Chen Ling was practicing mind-reading at this moment.

All of Xuan Ming’s thoughts were naturally presented in front of him:

(This person, seems to have been seen in the restaurant before?)

Chen Ling had been looking at her all along, so she naturally noticed. But there was no reaction, after all, her long white hair made her very conspicuous wherever she went.

“Why… are you…”

Xuan Ming was startled by Chen Ling’s kick.

He actually dared to make a move against the Star Leader?

(Who is this person after all? Could he be the strongest person in the dark mages?)

In theory, the strength of a Dark Curse Master can surpass that of a Forbidden Curse Master. However, over the years, no one has succeeded, not a single one.

Xuan Ming subconsciously thought that the person in front of her might be the only one who had surpassed the Forbidden Curse Master and become a god of the dark mages.

Chen Ling, however, smiled and said softly: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here to save you. I’m a good friend of the dark mages.”

After speaking, he reached out his hand: “Let me help you up.”

Hidden in the shadows, Chu Jian, upon hearing Chen Ling’s words, felt a chill run down her spine.

Chen Ling is a friend of the dark mages? Does that make him an enemy in this world?

An enemy with such formidable strength… that’s something she doesn’t want to face!

The combined strength of the Twelve Star Leaders wouldn’t be enough to fight against him alone. In this world, no one can possibly stop him.

However, Xuan Ming frowned upon hearing this and showed a disgusted expression: “Don’t touch me!”

Chen Ling: ???

Chu Jian: ???

Chen Ling suddenly laughed.

“I’m here to save you…”

“I don’t need your help! Don’t touch me!”

Cough!

Xuan Ming suddenly coughed up blood, glaring fiercely at Chen Ling.

The smile on Chen Ling’s face also disappeared.

“You’re asking for death if you’re not grateful, so go ahead and die.”

Cough…

Xuan Ming coughed up blood again, her eyes icy, and a mad smile on her face: “If you don’t kill me, there will come a day when I’ll kill you.”

Chen Ling: ???

This person seems to have some serious issues.

But it’s still puzzling, so he probed her memories.

Immediately, he understood what her problem was.

Twelve years ago, in a remote town in the Fire Country, what used to be a peaceful town turned into a scene of bloodshed due to the arrival of several dark mages. Corpses were strewn everywhere, limbs severed, and not a single living soul remained.

At that time, Xuan Ming was only six years old, a child sitting before the bodies of her parents, crying bitterly. Covered in the fresh blood of her loved ones.

“Mom… Dad… Wake up…” She cried out loud.

One of the dark mages present revealed a sadistic smile.

Suddenly, he kicked her aside and lifted her mother’s body.

“Ah! No! Mom!”

Prostrate on the ground, she cried out in pain, her sharp voice extremely unsettling.

However, the louder she cried, the happier the dark mage seemed to become. With a single palm, he pierced through her mother’s body, greedily sucking her blood.

Simultaneously, he absorbed the energy of the stars within her mother’s body. Xuan Ming wanted to rush to save her mother, but she was powerless. Every time she tried to rush forward, she would be kicked away by the dark mage, left bruised and battered.

In the end, she could only lie on the ground, unable to move. She watched as the dark mage slowly devoured her mother.

“Tsk tsk, what’s with that expression?” The dark mage burst into laughter, his face covered in blood, her mother’s blood.

“Do you want to try some too?” After saying that, he tore off a piece of flesh from her mother’s body and walked over to Xuan Ming with a maniacal laugh.

He grabbed her head.

Xuan Ming trembled all over, staring with wide eyes, whispering softly: “Don’t… don’t…”

The dark mage, however, burst into wild laughter and shoved the flesh directly into her mouth, using his magic power to carry the residual energy from her mother’s dantian into her body.

“Hahaha! Now you’ve eaten human flesh too.”

Afterward, he slammed her head onto the ground, burping contentedly:”Well, well~ I’m full, I’m full~.”

Then, he turned to look at Xuan Ming: “You can have the leftovers. Hahaha!”

“Ugh…” Xuan Ming vomited uncontrollably, vomiting until she lost consciousness, lying beside her mother’s corpse.

When she woke up, she remained motionless, her eyes filled with despair as she gazed at the azure sky.

Why did dark mages exist in this world?

Jet-black hair, once black, now white as snow; beauty as pure as snow, yet as sinister as bones.

A few days later, the dark mages were gone. They had absorbed the energy of everyone in the village. Only she was left, their twisted sense of amusement at work.

Every village they visited, they would leave a “lucky one” behind, nurturing them to become dark mages. And Xuan Ming was the fortunate one of this village.

In this world, consuming the flesh of a magic user contained a special energy. When ingested, it simultaneously absorbed the energy from the dantian of the human body. Human flesh, the energy of the host, and the inherent energy all mixed together, causing a mutation in the dantian’s magic energy.

Even though she vomited in time, she still absorbed some energy. This energy was enough to cause a mutation in her dantian, transforming her into a dark mage.

After becoming a dark mage, she didn’t follow the path of others, going around consuming people and absorbing energy. She still saw herself as a normal person, merely surviving.

Until one day, through a kind of magic energy device, she learned about her own curse.

[Parents’ tragic death, curse activated at age 6.]

Her worldview shattered once again.

Mom and Dad… it’s my fault they died.

If it weren’t for me, those dark mages might not have come, and my parents wouldn’t have died. In the end, why did I end up in this world…

She even suspected that in her previous life, she had offended some divine being, leading to her current circumstances.

Later, she embarked on the path of consuming dark mages as a way to atone for her sins.

After Chen Ling finished reading her memories, he sighed softly: “Nevermind, this person shouldn’t be bound…”

Though Xuan Ming was a dark mage and far from normal, her personality made Chen Ling feel that binding her would surely grant him bonus points if he could. When she consumed dark mages, she would undoubtedly feel a sense of redemption.

Chen Ling could even imagine the voice prompt from his quirky system: “Ding~ Xuan Ming’s soul has received brief redemption, points +1 billion~”

It would surely be like that, and that would be a nightmare.

“Do you want to die? If you do, I can kindly send you on your way. Actually, I’m not a dark mage, nor am I a good friend of any dark mage.”

Xuan Ming hesitated: “You’re not a dark mage?! Then you…”

But before she could finish, she closed her eyes, tears streaming down: “Kill me, I’m… a dark mage.”

After saying that, tears welled up even more, and the images of her parents’ bodies once again appeared in her mind. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out.

Inner thoughts: (Mom, Dad, I’ve repaid my debts. Will you welcome me in that world? In my next life, I want to be your child again… I really want to.)

Even her innermost thoughts were visible to Chen Ling, and several runes floated around her.

It was the first time he had used spells to attack someone intentionally. He deliberately let Xuan Ming see it. He knew that she longed for release.

She had lived a burdensome life for so many years. But her wish wasn’t to die by the hands of dark mages; she desired to die by the hands of legitimate magic users.

To have her life ended by a magic user would be her way of repaying all her sins. So, today, he would do a good deed and grant her transcendence.

Beside them, Chu Jian couldn’t make sense of this dramatic turn of events. Because she had no idea what Xuan Ming had been through.

Just then, Xuan Ming suddenly spoke: “Thank you…”

Chen Ling nodded slightly and said calmly: “By consuming so many dark mages, due to your existence, you might have saved countless families. You can continue to save them.”

“Let me ask you one last time, do you really want to end it?”

Xuan Ming opened her eyes, looking at the golden runes floating around Chen Ling. She gave a gentle smile and nodded, then closed her eyes: “Come, I’m not deserving of life.”

Chu Jian: ????

What are they talking about?

Before she could process this, a burst of terrifying firelight erupted before her eyes.

In the midst of that blaze, Chu Jian seemed to see Chen Ling talking to Xuan Ming. But she couldn’t hear what they were saying, as if she had suddenly gone deaf.

However, Xuan Ming clearly heard, as she showed a shocked expression.