Eldritch Horror Theatre

Mutual benefit was always the foundation of any healthy cooperation.

As someone who never chased empty fame, Fu Qian found no appeal in the Linghui Courtyard's pursuit of petty rivalries.

Aside from enlightening his foolish disciples and helping Linghui clear away their mental barriers, he needed to reap some genuine rewards from this trip himself.

So it wasn't too much to borrow everyone's brainwaves for a bit, right?

Even if the voltage seemed a little high...

It was like hearing thunder in utter silence. As the Decree of Return activated, Professor Lisa was certainly struck by a brief moment of confusion, but in the blink of an eye, she was no longer the one reacting the most violently.

Her discomfort stemmed from the sudden intensification of the spiraling explosion. But beyond what everyone else could feel, the members of the Linghui Courtyard undoubtedly suffered an additional discomfort: emptiness.

The essence of the Decree of Return was the direct purification of accumulated filth—a substance that had become as natural to them as the air they breathed.

Over the long years, they had grown accustomed to savoring, breathing, and immersing themselves in it, relying on it for a psychological sense of self-satisfaction.

Now, with the purifying effect of the Decree of Return, the completely chaotic Golden Rotation carried new patches of void-like erosion. The sensation this brought to Lisa was distinctly different from what the courtyard members felt.

For the former, it was like luckily catching a breath of pure air. For the latter, it directly triggered withdrawal symptoms—and the terror of that withdrawal.

For a moment, no one made a sound, but their breathing hitched almost in unison. More than one gentleman who had been keeping eyes on nose, nose on heart finally couldn't help but look up.

"Do not get distracted. Do not miss this moment."

Under the stares of an entire hall, Professor Fu naturally showed no stage fright. Before Weilong or the others could say a word, he issued a cold reminder, demanding that the group continue to give one hundred percent.

...

They still possessed a bit of baseless arrogance, which was exactly why they had been unwilling to look the three visitors from Apocalypse in the eye earlier.

"Do not get distracted."

So, even though Professor Fu's reprimand was perfectly justified, more than one person cast questioning glances at Weilong and the others—only to earn another scolding from the older man.

At this point, the group had all the fight taken out of them. They immediately went back to keeping eyes on nose, nose on heart, doing their utmost to find traces of that invisible beast within the uncomfortable chaos.

"You must Overthink."

Yet even so, facing this diligent scene, the Apocalypse professor remained dissatisfied. With a hawk-eyed and wolf-gazing demeanor, he continued to relentlessly criticize them, his tone profound.

"This lamp is made from genuine Transcendent Tier materials. Combined with a specially designed structure, it can faintly reflect certain formless fluctuations."

Seeing Fu Qian's gaze land once again on the magnificent giant chandelier, Weilong turned his head and explained softly from the side.

"Because of this, it is rarely ever lit, as it constantly emits a faint radiance on its own.

"And the instructors of Linghui Courtyard are accustomed to using it as an object of visualization, grasping more through its subtle resonances."

...

So this is basically the Linghui Courtyard's communal oscilloscope? That faint cyan glow is even the light of wisdom?

It really is an inspired item, even if the signal is a bit mixed.

"I see."

Fu Qian nodded again, clearly understanding why, while some closed their eyes to feel, almost everyone else kept staring straight at the chandelier.

In fact, because the hall was so quiet, Weilong's explanation reached everyone's ears clearly, causing even more people to stare at the lamp.

It might not have been overly precious, but to the members of the Linghui Courtyard, this object—designed to the level of a true work of art—was clearly a very special symbol—Crash!

Just as the tense, oppressive atmosphere reached its peak and everyone—Weilong included—was pushing themselves to their limits to sense and interpret it, a dense, crisp shattering sound abruptly echoed through the room.

It was accompanied by a spectacular, scattering burst of light.

The giant, cyan-tinted lamp—the visualization core of the Linghui Courtyard—exploded directly in midair, raining down in pieces.

And the cause of all this was an armchair that had been casually snatched up and thrown. After smashing the chandelier to pieces, it kept flying for quite a distance before finally embedding itself into a set of window blinds.

This...

The air seemed to freeze. Pairs of eyes filled with absolute disbelief and denial simultaneously snapped toward the spot from which the chair had been thrown.

A certain Demigod surnamed Fu, who had come to provide guidance, was pressing his hands against the table in front of him, slowly standing up.

"Are you all... actually Overthinking?"

He offered absolutely no explanation for his previous action. The gaze he swept over the crowd even carried a cold disdain.

"You've been thinking for a day and a night. Has it been of any use?

"Those things full of fallacy will only blind your eyes. Abandon those crude concepts, even the so-called prison of the 'self.' Abandon everything... and then tell me what you see."

...

Adding another disruptive force, hoping a more chaotic situation will force the target out of hiding.

In Fu Qian's view, Weilong's idea seemed reasonable, but in essence, it was just a desperate roll of the dice.

They knew absolutely nothing about the target. They could only make slight inferences and guesses based on their own experiences as victims.

But as previously mentioned, their luck lay in the fact that he, their partner, knew the target extremely well.

So well, in fact, that he was perfectly aware that the "ghost" was far beyond the Academy. Even if they blew this place up, it probably wouldn't have any effect.

The reason his Decree of Return had triggered such a massive reaction last time was simply that it had given a signal to Yuhun, who was already restless and ready to make a move.

Therefore, in this reverse investigation, their subjective initiative was completely meaningless. They merely needed to play their roles as oscilloscopes well.

And his earlier action was, to a certain extent, meant to help them tune their frequency closer to the target's range.

First, he directly shattered their emotional anchor at the moment their obsession was heaviest. Then, the words he spoke afterward were the very essence of the "Chan Dao" he had learned after being repeatedly influenced by it.

"Professor Fu..."

One second he had been eagerly introducing it, and the next it had been smashed to pieces.

Old Man Weilong, who had also been quite shocked by the sudden change and had nearly lost his composure, was a bit calmer now.

However, the reasoning the other party provided was still rather abstract. Relying on his rich spiritual knowledge to try and comprehend it, he spoke up in a complicated tone.

Even though he had addressed Fu Qian, his gaze was actually locked onto Cass beside him.

"Apocalypse will pay for the damages."

The very next moment, he received a generous promise.

Smiling, Cass examined the destroyed work of art and spoke in a casual tone.

His meaning was quite clear. He saw absolutely nothing wrong with his own man instructing the Linghui Courtyard on how to reflect.

...

Without even a polite remark regarding the chandelier, Weilong slowly sat back down.

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