Eldritch Horror Theatre

Compared to Grimm Ballard, it was clear that A Wei leaned toward the former identity of Andiel being the true name.

At the same time, the relentless array of tactics A Wei had deployed since appearing demonstrated a level of focus that was almost heartwarming.

With a sigh, Fu Qian shifted sideways, dodging the specter that lunged at him once again.

The bizarre mist was not particularly thick, but it carried a genuine, desolate sense of death. It blended perfectly with the surrounding atmosphere, even making the specters look like wandering gods of death.

Of course, it was more than just a visual effect. Fu Qian glanced down at his body.

Even though he had perfectly dodged the specter, the tiny mirrors composing his Armor were no longer as bright. They seemed to be withering—and the degree of decay was directly proportional to the distance he moved.

Fu Qian was absolutely certain that the very act of dodging had caused his Health Bar to drop slightly.

”Death Boundary?”

Past memories instantly surfaced, and Fu Qian casually asked for confirmation.

”How touching. To think you actually remember this little trick.”A Wei’s tone lacked any real emotional investment, but he was clearly admitting to it.

Sure enough, it was another technique he had witnessed back in Shangjing. At the time, even in his Blood Crusade State, he hadn’t been immune to this move.

But to casually blanket such a massive area, with the mist extending endlessly like Ash Descent—as if becoming an intrinsic property of this place—A Wei had once again demonstrated his absolute control over Unseen Hill.

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in admiration.

Speaking of which, he had seen this kind of movement-restricting technique used by Akasha earlier.

Even though it took the form of a spiderweb back then, it had still given him a sense of déjà vu.

Looking at it now, much like how the Lord had suddenly become unkillable, Akasha must have also received a certain degree of blessing from the Angel of Death.

The clown’s description of A Wei’s ability to manipulate things behind the scenes didn’t sound exaggerated in the slightest.

As for the current situation, he was damned if he moved and damned if he didn’t.

He would either continuously lose health or be caught by the specters.

Not bad. A method like this certainly required far more technical skill than simply having them spread out to surround him.

”So let me think. The true purpose of the Eternal Night Plan is to allow you to successfully digest this treasure?”

Under the clown’s gaze, Fu Qian still chose to take the health loss.

However, he did not strike directly at the enemy’s heart by charging at A Wei in the center of The Lake. Instead, he took a leisurely stroll counterclockwise along the lakeside path, not forgetting to continue the discussion.

...

”Are you asking when you already know the answer? Do you dare claim you don’t know the name Ji Feng?”

He had just finished praising the other party’s ultimate move, only to start bathing in it the very next second.

Such a blatant display of disrespect was somewhat hard to tolerate.

A Wei finally stopped making further moves, simply tracking Fu Qian’s path to adjust his facing direction as he coldly asked his question.

With every step he took, the originally gleaming Mirror Armor grew a fraction dimmer, with some parts even beginning to peel off.

Yet, the man’s footsteps were completely unaffected. He even deliberately matched his walking speed to that of the specters, making it look almost like an athlete’s entrance march at a sporting event.

However, the reason A Wei’s mood felt a bit heavy was clearly not because of this absurdity, but because of the ridiculously robust Health Bar it demonstrated.

After that barrage of combo moves, logically speaking, his excellency Andiel shouldn’t have had many options left; he was practically forced into making a difficult choice.

Perhaps it seemed like an overreaction, but having suffered greatly at his hands before, A Wei clearly didn’t want to give this treacherous bastard too much room to maneuver.

Using his acquired resource advantage to clash head-on and secure victory through overwhelming suppression rather than relying on cheap tricks—this approach was evidently much more favored by A Wei—

Yet the man had still started to circle around in the end? And literally so, at that.

This development gave off a distinctly bad feeling. However, that formidable Health Bar ultimately brought an immense amount of pressure, leaving A Wei somewhat hesitant to act recklessly.

...

’He even knows the predecessor’s name? He really put in the work.’

Following A Wei’s astonishing words, Fu Qian offered silent praise.

Before this, it was safe to say that Yuan Fang was the only person in the entirety of Unseen Hill who knew that name.

He had even clearly misunderstood it at the time, assuming it was Fu Qian’s own name.

If A Wei had merely killed the Prophet and interrogated him for intel, it would be very difficult for him to say something like this.

He likely genuinely knew much more about the true nature of this place.

”Of course I know it. His descendant is even working for me right now.”

Fu Qian’s words were equally astonishing, finally exposing the dark side of his status as an academic oligarch.

”So, with Ji Feng having gone this mad, you’ve never thought about taking his place?”

Sure enough, A Wei knew a bit too much. Ignoring Fu Qian’s nonsense, he delivered a vicious, heart-piercing accusation.

”No.”

Fu Qian shook his head, responding without the slightest hesitation.

”I even just provided Him with some humanitarian care. I originally came here this time to see how His recovery was coming along.”

...

”Care? So His Prophet went completely insane?”

The drawback of how joys and sorrows are not interconnected reared its head once more. A Wei clearly didn’t believe a single word Fu Qian said, casually offering up a bloody example to prove his point.

”I wasn’t the one who did that to Yuan Fang. He ran over there and ended up like that all on his own.”

An individual action?

Logically speaking, there was no need to lie about this, so his words actually sounded rather sincere.

Fu Qian gave a slight nod, casually adjusting his Mirror Armor, which was already looking heavily fractured.

”Actually, saying that is still a little inaccurate. It should be His offspring... That person working for you, are you sure they’re truly of Ji Feng’s bloodline?”

Just as Fu Qian was digesting this information, A Wei seemed to suddenly recall something and added an extra little detail.

”Yuan Fang is Ji Feng’s offspring?”

Even though he was suspected of trying to crack jokes and banter to stall for time, these words were genuinely astonishing. For a moment, even Professor Fu clicked his tongue in wonder.

’Running all the way out here for this mission was definitely worth the price of admission.’

”At the very least, while the Prophet was lying there, I sensed that he received something akin to enlightenment. You might want to find some time to investigate it properly.”

In just a short while, Fu Qian had already walked a quarter of the way around The Lake.

Seeing that he still showed no signs of collapsing, A Wei finally decided to play along and explained how he came to know this.

’Sensing the Prophet’s harvest of enlightenment... I must say, this explanation is actually quite reasonable and matches his previous displays.’

’But if that’s the case—the Yuan Clan are actually Ji Feng’s offspring as well?’

’When Yuan Fang sensed the summons of the Supreme Will back then, it was actually coming from his own ancestor?’

’How did the situation suddenly become so fantastical... Although, at least Yuan Fang’s bizarre experiences finally have an explanation.’

’It’s just that, if this is true, isn’t old bro Ji Feng’s genetics a bit too powerful? Spanning across two major aristocratic families?’

’No matter how you look at it, Classmate Liushuang’s side is a legitimate bloodline. The power of Ash Descent is so standard, and the Birthing Axe had an effect too.’

At that moment, Fu Qian seemed to truly feel the profound complexities of sociology.