Chapter 633: Promotion Performance

This performance came even faster than Chen Ling had expected.

He looked down and saw that he was standing on the third step of this twisted divine path. He had ascended quite a distance from the first step at the bottom of the abyss and was a little closer to the flickering star in the sky... but this was still too insignificant compared to the height he still needed to climb.

Behind Chen Ling, a completed performance was crossed out, becoming a thing of the past in the script:

[Complete a thrilling murder performance witnessed by at least 2,000 people]

Chen Ling clearly remembered that it had taken him nearly half a year from stepping onto the third stage to seeing that performance requirement... and from completing that performance until now, less than two months had passed.

Now, he was already standing on the threshold of the fourth stage; he only needed to complete the final performance to be promoted.

At a normal pace, Chen Ling would have needed at least half a year to finish the second half of the third stage, just like the first half. But after he slaughtered the Jiangtian cultists and devoured a small portion of the Red Star aura, his mental power grew explosively, shortening this process to two months.

And this didn't mean that the Red Star aura could only help him cross this small portion... Normally, after digesting this Red Star aura, Chen Ling would not only be able to step onto the fourth stage but also take a big step forward on it. However, due to the existence of the performance conditions, he was stuck here. Without completing the performance, no matter how high his total mental power was, he couldn't be promoted. This was the flaw of the Twisted Divine Path.

But Chen Ling could feel that a large amount of mental power remained in the divine path under his feet. As long as he could complete the performance and be promoted to the fourth stage, this mental power would still help him progress rapidly.

Chen Ling took a deep breath and focused his gaze on his feet, where a brand-new performance condition appeared before his eyes:

[Complete a hearty interactive performance with the participation of the 'audience']

Chen Ling stood frozen in place.

He read this passage over and over several times, his expression becoming strange.

Chen Ling understood every word here, but combined, they left him somewhat confused... Especially the four words "audience participation," which left him scratching his head.

Which "audience"? How to participate??

And "hearty interactive performance"—setting aside "hearty," which was another adjective extremely difficult to control; the "interactive performance" part... was it interacting with the "audience"?

If the "interactive audience" here referred to passersby watching the fun during his performance, or the audience clapping below, it would be easy to handle—as long as he invited them on stage to have some dialogue or roleplay, that would count as interaction... But Chen Ling didn't think this performance would be that simple.

What he feared was that the "audience" here meant...

Chen Ling didn't dare to think further. He could feel that on both sides of this twisted divine path, there were pairs of scarlet eyes, smiling like crescent moons, looking at him playfully.

Chen Ling let out a long sigh. He could feel that his promotion to the fourth stage probably wouldn't be that easy...

The twisted divine path gradually dissipated, and the surrounding scene returned. Chen Ling felt his vision blur, and he was back in "Guernica."

Trapped inside, Chen Ling had no other choice but to keep walking aimlessly forward while thinking about the conditions for the promotion performance...

I don't know how long passed, but in the vast void, the outline of a massive giant object emerged directly in front of Chen Ling.

It was a pale, giant face outlined by simple lines. All the features were abstract and childish, with an inexplicable sense of eeriness... It floated in the air, its mouth opening and closing as if calling out something, drifting slowly toward Chen Ling like a weightless balloon.

Chen Ling: "???"

Seeing such an abstract and uncoordinated giant face, Chen Ling's heart tightened, and he subconsciously gripped the boning knife in his sleeve. He knew the cage the Second Hall Master had prepared for him wouldn't be that simple...

Against the backdrop of this giant face, Chen Ling's size was as small as an ant, and as it approached, an indescribable emotion surged from the bottom of Chen Ling's heart.

Fear, grief, hatred, pleading... It was as if some invisible demon was chasing him from behind. At this moment, Chen Ling could even hear a small part of the pleas—it was the most primitive desire for survival from life.

At the same time, Chen Ling's own features distorted involuntarily, revealing fear and grief. Although not as exaggerated as that giant face, the emotions revealed were almost completely overlapping.

Chen Ling had never encountered such a situation. He could only endure the out-of-control emotions in his heart while gripping his knife and watching the giant face float over his head, ready to strike at any time... Fortunately, this giant face didn't seem to have any intention of attacking him; it just drifted quietly over Chen Ling and gradually moved away.

At the same time, Chen Ling's emotions slowly returned to calm, but his eyes remained fixed on this face.

"What the hell is this..." Chen Ling frowned. "It can affect people's emotions just by getting close? Is it a creature kept in this cage?"

Chen Ling didn't understand the meaning of such a creature's existence. Just as he was about to look away, a detail suddenly flashed across his eyes.

On the edge of the drifting giant face, there was an "arrow" the size of a pinky fingernail, as if drawn on by a pen. And as the giant face moved, the direction of this "arrow" was actually rotating slowly. At first glance, it looked no different from a compass!

If Chen Ling's eyes didn't have such a strong perception of these details, he probably wouldn't have discovered its existence at all. And at this moment, below the "arrow," there was another familiar pattern...

It was the black [Club] from a deck of playing cards.

……

Red Dust Main City.

A young girl in a black dress walked slowly through the ruins.

Corpses and rubble filled the road, and a breeze carrying dust brushed against the girl's gorgeous dress. Liu Qingyan listened to the sounds of disaster and battle coming from afar, as quiet as an outsider detached from the world.

In Liu Qingyan's mind, Chen Ling's backward glance would occasionally surface. Although she didn't understand his intention, Liu Qingyan chose to trust Chen Ling... She didn't leave this dangerous area, but after a brief hesitation, walked straight toward the Jinghong Building.

Choosing to go to the Jinghong Building was mainly because Liu Qingyan didn't know where to go or what to do now. The Jinghong Building was a place related to Chen Ling; perhaps there would be some clues there?

While thinking, Liu Qingyan stepped into the street intersecting with the "Ghost Mockery Abyss." However, now that all the Grey Realm intersections had been sealed by the Second Hall Master, no new disasters appeared. The street where the Jinghong Building was located was the best-preserved place within dozens of kilometers.

Liu Qingyan walked along the street, and just then, as if she had sensed something, she suddenly stopped.

In the flying dust, several figures approached her from different directions. Some of these people were extremely tall, some had sinister appearances, and some had long wolf-tail hairstyles. They didn't look like good people at all...

"Hello." The tallest one rubbed his fingertips in the void, and a Jack of Clubs was conjured out of thin air.

"Excuse me, are you Liu Qingyan?"