Chapter 158 - 121: Return to the Main World

Chapter 158: Chapter 121: Return to the Main World

Every wave here might have represented an entire world. The sheer magnificence of the scene was beyond description.

Before this great river, Chen Ye felt as insignificant as a speck of dust.

But the spectacular sight vanished in a flash.

The next moment, he felt himself plummeting, as if falling from an immense height at incredible speed.

...

A familiar, damp cold washed over him.

Chen Ye’s eyes snapped open. He was back on the worn-out, black-canopied boat on Black Water Lake.

He was surrounded by the familiar, perpetual mist, and the only sound was the monotonous lapping of lake water against the hull.

The dramatic tale of joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, from the Opera Realm felt like nothing more than a fleeting dream.

But he quickly suppressed these feelings.

One had to look forward, after all, especially in a treacherous place like the Main World.

Chen Ye slowly rowed his boat back to the docks, handed in the day’s quota of Spirit Pearls, and returned to the small town where he lived.

The small town remained as lifeless as ever. The last batch of new Sinful People had long since been "digested," which just meant a few more corpses in Black Water Lake and a few more women with numb eyes standing on street corners.

They scanned every passing man with hollow gazes, selling their bodies for a meager scrap of food.

Chen Ye kept his eyes fixed forward and walked straight back to his wooden cabin.

After shutting the door, Chen Ye went to the water vat and looked down at his reflection.

His face was still the same, yet his features seemed sharper and more handsome. His eyes, especially, were deep and spirited, and he carried a new, indescribable aura about him.

These were the changes that came from his time as a famed actor in the Opera Realm.

However, Chen Ye gave it only a single glance before dismissing it.

Around Black Water Lake, where a person’s life was worth less than a dog’s, good looks couldn’t be eaten.

’To survive, I have to rely on my own strength.’ With that thought, Chen Ye opened his Professional Panel.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Profession: Nightwalker (Level 3)]

[Talent: Shadow’s Son]

[Skills: Skillful Hand (Level 10), Fast Blade (Level 10), Roof Walking (Level 10), Stealth (Level 5), Throwing (Level 5)]

[Profession: Pearl Collector (Level 2)]

[Talents: Cold Resistance, Cow and Horse Body]

[Skills: Diving (Level 2), Spirit Clam Sensing (Level 2)]

[Profession: Divine-Seeing Grandmaster]

[Talent: Martial Dao Celestial Heart—With Heaven and Earth as the furnace and all creation as the material, the heart is the catalyst. You can refine all Martial Dao Myriad Techniques, shatter your shackles, and advance with indomitable courage.]

[Martial Arts: Wind-Slicing Saber Technique (Level 10), Mountain-Splitting Force (Level 10), Array-Breaking Fist (Level 10), Array-Breaking Step (Level 10)]

[Mirage Palace Actor: When your aria begins, towers rise from the earth; when your sleeves fall, an illusory sea is born from thin air. Your performance can construct an Illusion Realm where reality and illusion are indistinguishable, causing observers to lose themselves within and have their dreams turned upside down.]

[Talent: Illusionary Performance—You can infuse your Divine Thought into a performance, weaving an Illusion Realm indistinguishable from reality, making observers feel as if they are truly there and experiencing everything firsthand.]

[Skills: Dramatic Appearance (Level 10), Loyal Heroic Judgment (Level 5)]

[Boat of the Other Shore (Cooldown finished, can be activated again)]

Chen Ye’s heart leaped with joy. Not only had he brought back the Mirage Palace Actor Profession, but he had also inherited the Dramatic Appearance and Loyal Heroic Judgment Skills!

One was for perfect disguise, the other was a Spiritual Attack. Together, they covered his greatest weaknesses!

Against trash like Zhao Qiu, he could rely on his Nightwalker Body Technique to carry out an assassination.

But if he had to face an official disciple of the Blood Lotus Sect, a single random Magic spell from them could kill him before he even knew what happened.

But things were different now.

With the Mirage Palace Actor’s Illusion Techniques, he finally had the confidence to protect himself from those Cultivators—and maybe even turn the tables on them!

For the next several days, Chen Ye laid low.

He continued to take his small boat deep into the lake each day, calmly collecting just enough Spirit Pearls to meet his daily quota—no more, no less.

He spent the rest of his time hidden in deserted reed marshes or remote coves, practicing his new Skills over and over again.

By steadily turning in his quota each day, Chen Ye’s rank as a Sinful Person was finally raised again, from a Fourth-level Sinner to Level 5.

His daily food ration increased, the quality of his Exorcism Talismans improved significantly, and he was even allowed one day of rest per month.

This special treatment naturally drew the jealousy and envy of the other Sinful People.

But Chen Ye paid them no mind.

He knew that to truly escape this hopeless situation, these petty benefits were useless.

The only way out was to keep traveling to other worlds and growing stronger!

And Black Water Lake was the only place he knew of where he could reliably obtain Spirit Pearls to activate the Boat of the Other Shore.

If he left, he wasn’t sure he could find another suitable Spiritual Object.

So his plan was simple: keep a low profile, build up his power, and wait for the day he was strong enough to unleash his fury and uproot the damned Blood Lotus Sect entirely.

With this goal in mind, Chen Ye’s days passed in relative peace.

But this peace did not last long.

One day, Zhao He, the Outer Disciple in charge of their area, suddenly summoned all the Sinful People to the docks.

Everyone was filled with apprehension, wondering what new trouble was afoot.

Zhao He stood on a high platform at the docks and made two announcements.

First, effective immediately, he would no longer be managing this area. Second, he was here to introduce his replacement.

Watching Zhao He’s jubilant expression from below the platform, Chen Ye understood that he must have been promoted.

Even though he was only an Outer Disciple, anyone would fall into despair being stuck in this place day after day, dealing with Sinful People.

So, upon finally getting the chance to leave, Zhao He was naturally overjoyed.

Just then, with a flash of blood-red light, Zhao He’s replacement arrived.

When the crowd got a clear look at this person’s face, all the Sinful People, Chen Ye included, were stunned.

The newcomer was tall and slender, with a devastatingly beautiful face and an icy-cold aura. At the center of her brow was a Blood Lotus mark—it was none other than Li Qingyan, the very same woman who had come to the docks when the Exotic Spirit Pearl had appeared.