I'm not a drama god

tick-

A drop of blood dripped from the tip of Chen Ling's nose.

Although from a third-party perspective, these few Heavenly Star Positions seem pitifully weak, and Chen Ling barely had to lift a finger to exploit all their weaknesses, only Chen Ling knew that if they were to truly join forces, coupled with those terrifying Dao Foundation Treasures, their combat power would likely reach a truly terrifying level.

Everything that happens in the real world is the result of Chen Ling's many [stalling] attempts.

As for what Li Shengmen didn't finish saying...

Chen Ling is very sorry.

Let him finish speaking in the next world, if there's a chance.

As Li Shengmen's resentful ghost, which seemed to have been dead for a long time, was collected by the large red paper umbrella, Chen Ling slowly raised her head and looked at Li Qingshan not far away...

Li Qingshan smiled slightly.

"Brother Chen, am I destined to die?"

“…Hmm.” Chen Ling was silent for a moment. “Only by becoming ghosts can I take you to the next world…otherwise, when the world restarts, you won’t even be able to leave a speck of dust behind.”

Li Qingshan and Chen Ling had known each other since their time in the mortal realm. Chen Ling knew that Li Qingshan would truly believe what she said... Even just a single sentence would be enough for Chen Ling to give him an explanation.

"No wonder...you wanted to personally send Baosheng away." Li Qingshan nodded in sudden realization, showing no doubt whatsoever.

"Well, I really should grab a 'ticket' in advance."

"You can wait a while longer... until I destroy the Spirit Void Realm, then we can go together."

"Forget it." Li Qingshan shook his head. "Now that I'm all alone, they'll definitely be suspicious if I go back alone. Besides, I am, after all, the owner of the Tongtian Star Position. Although I don't want to be enemies with Brother Chen, I can't betray them... It's good that my journey ends here."

“Your journey will not end,” Chen Ling said earnestly. “Death will only be a new beginning.”

Li Qingshan smiled, flicked the sleeve of his blue theatrical robe, and asked frankly:

"Should I do it myself, or should Brother Chen help me?"

"……Let me do it."

Although any ghost, regardless of who kills it, can be collected into the big red paper umbrella... however, ghosts killed by Chen Ling will receive the blessing of [Abyss Ghost Degree], making it easier to revive them in the next world.

"Alright, I trust Brother Chen's skills." Li Qingshan's smile grew even wider.

The dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and the originally torrential rain turned into a light drizzle...

The heavy rain, which lasted all day, is finally coming to an end.

A hazy red mist, like a giant ship carrying dreams and beauty, drifted above the desolate realm. Even the distant roar of the battle between the Dragon Slayers and the Twilight Society gradually faded away, leaving only deathly silence. A vast number of ghosts emerged from every corner of the city, swarming towards Chen Ling's large red paper umbrella…

Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand... fifty thousand, sixty thousand.

His theatrical robes moved without wind.

tick-

As the last drop of red rain fell from the eaves of Chen Ling's umbrella.

He gently raised his hand, his fingers, shimmering with the faint light of red paper, and touched Li Qingshan's brow... Killing someone from here, the first thing to be severed is the nerve, so that the victim feels no pain whatsoever.

“Oh, weeping child,”

Please gently close your eyes.

"When twilight falls in the darkest of times,"

"I will promise you the sunrise and the blue sky."

The last line of the requiem fell.

Chen Ling's fingertips lightly touched Li Qingshan's brow...

Almost instantly, the latter lost consciousness, fell forward, and was then caught steadily by Chen Ling, who helped him sit gently on the ground.

A ghost in green robes floated out from Li Qingshan's corpse. He looked around and, upon seeing Chen Ling, waved to him with a smile... Then he stepped into the large red paper umbrella.

Wuwuwu——

A howling, cold wind swept across the empty, desolate streets.

Beneath the greyish-white sky, a figure in theatrical robes stands alone, holding an umbrella, while a pair of vermilion earrings flutter silently.

"This is……"

"Reversing the times, huh..."

Chen Ling felt completely drained and closed her eyes wearily.

The previous Red Kings did not have the ability to avert disaster, nor could they take so many ghosts into the next world... They could only watch helplessly as their relatives and friends were gently erased as the world restarted, without even leaving a trace.

Although Chen Ling had the ability to lead them away, killing her former companions and friends with her own hands was undoubtedly a painful experience.

Chen Ling didn't know which of these two kinds of pain was more agonizing... nor could he distinguish between them. He only knew that the end of the Hidden Cloud Realm and the deaths of Li Qingshan and the other Tongtian Star Rank beings were perhaps just the beginning.

Once he started, there was no going back.

Just then, a bottleneck within his body suddenly loosened, and his aura began to rise steadily... His surging spiritual power shattered the shackles, and on the illusory, distorted divine path, he once again took a step...

Finally, I stepped onto the eighth step!

Eighth rank—this was a rank that Chen Ling had never dared to dream of before. If he took just one more step forward, he could become a true demigod like the Red King and the Ninth Lord… But at this moment, he felt no joy whatsoever.

All that remained around Chen Ling was the howling wind, as if he were the only person left in the world... An extreme sense of loneliness and bitterness welled up from the bottom of his heart.

I do not know how long it has been,

A voice gently sounded in front of him.

"Red Heart... I miss you."

Chen Ling suddenly opened his eyes and saw a white-haired figure covered in bandages who had somehow appeared in front of him and was staring at him expectantly.

Before this, Chen Ling had not sensed his presence at all.

"Little flower?"

"Hey, Plum Blossom, you're really clueless! Red Heart is already exhausted and resting with its eyes closed, why are you still stupidly going up to her?"

Sun Bumian, dressed in a suit, put his elbow on Jiang Xiaohua's shoulder, pulled down his small round sunglasses, and spoke with a hint of helplessness.

“But… he looked very sad,” Jiang Xiaohua replied softly.

"Sad?" Sun Bumian scrutinized Chen Ling's face for a moment with suspicion. "I didn't see that coming... Ever since he became the Red King, hasn't he always had a cold, expressionless face?"

Chen Ling:......

"What brings you two here?" Chen Ling asked instinctively.

"Oh, I saw that most of our members have arrived, and we could easily take down those dragon slayers, so I thought I'd take a break... We wandered around the area and happened to see you standing here like an idiot, so we came over."

Sun Bumian's lips curled up, and the lion-like pupils behind his sunglasses looked at Chen Ling with a smile, and he said leisurely.