Chapter 651: Four Tones of the Bell Ringing

Red threads surged out from the cracks of the relief gate, instantly covering the ground beneath Yang Muquan and the others like a tide, and continuing to spread down the corridor behind them.

Yang Muquan and the others were startled, instinctively retreating to avoid the torrent of threads.

“What is this…?”

Even Yang Muquan, as a member of the Eighth Hall, knew nothing about what lay beyond the relief gate. Seeing this scene, he was utterly baffled. He tried to peer into the open crack of the gate, searching for the legendary figure of the Chief, but could only discern a dense mist.

“The Chief's awakening requires time,” the Second Hall calmly stated. “We should leave.”

“Leave? To where?”

“The Chief is reclaiming his domain. The Red Dust Base is about to vanish.”

Yang Muquan paused, then looked again at the wave of threads gradually engulfing the entire Red Dust Base, speaking with disbelief:

“The Red Dust Base… will disappear?”

“Accurately speaking, it's not disappearing…” The Second Hall paused for a moment. “Rather, it will be one with the Chief.”

***

The Red Dust Realm.

A translucent portal opened high in the sky, and several figures flashed out one after another, plummeting rapidly downwards!

“To hell with his Floating Life Painting!! I knew he wasn’t that kind!” The whistling wind rushed past Red Heart 9’s ears as he immediately cursed, “Opening the door so high! Does he want to kill us by fall??”

At this moment, the Twilight Society members were nearly level with the clouds. Falling from such a height would turn anyone into a pulp. The Second Hall had clearly opened the portal here with some ulterior motive… He knew, of course, that such a small trick couldn't kill the Twilight Society members, but it was certainly good for annoying them.

Chen Ling naturally wasn't afraid of falling to his death, but he didn't immediately use Cloud Step, because he saw Jack of Clubs make a move. Among the group, Jack of Clubs placed a hand on the brim of his magic hat and softly murmured something. Instantly, everyone's bodies became as light as feathers, their descent speed rapidly slowed, and they eventually landed steadily one after another on the ground.

“Phew… We finally made it out of the tiger’s den,” Jian Changsheng patted his chest, relaxing completely. He looked around and asked, “What is this place?”

“It’s not Red Dust City; it must be one of the surrounding towns.”

Chen Ling carefully surveyed the area. Although the buildings and roads were similar, this wasn't Willow Town. It seemed the Second Hall had casually opened a door without caring where they ended up.

While everyone was still observing their surroundings, Red Heart 9 had already walked up to Chen Ling. He stared at the unconscious face of Eight of Clubs for a long time, then frowned and asked:

“What’s wrong with this kid?”

“Nothing serious, he just fainted.”

“But why does he look so pale? And he’s lost a lot of weight…” Red Heart 9 turned and called out to Chu Muyun, “Butcher Chu, come over and take a look at this kid.”

Upon hearing the name “Butcher Chu,” Chu Muyun’s face turned green. Though extremely reluctant to deal with Red Heart 9, he still walked straight towards them. He gently opened Eight of Clubs’ eyelids. A faint glow from his secret pupil flashed across his own, then he stated calmly:

“Nervous breakdown, mental exhaustion. He probably hasn't rested for too long… Otherwise, he’s fine.”

“Then why is he asleep and looking so pained?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps he’s having a nightmare.”

“Tsk, can you even do your job, Butcher Chu? The kid is still growing; you need to examine him carefully.”

“Are you questioning my professionalism?” Chu Muyun swung the spiked hammer in his hand, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes behind his silver-rimmed glasses. “And stop calling me ‘Butcher Chu’ every day… I’ve put up with you for long enough.”

“What? I didn’t get your nickname wrong, did I? What kind of doctor treats people by beating them half to death first?”

“That’s called breaking before building; what do you know?”

Watching Red Heart 9 and Chu Muyun bicker, White, who was observing from the side, helplessly spread his hands and said:

“Why are they arguing again…? Weren’t they just quite united?”

“Wasn’t that to save Red Heart 6 (Eight of Clubs)?”

Both replied in unison, then glared fiercely at each other, their gazes almost sparking in the air.

Chen Ling: …

Chen Ling realized that for the Twilight Society, unity was occasional, while infighting was a constant necessity… How could members of an organization full of eccentrics and madmen get along peacefully? Not to mention, Red Heart 9 alone could throw everyone into disarray.

It was at this moment that Chen Ling’s peripheral vision caught sight of the girl in the black dress at the edge of the crowd. He stepped forward:

“Qingyan, we owe you a lot this time.”

“It is my honor to serve you, my lord,” Liu Qingyan said softly, bowing slightly.

“Now that the Realm War is about to begin, the Red Dust Realm is no longer safe,” Chen Ling said, glancing at the bickering members of the Twilight Society. “You came through the Red Dust Base with us, so you’re one of us… If you don’t have urgent matters, perhaps it would be safer to stay with us.”

Liu Qingyan paused, then looked into Chen Ling’s eyes and suddenly asked:

“My lord, do you wish for me to join the Twilight Society?”

“No, I’m merely offering a suggestion to keep you out of immediate danger for now… Whether or not you join the Twilight Society isn't up to me. That depends on the views of the Twilight Society’s higher-ups and your own wishes.” Chen Ling paused. “However, I must remind you that you are aware of the Twilight Society’s reputation within the Human Realm. The act of joining the Twilight Society itself means dancing with danger… You must weigh the pros and cons yourself.”

Liu Qingyan lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

Dong—!

A deep, resonant bell toll echoed from a distance, interrupting her thoughts and the arguments of the other Twilight Society members. At that moment, everyone froze, then simultaneously looked in the direction of the bell sound.

Dong—!!

The bell sound came from beyond the town, but its reach was wide enough to cover more than a dozen surrounding towns. The moment the residents heard it, their eyes filled with bewilderment… This was the first time they had ever heard such a bell.

Dong—!!!

“The Disaster Bell?” Jian Changsheng asked with surprise, hearing the familiar sound. “Why three tolls again…? Is there another large-scale disaster invasion?”

“No, that’s not right…” Ten of Diamonds narrowed his eyes slightly.

After a brief pause, the fourth toll of the Disaster Bell boomed like thunder!

Dong—!!!!

Four bell tolls, each louder than the last. The final toll overlapped with the lingering echoes of the first three, exploding in everyone’s ears!

“Since the Disaster Bell was established in the Human Realm, only three situations have been defined: one toll signifies a small-scale disaster invasion, two tolls represent a medium-threat disaster invasion, and three tolls indicate an extremely dangerous large-scale disaster invasion… This is because, at the time, the greatest disaster humanity could conceive of was a disaster itself.”

“A fourth toll of the Disaster Bell has never been defined, but it just happened, and it signifies something even more dangerous than three tolls.”

“Who would have thought that the cause of this disaster was not a calamity…”

“But humanity itself.”