Eldritch Horror Theatre

Truly extraordinary. Did this trigger a self-defense mechanism?

Faced with this unprecedented situation, Fu Qian suppressed his rising urges and thought to himself.

As a divinity hunter, he could tell the Rank of this item—the Meria Flower Ball—was clearly quite high.

And just as Yuan Shan had said, aside from ravaging flesh and blood, it also delivered a distinct impact to the relatively abstract concept of divinity.

Even he, at Tier 2, could not avoid being affected.

Now stained with Divine Flesh, the flexible whip grew visibly more agitated.

Crack!

It was obvious Yuan Shan was trying to slow the rhythm, but she was forced to deliver the second lash quickly, forming a cross with the first.

It even left a fringed pattern along the edges of his torn flesh.

This held true for physical pain, and equally so for the impact on one's will.

"How do you feel? This thing is even harder to control than I imagined."

Just as Fu Qian suppressed the rising urge to transform once more, Yuan Shan's question reached his ears.

"Keep going."

Based on her earlier description, Chief Yuan almost certainly lacked experience wielding it. Fu Qian wasn't surprised by this development.

As for him, the urge to transform might have been unusual, but it was entirely bearable.

He was also fully prepared for the potential exponential increase to follow.

Beyond that, one other sensation felt particularly distinct.

The impacts were heavy, yes, but his "divinity" showed absolutely no sign of crumbling. It was absurdly stable.

Crack!

That judgment became even more certain the moment the third lash fell.

It was genuinely unshakeable. Like the legendary Titanic weathering a fierce storm, it shuddered under the assault but showed no sign of breaking apart.

...

Is it because of the Divine Skin?

Faced with this exaggerated resilience, Fu Qian naturally thought of a specific reason.

After choosing the King of the Abandoned Prison and donning the Corrupt Raiment, he hadn't just gained the Power of Calamity; he had also gained an immunity to distortion—

Unless the Rank of whatever was affecting him surpassed that of the King of the Abandoned Prison, he would never be passively reduced to a mollusk like Old Man Logan.

Because of this, the core risk of the flower ball isn't even an issue for me?

If that were true, then few people were better suited than him to use this special item to attempt unlocking their inner potential.

Of course, it wouldn't matter even if he gained nothing from this. As the saying went, the process was what truly mattered.

Unconcerned with the outcome, Fu Qian focused all his attention inward. Experiencing this rare sensation and firmly suppressing his urges, he set the goal to complete this tempering entirely within his Tier 2 state.

Crack! Crack! Crack...

This steadfastness clearly inspired the executioner. After giving Fu Qian a deep look, Yuan Shan stopped distracting herself with questions and focused all her energy on controlling the rhythm.

As flesh and blood flew, the flower ball in her hands grew unstoppably frantic. Its sharp blades even left marks on his bones.

At the moment she was about to lose her grip on it, the final, vicious strike fell. Yuan Shan immediately grabbed the whip with her free hand, letting it writhe in her grasp while she stared at the now indescribable body before her.

From within that unrecognizable, completely mangled mass of flesh, something was slowly emerging—fire.

Golden fire.

It flared up rapidly, brilliantly radiant yet devoid of any noticeable scorching heat.

This power, which felt exceedingly unique, undoubtedly captured Yuan Shan's attention.

While marveling that it actually seemed to have worked, she couldn't bear to look too closely at that body, even though she had shaped it with her own hands.

Without making a sound to disturb him, Yuan Shan shifted her focus back to the flexible whip, carefully reeling it in without the slightest negligence.

Although this was supposed to be a test of the subject's will, there had been a moment when she, the executioner, felt she was going to be influenced by that bloodlust. It was deeply tormenting.

Regardless of the outcome, she was absolutely never doing this again.

...

Click!

As the flexible whip, having drunk its fill of flesh and blood, coiled back into a ball, Yuan Shan let out a long breath.

Deeply drained, only now did she have the mental energy to check on the volunteer's condition.

"Thanks for the hard work."

What greeted her was a friendly word of comfort.

In that brief span of time, hardly any wounds could be seen on his body.

Part of the reason, of course, was his genuinely astonishing regenerative ability. But more importantly, his torso was now clad directly in a seemingly familiar set of Armor.

At the same time, the brilliant flames from moments ago had vanished without a trace.

"It seems it really is just a destroyer."

When Yuan Shan didn't immediately respond, Fu Qian didn't mind. His gaze fell upon the Item in her hands as he casually remarked.

"It still only has the shape of a flower."

"Indeed..."

Yuan Shan finally snapped out of her daze, realizing that Fu Qian was referring to the bloodstains on the flower ball.

Despite gorging itself on flesh and blood for fifteen minutes, it hadn't retained a single extra trace of it.

"How do you feel? Earlier, I thought I saw fire seeping out from deep within your flesh."

While agreeing with Fu Qian's observation, Yuan Shan quickly steered the focus back to the development of his inner potential.

"Golden fire?"

Yuan Shan's tone was tactful, but Fu Qian didn't try to hide anything; he simply raised his right hand.

And at almost the same time, an eerie golden flame ignited upon it.

"Yes, that's it!"

Yuan Shan's eyes lit up, and she pressed on with a look of gratification.

"Is it a new ability that just appeared? Right in that last moment?"

...

"Yes, it should be the effect of my inner potential."

"The process was indeed miraculous. There was no sign beforehand; it just abruptly surfaced with the final lash."

"From the feel of it, stopping halfway definitely would have yielded no results."

Fu Qian readily admitted it, detailing the process.

"Anyway, thank you for this payment. And congratulations on adding another successful case."

"Thank you... though I'm afraid it doesn't mean much."

Gripping the flower ball tightly, Yuan Shan shook her head with a peculiar expression.

"I can't think of anyone else capable of completing this process who would willingly subject themselves to such a gamble. By the way, what exactly is the effect of this harvest of yours? It doesn't feel like a simple fire ability."

"You're half right."

Fu Qian pulled out "Mercy" and aimed it at the palm of his other hand.

"This indeed isn't a conventional fire ability, but its form is so simple it's almost monotonous. I am very certain it cannot exist independently; it absolutely must rely on a medium. That is to say, I couldn't even throw a fireball, but of course at the same time—"

The next moment, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The moment the Transcendent Bullet—expertly crafted by the Night Watchers—struck, it unexpectedly exploded directly into a ball of gold.

"It seems I can attach it to bullets."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!