Chapter 628: The Relief Gate

"The Second?" Chen Ling shook his head decisively, "I don't want to see the Second, I want to see your Chief."

"...You're even being picky?"

"I want to see the Chief, I will only talk to him." Chen Ling repeated.

Since Chen Ling had gone to such great lengths to infiltrate the Red Dust Base, naturally, the higher the level of the people he contacted, the better. Just like Chen Ling’s proposal earlier, it required reporting to a superior for the Eighth Hall, while that Third Hall member, Lu Liangren, only needed to say a word to change his situation.

Besides, since this Chief could have a place of his own in the Gray Realm, Chen Ling also wanted to see who on earth he was.

"You can't see the Chief, not just you, we other halls can't see him either."

"Why?"

"There is no why." Yang Muquan seemed displeased with Chen Ling’s arrogant attitude and reminded him in a deep voice, "Heart of Hearts 6, Chen Ling, don't forget, you are a prisoner now, you don't have the right to pick and choose."

Chen Ling raised his eyebrows slightly and didn't speak, but secretly noted this intelligence about the Chief Hall.

It was reasonable not to let him see the Chief, but saying that other halls couldn't see him either was interesting... Either it meant the Chief Hall was extremely arrogant and reclusive, unwilling to contact outsiders, or... the Chief was in poor condition and unable to receive others?

Chen Ling continued to move forward. This corridor was longer than he expected. It took about three or four minutes before he saw the first intersection.

This was a spacious forecourt, with corridors extending from the left and right sides. Under the huge hollow dome, several golden rays of light were cast down, just like the outline of light drawn casually by someone with a paintbrush, dyeing the dim dome with a touch of pale gold, making it look exceptionally sacred and beautiful.

Several young people in blue robes, each with a drawing board on their backs, seemed to be gathered together discussing something. Seeing Yang Muquan walking here, they consciously made way and respectfully shouted:

"Old Yang."

"...How many times have I said it, am I old?"

"Yang... Teacher Yang, hello."

Everyone looked at each other, and after awkwardly testing each other, they changed their titles in an uncoordinated manner.

Yang Muquan was too lazy to argue with them and walked straight ahead. At the same time, the eyes of these young people naturally fell on the bright red opera robe behind him.

This opera robe was really glaringly bright in the Red Dust Base, but what was even more impressive was that young and handsome face.

Everyone looked at this strange actor in surprise and whispered to each other. Two of the girls even had blushes on their cheeks and couldn't help but look at Chen Ling a few more times.

While they were looking at Chen Ling, Chen Ling was also looking at them. These people were generally in their teens, and their bodies emitted a faint aura of the Divine Path. They were probably around Tier 1, and the highest was no more than Tier 2. If nothing went wrong, they should all be possessors of the Blue Divine Path.

Are they the Blue Divine Path specially cultivated by the Floating Life Painting? The next generation of successors?

Chen Ling remembered hearing someone say before that the Floating Life Painting would regularly take some children to the Blue Path Ancient Treasury for trials. If someone stepped onto the Blue Divine Path, they would be absorbed by the Floating Life Painting, completely severing their connection with the mortal world, as if they had evaporated from the world... Now it seemed that these young people were all secretly cultivated here.

Chen Ling noticed their curious eyes and curled his lips into a very friendly smile, as harmless as the warm sun in winter.

Under this smile, those young people subconsciously let down their guard. The cheeks of several girls became even redder. Just as they were about to say something to Chen Ling, Yang Muquan frowned.

"Don't approach him, he is Heart of Hearts 6 of the Dusk Agency!"

As soon as this sentence came out, everyone’s faces were instantly terrified. They stepped back several steps, looking at Chen Ling as if they were looking at some extremely dangerous beast.

Seeing this, Chen Ling shrugged in boredom and continued to walk forward slowly.

【Audience expectation +1】

The Red Dust Base was completely different from the Aurora Base. There were no stern guards, no strict floor divisions, only members of the Floating Life Painting walking through it, and apprentices in blue robes; Chen Ling couldn't feel the slightest "base" temperament from it. This place was more like an art-filled museum.

After passing through several corridors, the number of Floating Life Painting members Chen Ling encountered on the road became fewer and fewer. He seemed to have reached the depths of the Red Dust Base. He looked up, and on the semi-hollow dome, a huge petal had covered the gray sky.

According to Chen Ling’s understanding, the Red Dust Domain was currently hidden in that inconspicuous flower, and the Red Dust Base was the green leaf protecting the flower. Now the position he was in should be close to the root of this flower, directly below the flower. The closer he got to the flower, the more core it was.

And the facts were just as Chen Ling expected. After Yang Muquan took him to the end of an unmanned corridor, a magnificent gate seven or eight stories high appeared before his eyes.

This was a gate cast entirely of giant stone, with reliefs carved on the surface, dazzling at a glance... Chen Ling stood at the door, and an inexplicable sense of oppression shrouded his shoulders. He felt that his entire perspective was constantly extending to the surroundings, as if the wide angle was pulled to the extreme, and he himself was as small as an ant.

Chen Ling frowned slightly and carefully examined the relief gate. It seemed to be engraved with a piece of history, but this relief was too huge. In a hurry, Chen Ling could only see some relatively conspicuous and familiar elements...

Rivers, willow banks, flower fields, cities; black meteors falling from the sky, huge clouds expanding like mushrooms; fiery red ruins, crying crowds; in the center of the relief, a long-haired figure with his back to Chen Ling stood tall, occupying almost one-fifth of the area of the relief gate, standing between heaven and earth;

His (her) hands were raised to the sky, a blooming flower bloomed in the flames, and countless tiny figures knelt and prostrated at his (her) feet...

After that, Chen Ling couldn't understand it;

Those were some complex and disordered lines, intertwined with each other. Among them, there seemed to be things like tracks extending out, and countless figures stood on both sides of the tracks, with their hands on their chests, not knowing what they were doing.

What puzzled Chen Ling was that in the center of this relief gate, there was also a blank picture frame hanging, like a giant lock, locking the gate here.

"Is what's on this door the history of the Red Dust Base?" Chen Ling asked proactively.

"...That has nothing to do with you." Yang Muquan said calmly, "What you should think about now is to say what you know as soon as possible, the Second Hall is waiting for you."

"If you don't open the door, how can I talk to him?"

"No need to open the door."

Yang Muquan raised his hand and pointed to the blank picture frame in the center of the relief gate,

"It is the Second Hall."