Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 2258: Chapter 2253: Exponential Fallen

Dark Moon?

This is truly productive.

Although the space beyond the door is still not open-air, just this moonlight alone is something Fu Qian finds quite familiar.

The Pontiff wasn’t lying; indeed, there’s another Dark Moon in this place.

And Brother Interlocutor also lived up to expectations; the first stop on the guided path seemed to directly find the correct location.

Of course, it only seemed that way.

"We are closer to her, but currently, we still can’t pinpoint her."

The Witch calmly observed this scene and immediately offered her assessment.

"Do we need to go deeper into the nightmare to find her?"

Fu Qian casually confirmed the notion, as it was not at all surprising.

When guiding the Interlocutor to lead the way, it was mentioned that essentially, this was a conversation between the two and the prisoners.

Therefore, regardless of how naturally the Interlocutor conducted himself throughout the entire process, the sudden emergence of moonlight had nothing to do with him; it reflected the will of the prisoners.

Clearly, the Mechanical Tyrant who went before had already confirmed this place was a Hongmen Banquet, yet the Dark Moon from the other side still came over, which was undeniably a surprise for the prisoners.

But what followed was an excessively strong sense of oppression.

Maintaining a fragile alliance is not easy; if no action is taken, it could severely impact morale, potentially creating internal discord.

Not to mention, all discussions between herself and the Witch were conducted openly, including judgments on the current situation.

In such a context, whatever the Interlocutor found for the two can only be thought of as a response from the prisoners.

It also meant they laid their cards on the table almost completely, no longer concealing the existence of the trap, and openly made a move.

As for the content of the move, it undeniably verified previous speculations.

The prisoners, as hosts, indeed sensed the bonds between the two Dark Moons.

Even locked onto this point, they seemingly had certain concealing abilities.

The reason why moonlight exists behind this door is easily associated with it being located in a deeper layer of the dream.

However, the stark contrast before and after the door felt somewhat like symbolic meaning specially given by the prisoners.

As mentioned earlier, one must integrate into the dream to perceive more, and thereby, seek traces of the Dark Moon.

But if not handled properly, it could very well turn into a scapegoat.

With the appearance of moonlight at this moment, it was a straightforward strategy laid bare before them.

Earlier, it might have been intentionally isolated by the prisoners, aiming to make the situation more unpredictable.

But with the firm posture of the two Explorers here, it was clear there was no longer a need to conceal.

Even pointing this out could help the two solidify their resolve, reducing the chances of retreating halfway.

"Continue."

And facts confirmed the steadfastness. Nodding in agreement with Fu Qian’s words, the Witch directly indicated the Interlocutor shouldn’t waste time.

...

It was evident that the Interlocutor wasn’t pleased.

Though it probably wasn’t because he was being ordered around.

Fu Qian believed that even from his perspective, the earlier scene where Sister Ox-head was instantly killed was enough to make him realize a lot.

The primary reason for his demeanor was likely due to Fu Qian’s words.

Just earlier, he had commented that the Interlocutor’s initiative was meaningless, whether intentionally or otherwise, he would inevitably lead the two into a trap.

People have their pride, and perhaps deciding to open this door involved a complex mental journey, but it might have included a desire to prove himself.

Just a pity that, no matter how foolish, under the ongoing stimulation, the Interlocutor likely couldn’t headstrongly dismiss the current scene as mere coincidence.

This sense of inescapable "fate" would certainly be disheartening.

Bam—

Even in the next moment, he almost suffered physical damage.

As the flame flickered, Fu Qian blew on the barrel of Mercy.

Time was pressing, and the guide party had no reason to slack off.

Ignoring the Pontiff’s words was a grave disrespect.

The shot was merely a reminder, but no sound came from hitting a wall after skimming the Interlocutor’s head, making one suspect it melted into the mist.

This wasn’t impossible, after all, the Nightmare Corridor had mass-produced consumables, and the ranking was vastly lower than the Night Watchman.

Hmm...

But that didn’t matter, the purpose had already been achieved.

The reminded Interlocutor instantly snapped back to reality, really taking a step inside.

Of course, before doing so, he didn’t forget to give the gun-wielding Knight a couple more glances.

...

This place seems somewhat different now.

Without feeling any issue with his appearance, the next moment Fu Qian had already synchronized with the Witch, stepping into the intoxicating radiance.

And upon taking this step deeper into the dream, Fu Qian had already sensed the difference —

Not only did it become brighter, but significantly noisier.

Beyond the door were still similar downward steps, but if the previous layer was filled with Sister Ox-head’s solo, this place was akin to entering a music hall.

Notes flowed, blending together indistinctly, yet clearly composed of different entities.

So much so that one might suspect, beneath the moonlit mist, a wedding procession — or a funeral one — might emerge at any moment.

The mist rolled, the moonlight rippled, and in the next moment, where the bullet produced no echo, a shape was partially revealed.

Even the originally monotonous stone walls were replaced by hanging, floating white drapes.

Though what splattered on them wasn’t blood, but rusted iron hues, at a glance, the atmosphere was impeccable...

With new things popping up more and more, could it be that if this continued, the endpoint would be the prisoners’ uninspired scenarios?

Just the thought of it lacked appeal.

Stepping continuously, at that moment Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

He wasn’t surprised by such changes, to be honest.

Going deeper into the dream wasn’t just talk; the presence of moonlight and gradually enriched elements were quite normal.

And like Sister Ox-head before, these things likely weren’t to prevent the two from getting bored.

"Any form of contact equates to you touching the dream, thereby linking more closely, even if it’s just seeing or hearing them."

Sure enough, the next moment, the Witch beside him was already explaining her insights, pointing out the danger of the new elements.

Indeed... simply observing them would cause a deeper fall into the dream, not to mention interacting with Sister Ox-head earlier.

Fu Qian understood that the Witch was considering his currently less apparent perception, and thus particularly explained the situation.

And the content of the explanation undoubtedly highlighted the prisoners’ meticulous planning.

As the dream deepened, various things started being thrown in.

And it didn’t even need to cause harm to the two; being harmed would be effective.

No matter how one thought about it, it was a process of exponential decline.

Though recognizing this, Fu Qian’s steps towards hell didn’t halt at all.