Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Who says it won't?"

Fu Qian countered Chang Mo's skepticism without missing a beat.

"Didn't Ni Huayuan's two hounds get chopped up right after phasing through a wall?"

How is that the same at all!

The absurd logic made Chang Mo freeze before she started screaming internally.

Just because those hounds had been killed after passing through a wall, how did that prove their current target could do the same?

And if their target really was like those hounds—lacking a physical body and capable of phasing through walls at will—what was the point of chasing it all this way?

The thing could slip into any solid surface and hide for a year without them ever finding it.

How can you be stupid enough to ask that?

A sudden jolt of clarity hit Chang Mo, and she finally understood why Fu Qian had said it. This guy had absolutely no intention of putting any actual effort into Ni Huayuan's plan.

Whether it was exploring the Ruins or searching for whatever they were after, he had his own agenda.

Spouting this obvious nonsense right to their faces was just a convenient excuse to go down to the lower level.

She might as well take this chance to part ways with him.

Chang Mo reflexively glanced at Ji Liushuang. The usually brilliant girl was looking back with bright, clear eyes, even nodding subconsciously as if Fu Qian's logic made perfect sense.

...

This foolish disciple! She really wants to follow him!

Chang Mo screamed internally once again, instantly dismissing the idea of dragging Ji Liushuang back the way they came.

Given Ji Liushuang's usual sharpness, Chang Mo knew the girl wasn't actually stupid enough to fall for this. That look of absolute trust was simply her way of making her stance clear.

The girl didn't want to leave, and heading back alone would defeat the purpose of being here.

"Clearing these things out won't be easy."

Taking a deep breath, Chang Mo swiftly pivoted her approach to point out the flaw in Fu Qian's plan.

"Considering the age of these Ruins, making too much noise down here might not be safe."

"True enough."

Fu Qian actually agreed with her this time.

"But I wasn't planning on clearing them out anyway."

He tapped his foot against the floor.

"Like I said, judging by the structure, there should be at least one more level below us."

"Are you planning to just break through?"

Watching Fu Qian stomp around on the stone slabs, the two women immediately grasped his intent.

Fu Qian simply scoffed at the question, offering no explanation.

A moment later, as the two watched in shock, the sleeve over Fu Qian's Left Hand silently shredded to pieces.

What it revealed was a massive, bizarrely shaped giant blade.

Over a meter long and entirely pitch-black, its dark red Blade gave it an incredibly ferocious appearance.

Did I imagine things? Wasn't that just a normal hand a second ago? How did it turn into that kind of murder weapon in the blink of an eye?

Just what kind of sword path is this guy walking? Isn't this way too sinister!

Witnessing the transformation, Chang Mo screamed internally.

In contrast, Ji Liushuang remained far calmer. Only a slight flicker in her eyes betrayed that she had just confirmed a certain suspicion.

"Take my sword!"

Ignoring their reactions, Fu Qian let out a fierce shout and swung his left arm with terrifying momentum, slashing downward.

With a sharp chime, the millennia-old stone floor was instantly cleaved, a deep fissure tearing through the rock.

There really was a hollow space beneath them!

Chang Mo's position as an instructor of the Sword Comprehension Institute wasn't just for show. From the reverberation alone, she could tell the giant blade had pierced through the stone and into an empty void.

Without a word, Fu Qian wrenched his arm back and delivered several more rapid strikes.

In the blink of an eye, a perfect equilateral triangle was carved out in front of the two women.

...

This shape... isn't it so perfect that it borders on obsessive-compulsive?

Chang Mo had no idea why her mind was suddenly focusing on something so trivial.

But even as she marveled at the precision, Fu Qian's Left Hand melted like liquid wax in her peripheral vision. The black mass swiftly retracted into his body, reverting to the shape of a normal arm in seconds.

"To endure three of my strikes in a row... consider it an honor."

Fu Qian scoffed, flicking his tattered sleeve with the full, overbearing aura of the Demigod Realm.

...Didn't he just aim and stab the floor three times? Was there any skill involved at all? Why is he acting so dramatic?

Chang Mo took a deep breath to calm her mind.

"Let's head down. I think I heard something interesting."

Having finished striking his pose, Fu Qian glanced at the two women, signaling for them to move out.

Seeing them both staring at his Left Hand, he casually raised it to show them.

"The unity of man and sword. When you synchronize with your blade to the absolute limit, it basically becomes a part of your body."

Yours doesn't just "basically become"... it literally is a part of your body!

For a moment, even Ji Liushuang couldn't stop herself from complaining internally, though she didn't dare say it aloud.

"The path is open. Let's move."

Chang Mo finally spoke up, showing an unprecedented level of eagerness to get moving.

She had no choice. This so-called Sword Dao Demigod was getting weirder by the second. If she kept listening to his nonsense, she feared it would damage her Dao heart.

"Excellent. Keep up."

Fu Qian openly praised his team member's initiative.

A moment later, choosing to lead from the front, he dropped straight down through the triangular hole.

...

"It looks like this is definitely part of the Ruins. But tell me... did you actually hear a sound?"

Following Fu Qian's landing, Chang Mo and Ji Liushuang dropped down one by one, immediately surveying the space around them.

It was a fairly wide Corridor, and both its layout and the decorations lining the walls were virtually identical to the floor above.

It shared one other trait, too: at a glance, it was completely empty. Without a single anomaly in sight, Chang Mo couldn't help but doubt Fu Qian's so-called discovery.

"Ahead."

Facing her skepticism, the demigod merely tossed out that single word and strode forward, his tone making it clear he felt it was beneath him to explain.

Awed by his absolute confidence, Chang Mo and Ji Liushuang swallowed their questions and quickly followed.

"There really is a sound!"

Just as they rounded another corner, Chang Mo suddenly pressed her hand against her sword hilt, scanning their surroundings with heightened vigilance as they walked.

The long Corridor remained completely empty. At the very end stood a familiar-looking door.

Is it behind the door? The sound didn't seem that far away.

Wait!

Realizing something was wrong, Chang Mo jerked backward and slashed her sword upward without a second's hesitation.

Clang!

A crisp metallic ring echoed out as a sparkling mass was sent flying by her strike.

It had come from above. It had been clinging to the ceiling!

Immediately pulling Ji Liushuang behind her, Chang Mo leveled her sword at the tumbling mass on the floor.

At first glance, it looked like a cluster of crystals fused together. It was pointed at both ends, wide in the middle, and nearly a meter long.

Swept by the beam of their Lighting Equipment, its transparent, multifaceted body refracted the glare, glittering radiantly from head to tail.

But right before their eyes, this seemingly inanimate lump twitched with the horrifying fluidity of an insect, shivering as it faced them.

That vicious sword strike just now hadn't left a single scratch on it.

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