But on second thought, if it really was an Outer God like Lhouctoug, its planetary-scale body would inevitably fill the mantle, stretching deep and wide without end. The entire Evernight Realm was likely resting upon its back. Where could she possibly run?
This reality dealt a heavy blow to the foundation of her mind. In her ears, she could almost hear the sound of her inner resolve becoming brittle and cracking. The primal, instinctive fear was eroding her sanity; her Sanity value was draining away without restraint.
Wang Yue let out one hysterical laugh after another. That silent, deep Blue Lake—like a pitch-black abyss—refused to leave her mind. The moment she closed her eyes, it surfaced.
The strange thing was that while the lake inspired absolute terror, it also exerted a morbid attraction over her, making her want to return to it. It was as if that place was her true home, her final destination, the resting place for her soul…
A powerful craving suddenly surged from her heart. She wanted to stand by the lake and leap in, letting her body sink slowly into the deep, boundless, dark womb—an abyss where even consciousness couldn’t form, where the boundary between life and death stretched into infinity…
Wang Yue slipped involuntarily into a state of delirium, her thoughts drifting beyond her control.
Just then, a soft, cool little body pressed against her from behind, and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Based on the strength of the grip, it was undoubtedly Lilith.
A pointed chin rested on her shoulder, and she felt the damp sensation of a tongue licking her neck as a cold, ghostly fragrance drifted past her nose.
“Missing an apple?” Lilith’s voice whispered in her ear.
Wang Yue snapped back to reality with a start. Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead as she gasped for air, feeling as if she had just been pulled back from the brink of drowning.
She turned her head, but only the sight of gold-like hair entered her vision; she couldn’t see Lilith’s face. Wang Yue cupped cold water from the sink and splashed it over her face, clearing her head completely.
“What?” she asked softly. “Are you still hung up on that ghost story?”
“Hmph. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Lilith snorted, her lips curling into a disdainful smirk. Her hands were far from idle, sliding down from Wang Yue’s waist to her rounded thighs, where she felt a slight tremor.
“Don’t touch me like that…” Wang Yue’s breathing quickened, and her body gave a small twitch.
“I saw your legs shaking just now. Did you scare yourself by telling too many ghost stories?”
“…”
Wang Yue stared at her face in the mirror. Her bangs were wet with sweat, clinging to her skin in clumps. Her pupils, still steeped in fear, were slightly dilated, and the color had drained from her lips. She looked weak and pathetic.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Lilith, if one day you discovered you were living on top of a massive monster, what would you think?”
Lilith tilted her head and thought for a long time before asking, “A strange question… would it move?”
“Probably.”
“If it moves, will I die?”
“I don’t know…”
“If you don’t know anything, then what are you afraid of?”
“…”
“If you’re really that scared, come sleep with me,” Lilith said, her arms tightening, her tone suggestive.
“No.”
After Lilith’s interruption, Wang Yue managed to break free from the unspeakable terror. She returned to the bedroom and lay back down on her bed.
Recalling what she had seen underground—eight demons nurtured by the source of the Great Old Ones. They didn’t seem to have independent consciousness, yet they possessed parts of a deity’s authority. The witches gained power by communicating with and “believing” in them.
The demons in the fetuses were undoubtedly divine in nature, yet their spirits had been neutered and their movements controlled, imprisoned in those bizarre, curled positions.
Speaking of sacrilege, The Faithless were just amateurs playing for fun. True sacrilege was the domain of the Taboo Names**. The academy’s high-ranking officials were pulling the strings behind all of this. Balor Academy was more than just a school; it was a mysterious engine that controlled the very fountainhead of magic.
Wang Yue thought it over carefully. According to historical records, the source of the Great Old Ones had been in a state of slumber for millions of years without a single sign of movement. It was unlikely to wake up suddenly in this era. There was no need for groundless panic.
Thinking of this, her heart eased slightly.
Another question surfaced in her mind—did the Church know about the existence of the Blue Lake? The lake’s appearance predated the academy’s founding by a long shot; its age was likely measured in eons.
The Church might know some of the inside story. She could try to probe them later to deduce how much information they actually held. Furthermore, she couldn’t just make up stories anymore. If the other party was playing dumb while knowing the truth, she would be the one getting played.
The last question Wang Yue thought of concerned Audara Ias. Why did that octopus want to infiltrate the academy?
It had to be going for the source of the Great Old Ones.
Connecting this to the octopus’s slip of the tongue about “going home”…
Wang Yue broke out in a cold sweat. She must never let the two of them come into contact!
