Eldritch Horror Theatre

The successfully trapped, cornered target suddenly looked as if he were about to become a Buddha on the spot. This sudden transformation clearly shocked the ambusher.

More importantly, the sense of holiness radiating from the man felt almost tangible; just looking at him made the thought of attacking rapidly dissipate.

By now, the dense Silk Net had completely turned to ash.

What was going on? Surely he couldn’t be ascending mid-battle under the pressure?

Facing the newly freed Fu Qian and his surging aura, the ambusher hesitated.

Should he fight or not?

Originally, despite the target’s many tricks, his strength seemed to cap at barely Mid Tier. That was why the attacker had struck with such confidence.

Yet after a successful ambush that had perfectly trapped the target and secured an overwhelming advantage, it had all been torn to shreds in an instant...

”What is your name?”

Right then, the target made the choice for him.”I, Dayun Mingwang, do not kill the nameless.”

The voice beneath the mask was incredibly gentle and calm, but the meaning of the words was the exact opposite.

It looked like even if he wanted to back down today, walking away wouldn’t be so easy.

”Danetta.”

Having finally made up his mind, the ambusher spoke coldly.

...

That scene just now was, of course, nothing like becoming a Buddha on the spot.

The supposed holy radiance was simply the result of casually activating Commandment Residue.

After all, the focal point of the skill’s description was its visual effects.

As Fu Qian’s Rank climbed higher, those visual effects had become increasingly exaggerated, making them perfectly suited for setting a mood.

As for the torn Vajra Demon-Subduing Ring?

Its effects might have been somewhat interesting, but in the face of the Mark of Old Days—a power approaching the authority of a Deity—it had absolutely no room to struggle.

On top of that, Fu Qian had conveniently relaxed his aura concealment just a bit, ultimately achieving that striking effect.

This gentleman named Danetta was clearly getting on in years, yet he possessed quite a few tricks.

Anywhere else, he would be a prominent figure, yet he was willing to serve as a stepping stone for a fallen genius’s fortuitous encounter.

The reasons behind this were certainly food for thought.

...

”Very well, Danetta. So, did you seek me out because of Taylor, or because of Jiang En just now?”

Seeing Danetta discreetly reach for the Hand Crossbow at his waist, Fu Qian paid it no mind, his voice remaining flat.

”What is the point of asking that?”

Danetta clearly had no desire to answer the question.

”Don’t worry, I merely wish to clarify cause and effect. After I release your soul, those two will still just be my defeated opponents; I won’t take their lives.”

”I don’t quite understand why you sought them out... but if you’re hoping to improve yourself through this kind of tempering, I actually have a better method.”

Fu Qian’s words left Danetta momentarily unsure of whether to believe him. He hesitated for a second before changing the subject.

”Your abilities are bizarre. Though I don’t understand their true nature, with how convoluted they appear, I imagine it won’t be easy for you to advance.”

”But please believe me, the method I can offer is completely beyond your imagination.”

”Oh? What method?”

Fu Qian finally sounded slightly interested.

However, before his voice even faded, a sudden change occurred right before his eyes.

Two streaks of black light materialized out of thin air, spiraling around each other like a vortex as they flew straight at him.

Danetta had swiftly raised his Hand Crossbow and fired without hesitation.

That supposed ”better method” was clearly just a stalling tactic.

In Fu Qian’s eyes, the black vortex wasn’t moving particularly fast, but it had clearly locked onto him in some way. It wouldn’t stop until it hit its target.

As for its power, one only had to look at the stone wall several meters away, which was already being torn and distorted by its pull. An ordinary Mid Tier would likely suffer terribly from a direct hit.

And after firing this attack, Danetta didn’t even stay to see the result. He turned and fled.

...

When wandering the jianghu, this kind of decisiveness was exactly what you needed!

Fu Qian nodded in deep appreciation, then let out a thunderous shout.

”You think you can just leave after offending me? It won’t be that easy!”

Facing the flying vortex that now resembled a Black Dragon Wave, Fu Qian didn’t retreat. Instead, he charged forward like a hurricane, catching up to the heavily drained Danetta in an instant.

Unsurprisingly, the vortex also changed direction, trailing closely behind him.

Seeing that he couldn’t escape, Danetta decisively spun around to meet the enemy, holding a short dagger in each hand—one straight, one curved.

Fu Qian was instantly caught in a pincer attack.

Of course, Danetta wasn’t in a rush to strike. He seemed to want Fu Qian to recognize the situation and back off in the face of insurmountable odds.

”Good!”

Unfortunately, the Dayun Mingwang was entirely unappreciative. Without hesitating for even half a second, he smashed straight into him.

Lunatic!

Danetta gritted his teeth hard and decisively struck at Fu Qian’s vitals.

Squelch!

The next moment, the straight dagger in his right hand sank deep into his opponent’s chest. But at the exact same time, a hand clamped firmly around his own neck.

An irresistible force surged over him. Danetta’s neck wasn’t snapped; instead, his entire body was hoisted up and spun one hundred and eighty degrees.

The black vortex, which had just caught up, had no time to change course. It slammed directly into him.

Silently, the clothes on Danetta’s back were shredded to dust. At the same time, countless fine black lines spread out from the point of impact, covering his whole body in an instant as his life force rapidly faded.

Fu Qian let go at the final second, preventing the black lines from climbing over to him.

”Hmph!”

The next moment, he casually yanked the dagger out of his chest, sending blood splattering.

”You had some tricks, but it’s a pity you were ultimately just a coward who didn’t dare fight head-on!”

Seemingly oblivious to his own wound, Fu Qian tossed the dagger onto Danetta’s body, delivered his harsh critique, and walked away.

...

Clang!

Half a minute later, in the newly restored silence of the night, the charred, coal-black corpse twitched slightly, and the dagger fell to the ground.

”Though his Rank isn’t high, he’s certainly a tough character to deal with!”

He sat up quickly, his life force growing rich and robust in the blink of an eye.

Danetta couldn’t help but mutter to himself, his tone grave.

”Good thing he was overconfident. Otherwise, today would have been real trouble.”

It was obvious he had just been playing dead. Since it was his own technique, Danetta clearly had a way to evade the Black Dragon Wave’s damage.

”Besides, that guy was clearly just forcing himself to hold on. The wound in his chest should leave him incapable of causing trouble for the time being. As for Jiang En, he’ll need a few days at most...”

Picking up his dagger, Danetta snorted. He shot a glance in a particular direction and quickly left.

This was Shangjing, after all. The commotion just now had been a bit too loud.

...

Was he really Brother Jiang En’s ”old grandpa”?

Meanwhile, sitting on a nearby wall, Fu Qian also confirmed his suspicions.

Against an injured Mid Tier, he didn’t even need to use Blood Crusade to hide himself without being discovered.

And although Danetta’s muttering hadn’t been incredibly detailed, he was still able to extract some information from it—the man really had been trying to dispose of him just to ensure Jiang En wouldn’t be disturbed.

Aside from that, there was another rather interesting matter. Fu Qian looked up in the direction Danetta had just glanced.

That wasn’t Brother Jiang En’s address; rather, at this very moment, it was the exact direction indicated by the Thread of Attachment.

Provoked by his actions, Brother Jiang En was making a move tonight.

And this Brother Danetta, despite only being a Mid Tier, could actually see that in real time.