Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Mister Yun, what do you think?"

"Whatever."

Facing Ni Huayuan's question, Fu Qian—the team's absolute core—raised no objections to Teacher Chang joining them.

After some brief haggling, a team configuration that satisfied all parties was finally assembled.

The next moment, Fu Qian strode wordlessly down a branching path leading into the unknown depths, fully exuding the demeanor of a Sword Demon.

"Teacher Chang Mo, why do you think there is such a strange statue here?"

The female tutor's name, it turned out, was Chang Mo. Her willingness to tag along effectively lightened Fu Qian's conversational burden.

Ji Liushuang obviously couldn't just ignore a tutor who had joined out of concern for her. She kept her voice low, asking questions as they descended the passage.

Naturally, this did not delay the team's progress in the slightest.

As a result, the team's marching efficiency was absurdly high.

Moreover, even though the team's absolute core—the Sword Dao Demigod, Mister Yun—actually had nothing to do with the sword path, his stamina was even more exaggerated.

"It's hard to judge. Considering these Ruins belong to the Mythological Era, the symbolism behind the various figures from that time was simply too complex."

Chang Mo clearly cared deeply for Ji Liushuang. She pondered for a moment before answering.

"In that era, even the same Deity's image could change across different periods. That wasn't uncommon."

"So you're saying that statue might have been a later addition?"

Ji Liushuang clearly hadn't considered this possibility before.

"It's possible, but far too much time has passed. It's genuinely difficult to tell for sure."

Chang Mo shook her head, then watched helplessly as a thoughtful Ji Liushuang turned toward Fu Qian instead.

"Mister Yun, what do you think?"

'Why do I feel like I only served as a stepping stone to start a conversation?'

Chang Mo froze for a second, looking resigned, though she made no immediate move to stop the girl.

Ji Liushuang was quite interested in this Sword Dao Demigod, a fact almost everyone in the Academy could see.

But human interaction was a strange thing.

This unapproachable, murderous man showed a rare amount of patience toward Ji Liushuang.

Judging by their previous conversations, there was absolutely no sign of any malicious intent to mislead her. At most, his words sounded like the guidance of a strict elder.

Because of this, once her initial nervousness wore off, Chang Mo didn't feel the man posed much of a threat to her student.

Her main goal in volunteering to tag along was simply to keep an eye on things.

"A Deity's image often reflects the projections of its own believers."

Their rapid pace didn't stop Fu Qian from observing his surroundings.

He replied casually to Ji Liushuang's question.

"Perhaps that Nameless Divine Entity simply acquired a bizarre-looking believer."

"...Are you referring to the corpse in the Stone Chamber back there?"

This was undoubtedly a completely fresh perspective.

For a moment, not only was Ji Liushuang stunned, but Chang Mo also perked up her ears.

That corpse was almost completely petrified; it wasn't impossible for it to be from the Mythological Era.

But could something so monstrous in appearance really be a believer of a Divine Entity?

"Education without discrimination. Don't underestimate a Divine Entity's tolerance. Of course, the same might not apply to its other believers."

As if aware of what they were thinking, Fu Qian continued.

He wasn't just spouting nonsense. Along the way, they had spotted statues of that Nameless Divine Entity at various corners.

Although none were intact, the debris indicated they had all been normal figures.

This proved the one in the hidden chamber was clearly a special case.

"That's why that statue was in such a hidden place! It was ostracized by the other believers!"

Ji Liushuang's eyes lit up as she listened.

"But why were they all smashed? That kind of destruction is obviously man-made."

"You can ask Teacher Chang about that."

...

Caught off guard by having the question kicked back to her just as she was weighing the plausibility of Fu Qian's theory, Chang Mo pondered for a moment.

"It's actually not that strange. Divine Entities from the Mythological Era almost all shared the exact same fate. And the ones who acted against them weren't outsiders, but their own original believers."

"That endless Long Night accumulated too much fear and pain. A large portion of it was released in exactly this way."

"I see. That makes sense."

Although her teacher had spoken vaguely, Ji Liushuang immediately grasped her meaning and let out a soft sigh.

The cataclysm that ended the Mythological Era wasn't classified information; she naturally knew about it.

And the fear and anger born of total abandonment during that endless Long Night were equally easy to imagine.

"But if that's the reason, and the Nameless Divine Entity had long since stopped protecting its believers, what was up with the revelation the Kamakura Family received?"

However, another question quickly crossed her mind.

"I lean more toward the idea that it's just a story fabricated by the ancestors of the Kamakura Family."

Chang Mo gave a faint smile.

"Although their abilities don't really resemble the sword path, they did pick up some of its bad habits—like creating an anthropomorphic spiritual totem for themselves and inventing the concept of a divine gift."

"That is an absolutely crooked path. It serves no purpose other than tying your own hands, so you must never do it."

While expressing her disdain, she didn't forget to warn Ji Liushuang.

"Mhm."

The latter nodded earnestly.

"As for why they possess such bizarre abilities, even the Dean of the Casi Academy and Mister Yun aren't sure, so I certainly can't make a judgment... Hmm, it seems we've hit a dead end?"

The next moment, Chang Mo's breath caught, and she spoke up in surprise.

Indeed, as the three passed through another stone door, a hall-like area appeared before them.

Compared to the other areas, this place was heavily damaged. Debris and ruined walls were scattered everywhere, blocking off nearly half the space.

At a glance, there was no other way out.

"What do we do? Head back the way we came?"

Chang Mo subconsciously looked toward Fu Qian.

The route they had taken wasn't entirely devoid of forks, but considering the unique composition of their team, they had made a rather simple and brutal choice: to keep going straight down.

Now that they were out of paths, the most natural thought was to backtrack to the previous fork and search the other areas, or simply rendezvous with the rest of the team.

"Judging by the overall structure of these Ruins, there should be another layer below."

Instead of rushing to answer her, Fu Qian stared thoughtfully at the pile of rubble.

What?

Chang Mo looked bewildered once she processed what he had said.

'Overall structure... Don't tell me this guy was mapping out a structural blueprint in his head while we were rushing over here?'

"By the looks of it, even if there is another layer, it's highly likely it caved in and got blocked off."

Despite her shock, she still couldn't help but speak up a moment later.

"Our target couldn't possibly have burrowed through the walls to get down there, right?"

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