Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 42: Blood Puppet
Right after Li Weixuan's fierce sword aura blasted the skull centipede into bone dust, the group's vision cleared, and they realized they had reached the center of the Ruins.
The crowded buildings had a gap here, caving downwards to form a deep pit.
The pit was currently filled with a viscous, dark red liquid, much like spoiled, putrid blood.
What was even more exaggerated was that the pool of blood was actually moving.
As if it were alive, the entire blood pool continuously contracted and expanded at a specific frequency, looking exactly like a giant slime.
And with its movements, bubbles of varying sizes constantly popped up from within, releasing a putrid stench that rushed straight to the crown of one's head. Just taking one breath felt like it would rot your brain.
So that's where all the blood went!
It seems my imagination still needs sharpening. This thing is way more grotesque than blood tofu.
What was even more unexpected was that there was actually a person in the middle of the blood pool.
This person was extremely tall but had completely white hair and a beard, looking quite elderly.
At this moment, his eyes were tightly closed, and he was completely motionless.
What was surprising was that not only was his body intact, but his upper half was also completely spotless, forming a stark contrast with the foul stench beneath his feet.
Additionally, in the old man's right hand, he held an exaggeratedly styled Long Halberd.
Just by looking at the luster flowing on it, one could tell it was an absolute divine weapon.
However, looking closely, one could see that starting from the old man's calves, which were soaked in the bloody water, faint signs of corrosion had already appeared, and a dark rust had spread up to his waist.
"You guys wait here."
Li Weixuan dropped the sentence coldly and immediately prepared to go down and investigate.
Right then, a sudden change occurred.
The dark red slurry in the blood pool gave a bizarre twitch, then formed a vortex centered around the old man.
The stench instantly increased tenfold.
The vortex's speed went from slow to fast, accelerating crazily. In the blink of an eye, it snaked up the old man's legs, rapidly enveloping his entire lower half.
The next moment, the top of the slurry contracted into a perfectly round pillar, then shuddered like a snake, lifting the old man high into the air.
The Long Halberd in the old man's hands was raised high and descended from the sky, like an executioner about to strike.
Clang!
Accompanied by a spark that tore through the sky, the old man crossed a distance of tens of meters, and the Long Halberd smashed viciously into the ground in front of the group.
Opposite him, Li Weixuan, who had been completely unscathed since he started fighting, finally showed spots of blood on his body.
Failing to succeed in a single strike, the old man stood mid-air again, supported by the blood pillar.
"Stay back."
Li Weixuan signaled for everyone to retreat.
The next moment, sword intent surged, and killing intent billowed.
So this is the power of a Tier 4 Peak.
Fu Qian tutted in admiration, though his eyes were fixed on the old man opposite him.
The power of that halberd strike just now was truly terrifying. If Li Weixuan hadn't blocked it, the exploration team would have likely been dead or heavily injured.
Unfortunately, the latter, who had launched the strike, still hadn't opened his eyes. His movements were sluggish, just like a dead man.
As expected, is that thing on his lower half the main body?
Fu Qian looked at the mass lifting the old man.
Now, that mass had completely taken the shape of a slug. Most of the dark red slurry had been absorbed into its body, revealing a circular dome at the bottom of the pool.
The old man must have been standing on it just now.
While everyone's attention was drawn to the battle, Fu Qian silently walked to the edge of the pool.
There was something he had wanted to do for a long time.
Looking at everything along the way, he was certain his speculations were correct.
The flesh and blood of the people who entered the Furnace were refined under specific rules, forming various twisted monsters.
This blood pool was clearly one of the products.
So the question was, why wasn't this old man affected?
It looked like he had been here for quite some time.
When things are abnormal, there must be a reason. Only those not governed by the rules have a chance to get out.
Looking at the dark red pool water, Fu Qian cut a wound on his arm, then turned his palm down, letting a stream of blood flow into it.
Logically speaking, once blood leaves the body, it is dead matter and should be rapidly absorbed.
However, unexpectedly, the blood Fu Qian bled into the pool not only didn't merge but even floated directly on the surface, just like oil and water failing to mix.
Does this mean I'm also unaffected? Fu Qian's eyes lit up.
Do I have anything in common with this elder? Besides both being male.
As Fu Qian was frowning in thought, he suddenly noticed a change in his blood in the pool.
As if drawn by some force, the blood floating on the surface began to move.
Very quickly, that pool of blood was stretched into a bloodline, flowing towards the old man suspended in mid-air.
It can do that?
Fu Qian watched helplessly as the bloodline traveled all the way up the blood pillar on the old man's lower body, finally disappearing at the old man's waist.
Because the color contrast wasn't obvious, no one else noticed this detail besides him.
At this time, the battle between the two was drawing to a close. Although the old man had infinite strength and a divine weapon, he ultimately just looked like a puppet; his movements were nowhere near as agile.
Under Li Weixuan's storm-like attacks, he quickly fell to a disadvantage and was now struggling to hold on.
Li Weixuan also seemed to realize that the blood pillar beneath the old man was the main body, so his sword strikes never strayed from the opponent's lower half, fighting until blood splattered and fluids gushed.
With the final tear of the blood pillar on the old man's lower body, the old man jolted all over, let out a groan, and opened his eyes.
He began to struggle fiercely and finally broke free before the blood pillar closed back up, leaping onto the shore.
"Thank you for helping me break free from that nightmare."
Kneeling on the ground and panting heavily, the old man's eyes showed a human glint for the first time.
"I never thought a day like this would actually come."
The old man spoke very slowly, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, as if he hadn't spoken in a very long time.
Seeing this, Li Weixuan also stopped his attacks, but still watched him warily and issued the ultimate three questions of the soul.
"Who exactly are you? Why are you here? What is this place?"
"I am..."
The old man grasped his Long Halberd and slowly stood up, frowning in thought, a pained expression appearing on his face.
"I can't remember. I only remember being trapped in a place, unable to get out no matter what...
There were deformed monsters everywhere. My thoughts became increasingly chaotic, and my waking moments grew shorter and shorter. Sometimes I even felt like I was already dead..."
"Wait a minute!"
Suddenly, as if discovering something, the old man pointed at the students' chests, his face trembling.
"Are you people from the Academy?"
"You know the Academy?"
Many students had the Academy's emblem on their chests. Now it was the group's turn to be startled.
"More than just remembering... I know clearly that I am the fourth Dean of the Academy!"
"I remember now..."
Before the Academy group could express their shock, the old man's expression suddenly became solemn and dignified, resting the Long Halberd in his hand on the ground.
"My name is Feng Yunhong!"
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