Chapter 54: A Tentacle Piercing Heaven and Earth

Chapter 54: A Tentacle Piercing Heaven and Earth

Whoosh... Whoosh...

The sea rose and fell gently, stirring up shallow ripples.

This ocean was exceptionally quiet, with mist acting like a barrier pressing down from just two meters above, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of the netherworld and the yellow springs.

Four figures dispersed, spreading their arms wide, facing the vast sea, and emitting deep, gurgling sounds, as if calling out to something.

Only then did Luo Ke notice a stone-piled pattern on the beach beneath their feet—intricate, complex, and baffling to the eye.

Roar—

Suddenly, the screeches of monsters rang out one after another.

Startled, Luo Ke hurriedly scanned the distant cliffs on both sides.

This was a crescent-shaped bay, with the cliffs positioned right in the center. Both the left and right sides were obscured by swirling mists, and from within the fog emerged endless numbers of monsters.

No wonder Luo Ke had not encountered a single one along the way; it turned out they had long gathered here, waiting for a long time.

Some were as small as crawling spiders, while others were as colossal as mountain-like beasts.

Guided by the four figures, they moved in an orderly fashion, walking one after another toward the sea and submerging into the water.

The ocean remained serene, even after swallowing so many gigantic creatures.

More and more behemoths appeared, leaving Luo Ke dumbfounded. If he were to be surrounded by such a quantity, his best bet would likely be to employ the thirty-six stratagems and make a tactical retreat.

With this thought, Luo Ke activated the black-hole-like portal, placing it five centimeters behind his back.

Judging by the scene below, it was nine-tenths likely some kind of sacrificial ritual. In the Cthulhu mythos, involving a sacrifice almost always meant summoning some enormous entity.

If things took a turn for the worse, Luo Ke would immediately lean backward and take shelter under the system's protection. Moreover, the black hole (portal) could sever spatial locks and tracking, meaning no one could follow Luo Ke back to the Spirit Cage world.

When the last behemoth, standing fifty meters tall, vanished into the ocean, the array of stones on the beach simultaneously trembled and hovered high into the air.

"Ooh-ooh—gurgle—nah—"

The cries of the four figures grew increasingly high-pitched, faintly carrying a hint of frenzied shrieking.

As the array ascended, an inexplicable sea wind kicked up, whipping their cloaks about wildly.

Through a corner blown open by the wind, Luo Ke caught sight of a lower jaw covered in tentacles, huge eyes of pure black without a single speck of impurity, and rough, blistered humanoid palms.

They began to move, taking bizarre paces across the beach.

Looking closer, Luo Ke realized they were not walking on legs; beneath their robes, one could vaguely make out something resembling a flattened sphere formed by intertwined snakes.

Those were writhing tentacles!

At some point, their chanting ceased, and they gazed upward toward the sky.

Yes, they were not looking out at the sea, but lifting their heads in a mix of anticipation and terror.

In an instant, heaven and earth fell into an incomparable dead silence, and the sea surface became as still and waveless as if frozen.

Luo Ke realized the descent was about to begin. With half a foot crossed into the black hole, he prepared to bolt at a moment's notice.

Wise men submit to circumstances; when facing an irresistible enemy, he certainly wouldn't foolishly throw away his life.

Hum...

The clouds parted and the mists dispersed, and a phantom manifested in the firmament.

It was a tentacle. With its emergence, the world darkened bit by bit, and countless brilliant stars lit up the sky.

The stars twinkled, and the sky and sea inverted.

At the tip of the tentacle, amidst the deep darkness, the corner of a palace was faintly revealed.

The tentacle blotted out the sun and sky, boundless and immense. Wherever it passed, space twisted and rotated, revealing a bizarre and grotesque painting in the void.

A single tentacle piercing heaven and earth!

Hum...

His brain spun with dizziness, and his consciousness fell into disorder.

A massive surge of devouring power erupted within him, obliterating the negative effects.

Regaining his wits, Luo Ke could not help but guess: could it be that what those freakish beings down below were doing was establishing and transmitting dimensional coordinates?

The tentacle moved, writhing in midair like a giant python.

"Time to go home!"

Without a moment of hesitation, Luo Ke leaned backward and stepped into the black hole.

To say he wasn't tempted by such a massive tentacle would be a lie, but the core issue was that its combat power was severely off the charts.

Just as his vision faded, he fancied he saw the profound darkness emanating from the tentacle spreading toward the direction of the spatial rift!

...

The main world of Spirit Cage.

A black hole abruptly manifested across the boundless wilderness, and Luo Ke leaped out from it.

Only then did he realize his undershirt was soaked through. Even though it hadn't caused him substantive mental corruption, that oppressive feeling had penetrated deep into his soul.

"The stars are right, the city of R'lyeh rises from the ocean floor, the great Cthulhu descends..." Luo Ke muttered, marveling immensely, "The sky and sea inverted—that sea was actually a sea of stars, and the palace came from the universe! I actually thought it was sealed deep in the ocean!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but swallow hard. The devouring power coursing through his body made his heart itch with restless craving.

Luo Ke couldn't help but admire himself. If anyone else had witnessed the form of Cthulhu, they would have gone mad, fallen into terror, or become fanatical cultists. But him? Damn it, he was craving a taste!

As long as he kept traveling through the myriad realms, continually devouring and evolving, awakening various abilities, sooner or later Cthulhu would obediently lie down on the dining table and join his menu.

"The mist dimension has probably been invaded by the Cthulhu Mythos by now, right?" Luo Ke shook his head; there was nothing he could do about that matter.

He could only blame the Freedom Federation for courting their own doom, unleashing a disaster from their laboratory that plagued the entire world.

Bang!

A streak of blue light shot toward the distant horizon.

At the Sun Valley cliff face, Shandaj and Xutong were launching decoy missiles.

A pack of sprinting snake-dogs immediately turned around and moved away from Spark City.

"Thanks for the hard work," Luo Ke said sincerely to the two of them.

"Yikes!" Xutong stumbled in fright, "Why do you walk without making a sound?"

"You've vanished for two days again. Where have you been gallivanting?" Shandaj chuckled.

Luo Ke smiled mysteriously, "Come on, I'll take you to see some good stuff."

Spark City.

Xiadou, who was teaching cultivation underground, hurriedly ran out, excitedly rushing over to crowd around Luo Ke, who was surrounded like the moon among stars.

Military camps, dwellings, and bunkers were springing up one after another in Sun Valley, and checkpoints guarded by heavy-duty mechs had been established at the sole passageway.

Several transport vehicles driven by Mochen and the others rolled into the valley, carrying an astonishing amount of weapons and supplies.

"Awesome, Luo Ke! Last time it was food, and this time you've brought back so many big treasures." A bright smile blossomed on Mochen's face.

Tang Ni and the others stroked those long-barreled artillery pieces with undisguised fondness.

Jeff hugged an artillery shell, looking at the stacked crates of grenades with a grin stretching from ear to ear, "Do you also suffer from firepower deficiency phobia?"

"These landmines can be placed in a ring around Sun Valley, targeting locations where and where Yangji-beasts frequently appear, but remember to mark their positions clearly," Luo Ke instructed.

"As for the artillery, mount them along the upper perimeter of Sun Valley. You guys can discuss the specific placement."

"First, use these to arm Spark City bit by bit. I believe before long, it will become an impregnable fortress across the wasteland."

Hearing this encouraging speech, the surrounding residents burst into applause. However, Luo Ke noticed that although they were excited, they restrained their emotional fluctuations to varying degrees.

In his field of vision, most people did not emit strong golden light. Even if they did, it was only a very faint halo, completely sufficient to avoid attracting large-scale Yangji-beasts.

It seemed everyone was working very hard!

"What? See anything you like? Take it back and play with it?" Luo Ke said to Shandaj and his companion.

Shandaj stroked a heavy machine gun, which, despite not being small, looked like a mere toy in his hands, "Actually, we have these too, but they're all hopelessly outdated. I'll take one back to play with."

Everyone put these military supplies to use, preparing for combat and outfitting themselves.

Once everyone was busy with their tasks, Xiadou sensibly walked closer, "Heehee, yesterday I followed your method and learned how to make stir-fried tomatoes with eggs!"

She secretly glanced at Luo Ke's wrist and, upon seeing the bracelet, could not suppress a stealthy burst of joy.

"Is that so? Why don't you follow me to learn cooking? You can be in charge of everyone's meals from now on." Luo Ke patted her head.

Xiadou pouted her lips, "I'll cook for them, but you have to cook for me."

Their figures gradually drifted further away into the distance, as the setting sun cast its glow over this reborn wasteland city.