Chapter 539: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The towering wave was split from the center, like a curtain pulled aside. As the waves crashed onto the reef, fragments of white spray splashed more than ten meters away in an instant.

This time, Chen Ling was not sent flying.

He stood in the gap of the giant wave, and apart from the spray soaking his entire body, he was unaffected.

He slowly opened his tightly closed eyes, the anger and sorrow still lingering in his pupils, as if he hadn't yet emerged from the immersion.

"This is... 【Parting the Heavens with a Wave of the Sleeve】?"

Chen Ling looked down at his palm, repeatedly feeling the resonance from that moment. He seemed to understand what it felt like for the conviction Ning Ruyu described to be integrated into the Opera God Path.

The palm he had just swiped had a lethality stronger than his current full-power 【Judgment Court】, higher than Third-Rank, but whether it could contend with a Fourth-Rank domain remained unknown... Chen Ling could feel that the potential of this secret technique was far more than this.

As long as the immersion was deep enough and the resonance strong enough, the power of 【Parting the Heavens with a Wave of the Sleeve】 could be raised several times over. Of course, this level of immersion couldn't be achieved at any time; it required the right time, place, and people.

This was Chen Ling’s strongest trump card, but it couldn't be released at will. The wind-up was too long, and the lethality fluctuated... But this also meant its potential was extremely high.

As the waves on the reef receded, the scene around Chen Ling faded away bit by bit.

The sky and sea retracted rapidly, like paper folded by someone, and finally all converged into Ning Ruyu’s palm. Only Chen Ling, soaked through, stood before the Opera Path Ancient Vault, water stains still dripping from his hair and hem.

"Junior Brother, how do you feel?" Ning Ruyu put away the disc and smiled.

"...It’s wonderful." Chen Ling paused for a long time before lowering his hand. "However, I have already memorized this feeling."

"That’s for the best."

"The four basic secret techniques of singing, reciting, acting, and striking, plus 【Painting the Crimson Face】—you have mastered all the foundations of the Opera Path Ancient Vault... These will be things that accompany you forever, and they are a gift prepared for you by the sect.

With them, even if one day you are stripped of all your God Paths and skills, losing everything, these five secret techniques alone will give you combat power not inferior to any God Path...

They will accompany you until the very end."

Chen Ling turned around, looking at Ning Ruyu, Luan Mei, and Wenren You standing side by side, a flash of gratitude in his eyes.

He raised his hands again and bowed deeply to the three Senior Brothers and Sisters, and to the entire Opera Path Ancient Vault behind them:

"Thank you, Senior Brothers and Sisters, and please thank Fourth Senior Brother and Master for me... Chen Ling will always keep the kindness of the Opera Path in his heart."

"Junior Brother, be careful on your way to the Red Dust Domain," Luan Mei reminded him.

"Watch out for Wuji Jun, I understand."

"While you should watch out for Wuji Jun, he is one of the Nine Sovereigns after all, and he cannot easily leave while maintaining the stability of the Wuji Domain... Moreover, it shouldn't be that fast for him to take action against the Red Dust Domain; 【Floating Life Painting】 is not to be trifled with," Luan Mei added.

"Besides him, you must be even more careful about the Red Dust Domain itself.

The Red Dust is mesmerizing; don't be deceived by its appearance... Use your eyes well to see through the false and perceive the truth."

Hearing this, a flash of doubt crossed Chen Ling’s eyes. If Luan Mei was talking about the filth behind the false prosperity, he had already experienced it, but he always felt that Senior Sister was implying something else.

Ning Ruyu also said seriously:

"It shouldn't be long before the Red Dust Sovereign awakens... If people from the Wuji Domain really take action against the Red Dust, Junior Brother, don't get involved. The war between domains has nothing to do with us; there's no need to take risks.

Our goal is simply to recover the Red Dust Sovereign’s corpse and complete the domain funeral. It’s that simple."

Chen Ling nodded slightly. "I understand."

Chen Ling looked at the sky; it wouldn't be long before dark. He bowed to the three Senior Brothers and Sisters again to say goodbye, turned, and walked straight toward the exit of the Opera Path Ancient Vault.

As the bright red opera robe parted the curtain, his figure disappeared completely from the Opera Path Ancient Vault.

The three Senior Brothers and Sisters didn't leave but stood silently in place, watching the direction Chen Ling had left in, speechless... They seemed to be waiting for the curtain to be pulled back again, for Chen Ling to return and say with a helpless smile: "I thought about it carefully, and I’m not going after all."

The Opera Path Ancient Vault remained the same, and everything would be as comfortable and joyful as the past half year.

But unfortunately, the return they expected didn't happen.

They watched Chen Ling return to Ugly Peak, hug the Clown to say goodbye, and then take one last look at this place before returning to the Gray World alone, his figure disappearing at the end of the horizon.

A few minutes later, Ning Ruyu withdrew his gaze and let out a long sigh:

"...He really left."

"If Junior Brother had stayed safely in the Ancient Vault, he wouldn't be Junior Brother," Wenren You said slowly. "A fledgling bird must eventually spread its wings and fly, let alone an eagle like Junior Brother?"

"Alright, it’s not like he’s not coming back..." Luan Mei couldn't help but complain, looking at the melancholy Ning Ruyu. "Senior Brother, you’re really getting old; why are you acting like a mother?"

"??? Second Sister, now that Junior Brother is gone, you’re starting to get reckless, aren't you?"

"Hasn't she always been like this?" Wenren You stroked his chin. "When Junior Brother was here, she still kept up appearances... Now she’s probably tired of it."

Luan Mei glanced at him coldly. "When Junior Brother was here, you cooked seven or eight dishes a day... Today Junior Brother is gone, and you aren't allowed to cook a single dish less."

"Wouldn't that be a waste??"

"With Fifth Brother here, would it be a waste?"

"...That’s true."

After Luan Mei’s interruption, the originally oppressive and melancholy atmosphere finally became a bit more active. The three turned and walked back into the Opera Path Ancient Vault.

They passed through various areas and finally returned to the vast, lush grassland. Under the blue sky, the breeze blew, and six small houses sat in the distance, as if they were in a beautiful fairyland.

The three saw this scene and suddenly fell silent.

"Should these... continue?" Luan Mei turned to look at Ning Ruyu.

Ning Ruyu looked around with a complex expression and shook his head.

"This place was built for Junior Brother. Now that he’s gone, there’s no need to continue consuming the power of the Ancient Vault to maintain it. Let’s dissolve it... However, leave Junior Brother’s house."

Wenren You walked forward slowly, reached out to grab the grass beneath him, groped for a moment, and then, as if grabbing something, lifted it slowly.

The next moment, the snow-capped mountains in the distance began to fold and retract, and the blue sky and endless grassland converged into Wenren You’s palm like a tide.

The sky turned into a black roof, the grassland into a plain floor. In the dim light, wooden shelves surrounded the open space, some holding written scripts and operas, while others were empty...

Like a dreamlike scene in a movie, as the film ended, it gradually dissipated, and the surrounding environment returned to its original appearance.

Opera Path Ancient Vault, 【Text Area】.

Among the five empty wooden shelves, the "Home of the Sixth" where Chen Ling had lived for half a year stood. The colorful flags no longer danced in the wind, dim and lusterless among the dark bookshelves... as if the endless grassland had been nothing but a dream.

Three figures stood among the dark bookshelves like statues, silent.

At this moment, a disc in Wenren You’s palm flickered slightly:

——《The Secret Life of Walter Mitty》 (USA), Ben Stiller, 2013.