Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Follow me."

Professor Shi En, confident enough to receive them alone, had clearly braced himself for this.

Faced with such bandit-like behavior, he forced himself to endure it through sheer mental fortitude.

He led the three bandits through the ancient and complex underground passages, and the group soon arrived at a special location.

It was actually alive?

When Shi En opened another door, the entity that appeared before them made Fu Qian click his tongue in wonder.

Behind the door, squatting beneath layer upon layer of bizarre mystical restrictions, was a massive, corpulent body.

It stood nearly five meters tall. Its skin gleamed with a metallic luster, as if forged entirely from bronze. Yet, it was a living creature—albeit one completely suppressed by the countless layers of mystical restrictions.

Fu Qian was absolutely certain of this. He could even sense a trace of divinity in the creature before him.

Fu Qian looked it up and down, his gaze ultimately settling on its swollen belly and a gigantic mouth no smaller than its gut.

"Its consciousness is in a prolonged state of slumber. One must establish a mental connection and gain its approval before it will open its mouth. Dean Casi should know this, right?"

Shi En quickly resolved Fu Qian's confusion.

"I apologize. Professor Weilong usually handles this. My Rank isn't high enough, so I can't help you for now. You'll have to do it yourselves."

The professor quickly added.

Although he did a good job of suppressing a smile, Fu Qian still detected a hint of schadenfreude.

Establishing a mental connection was clearly what Linghui excelled at.

And actually gaining its approval? No matter how he looked at it, it sounded like a massive hassle.

For Professor Shi En to bring this up now felt like a stubborn attempt to maintain Linghui's final shred of dignity—a defiant stance of 'you might have obtained her body, but you will never win her heart.'

Even under Casi's narrowed, scrutinizing gaze, Shi En showed no sign of a guilty conscience. It was obvious he wasn't lying.

What a pity. A pointless struggle.

Since the bandits had dared to show up at the door, picking locks was never going to be an issue.

"It's fine. Weilong demonstrated it to me before."

Waving a hand to signal that the professor didn't need to blame himself, Casi took two steps forward.

Given how incredibly tall the giant beast was, this movement positioned him practically right between its legs, with its fat belly hanging high above his head.

Just as Shi En had said, even when looked up at by a Demigod, the creature remained entirely unmoved, coldly continuing to subject him to the humiliation between the legs.

Heh...

Casi didn't seem to have any intention of greeting it, either. With a low chuckle, raging black flames erupted over his right hand.

"Wait!"

Realizing what was happening, Shi En immediately paled in shock.

Unfortunately, his attempt to stop him was hopelessly feeble. Casi brought his flaming fingers together and ruthlessly plunged his arm toward that metallic belly.

Clang!

A genuine sound of clashing metal actually rang out. That belly was indeed exceptionally tough.

Even so, it wasn't nearly enough against the strike of a Demigod. Like a hot knife slicing through butter, Casi's arm violently pierced straight in, burying itself up to his shoulder.

In that instant, the bronze behemoth's massive body finally showed a bit of a reaction.

But after a faint tremor, it settled back into stillness in the blink of an eye. There was no sign of it waking up.

"This is the only key to enter that place! How could you..."

Faced with such violent handling, Professor Shi En grew frantic. He leaped forward to reprimand him, practically disregarding the fact that the other party was a Demigod.

Regrettably, Casi ignored him completely, his vertical gray eyes locked on the giant beast.

The next moment, the creature's massive body was engulfed by the explosively burning black flames.

Roar!

Its body shot up, but it was swiftly suppressed by the heavy mystical restrictions. A miserable shriek tore from the giant beast's mouth.

Why put on airs? Still acting so high and mighty in a situation like this.

Watching the giant beast struggle amidst the black flames, its bulging eyes glaring fixedly at Casi even as it didn't dare strike down with its two massive claws, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

The entire concept of needing approval from a slumbering consciousness clearly catered to the refined tastes of Linghui's scholars—a shared effort to maintain a high-end image.

Unfortunately, times had changed. When encountering an unromantic brute from the Apocalypse, it was best to change strategies.

"Open your mouth."

At this moment, Casi, the chief of the brutes, wasted no words and spoke coldly.

The beast complied almost instantly. It pressed its huge mouth against the floor, opening it to nearly a hundred and eighty degrees to reveal a giant throat beneath rows of ghastly fangs. One could even see that the interior possessed the same metallic texture.

There wasn't the slightest physical stench, but the sensation that his brain was eating shit instantly intensified by more than tenfold.

And deep within that gaping maw, a bright emerald vortex was actually visible.

So this is the entrance to the forbidden zone?

Facts proved that there were many ways to establish a mental connection, and starting with the flesh was far more efficient.

"Thanks for the reminder. It's open."

Casi finally pulled his hand out, and the black flames on the giant beast extinguished. However, the creature maintained its posture, not daring to move an inch.

"Just as I said before, we'll be out in a few hours at most."

"...I'm coming with you!"

Seeing Casi motioning for Fu Qian and Lisa to pass through the giant throat and enter the vortex, the dumbfounded Shi En suddenly snapped out of it, hastily making the request and emphasizing his reasoning.

"It's bizarre and dangerous inside. With Linghui's many years of research and exploration, I believe I have plenty of experience to share."

"I appreciate Professor Shi En's good intentions, but this is a rather private academic expedition. Besides, as for your experience..."

Casi glanced at the hole in the giant beast's belly.

"I think I've already learned a great deal."

...

Rejected without hesitation, Shi En looked quite crestfallen. After a brief internal struggle, he finally said nothing and turned to leave.

"Professor Shi En took quite a blow."

Watching the man's retreating back, Fu Qian sighed.

"These guys have been arrogant for too long. They're practically on the verge of qi deviation. If we don't help them recognize cruel reality, an incident like Yi'an's might just happen again."

Casi, however, showed no mercy whatsoever.

"Let's go."

"Alright."

Fu Qian nodded and turned to meet Lisa's gaze.

Her eyebrows visibly furrowed. She was clearly repulsed by the idea of entering such a mouth and wanted Fu Qian to go first.

"Ladies first!"

Instantly understanding her intention, Fu Qian made a very gentlemanly gesture to show his respect.

...

She didn't believe for a second that he genuinely didn't understand, but since he was being so blatantly terrible about it, Lisa clearly had no other choice. Biting the bullet, she walked right in.

Fu Qian followed closely behind. Passing through rows of dagger-like fangs, he touched the emerald vortex.

This academic expedition, featuring no less than two Demigods, had officially begun.

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