Chapter 345 - Nuoshan 2nd Grandpa

Chapter 345: Chapter 100 Nuoshan 2nd GrandpaUnder Cheng Hai’s low chant, Lu Hong found himself unknowingly riding a carousel horse. When Lu Hong looked down, the horse’s finely carved face had bizarrely twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, with two streams of blood tears flowing from the horse’s eyes. Then, the horse’s mouth cracked open, emitting a sharp, long scream.

Simultaneously, the cries of millions of wronged souls came from all around, as countless white-clothed ghostly figures appeared above Lu Hong’s head. Each was hung in midair by blood-stained ropes, revealing ferocious, mad grins toward Lu Hong.

Evidently, this was a low-budget haunted house from before Lu Hong traversed worlds. Such tricks, in the world of the Heavenly God, could actually scare the ignorant, since the novels and folktales here had no vocabulary for ghosts and spirits.

But to him, heh, having seen countless horrifying movies enough to scare someone to death, Lu Hong was not the slightest afraid. Instead, he lost interest in Cheng Hai’s thrilling park. To put it plainly, it was not thrilling at all.

Since that was the case, Lu Hong decided not to waste time continuing the show. There was no creativity at all, and surely nothing exciting would follow.

As the Divine Eye activated, Cheng Hai’s illusionary world gradually faded, turning into countless canvases made of Magic Power threads. Outside the canvas, Cheng Hai wore a mocking expression, seemingly waiting for the terrifying imagery to overwhelm Lu Hong’s spirit.

"Sigh!" Lu Hong shook his head and took a step forward.

This step was a real step, stopping Cheng Hai’s smile abruptly, "How... how is this possible?"

The essence of Illusion Technique was to control the enemy’s mental power, making the victim fall into an extremely realistic illusion while losing control over their own body. Ordinary people, if they ran, stepped, jumped, or activated skills in the illusion, would be fake, as these commands were controlled by the Illusion Technique, making the victim believe they were truly using skills or moving their body, when in fact, their body received no such commands.

But the step Lu Hong took on the platform showed his mind was unaffected by the Illusion Technique. This surprised Cheng Hai, since it made no sense; his house of horrors would take even someone as formidable as the Second Lord a quarter of an hour to break through, and those below Third Transition invariably fell prey.

"Think you’re brave, do you?" Cheng Hai pondered briefly then pinpointed the reason, "Since that’s the case, I’ll just give you something harsher!" Saying this, he increased his Magic Power output.

But in Lu Hong’s eyes, it was just the transformation of lines becoming more frequent and denser, all aiming to dominate Lu Hong’s mind.

Unfortunately, with the Divine Eye beside him, all those lines were absorbed into the Divine Eye, transforming into nutrients that nourished the Divine Artifact, which Lu Hong hadn’t used in a long time.

Seeing Cheng Hai breathing heavily, clearly exerting his full strength, Lu Hong suddenly regained interest, wanting to see what other horrifying scenarios he could conjure. He then closed his right eye and re-entered Cheng Hai’s thrilling park.

In the park, he now found himself chained to a blood-stained square table, with a bizarre man wearing a pig-head mask wielding two sharp serrated knives, furiously chopping towards Lu Hong.

Lu Hong didn’t even blink; was this paying tribute to "Saw" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"?

Anyway, no matter how you put it, they were both inferior products.

"I shouldn’t have had any hopes for you." Lu Hong opened his right eye, utterly disappointed in Cheng Hai.

Then, without further hesitation, he strode toward Cheng Hai.

Seeing Lu Hong advance again, Cheng Hai couldn’t help but retreat in shock, "How... how is this possible? Is he not afraid? Is there really such a fearless person in the world?"

"Impossible, impossible!" Cheng Hai exerted all his strength, cranked the Illusion Technique to its highest power, and roared hoarsely, "This is my ultimate move, if you can still ignore and break through it, I will acknowledge you as the Bold King of the alliance!"

Although being called Bold King sounded awkward, even though the audience outside had no idea what was happening inside the illusion, from what Cheng Hai said, it was clear the two were about to determine the victor. Thus, they all widened their eyes, eager to know the outcome, clenching their underground betting slips damp with sweat.

Seeing the lines before him completely connect, Lu Hong also believed Cheng Hai had made his grand move, but the previous disappointments caused him to lose any interest in watching. Without any hesitation, Lu Hong stepped across the Magic Power canvas, coming face to face with Cheng Hai.

Cheng Hai was so shocked that he couldn’t speak, and Lu Hong slapped him down to the ground.

"You... you... you weren’t affected by the Illusion Technique?!" It was then that Cheng Hai realized that Lu Hong had never fallen into the horrific world he had spun.

"I did go in, didn’t find it fun, and came out." Saying this, Lu Hong picked up the bronze giant sword and pressed it on Cheng Hai’s shoulder, "Do you admit defeat?"

"I won’t accept this!" Cheng Hai yelled angrily, "You must have relied on something. You didn’t really enter my illusion; otherwise, you couldn’t have escaped."

"Hey, hey, your little tricks? Who are you trying to scare?" Lu Hong said discontentedly, "Do you think just smearing some blood and throwing on a white outfit will scare anyone?"

"You went in?" Cheng Hai fell into shock again, "And you weren’t even scared?"

"Do you think I’m an idiot? Scaring someone and you don’t even pair it with music?" In this world, encountering ghosts isn’t easy, Lu Hong kindly suggested, "Not just the music, you need to give the ghosts an eerie, elusive feel. And don’t show the entire body, and not just hangings. Can they come out from a mirror? Can they emerge from a pile of corpses, with their bodies twisted? It’s not only bloodstains that can frighten people, it’s about the atmosphere, get it?"

Listening to Lu Hong was better than reading ten years’ worth of books! At this moment, Cheng Hai truly understood the meaning of that saying.

As they talked, Lu Hong saw a tear stream from the corner of Cheng Hai’s eye, "Hey, hey, a big guy like you, crying?"

"I... I’m just moved." Cheng Hai wiped his nose, emotionally said, "Finally, I’ve found a kindred spirit. From now on, you’re my big brother in Cheng Hai! In the alliance, any issues, just mention my name. My grandfather is the second-in-command of the Nuoshan clan, second only to the top four Dukes."

"I couldn’t care less about being your ’big brother’!" Suddenly, a furious shout came from below the stage. Cheng Hai, startled, exclaimed, "Grandfather, why are you here?"

"If I didn’t come would you have turned the heavens upside down?" The second elder of Nuoshan clan was nearly exploding with rage. His grandson was supposed to strategically confront Lu Hong in this duel, not acknowledge a Baron of the empire as his leader! If he recognized a mere Baron as his boss, the face of the Nuoshan clan would be utterly destroyed!

Without saying much, the second elder of Nuoshan kicked the barrier, shattering the solid barrier with his feet.

He then strode over a hundred meters directly to Cheng Hai’s side.

A powerful aura burst from the second elder of Nuoshan, causing Lu Hong’s pupils to constrict slightly as a fierce killing intent locked tightly on him.

Lu Hong stepped back several times to avoid the sharp edge, Third Transition Peak... better not provoke.

The second elder of Nuoshan looked at Lu Hong deeply, then grabbed Cheng Hai and slapped him hard across the face, causing Cheng Hai’s cheek to swell up immediately. It seemed that the second elder of Nuoshan was much stronger than Lu Hong, and he did not spare his grandson at all.

"Damn it! Go back and kneel at the ancestral temple, and don’t come out until you’ve thought it through!" After saying this, the second elder of Nuoshan picked up Cheng Hai and disappeared from the stage in a flash.

"This match... Lu Hong wins!" Although Cheng Hai had not admitted defeat, leaving the stage means a loss. The judge revealed a helpless expression, really uncertain about what was happening in this match. This incident might indeed turn the Nuoshan family into the laughingstock at the Seven-layered Floating World Tavern & Tea House.

"Big brother Lu Hong! Wait for me to come out from the ancestral temple! I’ll definitely come and pay my respects to you!" Before the cheers and congratulations from the audience could be heard, Cheng Hai’s voice rang from the sound system.

Then Nuoshan’s second elder’s shout followed: "Shut up!"

Since he had won, Lu Hong was about to leave the arena, but noticed Jin Fu looking somber, waiting quietly at the exit of the tunnel.

Lu Hong walked up and asked, "What happened? You look a bit off!"

"Your Majesty, let’s talk back at the palace!" Having suffered from Jenaxi’s discrimination and oppression, Jin Fu finally reached his limit and sought Lu Hong, hoping to find some support with him, or... was just in dire need of the "Holy Light" to uphold justice.