Chapter 929: Departure

Departure

Chen Ling's pupils contracted slightly.

The Silver King's Stealing Art had already surpassed Chen Ling's understanding. Even after extracting the hearts from the bodies, they still maintained their vitality, only their beating was growing weaker and weaker... If they were placed back into the bodies of Jian Changsheng and the others before the hearts died completely, there would still be a chance to turn things around.

Chen Ling had no heart, nor did he need one. So this "gift" from the Silver King was actually the lives of the four people: Bai Ye, Jian Changsheng, Sun Bumian, and Jiang Xiaohua.

Join the Fire-Stealers, and he would return the three hearts; if he refused...

"Are you threatening me?"

"Of course not. As I said, this is a 'gift'." The Silver King smiled. "Bai Ye is a traitor to the Fire-Stealers. It's only natural for me to kill him. Since those other little guys jumped out to stand up for him, I could only do this to protect myself..."

"I know Bai Ye is now your colleague. If Mister Chen gives me face and is willing to join the Fire-Stealers, I can give their lives to Mister."

"After all, compared to the importance of Mister Chen, the life and death of a traitor is truly not worth mentioning."

Chen Ling knew very well that what the Silver King threw to him was never a multiple-choice question... He had no choice from the very beginning.

Even if he gave up the lives of Jian Changsheng and the others and refused the Silver King, the latter could still use the power of the Path of the Thief to take him away. And right now, Chen Ling's Audience Expectation Value was already at 72%. Even if he committed suicide, he couldn't unleash the Calamity of Mockery.

What the Silver King wanted was nothing more than for him to leave the Dusk Society of his own accord...

Didn't your Dusk Society instigate the defection of a Thief Saint, Bai Ye? Then I will also make your Six of Hearts leave voluntarily. This way, the Fire-Stealers and the Dusk Society would be even. Furthermore, since he left voluntarily, even the Red King and Grey King would not have a suitable reason to Flip the Table.

Don't be fooled by the Silver King calling him 'Mister' left and right right now. Chen Ling knew very well that in his eyes, he was just a tool... A tool used to unleash the Calamity of Mockery, and a tool used to check and balance the Dusk Society.

"My sincerity is already here... What does Mister Chen think?"

The Silver King's words were still full of patience, but the three hearts in his palm had almost stopped beating.

Not far away, Ying Fu covered A-Qian's eyes with his hand while calmly looking in this direction, waiting for Chen Ling's choice...

"Chen... Ling..."

A faint murmur sounded. Bai Ye lay on the ground. Even with his heart ripped out, he still retained consciousness and sanity. Unable to move his body, he could only look over with one eye, his eye filled with ferocious blood vessels.

"...That is... the abyss..."

The Great Crimson Theatrical Robe fluttered silently in the wind;

Chen Ling's gaze swept one by one over Bai Ye, Jian Changsheng, Sun Bumian, and Jiang Xiaohua, finally fixing on the emptiness before his eyes... A line of Audience Expectation Value flashed there.

"I'll join." Chen Ling's voice sounded calmly.

"...I'll join the Fire-Stealers."

[Audience Expectation Value +4]

[Current Expectation Value: 76%]

Hearing this answer, the smile on the Silver King's lips became increasingly natural and sincere.

He casually waved his hand, and the three hearts vanished into thin air. At the same time, Bai Ye and the others let out muffled groans, a trace of blood color returning to their pale faces... Even Jiang Xiaohua, who had been chopped into pieces just now, reassembled piece by piece, lying motionless in place.

Ding—

"Welcome to our ranks, Mister Chen."

The Silver King raised his hand and gently clinked glasses with the red wine Chen Ling gripped in his palm, emitting a soft ding.

He smiled, downed the wine in one gulp, and then turned to walk into the distance. His British Overcoat swayed gently like an uncrowned king's robe. His indifferent voice, accompanied by the sobbing howling wind, swept across the black earth,

"Everyone is here. Let's go... Back to our 'Wuji'."

Ying Fu wasn't surprised by Chen Ling's choice. After glancing at Chen Ling, he led A-Qian by the hand and left together with the Silver King...

A wisp of flame ignited from the Silver King's fingertips. In the flames, the Six of Hearts Playing Card belonging to Chen Ling was being burned to ashes bit by bit under the Silver King's casual rubbing...

The embers of the Playing Card blew past Chen Ling's ear. He gazed at the Silver King's back, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Hearts!" Jian Changsheng fell miserably on the ground, struggling to climb up bit by bit.

"You're not really going to join the Fire-Stealers and go to the Wuji Domain with him, are you? Don't forget what the Wuji did when we were in the Red Dust Domain..."

Chen Ling didn't answer. He didn't even look at Jian Changsheng. The Great Crimson Theatrical Robe stepped on Cloud Steps, directly leaping up from the black earth and walking in the direction of the Silver King.

"Hearts!!"

"Six of Hearts Chen Ling!! I'm talking to you!!"

"Hey!! Chen..."

Seeing Chen Ling walking away without looking back, a wave of unwillingness rose in Jian Changsheng's heart. Just as he was about to rush up and stop Chen Ling, a hand blocked his path.

"Calm down, Spades."

Sun Bumian took off his shattered small Round Sunglasses. There were still traces of scratches from when he hit the ground earlier on his cheeks, and fresh scarlet blood flowed from the wounds. However, those eyes were incredibly calm.

"Why do you think he joined the Fire-Stealers? Rushing up now will only make everyone's situation worse... including Chen Ling's."

"I know... but... are we just going to watch him get taken away like this? What's the difference between this and kidnapping!!"

Jian Changsheng still wanted to say something, but Bai Ye beside them coughed violently and slowly stood up from the ground.

"Don't talk here... Hurry, let's leave this place first!"

Bai Ye's tone was more serious than ever before.

Although their hearts had been ripped out earlier, their senses were still there. They knew Chen Ling compromised with the Silver King to save them... The most important thing right now was to prevent the Silver King from kicking them while they were down, coming back to kill them once Chen Ling walked far away.

Although based on Bai Ye's understanding of the Silver King, the other party might disdain to do so. Just as the Silver King said, he didn't care about their lives at all. But it was never wrong to be a bit more cautious.

Sun Bumian and the others quickly nodded and immediately set off, running in the direction of the Tianshu Domain... In front of the Silver King, a Demigod, only entering a Human Domain could be considered safe. After all, that was the territorial scope of the Nine Monarchs.

The four of them—Bai Ye, Jian Changsheng, Sun Bumian, and Jiang Xiaohua—sped across the black earth. At this time, they had all given it their all, as if a grim reaper was madly chasing them from behind!

The surrounding space wasn't affected, and they weren't missing any organs from their bodies;

An unknown amount of time passed. The four of them had almost exhausted all their physical and Spiritual Power, finally arriving at the edge of the Tianshu Domain... Seeing the faintly discernible outline of the Realm, they let out a long sigh of relief.

"At this distance, we should be safe," Bai Ye said, wiping the sweat from his cheeks.

"My heart is still here, my liver is still here... Phew..." Having his organs ripped out several times in a single day, Sun Bumian had already developed a psychological shadow. After feeling all over his body, he completely relaxed.

"We can be considered to have escaped from a Demigod..."

"Yeah." Jian Changsheng immediately spoke, "So what's next? How are we going to save him?"

The air suddenly fell silent.

Bai Ye and Sun Bumian simultaneously turned to look at Jian Changsheng, a trace of confusion flashing in their eyes...

"Save him? Save who?"

Jian Changsheng was stunned. He scratched his head, thought carefully for a long time, and muttered,

"Right..."

"Who were we going to save again?"