millions of citizens were originally still arguing and conversing about who Chen Ling was and where exactly the city of aurora in the scene was, but when the candle flame went out and Chen Yan's figure disappeared without a trace, everyone stood frozen in place.

Astonishment and confusion surfaced in their eyes.

Light and shadow danced rapidly. The crowd witnessed with their own eyes Chen Ling breaking down, charging into the courtyard, and killing everyone present.

When they saw the truth of the incident and learned of the tragedy caused by that organ trade, the gazes they cast at that frantic figure in the wind and snow vaguely showed some reluctance to see him suffer.

"This Chen Ling... is quite pitiful."

"His Brother had his organs dug out, but he himself survived, sigh..."

"These criminals of the organ trade are too rampant. Is the Aurora Bastion so chaotic now?"

"No, I already said this is not the Aurora Bastion... It's completely different."

"No matter how pitiful he is, he's still a World-Ending Calamity, don't be deceived by his appearance. No matter how miserable he is, he's just acting himself into it, just finding amusement."

"But... he really doesn't look like a Calamity."

"..."

Chen Ling couldn't hear the chaotic conversations of the citizens.

He just stubbornly walked step by step along the second step. The blood flowing from his body became more and more, and his footsteps also became slower and slower.

Whether it was because of wearing shackles on his hands and feet, or being pierced by bone nails, Chen Ling's recovery ability was forcefully locked dead. Under such a terrifying amount of blood loss, his vision even began to blur...

"Damn it..."

"Are the injuries too heavy..."

Chen Ling's body became heavier and heavier. Looking at that still incomparably distant Divine Path Star at the end of the divine path, a sense of powerlessness surged into his heart.

There were still seven steps away from finishing walking this Twisted Divine Path... But he was truly injured too heavily. Based on this posture, he might not even be able to hold on until the last step.

Chen Ling admitted there was an element of gambling in this. After learning of the existence of the Imperial Seal through intelligence years ago, he formulated this crazy performance plan... He knew that Ying Fu's Imperial Seal was the most secure way to satisfy the condition of "ten million Audience".

So, he deliberately spread the news that he was the Calamity of Mockery in the major bastions and domains, guiding the citizens to harbor malice toward him in advance. He also deliberately entered the Red Dust Bastion in such a high-profile manner, making himself appear in the attention of everyone...

He finally managed to satisfy the performance conditions for Advancement, how could he just fall here like this?

Chen Ling's eyes were full of unwillingness, but he still forcefully dragged his body to the edge of the third step...

He used all his strength to once again lift that left foot whose bones had long been completely shattered. But whether it was because of the Heart-Piercing Pain or not, in the next second, his vision went black, and his whole person staggered and planted forward...

...

"Brother, you must live..."

"What exactly is at the end of the Path of the Actor, can you go see it for me?"

...

At the same time, a sentence from the past gently fell into Chen Ling's ears.

His dissipating pupils gathered again!

Boom——!!!

Chen Ling adjusted his center of gravity in an instant, and stepped firmly on the third step with one step... At this moment, he was covered in blood, his face ferocious.

He slowly raised his blood-stained face and looked at that dark red Divine Path Star at the end of the Twisted Divine Path...

The end is right there.

The pace of his dilapidated body actually gradually quickened.

【Audience Expectation Value +4】

【Current Expectation Value: 65%】

...

"...After that, the world was no longer divided into countries. The survivors gathered together and established Nine Great Bases. Later they mastered the method to resist the Gray Realm Convergence. The Nine Great Bases gradually expanded and became today's Nine Great Realms."

"..."

"...You told me this, and then?"

"And then, it is the sole purpose of our Dusk Society, and also the 'justice' we believe in."

"..."

"The Dusk Society gathers a group of poor wretches who are not tolerated by society. In the eyes of the world, we may be madmen, failures, executioners... Our only common point is complete despair toward this era..."

"So, we gather together."

"Gather together, and then?"

"Reverse the Era, Reboot the World."

When these eight characters fell into the ears of tens of millions of citizens, an extremely absurd thought surged in their minds.

"Realms... why would it be realms?"

"Isn't the place we are in a bastion?"

"I know, I heard elders mention it in the early years... The major bastions seemed to have been called realms in the past."

"Realms..."

"Reverse the Era, Reboot the World? How is this possible?"

"Wait, did you notice that the Aurora Domain in Chen Ling's memory seems to be different from the current Aurora Bastion... Is it possible..."

"They, have already rebooted the world once?"