51: Chapter 51 The Show Begins

A blood moon hung in the sky, staining the shattered earth in an ominous dark red.

Outside the Underworld Fortress, the dense enemy army was like a spreading plague, stretching as far as the eye could see. The black-robed cultists of the Thousand Faces Cult muttered incantations, their bodies wreathed in twisted black mist; the legion of bizarre-transformed humans under Wang Kun’s command let out inhuman roars, their limbs mutated and their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light. The soaring malevolent aura of the allied forces gathered together, nearly obscuring the blood moon in the sky.

Atop the city walls, Lin Chen stood tall in a suit of black, looking completely out of place in this apocalyptic purgatory. There wasn't a hint of tension on his face; instead, he wore a trace of lazy banter, as if the life-and-death battle before him wasn't a war, but a play about to begin.

His left hand rested casually on the battlement, while his right hand firmly held someone—Qin Weiwei.

At this moment, Qin Weiwei had long since lost her previous pitiful appearance. Her face was as pale as paper, and her body trembled slightly with fear. She tried to break free, but Lin Chen’s hand was like a steel pincer; that seemingly casual pressure contained a force she couldn't resist.

"Let me go! Lin Chen! You'll die a horrible death!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with terror.

Lin Chen lowered his head and leaned close to her ear, his voice smiling yet bone-chillingly cold: "Dear sister, the play isn't over yet. How can you leave early?" He raised his hand and pointed at the tide-like enemy army below the walls. "Look, this is a grand firework show I specially prepared for you and the master behind you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached Qin Weiwei's ears clearly, making her entire body freeze.

Below the city walls, Wang Kun—transformed into the five-meter-tall Eight-Armed Corpse Demon with twisted weapons in each of its eight rotting arms—was letting out an earth-shattering roar: "Lin Chen! Get out here and face your death! I'm going to tear your bones out one by one and raze your Fortress to the ground!!"

His voice, mixed with the stench of decay, rushed toward them. That hideous and grotesque image was enough to cause physical discomfort to anyone, no matter how strong-willed.

Lin Chen only frowned slightly and clicked his tongue in distaste: "So noisy, and... damn, he's ugly." He acted as if he didn't care about Wang Kun's threat at all, his gaze passing over him toward the restless enemy camp further back, his lips curling into a cold arc.

The timing was about right.

His hand gripping Qin Weiwei's shoulder tightened slightly, forcing her to look straight ahead. Then, amidst the extreme chaos and oppression of ghostly wails and the encroaching enemy army, he nonchalantly snapped his fingers—a snap he had been waiting for.

"Snap!"

The sound was very faint, nearly drowned out by the clamor of the battlefield.

But this soft sound was like pressing a destruction switch.

A sudden change occurred!

The first to notice something was wrong were the bizarre-transformed soldiers charging at the front. The ground beneath their feet, which had been solid (though stained red with blood), suddenly became soft and viscous. Immediately afterward, pale, bloated, or skeletal claws burst from the earth without warning!

"Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!"

Sharp claws pierced ankles, grabbed calves, and even lunged directly for abdomens! Piercing screams instantly replaced the battle cries of the charge.

This wasn't even the most terrifying part.

In the center of the Thousand Faces Cult's formation, the black mist that had been surrounding the bishops and amplifying their sorcerous power suddenly boiled and surged backward! Within the mist, twisted, pained faces filled with endless resentment emerged. They let out silent shrieks and then frantically pounced on the nearest black-robed cultists!

"No! How can this be..."

"It's a backlash of resentment! The spell is out of control!"

"Save me! Ah—!"

The black-robed cultists were caught off guard. The power they relied on to drive Bizarre Monsters had now become their death warrant. Backlashed by the vengeful spirits they had summoned or bound, they fell one after another in extreme agony, their bodies rapidly shriveling and decaying.

Meanwhile, in every corner of the enemy lines—near the logistics piles, beside the temporary command tents, and even within the ranks of the low-level Bizarre Monsters being driven forward—blinding ghostly blue light flared up simultaneously!

Phantoms of incredibly complex underworld script talismans emerged from the ground and the air. They connected with one another, instantly forming a massive, intricate, and terrifying array that blanketed the entire enemy vanguard, radiating an aura that made the soul tremble!

[Ten Thousand Ghost Talisman: Heaven Grade] — Activated!

"Rumble—!"

It wasn't the loud bang of an explosion, but a deeper roar, more akin to the opening of hell. The countless glowing blue underworld scripts suddenly contracted, then erupted with a sky-high surge of ghostly energy like a bursting underworld river!

Countless ghosts, vengeful spirits, and malevolent entities of various forms, all equally hideous and terrifying, swarmed out from the core of the talisman array like beasts breaking free from their cages! They had no specific target—or rather, every living thing within the array was their target!

Biting, clawing, devouring, assimilating...

The shrieks of ghosts, the weeping of vengeful souls, and the roars of malevolent entities intertwined with the desperate wails of humans facing death, composing a symphony of blood and soul.

The once-orderly enemy camp fell into an indescribable hell of chaos within just a few breaths. Ghostly shadows flickered, and blood splattered. Soldiers who were charging a second ago were pounced upon by several vengeful spirits the next, their flesh and essence sucked dry instantly. Black-robed bishops waved their staves frantically, only to be strangled by ghostly hands emerging from their own shadows...

Infighting? No, this was a one-sided slaughter, a cleansing from the netherworld!

"No... impossible..." Qin Weiwei was completely stunned by the scene of impending doom before her. Her pupils dilated to the extreme, and her body shook like a leaf in the autumn wind. She could feel Lin Chen's hand on her shoulder remained steady; she could even feel a faint, leisurely tapping from his fingertips.

She finally understood that the so-called "weak points in the Fortress's defense" and "Lin Chen's resource shortage" intelligence she had passed on were all traps meticulously woven by the man before her! She was like a ridiculous clown, personally delivering her own army into the death trap he had laid!

"How is it, sister?" Lin Chen's voice rang out again, filled with unabashed mockery. "This opening firework show is quite a sight, isn't it? Don't worry, the big one is still to come."

Qin Weiwei whipped her head around, her once-charming face distorted by extreme fear and regret. She shrieked, "You knew all along! You were acting the whole time!"

Lin Chen smiled, a cold and cruel smile. His deep eyes reflected the hellish scene below, calm and undisturbed. "You're only realizing it now? Too late." His hand tightened, nearly crushing Qin Weiwei's shoulder blade. "Watch closely. This is the consequence of betraying me and plotting against me. Your master will join them down there soon enough."

"Ah—!" Qin Weiwei completely broke down, letting out a hysterical scream and struggling even more violently, yet she couldn't budge Lin Chen in the slightest.

On the city walls, the other defenders, including Su Qingyu, who had grown into a competent manager, watched the hellish scene below in shock. Although they knew Lin Chen had prepared something, seeing the "Ten Thousand Ghost Talisman" detonate and summon such a massive tide of ghosts to consume the enemy still sent a shiver through their souls.

Was this Lin Chen's power? Treating thousands of enemies as nothing, turning the tide with a flick of his wrist, paying them back in their own coin, and using Bizarre Monsters to bury the enemies who drove them!

Invincibility, crushing force, and absolute strategic dominance!

Meanwhile, in the center of that battlefield where ghostly energy raged in chaos, a roar filled with endless rage and brutality suddenly exploded, drowning out the wails of the ten thousand ghosts!

"Lin! Chen!"

It was Wang Kun!

The Eight-Armed Corpse Demon he had transformed into actually managed to carve out a small clearing in the ghost tide by relying on its incredibly powerful physical body and soaring corpse aura! Its eight arms swung frantically, tearing apart and swatting away the pouncing ghosts, while foul-smelling green blood and ghost remains splattered everywhere.

His hideous head jerked up, his blood-red eyes locking onto the calm figure on the city wall. Endless jealousy, anger, and killing intent nearly materialized.

"Why is it you! Why do you get to have all this!" Wang Kun's voice was hoarse and distorted, filled with resentment. "I'm going to tear you apart! I must tear you apart!"

He stomped on the ground, his massive body exploding with a speed inconsistent with its size. Like a cannonball, he smashed through the ghosts and retreating soldiers in his path, launching a violent charge toward the Fortress walls! His momentum was such that he intended to shake the solemn Fortress with his own power!

On the city walls, many survivors cried out in alarm.

Lin Chen didn't even twitch an eyebrow. He just watched the crazed Wang Kun charging toward him as if watching a boring farce. He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of regret as he spoke to the pale Qin Weiwei pinned beside him—and seemingly to everyone:

"Look, there are always people who can't see reality clearly, thinking that having a loud voice and being ugly means they can win."

He paused, the mocking arc of his lips rising once more.

"Unfortunately, this is a pay-to-win game."

"And I am the one and only 'God-Tier Whale' designated by the officials."

With those words, he didn't order the Yin Soldiers to intercept, nor did he use any city defense weapons. He just stood there quietly, waiting.

Waiting for the prey seeking its own death to crash into the coldest of steel plates.

The show was just reaching its climax.