"Lucifer..." Lin Qiye hadn't fully processed the massive amount of information conveyed by Zhao Kongcheng, remaining in a daze for quite some time.
"So, you mean... after the appearance of that mist, the mythical gods inexplicably started manifesting one after another?" Lin Qiye inquired.
"Yes, the higher-ups have been exploring the reasons behind this phenomenon and have speculated two possibilities," Zhao Kongcheng extended two fingers.
"The first, these gods themselves did not exist, but some mysterious change occurred with the advent of the mist, bringing them to life from the realm of myths."
"The second, myths are not mere fantasies of ancient people; they are real beings that, for some reason, lay dormant somewhere on Earth. The sudden appearance of the mist awakened them."
Lin Qiye nodded, "So, what you just said implies that not all gods exist now?"
"The number of deities currently present on Earth is not large. Not all mythological beings have descended. Only a small fraction of the vast mythological system has manifested. We don't know why it's them—no correlation with strength, story popularity, morality, or national boundaries. Their appearance seems entirely random."
"From the Bible to Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Cthulhu Mythos... among the known deities in humanity, it covers all mythological systems."
"If that's the case for all mythological systems, what about the gods of Great Xia?" Lin Qiye curiously asked, "For example, the Monkey King, the Third Prince, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Jade Emperor... where are they? If they exist, they should be able to contend with Western mythology, right?"
After a brief silence, Zhao Kongcheng shook his head, "What you're thinking, we've considered it too. For the past hundred years, we've explored within the borders of Great Xia countless times, attempting to find their whereabouts."
"But for a whole century, we found nothing, not even a local deity. Some say it's because the mist hasn't engulfed Great Xia yet, so the mythological beings won't appear."
"And some say..."
Lin Qiye couldn't help but ask, "What do some people say?"
"Some say... they have always been here."
"Always here?"
"Why do you think the entire Earth has been engulfed by mist, but Great Xia alone survives? The mist has surrounded Great Xia, yet it's blocked at the national border, unable to enter an inch of the land."
Lin Qiye's mouth gaped, "Are you saying..."
"This is just a speculation, or rather, a beautiful fantasy," Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "Regardless, we haven't found any trace of the deities of Great Xia."
"Alright."
Just hearing this amount of information, Lin Qiye felt his worldview collapsing. If he hadn't witnessed the existence of the Archangel, he might have called the mental hospital to take Zhao Kongcheng away.
This illness was even more severe than his own back then!
"What about the golden pillar of light emitted from me last night?" Lin Qiye asked the next question.
"Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng replied. "After the mist shrouded the Earth, changes occurred not only with the appearance of deities but also in its impact on the human body. Although the mist hasn't entered the territory of Great Xia, it seems to contain a mysterious energy that catalyzes certain individuals' bodies. Children born after the mist's arrival have a chance of developing a unique power within them."
Under specific environmental influences, these powers could be triggered, forming a special force that could affect the surrounding reality—a kind of domain, known as 'Forbidden Ruins.'
Lin Qiye pondered. In simple terms, 'Forbidden Ruins' were extraordinary domains for the lucky ones.
In this sense, his ability to perceive everything within a radius of 20 meters using a form of mental perception, along with strong dynamic vision and the use of the Archangel's divine power, was a manifestation of Forbidden Ruins.
"Can these Forbidden Ruins grow?"
"Yes, the abilities, range, and uniqueness of Forbidden Ruins increase with the increase of the owner's spiritual power. Spiritual power is a crucial standard affecting the strength of Forbidden Ruins."
"Using the metaphor of a cup of water, little and still, it's called the first realm, the 'Cup' realm; like a pond of water, plentiful but still, it's called the second realm, the 'Pond' realm; flowing like a river, abundant and circulating, it's the third realm, the 'River' realm; vast like an ocean, it's called the fourth realm, the 'Ocean' realm; nearly boundless spiritual power is the fifth realm, the 'Infinite' realm; if the spiritual power is endless, breaking through spatial dimensions, resembling a Klein bottle, it's the sixth realm, the 'Klein' realm."
"What about me? What realm am I in now?" Lin Qiye inquired.
"You? You're currently in the 'Cup' realm, just a newcomer who has recently gained the ability to use Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng seemed to enjoy discouraging Lin Qiye, "Just consider yourself... um... a slightly more formidable ordinary person."
Lin Qiye was speechless.
So, the reason he could open the doors of the mental hospital in his mind last night was likely due to breaking into the 'Cup' realm, and the same reason for being able to release the patient Nix's room.
Did this mean that every time he broke into a new realm in the future, he could release another patient?
"And you? You're so powerful, what realm are you in?" Lin Qiye looked at Zhao Kongcheng and asked.
Zhao Kongcheng's face reddened, and he awkwardly turned to look out the window, "I, I myself... have no Forbidden Ruins, naturally, no spiritual power."
"You don't have Forbidden Ruins?" Lin Qiye widened his eyes, "Then how did you kill that monster?"
Lin Qiye was truly astonished. Even he, with his abnormal dynamic vision, could barely cope with that creature. Yet, Zhao Kongcheng completely overwhelmed the opponent. How could such a fierce person not have Forbidden Ruins?
"That thing is called the Ghost-faced Man," Zhao Kongcheng corrected, "I killed it solely relying on years of training and extensive combat experience. Before joining the Night Watchers, I was a special forces soldier, proficient in close-quarters combat."
Zhao Kongcheng continued, "There are three ways to obtain Forbidden Ruins. The first, as I mentioned earlier, is that only a small number of lucky individuals are born with the innate talent to use Forbidden Ruins."
"The second is to use items with Forbidden Ruins. Not only humans can be influenced by the mist to possess Forbidden Ruins, but certain items, under fortuitous circumstances, can also possess Forbidden Ruins. These Forbidden Ruins are generally extremely unique and rare. If humans can control them, they can also wield the power of Forbidden Ruins."
"I belong to this second category. However, the Forbidden item I possess is not an offensive one but a standard auxiliary Forbidden item unique to the Night Watchers, the 'Notice Board.' Its only function is..."
"To unfold the 'Realmless Zone'!"
"Lucifer..." Lin Qiye hadn't fully processed the massive amount of information conveyed by Zhao Kongcheng, remaining in a daze for quite some time.
"So, you mean... after the appearance of that mist, the mythical gods inexplicably started manifesting one after another?" Lin Qiye inquired.
"Yes, the higher-ups have been exploring the reasons behind this phenomenon and have speculated two possibilities," Zhao Kongcheng extended two fingers.
"The first, these gods themselves did not exist, but some mysterious change occurred with the advent of the mist, bringing them to life from the realm of myths."
"The second, myths are not mere fantasies of ancient people; they are real beings that, for some reason, lay dormant somewhere on Earth. The sudden appearance of the mist awakened them."
Lin Qiye nodded, "So, what you just said implies that not all gods exist now?"
"The number of deities currently present on Earth is not large. Not all mythological beings have descended. Only a small fraction of the vast mythological system has manifested. We don't know why it's them—no correlation with strength, story popularity, morality, or national boundaries. Their appearance seems entirely random."
"From the Bible to Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Cthulhu Mythos... among the known deities in humanity, it covers all mythological systems."
"If that's the case for all mythological systems, what about the gods of Great Xia?" Lin Qiye curiously asked, "For example, the Monkey King, the Third Prince, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Jade Emperor... where are they? If they exist, they should be able to contend with Western mythology, right?"
After a brief silence, Zhao Kongcheng shook his head, "What you're thinking, we've considered it too. For the past hundred years, we've explored within the borders of Great Xia countless times, attempting to find their whereabouts."
"But for a whole century, we found nothing, not even a local deity. Some say it's because the mist hasn't engulfed Great Xia yet, so the mythological beings won't appear."
"And some say..."
Lin Qiye couldn't help but ask, "What do some people say?"
"Some say... they have always been here."
"Always here?"
"Why do you think the entire Earth has been engulfed by mist, but Great Xia alone survives? The mist has surrounded Great Xia, yet it's blocked at the national border, unable to enter an inch of the land."
Lin Qiye's mouth gaped, "Are you saying..."
"This is just a speculation, or rather, a beautiful fantasy," Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "Regardless, we haven't found any trace of the deities of Great Xia."
"Alright."
Just hearing this amount of information, Lin Qiye felt his worldview collapsing. If he hadn't witnessed the existence of the Archangel, he might have called the mental hospital to take Zhao Kongcheng away.
This illness was even more severe than his own back then!
"What about the golden pillar of light emitted from me last night?" Lin Qiye asked the next question.
"Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng replied. "After the mist shrouded the Earth, changes occurred not only with the appearance of deities but also in its impact on the human body. Although the mist hasn't entered the territory of Great Xia, it seems to contain a mysterious energy that catalyzes certain individuals' bodies. Children born after the mist's arrival have a chance of developing a unique power within them."
Under specific environmental influences, these powers could be triggered, forming a special force that could affect the surrounding reality—a kind of domain, known as 'Forbidden Ruins.'
Lin Qiye pondered. In simple terms, 'Forbidden Ruins' were extraordinary domains for the lucky ones.
In this sense, his ability to perceive everything within a radius of 20 meters using a form of mental perception, along with strong dynamic vision and the use of the Archangel's divine power, was a manifestation of Forbidden Ruins.
"Can these Forbidden Ruins grow?"
"Yes, the abilities, range, and uniqueness of Forbidden Ruins increase with the increase of the owner's spiritual power. Spiritual power is a crucial standard affecting the strength of Forbidden Ruins."
"Using the metaphor of a cup of water, little and still, it's called the first realm, the 'Cup' realm; like a pond of water, plentiful but still, it's called the second realm, the 'Pond' realm; flowing like a river, abundant and circulating, it's the third realm, the 'River' realm; vast like an ocean, it's called the fourth realm, the 'Ocean' realm; nearly boundless spiritual power is the fifth realm, the 'Infinite' realm; if the spiritual power is endless, breaking through spatial dimensions, resembling a Klein bottle, it's the sixth realm, the 'Klein' realm."
"What about me? What realm am I in now?" Lin Qiye inquired.
"You? You're currently in the 'Cup' realm, just a newcomer who has recently gained the ability to use Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng seemed to enjoy discouraging Lin Qiye, "Just consider yourself... um... a slightly more formidable ordinary person."
Lin Qiye was speechless.
So, the reason he could open the doors of the mental hospital in his mind last night was likely due to breaking into the 'Cup' realm, and the same reason for being able to release the patient Nix's room.
Did this mean that every time he broke into a new realm in the future, he could release another patient?
"And you? You're so powerful, what realm are you in?" Lin Qiye looked at Zhao Kongcheng and asked.
Zhao Kongcheng's face reddened, and he awkwardly turned to look out the window, "I, I myself... have no Forbidden Ruins, naturally, no spiritual power."
"You don't have Forbidden Ruins?" Lin Qiye widened his eyes, "Then how did you kill that monster?"
Lin Qiye was truly astonished. Even he, with his abnormal dynamic vision, could barely cope with that creature. Yet, Zhao Kongcheng completely overwhelmed the opponent. How could such a fierce person not have Forbidden Ruins?
"That thing is called the Ghost-faced Man," Zhao Kongcheng corrected, "I killed it solely relying on years of training and extensive combat experience. Before joining the Night Watchers, I was a special forces soldier, proficient in close-quarters combat."
Zhao Kongcheng continued, "There are three ways to obtain Forbidden Ruins. The first, as I mentioned earlier, is that only a small number of lucky individuals are born with the innate talent to use Forbidden Ruins."
"The second is to use items with Forbidden Ruins. Not only humans can be influenced by the mist to possess Forbidden Ruins, but certain items, under fortuitous circumstances, can also possess Forbidden Ruins. These Forbidden Ruins are generally extremely unique and rare. If humans can control them, they can also wield the power of Forbidden Ruins."
"I belong to this second category. However, the Forbidden item I possess is not an offensive one but a standard auxiliary Forbidden item unique to the Night Watchers, the 'Notice Board.' Its only function is..."
"To unfold the 'Realmless Zone'!"
