Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 44: Do You Know What Ambergris Is?
Except for Fu Qian, no one expected Feng Yunhong to launch a sudden sneak attack, and in the form of self-destruction at that.
Li Weixuan bore the brunt of it. With no way to evade, he was enveloped almost instantly.
The sweeping Flesh Storm contained a terrifying, suffocating power far exceeding the oppressive aura Feng Yunhong gave off. It swept across everything with an indestructible posture.
Li Weixuan's entire body violently shuddered. In merely an instant, countless wounds appeared on him.
However, the next moment, a tremendously grand sword aura pierced out, colliding with the storm.
Knowing escape was hopeless, Li Weixuan chose to face the wave of impact head-on.
Berserk power spilled in all directions, the sword glint shattered, and Li Weixuan's body was instantly torn to shreds.
Ji Liushuang and the few others behind him used this tiny buffer, exhausting all their strength to escape the storm's range.
Except for those few, the entire exploration team was instantly wiped out, blasting into a mist of blood under the storm's impact.
The next moment, the storm subsided, leaving carnage all over the ground.
The entire area around the blood pool was plastered with a thick mixture of flesh and blood. Aside from Li Weixuan, hardly any intact corpses could be seen.
Soon, as the storm calmed, the thick streams of blood converged into currents, winding into the adjacent blood pool.
Fu Qian stood to the side, quietly watching the scene before him, not missing a single detail.
The mixture of flesh and blood flowing into the blood pool once again presented a scene of clear distinction.
Most of the flesh quickly melted into that foul-smelling lump, but Li Weixuan's mangled body was enveloped by a surge of blood, dissolving and disappearing bit by bit, while a humanoid blood shadow slowly formed from it.
It's exactly as I thought!
Fu Qian felt he knew what state this Furnace was in.
First of all, that guy Feng Yunhong hadn't told the whole truth.
As early as when he dripped blood into the pool, Fu Qian had his suspicions.
Over so many years, there must have been Beyonders of significant realms who fell in here. If they were unaffected after death, then where did their bodies go?
Now the answer was very clear.
Inside the blood mist that exploded just now, besides Feng Yunhong's head, there was far more than just one twisted face.
The owners of those bloody faces were exactly those high-realm Beyonders.
They were indeed devoured, but not by this Furnace; they were devoured by Feng Yunhong.
Just like Li Weixuan now, they had all been "eaten" by this Feng Yunhong.
Fu Qian had no doubt that a Feng Yunhong would soon grow out of here, and Li Weixuan would become one of the many bloody faces.
As for why Feng Yunhong could do this, Fu Qian recalled a passage about Ambergris he had learned in his flavor and fragrance class.
It's said that giant squids have tough horny beaks and radulas that are very hard to digest. After being swallowed by sperm whales, they accumulate in the stomach and intestines, irritating the digestive tract. Over time, the intestines secrete a special waxy substance to envelop the indigestible remains, slowly forming Ambergris.
All Beyonders who reach a certain level of strength become impurities that this Furnace cannot digest.
And the Feng Yunhong they saw just now was the Ambergris formed over the years.
He wasn't a single person, but the mixed residue of all those Beyonders.
When they first encountered him, that lump of flesh on his lower half wasn't controlling him; it was enveloping him to prevent him from affecting the Furnace.
So that guy losing his mind back then was completely an act.
"Why is it like this?"
In the distance, Ji Liushuang, with blood at the corner of her mouth, stared blankly at the bloody scene before her.
To think that even the Dean...
She was among the luckiest batch. She was already far away, and upon hearing Fu Qian's words, though she didn't quite understand, she subconsciously braced herself mentally.
So when Feng Yunhong self-destructed, she escaped the storm's range almost immediately and only suffered minor shocks.
And aside from her, the only survivors were five people, including Yuan Xin and Huang Zhaoyan.
They weren't so lucky. Although Li Weixuan had risked his life to buy them a moment's respite, they were all without exception caught in the storm's shockwave. The most severely injured one had half of his body practically turned into a meaty pulp.
The large team from just moments ago was reduced to a mere few in the blink of an eye.
"How did you know?"
Struggling up from the ground, Yuan Xin didn't rush to check his injuries. Instead, he stared fixedly at Fu Qian and spoke word by word.
"Know what?"
Fu Qian looked at the other's blood-stained face.
"Know that there was something wrong with him."
Yuan Xin pointed toward the blood pool.
"From beginning to end, it was you who told us we were trapped... told us we couldn't rest... told us we had to go inside the Ruins to find a way out...
The entire team acted according to your arrangements, and this is the outcome we've ended up with.
Tell me, why did you know all this?"
Yuan Xin's words brought a brief silence. Then, everyone stared at Fu Qian's face, deep in thought.
...
Indeed, thinking closely, there were many suspicious points. From start to finish, it seemed this guy was leading the team's actions.
And his bizarre actions just now.
Fu Qian's right hand only had four fingers left. His pinky had just been forcibly ripped off and thrown onto Feng Yunhong.
"Now isn't the time to get tangled up in this. Let's find a way out first."
Ji Liushuang stepped forward, looking at Yuan Xin with stern eyes, stopping him from saying anymore.
Though she also felt Fu Qian harbored many secrets, she didn't believe it was at all like Yuan Xin said.
Fu Qian's actions were more akin to those of a 100% rational survivalist. All his moves were purely to stay alive.
Don't forget, Fu Qian was the one who warned everyone to run just now.
It was a pity that Yuan Xin no longer showed his previous respect. He just looked at her and sneered, refusing to yield.
Oh, humanity! Fu Qian sighed inwardly.
Many times, the only reason some people hate you is because you told them the truth.
Even when they are powerless against the truth, they will often subconsciously want to kill you, as if the predicament before them will disappear once you are gone.
Fortunately, Fu Qian had special communication skills for dealing with such people.
The next moment, freezing killing intent flared up abruptly.
Fu Qian smiled as he looked at Yuan Xin.
"Have you misunderstood the situation? What makes you think I need to answer your questions?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Yuan Xin, who had been furious just moments ago, instantly turned as pale as a sheet of paper.
Not just him, everyone had the same reaction, falling into complete silence in an instant.
Right, in this situation, did Fu Qian have any need to answer any questions at all?
Leaving aside the fact that almost everyone besides him was injured, even if all six were in perfect condition, they still might not be a match for a Tier 6 Beyonder.
Coupled with the properties of these Ruins, anything that happened inside would be completely unknown to anyone outside.
No matter how powerful one's family might be, it meant absolutely nothing here.
Dying in here meant truly dying, leaving not a single trace behind. People outside wouldn't even remember they existed, let alone seek revenge for them.
Even the dignified former Dean of the Academy had been trapped here for decades without making a ripple, eventually turning into this half-human, half-ghost state.
To Fu Qian, their group was essentially meat on the chopping block.
If he really decided to kill them, there was absolutely nothing that could threaten him.
Wait, no, he had already killed someone.
Thinking of that dismembered assassin, everyone's hearts sank even lower.
Especially Huang Zhaoyan.
"Fu Qian, don't be impulsive."
Ji Liushuang also turned pale, deeply worried that Fu Qian might go on a killing spree if he got upset.
"It's fine. I'm never impulsive."
Fu Qian walked over to the blood pool with a smile. The humanoid blood silhouette inside was slowly forming. He looked back at Ji Liushuang.
"Do you know what Ambergris is?"
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