Chapter 340: Departure

The next morning, Chen Ling left the inn.

"No need to see me off. You haven't fully recovered yet, so try to rest," Chu Muyun said, adjusting his glasses while wrapped in a grey woolen coat. "The Realm Train Station isn't far from here; I can go by myself."

Chen Ling nodded. "Where are you heading?"

"The Medical Dao is always in demand, no matter where you go... The Twilight Society gave me a mission that will take me to another place for about a month."

"Alright, see you next time then."

Chu Muyun glanced behind Chen Ling and said, "Although that senior seems unapproachable, she's actually very kind. The day your body suddenly exploded, she carried you and ran hundreds of kilometers, breaking through several disaster encirclements before reaching this small town and saving your life..."

Chen Ling was stunned. He realized he had no idea how he'd ended up in this town. He hadn't expected Plum Blossom K to have carried him on foot. No wonder they arrived so quickly.

"I see."

"And..." Chu Muyun hesitated for a moment before continuing, "When you go to the Ancient Archive of the Theatrical Dao, you need to be even more careful... that place is not simple."

Before Chen Ling could ask what to be careful about, a figure slowly descended the inn's stairs. Seeing Plum Blossom K coming down, Chu Muyun immediately closed his mouth and said nothing more.

"I'm off. See you next time."

"Okay."

Chu Muyun's figure disappeared at the end of the road.

As for Red Heart 9, who was standing nearby...

"Senior, I've never been to the Ancient Archive of the Theatrical Dao. Can I tag along and have a look?" he asked, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Plum Blossom K.

"Get lost."

"Alrighty."

He turned and left, saying he was going to the main city to find Plum Blossom 8.

Of the nine people who emerged from the Aurora Realm, only Chen Ling and Plum Blossom K remained. Perhaps due to the warmer climate, Plum Blossom K was wearing a black cheongsam today, her cascade of black hair tied high, exuding an aura as cold and aloof as an iceberg.

She casually glanced at Chen Ling. "Let's go."

Without waiting for Chen Ling's reply, she walked straight along the deserted town path. Chen Ling stepped forward, walking beside her.

"Senior, where is this place?" Chen Ling asked, looking around the unfamiliar small town with a puzzled expression.

This place was completely different from the Aurora Realm. Perhaps due to the climate difference, the houses here were far less bulky and rugged, mostly with white walls and grey tiles, giving it a feeling of a Jiangnan water town. The roads, unlike the hard dirt roads of the Three Districts, were paved with a layer of pebbles. Old telephone poles stood in the fields, tangled wires crisscrossing under the blue sky. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from a white house not far away, and the surroundings were incredibly quiet.

Chen Ling recalled accompanying his parents on visits to their hometown when he was a child. The small town before him was much like those villages. Compared to the cold, stark environment of the Seven Great Districts, this place felt closer to the Earth Chen Ling remembered.

"A small town on the edge of the Mortal Realm," Plum Blossom K replied calmly. "As for its name, I don't know... There are hundreds of towns like this in the Mortal Realm."

Chen Ling nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that different realms had many differences due to their geographical location and climate. For example, there were no Seven Great Districts here? And seemingly no Enforcers either?

Although curious, Chen Ling didn't have time to explore the local customs and traditions. This was, after all, merely a temporary stop.

As they continued walking, the surrounding houses and roads became sparse until they reached the edge of the realm. There, an ancient stone tablet stood on the ground. A huge "×" was deeply carved into its surface, and beneath it, a striking warning was inscribed in smaller characters: "Beyond the Mortal Realm, a Forbidden Zone of Life."

The Mortal Realm, it seemed, didn't have as clear and distinct a boundary as the Aurora Realm. In the Aurora Realm, one knew they were leaving the realm when they saw the end of the aurora. Here, there was no such obvious marker as the aurora, so only these stone tablets served as warnings. This stone tablet stood there, and everyone within the realm viewed it as a sign of death, as if crossing it meant entering an endless abyss.

But at this moment, Plum Blossom K walked straight past it without even a glance.

Chen Ling followed her, expressionless.

A Forbidden Zone of Life?

No, he was going home.

The moment Chen Ling stepped out of the realm, he suddenly felt dizzy. When he looked back again, his feet were firmly on the ground.

"This is..." Chen Ling frowned deeply.

He had never experienced such a strange sensation when entering the Grey Realm from the Aurora Realm.

Chen Ling looked back in confusion, only to find that the road they had taken had disappeared. A lead-grey sky and a pitch-black earth dominated his entire view. Behind him was a swaying patch of pale flowers. He didn't know what kind of flowers they were, but they were over half a meter tall, their surfaces glowing like jewels. Tiny tentacles grew on their dark green stems, making them both hauntingly beautiful and strangely eerie. A gentle breeze swept through, and the pale flowers swayed silently, as if ghosts were beckoning Chen Ling to stay there forever.

Were these a special species within the Grey Realm?

Chen Ling stared blankly at the sea of flowers. The vast Mortal Realm had vanished without a trace. He tentatively took another step backward but didn't return to the deserted path; instead, he remained standing within the pale flower patch, as if the small town and the realm from moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.

Where was the Mortal Realm???

"The Mortal Realm is different from the Aurora Realm. Once you're out, you can't just re-enter whenever you want," Plum Blossom K said, standing in her cheongsam amidst the swaying flowers, her presence as ethereal as a dark pine tree standing in white snow. "The Ancient Archive of the Theatrical Dao is still some distance away. Follow me."

Seeing this, Chen Ling had no time to search for the vanished Mortal Realm. He could only suppress his doubts for the moment and follow behind Plum Blossom K.

After entering the Grey Realm, his bright red opera robe stood out like a lantern in the dim world. Dressed in black and red respectively, he and Plum Blossom K walked across the barren land, with only the howling wind surrounding them.

Knowing he was about to reach the Ancient Archive of the Theatrical Dao, Chen Ling felt a complex mix of emotions... In his mind, he once again recalled the voice he'd heard in the memory fragments—the mysterious person who claimed to be his master. What would happen if he truly reached the Ancient Archive of the Theatrical Dao? Would his confusion find answers? What kind of people would be in the archive? Would he encounter 'End Role' again?

Thinking this, Chen Ling couldn't help but ask:

"Senior, what... no, what is your sect, the Ancient Archive of the Theatrical Dao, like?"