Chapter 259: The Real Third Altar

Lin Yifan rubbed his eyes hard, only then realizing it wasn't an illusion; the Red Moon was indeed sinking lower.

Damn it!

There really is a third altar, and this altar is already close to success!

But where on earth is this third altar?

Lin Yifan has absolutely no clue!

At that moment, his communicator suddenly rang; it was an urgent message from Hong Shaoqiang:

"Captain! We were all deceived; a third altar was discovered beneath Lakeheart Island! Those lunatics built the altar on the lake bottom! They had guessed we'd gather here, so they waited to trap us and finish us off…"

"What?"

Lin Yifan inhaled sharply, his face full of disbelief as he looked up at the increasingly clear Red Moon, clenching his fists.

So everything was a prearranged trap!

The first altar was bait to draw them in, and the second altar was the same.

All of this was to lure them, make them head to Lakeheart Island on their own, then wipe them out and use them as pigment for the Red Moon's descent.

Therefore, from now on, the real battle has only just begun.

Or rather, the true life‑threatening crisis has arrived!

Lin Yifan stared at the faint Red Moon silhouette forming in the sky, took a deep breath, forced himself to stay calm, and immediately replied to Hong Shaoqiang:

"Hold the Lakeheart Island! We must hold the Lakeheart Island! Absolutely do not let the Red Moon Temple complete the final ritual! I'm rushing over now!"

Without hesitation he stepped onto the magic hoverboard and sped full‑throttle toward Lakeheart Island.

En route, he opened the district channel and quickly issued a warning:

【Lin Yifan】:"Everyone, pay attention! The third altar is beneath Lakeheart Island; the Red Moon Temple people are activating it! If all three altars are triggered, the Red Moon will descend and we will all turn into Maggot Human Bone! Now, anyone who can fight, head to Lakeheart Island immediately to support; those who cannot fight, hide as best you can, protect your safety, and don't let the Red Moon Temple capture you!"

The moment the message went out, the channel exploded with chatter.

【Zhang Daji】:"Whoa! Under Lakeheart Island? Then we're walking right into a net!"

【Xuan Yuan Duanren】:"Lin Yifan is right; now is not the time to retreat. Everyone, take up arms and prepare to fight!"

【Meteor Shower】:"Don't panic! Since the tentacles fear water, Lakeheart Island is actually the safest place!"

【White Lemon】:"Safe? No way. Everyone, stop trusting Lin Yifan; he sent us to Lakeheart Island, and it's dangerous here—clearly he has no good intentions."

【Jiang Hao】:"White Lemon is correct; this whole affair is bizarre. First Lin Yifan made us all join this resource contest, then all these events happened, each demanding our lives. It's obvious he has been problematic from the start!"

【Jiang Han】:"Seems reasonable! There were traitors before, so another betrayal isn't impossible. But Lin Yifan is a celebrity in our District and the top‑ranked boss; I don't think he needs to deceive us…"

……

The more chaotic it gets, the easier disputes arise!

Lin Yifan wasn't surprised by those who questioned him.

After all, everyone's life is a life; fearing death is normal, but at a time like this, Lin Yifan doesn't want chaos.

So while hurrying, he sent a message:

"I know many doubt me, but to be blunt, I'm already number one, the future is limitless, I have no reason to do this."

"Now our lives are at stake, so I hope we can unite, get through this immediate difficulty first!"

As soon as his message went out, the chat channel's flow accelerated even more:

【White Lemon】:"Lin Yifan, I know you're famous in your District and you've helped many, but I'm from a merged District, I've never received your favor, so I have no reason not to doubt you. Tell everyone honestly, what exactly is going on?"

【Liu Anhuaming】:"The guy upstairs, White Lemon, is right; so many things have happened, yet we know nothing, we're being led by you. This world is full of crises; we don't know whether we'll die today or tomorrow, but we want to die clearly, so please tell us everything, true or false, we'll judge!"

【Jiu Jiang He】:"Exactly, we have the right to know everything. First explain the situation, then we can discuss other matters…"

……

The crowd's pressing questions made Lin Yifan frown.

We've already reached this life‑or‑death crossroads, and they still demand explanations.

But how can he explain?

Lin Yifan truly felt a headache.

Yet at that moment, Ruan Qingtan's message appeared.

【Ruan Qingtan】:"I say, are you done yet? How long will this go on? You're still doubting this and that—haven't you looked up? The Red Moon is about to fall!"

【Ruan Qingtan】:"Oh, right! You probably don't know what happens when that Red Moon falls. The consequence is that we all die! Whether it's me, you, or him Lin Yifan, no one will survive!"

【Ruan Qingtan】:"Now, do you still need to explain? Do you still want to waste time here?"

Lin Yifan saw this message and couldn't help but look up at the moon.

The moon had clearly lowered a few more degrees; Lin Yifan could even faintly see twisted shadows on the red sphere.

Those objects were enormous, writhing like terrifying giant maggots.

He didn't know what those shadows were, but it was obvious they were not good.

At this moment, Lakeheart Island was also tense.

Lakeheart Island is vast; a single glance can't reach its end.

Its center holds many mountain ranges, which is why the group initially didn't notice a altar hidden within the forest.

Only after they were surrounded by a horde of alien races did they realize they had become turtles in a jar.

Because of her connection with Lin Yifan, after arriving here the others treated Ruan Qingtan as Lin Yifan's spokesperson.

Consequently, she unintentionally became the group's backbone.

She stood at the front, face resolute, confronting the black‑cloaked alien who only showed a mouth.

"What exactly do you want?" Ruan Qingtan inhaled deeply, her face solemn, and said:

"Although we aren't of the same race and look different, we are all intelligent life, and we were all thrown into this Ghost World as Survivors; none of us have an easy life."

"Why do you side with those weird things and then turn against us?"

"Because the great Cthulhu Divine Being can grant us immortality!" a hoarse voice slowly uttered from the mouth of a hooded figure.

Ruan Qingtan saw this person, and her pupils instantly contracted:

"You are the priest we saw earlier, you are called... Mo Li Si."

"Little girl, you have a good memory! Ho ho ho..." Mo Li Si let out a hoarse laugh, stepped forward step by step to the crowd, and with a face full of reverence bowed deeply toward the Red Moon.

Then he tore off the hood, revealing a head covered with strange markings, eyes wild as he spoke:

"This is not betrayal; we fight for immortality!"

"The great Cthulhu Three Pillar Gods can not only grant us boundless power, but also grant us eternal, undying life."

"Such a Divine Being is the greatest Divine Being in this world! We must worship them, we must give everything to them, including our bodies and souls; only then can we become their most Loyalty believers."

"I know you have many doubts, but those are unimportant! What matters is that you are about to obtain immortality, you are about to become the Three Pillar Gods' most revered believers."

"Celebrate! Celebrate your death, celebrate your liberation, celebrate the immortality you are about to receive!"

If the crowd had previously been curious about the so‑called Cthulhu Divine Being, at this moment everyone's curiosity vanished completely!

Because at this time, all the Cthulhu followers wearing the garb tore open their black robes.

And the crowd finally saw clearly what kind of immortality these "people" had obtained.

These "people" varied in appearance, skin colors differed; some had human bodies with a cow's head, others had horse bodies with a human upper torso.

But the only difference is that these people's skin is transparent, and one can clearly see that beneath the skin is not flesh but countless constantly writhing Maggot Human Bones.

Everyone involuntarily inhaled a gasp of cold air, their faces full of disgust, some even could not help but vomit.

"This is Maggot Human Bone! There are so many Maggot Human Bones!"

"These people—no, these alien bodies—are entirely filled with Maggot Human Bones, it's so disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!"

"If this is the price of immortality, I'd rather die!"

……

Ruan Qingtan felt uneasy looking at the bodies, but it wasn't her first time seeing Maggot Human Bone, so she held herself together relatively well.

She took a deep breath, her face resolute, and said to Mo Li Si:

"Mo Li Si, we will never worship such a vile thing, nor do we want this kind of immortality!"

"That is not up to you!" Mo Li Si sneered, slowly raised both hands, his face wild as he shouted:

"Attack! Capture all these ungrateful Humans, and sacrifice them all to the great Three Pillar Gods!"

Suddenly, all the Maggot Human Bones surged wildly toward the crowd.

Survivors who have lived this long naturally are not without skill!

Their attribute points have long been increased, and some have learned skills; indeed, their innate talent is combat talent.

Maggot Human Bone is indeed strong; this batch of Maggot Human Bones are all level 2, and their combat power is not to be underestimated.

But even so, the Maggot Human Bones were still blocked!

Ruan Qingtan glanced at the situation and shouted:

"Combat‑talent brothers and sisters, hold back these monsters; everyone else start building fire pits, these Maggot Human Bones fear fire!"

Those who have survived this long all have spatial equipment in hand; Dry Wood, as the most basic yet most practical Basic Supplies, is stored in each person's spatial equipment.

These woods are basically for building fire pits, so everyone's reserves are also Dry Wood.

At this moment, Ruan Qingtan gave a command; those unskilled in combat all began to make fire, and in less than five minutes, twenty or thirty massive fire pits erupted in blazing flames.

These fire pits surrounded the crowd, and those Survivors fighting the Maggot Human Bones also retreated into the circle of fire.

When faced with activity, Maggot Human Bones instinctively fear, so when surrounded by fire pits they are helpless.

This made everyone let out a sigh of relief, whispering delightedly:

"Great! These disgusting Maggot Human Bones are actually afraid of fire!"

"Fortunately they're afraid of fire; just now when I fought those monsters, I found that stabbing them does nothing but cause some insects to fall out, they can't be hurt!"

"Right, I can't hurt them either; these things are too tough, I almost couldn't parry!"

……

And Ruan Qingtan, even more relieved, could not sit down to rest, but forced herself to stay calm and said calmly:

"Mo Li Si, give up! Human unity is far beyond what you can imagine; your Maggot Human Bones, no matter how strong, can never match our unity."

Mo Li Si's expression turned sour, but he did not panic, instead he laughed mockingly:

"Little girl, you don't think the surprise I prepared for you is only these Maggot Human Bones? The real surprise is still ahead! Keep waiting for our attack; I want to see how long you can last!"

As his words fell, several black‑cloaked figures appeared behind him.

These black‑cloaked figures, like Mo Li Si, also had heads covered with various strange runes.

When Mo Li Si saw them approach, a bizarre smile spread across his mouth, and he said proudly:

"Little girl, thank you for gathering everyone together; now, it's time to send you off!"

After speaking, he turned and shouted to the newly arrived black‑cloaked men:

"Come, my compatriots! Activate the formation, and we will welcome the Red Moon's descent!"

"Boom!"

The black‑cloaked men each produced a black staff, and atop the staff was set a red Crystal.

When Ruan Qingtan saw these Crystals, her pupils instantly contracted, and she grabbed Hong Shaoqiang beside her, exclaiming:

"Shaoqiang, look at those red Crystals—are they the same red Crystals we destroyed on the altar earlier?"

Hong Shaoqiang squinted, examined carefully, and nodded:

"Exactly, the same thing!"

Ruan Qingtan's face turned deathly pale, frantic:

"So many red Crystals—could it be that the true place to guide the Red Moon's descent is actually here?"