Eldritch Horror Theatre

Since he couldn't just vanish directly from his seat, he had to settle for this compromise.

The upside was that it still looked quite intimidating, giving off a bit of a shattering-the-void vibe.

Taking a step out of the Laboratory's doors, Fu Qian naturally appeared in Shangjing's Bookstore the very next moment. He gazed out the window, savoring the memory of the old professor's heroic bearing.

Truthfully, if it had been up to him, sitting in the Chair and vanishing on the spot would have carried far more flair.

Unfortunately, after a brief check, Fu Qian discovered that The Bookstore was clearly the absolute hub of this Anywhere Door System gifted to him by Red Moon.

For example, while the chair back at the Academy shared a nearly identical design, it lacked the Spikes used to draw blood.

Ultimately, just like his previous visit to Ye Island, the only way back was to walk through the door.

As for why he had to come back?

For one thing, everything that needed to be done at the Academy was finished—namely, the physical examinations of Classmate Liushuang, Eldest Miss Wen, and Professor Lisa.

There was even an incidental harvest during the process. Through the Ji Clan's next family head, he had made more potential discoveries related to the Order of Blood Project.

By the time the team-building event ended, the Burial Scroll's time limit had long since expired. There was little point in lingering; it was best to just let the young people put in their own hard work from here on out.

As for what he came back to do—Fu Qian's gaze fell on the faint Bright Light on the horizon.

It had been deep in the night when he left, yet now a new day was evidently about to begin.

Compared to then, it was actually even quieter outside.

At an hour like this, foot traffic would undoubtedly be dismal, so there was no need to force the shop open.

Fortunately, Fu Qian hadn't returned to boost Shangjing's prosperity anyway.

As mentioned earlier, this place was now the hub of the Anywhere Door.

Reaching out to stroke the extra fixture on the seat, Fu Qian placed his index finger on the Spikes.

Deep and gloomy, an undeniably ominous illusory door instantly materialized before him.

......

It seemed perfectly stable.

Liliana's Hideout. Fu Qian recognized the familiar architecture at a single glance.

Indeed, as an academic pioneer with numerous projects resting on his shoulders, the return journey was always just preparation for the next departure.

The reason he came back this time was simply that there were other doors he wanted to drop in on.

Having just eaten dinner, he needed some light activity to digest it.

Keeping the principle of moderate exercise in mind, out of the two doors leading to the Bone Burial Ground, the scenery behind this one was undoubtedly better suited for a casual stroll.

Although the old friend had passed on, perhaps he could still pay his respects.

Pressing down slightly, his index finger was pierced, and the pitch-black door—covered in deep furrows—slowly opened.

......

It really was a nice place for a walk, and the positioning was remarkably accurate.

The entire process went flawlessly. The very next moment, Fu Qian realized he had left The Bookstore and was standing in a place with an entirely different aesthetic.

Colonnades, terraces, complex architectural structures... it was precisely the senior's hideout he so often yearned for.

He had arrived at the Deity Burial Ground—the taboo domain the Night Watchers had repeatedly forbidden anyone from trespassing in.

Red Moon really had gifted him something tremendous. Even if he couldn't reach the sea of mind, having access to this place was already incredible.

Moreover, a single glance at the surrounding layout showed that his arrival coordinates were exactly the same as last time. Absolute precision.

What a pity. He still didn't see any sign of Senior Liliana, let alone hear her sorrowful sobbing—wait a minute.

Fu Qian's brow suddenly furrowed, his gaze drifting to the shifting, colorful sky overhead.

There was a sound... and a familiar one at that?

Truly worthy of being the door Red Moon had specially prepared for him—he stumbled onto a special discovery the moment he walked in.

The Deity Burial Ground wasn't quite as peaceful as expected; he heard the disturbance immediately.

And it genuinely wasn't Senior Liliana's crying, but something far more familiar—the Doomsday Ditty?

Yes, even though the tune was somewhat abstract, Fu Qian still recognized the melody in a heartbeat.

Without a doubt, this was the very same apocalyptic tune that had been playing on a loop during his recent visit to the Inverted Lake in the Ash Sea.

......

What was the meaning of this?

It was hard to write this off as pure coincidence. After all, it hadn't been that long since his last visit, and there had been absolutely no background music back then.

So, was this because of what happened in the Ash Sea?

Surely the commotion back there hadn't caused some kind of resonance all the way over here?

Though he had glanced at the Deity Burial Ground through the perspective of the crystallized doomsday at the very end, he honestly hadn't done anything else. Surely the place wasn't that fragile?

But the tune playing right now was undeniably real... Things were getting interesting.

Not the least bit upset by this unexpected development, Fu Qian turned and walked down from the terrace, making his way step by step into the interior of the building.

Compared to his last visit, the place looked as though it had weathered a bit more, calling to mind the violent storms that sporadically ravaged the area.

Furthermore, after his recent experiences in the Ash Sea, those storms could no longer be taken lightly.

The sight of that massive whale leaping from the Inverted Lake to catch the storm with its own head had left a profound impression.

If his theory back then was correct, that place truly was the shed remains of His Excellency the Fool, meant to preserve a shred of "peace" for the mortal realm.

By that logic, there was a very high probability that the storm here in the Bone Burial Ground represented the destruction that had persisted for over a millennium.

Looked at from that angle, pairing it with the Doomsday Ditty seemed perfectly fitting.

Though for his part, Fu Qian still wanted to figure out why it hadn't been playing during his last visit.

Wait. It seemed the melody wasn't the only thing that had suddenly appeared since his last visit.

Fu Qian abruptly stopped in his tracks, staring down at his feet.

He remembered this exact spot perfectly. Senior Liliana—whom he had only met once—had been sitting right here, covering her face and sobbing bitterly.

It was just a pity that she'd fallen victim to his own ruthless hands, leaving not even ashes behind.

This time, however, there appeared to be something extra on the ground.

Fu Qian crouched down and reached out to touch the relatively intact floorboards.

Crack—

Yet, beneath the weight of just a single finger—before he even exerted any force—the floor gave way, caving into a hole.

Along with it came a deeply unpleasant stench.

It went far beyond mere "stench." It smelled like the dual putrefaction of soul and flesh, the kind of odor where taking a single breath felt like it would rot your lungs and brain all at once.

There was even genuine rotting matter.

Fu Qian picked up the caved-in fragments, spotting tiny, worm-eaten pores riddling the material.

A viscous liquid was oozing bit by bit from those tiny pores, gleaming with a familiar scarlet hue.

That was right. Combined with the stench, this sudden new element rapidly stirred his memories, calling to mind a certain glorious shitshow of a Blood Lake.

A place that should have existed in an entirely different bubble, completely separated from this one by distinct boundaries.

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