Chapter 1795: Chapter 16: R’lyeh

“But devouring is not such an easy task.”

“Some things are easy to eat, but not simple to digest… It’s very likely that what goes in comes out the same way; or worse, the food starts a rebellion in your stomach, at best causing you a stomachache, at worst endangering your life.”

Listening to these ‘possibilities’ from Mr. Wu, Zheng Qing inexplicably conjured up an image in his mind of a monkey-faced monk with a thunderous voice and a charming female demon. The scene shifted, and that monkey was sitting with a few other oddly shaped monks, enjoying a hot pot and singing songs, with chopsticks picking up a clump of juicy golden needle mushrooms.

The boy couldn’t help but tug at the corner of his mouth.

Mr. Wu glanced at him suspiciously, confirmed that the young man before him was still quite normal, then shook his head and continued leisurely, “In short, after Xiangliu swallowed Cthulhu, he discovered he couldn’t ‘digest’ it. I mentioned before, he’s very good at seizing fleeting opportunities. And this time, the grand setup in the Black Prison by the school was his biggest opportunity. He could take the chance to ‘shed his shell,’ using external forces to break the indigestible Cthulhu in his belly. This is a very clever method of transformation, capable of severing many troublesome causes and effects, and aligned with the Ancient One’s esoteric art of ’emptying through reduction.'”

“Originally, Mist and Ulith were just planning to sneak into the Black Prison to snatch a couple of fruits and escape. Both had a good chance of achieving the Legendary Rank, so they were courageous enough to take the risk. After Xiangliu learned about their plan, he subtly facilitated it, not only bringing three Dark Beasts into the fray but also inviting the President of the Dark Council to join.”

“Then the war spiraled out of control.”

“Wizards, demons, and Outer Gods were all drawn in voluntarily or involuntarily. The war escalated from involving Big Wizards and Legendary Rank entities to the appearance of Ancient Ones… This was arguably the largest-scale war in recent decades.”

“Did the school succeed?” the young wizard instinctively asked.

Mr. Wu nodded but sighed slightly, “You could say it was a success, but also a failure. The success lay in the school achieving its minimum goal: no borderline demon managed to seize the Xuanhuang Fruit, and none of the demons successfully progressed in the process. They even dealt a heavy blow to the newly formed Dark Council… You played a significant role in this.”

Zheng Qing forced a smile.

Beneath his feet, his shadow suddenly branched into octopus-like tentacles, flailing about, trying hard to prove to the two wizards in the room that it was the biggest contributor.

The young wizard discreetly stepped to the side, away from the window, hiding in the shadows of the room. The shadow beneath his feet immediately lost its trace.

Mr. Wu was unconcerned, continuing his slow analysis, “As for the failure, it was because the Sea Demon King Xiangliu successfully used the war to transform, becoming the first Ancient One to successfully progress since the second Wizard-Demon War.”

Hearing this, a flash of lightning crossed Zheng Qing’s mind.

“You mentioned before,” the young wizard suddenly raised his head, eyes shining, “the Sea Demon King’s breakthrough to Legend was because he didn’t want to become the feed for the Demon Ancestor. Does that mean his appearance in the Black Prison this time went against the Demon Ancestor’s wishes? At the same time, by devouring an Outer God for progress, it’s like he’s fallen out with the starry sky… Wizards, demons, Outer Gods, he simultaneously offended two out of the three forces, so we…”

“Quite a perceptive little fellow.” A vague and hoarse voice suddenly echoed in the ward, startling the young wizard. He listened closely but heard nothing.

He quickly scanned left and right, seeing no outsider, yet he inexplicably felt as if he were standing before a pair of enormous eyes that were staring intently at him.

“Mr. Wu?” Zheng Qing clutched at Mr. Wu’s robe corner.

Mr. Wu tugged at the held robe corner without success, chuckled involuntarily, waved a hand, and Zheng Qing felt a dizzying sensation as indescribable colors surged from all directions.

When he regained his senses, he was still standing by the bedside, and Mr. Wu was still seated cross-legged there. But beyond the bed, the surroundings had turned into a still, pitch-black void. He and Mr. Wu’s location was the only bit of color amidst this deadly silence and darkness.

No, not the only color.

As Zheng Qing realized this, a pair of gigantic eyes suddenly appeared in the depths of the darkness. While it was impossible to discern the heights in this world, those eyes left Zheng Qing with the sole impression of being ‘towering and immense.’

In just an instant, those eyes appeared before the bed.

Standing in front of those eyes, Zheng Qing felt as if he were standing before a vast ocean, faced with endless sky and earth. Waves roared, crashing onto jagged rocks, sending up splashes of white foam.

The foam condensed mid-air, on rocks, and on the sea surface into distorted white letters overflowing with bubbles, repeatedly spelling out the strange word ‘R’lyeh.’ Simultaneously, the roar of the waves and the distant wail of the sea wind intertwined, resounding with the name ‘R’lyeh.’

Then Zheng Qing felt his hand being tugged again. Looking down, he found himself back at the bedside, with Mr. Wu pulling his robe corner out of his hand.

The blackness and silence retreated.

The roar of the waves and the whimper of the sea wind vanished without a trace.

“What was that…” the young wizard dared not lift his head, his voice dry as he continued to stare at Mr. Wu’s robe corner.

“Just as you speculated.” Mr. Wu straightened the robe’s corner with a gentle flick, responding calmly, “Offending both demons and the starry sky simultaneously, even after progressing to an Ancient One, it must find its new place. Before sleeping, R’lyeh—Sea Demon King Xiangliu, as it renamed itself after becoming an Ancient One—approached me, hoping for some time, which I agreed to.”

“Sleeping?”

“Transformation is an extremely risky path. Success and failure are just a breath apart. R’lyeh needs some time to stabilize its current state. And what it lacks is precisely time.”

“How would it…” Zheng Qing opened his mouth—wondering why the Sea Demon King would seek out Mr. Wu. Didn’t it know wizards and demons were mortal enemies? How would Mr. Wu handle it? Could an Ancient One be thoroughly sealed?

Before he could voice these chaotic thoughts, Mr. Wu extended his hand, palm open, before the young wizard.

In the palm, a slender blue snake no thicker than a chopstick was coiled up, sleeping soundly.

“Is this the Sea Demon King?!” Zheng Qing retreated a step in fright, his voice a bit distorted.

“This is its gift to you,” Mr. Wu remarked with a slightly exasperated look at the young wizard, “knowing you’re my student and aware of your current troubles, it sent this little thing for you.”