80: Chapter 80 The Taboo of Enslavement, the Foundation of the Divine Revelation Kingdom
"And this is an Opportunity!!"
"An... Opportunity for us to truly grasp our own destiny!"
As he spoke, Mr. K's expression grew impassioned. He leaned his hands on the table, his eyes burning as he stared at everyone present, and continued:
"You all know what kind of place the Kunlun Ruins is."
"It is suspected to be the burial ground for the secrets of another era, and it also contains... taboo knowledge!"
"After the Terror Resurgence and the coming of the apocalypse, why was the Yanlong Empire able to maintain order? Why were they able to fight against all kinds of weirdness and taboos?"
Mr. K's voice gradually rose, filled with a demagogic power.
"Because they mastered that knowledge!"
"And the source of most of that knowledge... is precisely the Kunlun Ruins!"
"Now, in order to suppress that awakening thing, they have no choice but to ask us for help, no choice but to open that door leading to the truth!"
"Is this not a god-given Opportunity?"
"As long as you can come back alive, as long as you can bring back even a little bit of taboo knowledge..."
"The Great Xin Dynasty will have the hope of rising!"
"Our descendants will no longer have to live in fear and despair like we do!"
Every word Mr. K spoke was like a heavy hammer, containing some kind of Rule Power, ruthlessly striking the hearts of the crowd.
The fear and dissatisfaction that had originally arisen from being sent to their deaths slowly dissipated by half under his stirring speech.
In its place was a tragic sense of mission.
"For the Great Xin Dynasty!"
A young Ghost Controller roared in a low voice, his eyes rimmed with red.
"For the Great Xin Dynasty!!"
More people were infected by the mood, and one after another, they clenched their fists.
Although Ning Shou remained silent, the hesitation in his eyes gradually vanished, replaced by a look of determination.
"Go with peace of mind."
Mr. K walked up to Ning Shou and gently patted his shoulder, his tone becoming soft and sincere.
"Regardless of the outcome, the Great Xin Dynasty will not forget your sacrifice."
"Your families will receive the best care."
"This is my... K's promise."
Ning Shou took a deep look at this man who was always impossible to see through, and finally nodded slowly.
"I hope you... keep your promise."
"Do not doubt, please believe in me! Believe in the Great Xin Dynasty!!"
Mr. K's face was full of seriousness, his tone sincere... Three days later.
Great Xin Dynasty, Temporary Main Base City.
This supercity with a population of thirty million was currently guarded to the extreme.
A million fully armed troops were stationed outside the city, thousands of Ghost Controllers patrolled within, and various instruments for detecting taboos were running at full power.
This was the Great Xin Dynasty's final command center and one of the safest places within the Realm of the Great Xin Dynasty.
However.
To Zhou Kai, this place felt like a giant cage.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Zhou Kai hid in the bathroom, constantly splashing his face with cold water, trying to calm himself down.
Just a moment ago.
He had received his transfer orders.
As a standout among A-Rank Ghost Controllers, he was also on the list of those heading to the Kunlun Ruins!
"What 'for the Great Xin Dynasty', what 'for the future of humanity'... it's all bullshit!"
Zhou Kai looked at the face in the mirror, somewhat distorted by fear, his heart filled with despair.
"This is just going to die! Going to be cannon fodder!!"
He didn't want to go.
He wanted to run.
But... the entire Base City had been locked down, with informants everywhere; he couldn't escape even if he had wings.
Thinking of this, his hands trembled as he fiddled with his prayer beads and began to pray frantically in his heart.
"My Buddha..."
"Supreme and Boundless Buddha of Rebirth Ancestor."
"Save me, save your Disciple!"
"Your Disciple does not want to go to that ghostly place!!"
As if sensing his call.
The next second.
A grand, cold, yet somewhat distorted and wicked will descended directly into his mind.
"Zhou Kai."
"Di... Disciple is here!" Zhou Kai shuddered all over, nearly kneeling on the floor.
"Go."
Lin Chuan's voice had no emotional fluctuations.
"Kunlun Ruins... that is a place of Opportunity."
"Your destiny lies within it."
Of course, Lin Chuan was purely making it up on the spot.
He didn't know the specific situation of the Kunlun Ruins either.
However, to make Zhou Kai feel at ease about going in to scout the way, he had to put on an air of having everything 'under control'.
"Ah?!"
Zhou Kai was dumbfounded.
"But... but it's very dangerous there! I heard even Taboo Masters can die inside..."
"With this seat here, you will not die."
Lin Chuan's voice carried an unquestionable majesty.
"Go and scout the path for this seat."
"Do well, and this seat shall grant you... true transcendence! Even... eternal life!!"
"Eter... Eternal life?!"
Hearing those two words, the fear in Zhou Kai's eyes was instantly replaced by greed.
"Yes! Disciple obeys!"
Since he couldn't run, he could only bite the bullet and go.
Besides... with a True Buddha protecting him, maybe he could even turn a disaster into a blessing?
Zhou Kai comforted himself... Inside the Rebirth Temple.
Lin Chuan withdrew his will, his heart flickering with thought.
"Kunlun Ruins..."
"Land of Divine Revelation..."
"Perhaps, there is information I need inside..."
Through Zhou Kai, this "human monitor," he could just happen to get a glimpse of that mysterious Forbidden Ground's true face while simultaneously searching for the truth about the 'Terror Resurgence'!
...Temporary Main Base City, Central Square.
Ning Shou, Zhou Kai, and twenty-eight other A-Rank Ghost Controllers had already finished assembling.
The faces of everyone carried a tragic sense of being prepared for death.
Of course... except for Zhou Kai.
Mr. K stood on the high platform, preparing to deliver his final mobilization speech.
Just then.
Buzz—!!!
The originally clear sky suddenly turned a dark red.
It was as if a giant piece of rotten meat had been forcibly smeared onto the sky.
That "rotten meat" was still constantly squirming, emitting a nauseating "squelch" sound.
Immediately after.
That mass of dark red light curtain slowly cracked open a slit.
A man wearing a black trench coat and a pale mask on his face, holding three multicolored "balloons" in his hand, slowly descended from the light curtain.
Looking closely.
Those were no balloons!
They were clearly three human skin faces that had been inflated!
Those skin faces still retained the terrified and desperate expressions they had before death, fluttering in the wind with the man's movements.
"Hiss!!!"
Seeing this scene, Zhou Kai couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
What kind of entrance was this?
This was way too underworld!
Inside the Rebirth Temple.
Lin Chuan also took in the entire scene through Zhou Kai's perspective.
His gaze first landed on that mass of dark red light curtain in the sky.
In an instant, the panel deep in his consciousness popped up an information prompt:
[Special lifeform/taboo detected!]
[Target: Gate of Flesh and Blood (Enslaved State)!]
[Terror Level: s-rank second order (Lawful Taboo)!]
[Rules: Spatial Teleportation, Flesh Reconstruction!]
"An s-rank second order Lawful Taboo..."
"Actually enslaved into a teleportation gate?"
Lin Chuan was slightly startled.
Is this the foundation of the Yanlong Empire?
To be able to use an S-rank Taboo as a tool, this kind of method was indeed somewhat inconceivable.
Afterward.
His gaze landed on the masked man.
[Taboo Master detected!]
[Target: Code Name "Puppeteer"!]
[Terror Level: s-class fourth tier!]
[Taboo Item: Jar of Resentment (s-class fourth tier)!]
[Serial Number: 208!]
[Rules: Resentment Manipulation (Can collect the resentment of the deceased, refine it into a Puppet, and control a portion of their abilities from when they were alive. The stronger the resentment, the stronger the Puppet. Can also directly transform living people into resentment Puppets)!]
"s-class fourth tier..."
Looking at the information prompt on the panel, Lin Chuan's thoughts stirred slightly.
This so-called "Puppeteer's" strength was more than one grade higher than Ning Shou's.