Wen Wen was certain that the Endless Staircase was a powerful containment item, capable of constructing perfect illusions and perhaps even manipulating the space within the church to some extent.
The illusion it had created took him so long to discern its flaws, meaning it operated at least at the upper-order level.
If it possessed other abilities, its rating might ascend to the true-order level. Such a containment item would pose a far greater threat than a mere Endless Staircase.
If Wen Wen's guess was correct, the staircase's depth was at least a hundred meters, as the temperature, though slowly changing, remained within a consistent range even after he descended two levels.
The combination of reality and illusion had forged such a potent phantasm.
Wen Wen stated coldly, "I'm curious about your purpose in creating the illusion of this Endless Staircase. All the demon hunters who explored it left safely, so your goal isn't to harm those who come to investigate."
The old man, who was the mud creature transformed, replied, "I don't know its purpose, because what you see now is merely an illusion, a mechanism that appears when someone sees through the illusion."
Wen Wen asked curiously, "I've seen through this mechanism, what do you intend to do to me?"
The old man shook his head, "You are powerful, and I can do nothing to you. However, I can escort you out and prevent you from entering here again."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Wen felt a spatial distortion. The next moment, he found himself outside the stairs, facing the church's main entrance. This was a signal for him to leave the church quickly.
Wen Wen turned to look at the dilapidated wooden door and, like a gust of wind, rushed back in. However, this time, after only a short distance, he reached the end. He saw only an ordinary basement devoid of any supernatural phenomena.
"This church is not upper-order, but at least a true-order containment item. As soon as one enters its range, they will experience trials within its illusion. If one cannot control themselves, they will be expelled..."
Wen Wen's expression was complex. Although the item had no apparent malice, its capabilities alone meant that it should not be guarded by a single, semi-retired old demon hunter.
Upon his return, Wen Wen would inform the Association of the situation, urging them to dispatch professionals to handle this church and prevent any more demon hunters from casually exploring it.
Wen Wen pushed open the church doors, intending to find the old demon hunter and reclaim his two thousand demon hunter coins. While the Endless Staircase was an illusion, Wen Wen had genuinely cleared twenty levels.
However, to Wen Wen's surprise, the old demon hunter was not sitting at the entrance as before.
There was a chair by the entrance, but it was already covered in a layer of dust...
Wen Wen frowned, "Was the old demon hunter I saw at the entrance also an illusion? This thing's abilities are truly strong..."
"Wait, when did the illusion begin?"
"Am I also in an illusion right now?"
A cold sweat broke out on Wen Wen's back. He suddenly had a terrifying guess: could it be that from the moment he entered this town, he had been trapped in an illusion all along!
He unfurled his senses completely, meticulously searching every inch of the vicinity. Then, he felt no sign of any living person!
All the townsfolk, Tao Qingqing, and the three cubs had vanished.
It was as if, in this town, only he existed!
...
The old demon hunter sat on his chair, waiting for the person inside the church to finish their trial.
There was a small sign by the church entrance, with a number indicating the number of levels the challenger had passed. He watched as the person who had just entered cleared twenty-one levels, and his mouth fell open in amazement.
"My newly acquired two thousand demon hunter coins, I haven't even held them warmly, and now I have to return them..."
"Clearly a strong individual, yet they hide their aura and pretend to be weak. This person will never find a wife in the future."
Amidst his lamentations, he saw Wen Wen, looking somewhat disheveled compared to before, emerge dejectedly from the church. He then left the church's vicinity, making no mention of the two thousand demon hunter coins.
The old demon hunter smacked his lips, "He left on his own, it's not that I refused to give it back. Such a generous demon hunter will definitely find a beautiful wife in the future..."
In the inn, Tao Qingqing was fiddling with Wen Wen's laptop.
When Wen Wen left, he had told her the password and the few channels he usually used to check for news, hoping she could thoroughly investigate the case.
To earn Wen Wen's trust, Tao Qingqing was investigating with considerable diligence.
She initially suspected the perpetrator might be an octopus or a similar monster, based on the suction cups.
Monsters of that type require water or a humid environment to survive. The only place near Tian Village was a small creek, which she had carefully searched. However, she found no traces of any monster's existence.
Her investigation had reached a deadlock. But she didn't solely focus on Elder Tian's case. Instead, she gathered information on all recent homicides in the vicinity.
As she reviewed this information, Tao Qingqing's brow furrowed deeper.
"What's wrong? Did you find something?"
Wen Wen's voice came from behind her. Tao Qingqing turned to see Wen Wen, who had returned to the inn at some point.
Tao Qingqing explained, "I've noticed that the frequency of various deaths in this town has been too high in the past few days."
"Suicides, car accidents, vendettas, accidental deaths... etc. Over thirty cases have occurred consecutively. Each case seems explainable on its own, but the frequency is more than ten times higher than in a normal town."
"With such a high frequency, there can only be one possibility: a monster is secretly killing people in the town."
"What puzzles me is that no matter what I do, I can't find any trace of supernatural energy. Even if there truly isn't a monster here, there shouldn't be absolutely no trace of supernatural power..."
Wen Wen said to Tao Qingqing in a voice sickeningly sweet, "Qingqing, don't be discouraged. The purpose of a puzzle is to be solved by you. As long as you find that monster, I will help you deal with it."
Tao Qingqing looked at Wen Wen in confusion. Why had this guy suddenly become so nauseatingly gentle? Shouldn't he be like Zhou Bapi (a stingy character in a Chinese novel)?
Although in her heart she did desire Wen Wen to treat her this way, when Wen Wen actually behaved like this, she still felt somewhat unaccustomed. Sudan Novel Network
"What are you looking at me for? Is there a flower on my face? Speak quickly if you've found anything else!"
Just as this thought flashed through her mind, Wen Wen's attitude immediately turned unpleasant, and he scolded her.
His harsh demeanor dispelled her doubts and made her feel more at ease.
This Wen Wen was the normal Wen Wen.