Chapter 661: The Past of Floating Life Painting

Upon hearing this, the members of the Twilight Society simultaneously fell silent. It was as if they could already visualize the scene: in front of the Red Dust Base all those years ago, numerous pioneers resolutely stepped into the nuclear wasteland, relying on their strength and perseverance to gradually reconnect the rail lines of the Realm Train.

"After the first group of pioneers entered the nuclear wasteland, they began to exhibit various symptoms: high fever, cancer, and coughing blood, and they died within fifteen days. A second group followed closely, then a third... After nearly two months of arduous work, the rail lines of the Realm Train were finally reconnected, and the basic infrastructure was largely restored. At that time, the Red Dust Base's supplies were almost depleted. Had they not repaired the tracks in time to allow the Realm Train to deliver sufficient supplies, a large portion of the hidden million residents would likely have starved. However, none of these groups of pioneers survived."

"Later, the nine great realms were reconnected. The Red Dust Base also attempted to find the culprit behind the nuclear strikes. However, chronologically, Lord Red Dust was the last of the Nine Lords to enter slumber, with the others having already entered their hibernation pods before her. Furthermore, due to the technological regression, the trajectories of the nuclear weapons could not be traced. Therefore, this matter remains unresolved to this day."

"No wonder the people of the Red Dust Realm are so short-lived... So it was because of nuclear radiation?" Red Heart 9 nodded slightly.

"After those three rounds of nuclear strikes, the radiation levels in the Red Dust Realm consistently exceeded safe limits. Fortunately, Lord Red Dust's domain seemed to suppress airborne radiation, and it took over a decade for the radiation levels to become barely tolerable. At that time, the sand and gravel where a million people were hidden was also reaching its limit. Moreover, after being confined for over a decade, and with the shadow of the nuclear strikes gradually fading, the public had become increasingly restless. Dissatisfaction arose, and some even organized protests and riots, claiming that the nuclear radiation had long since disappeared and that the Red Dust Base was deliberately keeping them captive. In short, various theories emerged endlessly. Finally, under pressure, the Red Dust Base had no choice but to allow them to return to the Red Dust Realm. But before that, the Chief founded the Fleeting Life Scroll."

"What does your Chief founding the Fleeting Life Scroll have to do with the people returning to the Red Dust Realm?" Diamond 10 asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The Chief believed that art could influence people's emotions and subtly shape the values of an era. If these million people lived in a desolate and bleak nuclear wasteland, their spirits would remain low and pessimistic. This would not only affect their physical health but also lead society towards darkness, fostering widespread barbarism and violence. The people in the sand and gravel were the descendants of the pioneers, and the Chief did not want things to progress in that direction. Therefore, he hoped to forcibly rewrite this era through the Azure Divinity Path. He wanted the purest and most beautiful flowers to grow in this most barren land. He wanted the nuclear wasteland, which symbolized death and desolation, to become a vibrant, hopeful 'rolling red dust' (a lively human world). The Chief said that if the fate of humanity could be changed by art, then the Azure Divinity Path would prove itself to heaven and earth, ascending to the pinnacle of the world."

Chen Ling was stunned. To rewrite the fate of humanity with art? This simple sentence, however, contained an immense amount of conviction and power. Chen Ling seemed to see Yao Qing's back standing in the void, looking down at the desolate wasteland filled with death and making a grand vow.

This statement was too grand, unbelievably so. How vast was humanity's destiny? Could it really be rewritten by a mere embroidery or a painting? But upon closer thought, had Yao Qing succeeded? Lord Red Dust was forced to awaken, unable to extend her lifespan. The Red Dust Realm had been carpet-bombed with nuclear weapons, making it unsuitable for life. The Realm Train's tracks had collapsed, and all basic infrastructure was paralyzed. Despite such a hellish starting point, this nuclear wasteland stubbornly developed into the Red Dust Realm Chen Ling now saw. The fate of humanity... or at least the fate of millions in the Red Dust Realm, had been changed by Yao Qing. He had succeeded.

"As expected of the leader of the Azure Divinity Path; his breadth of vision and scope are truly extraordinary," Bai couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"The Chief truly lived up to his title," Plum 8 continued. "After the Fleeting Life Scroll was founded, they began using the power of the Azure Divinity Path to beautify the nuclear wasteland. They used art to transform the environment, creating one habitable town after another. Those responsible for maintaining these 'illusions' and preventing residents from discovering them were called 'architects.' Not long after, the Chief announced he was entering seclusion and slumber. No one knew where he went or what he was doing. Subsequent affairs of the Fleeting Life Scroll were managed by successive generations of the Second Hall."

As the Red Dust Realm continued to develop, its population grew, and the difficulty of maintenance increased. So, the Fleeting Life Scroll began recruiting children from the populace, sending them to the Ancient Azure Path for training. If any among them embarked on the Azure Divinity Path, they would be incorporated into the Fleeting Life Scroll. However, to preserve the secret, they prohibited architects from having contact with ordinary people, including their former parents and siblings. Later still, the rate of population growth surpassed the rate at which the Fleeting Life Scroll could expand. So they guided residents to build the Red Dust Main City, drawing people into it. One reason was to concentrate residents, allowing architects to maintain more people within the same area. The other was that the main city had fewer trees and flowers than the towns, significantly reducing maintenance pressure. Gradually, the Red Dust Main City grew larger, and the Red Dust Realm developed into the form you see today.

Plum 8 finished recounting the history of the Red Dust Realm and the Fleeting Life Scroll in one breath. Most of the Twilight Society members' questions about the Red Dust Realm were answered.

"So, the Fleeting Life Scroll is actually quite good?" Jian Changsheng raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The first generation of the Fleeting Life Scroll, founded by the Chief, was indeed like that," Plum 8 paused for a moment. "But time changes many things... Over three hundred years, the Fleeting Life Scroll has seen generations come and go. Now, apart from a few in the Halls, very few of them still possess the same sense of responsibility as back then. To them, the Red Dust Realm is now more like an elaborate object that needs embellishment, a complex and vast painting. Some of them even began to act as so-called 'gods,' performing 'miracles' through this painting, painstakingly created by generations, to satisfy their vanity..."

"Is that why you left the Fleeting Life Scroll?"

"Partly, yes," Plum 8 spread his hands helplessly. "I also felt that beautifying the realm in this way was not a long-term solution. This balance was too fragile; the slightest disruption would cause everything to shatter like a bubble. And it seems my feeling was correct."

"The illusory bubble has burst, and it's time for the Red Dust Realm to face reality..." Plum, who had been silent throughout, slowly pulled down the brim of his magician's hat, his eyes calmly fixed on the distance. "After the disaster, what fate awaits this realm?"

Chen Ling silently looked in that direction. The next moment, a slight pain emanated from his fingertip, as if a needle had pricked his skin. Chen Ling looked down in confusion. There, on the embroidered image of Lord Red Dust, a dark red thread seemed to come alive, silently wrapping around his fingertip.