Eldritch Horror Theatre

As this was a forbidden zone, the guards stayed on the island's periphery, never venturing deep inside.

After dragging the guards into a dream to bypass their surveillance, Fu Qian quickly sensed the changes in his body.

The closer he drew to the Small Island in the swamp, the more severe that sensation of twisting mutation became.

Even the tingling itch across his skin had returned. Fu Qian had to maintain absolute focus, carefully suppressing the restless sprouts of flesh threatening to push through.

It took quite some time before Fu Qian finally set foot on the Small Island.

The Small Island wasn't large. Fu Qian soon reached the white tree, studying the entity known as the Sacred Tree.

From this distance, the white tree appeared even more brilliantly radiant.

Its bark lacked the rough texture of normal trees; instead, it was smooth and delicate, like human skin.

It was hard to notice from afar, but the tree was actually formed by two trunks entwined around each other.

The next moment, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over Fu Qian.

Two images appeared in his mind simultaneously.

One was the theoretical field of vision from his own eyes: staring at the tree.

At the same time, there was another image: himself staring at the tree, as if he were observing his own body from another perspective.

The instant he realized this, Fu Qian knew something was wrong. His mind felt like it was being split into two.

He instantly thought of those Dolls that had burst out from inside human bodies.

Fu Qian immediately took two steps back and averted his gaze, no longer looking directly at the white tree.

That splitting sensation finally weakened slightly.

Still, Fu Qian had a nagging feeling that if he stayed here much longer, a complete mental split was only a matter of time.

Even so, he was in no rush to leave. Instead, he turned his attention to his surroundings.

The island wasn't large. After a brief scan, Fu Qian spotted something peculiar not far away.

It was a short section of low black wall sitting right at the center of the Small Island.

Fu Qian walked over for a closer look. He found that the low wall was built entirely of pure black stone blocks, and there was far more than just a single section.

Due to the passage of time, however, most of it had been buried beneath dirt and debris, making it hard to spot from a distance.

Strangely enough, the wall itself was extremely uneven. It crooked and dipped haphazardly, giving off an overwhelming sense of chaos at first glance.

A child playing with building blocks could have done a better job.

The surfaces of the black stone blocks had clearly been meticulously processed. It was truly baffling why someone would use them to build such a shoddy wall.

Upon closer inspection, the wall segments were all connected, spiraling inward from the outside and coiling layer by layer toward the center.

In the very center lay an opening that slanted downward. It was pitch-black, making it impossible to see inside.

Fu Qian recalled the little girl mentioning that the island ate people.

Seeing in the dark was no longer an issue for him, so he didn't hesitate. He chose to head down into the hole.

The interior of the tunnel was also lined with those same black stone blocks, and the style was just as irregular as the walls above.

The most unbearable part was that even the spacing between the steps varied wildly.

Walking down them created a jarring, erratic rhythm that was extremely unpleasant.

At the same time, the moment he stepped into the tunnel, the chaotic sensation in his body spiked, nearly pushing him out of control.

It seemed this place was the source of the chaotic power in the area.

Fu Qian pondered this without breaking his stride.

The black passage wasn't straight; it spiraled and snaked its way downward.

Initially, Fu Qian assumed this was some sort of underground altar. The deeper he went, however, the more he suspected he was wrong.

Aside from the uniform black stone blocks, the tunnel was absurdly bare, utterly devoid of decorations on either side.

It was also incredibly deep, stretching down further than the eye could see.

If this place really were an altar, a priest with poor stamina would probably drop dead just making a single round trip.

It felt more like a mine shaft—as if someone had been digging for something.

A long time later, Fu Qian stepped off the last stone stair and found himself in a slightly broader space.

The black stone blocks ended here. Ahead lay a raw stone cavern, its crevices stained a deep crimson as if seeping blood.

This sight practically confirmed Fu Qian's guess.

The original purpose of this underground structure really did seem to be excavation.

At this depth, visibility was dismally low. Even with Fu Qian's eyesight, it still felt exceptionally dim.

He carefully surveyed his surroundings.

This chamber appeared to be a subterranean hub. No fewer than ten tunnels branched out in every direction, all showing signs of excavation. At a glance, it was impossible to tell them apart.

Wait!

The next moment, Fu Qian frowned.

Near the entrance of one tunnel, he spotted what looked like a human figure with its back facing him.

A woman?

From this angle, the figure's lower half was bulky and elaborate, resembling an old-fashioned court gown.

Was she standing? Was she even alive?

Given the dim lighting and the fact that he was intentionally suppressing his perception, Fu Qian took two steps forward to confirm her state.

As if sensing him, the figure suddenly reacted.

In an instant, her seemingly swollen neck elongated like a snake, stretching to nearly twice her body's height and thrusting a giant face just twenty centimeters from Fu Qian.

It had an oval head covered in fine black-and-yellow scales and swollen human facial features. A pair of pupil-less eyes stared straight ahead.

Hmm...

Forced to examine it at such close range, Fu Qian finally gave a light nod.

The odds were fairly high that it was non-venomous.

The next moment, as if finally confirming Fu Qian's presence, the Serpent-Man sprang to life.

Its jaws opened silently, revealing rows of sharp fangs, and snapped right at Fu Qian's face.

Whoosh!

At almost the exact same time, Fu Qian blankly fired off an Air Bullet.

Refraining from acting lightly didn't mean he wouldn't act at all.

Though he wasn't sure what mutated effects the Air Bullet might have now, Fu Qian had no desire to punch such an unknown entity with his bare fists.

Blood sprayed!

The blast slammed squarely into the Serpent-Man's massive head. It whipped backward, neck trailing behind it like a tennis ball on a string.

Thud!

The recoiling head crashed into the adjacent stone wall, sending rock fragments spraying.

Even then, the Serpent-Man's corpulent body still hadn't managed to turn around.

That was some pretty good firepower!

Fu Qian looked down to examine his right hand.

Between his upgrade and the twisting of this strange power, the Air Bullet's sheer force had become downright brutal.

Of course, it wasn't without a price. Right now, Fu Qian's right index finger was dangling limply. The top joint of his finger bone had been fired off as the bullet.

The blood spraying earlier hadn't just belonged to the Serpent-Man.

Normally, outside of combat, an injury like this would heal in the time it took to yawn.

Unfortunately, at this moment, he was already struggling just to maintain his form. This stunt finally pushed it past the breaking point.

Fu Qian watched helplessly as his entire index finger twisted into a blackish-red tentacle.

Truly sinister!

Fu Qian sighed inwardly as he fired another shot at the head lunging to bite him again.

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