Chapter 494

Chapter 494

"Xio!"

"stop!"

Fors exclaimed in shock, leaning forward to see if Xio had really been swallowed by the demonic painting. After taking a few steps, she quickly retreated to Hastur's side, her eyes filled with fear as she gazed at the demonic painting.

"Mr. Hastur, Xio, Xio wouldn't have really been swallowed by the demonic painting, would she?" Fors nervously clutched a corner of Hastur's coat, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Not sure yet."

Hastur motioned for Fors to calm down and stay put while he took a few steps forward to observe the demonic painting closely. The twisted lines, symbols, and patterns that were hard to discern and understand now appeared differently to him.

The patterns represented various swallowed items, the twisted lines were people and other intelligent beings, and the symbols were the true essence of the demonic painting. They contained its powers and the method to seal it. However, to fully understand it, a deeper investigation was needed.

"Heh."

Hastur chuckled softly, his eyes regaining clarity as the symbols on the demonic painting turned back into mere symbols. The previous scene was the painting's deliberate attempt to lure him into its devouring range. Xio might have fallen for the same trick.

Hastur observed the painting's abilities for a while longer before asking Fors to step back a bit.

Perhaps sensing that its visitors were not taking the bait, the painting displayed an image of Xio suffering various tortures from demons. Fors blushed and turned away after just a few glances, unable to bear the sight despite her concern for Xio.

Hastur compared the image of Xio in the painting with his memory of her and concluded that the painting was indeed very cunning. Pretending to be worried about Xio, he took a few reckless steps forward, just enough to enter the painting's devouring range.

The entire painting glowed with a black-red light, and the symbols, lines, and patterns swirled around, swallowing Hastur as well. This scene left Fors trembling with fear. She wanted to believe it was Hastur's deliberate act to rescue Xio, but she couldn't help feeling terrified.

As she pondered whether to seek help from the stars, the painting began to tremble violently, almost falling off the wall, resembling a person having a seizure. After a while, it started to retch, spitting out the items it had devoured, including Hastur and Xio.

Xio was unconscious and drenched, looking as if she had been smeared with paint. After vomiting everything out, the painting seemed frightened, quickly closing its mouth and curling up, sealing itself.

Fors hurriedly stepped forward to catch Xio from Hastur's arms. Seeing Xio covered in colorful paint, Fors felt both pity and amusement. She lightly patted Xio's relatively clean cheek, saying disdainfully, "You're such a mess. I feel like leaving you on the ground. When you wake up, you owe me a new outfit."

Handing Xio to Fors, Hastur instructed her to clean Xio up and let her rest. He then stayed behind with the demonic painting.

"Heh, swallowing everything will only harm you."

Hastur approached the painting, his body glowing with starlight, and gently touched it, extracting its remaining consciousness. The small consciousness quickly formed into a thumb-sized demon. If its horns were replaced with a halo, it would resemble an angel.

The little demon trembled, unable to meet Hastur's gaze, looking weak and pitiful. When it had greedily swallowed the visitor, a force beyond its capacity had almost crushed it. Unable to resist, it had been pulled out and beaten, forcing it to vomit everything it had devoured and seal itself.

"Your ability to act as a mobile prison is quite useful."

The little demon tried to ingratiate itself with Hastur, but he coldly replied, "Did I allow you to look up?" The demon immediately lowered its head, trembling even more.

Two hours later, Xio woke up in her bed, her face pale as she recalled the terrifying events. Fors, sensing her distress, held her hand and gently patted her back, calming her down before explaining what had happened after Hastur arrived.

Xio's color gradually returned, but she still clung tightly to Fors, burying her head in her stomach. After half an hour, she finally calmed down and asked, "Did you see anything in the demonic painting?"

"No..." Fors lied, avoiding eye contact.

"Don't lie to me... I saw it myself," Xio said with a hint of tears in her voice. She then recounted her experiences inside the painting, explaining its ability to exploit the fears of intelligent beings and transform them. She had faced numerous mental trials and had even seen herself being tortured in the mental world. Though it wasn't real, it had scared her nearly to madness. Fortunately, Hastur had rescued her in time.

"That demonic painting is despicable. I want to burn it to ashes!" Xio declared angrily.

Fors calmly replied, "That painting is a powerful sealing object, worth thousands of pounds. Would you really burn it?"

"..." Xio fell silent, eventually giving up on the idea, but she held Fors even tighter.

"Why weren't you careful? How did you get swallowed by the painting?"

"It manipulated my mind and controlled my body, leading me step by step into its range," Xio explained. "We underestimated its abilities. Otherwise, it could have been avoided."

The two stayed in the room for another twenty minutes before heading to the room with the demonic painting, where Hastur was still present. The painting hung quietly on the wall, its symbols and lines no longer possessing their seductive power, appearing as a simple abstract painting.

"Mr. Hastur, thank you so much for saving my life. If it weren't for you, I might have become part of the painting," Xio said, bowing deeply.

"Next time you encounter such an event, avoid it and let the major churches handle it."

"I will," Xio replied, her head lowered, realizing her lack of respect for such mysterious events had nearly cost her life.

"Want to vent your anger?"

"Vent?" Xio looked at Hastur, confused. When he pulled out a small demon covered in paint from the painting, her anger flared up.

"Sure!" Xio said through gritted teeth.

The little demon looked at Hastur with pleading eyes, only to receive the command, "No resistance." It lowered its head, awaiting Xio's punishment. As a demon familiar with the weaknesses of intelligent beings, it had become timid and fearful over time.

"Xio, don't lose your mind again," Fors cautioned, following Hastur to another room to check on another sealing object, leaving Xio to vent her anger.

The other object, the Box of the Old Ones, was a silver-black three-layer jewelry box formed by an Abraham family traveler after being corrupted in the stars. Its abilities surpassed those of the demonic painting, but its negative effects were equally terrifying. If it had been the one to malfunction, Fors and Xio might not have had a chance to call for help.