Chapter 39: The Eerie Great Disintegration

The area of the furnace ruins was even larger than imagined. Fu Qian followed behind the group, observing his surroundings with an air of nonchalance.

He held little hope of finding any loophole to escape through, but he understood the reasoning behind Li Weixuan’s arrangements. Firstly, in such a desperate situation, one should not easily abandon hope, no matter how slim the possibility; it was still worth a try. Secondly, having everyone personally patrol the area to confirm their predicament would save a great deal of wasted breath.

Huang Zhaoyan, the latest addition to the team, was clearly at odds with Yuan Xin and the others. Although he dared not spark a direct conflict under Li Weixuan’s warning, they exchanged sharp, biting remarks throughout the journey, neither side willing to give an inch. Unexpectedly, Ji Liushuang took on the role of a mediator between the two. Yuan Xin, needless to say, was clearly annoyed, while Huang Zhaoyan put on an act of "I won't stoop to your level, out of respect for her." It was difficult to imagine, watching this harmonious scene, that he was the one secretly hiring someone to kill her.

From the conversations between the three and those around them, Fu Qian gathered that they all hailed from powerful aristocratic families. Unlike the "nouveau riche" background of Wen Li’s family, or even the sort of status Young Master Ye possessed, these were legitimate transcendent clans with histories spanning over a century. They even shared deep, tangled ties with one another—though whether these were bonds of friendship or enmity was hard to say. Ji Liushuang and the others were the standout members of their respective generations, selected to be sent to the Academy as classmates.

What complicated interpersonal relationships!

Fu Qian had no interest in their petty grievances; to him, the only thing that mattered was completing his mission and getting out of this place. If the three of them wanted to scheme and counter-scheme, that was their business, but if they hindered his progress, he wouldn't mind taking them all out.

Initially, the group had searched the barrier with great focus, fearing they might miss a chance at survival. However, their enthusiasm soon waned as a sense of despair began to spread, leaving them to tap and prod at the walls with mechanical indifference. After marching for a while, the group became physically and mentally exhausted and decided to stop for a rest.

Fu Qian had no objection to this. Once everyone sat down, he remarked that he wasn't tired and would head out ahead.

"Dean Li instructed us to act as a group," Yuan Xin said, staring at Fu Qian with a stern expression.

"I know. You can catch up."

"Everyone needs to rest."

"So, you’re saying you can’t keep up?"

"…Why should I follow you?"

"Perhaps—" Fu Qian blinked. "Because I’m a Tier 6?"

"You can follow slowly behind me. I don’t mind being held back."

"You..." Yuan Xin’s body trembled with rage, but it was an undeniable fact, and he had no retort. You see, the benefit of a world where might makes right is that the person with the biggest fist calls the shots.

Fu Qian turned away with satisfaction and set off alone, under the complex gazes of the others. If he remembered correctly, the assassin’s burial site should be just up ahead. He had things he needed to verify.

However, Fu Qian hadn't gone far when he realized someone was following him. Huang Zhaoyan hadn't stopped to rest either, but was cautiously trailing behind him. Had this guy noticed something unusual? Or was he here to meet up with the assassin? Both were possibilities; after all, if they were truly trapped inside, they would run into each other sooner or later, and it would be awkward if his cover were blown.

Regardless of the reason, it was a welcome development. Fu Qian didn't mind having a tail and continued on his way, soon finding the spot where he had disposed of the body. Without hesitation, he lifted the stone slab he had used to weigh down the corpse.

Hiss!

Even though he had anticipated it, the sight before him still felt incredible. The assassin, who had died only a short while ago, had already turned into a desiccated husk. His body was as withered as firewood, not a drop of blood remaining. Even more eerie, the sparse hair on his head was now completely gone, vanished without a trace. Furthermore, the entire withered body resembled a melting wax figure, twisted into a bizarre posture, with certain parts unnaturally elongated. For instance, at the shoulders, the skin had been stretched until it was almost transparent, as if the arms were trying to detach themselves from the torso.

Truly a furnace, indeed! Fu Qian sighed inwardly. This place was sinister beyond measure. His previous hypothesis had been correct: all creatures that entered here and died were broken down by a special rule, then reassembled into the forms of those monsters made of hair, palms, and the like. He wouldn't be surprised if he saw a block of "blood tofu" somewhere later on.

After a meticulous observation, Fu Qian turned and left the scene. This time, he didn't bother replacing the stone slab, tossing it aside without caring if it were discovered. Fu Qian was well aware that Huang Zhaoyan was hiding behind a nearby building, watching. He was curious to see how this fellow would react to the corpse. As it turned out, Huang Zhaoyan, who crept over to the body the moment Fu Qian left, stood frozen in place for several minutes.

This guy was definitely a prime suspect, Fu Qian nodded to himself. He had made his intentions as clear as possible; he had walked straight to the slab and unearthed the body, so even a fool could guess that the man's death was related to him. And he had left the body exposed right in front of him. If Huang Zhaoyan was guilty, he would surely think Fu Qian knew the truth and had done this on purpose to taunt him.

If he revealed that he had seen Fu Qian unearth the body when he met with Li Weixuan later, that would be normal. But if he concealed that detail, then there was a 99% chance that the assassin had been sent by him. Of course, if the man was stupid enough to think his cover was blown and tried to kill him to silence him, Fu Qian wouldn't mind finishing him off. After all, theoretically, it was his plan that had resulted in a transcendent assassin stalking him, intent on his death.

He who kills shall be killed. Fu Qian found himself looking forward to that scenario. Unfortunately, after waiting for a while, Huang Zhaoyan just remained standing there in a daze, and a disappointed Fu Qian continued on his way.

Not long after, Fu Qian ran into Li Weixuan and his group, who were looking quite grim. The morale of the team had clearly plummeted; there was no need to ask to know they had found nothing.

"Where are the others?" Li Weixuan frowned as he looked at the lone Fu Qian.

"They needed a rest, so I came ahead to scout the path." Fu Qian looked calm.

Li Weixuan was clearly in a foul mood and had no energy to pursue Fu Qian’s minor infraction. "Did you find any points of entry or exit?"

"No."

The expectant gazes of the group dimmed once more. Li Weixuan, having held little hope himself, nodded to signal Fu Qian to rejoin the team and ordered everyone to rest where they were.

They waited for a short while before seeing a large group of people approaching from the distance. The person in the lead had long, flowing hair and moved with an elegant, graceful gait. Before he had even arrived, he shouted out, "Dean Li, we’ve found something!"