Chapter 1451: Era "Save"

Chen Ling had a dream.

He dreamed he was back in Shennongjia, back in the tent amidst the rainy night.

The stove burned in the center of the tent. Lu Xun, Yang Xiao, Su Zhiwei, Ji Xuan, Lou Yu, Qi Muyun, Wen Ruoshui, Wu Tongyuan… everyone was gathered around, earnestly discussing how to save the world, right before Chen Ling's eyes.

Wu Tongyuan was shrinking back, Ji Xuan was annoyed, Lou Yu was silent, Lu Xun was smiling… Everything unfolded methodically, just as Chen Ling remembered.

But the next second, the fire in the tent's stove suddenly went out.

Cold and darkness filled the entire tent. The sounds of laughter and discussion vanished from Chen Ling's ears. He stood up in a daze, only to find himself completely alone…

Chen Ling rushed to the tent entrance, wanting to search for the missing people, but the next moment, a figure who shouldn't have been there blocked his path at the entrance.

"Chen Ling, you shouldn't be here." Under the pale light, Chu Changqing's eyes gleamed with a sinister intensity.

Chen Ling instinctively stepped back, his gaze passing over Chu Changqing's shoulder to the open ground outside the tent.

He saw that the people who had just disappeared from the tent were now scattered across the open ground outside. The heavy rain drenched them, but they remained motionless, their eyes fixed on Chen Ling, who was trapped inside the tent, with complex and unfamiliar gazes.

"Chen Ling, you shouldn't be here."

The voice, accompanied by booming thunder, exploded in Chen Ling's ears!

Chen Ling jolted awake from his dream!!

A biting cold wind swept in from the edge of the grey world, making Chen Ling, drenched in cold sweat, shiver. He remained stunned for a long time before finally regaining his senses…

Then, a somewhat familiar fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

"Lord Chen Ling, you're awake?"

Chen Ling looked down and saw a familiar young woman carrying him on her back, walking step by step through the desolate grey realm amidst the swirling snow.

"Liu Qingyan?"

Chen Ling immediately struggled to get off her back, but the moment his feet touched the ground, his legs weakened, and he nearly collapsed again.

Fortunately, Liu Qingyan reacted quickly and steadied him:

"Lord Chen Ling, Master said you've overexerted yourself too much and can't move freely yet."

"…It's fine, I feel much better."

Now that Chen Ling was awake, he naturally couldn't be so shameless as to let Liu Qingyan continue carrying him. He would walk himself, even if he had to grit his teeth. He looked back, realizing he could no longer see the outline of the Aurora Realm. He had no idea how long the young woman had been carrying him while he was unconscious.

"Why are you here?"

"Master sent me to find you."

"Master?"

Chen Ling followed Liu Qingyan's gaze and saw a grey-robed figure standing on the desolate ground not far away, quietly watching them, like a serene and clear moon.

With Chen Ling's current strength, he hadn't detected her presence at all until now.

"Red Heart 6, Chen Ling, greets the Grey King."

Chen Ling raised his hand, preparing to bow in salute. After all, he was still a member of the Twilight Society, and the Grey King was its second-in-command and a high-ranking senior. Proper etiquette was essential.

But the next second, the grey-robed figure appeared before him like a ghost, steadily catching Chen Ling's hand as he prepared to bow.

"You don't need to bow to me." The Grey King paused for a moment, then added,

"From now on, you don't need to bow to anyone."

Chen Ling froze.

He found the Grey King's words strange but couldn't pinpoint why. After a moment's hesitation, he asked,

"Senior Grey King, why are you here?"

"I came specifically to find you."

"Find me? For what?"

The Grey King was silent for a moment. "To take you to see… your Master."

The confusion in Chen Ling's eyes deepened.

"Didn't he ascend to the Red Star? Has he returned already?"

"…" The Grey King didn't answer. She simply gave Chen Ling a deep look, then turned and walked in a certain direction. "Come with me. When you see him… you'll understand."

Seeing that the Grey King was unwilling to answer, Chen Ling turned to look at Liu Qingyan…

Liu Qingyan shook her head at him blankly.

"…Alright."

Chen Ling had no other choice but to follow the Grey King. Liu Qingyan followed with small steps, quietly trailing behind Chen Ling.

The direction the Grey King was heading was not the Ancient Archive of Theatrical Arts. Chen Ling checked the map in his mind and found that the destination didn't seem to be any human realm either… She said she was taking him to see the Red King, but where was the Red King?

Chen Ling didn't know and didn't ask further. The Grey King seemed disinclined to discuss it, simply walking in silence.

Time passed, minute by minute.

Chen Ling's thoughts soon returned to the dream he had just had.

Everything about the Era Archive lingered in his mind like a curse, making him ponder deeply. Just then, his peripheral vision caught sight of the Grey King's back…

Wait.

Wasn't the Grey King once an owner of an Era Archive?

If so, why not just ask her directly?

"Senior Grey King, regarding the Era Archive… I have some questions," Chen Ling couldn't help but say.

The Grey King turned her head to look at him, her gaze complex. It was as if she had already guessed Chen Ling would ask this question. After a moment of silence, she nodded:

"Ask whatever questions you have."

"Can the Era Archive change the past?"

"Of course not," the Grey King shook her head decisively. "If the Era Archive could easily change the course of history, wouldn't everything be in chaos? If our Twilight Society truly had that ability, why would we only be at our current stage…?"

Chen Ling's heart sank, and his mind went blank for a moment…

"Then what exactly is the Era Archive?"

The Grey King countered, "What is the goal of our Twilight Society?"

Chen Ling was startled, then answered without hesitation, "To reverse the era, to restart the world."

"The Era Archive is exactly what its name implies: it is an 'archive' or 'save file'. As such, it cannot change established historical trajectories…

Its purpose is to overwrite existing history with the 'reality' recorded in the archive at a specific juncture…

Which is what we strive for… reversing the era, restarting the world."

Chen Ling's brows furrowed tightly.

He recalled Chu Muyun mentioning something similar when he first joined the Twilight Society… but at the time, he hadn't understood what "overwriting history" meant. More importantly, Yang Xiao and the others' subsequent attitudes toward him made him question the true capabilities of this thing.

After all, if the archive was merely an archive, how would Yang Xiao and the others recognize him??

"But the Nine Lords of this era, clearly…"

Chen Ling stopped mid-sentence as a thought flashed like lightning, a possibility he had never considered before, exploding in his mind like thunder!!

"Wait, are you saying…"

"The world we are in now has been restarted more than once??"

"The Nine Lords I've met in this era aren't the Nine Lords I saw in the Era Archive… but rather the Nine Lords from the previous world who were connected to the previous Era Archive owner?!"

Chen Ling's mind buzzed. He found this idea utterly absurd and full of logical inconsistencies!

If that were the case, many things simply wouldn't make sense!

"I know what you're thinking," the Grey King said again.

"Chen Ling…"

"Your choices in the Era Archive weren't changing the past of the Nine Lords in this world…"

"You were paving the way for their future in the next world."