Chapter 680: Watching the Fire from Across the River

"Liu Town is just ahead."

Chen Ling looked at the familiar outlines of the houses in the distance and spoke calmly.

"Finally here." Jian Changsheng stretched his shoulders. "We've basically crossed most of the Red Dust, right? If we hadn't arrived soon, I would've walked my legs off."

"But this Liu Town doesn't look any different from the other towns..."

"No."

Jack of Clubs narrowed his eyes, his gaze landing on a nearby withered tree. If one looked closely, they could see extremely fine threads swaying in the wind on its surface.

"The Red Dust illusion here has shattered, but beneath the skin of the illusion, something seems to be hidden."

Bai Ye nodded slightly:

"These threads retain the aura of that Chief of the Green God Path. They must have been hidden here centuries ago, before the Floating Life Painting began creating illusions... It seems that Chief valued this place highly."

"What's so special about this place that the Chief would leave behind measures?" Jian Changsheng frowned. "And, if we go in, won't we be treated as enemies and attacked directly?"

"Unlikely. These threads seem to have a specific trigger mechanism. As long as we don't act rashly, we'll be fine."

"It seems Six of Hearts was right; this really is the safest place."

The group walked slowly along the dim bluestone path. The surrounding houses were empty, and the entire town lacked any sign of life.

Chen Ling scanned his surroundings, his expression complex.

This was his third time entering Liu Town.

The first time he came, Chen Ling had just escaped from the Aurora Realm, a living hell. He was surprised to find such a pure land in this chaotic wasteland. The second time, he was a prisoner of the Floating Life Painting; the scenery remained, but it was shrouded in mystery. The third time, everything had changed beyond recognition.

Chen Ling had witnessed the blade of the era peel away the mask of the Red Dust, finally exposing the cruel truth beneath the beautiful skin... In a sense, he was the witness to it all.

"The situation at the Red Dust Main City doesn't look good."

Chu Muyun looked at the sea of fire in the distance, his brow furrowed.

"The Floating Life Painting only has so many people. How can they hold out against the Sorcery Association and the attacks of those silver monsters?" Bai Ye shook his head. "Even if they gather all their combat power and use the terrain of the main city to defend, it's hard to hold on for long...

Unless the Chief of the Floating Life Painting suddenly breaks through and kills the Wuji Monarch, the extinction of the Red Dust Realm is a foregone conclusion."

"This Realm Funeral is going to be a big job..."

"Let's find a place to rest first. When things are settled at the main city, it'll be our turn to work."

The group found an empty house with an open door and settled in. Compared to the main city with its towering flames, this place was as quiet as an isolated island.

Liu Qingyan did not enter the house. She looked toward a certain direction in Liu Town, her face full of worry and unease. After bidding Chen Ling a temporary farewell, she hurried off.

Chen Ling knew something of Liu Qingyan's background. Her family had gone bankrupt years ago due to poor management, leaving behind massive debts. Her parents fell ill and couldn't pay, so Liu Qingyan's income in the Red Dust Main City was mostly used to pay off her father's debts. The reason she followed the Twilight Society to Liu Town was simply because her home was here.

Eight of Clubs, Nine of Hearts, and Liu Qingyan left one after another. The once-large Twilight Society team suddenly felt sparse, and Chen Ling had no heart to sit and wait.

Dressed in a bright red opera robe, he stood at the doorway of the house, his gaze drifting toward the direction of Li Qingshan's home.

Chen Ling and the others had spent a lot of time on the road. Barring any accidents, Li Qingshan, Huang Suyue, Kong Baosheng, and the others should have arrived in Liu Town long ago and gathered at Li Qingshan's place.

"I'm going out for a bit."

Chen Ling walked into the drizzling rain.

……

Chen Ling walked alone along the familiar bluestone path.

He remembered this road. When he had fainted in the forest and was rescued by Li Qingshan, the creaking cart had passed through here... The "Red-Maned Steed" that the figure in the green robe had sung seemed to still echo in his memory, but now, all he saw was desolation and silence.

The Red Dust was gone, never to return.

Just as Bai Ye said, the extinction of the Red Dust was almost a certainty. From Chen Ling's perspective, this made Eight of Clubs' decision to step forward even more meaningless.

Knowing that a war is extremely difficult to win, knowing that intervening won't change anything, why rush to do it? As the top genius of the Green God Path, his future was clearly bright, yet he insisted on risking his life... Chen Ling truly couldn't understand.

Watching the Red Dust go extinct, recovering the corpses of the Nine Monarchs, completing the mission step by step, and finally reversing the era... That was the most efficient, direct, and secure way.

Chen Ling didn't care about the lives of those in the Red Dust, nor did he want to be bound by emotions like Eight of Clubs...

He only wanted to move toward the final goal as efficiently as possible.

Drip—drop—

The drizzle rolled off the withered branches, creating ripples in the puddles.

Chen Ling stopped in front of the door to Li Qingshan's house.

He looked around, his brow furrowing involuntarily...

"What's going on... hasn't Huang Suyue arrived yet?"

As the chairwoman of the Huang Consortium, Huang Suyue wouldn't have fled alone; she should have at least brought Uncle Quan, some bodyguards, and some assets... Chen Ling had assumed she would come by car, but looking around, there wasn't a single vehicle in Liu Town.

He pushed his doubts aside for the moment and knocked gently. The crisp sound echoed through the courtyard, shaking a withered branch off the tree by the door.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

After waiting for half a minute, there was still no movement behind the door.

Chen Ling's brow furrowed deeper. He pushed the door open with force. With a low creak, an empty, deserted courtyard was revealed before him.

"...No one?" Chen Ling was stunned.

He subconsciously looked up at the sky. By his calculations, even if Li Qingshan and the others were slow, they should have arrived by now... How could there be no one?

Li Qingshan had already stepped onto the Play God Path and could easily escape with Kong Baosheng; Huang Suyue should have had divine path bodyguards, so she shouldn't have met with disaster...

Could they have encountered something on the road that delayed them?

Chen Ling hesitated for a moment, then sat on a wooden chair in the courtyard, his eyes fixed on the gate, waiting.

Chen Ling felt that since he had told them Liu Town was the safest place, and with the war raging in the main city, they had no reason not to come.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes...

The distant sky burned in the flames of war,

The drizzle of Liu Town fell in the silence,

A figure in a bright red opera robe swayed silently under the withered tree. He had walked from the Jinghong Pavilion to Liu Town, from a stage actor to this place, becoming a spectator watching the fire from across the river. He had always maintained absolute, correct rationality,

But unknowingly...

He was now all alone.