Eldritch Horror Theatre

Other than the Suspected Ancient One, who had always refused to show himself, who else could exert such influence on the level of consciousness—interfering with attacks and even seizing the opportunity to strike back?

As for why he attacked, Fu Qian had told the truth.

He hadn't been entirely sure whether this was the real Brother Repentance or the entity behind him putting on an act, but he needed to find out.

The result left no need for further disguise, which was why the other party had asked so bluntly.

As for why the other party was so certain Fu Qian suspected his identity rather than simply being bloodthirsty?

That was simple. It was the same reason he had survived the counterattack.

That blade hadn't originally been aimed where it landed.

How could a bloodthirsty maniac be prepared for his own strike to miss, let alone manage to dodge a fatal blow while fighting off mental interference?

They were both veterans of this world; that split-second exchange had already said more than enough.

Unfortunately, the deeper one's experience in the jianghu, the less likely they were to believe Fu Qian's honesty. The Suspected Ancient One sneered, pointing straight at his motive.

As he spoke, he stepped to just outside striking distance, his weapon pointed at Fu Qian, ready to attack again at any moment.

The situation really wasn't looking optimistic. It was hurtling straight toward the worst-case scenario...

Though he had successfully forced out the disguise, Fu Qian felt no joy.

Feeling his crumbling will and the overwhelming surge of pleasure that pushed him just one step away from Layer 100, he nodded honestly again.

"To kill you, of course."

...

"So this is why you've been climbing so desperately?"

Perhaps time really did reveal a person's heart; this time, Fu Qian's answer wasn't immediately doubted.

The Suspected Ancient One even used it as a baseline to try and make sense of Fu Qian's actions along the way.

"Including when you subtly told that guy the correct method of Transcendence on the way here—was that just so you'd have more people to distract me during your next attempt?"

His words revealed his absolute grasp over the situation; every single move had indeed fallen under his observation.

Even after being schemed against and having a portion of his will fall away, he had still seen everything discussed in the carriage.

A true dimensional strike. It was terrifying to this degree.

"Couldn't it just be that I have a kind heart and wanted to save all living beings?"

Praising his opponent in his mind, Fu Qian fired back with an eerie tone.

"Your logic is clear, and your methods aren't even wrong, but unfortunately, you're out of time.

"I left and came back specifically to execute you. Believe me, this time you'll be living as an insect for a very, very long time."

The Suspected Ancient One ignored his nonsense completely and kept talking.

"The only thing you can do now is tell me what drove you to do this. I might be willing to lessen your suffering a bit."

Naturally, the pressure wasn't just for show. He quickly got to the core issue.

"Couldn't it be that I'm just incredibly ambitious, climbing the ranks by any means necessary and trying to eliminate any obstacles?"

Fu Qian wasn't feeling particularly cooperative, replying with the same mocking sentence structure.

"Without guidance, no one could ascend to the Third Heaven with that kind of efficiency. Even I spent decades completing that process...

"Is it the thing behind the Church? Don't think I can't see the changes in your body..."

This evasiveness clearly stoked the Suspected Ancient One's anger.

Yet it was obvious how desperately he wanted the answer, so much so that he was willing to turn an open-ended question into a simple yes or no.

"No. That's the thing driving you."

Unfortunately, even that 'yes or no' question was answered with a 'no.'

...

"You are courting death."

The Suspected Ancient One, who had been incredibly difficult to deal with this entire time, finally paused for a brief moment before delivering a classic line.

"You're talking a little too much."

Fu Qian's critique was ruthless. In that moment, he abandoned all control over his expressions, letting every muscle and pore twitch with its own manic energy.

"I never believed that you wouldn't be able to break free from this body's limits during all that time just now. That's why I'm inclined to think it was this body's original owner talking to me at the start. But here's the problem—

"You're clearly not an emotional person. After breaking free from those restraints, you had plenty of opportunities to kill me. Was it really necessary to risk coming back to do it yourself?

"Even if you did come back, there were obviously better ways to handle it, like making some noise to draw in the guards outside... yet you seem dead set on not alerting them."

With an excessively animated tone and expression, he had clearly seized his turn to speak.

"It's obvious that instead of worrying about who sent me, you're more concerned about what's happening to you. You're wondering why you had such an irrational impulse, one you can't even shake off right now... And I just happen to know an entity that acts entirely on impulse."

...

Why had he said the worst-case scenario had come to pass?

Probing him was an absolute necessity. However, Fu Qian knew perfectly well that if there was truly something wrong with Brother Repentance, it almost certainly meant one thing: the one who had escaped was dragged back here to kill him.

Or rather, dragged back to shatter his will faster, turning him into the final exhibit in a gallery of pleasure.

Since it wasn't exactly known for clear thinking, Excellency Stomach was fully capable of pulling something like this.

This wasn't a bluff. Ever since he had confirmed that the Stomach and the Ancient One weren't working together, Fu Qian had suspected something: could the latter really ascend all the way to the Ninth Heaven over the years without being tainted by that source of corruption?

In all the places he had visited previously, the Stomach's influence had always been apparent.

By actively rushing to the Church to detonate the Seed of Ecstasy and aligning himself with the Stomach in a strategy of driving a tiger to devour a wolf, what was his biggest fear?

Naturally, it was the possibility that his mission target was a colleague.

If they were both serving the same master, how was he supposed to kill him? The Containment task would be impossible to complete.

That was the main reason he had rushed over to check, even knowing he likely wouldn't make it in time.

Unfortunately, after exhausting all clever schemes, he had indeed gotten the worst possible outcome.

The Suspected Ancient One had been corrupted by the Stomach long ago without realizing it. The corruption had only revealed itself when the entity was provoked by Fu Qian.

"So for thousands of years, It has been using me to corrupt this place... and I actually thought I had completely evaded It...

"That explains why, no matter what tier I ascend to, I can always see Its traces... My current state is just like what I once did to you all..."

It was clear that the Suspected Ancient One hadn't been entirely oblivious to this risk. A single hint made everything click into place, giving him a faint look of complete enlightenment.

"So, are you interested in answering my earlier question now? What should I call you?"

Fu Qian seized the opportunity to ask.

"I truly cannot understand your confidence. Even if I'm slightly influenced, my condition is far better than yours. You will never reach a High Tier above me.

"In fact, by cooperating with a power like that, my efficiency will only increase. I'll ascend to the summit and completely take control of the Realm of Bliss. When that happens, you will meet your absolute Death."

Unfortunately, even in this situation, the Suspected Ancient One had no interest in sharing. Instead, his malice was glaringly obvious.

"That's why I find it so strange. Why didn't you run when you realized who I was?"

So it really was like this. The multi-layered Heavens were an intrinsic trait of the Realm of Bliss; by ascending layer by layer to the absolute peak, one could take control of it and truly erase any target within.

"I already told you. I'm here to kill you."

The killing intent reached a tipping point, but Fu Qian simply shook his head. His gaze, deep and endless, stared past the Golden Melon as if looking toward some infinite height.

In truth, it wasn't that high—just the summit of Paradise the other party had mentioned.

It was an unprecedented experience. Everything felt as though it were being "looked down upon" from above. Every Heaven he had previously traversed unfurled before him, one by one—even the ones he hadn't experienced, layer upon layer...

Because of this, he could now confirm with absolute certainty that the person in front of him was indeed the "Ancient One of the Ninth Heaven," his Containment target.

As for how he managed to do this—

"Does constantly moving forward guarantee you'll reach the finish line? The era you lived in must have lacked a subject called mathematics."

Fu Qian once again marveled at the importance of knowledge.

"What?"

The Ancient One clearly didn't understand.

"There's an interesting story that says if the tortoise gets a head start, the hare will never catch up to it. Unfortunately, we don't have time to discuss the details."

Fu Qian continued to sigh as he took a proactive step forward. The Small Golden Melon Hammer he had been holding against his chest swung out once more.

How...

The Ancient One, who had been fully prepared to strike, suddenly felt as though he had received a sharp blow to the head. He found himself unable to attack, completely incapable of dodging.

Crack!

The sound was crisp as red and white splattered through the air.

[Current task completed. Containment of 1-002 successful.]

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