I'm not a drama god

The figure walked straight to the table and slowly sat down.

"Let's just call him Qi Muyun." He smiled helplessly. "The name 'Lord Cangyun' is probably already infamous."

At this moment, Zangyun Jun had changed into a brand new white shirt and tied his tie meticulously. He sat at the table, dressed formally but with a casual posture, poured himself a cup of tea, and acted as if he were at home.

Chen Ling was somewhat surprised. He had met several of the Nine Lords by now, but Cangyun Jun seemed to have changed the least. Compared to Qi Muyun in the archives, apart from dressing more flamboyantly, he seemed to have changed no other way. It was as if all the years and pain had just lightly brushed over him without leaving a trace.

Zangyun Jun seemed to notice Chen Ling's gaze:

"Why are you staring at me?"

“You… are not quite what I imagined,” Chen Ling said after a moment’s hesitation.

"Your Red King, can't you enter a save file from a previous era? You should have seen me before."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling was slightly taken aback. Zang Yun Jun seemed to know a great deal about the archived timeline; did that mean the previous Red King had also told him these things?

Does this mean that, like Zangyun Jun and Jiguang Jun, he was one of the Nine Lords trusted by the previous generation of Red King?

“I have indeed seen them… but usually, the Nine Lords I have seen are quite different from the Nine Lords of this world.”

“That’s true.” Zang Yunjun took a sip of the tea on the table. “Everyone has been through so much, and we are no longer the naive young people we once were. Everyone has their own beliefs to uphold, and we may even have disagreements with each other… Only I am still standing still.”

Zangyun Jun's words directly revealed the complex relationship between the Nine Lords.

The Nine Lords are indeed still the same Nine Lords who fight for the fate of humanity. However, they have gradually grown from being confused and directionless at the beginning, only knowing how to unite as one... As their power gradually increases and their experience grows, their understanding of "protecting humanity" also begins to diverge.

Lou Yu chose to pursue eternity, Wu Tongyuan bet everything on the Akashic Records, Ji Xuan traveled through time time again, Chu Changqing volunteered to become a vegetable to prolong the lives of his companions, and Wen Ruoshui sacrificed herself to forge the key to restarting...

Compared to them, Qi Muyun really didn't have any clear goals... or perhaps, he was still the same young man who wanted to work together with everyone.

“As far as I know, the Hidden Cloud Realm is in a very difficult situation right now.” Chen Ling looked into his eyes. “You’ve come to see me at this critical juncture… is there something you need?”

Zangyun Jun fell silent.

His gaze showed no struggle, no hesitation; he simply glanced calmly at the misty rain outside, and after a moment, slowly uttered a sentence that sent a jolt through Chen Ling's heart:

"I would like to ask the Red King of the Twilight Society... to escort the funeral procession through the Hidden Cloud Realm."

Chen Ling froze on the spot.

"you……"

The answer from the Hidden Cloud Lord was completely unexpected by Chen Ling... The Hidden Cloud Lord, who had protected the Hidden Cloud Realm for hundreds of years, asked him to send off the Hidden Cloud Realm to its final resting place.

This is a bit too surreal.

"Do you know what the Funeral Realm means?" Chen Ling pressed.

"know."

Zangyun Jun nodded.

"To end the future of the realm, to appease the souls of the dead, and... to bury my body."

Chen Ling frowned as she looked at Cang Yunjun and realized that the other party seemed to be serious. This was not a foolish thing said in a moment of impulse, but the result of careful consideration.

"You should be able to see... the Hidden Cloud Realm has no future." Hidden Cloud Lord paused for a moment.

“I have already ordered all the ‘sparks’ within the realm to be sent to the Spirit Void Realm. After they leave, only some terminally ill people will remain here.”

“They have lost their families and are unable to take care of themselves. Rather than dying in pain and despair, it is better to let them end their lives peacefully.”

Chen Ling looked into Cang Yunjun's eyes. "So, you've been planning this day all along... haven't you?"

"Yes."

“I had already foreseen this when Wu Tongyuan first requested the deployment of manpower… No one can stop this invisible catastrophe, not even Lou Yu’s eternity. Humanity’s last hope lies in the hands of just two people.”

"One is Wu Tongyuan, who bet on the Tower of Akash, and the other... is you."

Zangyun Jun pointed at Chen Ling.

"But you, you have the Twilight Society, you don't need anyone's help..."

“Wu Tongyuan wants to build the Tower of Akash, but the Spirit Void Realm cannot do it with its own power. He needs a much larger supply of manpower, and at the same time, he needs to transfer the risk of the plague within the realm to other places... Only in this way can the construction progress of the Tower of Akash be guaranteed.”

"So, you've poured almost all your manpower into the Spirit Void Realm and brought all your patients to the Hidden Cloud Realm." Chen Ling frowned deeply. "It was you who personally destroyed the realm you had protected for hundreds of years. Aren't you afraid of bearing eternal infamy?"

“But someone has to do it, doesn’t he?” Cangyunjun slowly closed his eyes. “Ninth Lord, we can’t all fight our own battles. Someone has to sacrifice… Since I’ve chosen to believe in Wu Tongyuan, I will believe in him to the end.”

The theater fell silent once again.

Even though Cangyun Jun's words were utterly calm, Chen Ling could still see the deepest pain and struggle hidden in his heart in his eyes...

His journey has probably not been as easy and peaceful as it appears on the surface.

"how about you?"

"The suffering in this realm began with me, and it should end with me."

Cang Yunjun gently touched his chest with his palm. Beneath his neat shirt lay a heart covered in grotesque veins. A wisp of Zhuozai's aura emanated from him, and a complex emotion flashed in Cang Yunjun's eyes. "I will give them all an explanation..."

"To die here is the best ending for me, Qi Muyun."

The moment Chen Ling sensed that trace of turbid disaster, her pupils contracted slightly.

When he was with the Fusion Sect, he learned about the characteristics of the Chaos, and he immediately realized what Cangyun Jun had done... He actually forced the Chaos to parasitize him, sharing life and death with him.

Theoretically speaking, this is indeed the best way to kill Zhuozai, but in fact, Cangyunjun can force it to parasitize other people, such as death row inmates... As long as the death row inmates are killed, Zhuozai will also die, and Cangyunjun himself can live.

But Lord Cangyun did not do that...

Perhaps in his eyes, he was the most deserving person to die in this realm.

“You are the Ninth Prince. Your life is more valuable than your death,” Chen Ling said in a deep voice.