Chapter 3397: Chapter 3397: The Brush-wielder
“The other members of the Violet Cloud race?”
Zen repeated with a hint of hesitation.
“Yes! Where are they now?”
Anxiety seeped into Walden's voice as he asked.
“They should all be dead by now,” was Zen's indifferent response.
“Nonsense!” snapped Walden.
The Violet Cloud race's fighting capacity wasn't considered particularly outstanding among the many Other Shore races, but they held the advantage of moving freely within the Eternal Scroll Painting.
Even if something wrong were to happen on the first page, the people of the Violet Cloud race weren't likely to die so easily.
“Zen, how could anyone possibly die on the first page?” Egan asked in disbelief.
“That's too questionable. I've never even heard of anyone dying on the first page,” another Other Shore creature echoed from the side.
Taking note of the suspicious gazes on him, Zen replied nonchalantly, “Since you don't believe me, why bother asking?”
“It seems you have yet to learn how to talk properly. Shall I teach you?” threatened Walden impatiently.
On the bronze ground, the Violet Cloud race had confronted Zen. Neither Walden nor the other members had any intentions to befriend Zen.
But Claire's kindness toward him had dumbfounded the Eternal Realm masters of the Violet Cloud race.
If the Violet Cloud race wanted to kill Zen in the Eternal Scroll Painting, they'd undoubtedly be subjected to Claire's utmost wrath. So before Walden and the rest entered the Eternal Scroll Painting, Elder Howe had to remind them specifically not to attack Zen.
As Zen had been so highly esteemed by the Element Spirit race, Walden was extremely envious of him. In spite of Howe's warning, Walden decided to teach Zen a lesson.
As Walden approached threateningly, Zen raised his hands in a stance of attack.
While Zen had never intended to get along with the Violet Cloud race either, he hadn't yet fully understood the Eternal Scroll Painting's mechanism. He figured it would be wise to put aside any chance of conflict in the meantime.
But if Walden launched a challenge, he wasn't going to hesitate to fight back.
Just then, another Other Shore creature appeared — it was none other than a member of the Three Eyes race.
The guy was lucky enough to have survived the Worm Tapirs' slaughter.
“Egan, are you alright?”
While the warrior from the Three Eyes race did survive, he had witnessed a terrible amount of dead bodies torn apart by the Worm Tapirs on the first page — it was undeniably a horrifying sight. Ṛ𝔞ΝôβΕ§
“It's you, Kirk! Of course, I'm fine. Why do you ask me that? What happened on the first page?” While Egan was surprised to see one of his kindred, he was even more astounded by the frightened look on the other's face.
Egan knew Zen rather well — he didn't believe the latter was the sort of person who would ever lie to them.
Still, the fact that the other members from the Violet Cloud race all perished on the first page was far too astonishing. He couldn't help but be skeptical.
But the concern that filled his clansman pushed him to believe that something terrible had indeed unfolded on the first page of the Eternal Scroll Painting.
Walden stopped to stare at Kirk and waited for an answer.
“A great number of Worm Tapirs appeared on the first page. Many people have been killed, including our brother...” Kirk delivered the grim news.
“What?!”
Walden and the Other Shore creatures were all shocked and slack-jawed at the news.
It was well-known just how powerful a single Worm Tapir was, as well as how terrifying an entire pack of the ferocious beasts could be.
It was then that they realized Zen told no lies.
“What about my people? Did you see any of them?” Walden asked anxiously.
For a second, Kirk hesitated before replying, “I couldn't quite verify that, but I did see three of their corpses along the way.”
“Three of them…”
Walden's shoulders drooped at that.
This time, the Violet Cloud race had sent only a total of six warriors into the Eternal Scroll Painting, but three of them were now confirmed dead. The other two were also likely to have died.
Just as Walden did, the rest of the creatures began to understand the gravity of the situation.
Once Kirk arrived at the circular platform, more and more Other Shore creatures entered the area, bringing in more information about the first page, further verifying Zen's and Kirk's words.
On the first page, the Other Shore creatures had suffered heavy casualties. In the end, only about forty of them survived and gathered on the circular platform — the number went far lower than any of the previous records.
Because of the abundant brutal killings, a heavy and somber atmosphere blanketed the platform.
Most of them kept silent if they could.
Such a great catastrophe unfolded on the first page so it was natural that they were dreading the second page. Now, they were wondering if they could even come out alive.
At that moment, they heard a strange rustling sound out of the blue.
A narrow line suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of the circular platform. As it extended, it eventually formed a door.
“This door... did someone just paint this?” Zen muttered to himself in disbelief.
“It's possible,” the Primeval Lord of Heaven agreed.
The Eternal Scroll Painting's form was already highly special — it was still uncertain whether it was in the chaos or the Abstruse Energy World. Meanwhile, for the one who drew the actual lines on the painting, it was a far more complicated matter.
In the upper space outside of Zen and the rest's view, a huge brush drew on the second page of the painting.
Once the door was completed, the brush moved upward, forming a long and narrow path. Once the path extended up to a certain distance, it connected to another area that turned into a maze.
“There's no need for it to be so troublesome. Just draw a path that passes right through the maze,” grumbled the crying face.
“Then why don't we just take him down from the painting and send him there directly?” the smiling face asked in return.
“Would that be too straightforward?” While the crying face was clearly hesitating, it indeed considered the possibility.
Snorting, the smiling face said, “As the brush-wielder, we've already done too much to help him. If we guide him right through the maze now, the consequences will be incalculable. Even if you're willing to do so, I will not allow it!”
The smiling face and the crying face were two separate souls of a single creature. All members of their race carried two souls in one body — their conversations were signs of the inner contradictions of a lonely brush-wielder.
“If he dies halfway, all our previous efforts will be wasted,” said the crying face with worry.
“He obtained all the eighteen imprints. If he still fails, it means we're destined to fail as well. No one else can be blamed for that,” the smiling face said decisively.
And so the brush continued to extend upward until it reached the very top of the Eternal Scroll Painting where a black vortex lay. From their point of view, there were numerous white dots of light flashing in the depths of the vortex.
This black vortex was the so-called third page of the Eternal Scroll Painting — something people could see in the Grand Plain Stage. It was still white when they looked up at it from the stage, but the inside was actually black.
Once the brush-wielder connected the lines to the black vortex, they seemed to get pulled into it. Then, the circular platform at the bottom began rotating slowly until the door opened with a tug.
“The door is open...”
“I don't want to participate this time…”
“Now that we've reached the second page, we must advance!”
Naturally, the many casualties from the first page had some Other Shore creatures grow hesitant to proceed.
The trip in the painting was far different from the previous ones. Some decided to merely wait on the platform. Once the event ended, they'd be able to leave the painting safely.
Since the Other Shore creatures could pass through the Soul City and the Land of Bone Tribulation, they all possessed outstanding wills and talents — eventually, of course, most of them managed to conquer their fears and step into the door.