Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Im... possible—”

It took a bit longer for the dust settles this time.

Even before the magnificent colors could completely fade, excellency Sha Ming already voiced an intense reaction.

In stark contrast to the dazzling visual spectacle, the blast of light sweeping through the space had absolutely no effect on the physical bodies caught within it.

Fu Qian confirmed he hadn’t suffered any impact himself, and through the effects of his bond, he knew the same was true for Old Man Huang and the others.

But non-living things were an entirely different story—

The Distorted Colors completely dissipated. The space ahead remained dim, but not a single patch of wet mud was left in sight.

That gloomy, damp death trap had vanished without a trace.

In its place were jagged rock walls, uneven ground beneath their feet, and an almost omnipresent layer of gray dust.

The conclusion was obvious: they were in some cavern deep inside the mountain. They had successfully escaped the Mind World Projection.At a glance, scattered like stars and chess pieces across the modestly sized cave, the rescue team led by Old Man Huang Leji stood frozen in place one by one.

Even excellency Sha Ming wore the exact same expression.

That roar of disbelief had clearly been entirely genuine.

It was as if his most indestructible conviction had been snapped in half. Even someone as powerful as a Tier 2 Transcendent looked mentally stunned in that moment.

After a brief daze, Sha Ming’s gaze reflexively landed on the magnificent humanoid figure that still hadn’t vanished. Yet, he held back from launching an attack, fully displaying the steady demeanor of an expert.

After all, the logic was simple. Setting aside the sheer pressure radiating from a High-Tier Existence...

With just a casual gesture, it had completely erased the legendary, indestructible Land of Purity without a trace.

That undeniable display of Combat Power was enough to cool down even the hottest of heads.

Take Brother Sanxun, for example.

Having returned to his original form, Fu Qian was absolutely certain that the chains representing their bond were gone from his vision, and the Incarnation of Truth was nowhere to be seen either.

His resolute silhouette, along with the beams of light shooting from the infinite distance, had completely vanished.

...

Its form of existence really was special.

None of the living organisms were affected; the entity that seemed the most immortal was the one that disappeared.

Coupled with what Brother Sanxun had said earlier—that the only way to sweep him out of sight was to shatter the Prison of Myriad Truths.

This seemed to prove once again that the illusion of a Cosmic Deity he had casually drummed up had actually, in an astonishing display of cooperation, helped break that predicament, saving him a massive amount of effort.

And that wasn’t even the only evidence—

After reeling in his anger and confirming that the mysterious Higher Existence wasn’t making any new moves, Sha Ming finally cast a cautious glance in another direction.

It was the same direction Fu Qian was watching.

Deep within the winding cavern below stood a cluster of what looked like solid Gold, yet blooming like a bouquet of flowers. It bowed at an elegant angle, resembling a person standing bent over.

”Blood Lion!”

Someone eagerly blurted it out before Fu Qian even needed to ask.

Of course, this wasn’t an assumption based on Brother Huang Zhixun’s esteemed character—scattered clothes could faintly be seen around that cluster of golden plants.

Some of those garments were likely quite recognizable to the members of the Huang Clan.

According to Sha Ming, the very thing that had trapped them all earlier was the Mind World Projection originating from Blood Lion.

It was hard to say how he ended up in this state, but since the culprit was right here, it meant the mental cage had definitely been broken.

Naturally, Fu Qian’s focus differed slightly from theirs.

Though the angle wasn’t great, his eyesight made it easy to spot a peculiar object hidden among the branches and leaves.

It was a thick, heavy book that also appeared to be forged from Gold.

If one personified that cluster, it looked as though Blood Lion was holding the book in both hands, resting his forehead against its cover.

Was that excellency Sha Ming’s transcendent item?

Its immense value was visible to the naked eye.

It seemed Blood Lion had truly been desperate, actually believing that someone would ”carelessly” hand over something like that for him to hold onto.

”That book... what is it called?”

Despite such a major discovery, Fu Qian remained rooted to his spot.

While observing Sha Ming’s reaction, he even asked a question that sounded entirely unimportant.

...

”Record of True Transcription.”

Perhaps out of shock at the question itself, or perhaps weighing the need for secrecy, Sha Ming hesitated for a good while.

But under Fu Qian’s expectant gaze, he finally spat out the name.

While answering, he couldn’t help but monitor the iridescent figure’s reaction—the latter remained completely motionless, making it impossible to tell if it was now just a phantom projection.

But that didn’t mean it was useless.

Fu Qian knew full well that in the eyes of the others, this was considered his summon regardless.

So, even though his imagination ran wild about the entity’s slacking off, it didn’t stop Fu Qian from letting the fox exploit the tiger’s might for a bit.

With an existence like that watching from the sidelines, the chances of getting a fake answer dropped by at least fifty percent, right?

Record of True Transcription... at least this name sounded highly authentic.

The physical book’s Gold content was quite high, too.

”Honestly, the name sounds a bit shady. It gives the impression that you won’t find a single original line inside,”

Fu Qian casually critiqued, still making no other moves.

”That...”

And excellency Sha Ming seemed utterly baffled by Fu Qian’s motives for being here.

”That’s because there truly isn’t a single original line inside. You could consider it a transcribed copy of a Law.”

Just as he hesitated over whether to continue explaining, a voice unexpectedly rang out from the iridescent figure first.

”Resonance, record, containment. This allows it to share such a special authority despite its not-too-high Rank, thereby influencing the surroundings.”

”Of course, even so, it has suffered color loss for far, far too long.”

”Only those fanatic fools would continue to revere it as a holy scripture.”

...

”Regrettably, this foolishness has now been proven correct.”

As it turned out, the previous remarks weren’t a secret telepathic transmission meant only for Fu Qian. Sha Ming clearly heard them too, and the phrasing ultimately triggered his desire to speak.

”The radiance of order has reappeared. I am absolutely certain of this. The changes within my body prove it, and that remains true even now—”

”Even after you unleashed an attack like that, the promotion I received is still here... You can’t stop anything, can you?”

Sha Ming’s emotions gradually surged as he retorted. It seemed there were still some things he considered too sacred to be blasphemed.

”Can’t stop anything? Then what about your one-on-one Follower?”

With his ”summon” being verbally attacked, the summoner naturally couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Fu Qian immediately tossed out a casual remark based on his own situation, which instantly interrupted him.