23: Chapter 23 Despair Looms, Forbidden Sequence Awakens

"Gold... cannot seal a taboo?"

Looking at the prompt on his panel, Lin Chuan was momentarily stunned.

Since the Terror Resurgence began, gold had always been regarded by humanity as the final line of defense against the erosion of rules.

According to experimental evidence, gold is not affected by rule-based powers and can limit and seal Aberrations!

This was almost an ironclad law.

But now, this ironclad law had actually been broken.

Just as Lin Chuan's thoughts raced, at this very moment, the sky outside Rebirth City suddenly darkened.

This darkness was not the fall of night; it was all light being slowly devoured by that smiling human head!

Its rule power was eroding all illumination!!

As the light between heaven and earth completely dispersed, darkness soon rippled out like a tide.

And within this spreading darkness, there were also strands of a nauseating bloody stench and a putrid odor.

"Ugh... ah..."

Beneath the high walls of Rebirth City, those New Federation Ghost Controllers who had initially tried to flee suddenly began kneeling one by one, letting out agonized wails.

Their skin began to fester, and dark red blood seeped from every pore on their bodies.

And eerily... that blood actually wriggled and crawled on them like little snakes.

Their flesh was enveloped and entwined by blood!

Even the Aberrations within their bodies were affected by the erosion.

As if sensing danger, one C-Class Abomination even tried to directly burrow out of a New Federation Ghost Controller's body to escape.

But as soon as it emerged halfway, it was tightly covered by those dark red blood threads.

Sizzle... Accompanied by a spine-chilling sound of corrosion, that C-Class Ghost Shadow... was actually dissolved!

It turned into a puddle of black slime, which was then absorbed by those blood threads, becoming part of the contamination!

"No... don't..."

A Ghost Controller watched his own palm melt away, the terror in his eyes reaching its peak.

He wanted to call for help, but after uttering just two or three words, his throat could only produce gurgling, watery sounds.

Soon, his facial features disappeared.

His entire face became a smooth patch of flesh and blood.

Then, new facial features emerged on it.

It was a twisted face with a bizarre smile.

Exactly the same as that infant-like human head...

Despair, oppression, suffocation!

The entire area beneath the city walls was enveloped by a terrifying, chaotic rule power!

Only Water Exquisite and Executive Officer Han Dang were still struggling to hold on.

After all, they were B-Rank Ghost Controllers, and the Aberrations within them were sufficiently powerful.

Additionally, they carried quite a few life-preserving Aberrant artifacts on them.

So, for the time being, they could still resist and had not been completely assimilated.

"I don't want to die... I can't die..."

"Ah! Ugh!! No!!"

Water Exquisite gritted her teeth; her originally charming and beautiful face was now also covered with dark red blood threads.

Her gaze was unfocused, her spirit teetering on the brink of collapse.

Executive Officer Han Dang wasn't faring much better.

His proud 【Mountain-Moving Ghost】 was now severely suppressed, almost on the verge of entering a "dead state."

And all around.

Those New Federation Ghost Controllers who had been completely contaminated and Aberrant-transformed were now wobblingly emerging from puddles of boiling blood!

They were bathed in blood, their faces ferocious, continuously surrounding Water Exquisite and Executive Officer Han Dang, muttering obscure, pollution-filled prayers:

"Praise our Lord... the end of flesh and blood..."

"Return... assimilate... welcome..."

Every syllable uttered from their throats was like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely against Water Exquisite and Executive Officer Han Dang's defenses of reason.

"It's over..."

The Aberrant artifact in Water Exquisite's hand, a bronze mirror capable of resisting Aberrant rules, shattered with a *crack*.

That was her final reliance.

"Get away!!"

"All of you, get away!!"

Beside her, Executive Officer Han Dang, in his despair, kept roaring and screaming.

Clearly, he had already completely lost his sanity amidst the rule contamination and the lingering fear...

Just as the two were about to completely succumb.

*Hum!!*

A gigantic blood-colored Buddha's hand materialized without warning from the Void Realm, grabbing Water Exquisite and Executive Officer Han Dang.

Then, it directly stripped the Aberrations from within their bodies!

This blood-colored Buddha's hand was precisely the Rule Ability Lin Chuan activated—【Buddha Kingdom in the Palm】!

"Devour!"

After seizing the Aberrations from within Water Exquisite and Executive Officer Han Dang, Lin Chuan didn't hesitate in the slightest, immediately intending to devour them!

At a time like this, devouring one more Aberration meant strengthening his own power by another fraction!

*Crack!!*

In an instant, two B-Ranked Anomalys were forcibly fused by Lin Chuan into his own Stone Buddha Body.

*Creak creak creak...* After devouring the two Aberrations, another series of eerie friction sounds rang out from Lin Chuan's Buddha statue body.

Immediately after, his Stone Buddha Body began to shake violently and transform... The originally pitch-black surface now actually manifested a layer of ghostly, sinister patterns.

Those patterns twisted and entangled, as if containing some ancient and evil principle of rules.

An unprecedented feeling of power surged throughout Lin Chuan's entire being.

After completely fusing the two B-Ranked Anomalys, his body actually gained strands of dark divinity!

【Devour successful!】

【Congratulations, Master, for obtaining the Rule Ability—Charm!】

【Charm: Can bewitch and Control Aberrations and Ghost Controllers on a mental level (Note: Will fail or even be ineffective against entities surpassing your own Terror Level).】

【Congratulations, Master, for obtaining the Rule Ability—Mountain-Moving Strongman!】

【Mountain-Moving Strongman: Can condense a Protector Ghost Servant, possessing extreme strength and defense. A single punch can cause Aberrations of the same Rank to enter a brief dead state!】

【Master, you currently consume 4.6 million evolution points to directly evolve into—an A-rank Abnormality!!】

"Hmm?"

Looking at the data on the panel, Lin Chuan's thoughts stirred, feeling slightly surprised.

Originally, he needed to consume 5 million evolution points to evolve into an A-rank Abnormality.

But after devouring two B-Ranked Anomalys, the required evolution points had actually decreased by 400,000!!

However, even so, he still needed a massive amount of evolution points to evolve to A-Rank.

And now, on the other side.

Having had the Aberrations within their bodies seized by Lin Chuan, and losing the protection of Aberrant power, Water Exquisite and Executive Officer Han Dang completely lost their ability to resist.

Countless dark red blood threads surged from within their bodies, instantly covering their entire forms.

In just the span of a breath, the light in their eyes became hollow and numb.

Subsequently, their bodies rapidly melted, then reformed, ultimately also transforming into ferocious, twisted figures of blood.

"Praise... our Lord..."

They knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves in worship towards that head suspended in mid-air.

Simultaneously.

On the illusory panel deep within Lin Chuan's consciousness, another series of blood-red prompts popped up.

【Weeping Blood Head: Completely Awakened!】

【taboo sequence: 209!】

【Taboo Rule: Blood Realm (Using ghost blood as a medium, expands infinitely, distorts space-time, affects reality, constructs a Taboo Kingdom)!】

【Current Rank: S-Rank First Order!】

"Sequence 209..."

Lin Chuan's heart grew cold.

Although he didn't know what this sequence specifically represented, the mere S-Rank First Order level was enough to plunge one into despair.

Just then.

That infant-like human head, which had been smiling with its eyes closed, suddenly opened its eyes.

Its pupils were pitch-black, deep, without whites, containing only endless deathly stillness and coldness.

The next moment, its gaze pierced through layers of the Void Realm, directly landing inside the main hall of the Rebirth Temple.

Landing on Lin Chuan's Stone Buddha Body.

*Crack!*

With just a single glance.

Lin Chuan's Stone Buddha Body, which had just undergone transformation, actually cracked with numerous fissures, as if it was about to collapse and disintegrate at any moment... "Not good!!"

Lin Chuan's mind was filled with terror.

Ever since becoming an evil Buddha statue, his emotional fluctuations had almost completely vanished, but at this moment... his heart still couldn't stop trembling with shock!

Without any hesitation, Lin Chuan directly activated the Second-Layer Ghost Domain!

Accompanied by the rippling of his tenfold-amplified Rule Ability power, he barely managed to block the erosive gaze of that human head.

"Life-Reaping Sanskrit Sound!"

"Buddha Kingdom in the Palm!"

"Blood-Tear Illusionary Realm!"

"Ghost Dream!"

While expanding the Second-Layer Ghost Domain, Lin Chuan simultaneously unleashed all his own Rule Abilities!

A grand, twisted Buddhist Chant resounded through heaven and earth, a colossal blood-red Buddha's hand blotted out the sky and sun, and terrifying illusionary realms layered upon one another.

Even the newly acquired 【Mountain-Moving Strongman】 was summoned by him.

It was a blue-faced, fanged giant ten meters tall, swinging its massive fist and smashing it fiercely towards the head in the air.

"Cough! Cough, cough!!"

The coughing ghoul clone, which had long since evolved to B-Rank, was also controlled by Lin Chuan, appearing atop the city wall and emitting heart-rending coughs.

However, in the face of that head, the impact of these Rule Abilities had absolutely no effect.

It simply hovered there quietly, the blood flowing from its seven orifices growing more and more copious.

Every drop of that blood that fell to the ground could transform into a pool of blood!

The blood pool churned, surging into the sky, easily devouring the Buddha's hand, drowning the Mountain-Moving Strongman, and scattering the Sanskrit sound.

Even the Coughing Ghoul's death-inducing rule was assimilated and dissolved the instant it touched the sea of blood.

"Useless... completely useless..."

Seeing this, Lin Chuan felt waves of heart palpitations.

The Rule Abilities he controlled couldn't even contend with that eerie head, let alone suppress it!

If it weren't for the Second-Layer Ghost Domain's boost, he would probably have already been eroded and assimilated by it!

But the problem was, the Second-Layer Ghost Domain could only be maintained for three minutes!

After three minutes, the Second-Layer Ghost Domain would enter a 24-hour cooldown!

Thinking of this, Lin Chuan grew increasingly unsettled.

If he couldn't find a way to counter that head, he was afraid he would have his consciousness erased and be reduced to its Puppet completely... Lin Chuan's thoughts raced wildly, desperately pondering any possible way to break the deadlock.

But at this very moment, outside the city.

Water Exquisite, Executive Officer Han Dang, and those dozens of New Federation Ghost Controllers were all roaring, charging towards the gates of Rebirth City with twisted gaits.

Sizzle... The city gate, reinforced by Lin Chuan's Rule Ability power, rapidly decayed and festered under their touch.

Dark red bloodstains seeped in through the cracks in the gate.

Wherever they passed, even the air began to twist and distort.

Under the influence of those blood rules, even with the Second-Layer Ghost Domain's boost, Lin Chuan's consciousness felt muddled and hazy... Inside the underground shelter of Rebirth City.

Two hundred thousand survivors huddled together, trembling.

Although they couldn't see the scene outside.

That gradually descending, suffocating oppressive force still clearly transmitted to everyone's hearts.

"My hand... why has my hand turned red?"

A middle-aged man looked at his arm in horror, where a red patch had appeared at some unknown time.

"I feel... so sleepy... I really want to sleep..."

Another old man leaned against the corner, his eyes beginning to lose focus.

Contamination had already seeped in through the ground layer.

Despair.

Spread here.

"No! We can't die!"

"The Buddha will save us! He definitely will!!"

Right at this moment.

A childish voice rang out.

It was a little girl wearing a tattered red dress.

She knelt on the ground, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and recited loudly:

"na mo Rebirth Supreme Buddha..."

Although her voice trembled, it was filled with firmness.

"Right! Pray to the Buddha!"

"Buddha of Rebirth, protect us!"

A woman nearby, tightly clutching the infant in her arms, also knelt down.

"na mo Buddha of Rebirth!!"

"My Buddha, protect us!"

More and more people knelt down.

At this moment of despair.

Lin Chuan became their only lifeline.

And their only faith.

The prayers of two hundred thousand people converged, quickly transforming into streams of Power Of Will, surging towards Lin Chuan... The main hall of Rebirth Temple.

Lin Chuan, whose consciousness had originally begun to blur, suddenly shuddered all over.

He saw the Power Of Will number on the illusory panel deep within his consciousness begin to jump frantically.

【Acquired Power Of Will +100!】

【Acquired Power Of Will +500!】

【Acquired Power Of Will +10000!】

...In just a few seconds.

The Power Of Will value broke through the million mark.

Three million!

Five million!

Six million!!

On the brink of life-and-death despair, the Believers in the city directly erupted with unprecedented faith-based Power Of Will!

"Six million..."

Looking at the number on the panel, Lin Chuan's heart settled.

"Enough!"

"Enough to evolve!!"

"Panel! Convert it all!"

"Let me... evolve!!"

As Lin Chuan consumed 4.6 million evolution points, instantly... Rumble!!!

The desolate mountain where Rebirth Temple was located suddenly shook violently.

An indescribably terrifying aura erupted from deep within the main hall and shot into the sky.

At the source of that aura, dark red evil light surged, forming a pillar of light that pierced heaven and earth, directly tearing apart the darkness enveloping the sky above the city.

【Consumed 4.6 million evolution points.】

【Terror Level increased: B-Rank → A-Rank!】

【Congratulations, Master. Your Terror Level has completed a leap!】

【You have unlocked a new Rule Ability — Universal Illumination of Buddhas Light!】

【Ability Description: Condenses eerie Buddha light. Wherever it shines, all laws retreat! Can easily suppress all A-rank Abnormality, and can even briefly contend with an S-Rank First Order taboo!】

When Lin Chuan's promotion was complete and the prompts popped up on the panel, his Stone Buddha Body underwent another earth-shaking transformation.

The originally coarse stone texture completely vanished, replaced by a strange substance that was neither metal nor jade, flowing with a dark red glow.

Behind him, a massive, dark-red halo slowly manifested.

Within that halo, it seemed as if countless fierce ghosts were chanting sutras, and also as if countless gods and Buddhas were weeping.

Sacred and evil.

Compassionate and cruel.

Perfectly fused together at this moment.

"Buddha light... universal illumination!"

Hum!!!

Lin Chuan activated the newly acquired Rule Ability!

Soon, a dark-red wave of rule light, centered on Rebirth Temple, instantly spread outwards in all directions like a nuclear blast shockwave.

Wherever it passed.

Darkness dissolved.

The sea of blood evaporated.

Those eroded and mutated eerie blood people who were frantically attacking the city gates, illuminated by this Buddha light, immediately let out shrill screams.

Sizzle... The flesh on their bodies rapidly withered and sloughed off, finally turning into piles of black ash.

In just an instant.

All the crises within Rebirth City were completely resolved.

And that dark-red Buddha light did not stop.

It continued to expand outwards, crashing fiercely against the floating head suspended in mid-air.

Boom!!!

Two terrifyingly extreme rule powers collided head-on in mid-air.

On one side was the S-rank Taboo's 【Blood Realm】.

On the other side was the A-Rank Evil Buddha's 【Universal Illumination of Buddhas Light】.

Heaven and earth changed color.

Space faintly shattered.

That head, which had been eerily smiling all along, also underwent a slight change in expression.

"Wah!!"

It opened its mouth and emitted a series of sharp, twisted murmurs.

The sound was like a baby's cry, yet also like an old man's sigh; every syllable within it contained decay and chaotic contamination rules.

Immediately after, the blood flowing from its seven orifices grew even more torrential, even more crimson...