133: Chapter 133 Subduing the Ghost General: Your Debt Will Be Paid Off Through Working

The countdown to the Well of Reincarnation's collapse hung over them like a sword suspended above their heads. Lin Chen did not hesitate for a moment.

According to the star chart from the Tombstone Guardian and the intelligence obtained from the Memory Maze, the location of the third Thousand Faces Cult stronghold was clearly marked — the 【Bone Furnace】, an evil workshop located at the edge of the Netherworld volcanic belt, using the Yin fire of the earth's veins to smelt soul residue.

"The guardian here is Lei Xiao, a former Ghost General of the Netherworld, controlled by the Thousand Faces Cult using 'Soul Nails'," Lin Chen briefed the group as they marched. "He was once a fierce general guarding the volcanic belt, skilled in thunder and fire power. After being captured, he was tortured and controlled, becoming a thug guarding the furnace."

"Ghost General level?" Zhang Hao shrank his neck. "Boss, this is much tougher than the small fry at the previous two strongholds."

"The tougher, the better," Lin Chen's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "The Well of Reincarnation is on the verge of collapse; we need more high-end combat power. A controlled Ghost General, once pried loose, is a ready-made enforcer."

The army passed through the portal, and a wave of scorching heat hit their faces.

Before them lay a world of dark red. The earth was cracked, with viscous magma flowing through the fissures. In the distance, dozens of towering Bone Furnaces were in operation. Their structures were pieced together from the bones of countless massive creatures, and their mouths spewed ghostly green flames, smelting the soul residue fed into them into pure but foul Yin energy. The air was filled with the stench of burning and the wails of despair.

Atop an exceptionally massive furnace in the center of the furnace complex, a figure sat quietly in meditation.

He was nearly three meters tall. His bare upper body was covered with charred lightning strike patterns and old, bone-deep scars, his muscles knotted like steel. His long, dark red hair was disheveled, and his face was rugged and resolute. However, his eyes were pierced by two intersecting bone nails emitting ominous black energy! The nails were deeply embedded in his eye sockets, their tails extending countless tiny black tendrils that burrowed into various parts of his skull.

It was Lei Xiao!

Sensing the invasion of the army, Lei Xiao slowly raised his head. Though his eyes, pierced by the bone nails, could not see, a terrifying aura of intertwined thunder and earthfire erupted around him!

"Trespassers... of the furnace... die!"

His voice was hoarse and mechanical, as if each word was forcibly squeezed from an imprisoned soul. As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped down from the furnace top, a massive battle-axe formed of magma and thunder coalescing in his hand, and savagely cleaved down towards Lin Chen's military formation!

"BOOM—!!!"

The might of a single axe actually triggered an eruption of the earth vein's Yin fire! Dozens of magma pillars erupted from the ground, intertwining with the black lightning bursting from the axe's radiance, forming a destructive net covering the heavens and earth!

"Form up! Defend!" Lei Xiao (Lei Xiao under Lin Chen's command) roared, leading the Yin soldiers to form a shield formation. However, the power of this strike far exceeded that of all previous enemies. The shield formation shook violently, and the soul armor of dozens of Yin soldiers in the front ranks shattered!

"He indeed has some skill," Lin Chen's eyes gleamed slightly. "Zhang Hao, read his mind! I want to know how much self-awareness he still has!"

"Yes!" Zhang Hao gritted his teeth, unleashing Mind Reading at full power, ignoring the violent energy turbulence, and thrusting directly into the depths of Lei Xiao's imprisoned soul.

Chaos! Pain! Struggle!

(Kill... kill them all... Master's command... No... I am Lei Xiao... Guard the volcanoes... Aaaaah the nails are burning my brain...)

"Boss! He's still conscious! But he's being tortured nearly insane by the nails and the restraints!" Zhang Hao shouted. "The core of the restraint is on those two bone nails!"

At this moment, Lei Xiao had already rampaged into the military formation. As his battle-axe swung, thunder and earthfire ran rampant, making it difficult for the Yin soldiers to get close. Lei Xiao (Subordinate) gritted his teeth and stepped forward to clash head-on, only to be repelled by an axe blow, his soul body dimming.

"Everyone, fall back," Lin Chen stepped forward, blocking Lei Xiao's path.

Lei Xiao sensed a stronger aura. His battle-axe descended directly towards Lin Chen's head without any fancy moves! This axe concentrated all his controlled power. Before the axe even arrived, its violent pressure caused the ground to crack inch by inch!

Lin Chen did not dodge or evade. He raised his hand.

"CLANG—!!!"

A deafening metallic crash reverberated through the furnace area! Lin Chen had used only two fingers to firmly clamp the blade of the destructive battle-axe! The berserk thunder and earthfire danced at his fingertips, yet could not harm him in the slightest!

For the first time, a semblance of 'astonishment' appeared on Lei Xiao's mechanical face. He instinctively tried to pull back the battle-axe, only to find it as if cast between the other's fingers, immovable!

"Not bad strength," Lin Chen commented. "Unfortunately, your brain isn't working too well."

He raised his free left hand, his palm aimed at the two bone nails piercing Lei Xiao's eye sockets.

【nether domain asset system】, highest authority — 【Rule-Level Item Forced Transaction】 activated!

"I'm buying these two nails."

【Ding! High-level cursed artifact 'Soul-Devouring Bone Nails (Exclusive Binding Edition for Ghost General Lei Xiao)' detected.】

【Valuation: 1.5 billion nether talismans (includes unbinding and purification fees).】

【Confirm forced purchase and unbinding?】

"Confirm."

【Transaction established.】

"Pop! Pop!"

The two bone nails buried deep in Lei Xiao's skull, without any warning, starting from their tips, as if gripped by an invisible force, began to be pulled out bit by bit, slowly yet resolutely...

"Ugh AAAAAAH—!!!"

Lei Xiao let out the first scream of his own since the battle began, filled with extreme agony! It wasn't just physical pain, but the excruciating torment of a soul being torn apart! The black tendrils extending from the bone nails struggled frantically, trying to burrow deeper, but under the absolute power of the system's rules, they were forcibly severed and extracted!

Black, filthy blood and pus gushed from his eye sockets. Lei Xiao's massive body trembled violently, almost unable to stand steady.

Finally, the two bone nails were completely extracted, suspended in Lin Chen's palm, covered in flesh, blood, and black cursed energy. Lin Chen casually clenched his fist. The nails turned to powder, and the cursed energy was purified and devoured by nether talismans.

Freed from the control of the nails, Lei Xiao's knees went weak, and he knelt on the ground. His empty, bleeding eye sockets gazed blankly around. In his rough, heavy panting, his own consciousness was struggling to return.

Zhang Hao immediately stepped forward and affixed the 'Temporary Soul Eye' talisman, prepared in advance by Lin Chen and composed of pure nether talisman energy, onto Lei Xiao's empty eye sockets.

The talisman transformed into a soft light that seeped in, temporarily replacing the function of his destroyed eyeballs.

Lei Xiao shuddered all over and slowly raised his head. Through the Soul Eye, he saw Lin Chen, saw the surrounding Yin soldier army, saw those still-operating Bone Furnaces.

Memories flooded back — capture, torture, nails piercing his brain, being forced to slaughter comrades, the day and night torment of guarding the furnace...

"I... I..." His voice was hoarse and trembling. He suddenly looked at his own hands, stained with filth. Immense pain and guilt nearly overwhelmed him.

"Your debts are recorded, one by one," Lin Chen's voice rang out coldly. "But now is not the time for repentance. The Well of Reincarnation is collapsing, and a great calamity approaches the Netherworld. Do you want to continue wallowing in regret here, waiting for death? Or will you use this life of yours to do something useful, to atone for your crimes through merit?"

Lei Xiao's massive body shuddered. He slowly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. After a few seconds, he struggled to stand up, then knelt on one knee towards Lin Chen, bowing his head:

"This criminal general, Lei Xiao... pledges to serve unto death! At your command, I would face ten thousand deaths without flinching!"

His voice was resolute, carrying the determination of one who has faced death and emerged.

"Good," Lin Chen nodded. "First mission: lead us in clearing this furnace area. Then, tell me everything you know about the Thousand Faces Cult and the 'Three Keys'."

Lei Xiao accepted the order and stood up. Turning to face the still-operating furnaces, flames of vengeance ignited in his eyes. He took a deep breath, and the residual thunder power around him began to coalesce anew. This time, there was no pollution from black curses; it had regained its former ferocity and intensity!

"The furnace cores are in the underground control room, guarded by three controlled Furnace Ghost Kings," Lei Xiao reported quickly. "To completely shut down the furnaces, the three cores must be destroyed simultaneously. This criminal general requests to lead the main assault on the central path!"

Lin Chen waved his hand. "Granted. Lei Xiao (Subordinate), you take one unit and attack the left path. Zhang Hao, take your people and support Lei Xiao (the former Ghost General) in the central breakthrough, use Mind Reading to disrupt the Ghost Kings. The rest follow me on the right path."

"Yes!"

The battle commenced once more, but this time, with Lei Xiao, an insider familiar with the terrain, their advance was like splitting bamboo. He struck with hatred, his thunder battle-axe invincible wherever it pointed, showing no mercy even to his former colleagues (though they were controlled), swiftly destroying the central core.

A quarter of an hour later, the three cores were destroyed one after another. All the Bone Furnaces ceased operation, their spewing ghost fires extinguished.

Standing on the ruins of the central control room, Lei Xiao wiped the filth from his face and looked at Lin Chen, saying solemnly, "Sir, during my period of control, this criminal general was forced to participate in several rituals related to the 'Keys'. The Thousand Faces Cult wants to gather the Three Keys not only to open the Myriad-Faced Temple."

He paused, then revealed crucial intelligence:

"When the Three Keys are gathered and activated according to a specific ritual, they can also... forcibly stabilize and briefly 'control' the collapse process of the Well of Reincarnation."

"They are destroying the Well of Reincarnation, possibly to 'take over' it at the moment it collapses to its most fragile state using the Keys, thereby... tampering with the Netherworld's cycle of reincarnation laws, to forge an immortal divine foundation for the 'God of a Thousand Faces' they worship!"

(Hook: The moment Lei Xiao finished speaking, the entire furnace area ground suddenly shook violently! From the distant volcanic belt came the sound of terrifying, continuous explosions! A massive spatial rift spanning the sky tore open deep within the volcanic belt! On the other side of the rift, a dimly visible, slowly rotating dark vortex composed of countless suffering souls could be glimpsed — it was precisely the forging ground of the 'key of the soul', the third stronghold, the 【Soul Vortex】! Due to the spatial disturbances caused by the Well of Reincarnation's collapse, its coordinates had actually manifested ahead of schedule!)