Chapter 411: Let Go

"Damn it... where in the world is the legendary Ancient Theatrical Trove??"

On the barren black earth, five or six figures stumbled forward. Almost all of them were injured, holding a hand-drawn map, their faces extremely pale.

"We risked our lives to leave the Mortal Realm, and we've been walking in the Grey Realm for so long, yet we still haven't seen a trace of the Ancient Theatrical Trove!"

"We've already lost many people, and the longer we stay in the Grey Realm, the more calamities we'll attract... If this continues, we'll all die here!"

"Miss, what should we do??"

Guarded in the center by the group was a young girl, dressed in splendid attire. Even in the Grey Realm, a world of only black, white, and grey, her every movement exuded an extraordinary aura.

The girl pursed her lips. Though her body was covered in wounds, her eyes still shone with determination.

"Even if we turn back now, it's too late... We only have a glimmer of hope if we find the Ancient Theatrical Trove."

"...Yes."

The others exchanged glances, then continued forward, following the route on the map.

Roar—!!

A thunderous growl echoed. From a distant gully, a colossal calamity beast, tens of meters tall, slowly rose. From its appearance, it resembled a giant lizard.

It seemed to have just woken up, opening its bleary eyes and turning its head to look nearby, locking onto the distinct human presences in the Grey Realm.

A fierce look appeared in its eyes, and a Rank 5 pressure suddenly descended. Hellish black flames ignited on the lizard's tail, sweeping across the ground like a sharp blade, ready to strike at any moment.

"Damn it! Another one!!" Someone in the group exclaimed, and everyone's faces instantly turned deathly pale.

"Damn it, and it's a Rank 5 one..."

Aside from the girl protected in the center, the others also emanated divine aura. The lowest was likely Rank 2, but the highest was Rank 5, indicating a highly uneven distribution of strength.

"I'll confront it directly. You all look for opportunities from the side, and remember to protect Miss!"

The most heavily injured Rank 5 man took a deep breath and charged directly towards the lizard calamity. The others, except for a Rank 3 elder, followed closely.

The black fiery tail lashed the ground, and cracks instantly spread rapidly. The colossal beast crashed into the charging figures, and with a flick of its long tongue, it scattered all of them!

"Uncle Quan, can they win?" The girl's clothes fluttered in the fierce winds of the battle. She shielded her face from the dust with one hand as she asked.

"...It's difficult," the old man sighed. "At the same rank, calamity beasts are inherently slightly stronger than humans. Plus, we've survived countless near-death experiences on this journey, and everyone is wounded. We're at the end of our rope, I'm afraid..."

Before the old man could finish, a scream echoed from the front. The lizard's enormous tail, burning with black flames, instantly split into a thousand soft barbs, piercing the Rank 5 man from all directions!

As the countless barbs retracted and the black flames died out, the blood-soaked figure was instantly incinerated into ashes.

With their only bulwark against the calamity beast dead, the formation of the other members instantly fell into chaos. The rapidly approaching lizard calamity devoured them one by one, killing them with almost no resistance.

This Rank 5 calamity beast didn't even activate its own calamity domain, yet it completely wiped out this exhausted team in a single encounter.

The distant girl and old man's pupils constricted slightly!

As the lizard slowly turned its head, its cold, fierce gaze fell upon the two. A bitter expression appeared on the old man's face.

"Miss... we've still failed."

The girl bit her lips tightly. The fierce wind from the lizard's roar swept her hair, and her eyes were still filled with unwillingness... But even so, she could only despairingly close her eyes.

Clang—Clang...

A soft clatter came from afar, like pots and pans gently bumping together.

The girl turned her head, puzzled, towards the source of the sound. She saw a four-wheeled cart slowly being dragged across the gravel-strewn black earth. As the cart swayed slightly, the contents of the small hill within it clattered together, making sounds, though it was unclear what they were.

At the same time, in this desolate, dull black and white world, a splash of crimson was reflected in her pupils.

"That, that's...?"

Meanwhile, the lizard calamity, which was preparing to continue its rampage, also seemed to sense something. It abruptly turned its head towards that direction, its body freezing in mid-air!

As the lizard's pressure swept over, the man in red slightly frowned.

He slowly raised his head, his calm and deep eyes fixed on the giant lizard opposite him.

"Move."

As the only splash of crimson in this world approached, the lizard's pupils suddenly constricted.

It seemed to have seen something terrifying. With a shriek, it unhesitatingly turned and plunged back into the gully, spewing black flames, and vanished in an instant.

The grey world once again fell silent.

Clang—Clang...

Once the annoying obstacle of the calamity beast disappeared, Chen Ling continued dragging the cart, unhurriedly passing by the edge of the gully, his gaze falling upon the two astonished figures nearby.

"There are still people in a place like this..." Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly.

Chen Ling had no intention of getting involved with them. He withdrew his gaze and continued forward, as if he hadn't seen them at all.

The appearance of humans in the Grey Realm was not particularly surprising. Chen Ling had heard Li Qingshan say before that the Mortal Realm held an almost fanatical reverence for the Ancient Theatrical Trove. Many people even risked entering the Grey Realm, attempting to find it and tread the Path of the God of Theater, thereby achieving superstar status...

However, the strength of these people before him was utterly insufficient to traverse the Grey Realm freely. Let alone finding and entering the Ancient Theatrical Trove, they probably couldn't even catch a glimpse of the Ugly Peak.

As the red-robed figure and the cart gradually departed, the girl and the old man stood dumbfounded at the edge of the broken gully.

"Uncle Quan... that was..."

The old man stared blankly at the receding figure, still not having recovered from the shock of the recent scene. He began to murmur to himself, "He scared away a Rank 5 calamity beast with just a glance... Who is he??"

"Uncle Quan, why does he have color on him?" The girl's gaze couldn't be pulled away from the crimson, and she couldn't help but ask.

Uncle Quan froze for a moment, then reacted, the shock in his eyes growing even deeper!

"How is this possible??"

This was the Grey Realm. Every living being here was subject to its rules. How could someone in this world retain some color? He had never even heard of such a thing!

At this moment, Uncle Quan's expression changed as he looked at the man in red. A mix of awe and fear spread within him, his instinct telling him it was best not to get involved with that person.

But the girl beside him watched Chen Ling's departing back for a long time, then gritted her teeth and quickly followed.

"Miss! What are you doing?"