Chapter 2989: The Person Being Waited For

'So that's how it is. Apocalypse has been occupying someone else's place all along?'

'Faith related to the Fungal Emperor has lingered around the Academy this entire time?'

'And this is why His power appeared inside this building?'

'It even explains why the entire Academy was nearly swallowed by the Mycelium World during the battle against the inner demon?'

He had to hand it to the senior. A single casual pointer from her had cleared the fog, seamlessly connecting all sorts of past events.

Fu Qian, in particular, knew another subtle detail that perfectly aligned with this revelation—the Academy was Meria's territory.

And the Fungal Emperor had already been proven to be the exact same entity as Meria.

Therefore, the Academy was the Fungal Emperor's territory. The deduction was absolutely airtight.

This could even explain why the Fungal Emperor remained a disembodied voice, especially compared to Excellency Father's Amnion from before.

The corruption was real, yet His true body still had not made an appearance.

Indeed, one of Fu Qian's goals in keeping this conversation going was to try to force a face-to-face meeting with the Fungal Emperor.

Unfortunately, it seemed that entity—just like the name Meria—was deeply bound by the concept of "Zero." He couldn't break free from it, not even with the help of the Birthday Party...

"Understood. So in your eyes, this isn't cultivation, but a form of offering?"

Assuming the posture of a receptive student, Fu Qian casually took the thin thread from Su Gao's hand.

"So, do you know this entity's honorific name?"

...

"Regrettably, no one knows... Perhaps you could try asking the Night Watchers."

They were truly just chatting in peace. The Old Lady was clearly unaccustomed to this tranquil atmosphere, but she still didn't want to be the one to break it.

Thus, after admitting she couldn't help with the specifics, she followed up with that suggestion.

"Makes sense. I'll chat with them later."

Fu Qian was in complete agreement.

It might not be common knowledge to the public, but to those in the know, the Night Watchers' stance on the ancient gods was hardly a secret.

Banning them and even taking over their territories—it was obvious they didn't want to see certain traditions inherited. Given that context, was it any wonder that a certain faith had suddenly vanished without a trace?

Not only had its honorific name been erased, but its remaining grounds had even been taken over by a certain Scientific Research Institution?

Such ruthless handling had the Night Watchers' style written all over it.

Looking at it from this angle, it made perfect sense that the Speaker of the Night Watchers knew about Meria.

"Is this the Night Watchers' territory?"

Professor Fu's excessively casual tone seemed to confirm certain suspicions for the Old Lady, and she hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Yes, the headquarters of a group called the Birthday Party."

Fu Qian answered openly, completely devoid of politeness.

"Then why are you here?"

The Old Lady didn't seem particularly surprised.

"They invited me. An old man named Stoss."

Fu Qian remained completely honest.

"Stoss? Honestly, I find that hard to believe... but I can't think of a reason why you would lie to me."

It was obvious that Excellency Stoss had been famous for a long time. Hearing the name caused the Old Lady to frown and voice her doubts.

"I have no obligation to make you believe me."

Unfortunately for her, Fu Qian's response was utterly cold. At that exact moment, he glanced at Su Gao, who was looking his way, and gave her a nod.

"In contrast, what I find hard to believe is how you could still act so irrationally after hearing I was invited by the Night Watchers."

Those words caused the Old Lady's expression to change drastically.

At the same time, Su Gao, having received her unspoken order, reached out and grabbed at empty air. Her target was the space right between Professor Fu and the furious severed head.

...

'Classmate Su Gao, have you also been corrupted by something weird?'

Her move oozed style, and her action directly caused the Old Lady's composure to crumble. Yet, while Fu Qian wasn't surprised, he actually had some slight criticisms regarding Executive Yama Su's technique.

'I've been meaning to say this since you grabbed the mycelium earlier. This seat has only pulled out the Sword Three Short of One in front of you once, and your eyesight wasn't even that great at the time. Just how did you manage to learn this move?'

'Wouldn't it have more visual impact to sever karma with a single sword strike like before?'

"I'll admit, this move shows a spirit of never giving up. You're even doing your best to exploit human weaknesses."

Of course, none of this stopped Fu Qian from reaching over to Su Gao's retreating hand and picking up another thread.

That's right—there was really only one thread. And unlike the previous mycelium, this one actually had color.

It was a matte, inky black, like a fallen strand of long hair—perhaps it had fallen from a certain someone's head.

Twirling it lightly between his fingers, Fu Qian compared it to the hanging head.

It had the exact same texture. Furthermore, a concealment effect had just been applied to it, making it even harder to detect.

"But petty tactical tricks like this still can't enter the Hall of Great Elegance, much like your previous cultivation."

Facing the Old Lady—whose expression already carried a bit of a corpse-like pallor—Fu Qian was in no rush to make her pay the price. Instead, he continued to fulfill his duties as a judge.

What had just happened was actually quite simple. As he had mentioned earlier, there was no way the Old Lady would easily give up her struggle.

Adopting a "nothing to lose" mentality when the Fungal Emperor's corruption failed to take effect, she had actually decided to act personally.

Her specific method was turning her hair into a lethal weapon, attempting to entangle it directly around someone's body.

And because Classmate Su Gao's previous performance had been too outrageous, the Old Lady had deliberately chosen him as her target.

Unfortunately, she still underestimated just how outrageous Classmate Su Gao could be.

That glance Su Gao had given him during their chat earlier was her silently asking if she should deal with it.

...

"You're an absolute madman!"

Unfortunately, in the face of Professor Fu's concluding critique, the despairing woman seemed to feel nothing but sheer absurdity.

"If you're going to strike, then just do it. If not, then leave me in peace..."

Following that, she directly ordered him to leave.

"So even now, you still believe your opinion matters... Those who don't understand simply don't understand. My critique just now was truly spot-on."

Unfortunately, the only response she received was a sigh.

Ignoring the senior, Fu Qian walked straight to the center of the Tower. He casually grabbed the suspended head and tossed it aside.

Thud—And the moment the head hit the ground, he reached up, grasped his neck, and popped off his own head.

'Young people always think a judge's critiques are just idle talk from someone who isn't doing the heavy lifting.'

'I advise you to stop relying on cheap gimmicks and actually practice according to the core framework, yet you act as if I'm trying to harm you.'

'Did you think this professor was interested in your head? Or even the Fungal Emperor's, for that matter?'

'The reason I never left was because I've been waiting for someone else entirely.'

'The Academy combined with cultivation... other than the Sword Comprehension Institute, these two elements also perfectly summon this professor's inner demon.'

"Hello."

In the blink of an eye, a new head had already sprouted from his neck. With their four eyes locked onto each other, Fu Qian casually gave a greeting.