Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was indeed very impolite.

In what was essentially a cathartic, final-episode revenge sequence, Fu Qian’s words and actions were the textbook definition of unrepentant to the bitter end.

It was the kind of behavior that would make an audience feel death was too good for him—let alone the person actually pulling the trigger.

Especially when the protagonist of this particular revenge drama already had a highly volatile mental state.

"Haha. Very true."

Amid a series of heavy booms and more debris smashing into the ground, Zhao Ran's laughter soon cut through the violent upheaval.

"But you might not know that I absolutely loathe self-righteous advice. So, I've decided to sacrifice a little fun and deny your curiosity."

Changing his tune the next moment, he exhibited a genuine streak of rebelliousness, stubbornly refusing to let Fu Qian die with a clear understanding of what was happening.

"No, you will."

Fu Qian didn't hesitate for a single second before delivering his assessment.

"Interesting... trying to scrounge up a little dignity for yourself this way?"

Normally, this kind of retort would be meaningless, but after a moment's hesitation, Zhao Ran's reaction turned rather peculiar.

Specifically, it was as if he had suddenly realized the "true intent" behind Fu Qian's previous words.

Let it be said that everyone has their limits, especially in such an unstable mental state.

Facing this rapid flip-flopping right in front of him, Fu Qian didn't even bother to manage his facial expression.

Once a person fell into a thousand-layer trap of overthinking, no matter how you acted, they would find a way to successfully interpret it.

The logic behind Zhao Ran's words was simple: he believed Fu Qian wasn't genuinely trying to learn his secret. Rather, Fu Qian was trying to corner him into not telling, thereby clawing back a sliver of control over the situation and striving to die with a little more dignity.

The complex subtlety of the human heart amounted to nothing more than this.

As for why Fu Qian wasn't worried that the man would think one layer deeper and realize he was still using this method to coax it out of him?

Because there was no need. His behavioral patterns were simply too easy to predict.

With his narrow-minded disposition, once he gained the upper hand, how could he possibly resist the urge to humiliate his opponent to the absolute limit?

No matter how much rapid flip-flopping he engaged in, it was highly probable that he would eventually settle on maximizing the thrill—meaning he would spill everything except the core method.

This was also why Fu Qian had unapologetically declared that everything was part of his plan, rather than trying to patiently and gently coax out more information.

Everyone was different. For this old acquaintance in front of him, the greater the provocation, the greater the harvest.

"Other Shore."

...

"Unfamiliar? Believe me, this is a title you would never learn if I didn't say it."

Without even needing Fu Qian to ponder deeply, Zhao Ran further explained in a disdainful tone.

"That is a noble name that can only be understood by receiving a true blessing. Otherwise, even if you stood right in the middle of it, you would never realize it."

It was a bit abstract, but for a listener operating at the level of an academic pioneer, it still wasn't hard to parse.

The true name of the Furnace was Other Shore?

He had thought its previous names were already somewhat abstract, but he hadn't expected the reality to be even more esoteric.

Although, considering its Containment Object designation as the Angel of Comfort, it was still somewhat fitting.

As well as the fact that one could only enter and never leave, and that all of one's traces in the mortal world would completely vanish...

Very nice. Learning this single name alone was worth the price of admission.

Not to mention he could now continue to ponder the origin of this title.

The core objective of this trip was to try treating this place as an invisible "corpse," similar to that tree in West Plain.

A "noble name" that could only be known by thoroughly binding with this place... Brother Zhao Ran's understanding wasn't necessarily without merit.

Putting it together—was it really the true name of a dead higher entity?

Although the name better matched the vibe of The Abyss or Paradise, its location of appearance was far too random, and the power level wasn't overwhelmingly exaggerated.

It was hard to imagine that if that were really the case, an entity like the Blazing Rainbow would just leave it here to go to waste.

Therefore, in comparison, it seemed much more like the corpse of a Deity that held little value, with all of its polluting properties safely sealed inside.

"Thanks for sharing. I really didn't know that before, even though this isn't my first time sitting in this seat."

Feeling that he had reaped a rich harvest, Fu Qian expressed his gratitude once again, even unabashedly admitting to his prior experience sitting in the seat.

"No need to bluff me. Like I said before, you'll never know how to truly obtain the blessing... Besides, did you think I couldn't tell that your previous escape was also related to this seat? What a pity you won't get the chance this time."

Unfortunately, the prejudices of the human heart were ultimately as immovable as mountains. In an instant, Zhao Ran interpreted Fu Qian's honesty as an indirect probe.

Meanwhile, as the interior space of the Church shrank to less than a third of its original size, falling debris finally began to hit the Stone Seat.

Crack, crack—

Amid the crisp shattering sounds, the seat did not exhibit any extraordinary durability and soon developed cracks.

Accompanying this was a milky-white, paste-like substance seeping out from within.

It had no discernible smell, but visually, it looked exactly like rendered fat. As it flowed out, it rapidly enveloped Fu Qian, who was sitting directly on top of it.

Interesting.

In the blink of an eye, his lower half was completely covered, making him look uncannily like Old Man Feng during their first encounter.

While Fu Qian remained physically motionless, he did not miss observing the deep-seated changes occurring beneath the surface—he was being torn apart.

Wrapped in this substance, the melting power that had previously only appeared on the dead was now affecting him with unstoppable momentum.

Limbs, eyes, blood—every structure of his body was being forcibly torn apart and broken down.

Furthermore, this power was so exalted that even at Peak Tier 4, he still possessed zero ability to resist...

The Demigod Realm wouldn't cut it either...

A False God wouldn't suffice...

But the King of the Abandoned Prison could.

Smoothly adjusting his Rank to ensure the entire devouring process could be observed to the maximum, at a certain moment, the cracks on the already shattered Stone Seat multiplied exponentially until it could barely maintain its shape.

"What... exactly are you?"

Such a change undoubtedly terrified the audience. The assassin brother, who had been tracking him and raising his own Rank with a cold sneer, had already run out of steam at the Demigod Realm.

But clearly, thanks to his union with the Other Shore, he could still grasp the changes occurring in Fu Qian's body, so much so that his voice was suddenly filled with terror and unwillingness.

"It's not very easy to explain to you. In short, I didn't come here this time to join the family, but to drain six wallets dry."

Fu Qian remained honest. As he spoke, he casually pulled a bag from his person, tipped out a white-and-red Bone Chain, and tossed it to the ground.

Almost instantly, the cracks spread from the Stone Seat to the surroundings, swallowing up the assassin brother's figure.

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