Chapter 571: The Hall

Meanwhile.

Inside the manor.

The sudden explosion plunged all the guests into panic. On one side were the raging ruins of the fire, and on the other, a chaotic battlefield tearing through the clouds like gods fighting... They scrambled to escape out the manor gates, the scene in utter chaos.

In the corner of the venue’s corridor, Li Qingshan watched the private residence that had completely turned into a sea of fire, his mouth hanging open involuntarily...

At this moment, he finally understood why Chen Ling said helping him destroy the contract was just a trivial matter.

In this sea of fire, neither the contract, nor the wealth, nor anything else could possibly survive... Even Mu Chunsheng himself might have been blown to bits on the spot.

"Miss, let’s go quickly!"

In the chaotic crowd, Uncle Quan pulled on Huang Suyu’s hem and said anxiously.

Huang Suyu pointed at the red figure on stage, wanting to say something, but Uncle Quan continued, "With the Special Envoy’s strength, how could he possibly be in danger? On the contrary, if we stay here, we’ll only hold him back... Miss, let’s go!"

Hearing the second half of the sentence, Huang Suyu came to her senses. She took one last deep look at Chen Ling before following Uncle Quan as they hurried outside.

"Sir!! Aren't you going to run??" Beside the stage, Kong Baosheng’s face was full of anxiety.

"You go first, I’ll be there in a moment."

"Sir, you’re being foolish! The terrorists have planted bombs in the manor; what if there are others besides the one that exploded? Your life is the most important thing!"

Chen Ling smiled slightly and patted Kong Baosheng on the shoulder. "Don't worry, there was only one bomb... You go first, I still have one final, crucial step to finish."

"What step??"

Chen Ling didn't answer, just shook his head silently. Seeing this, Kong Baosheng had no other choice. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Alright then, I’ll go back and start cooking... Sir! You must come back safe and sound!"

After saying that, Kong Baosheng hurried away into the distance.

Chen Ling stood up straight, his gaze drifting toward the place where the billowing smoke was rising. His fingertips fumbled with something inside his sleeve, and a moment later, a thin, light piece of skin he had been keeping for a long time appeared in his palm.

"Since it’s a play... one must perform the whole thing, right?" Chen Ling said with a smile.

……

Great World Dance Hall.

The roar of the explosion echoed from afar, and the ground of the entire street trembled involuntarily. The many guests immersed in singing and dancing looked toward the door in confusion, not knowing what had happened.

The many plainclothes police officers mixed in the crowd looked at each other and nodded slightly.

They took off their coats, stepped onto the dining tables, and shouted loudly while holding up their badges:

"Police Bureau, official business! All unrelated personnel, leave immediately!!"

"This is a suspected gathering place for Dusk Society members! If you want to live, run fast!!"

“……”

The guests at the dance hall were stunned. Among those swaying on the dance floor, nearly half were plainclothes officers, and even some of the waiters and chefs were stripping off their uniforms while pulling out guns, forcing everyone to leave immediately.

They never expected that the "brothers" they had been drinking and hugging with just moments ago would suddenly transform into police officers pointing guns at their heads. The entire scene descended into chaos, and the crowd surged out in a frenzy amidst screams.

Meanwhile, a figure carrying a giant calligraphy brush walked slowly into the dance hall, against the flow of the crowd.

It was a man in white, tall, estimated to be 1.9 meters. But at this moment, he had a giant calligraphy brush over two and a half meters long strapped diagonally across his back. It was thick and sturdy, looking from afar like a general carrying a halberd, walking through a chaotic battlefield.

Seeing this man, all the police officers present bowed their heads respectfully; no one even dared to look him in the eye.

"How is the situation?" The man stood beside the lead officer and said faintly.

"Sir, we have secretly searched the place, but haven't found anything critical... Following the Chief’s orders, we didn't dare to rush into Room 001, waiting for you to take charge."

The man nodded slightly. "The Beidou Manor is already under attack. Normally, the Dusk Society has mobilized its entire force, but we cannot rule out the possibility that other members are hiding here... Since we have decided to wipe out these Dusk Society members, we must pull them out by the roots to ensure no one escapes."

"But sir, if there are really remnants of the Dusk Society in the room, won't this large-scale evacuation alert them?"

"No matter." The man’s gaze drifted to the second floor. "I have already drawn a 'circle' around this dance hall. Even if they notice, they won't be able to escape."

"Sir is wise."

The man, carrying his brush, walked straight up the stairs toward Room 001 at the end of the corridor, with many police officers following closely behind.

The few officers trailing at the back looked at the giant brush on the man’s back, shock appearing in their eyes.

"Could this be..."

"I didn't expect even him to be dispatched. It seems the [Floating Life Painting] is truly vigilant to the extreme regarding the Dusk Society."

"What do you mean? Who is he?"

"Don't you know? Ordinary members of the [Floating Life Painting] have numbers and are called Architects. But above the ordinary members, there seem to be nine people, each wielding powerful abilities. They are called [The Hall]."

"Rumor has it that among these nine, there is a Third Seat who always wears white, carries an eight-foot ink brush, and can define a perimeter with a wave of his hand... The miracle 'Circle' is his handiwork."

"Doesn't that mean he is the third strongest in our Red Dust Realm?"

"Exactly... And I suspect that for this raid on the Dusk Society, most of the nine members of The Hall have been dispatched. The venue over there is probably even more lively."

“……”

Amidst the whispering, the man stopped at the door of Room 001, drew the eight-foot ink brush from his back with one hand, and waved it casually in front of him!

HUM——!!

A sharp explosion rang out in the air, a stroke of ink flashed through the void, and the door to the room instantly melted, exposing a dim, lightless room to everyone.

The man walked into the room carrying his ink brush, frowned as he smelled the scent inside, seemingly disgusted...

"No one here..."

He scanned the room and quickly locked onto the mysterious formation in the center of the floor. He leaned down and rubbed it hard, but couldn't wipe away even a fraction of the mysterious paint used to outline the patterns.

"This really is their stronghold." The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. "But... what exactly is this thing used for?"

Seeing no one here, the officers behind him finally breathed a sigh of relief. They entered the room to search carefully, but apart from some animal bones of unknown origin and some strange sacrificial tools, they found nothing of value.

"Sir, there is a deck of cards here?" An officer picked up a deck of cards from the corner by the door, as if it had been tossed aside carelessly.

"A deck of cards?"

The man raised an eyebrow, took the deck, poured out all the cards, and searched through them carefully for a moment.

"Three cards are missing..."

"Which three?"

"[Heart 6], [Spade 6], and [Heart 9]..." The man put the deck away. "It seems the identities of those people at the venue can already be confirmed."