Eldritch Horror Theatre

Was that legendary terror, an earlier master of power, reviving inside his own body?

It was a fleeting sensation, but given his constant introspection, Fu Qian accurately grasped that ripple.

And because it was so unprovoked, it even reminded him of when Eldest Miss Wen had used him to test her abilities—that same kind of forced impulse.

But Wen Li wasn’t here. There was only the current King of the Abandoned Prison—and the Abandoned Prison itself, which had seen at least two previous owners.

The path of the Transcendent Tier was fraught with peril. He had always known that. But to think there was a hidden danger that even the Witch hadn’t discovered?

At that moment, Fu Qian stroked the Umbilical Cord around his neck.

You didn’t even need to be someone like him, accustomed to monsters and demons. Anyone with a bit of experience in the transcendent realm and elevated sensitivity would never brush off a mental anomaly.

Willpower was a fragile thing; a moment of carelessness could strip away control of one’s own mind.

Crucially, the wills of higher entities were incredibly difficult to obliterate...

Was he being influenced by the Ancient Tyrant?There was no point in denying it. Given the preceding circumstances, a certain speculation was easy to make.

Namely, even though he was the complete King of the Abandoned Prison, remnants of an older will still lingered within the Abandoned Prison itself.

It might sound a bit horrifying, but it served as a completely reasonable explanation for his current situation—

The Ancient Tyrant’s will hadn’t been entirely annihilated. This rising Crimson Frenzy before him corresponded exactly to that residual presence.

This was also why the curse hadn’t appeared after his Mechanical Ascension.

And thanks to his bug-exploiting behavior, his current identity made it easier to resonate with ”Him.”

To the point that not only was this curse drawn out, but the residual spirit had actually begun to affect him.

So, I know higher entities are hard to kill, but was the First Generation Dark Moon really this sloppy back then?

...

Four Deities plus a traitor, meticulously plotting a sneak attack and ganging up on Him.

After they succeeded, the divine body was dismantled, and the Abandoned Prison was burned for a thousand years.

With such scheming and ruthlessness, it was one thing if they couldn’t digest the Abandoned Prison and opted to destroy it instead, but to not even completely eradicate the Tyrant?

If that was truly the case, one couldn’t help but wonder what Dark Moon’s faction was really trying to do.

It was hard to imagine them holding back at such a critical juncture. Were higher entities really that hard to kill?

Even His left and right hands had been devastated beyond recognition.

The night of the assassination was once again complicated and bewildering. At the same time, the Crimson Frenzy before him had grown even more vivid.

Looking out, while it wasn’t quite to the point of Scarlet Angels crawling everywhere, the crimson was still surging like waves—a bizarre scene of vibrant life.

Even his brutal actions just now hadn’t stopped them from firmly converging in his direction to prostrate themselves at his feet.

Scarlet was already climbing up the throne.

And at that moment, Fu Qian felt he finally understood why it was called a ”frenzy.”

Dragging the previous bloodlust up with it, another abnormal ripple rose up—and this time, it was far more distinct.

Was this the legendary infectiousness?

This was undoubtedly a bad sign. The suspected ”Ancient Tyrant” was reviving.

He could only say it was indeed a Deity’s item. This cord blood seemed to be quite a tonic.

Praising it in his mind, Fu Qian pinched the Umbilical Cord, only to simply let it drop.

Not only did he not discard the Umbilical Cord, but a moment later, he shifted his posture and reached out toward the foremost Scarlet Angel.

...

A sigh across a millennium—is it not a joy?

If it truly was His Excellency the Ancient Tyrant, why rush to refuse a communication spanning a thousand years?

At that moment, Fu Qian’s behavior was admittedly a bit uninhibited.

Anyone else in this situation would likely isolate the influence immediately, yank off the Umbilical Cord, and head straight back for a comprehensive mental checkup to eliminate the risk of turning into a puppet. But could the risk actually be eliminated?

Just because putting on the Umbilical Cord allowed him to see the scene before him didn’t mean taking it off would insulate him from it.

Regardless, he was the King of the Abandoned Prison. Could he really draw a clear line separating himself from the concept of the ”Abandoned Prison”?

And as long as he couldn’t completely separate himself, if there truly was a residual spirit of the Ancient Tyrant within it, it was easy to imagine that no matter where he ran, the revival would continue. The only difference would be its efficiency.

Academic workers never engaged in self-deception. Although this seemingly dangerous operation had caused some collateral damage, wasn’t it also a flash of inspiration that yielded an unexpected harvest, allowing him to discover the hidden danger in advance?

What came next was an opportunity—a chance to take a little extra risk for an even greater reward. A tattoo, for instance.

Seemingly sensing Fu Qian’s friendliness, the Scarlet Angel before him truly climbed onto his fingertips.

And although it dissolved almost instantly against a Deity’s body, it still left a faint trace behind.

Then came more.

It was as if a signal had been given. More Scarlet Angels swarmed up, desperately yearning to return to the Tyrant’s glory.

It even seemed that this glory was truly resurfacing. Amidst the undulating scarlet, seemingly familiar outlines were being sketched across the originally desolate Abandoned Prison.

...

He couldn’t rule out the possibility that his current uninhibited mindset was already being influenced by His Excellency the Ancient Tyrant.

Facing the Abandoned Prison that seemed to be regaining its vitality, Fu Qian even adjusted his posture, fully displaying the domineering aura befitting the King of the Abandoned Prison.

In merely the blink of an eye, the traces left on his body by the Scarlet Angels rapidly spread, converging into profound and eerie patterns.

Paired with their piercing color, it looked like the legendary cursed Skin.

And as the person involved, not only did his body feel as if it were burning, but his spirit seemed to be igniting as well.

That abnormal frenzy was no longer fleeting; rather, it was steadily saturating his will.

”It’s about time.”

Just as the rudimentary outline of buildings began to appear before him—albeit a corrupted version of them—Fu Qian sighed softly and muttered to himself.

The time limit for wearing the Umbilical Cord was half an hour. Exceeding it would induce unpredictable divinity distortions.

When that time came, it would undoubtedly be an extra interference factor for the test before him. Therefore—amidst the sound of tearing fabric—Fu Qian took a deep breath.

And on his exposed chest, a larger mouth took an even deeper breath.

The Scarlet Angels that were still surging forward were instantly shredded into a storm and swallowed whole.

Exactly. There would be interference factors in a moment, so deciding to increase efficiency was perfectly logical, wasn’t it?

It even proved to be highly effective. In the next moment, amidst the scarlet, another throne was faintly reflected.

It was accompanied by a mind-breaking roar, filled with pain and resentment.

Was this... a dragon?

Fu Qian instantly caught the sense of familiarity within it.