Abnormal World
Chen Ling abruptly turned his head to look at Eight of Clubs.
"What is your Chief's name?"
Eight of Clubs was taken aback, "This... I don't know. Ever since the Floating Life Painting was established, everyone has only called him Chief."
"Then what is his relationship with the Lord of the Red Dust? Are they siblings?"
"...Ah??"
Eight of Clubs looked bewildered. It seemed he really hadn't lied to Chen Ling before; the world's understanding of this Chief was extremely limited... However, Chen Ling actually already had the answer in his heart.
Coming from before the Great Cataclysm, protecting the Lord of the Red Dust, and possessing a Divine Path related to the Embroidery Diagram... Who else could it be besides Yao Qing?
But Chen Ling still couldn't imagine that the only Ordinary Person in the museum back then, that teenager who was once angry over his own weakness, actually became the Pathway Chief of the Path of the Arts in this era.
Over these three hundred years, what exactly had he experienced?
Questions flashed through Chen Ling's mind one after another. He looked down at the Embroidery Diagram in his hand, his mood unable to calm down for a long time.
"Will your Chief participate in this Realm War?"
"If it involves the Lord of Wuji, the Second Hall will most likely awaken him." Eight of Clubs said thoughtfully, "However, I heard the Chief's status is a bit special, and awakening takes time... I don't know if there's enough time."
Chen Ling fell silent.
The Dusk Society members, following behind Eight of Clubs, continued advancing towards Willow Town along the small path.
At first, there were occasionally town residents carrying luggage hurrying past them on the road. They should be refugees heading to the Red Dust main city. But as time passed, fewer and fewer people could be seen on the road. In the end, almost only empty towns were left standing in the misty rain.
Faint sounds of war echoed successively from the distance. The echoes swept over the empty towns. As everyone walked through these deserted streets, only desolation and chill remained before their eyes.
Nine of Hearts, with his hands in his pockets, swaggered at the very front. He casually plucked a Small Flower from the roadside and held it in his mouth.
"How much further are we from Willow Town?"
"At this speed, probably a few more hours." Eight of Clubs answered. "Of course, if we all advance at full speed, we could get there very soon."
"That's too eye-catching. At this time, we'd better keep a low profile, otherwise they might all treat us as personnel from the opposing Realm... Anyway, the flames of war won't affect us, walking slowly is quite nice."
Just as Nine of Hearts finished speaking, his expression suddenly became a bit strange. He licked his lips and spat the Small Flower in his mouth onto the ground with a "pfft".
"Weird... Why does this flower taste sour?"
"Sour?"
"Yeah, sour and astringent. Don't believe me? Try it yourself."
"Forget it, I'm not as bored as you." Jian Changsheng shrugged.
On the contrary, Chu Muyun beside them, after hearing this sentence, also casually plucked a flower from the roadside, held the broken stem in his mouth for a while, and frowned tighter and tighter...
He spat out the stem, the tip of his tongue dyed with a layer of green. He stared carefully at the root for a while and muttered:
"Indeed... This taste is weird."
Nine of Hearts was about to say something when from the corner of his eye, he suddenly glimpsed the ground. He saw that the Small Flower he had just held in his mouth suddenly swayed, and as if by Stagecraft, turned into a bare, sour-soft, dark yellow leaf.
Nine of Hearts froze for a moment, then immediately turned his head to look at Jack of Clubs walking at the end, cursing:
"Good on you, you two-faced guy, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you actually play these tricks to mess with me!"
Jack of Clubs glanced at the leaf on the ground, frowned, and shook his head, "Not me."
"Not you?"
Nine of Hearts looked at Chen Ling again, "Aha, it's you kid!"
"...It's not me either."
Chen Ling at this time was still pondering about Yao Qing, so naturally he couldn't play such a prank in poor taste. However, now he was also somewhat puzzled. If it wasn't him and Jack of Clubs, who else could do this?
"If it's not you two, who else could it be?" Nine of Hearts widened his eyes.
Right at this moment, Bai Ye's voice suddenly came:
"...The situation is not right."
At this moment, everyone followed Bai Ye's gaze. They saw that not only the flower pulled out by Nine of Hearts on the ground, but the patch of roadside flowers they had just passed all gently swayed and turned into the same dark yellow leaves, falling softly to the ground as if withered.
There was not the slightest Spiritual Power fluctuation, nor any omen. It was as if everyone had just blinked, and the world had completely changed its appearance... Those dark yellow leaves weren't any kind of plant within Chen Ling's cognition, but more like deformed mutants, incomparably ugly.
The willow trees on the riverbank visibly withered, turning into bare dead wood growing twistedly on both sides of the river; the water weeds in the shallows bled like ink stains, dyeing the water surface dark green, flowing forward silently; even a flock of swallows flying in the misty rain suddenly stiffened and plummeted down, crashing onto the hard earth one after another, turning into puddle after puddle of viscous liquid with mixed colors.
This abnormal change originated from behind them. Like a gust of wind, it brushed past everyone's cheeks and kept spreading into the distance...
It was as if an invisible large hand had brushed past, taking away all vitality and colors. Those white-walled, tile-roofed houses that originally sat amidst flowers, grass, and willow forests were suddenly placed among withered and bizarre plants... The Red Dust town that was originally misty with rain and full of spring colors suddenly turned into a lifeless, silent ruins.
"This... This is..."
"Is it a Domain?"
Bai Ye, Jack of Clubs, 10 of Diamonds... The expressions of almost everyone changed slightly. Domains were released simultaneously, their gazes vigilant as they looked around!
The abnormal change before their eyes was obviously not some natural phenomenon. The only thing everyone could think of was a "Domain" ability... But it just so happened that even the highest-ranked Bai Ye and Jack of Clubs didn't perceive the enemy's Spiritual Power fluctuation, subconsciously making one's hair stand on end.
Chu Muyun swept his gaze around with a solemn expression. Ultimately, he crouched down and used a finger to dip up a smear of the viscous liquid that the birds had turned into after crashing to death. A faint blue hue spread from his pupils, seemingly analyzing the components of this thing.
His brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
"Not right, this is..."
"Don't be so nervous." From behind the crowd, Eight of Clubs suddenly spoke. "This is not an enemy attack."
Everyone turned their heads and saw the teenager standing there quietly. His eyes stared at those bizarre and ugly dark yellow leaves and withered dead wood, his expression extremely complex.
"Eight of Clubs, what is this situation?" Bai Ye asked in a deep voice.
Eight of Clubs was silent for a long time. Finally, as if making up his mind, he let out a long sigh...
"This isn't any Domain, nor is it any Stagecraft trick..."
Eight of Clubs raised his hand, pointing at this lifeless, empty town.
"This, is the true appearance of the Red Dust Domain."
Everyone froze in place simultaneously.