139: Chapter 139 Re-employment Training: Fanatical Believer Instantly Transformed into Top Salesperson

The Soul Vortex erupted in a violent riot, its terrifying suction acting like a cosmic black hole, frantically pulling at everything on the battlefield!

The Thousand-Faced Cultists and Abyssal Monsters closest to it bore the brunt of the force; they screamed and struggled in terror, yet like fallen leaves in a gale, they were helplessly swept toward that dark, deadly grinding stone!

"No! Lord Cult Leader! Save us—!"

"Ah! My soul is being torn apart!"

Amidst the wretched screams, hundreds upon thousands of enemy troops were swallowed by the vortex without even splashing a ripple, leaving only more shrill wails as their final echoes, blending into the vortex's eternal background of mournful cries.

Even Lin Chen's great army was affected; the formation of eighty thousand Yin Soldiers was pulled by the suction, their soul fires flickering. Lei Xiao (Original) let out a great shout, his thunder and fire power erupting to forcibly stabilize the central army.

However, more terrifying than this physical suction was the grand will awakening from the depths of the vortex—a mixture of dragon prestige and the Judge's authority!

"Lin! Chen!"

Two overlapping voices—one raspy like metal grinding (the Judge), the other low like muffled thunder from an abyss (Dragon Aspect)—carrying an ancient accumulation of malice and greed, boomed deep within everyone's soul!

In the center of the vortex, dense black mist churned and condensed, transforming into a giant face that blotted out the sky! This face was incredibly twisted and grotesque: the left half was a dragon's head covered in decaying scales with a single crimson eye (Dragon Aspect), while the right half was a pale, corpse-like official's face wearing a broken Judge's hat, with a mouth split open to the ears (the Judge)! The two faces were crudely "stitched" together, constantly writhing and tearing at each other, appearing both terrifying and absurd.

"Stealing the defensive lines we painstakingly managed... desecrating our great creation..." The Judge's half-face shrieked, "Your nether talismans, your crooked ways—they end here!"

"An orthodox bloodline... a great tonic... by devouring you, I can completely break free from the shackles of this filthy vortex and truly be reborn!" Dragon Aspect's half-face stared greedily at Lin Chen, dragon saliva (black mist) dripping down.

The fusion of the twin traitors—the [Nether-Blasphemous Giant Face]!

It radiated a terrifying pressure far exceeding that of a peak Ghost General, nearly reaching the edge of a "Ghost Emperor"! Even more troublesome was that it seemed capable of manipulating the power of the Soul Vortex to a certain extent; that all-consuming suction was now concentrating more intensely on Lin Chen's main formation according to its will.

"Boss! This thing seems even more troublesome than the Lord of the Ultimate End!" Zhang Hao shouted, enduring the soul-level pressure.

The cracks on Su Qingyu's neck throbbed with burning pain again; her Saintess instincts made her feel extreme loathing and fear toward the "Nothingness Pollution" portion of the fusion entity.

Lei Xiao (Original) stared fixedly at Dragon Aspect's half-face, the fire of hatred in his eyes nearly bursting out: "Traitor! Lord Ao Jin's grudge shall be avenged today!"

Lin Chen looked up at the twisted colossal face occupying half the sky; instead of fear, his face showed a hint of... the sharp glint one has when seeing a high-quality asset?

"Fused with the physical power of a Dragon General, the regulatory authority of a Judge, and even able to borrow some of the Soul Vortex's might..." he whispered to himself, as if evaluating M&A target data. "The valuation is decent. Unfortunately, the equity structure is too chaotic, the corporate culture (soul) is extremely distorted, the management team (two consciousnesses) is in serious discord, and it carries massive historical bad debt (the sin of betrayal)..."

"What are you muttering about?!" the Judge's half-face questioned sharply; it hated Lin Chen's calm, scrutinizing gaze, as if it were a commodity waiting to be priced.

"I'm evaluating," Lin Chen answered frankly. "Evaluating the feasibility of 'packaging and restructuring' you two along with this broken vortex."

"Arrogance!" Dragon Aspect's half-face roared. The colossal face opened its mouth (actually two mouths barely aligned), and a pitch-black torrent—a mixture of dragon breath, the Judge's filthy rules, and soul-devouring power—poured down toward Lin Chen's army like a celestial river breaching its banks! Everywhere it passed, space was corroded with sizzling cracks!

This single strike was enough to heavily wound or even wipe out an army of ten thousand!

"Defend!" Lei Xiao (Original) and the subordinate Lei Xiao shouted simultaneously, preparing to resist with their lives.

However, Lin Chen's movements were faster.

He raised his left hand, the [key of suffering] glowing with a dark red light; he raised his right hand, the [key of memory] shimmering with silver radiance. Driven by his will, the two keys did not attack directly but... resonated!

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—!"

A peculiar resonance wave spread out.

Immediately following, within the eighty thousand Yin Soldier formation behind Lin Chen, all the Yin Soldiers equipped with [Basic Evil-Breaking Talismans] saw their talismans suddenly fly out automatically. Above the formation, they gathered into a golden sea of talismans!

This wasn't direct manipulation by Lin Chen, but rather the regulatory power of the two keys creating a marvelous resonance with the Yin Soldiers' "loyal faith" in Lin Chen and the "purification" attribute of the talismans themselves, triggering a collective unconscious vibration!

"Eh?" Zhang Hao was stunned. "My Special Operations Team members are reaching for their talismans... no, the spare talismans in their pockets are flying out on their own!"

The golden sea of talismans began to deform and restructure in the resonance, actually condensing two giant virtual "job positions" in the sky, composed of countless runes:

One job sign read: [Underworld Group · Abyssal Monster Persuader (Temporary)]. Below was a line of small text: "Responsibilities: Use physical or magical means to 'persuade' Abyssal Monsters to abandon hostile behavior. Compensation: contribution points settled based on the monster's size and strength."

The other job sign read: [Thousand Faces Cult Member Re-employment Planning Consultant (Urgent Hire)]. Below in small text: "Responsibilities: Guide stray Thousand-Faced Cultists to recognize the situation and choose the correct path for life (or ghost-life). Compensation: Base salary + commission. Successfully guide one person to join a basic position in the Underworld Group to receive generous contribution points and Reincarnation Credits."

The two "positions" shone with golden light, filled with temptation (for ghosts). Especially the words "Reincarnation Credits"—they were like a lighthouse in the dark night!

At the same time, Lin Chen's voice, amplified by the system like a declaration of heaven and earth, reached the ears of every soul on the battlefield that still possessed self-awareness (including some Thousand-Faced Cultists not yet fully brainwashed and low-level Abyssal Monsters with lingering instincts):

"The Underworld Group is recruiting talents!"

"Regardless of origin or past! As long as you are willing to abide by the new Underworld regulations (my rules) and work diligently, you can earn credits and redeem contributions!"

"Credits can be exchanged for cultivation resources, promotions, and raises, and even accumulated for—priority reincarnation rights!"

"Surrender now, and the past will be forgiven! Those who sign the <Underworld Group Temporary Worker Labor Contract> on-site will immediately receive an advance of 100 contribution points and basic soul-body medical insurance!"

"What are you waiting for? Pick up your weapons (if you have them) and aim them at those stubborn superiors around you (specifically the fused colossal face and die-hard bishops) to prove your value!"

"Work is the only way out for ghosts! The Underworld Group gives you a chance at rebirth!"

These words, combined with the golden "recruitment positions" in the sky and the tangible temptation of "contribution points" and "reincarnation rights," exploded in the enemy camp like a nuclear bomb!

Those Thousand-Faced Cultists, whose morale was already flagging because the soul skeleton gate had been "bought," and those monsters corroded by abyssal demonic energy but still possessing a shred of instinctual desire for liberation, now had their eyes (or similar organs) fixed wide!

Especially since Lin Chen's voice seemed to carry a faint trace of the [key of memory]'s power, making them involuntarily recall their miserable pasts, hopeless futures, and... that reachable, golden "new life" picture!

"I... I can't take it anymore!" A cultist who was half-human and half-demon from corrosion suddenly threw down his weapon and knelt, clutching his head. "Chanting every day, sacrificing my soul, and still being cursed at like trash by the bishop! I want to be reincarnated! I want to sign the contract!"

"Abyss... so cold... so hungry... work... has contribution points... can buy food (soul power)..." A low-level Imp drooled, turning to look at a dazed companion beside him, suddenly slapping him with a claw. "He... won't sign contract... blocking me from earning credits... bad monster!"

"For reincarnation! Charge!" Several cultists who were already wavering in their resolve actually turned their blades, hacking at their die-hard colleagues and the monster overseers beside them!

A chain reaction erupted instantly!

At least thirty percent of the entire allied force of the Thousand Faces Cult and Abyssal Monsters fell into chaos, infighting, or even defection!

"Rebellion! They've all rebelled!" That high-rank Ghost General bishop trembled with rage, repeatedly slaying defectors, but he couldn't stop the intensifying trend of collapse.

And in the sky, the pouring torrent of destruction also saw its power slashed by more than thirty percent because of the sudden chaos in the army below and the instantaneous attenuation of faith power!

Lei Xiao (Subordinate) took the opportunity to command the formation, propping up a joint defense and steadily catching this weakened strike.

"You... how dare you... use such despicable means... to bewitch the army's heart!!" The Judge's half-face was distorted with rage; it governed rules and valued "order" above all, hating this kind of chaotic behavior of "subordinates overcoming superiors" and "profit temptation"!

"This isn't bewitchment," Lin Chen corrected. "This is a common 'employee incentive and restructuring plan' in 'corporate M&A.' It seems your corporate culture (reign of terror) and compensation benefits (soul sacrifice) are truly too poor, and employee (cultist and monster) loyalty is pitifully low."

He pointed to the scenes in the sky where people were defecting and even frantically attacking old colleagues for a "letter of allegiance," offering a business-like smile to the colossal face:

"Look, your company's 'human resources' are flowing toward our side on a massive scale."

"Now, we can talk about the specific terms for 'acquiring' your remaining 'distressed assets' (referring to the colossal face and die-hard elements) and 'taking over' this 'pollution project' (the Soul Vortex)."

(Hook: The Nether-Blasphemous Giant Face was so enraged by Lin Chen's "business jargon" that it nearly exploded, the two faces tearing at each other and roaring as energy went haywire! Just as it was on the verge of losing control and preparing to recklessly detonate part of the Soul Vortex to perish together with Lin Chen, a crisp 'crack'—the sound of shattering—suddenly came from the deepest part of the vortex, the core position where the 'key of the soul' was being forged! Immediately after, a surge of unprecedentedly pure, ancient, and strange fluctuations, as if condensing part of the original essence from the dawn of the Underworld's creation, leaked out from the vortex core accompanied by a faint seven-colored light! These fluctuations caused the two keys in Lin Chen's hands to vibrate violently and made the Nether-Blasphemous Giant Face instantly forget its anger, its eyes filled only with endless greed and fanaticism!)