Click!
Thankfully, even though the window was a bit old, it could still be opened.
Things remained, people had changed; while Fu Qian mulled over the problem of the Sheep-headed Demon’s disappearance, he didn’t run back into the building to search. Instead, he simply pulled open the window in front of him.
The radiance of the Grand Fate Ming Emperor suddenly poured down on this dead-silent place at a higher wattage.
It was indeed the sa building, though the outer walls were more peeled and flaked.
And the surrounding cluster of buildings also grew clearer; aside from being far more deserted, they matched up one-to-one with the scene he’d seen earlier.
Of course, the most important thing was the long-missed lake view.
Right in front of him, that place as perfectly circular as if drawn with a compass now lay fully in sight.
Only it looked a bit different from before: the mirror-smooth surface was completely gone, and at a glance it didn’t seem to hold even a drop of water.
Yes, the Wise Lake that by all accounts had been the very core of the Unseen Hillock in the last mission now appeared utterly dried up in this lightless Unseen Hillock.
Although at the sa ti, the exposed lakebed still kept its unusual air—
If the original lake had been a perfect circle, then from this angle, the dried-up lake now seed to have turned into a sunken hemisphere.
Isn’t that a bit exaggerated? He hadn’t felt it held that astonishing amount of water the last ti he was here; there hadn’t even been a "Deep Water, Danger" sign.
While he was sighing over it, Fu Qian already stepped out, just as he had when entering the Gate of Freedom earlier.
...
Even the howling of the wind sounded dead and exhausted.
The situation of walking outward only to end up back indoors did not repeat this ti.
His feet t empty air; Fu Qian directly went into free fall from the eighth floor.
Of course, even when he finally crashed into the ground, he still maintained excellent form, and through impeccable cushioning movents, he even kept the pair of shoes on his feet perfectly intact.
After landing, he didn’t pause at all, heading straight for the Wise Lake.
To be fair, though the place looked like a ghostly realm, the cleanliness of the streets actually surpassed that of the previous Unseen Hillock.
No campfires and performance-art people scattered everywhere, not even similar remains.
In fact, this was also one of the reasons why he hadn’t bothered to thoroughly search the building just now.
You always had to consider expected return for any action; a carpet search naturally reduced the chance of missing sothing, but given a scene like this, it was hard to imagine how much would actually be worth the ti.
And there was another reason: when he’d been looking toward the Wise Lake just now, he’d seed to spot sothing interesting—and yes, he had.
In the blink of an eye, Fu Qian was revisiting an old haunt, coming to a stop at a spot by the lakeshore.
He hadn’t seen wrong: it really was hemispherical.
The radiance from the Grand Fate Ming Emperor instantly lit up this hidden corner, making the scene at his feet clear.
It was obviously the sa size as the forr Wise Lake, and from the outer rim down to the center of the lakebed, it described an almost perfect arc.
So much so that, rather than calling it a dried-up lake, it felt more like a gigantic pot.
And while not a drop of water could be seen inside, there was sothing else piled up.
People, a great many people.
Torso, limbs, heads—Fu Qian was very sure those were human forms, but every inch of them was coated in a lifeless layer of ash, stacked there one by one, row upon row.
...
Could it be that the entire Unseen Hillock was in here?
The total volu of a human body is actually much smaller than Intuition would suggest.
Coupled with the fact that there was no movent at all, as if completely dead objects were heaped together, Fu Qian felt the number of bodies sunk in the lakebed was probably on the absurd side.
It gave the impression that the entire Unseen Hillock had been stewed in a single giant pot, then left on the heat too long and burned into one mass.
So he really had crossed the Gate of Freedom and seen the reality of the world?
The na "gray bed" felt even more fitting now.
In that mont, Fu Qian sighed inwardly and casually dispelled the Decree Residue.
The radiance abruptly withdrew, and heaven and earth instantly sank back into Darkness.
Snap!
The next mont, with a spark, a much weaker glimr of light flared in his hand.
It was a hand lantern whose fla burned with a faint green tinge, its glass cover likewise covered in dust.
Though he hadn’t thoroughly searched the Prophet Mansion just now, as a low-key man, he had still "borrowed" a few things from 802 on his way out.
In a city like this, such an old-fashioned lighting device was a bit anachronistic, but thinking about horse-drawn carriages as a ans of transport, such minor details didn’t feel that out of place.
"Sorry for borrowing it without your consent."
Under the lone lantern glow in the Darkness, Fu Qian naturally called out to the side.
There was a reason he’d stopped here.
The only figure who hadn’t gone into the pot was leaning against a stone platform nearby.
He was even the only one not covered in gray.
ssy hair, a big belly, loose pajamas... it was precisely the Prophet Yuan Fang he’d been looking for this whole ti.
Strictly speaking, it should be the forr Prophet of the Unseen Hillock, since he’d long since stepped down.
...
Though he was sitting on the ground, his position was slightly elevated, so he could still take in the entire giant pot at a glance.
And Yuan Fang did seem to be doing exactly that, even in the absolute Darkness where there had been no light at all.
His posture wasn’t exactly proper, but it still seed to radiate a strong sense of compassion.
"Were they like this when you got here?"
As for his old friend ignoring his arrival, Fu Qian didn’t mind such details at all. He stepped closer and spoke, even setting the lantern down.
Unfortunately, he still got no response. Under the eerie green lantern light, he could see that in that familiar face, there were no eyes left in the sockets.
In their place, thick, almost tangible black ink was flowing out, seeping with endless depth.
...
The Dark—human nature’s deepest sedint.
The slightly horrifying sight, in that mont, actually struck a chord of familiarity in Fu Qian.
He’d seen that unique shade before, when using the Ashen Ring and turning into a Dark Avatar.
And that had even been the mission reward from the last ti he’d been here.
So this ant that after stepping down, Prophet Yuan Fang had embraced the Dark even further?
By passing through that door, coming here, and seeing the truth of the Unseen Hillock?
It actually made a certain amount of sense. To be blunt, it could even be called a sublimation to sothing close to Unity of Heaven and Man for the role he played.
After all, from what he’d seen before, although the Unseen Hillock had plenty of capable oddities, none had directly grasped the essence of this power.
The only pity was that his old friend seed to have lost the ability to communicate.
Fu Qian was very sure Yuan Fang was still alive, but he seed completely unresponsive to his arrival—hmm?
Turns out he’d been too quick to judge; at a certain mont, that uncanny face of the Prophet actually started turning in his direction.
And though it remained stiff and silent, his right hand slowly lifted, gesturing to the side.
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