8: Chapter 8 The Origin of the Ghost Village, The Crying Ghost is Trapped

Although Lin Chuan had a backup plan in mind, he didn't actually want to give up this "Rebirth Temple" unless it was absolutely necessary.

After all, once he migrated, it would inevitably attract unnecessary attention.

"Let's see how things go first."

Lin Chuan focused his mind and urgently sent a command to the Crying Ghost.

He planned to have the Crying Ghost scout around Qingquan Village first before making any further decisions.

As for the coughing ghoul clone, Lin Chuan temporarily left it in Changyang City.

Next, he intended to rely on the Coughing Ghoul to perform a wave of punishing evil and promoting good in Changyang City to harvest fear values!!

...Soon, the Crying Ghost followed the road, crossing mountains and forests, and floated to the periphery of the Ghost Domain of Qingquan Village.

At a glance, the area was completely shrouded in a white mist so thick it wouldn't disperse.

This mist was very eerie, carrying a fishy smell of rotting earth and severely obstructing vision.

Even as a Fierce Ghost, the Crying Ghost's vision could not penetrate the white mist very far; she could only see things within about ten meters at most.

Under Lin Chuan's command, the Crying Ghost did not rashly approach the white mist.

After all, entering a Ghost Domain was easy, but trying to get out would be very troublesome.

Circling the edge of the white mist, Lin Chuan carefully observed the scenes within the fog through the Crying Ghost's eyes.

Suddenly.

The Crying Ghost stopped.

Because in the mist, she saw a twisted and crooked Old Locust Tree.

The Old Locust Tree had thick branches and cracked bark, showing a charred black color.

But hanging from those branches were not leaves.

Instead, they were pale, withered human hands.

Those hands swayed gently with the gloomy wind, their fingers still twitching slightly as if trying to grab something.

"Is this... a Ghost Hand Tree?"

Lin Chuan's heart stirred slightly.

Because this tree was actually an E-Class Anomaly.

If a living person passed under the tree, they would be instantly grabbed by those Ghost Hands, torn apart alive, and hung on the tree to become new nourishment.

But that wasn't all.

A moment later, Lin Chuan saw a hazy figure appear on the blurred village road not far away.

Looking closely, he discovered it was an old man wearing a shroud.

He wore no shoes, his feet were blackened and covered in cadaveric spots.

And... he was walking upside down, looking incredibly eerie!

The old man supported himself with his hands, head down and feet up, moving rapidly across the ground in an extremely bizarre posture.

His face rubbed against the ground, already a bloody mess with white bones exposed.

But he seemed completely oblivious, mechanically walking upside down in place... "Another E-Class Anomaly..."

Lin Chuan observed all this with a heavy heart.

Qingquan Village was even more dangerous than he had imagined!!

Just on the periphery, two E-Class Anomalies had appeared.

Deep inside the village, it would only be more terrifying!

Moreover, these anomalies seemed to be suppressed by some kind of rule; they weren't devouring each other but were wandering the village like patrolling soldiers.

This was a very dangerous signal!

If Lin Chuan's guess was correct, these anomalies... were gradually being assimilated and controlled by the source of the Qingquan Village Ghost Domain!!

They had already become a part of that "Source Anomaly"!

Just as the Crying Ghost was about to continue her investigation.

Suddenly, a crisp, childish, yet hair-raising nursery rhyme rang out.

"Look, look, look for a friend..."

"Find a good friend..."

"Salute and shake hands..."

"You are my good friend..."

The sound came from the side of a small, blood-tinted river.

Lin Chuan controlled the Crying Ghost to look.

By the river sat a child wearing a red belly band.

The child had his back to the Crying Ghost and was playing with mud.

But the eerie thing was.

On his neck sat three heads.

The head on the left was crying, the head on the right was laughing, and the head in the middle... was singing.

It seemed to have sensed the Crying Ghost's gaze.

The Three-Headed Child's movements suddenly stopped.

Then, its three heads snapped around one hundred and eighty degrees!

Six pitch-black eyes without whites instantly stared at the Crying Ghost.

Facing the Crying Ghost, it slowly raised its small, childish hand in reverse.

Then... it gently beckoned to the Crying Ghost.

Hand up, hand down.

The air suddenly froze.

A cold power of rules instantly surged towards the Crying Ghost.

Deep in Lin Chuan's consciousness, prompts also instantly popped up on the panel.

[Warning! Under attack by an anomaly rule!]

[Killing Rule: Beckoning Kill!]

[As long as the target is locked by the 'Beckoning Ghost' and beckoned three times, the target will be attacked!!]

"An E-Class Anomaly, the Beckoning Ghost?"

Lin Chuan didn't take it seriously.

Just an E-Class Anomaly; even if he didn't intervene, the Crying Ghost could handle it.

Extreme sorrow had already surfaced on the Crying Ghost's pale face.

"Wuuuuu..."

A shrill cry came from her mouth and exploded within the mist.

Her cry also contained a killing rule.

The two rule powers quickly collided.

The Three-Headed Child's beckoning motion also came to a sudden halt.

Its second beckon became incredibly difficult, as if an invisible barrier in the air was blocking it.

The crying sound interfered with its movements!

"Let's leave while we can!"

Lin Chuan didn't want to waste time here.

Furthermore, continuing to fight the Beckoning Ghost might alert the "Source" in the village.

However.

Just as the Crying Ghost was about to leave.

Rumble!

The ground suddenly shook violently.

A cold aura ten, a hundred times more terrifying than before suddenly descended.

This aura came from the center of the village.

From that... well.

"Not good!"

Lin Chuan's heart raced, and a strong sense of crisis made his consciousness sting slightly.

The source of that Ghost Domain... was watching this place!

Splash!

The dirt on the ground suddenly split open.

A stream of water as black as ink, emitting a strong stench, shot out like a venomous snake from its hole.

The water flowed with startling speed! Even Lin Chuan couldn't react in time.

In the blink of an eye, the black water coiled around the Crying Ghost's legs.

Sizzle... The moment it touched the black water, the Crying Ghost's body, composed of rule power, actually emitted a series of crackling sounds like burning straw!

And the Crying Ghost couldn't move... the black water was like viscous gel, binding her firmly in place.

On the panel deep in Lin Chuan's consciousness, another emergency prompt appeared:

[Under high-level rule suppression!]

[Rule being determined: Water Entanglement.]

[Description: Any supernatural entity or living person touched by this Source Water will be forcibly imprisoned and gradually assimilated and dissolved, eventually becoming part of the source.]

"This is... an Assimilation Rule?!"

Lin Chuan's heart tightened.

This was one of the most overbearing rules he had ever seen.

If she didn't break free quickly, the Crying Ghost would likely completely melt into a pool of black water within a minute and be swallowed by the source.

"You want to devour my Believer?"

"Then let's see if your teeth are hard enough!"

Miles away, inside the Desolate Temple, Lin Chuan steeled his heart!

As his most loyal Believer, he naturally wouldn't let the Crying Ghost be assimilated.

Hum!!

To counter the Water Entanglement rule, Lin Chuan instantly took complete Control of the Crying Ghost's body with his consciousness.

At the same time.

He forcibly channeled his D-Class rule power—Life-Reaping Sanskrit Sound—through the conscious link into the Crying Ghost.

"Na... Mu..."

The Crying Ghost, who originally only knew how to cry, now emitted a grand, solemn, yet infinitely sinister chanting sound from her mouth.

This sound was no longer crying, but... Buddha's voice!

Boom!!

With the Crying Ghost as the center, an equally overbearing rule power rippled out!

The black water coiled around her legs instantly seemed to take a heavy blow, starting to boil and tumble violently.

The suppression power within the Sanskrit sound and the Assimilation Rule within the black water engaged in a fierce confrontation.

Crack! Crack!!

Seconds later, accompanied by the sound of invisible shackles breaking.

The black water around the Crying Ghost's legs exploded with a bang, turning into countless black water droplets that scattered.

The restraint was lifted!

The Three-Headed Child standing in the distance was also shaken back repeatedly by this terrifying Sanskrit sound.

After breaking free, Lin Chuan did not continue to attack but controlled the Crying Ghost to turn around and try to dash out of this mist.

But the next second.

His movements stopped.

Because he discovered that the path he came from... was gone.

In just that short time, the place where he stood had been suddenly enveloped by the expanding Ghost Domain.

"So you want to keep me here by force?"

Lin Chuan sneered.

Since he couldn't leave, he wouldn't.

Anyway, with the addition of his own supernatural power, the Crying Ghost wouldn't be assimilated by the Ghost Domain source for a while.

Besides, if he wandered around the village and gathered more useful information, it would be easier to suppress that well anomaly when he faced it later.

Having made his decision, Lin Chuan controlled the Crying Ghost to ignore the Three-Headed Child and stride directly toward the depths of the village... As the Crying Ghost's figure vanished into the thick fog.

Lin Chuan withdrew most of his consciousness back to his main body.

Although Qingquan Village was dangerous, no major problems would arise for the time being.

That Source Anomaly seemed to be at a critical moment of recovery. Its true body had never left that ancient well, only using the Ghost Domain rules to block and influence the surroundings... "I must speed up the process."

Lin Chuan felt the rule power constantly surging beneath the well in the distant Qingquan Village, and the sense of urgency in his heart grew even stronger.

That Source Anomaly was very strong.

Although it hadn't fully reached B-Class yet, it wasn't far from growing to that level!

If allowed to fully recover, it would definitely reach B-Class! There was even a chance it could reach A-Class!

When that time came, let alone Changyang City, perhaps the entire Prefecture, or even more than half the Province... would likely be affected.

"I need more power."

"More Believers."

"More... fear value and Power Of Will."

After becoming an anomaly, Lin Chuan didn't care about the lives of the humans in Changyang City.

But he could not tolerate the destruction of the "Pasture" he had marked out.

Next, he intended to keep all living beings in captivity.

And the anomaly under the well would only stir up slaughter and create destruction.

Its existence interfered with Lin Chuan's plans!

For that reason alone, it had to be dealt with!

Just then.

From outside the Desolate Temple where Lin Chuan was located, a series of roars suddenly echoed.

It was the sound of heavy truck engines.

Lin Chuan's gaze pierced through the walls, looking down the mountain.

On the winding mountain road, ten fully loaded large trucks were struggling to drive toward this location.

The truck beds were packed densely with people.

These people were dressed in rags, sallow and emaciated. Some were coughing violently, while others bore disabilities and injuries.

Most of their eyes were numb and hollow, even carrying a hint of despair.

These were the people at the very bottom of Changyang City's society.

The ones abandoned by this world.

"Everyone get down! Hurry up!"

"What are you dawdling for? Do you want a taste of the whip?!"

The convoy stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Qin Yao and Zhou Kai jumped off the trucks, shouting reprimands.

The way they looked now was the spitting image of two fierce and malevolent slave drivers.

Qin Yao's Ghost Hand unabashedly emitted black energy. With a slight swing, he could gouge several deep gashes into the rocks, scaring the crowd into silence.

"Ma... Master, are there really immortals here?"

A middle-aged man leaning on a crutch with a severed leg asked tremulously.

His name was Wang San. Originally a construction worker, he had been kicked out by the foreman after breaking his leg. He hadn't received a cent of compensation, his wife had run away, and he was just about to find a place to end it all.

In the end, Zhou Kai had forcibly pulled him back from the riverbank.

"Cut the crap!"

Zhou Kai glared at him, the ghost pen in his hand spinning and emitting a heart-palpitating chill.

"You'll know when you get up there."

"As long as your hearts are sincere, let alone a broken leg, even a terminal illness can be cured by My Buddha!"

"But if anyone dares to be disrespectful to the Buddha..."

Zhou Kai sneered, drawing an 'X' in the air with the ghost pen.

"Then there is only one path: death!"

Under the coercion and enticement of the two Ghost Controllers.

These four hundred-plus desperate and pitiful people, with anxious and uneasy hearts, climbed up to the Desolate Temple halfway up the mountain.

When they saw that dilapidated, weed-choked Desolate Temple.

Disappointment appeared in the eyes of many.

How did this look like a place where a true god resided?

It was clearly just an abandoned wilderness temple.

"Kneel!!"

Qin Yao shouted, being the first to kneel on the plaza in front of the temple gates.

The crowd didn't dare to disobey and could only kneel down haphazardly.

For a moment, the sounds of sighs, coughing, and low sobbing merged into one.

A mood of despair spread through the crowd.

They felt they had been tricked.

There was no salvation here... However.

Just then.

Hum!!

Inside the Desolate Temple, that damaged Buddha statue seemed to suddenly open its eyes.

Immediately after, an overwhelming shroud of blood-red color boomed across the sky!

Lin Chuan activated the Blood-Tear Illusionary Realm, while simultaneously using a 360-degree perspective to gaze at every person present.

As the rule power continued to erupt, in an instant, the dilapidated Desolate Temple slowly vanished from everyone's sight.

In its place was a towering, majestic black hall that pierced into the clouds.

Above the hall, a colossal Buddha that stood between heaven and earth was looking down at them with lowered eyes.

Though the Buddha statue looked somewhat sinister, in the eyes of these people who were in the abyss of despair, it seemed so... kind.

"I am the Buddha of Rebirth."

"Observing the suffering of the world, I have come specifically to Enlighten you and lead you out of the sea of bitterness."

Lin Chuan's voice exploded directly in everyone's minds.

Immediately following that.

He mobilized a portion of the Power Of Will he had just obtained and gently waved his hand.

Specks of golden light sprinkled down, landing on the bodies of the severely ill and disabled people in the crowd.

"Ah... my leg... my leg has feeling?!"

The one-legged Wang San suddenly cried out in surprise.

He felt a wave of tingling at the stump of his limb; his originally dead nerves seemed to be reviving.

Although it didn't recover instantly, this was enough to make him ecstatic.

"I'm not coughing anymore... my chest doesn't feel tight!"

Another elderly man with late-stage lung cancer was also moved to tears of joy.

"A miracle... this is a miracle!!"

"The Buddha has manifested!!"

The crowd instantly reached a boiling point.

The previous doubt, numbness, and despair vanished into thin air at this moment.

In its place was an unprecedented fanaticism.

To a drowning person, they would clutch even at a straw.

What's more, a true god and ancient Buddha was really standing before them!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Wang San was the first to kowtow frantically, his forehead hitting the stone until blood flowed, yet he was smiling.

"Believer Wang San pays respects to the Buddha!"

"I beg the Buddha to Enlighten me and grant me release! This wretched life of mine is yours from now on!"

Having witnessed the miracle and having someone lead the way, the rest of the people also began to kowtow frantically.

"We beg the Buddha to Enlighten us!"

"I am willing to believe in the Buddha of Rebirth!"

For a time, over the entire desolate mountain, Power Of Will surged in like a tide.

On Lin Chuan's panel, notification sounds rang incessantly:

[Obtained +3 Power Of Will from Wang San!]

[Obtained +6 Power Of Will from Zhou Qi!]

[Obtained +2 Power Of Will from Li Si!]

...In just a few short minutes.

The Power Of Will value soared all the way.

Finally settling at 5,200 points!

This was a terrifying number.

One must know that Lin Chuan had previously worked himself to the bone just to accumulate two or three thousand points.

"As expected, developing Believers is much faster."

Lin Chuan looked at the dense crowd of people kneeling and worshiping, feeling very satisfied in his heart.

These four hundred-plus people were the first step in building the foundation of his divine kingdom!

As long as he managed them well, they could continuously provide him with Power Of Will and fear.

Once the crowd had calmed down slightly.

Qin Yao stepped forward and spoke respectfully toward the Buddha statue:

"My Buddha, your disciple has also brought a batch of construction materials."

"Though it's not much, it's enough to renovate the main hall and reshape a golden body for you."

"Your disciple will arrange for the men to start work immediately."

In his view, the place where the Buddha's golden body resided should naturally be made more respectable.

However.

Lin Chuan refused.

"No need."

"It is too early for renovations."

"A great calamity is approaching; this Desolate Temple... may not be preserved."

Qin Yao was stunned, and then his expression changed drastically.

"Great calamity? My Buddha, could it be..."

Lin Chuan didn't say it explicitly, but only focused his gaze toward the direction of Qingquan Village.

If the thing there wasn't dealt with.

No matter how well this Rebirth Temple was renovated, it would eventually be nothing but a pile of ruins.

Investing resources now was purely a waste.

At this time.

Zhou Kai, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly took a step forward.

His face was grave, and after hesitating for a moment, he spoke up:

"My Buddha... when your disciple went into the city to pick people up just now, I heard some rumors."

"They are about Qingquan Village."

Lin Chuan's gaze moved slightly: "Speak."

Zhou Kai took a deep breath and lowered his voice:

"The Changyang City Ghost Suppression Department... has moved."

"They've not only mobilized all the Night Watchmen and Civilian Abomination Controllers in the city."

"They've even requested aid from the provincial capital, applying to use a strategic-grade anomaly item."

"Supposedly... they are going to launch a purge of Qingquan Village in two days!"

"Codenamed: Village Slaughter."

Hearing this, Qin Yao sucked in a breath of cold air.

Village Slaughter?

Were they going to completely wipe out the entire Qingquan Village?

But when Lin Chuan heard this news, his heart stirred.

The Changyang City Ghost Suppression Department was going to act?

To him, this might be an opportunity.

And also a variable.

"In two days, huh..."

Lin Chuan calculated in his mind.

"Since someone is willing to take the lead, I'd like to see if the foundation of this Ghost Suppression Department can actually shake the anomaly in that well."

"If they both suffer losses..."

Thinking of this, Lin Chuan instantly sensed an opportunity to fish in troubled waters!

If he maneuvered correctly, this time, he might be able to reap the benefits of the conflict, swallow both sides in one go, and then completely take Control of the entire Changyang City region!