Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Demigod?"

Once she realized what Yi'an was saying, even the furious Lanaya drew a sharp breath.

The visual shock had been overwhelming, but as she forced herself to calm down, she could genuinely sense a different aura radiating from the man before her.

A real demigod?

To think Ian had reached the Demigod Realm a step ahead of Li Weixuan!

The emergence of a new demigod should theoretically be a boon for the Academy, but—

Lanaya cast another glance at the twisted scene beside them, her tone bone-chilling.

"What exactly is going on here? As the head of the Disciplinary Department, I demand a clear explanation."

"Of course I'll explain. After all, this is a magnificent creation."

"It means that after years of agonizing struggle, we have finally found a brand-new direction on the path of the demigod."

"A brilliant, genius path."

"It barely even consumes transcendent materials in the traditional sense, because I have developed an entirely different resource."

"Oh? And what resource is that?"

Fu Qian, standing off to the side, asked with genuine interest.

"Professor Fu, I must admit, you've given me quite a surprise as well."

Hearing him speak, Ian turned to look Fu Qian up and down, clicking his tongue in marvel.

"To ascend to the Demigod Realm first, Li Weixuan and I have been secretly competing for years. Who could have imagined that the Apocalypse Branch was hiding such a low-profile demigod all along?"

"It seems my choice was the right one."

"I don't know what your ultimate goal is, but if I hadn't used Jia Yi's matter to tie you down, you really might have derailed my plans."

'This guy's perception is rather sharp!'

Fu Qian mused.

With his deliberate concealment, even Yuan Shan couldn't pin down his exact state.

Yet this man, upon seeing him for the first time, was absolutely certain.

"You flatter me."

Fu Qian offered a smiling greeting.

"You've only just ascended, so you wouldn't know. True experts are always as open-minded as an empty valley."

There was another demigod?

Fu Qian's response left Ian momentarily speechless, and left Lanaya's mind reeling. A deafening roar echoed in her head, drowning out the rest of the conversation.

"You're a demigod?"

She whipped around to point at Fu Qian, her voice trembling.

At that moment, the entire world felt utterly unreal to her.

"How could you be a demigod? Exactly... when did this happen?"

"It's a long story. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what's going on myself."

Fu Qian sighed and pointed across the room.

"But shouldn't our focus be elsewhere right now? It seems Brother Ian here has just cleared me of suspicion."

...

It took several seconds of silence before Lanaya processed his words. She whirled back to glare at Ian.

"You killed Jia Yi?"

"I did."

Ian looked completely unbothered.

"Why?"

Lanaya's voice came out exceptionally dry.

"To prevent Professor Fu from interfering with me, of course."

Ian spoke with measured slowness.

"I wasn't sure why he showed up at the ball, but my operation was at a critical juncture and couldn't afford a single mistake. So, I had you all stall him for me."

"This was all your plan? But since you've confessed..."

Almost-tangible killing intent surged from Lanaya's body.

"There's no need to be so tense. I'm not going to run."

Ian waved his hand dismissively, his expression perfectly calm.

"I harbor no ill will toward anyone, not even Professor Fu."

"Because I believe that once you understand my discovery, you'll all see that those matters were practically nothing."

"What discovery?"

The moment she spoke, Lanaya felt her chaotic thoughts boil over like a heated kettle.

Influenced by the eerie sounds echoing through the room, illicit desires sprouted wildly in her mind, surging and bursting like countless chaotic bubbles.

"Make them stop."

Lanaya commanded coldly.

"Uncomfortable? It seems Professor Lanaya represses herself a bit too much."

Yi'an chuckled and snapped his fingers.

In the blink of an eye, the pinkish-white tree in the room, along with every person on its branches, ceased all movement. They no longer made a sound, and the heavy pressure on Lanaya's mind instantly lifted.

"So what exactly did you discover?"

"What do you think is the difference between us and ordinary humans?"

Yi'an didn't rush to answer; instead, he posed a question of his own.

"For a long time, I've felt that we are fundamentally different from them."

"They are too weak. In a sense, we are practically two different species."

"You had better not let the Night Watchers hear you say that."

Lanaya said coldly.

"Let me finish."

Yi'an wore a pleasant smile.

"However, I later realized I was wrong. They are actually meaningful to us."

"True, they are fragile, foolish, and ignorant, but they share one thing in common with us—desire."

"As weak as they are, their desires are no weaker than ours."

Yi'an tenderly stroked a hand hanging down in front of him.

"While searching for the path of the demigod, I made many dangerous attempts. For instance, severing my own will, or implanting specific thoughts."

"Most of these attempts were agonizing and perilous, but they also granted me many novel experiences."

...

Though Lanaya remained silent, Fu Qian keenly noticed her fists clenching tighter.

Sure enough, the people from the Academy were each more twisted than the last. Even someone as experienced as her was struggling to stomach this.

"During one of these attempts, I had an unexpected harvest: the desire actually came alive."

Yi'an simply continued his narrative.

"It no longer relied on me. It became an independent entity, brimming with hallucinatory traits. I named it 'Ecstasy'."

"Amidst the many pleasant surprises I found during this self-observation, I also had a strange thought."

"Could Ecstasy be a higher existence grown using the human body as soil? What if we are nothing more than a Hotbed meant to nurture it?"

"You're insane!"

Faced with Yi'an's ravings, Lanaya only offered this brief evaluation.

"Madness, to put it plainly, is merely a cognitive label."

Yi'an paid it no mind.

"The facts prove that my discovery has led me to the true path of the demigod."

"I only want to know what you did to them."

"Patience, I will get to that shortly."

Yi'an let out a cold chuckle.

"After discovering the secret of Ecstasy, my thoughts quickly turned to our brethren in the broadest sense. They might be pathetically frail, but they possess a different kind of value."

"Eventually, through tentative guidance, I realized that Ecstasy wasn't exclusive to transcendents. It could manifest in ordinary humans just as well."

"In fact, there is no obvious difference in its level of activity."

"That came as quite a pleasant surprise, because it meant that every single person had become a valuable resource."

"You bastard!"

The fury in Lanaya's voice was already impossible to suppress.

"Let's not act on emotion, Professor Lanaya."

Yi'an remained entirely unfazed.

"Think about it carefully. Not only does this discovery offer an alternative reference for the path of the demigod, but it also makes the ritual itself consume incredibly little energy. How is that not magnificent?"

"Sacrificing ordinary people to advance—this is your magnificence?"

Lanaya was so furious she laughed.

"She is not an ordinary person."

Hearing her words, Yi'an's expression suddenly turned dead serious.

He looked up at the deformed body in front of him, his voice mournful.

"She is my lover."

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