Eldritch Horror Theatre

If you want to act high and mighty, you have to be able to back it up.

The relationship between the tree and the Sacred Land was a core issue Fu Qian had never forgotten.

It was a pity that even with Brother Sanxun's soaring momentum like a rainbow, he still lacked the courage to answer.

"Let me change the question, then. Does strictly adhering to the rules draw people closer to the core of the Sacred Land?"

"For instance, Old Man Huang Leji and the others?"

The awkward silence persisted for the span of a single breath, but Fu Qian did not press him, choosing to switch to the next topic instead.

If the tree and the Sacred Land were two completely different things, then considering the sudden appearance of the latter, Fu Qian was more inclined to think something had triggered it.

After all, during the last Ill Omen Incident, there had been absolutely no traces of it, nor of the Followers.

The trigger probably wasn't even the tree's complete concealment, since according to Tan Mingxue, a distinct time gap clearly existed between the two events.

"Why don't you try it and find out? Heh heh..."

Unfortunately, Sanxun clearly had no intention of answering any more questions.

After a brief silence, he offered a suggestion coupled with a string of laughter, bringing this duel of mystics to a close.

It even looked like he had gained quite a bit for himself, such as learning to ignore the other person's reaction and just walk away.

Before his laughter even faded, his body once again dissociated into hundreds or thousands of "butterflies."

"SAN Value -1."

Naturally, that particular parting remark was not omitted.

This sanity-draining technique seemed to require a certain amount of charge-up time.

All feasts under heaven must disperse. Although they had hit it off like old friends, Fu Qian did not forcefully detain him, silently taking stock of his gains from this trip amidst the prompt ringing in his ear.

From earlier until now, Brother Sanxun had shown himself twice, and Fu Qian had lost 8 SAN Value points a total of five times.

One had to admit that this Technique of True Words, which directly pierced through inner secrets and operated through words carrying absolute law, carried quite a bit of prestige.

It was just a pity that for someone like him, who still possessed a three-digit SAN Value, it genuinely lacked any real deterrence.

And after trying it multiple times, Brother Sanxun should have already figured that out.

If he was planning to use this to heighten the sense of urgency and make Fu Qian realize the gravity of the current situation, he clearly needed to try harder.

Of course, that was the relatively mild interpretation.

It could not be ruled out that he was genuinely trying to turn him into an idiot.

But if that were the case, shouldn't he be trying even harder?

All in all, regarding this causality-level Fate Shattering Technique, Fu Qian did not find it all that terrifying.

At its current efficiency, this should already be the limit of Brother Sanxun's capabilities.

And that was not the only harvest from their recent exchange.

From those excessively lofty statements about "true power" and "barbarism," the possibility seemed even greater that this Third Follower was indeed a former senior from the Warehouse who had achieved complete enlightenment and converted.

Moreover, he seemed very eager to have Fu Qian delve deeper, much like the admired Old Man Huang and his group were doing.

His underlying purpose gave one food for thought.

Of course, thought without learning is perilous. Since information was too scarce and thinking alone wouldn't solve the problem, he might as well go find someone to learn from. For instance—

Amidst a surge of bloody mist, Fu Qian vanished right on the spot.

The next moment, he was already walking through another dimension, striding straight through the broken walls before him, and even the unbroken walls further behind.

Even through pillars, spiral staircases, circular windows, and layer upon layer of wooden shelves...

Following a straight path, he headed directly toward a corner of this ancient building and materialized right on the other side of a single partition wall.

"Let me confirm this again. Have you guys really never been to this damned place before?"

Almost at the same time, an aged yet deeply majestic voice drifted over from the other side.

As expected, this also constituted a rule violation.

Easily recognizing the voice as belonging to a rather displeased Old Man Huang Leji, and fully aware that a contingent larger than the previous Excavation Team surrounded him, Fu Qian instead directed his attention to himself first.

A thousand sores and a hundred holes—to the point where those two quantities were now literal descriptions.

The Blood Crusade had not been blocked just now, but the actual transit through the intervening space demanded a price for every single step that proved far more exorbitant than moving backward and upward.

When stacked on top of the inherent consumption of the Blood Crusade itself, Fu Qian felt as though he had been a writing brush completely saturated in blood, violently smearing a trail all the way across.

Even so, he felt the outcome remained worthwhile.

First, he had efficiently located his next point of reference.

As he gradually penetrated deeper into the lower levels, the surroundings grew closer to reality, and the obstruction to his perception simultaneously turned realistic, losing its previous exaggerated quality.

Consequently, right while conversing with Brother Sanxun earlier, Fu Qian had managed to cross successive layers of barriers and locate a clustered group of living people without too much effort.

Ultimately, he had chosen this method to bypass the complex, winding routes and arrive with high efficiency.

As for the second takeaway, while this Sacred Land possessed stern and bizarre rules, it apparently did not lean toward directly prohibiting illicit actions, choosing instead to inflict severe punishment on violators.

In other words, as long as he could afford the price, he still had many options at his disposal.

That, however, was a matter for later; next, he needed to turn his attention to what the main rescue team had gained.

The spot he had selected for his arrival was a relatively plainly decorated side hall, separated from the main force's resting area by nothing more than a single wall.

Yet facing the slightly rusted door, Fu Qian did not rush to open it, instead lowering his gaze to inspect himself.

Flesh riddled with sores and holes could heal, but clothes possessed no innate capacity for self-repair.

When meeting old acquaintances, it was best not to cause them excessive concern.

Narrowing his eyes in brief recollection, Fu Qian casually stripped away his blood-soaked garments the next moment, revealing the gold and white robes continuously extending outward beneath them.

Using flesh to forge clothing—he was growing increasingly adept at handling such matters.

Undoubtedly, the style he was plagiarizing this time belonged precisely to the Followers.

Yet while he did not entirely replicate Brother Sanxun's build, Fu Qian also refrained from transforming into a faceless man, opting to keep Grimshaw's genuine features intact instead.

After verifying the attire one final time, Fu Qian pulled the hood up over his head and pushed open the door before him.

Screak—

True to the deepening realism of these fallen depths, the sound accompanying the opening door practically let one hear the corrosion on the hinges.

Naturally, Fu Qian was not the only one who heard it.

The dispute behind the door was instantly cut short by that single sound, plunging the room into a deathly silence.

And the group, whose sound-localization skills were clearly up to par, cast their gazes in unison directly upon Fu Qian.

Showing not a shred of stage fright, Fu Qian maintained his mild smile. Offering a slight nod, he stepped into the vastly towering hall like a priest or Saint who had just finished resting in the adjacent alcove.

"Sha Ming?"

Before the main rescue team could even voice their thoughts, he had already looked past Old Man Huang Leji toward someone standing opposite him, dropping the name with casual certainty.

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