Eldritch Horror Theatre

The sudden change inside the Underground secret chamber instantly turned the atmosphere tense.

Prompted by Guan Jingzheng's warning, both the Academy instructors and the Kamakura Clan members finally realized what had happened.

What had just happened to the two Glove hounds was fundamentally identical to what Kamakura Shinji and the others had suffered.

The spontaneous incisions—deep enough to slice a body to pieces—were unmistakably the Kamakura Family's Cursed Swordsmanship.

The problem was that nearly every Kamakura Family member who could still walk was already standing right here.

Following earlier orders, they had all been standing perfectly still.

"Besides, it doesn't look like there are any other rooms behind this."

Facing Ni Huayuan's suggestion, Kamakura Ki furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Let's test it. After all, you don't come in here often, do you?"

Test it? To the naked eye, there was absolutely no passage leading further back.

The Underground was a complex labyrinth. Even if attempting a detour through another route actually worked, it would take far too long—

A moment later, Kamakura Ki realized exactly what Ni Huayuan meant as someone from the Academy stepped forward, stopping right where the two vicious hounds had retreated.

Boom!

With a dull, heavy crash, a massive dent was smashed directly into the wall of giant stones.

These guys are seriously reckless. Aren't they afraid the place will cave in?

Fu Qian marveled as he watched from the sidelines.

Then again, for a structure built inside a mountain, a minor tremor like this wouldn't normally do much damage.

To judge actions not intent, since Ni Huayuan was leading the Academy's group so proactively, Fu Qian was more than happy to quietly observe the changes.

By now, Guan Jingzheng had even drawn his sword and thrust it straight into the crack.

...

"So, what is the name of the Deity represented by this statue?"

Watching the Ruins—a place bearing immense significance to his family—being dismantled with such high efficiency, Kamakura Ki wore a wooden expression.

Regardless, their lives were more important.

But right at that moment, the Sword Dao Demigod of unknown intentions suddenly stepped closer to ask the question.

"I don't know."

Although he had no idea why Fu Qian was asking, Kamakura Ki quickly shook his head.

"You don't know?"

Fu Qian's gaze turned sharp.

"You don't know, yet you've guarded this place for hundreds of years?"

"We truly don't know."

Stared down by a Demigod's questioning eyes, Kamakura Ki felt an immense pressure and hurriedly explained.

"It might sound strange, but it is the truth."

"According to the stories passed down in our clan, the earliest Kamakura Family didn't even live here. Our ancestor received a revelation in a dream, urging him to search for a certain place."

"He searched everywhere and finally found the scene from his dream right here. He ultimately settled down, and we became Tombkeepers for generations."

"What an inspiring story."

Fu Qian wore a look of dawning realization.

"And as Tombkeepers, you did indeed receive benefits."

It was hard to imagine a simple ancestral teaching holding that much binding force. For the Kamakura Family to guard a tomb for hundreds of years, it was impossible without some positive feedback.

Even the Dragon King had to ensure favorable weather if he wanted abundant incense offerings.

"Yes. Since then, the Kamakura Family has indeed received gifts. In every generation, there will be at least one person who manifests the Divine Seal."

Kamakura Ki hesitated for a moment before confirming Fu Qian's deduction.

Right amidst their conversation, a collective gasp echoed out.

Through their repeated efforts, a hole had already been carved into the stone wall behind the statue.

Through the opening, a pitch-black expanse was visible on the other side.

There's actually a hidden space back there?

For a moment, even Kamakura Ki was stunned.

Having made a breakthrough, Guan Jingzheng unleashed a flurry of sword qi, instantly widening the gap. He then gave Ni Huayuan a slight nod.

Without standing on ceremony, Ni Huayuan leaped through the opening.

Behind the thick wall lay a much more spacious Stone Chamber, though a single glance revealed it to be far rougher in construction.

At the far end, a crude door stood wide open, leading to an unknown destination.

"There seems to be something in the corner."

Seeing no abnormal movements, the rest of the group followed him in. Very quickly, someone pointed toward a dim corner.

Not everyone possessed night vision. Kamakura Ki signaled a clansman to bring over a lighting tool and illuminate the area.

This was...

What appeared before their eyes in the next moment thoroughly challenged everyone's imagination.

A mottled mess of black and yellow, at first glance it looked like a lump of melted stone. But upon closer inspection, they could faintly make out the shapes of limbs. It was just that they were all elongated, terribly distorted, and mashed into a single clump.

The part of the lump that vaguely resembled a head was riddled with holes, looking exactly like a squashed pumpkin.

Whether it used to be human or not, the thing was unequivocally dead.

"What is this..."

Kamakura Ki's expression was beyond description.

"Good question. Unfortunately, it looks like it's been dead for quite a while, so it won't be able to answer you."

Ni Huayuan snorted.

"What you should be concerned about right now is where this door leads."

"Are you saying..."

"Exactly. If we're lucky, the one who just attacked might not have left these Ruins yet."

Ni Huayuan pointed at the open door across the room.

"When your two hounds were sliced to pieces earlier, I didn't sense any living presence over here."

Seeing Ni Huayuan brimming with confidence—absolutely certain that someone had been causing mischief here before fleeing—the Demigod Cass finally spoke coldly.

"When the person who died here was sliced to pieces, you didn't sense anything either."

Ni Huayuan glanced at the bloodstains on the floor and countered sharply, thoroughly enjoying a sense of vindication.

"I understand what Professor Ni means, but it's still somewhat hard to believe."

Not daring to interject in the clash between the two heavyweights, Kamakura Ki waited until Cass fell silent before speaking up carefully.

"When Keiji was injured earlier, he wasn't inside the Ruins, nor was there any suspicious person present."

"What do you mean no one? Someone has been present this entire time."

Ni Huayuan revealed a meaningful smile.

The crowd instantly caught on, turning to look in Fu Qian's direction in unison.

It was true. Ever since this began, it seemed this Demigod had been present at the scene of every single incident.

More importantly, the very manner in which he first appeared was incredibly bizarre.

"Of course, as I just said, Mister Yun obviously wouldn't need to go through so much trouble."

However, Ni Huayuan had no intention of continuing to accuse Fu Qian. Instead, he smoothly cleared his name.

"I'm merely saying that some things aren't as absolute as you think. There will always be details you overlook."

"Is it possible that the person hiding here just now also received a revelation similar to your ancestor's, instructing them to find something inside the Ruins?"

"And to accomplish that, they employed some special methods, causing your family's current predicament?"

"...Indeed, there is a certain possibility."

Kamakura Ki felt faintly swayed by Ni Huayuan's analysis.

"So you'd better pray that this path doesn't lead straight to the outside. That means we still have a chance to corner our friend inside the Ruins."

Ni Huayuan summarized with a smile.

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