After answering Huai Shi's questions, the King continued with his awards. Aside from Huai Shi, four other Great Spirits received blessings from the Gods. They evolved on the spot. A single Divine Grace Crystal was equivalent to a precious metamorphosis!

Jonathan sat crouched from beginning to end, his eyes wide open; it was as if he had even activated the recording function. He meticulously scanned every Great Spirit's transformation, recording various data from the Divine Body, his hands continuously swiping through the air as if he were in a frenzy.

After the day's award ceremony concluded, Huai Shi pulled him into his temple without another word. With a wave of his claw, the heavy stone doors of the grand hall thunderously shut. Then, Huai Shi looked at the astonished Jonathan inquisitively, circling around him until a hint of panic appeared in his otherwise composed demeanor.

He suddenly slammed his paw down. "Grandson, you're in trouble now!"

He berated him, "Spill it! What have you been hiding from me?"

"Nothing at all!" Jonathan's eyes widened. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Huai Shi, you must believe me."

"So that penguin was just coaxing me? Or does the Astronomical Society have some intelligence that they know you aren't aware of?" Huai Shi clicked his teeth and grinned. "Shall we go through the process, or should we jump straight to punishment, old Jo? You'd better speak the truth, or it'll look bad for both of us when we turn on each other."

Just as Jonathan was about to say something, there was a crashing sound. The Great Sword, imbued with the Axe of Anger, had struck just behind him, mere inches from the tip of his twitching tail. A chill went down his spine.

"You might want to think carefully before you speak..." Huai Shi earnestly advised. "Here, we don't prohibit friendly fire."

"...I, I want out!" Jonathan hesitated for a long while before his resolve firmed.

"Fine, if you don't care about the upcoming Divine Body data, then I'll send you on your way." Huai Shi's tail coiled around the Great Sword, mimicking cuts on him. "Would you prefer beheading, being cut in half at the waist, or being split in two from head to toe? Honestly, beheading is quickest, but the most thrilling is being cleaved right down the middle. You'll get the illusion of seeing oneself become two, plus double the pain. I recommend that."

Jonathan's face twitched. "Don't scare me..."

"I'm telling the truth." Huai Shi smiled menacingly. "All personal experiences, and I wouldn't mind you going through it a few times... Existence Institute, right? Do you think a formal Military Officer of the Jurisdiction Bureau beating up a geology Scholar from the Existence Institute counts as a big deal?"

Huai Shi was ready to throw punches both online and offline! When his threat was laid bare before Jonathan, the latter finally lost his courage and chose to confess.

So, these keyboard warriors don't understand their own measure until they're taught a lesson... Amidst the sparks flying as Huai Shi's fangs scraped against the Great Sword, Jonathan rushed to explain the situation clearly.

"The Element of Destructive, the Eternal Beast?" The rustic Huai Shi gaped. "What is that?"

"This is part of a secret list not yet made public, managed by the Existence Institute..." Once he started talking, Jonathan simply laid it all out. "It's classified for most people, but my former teacher, Shah, was also a Creator, specializing in the Domain of life origins. I once saw a very strange life formula at my teacher's place... You don't understand what I mean by strange, it's like..."

"Quit beating around the bush with all that fancy talk." Huai Shi's Great Sword pressed against his neck, interrupting his digression. "Stick to the point."

"Alright, a law regarding blood pressure balance, but it hasn't been applied to the Current Circumstances Secret yet. Its effects are actually similar to what is currently used, but the strange part is... the format and other expansion modules are completely different from all existing ones, as if designed for another type of creature entirely. It's very strange."

"So tell me the point!"

"Well, it results from research on the Eternal Beast." Jonathan wasn't finished setting the mood when Huai Shi the spoilsport directly asked for the spoilers.

"The Eternal Beast?" Huai Shi chewed on the name, utterly baffled.

"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. In our current research, It's the only known entity to have achieved eternal life," Jonathan explained plainly. "According to instrumental analyses and predictions, Its lifespan exceeds nine million four hundred thousand years, or even more. We couldn't even continue the analysis further. In any case, barring some world-destroying chaos, It would live on. And before the Existence Institute's secret forces discovered It, It had already lived in this world for over four thousand years."

Four thousand years? Without considering the unfathomably long lifespan thereafter, the mere span of four thousand years was enough to dumbfound Huai Shi. How long does the average person live? Even those with longevity merely live a little over a hundred years. Sublimators could live up to three or four hundred years. However, even the most formidable Natural Enemies, as well as the former God Spirits, currently had lifespans of only about a thousand years.

A thousand years was the average, a figure personally guaranteed by Raven. This held true despite all efforts to elude it, whether by using Deep Sleep and hibernation to delay the onset of aging or by making the grandest of sacrifices. After a thousand years, they all vanished into thin air. Every existence, in the end, amounted to a handful of yellow earth, insignificant.

Yet now, someone was telling Huai Shi that there was a being that had been alive for over four thousand years and would continue to live on, up to and beyond nine million, four hundred thousand years into the future? Huai Shi couldn't believe it.

"How on earth did you guys find such an awesome thing?"

"It wasn't us who found It." Jonathan chuckled bitterly. "One day, It just showed up in front of the Existence Institute's headquarters by Itself and found us."

"What for?" Huai Shi was shocked. "Turning Itself in?"

"Pretty much." Jonathan scratched his face, still finding it hard to believe. "It agreed to cooperate with all the research of the Existence Institute, offering everything about Itself to the Astronomical Society for free, and even more."

When faced with the negotiators from the Astronomical Society, that eternal being, recognized as one of the Elements of Destructive capable of destroying the world, made Its sole request. It said, "—Completely annihilate me, kill me, leave not a single cell remaining in this world."

Huai Shi fell silent. Suddenly, the words that Raven once told him echoed in his mind: Over the vast spans of time, even gods get so bored they desire suicide, let alone mortals.

The magnitude and splendor of this world are relative to the common people. The endless mysteries and ceaseless explorations exist relative to limited lifespans... For some beings, an overly long life is nothing but a prison. And death is merely an eternal resting place.

For some reason, Huai Shi actually found Its request not at all strange, and even… pitiable.

"You're not at all surprised?" Jonathan asked.

"Why should I be surprised? There are plenty of people who want to kill themselves; one more Element of Destructive wanting the same isn't a big deal." Huai Shi shook his head. "Rather, it's stranger that It's considered an Element of Destructive just because It has lived a bit longer, isn't it?"

"You're still too young…" Jonathan shook his head with a sigh. He's too young to understand how terrifying the allure of immortality is to some people.

In this respect, whatever politician, magnate, Sublimator, or Creator within the Current Circumstances, all had to pay homage to the Astronomical Society. Despite no longer possessing the glory of the past, with many flaws, shortcomings, and even direct interference with the operations of the Current Circumstances, the Astronomical Society still adhered to its duty. Whether it was the increasingly seen-as-senile and declining Jurisdiction Bureau, the regarded-as-conservative Existence Institute that hindered technological advancement, or even the Technology Department that secretly monopolized the technological standards of the Current Circumstances... Despite all that, they still performed their responsibilities. And nobody could do it better than them.

The true core research concerning the Eternal Beast was perfectly sealed within the headquarters of the Existence Institute. Not a trace, not even the slightest leak, had occurred. To this day, the Current Circumstances have perfectly isolated all Elements of Destructive, allowing the human world to operate normally. For this, the contribution of the Astronomical Society is indispensable.

"Which means…" Once Huai Shi caught up with the situation, he finally understood. "This Witch's Night study is actually about the Ranch Owner and the Eternal Beast, two Elements of Destructive, and you knew all along but never told me?"

The Wolf Beast's eyes gleamed ferociously.

"Wait! These are just guesses and analyses, okay! There's absolutely no certainty!" Jonathan raised his paws in a flustered defense. "These are just some results from group discussions. Currently, there's no evidence to directly indicate that this place is related to the Ranch Owner and the Eternal Beast..."

Huai Shi grinned, flashing all his sharp teeth as he looked down at him. "By the time we have evidence, won't you think it's already too late?"

Was this because Jonathan considered him too young or too naive? After watching so many horror movie playthroughs, how could he not know that when the unfortunate ones realize the house they bought is really haunted, it's already too late to run? Is there actually some stubborn fool who knows there are ghosts in the mountains yet still deliberately goes towards them?

"He who hears the truth in the morning may die in the evening without regret!" Jonathan stubbornly retorted, daring to talk back, "You don't understand!"

"Do you believe I could kill you right now?" Huai Shi raged, glaring into his eyes. "Did you come here to discover 'the truth'? You were here to get Fu Yi out, but instead you slack off, and now you want 'the truth'? How about I fart for you to smell, would that be good?"

This bastard selling me out was one thing, but now he even wants to sell out Fu Yi. What on earth was he thinking!

"Listen, Huai Shi, I understand you're very angry." Jonathan turned timid, raising his paws in surrender as he explained, "But you have to trust the Astronomical Society, okay? The security system is absolutely reliable... COUGH COUGH, at least this scholar-specific version is foolproof. Whatever happens, Fu Yi can be sent out immediately. I guarantee it!"

"Your security system can't guarantee shit!" Huai Shi tilted his head and spat out a fiery loogie. "If it were really safe, then she shouldn't have been brought in here in the first place!"

With that, he lifted the Great Sword, pointing it directly at Jonathan. "We'll talk about the other stuff later," he said sternly. "Now, right now, immediately, send Fu Yi out! Fu Yi, come out... Fu Yi? Fu Yi!"

A minute later, Huai Shi looked down in astonishment, his eyes widened as he stared at the empty Bell around his neck.

Damn it, this is bad! Where did his dear brother go?