# 1821
Chapter 1814: Imprisoning An Qingyu!
An Qingyu smiled faintly, saying nothing.
"More Cthulhu Faction gods, more artificial deities... Over these four years, exactly how many secrets have you been hiding?"
"You'll learn everything eventually."
"Like today?" Lin Qiye glanced back behind him, where numerous Cthulhu Faction gods had completely surrounded the three exploration vessels, divine powers flickering continuously and deafening roars filling the sky. "Burying us all in this stretch of ocean—is that what you want?"
"Didn't you invite me here yourself?"
Lin Qiye regarded him in silence for a long moment, then spoke slowly:
"Yes, so I'm sorry... I have to bring you back."
The moment these words fell, a brilliant light erupted in Lin Qiye's eyes!
The ice beneath their feet blurred instantly, the churning sea faded away, and in the surrounding void, the massive outline of a hospital materialized!
Sensing the spatial shift, An Qingyu's eyes narrowed warily as his figure turned into an afterimage, hurtling backward!
"You can't escape!"
A reverse summoning array unfolded behind An Qingyu, and the Six-Winged Seraph flew out wielding Ame-no-Murakumo. The sword light swept across the sky, and a tide of golden divine power engulfed the entire battlefield, forcibly driving An Qingyu's retreating form back!
That brief obstruction was all it took for the illusory hospital around them to solidify completely. A heavy iron gate slammed shut behind An Qingyu with a muffled boom!
Beside the iron gate, a silvery-white signboard gleamed:
— Asylum of the Gods —
...
Outside.
As Lin Qiye and An Qingyu vanished into thin air, the Seraph Lin Qiye spun around with sword in hand, transforming into a golden streak that shot directly toward the center of the battlefield!
BOOM—!!
An earth-shaking explosion rang out, and the churning sea was forcefully pushed aside to reveal a vacuum zone over a hundred kilometers in radius. All three exploration vessels were torn to shreds.
Shen Qingzhu, bearing gray six wings on their back, flickered through the Cthulhu Faction gods, and together with Hu Jia and Yuzuri Takishiro, held back four Cthulhu Faction deities.
Behind them, the numerous Human Apex and Phoenix Squad members had all been drawn into Master Chen's Mindscape, fleeing rapidly across the fragmented battlefield aboard a carriage!
Among everyone, only Shen Qingzhu, Hu Jia, and Yuzuri Takishiro possessed the strength to battle Cthulhu Faction gods. The others would have almost no chance of survival against them.
Lin Qiye had already taken An Qingyu—the most critical objective accomplished. Facing the encirclement of nine Cthulhu Faction gods, they'd immediately chosen to retreat!
But these nine Cthulhu Faction deities showed no intention of letting them go.
In the dark waters below, endless mud surged forth, bubbling like boiling water across the sea where the carriage sailed. Skulls rose from the mud, quickly weaving together into a massive, ferocious face that blocked the carriage's path!
The mud clung to the carriage's wheels, slowing them considerably. The next instant, a massive grayish-green tail came crashing down!
Golden sword light pierced through the sea, holding back the falling tail with all its might. The Seraph Lin Qiye guarded above the carriage, the aftershock of the divine power clash nearly capsizing the entire carriage!
"Hurry up!! Two more are charging at us from the front!!"
Guan Zai squeezed into the carriage with the others, watching through the window as two more Cthulhu Faction gods approached at breakneck speed, and shouted urgently!
"I'm already going as fast as I can!! This is a carriage!! Not a fighter jet!!" Master Chen retorted, his full concentration devoted to steering the galloping carriage.
Everyone inside the carriage was tossed about continuously, like riding a roller coaster. Wu Quan's face was ashen—the jolting carriage car forced him to recall certain memories, his mouth corners twitching violently, seemingly about to vomit. The others, gripping the carriage walls, didn't look much better.
In the roaring waves, a single carriage squeezed through the encirclement of three Cthulhu Faction gods—an absolutely hair-raising sight!
"We're done for, there's no dodging what's ahead!" Master Chen saw the purple cloud layer ahead, shaped like a funnel, and gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Right then, the Seraph Lin Qiye in mid-air raised his hand.
High in the atmosphere,
A deep blue forbidden spell suddenly blazed to life!
Forbidden Spell—【Alfred's Aria】!
Dense lightning appeared before the forbidden spell formation, instantly converging into a grayish-blue sphere of thunder. A narrow gray bolt of lightning pierced through the murky mist and flashed before the purple cloud layer!
BOOM—!!
As the gray lightning tore through the air, a sound resembling a sigh reverberated across the heavens. A devastating thunderstorm bloomed in the sky, punching a hundreds-of-meters-wide gap through the purple cloud layer!
The carriage skimmed through the dancing electric arcs, shooting through the gap at high speed!
Since Lin Qiye had set this trap, he'd naturally anticipated the worst-case scenario. To minimize the risk of casualties from the Cthulhu Faction gods, he'd long ago stationed his Seraph clone in the atmosphere to lay out several forbidden spells as one of their trump cards.
During the Olympian expedition, he'd considered whether to activate these forbidden spells early, but quickly dismissed the idea. These forbidden spells were their hidden cards against potential Cthulhu Faction god ambushes—if used prematurely, the risks afterward would multiply exponentially!
As 【Alfred's Aria】 activated, the remaining forbidden spells lit up one after another. Various magics rained down from the heavens, blasting a path of escape across the sea for everyone!
"Compared to destroying Olympus, this is way more thrilling."
Watching the booming magical brilliance outside the window and the furious roars of the Cthulhu Faction gods, Shao Pingge couldn't help but comment.
"Of course it is." Guan Zai gazed out the window, speaking slowly. "After all, these are our true rivals..."
"Damn it, those disgusting Cthulhu Faction gods are chasing too closely... I can't shake them off!"
Master Chen drove the carriage, forcibly breaking through the Cthulhu Faction gods' encirclement, but those massive monsters showed no intention of letting them escape, twisting and howling as they pursued furiously from behind!
Seeing this, everyone's expressions turned grave.
"If we're about to be caught, we'll split up and run." Guan Zai spoke seriously. "Master Chen and I will cover the retreat. Wu Quan, Shao Pingge, Chen Han, and the Phoenix Squad—young ones like you, run ahead. Don't look back. Whatever happens, we can't let them wipe us out in one go."
"I'm staying too!" Wu Quan declared firmly. "My lifespan's almost up anyway. Dying here is better than dying in that hospital!"
Chen Han immediately followed, "I'm staying too..."
"This isn't the time for heroics!"
Guan Zai cut them off directly. Just as he was about to say more, a crisp cracking sound echoed from inside the carriage.
CRACK—!
"Huh??"
Everyone froze, puzzled as they looked down toward where the sound came from. On the tea table, the surface of the purple clay teapot had cracked open—a long, thin fissure, as if something had slashed across it.
"My pot?!" Master Chen stared in disbelief. "No way... How could battle aftershocks from outside possibly reach inside the Mindscape?"