Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 2239: Chapter 2234: The Crucified Human King (24)

So you call this "nothing"?

Ariel’s surprise, at first glance, might seem a bit curious, since that puddle is barely maintaining a human form.

If not for the timely repairs made, even communication would be a problem.

However, Fu Qian could understand why he said so—clearly visible in the field of view was that Ariel’s body was also riddled with holes.

The earlier Blood Blade Flower attack evidently had friendly fire damage.

Considering Ariel’s original state was considerably better than his own, the health bar reduction from that strike was obviously much larger than his own.

If not for the current situation being akin to the Lonely King’s presence, rapidly repairing, whether he could still sit there would be in question.

As for Ariel’s question—"Why did this happen?"

Hmph, don’t they know the saying "the ignorant are not guilty"?

Our current Transcendent Perception at zero certainly makes many things inconvenient to do.

But there are pros and cons; don’t forget it also brought some immunity effects, like psychic influence.

The Native Council might use Ya Yu for an ambush; from the moment he saw that Substitute Emissary, Fu Qian tended toward this judgment.

Considering the ongoing research spirit, Fu Qian indicated some understanding of Ya Yu’s state.

From start to finish, it never manifests physically, not even a ghost; it seems like a conceptual entity existing only in human perception.

Just like at the time with Dunis, he could appear in that place to relieve the Godblood Curse because Veheler "believed" he appeared.

Strange and mysterious, doing things truly like a godly presence, unnoticed.

Yet, the crux lies in whether healing or injuring could also rely on "perception," the mental aspect?

Fu Qian was always curious about this, and today it seemed to be somewhat verified.

The reason Ariel was more severely injured was simple; that terrifying strike earlier was guided by Ya Yu.

And this time, Ya Yu was clearly brought forth by Ariel’s "belief," whereas Fu Qian was completely insulated.

This difference resulted in Fu Qian being unaffected by the lethal move directed by Ya Yu, avoiding most of the damage.

Of course, based on Ya Yu’s Ranking alone, even with charging time, it was too much to execute such an attack; clearly, there was help from the Lonely King.

This time, playing the role of Veheler was not only Ariel but also the Lonely King, who was in a special fusion state with him.

This means, theoretically, everything here is endorsing Ya Yu.

This should also be the reason Fu Qian couldn’t completely immunize the damage.

As for why it had to be Ya Yu making the move, when the Lonely King was present, why not just cast a powerful spell himself?

It’s actually simple, much like pretending to counsel earlier, just to lower Fu Qian’s guard.

Don’t forget, due to this place’s unique nature, everyone is essentially directly linked to the Lonely King.

And currently, Fu Qian was still right below Ariel, the closest to the Lonely King.

Considering his bizarre behavior, for the Native Council, such actions risk provoking violent retaliation if they fail, requiring absolute secrecy.

If executed under the guise of the Lonely King, it might not escape Fu Qian’s notice.

In this scenario, provided the previous guess was correct, if Ya Yu was indeed present, the choice was actually straightforward.

Indeed, the facts proved he was not disappointed.

The final outcome was ideal; it confirmed more than one prior guess, while his current body even managed to hold up, avoiding exposure of further close ties with the Abandonment King.

"Has Ya Yu left?"

Without retaliatory action, Fu Qian sat quietly there, asking a sudden question.

...

"You always knew he was there? Who are you, really?"

At first, Ariel was extremely wary, but quickly realized no brutal reprisal occurred.

Yet, before he could even catch his breath, he was hit by Fu Qian’s question again.

Hesitating for a moment, "Ariel" seemed to realize there was no need for secrecy, and the next moment finally acknowledged Ya Yu’s presence.

It appeared that even within the Native Council, Ya Yu’s related mystery was quite high, and it seemed unbelievable to have guessed it just like that.

In contrast, Fu Qian was not worried in the least about them linking back to Dunis.

After all, in the real history, Ya Yu assisting with curing the Godblood Curse never occurred; even "Old Master Lu" hadn’t seen him.

"It seems Ya Yu has left."

Of course, whoever it is, responding with questions to questions is impolite.

Fu Qian had no intention of introducing himself, instead nodding slightly as if answering his own question.

This was purely speculative; if there were similarities, it would suggest that Lord Ya Yu was as timid as imagined.

Although the earlier strike didn’t hit home, it still caused damage.

If the opponent was resolute, another Blood Blade Storm could have followed.

The fact that everything remained calm until now, without even Ariel, the Lonely King, taking action, speaks volumes.

His demeanor succeeded in casting deterrence.

Having lost the element of surprise, considering the style of the Native Council, Ya Yu was unlikely to linger.

If cautious enough, after releasing the strike, he might not have waited to see the result before fleeing.

Due to the unique nature of existence, this wouldn’t have been difficult for him.

It must be said that the Native Council’s personnel selection for this operation was on point.

The two individuals exposed so far clearly had very suitable abilities.

"You are truly... extraordinary..."

While contemplating silently, it was evident that the person opposite was not feeling well.

Still not clearly stating whether Fu Qian’s guess was right or wrong, at that moment, Ariel lowered his head, staring at the still-burning golden flames.

Though seemingly admiring, his voice lacked emotion, not even lifting his head again—

The deathly silence cast by white ash, the looming destruction overhead, even a distant cloth doll at that moment silently receded entirely.

In their place appeared a vibrant red.

It wasn’t the red snow falling again; the towering, majestic building before him, the dome appeared intact.

The entire atmosphere was festive because the architecture, obviously symbolic of religion, had walls and domes lined with blossoming flowers, like an over-decorated wedding hall.

Newlyweds could even be seen—

At the temple’s center, a familiar female figure stood like a statue, embraced by another body, though the latter’s belly was prominently raised.

Shotgun weddings aren’t rare, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that all the flowers forming the red carpet under their feet, like everything else, were made of flesh and blood.