Chapter 636: War Painting

Chen Ling nodded slightly.

"'Guernica' is an anti-war painting created by a very famous painter in the 20th century before the Great Catastrophe, based on the fascist disaster." Club 8 spoke slowly.

"In this painting, the city is attacked by foreign enemies, and innocent residents are slaughtered crazily... Everything you saw along the way, people, cattle, horses, all are victims of this disaster."

Chen Ling suddenly realized.

No wonder every giant object he saw earlier looked like it was being chased by something, with faces full of terror and despair. Chen Ling had thought there was some terrifying creature in this painting, but now it seemed the "monster" chasing them was "war" itself, which was invisible.

"This painting was taken out of the Qingdao Ancient Treasury by Lu Liangren, the Third Hall Master. The painting contains an independent space, and the emotions of these victims in the painting will spread outward in a form similar to radiation, making those who are in it feel the same."

"You just came in, so the situation isn't serious yet... If you stay here for a long time, it's useless even if you deliberately stay away from those guys. Their influence covers the entire painting, and even if you are far away, you will be affected a little. As time passes, this influence will accumulate in your body, thereby completely affecting your mind."

"No wonder..."

Chen Ling recalled his previous experience. It was indeed as Club 8 said; he would be affected after getting close to them. However, now that the distance had increased, he didn't seem to feel anything unusual... Was it because the time wasn't long enough?

This didn't matter to Chen Ling anymore. Let alone staying here for months, if he couldn't get out within 24 hours, he would be bored to death, and then the "audience" would turn everything upside down.

"Then are you... okay now?" Chen Ling looked at the haggard Club 8 and couldn't help but ask.

Club 8 squeezed out a bitter smile. He pulled at the wall behind him, and the white wall skin drifted down like a canvas, revealing a wall covered with messy lines and figures to Chen Ling.

"I haven't slept for over three months." Club 8 pointed to the wall, where a realistic pendulum clock was drawn in the corner, its hands moving with the seconds, and next to it were deep pen marks, as if used to record the days.

"Every time I close my eyes, the despair and pain of war drown me... I feel like I'm being chased by something invisible, just like those things outside."

Club 8 let out a long sigh.

"In the eyes of the Floating Life Painting, the Dusk Society is the source of the realm's destruction, the engine of disaster. Therefore, the Second Hall Master threw both of us in here, partly to trap us, and partly to use the suffering of these wars as punishment... This kind of mental torture is far more terrifying than physical torture."

"What a... disaster for no reason." Chen Ling complained.

"It can't be called a disaster for no reason; after all, I did betray the Floating Life Painting... They didn't kill me directly, which is already very nostalgic."

"Then what should we do to escape here?"

"Escape?"

Club 8 shook his head. "You can't escape... 'Guernica' is said to be transformed from a part of the Qingdao Divine Path's foundation, nearly perfect. It can only be unfolded from outside the painting; whatever happens inside the painting will not affect the outside world."

"You mean this cage can't be opened from the inside no matter what? It can only be started from the outside?"

"Yes, but 'Guernica' has always been kept by the Second Hall Master himself. It is absolutely impossible for him to take the initiative to open the painting and let us out."

“……”

Chen Ling looked at his audience expectation, his face looking ugly.

If this was the case, Chen Ling's current situation was too passive... He hadn't expected this to be the situation after entering "Guernica." Fortunately, he and Club 8 were not without backing.

Chen Ling had left Liu Qingyan as a backup. It shouldn't be difficult for the Dusk Society to follow the clues and find the Red Dust base... The only problem was whether they could infiltrate the base and snatch "Guernica" back from the Second Hall Master.

Chen Ling could only pray silently, hoping they could rescue him within 24 hours...

Otherwise, when the audience expectation was exhausted, everyone would be finished!

……

"The Red Dust base is actually in the Grey Realm?"

Jian Changsheng followed behind Liu Qingyan, looking at the grey-white world around him, his eyes full of shock.

"This is indeed unexpected." Jack of Clubs was equally puzzled. "I've walked through several realms and have never heard of separating the base from the realm... Red Dust is an exception."

"So why do this? Was it Sovereign Red Dust's decision, or the decision of others in the Red Dust base?"

"That I don't know... Perhaps you should ask Club 8; he was the former Ninth Hall Master."

"No, he won't say." Heart 9 suddenly spoke up.

The others looked at him in confusion.

"That kid is very stubborn... or rather, too principled." Heart 9 shrugged.

"He has been in the Dusk Society for a few years. He can go through fire and water to complete tasks, but he has never been willing to reveal even a word of the Floating Life Painting's secrets... In his words, the Floating Life Painting gave him a chance. Regardless of whether what they do is meaningful, he will not do anything to betray the Floating Life Painting."

"Even you won't tell?" Jack of Clubs raised his eyebrows slightly. "You can be considered his half-master, right? Aren't you two the closest?"

"That has nothing to do with it... I said, this is his personality." Heart 9 said jokingly, "Perhaps, this is the stubbornness unique to a 'genius'."

"Since he is so grateful to the Floating Life Painting, why betray them?" Jian Changsheng asked back.

"Betray? No, he didn't betray them... He just gave up the title of Ninth Hall Master himself and then left the Red Dust base.

Of course, he was then pulled into the Dusk Society by me. With these two pieces of news coming out at the same time, it naturally gives the feeling that 'the Ninth Hall Master was recruited by the Dusk Society and betrayed the Floating Life Painting'."

"So that's it. No wonder he became so nervous when he heard that the Red Dust Realm might be the next to be destroyed, and ran to the Red Dust Main City without a word..." Jian Changsheng thought thoughtfully.

"However, I still don't understand. Club 8 is the number one genius of the Qing Divine Path, the youngest Hall Master in history. Why would he leave the Floating Life Painting for no reason?"

"I'm not sure about the specifics..."

Heart 9 pondered for a moment. "However, he seemed to disagree with some things about the Floating Life Painting, so he wanted to find a solution himself."

"...Did he find it?"

"I don't know if he found the solution." Heart 9 grinned. "Anyway... I was found by him."