"Lucifer..." Lin Qiye hadn't yet processed the massive amount of information Zhao Kongcheng had transmitted, and stood there stunned for a long time.
"Hiya..." Zhao Kongcheng suddenly let out a weary sigh; it seemed something had left him so dispirited that the fatigue from tailing Lin Qiye no longer even registered. He took a photograph from his inner pocket and showed it to Lin Qiye.
It was a photograph of a young girl—roughly Lin Qiye's age—in the act of leaping from a building; no ordinary person would be crazy enough to do such a thing. She was wearing his school uniform, and her hair was a brilliant gold, with an aura enveloping her entire body. She looked for all the world like an angel! To top it off, a blindingly bright halo hovered behind her head.
Wait a minute... Why is there a plush panda keychain hanging from this girl's bag—the same kind Lin Xi Chen usually has?
"This is the girl who was accidentally caught on camera last night; she is suspected of being Lucifer's Divine Agent. She vanished near Old Town last night, and I haven't been able to track her any further since she somehow managed to wipe her trail." Zhao Kongcheng tucked the photo away and leaned back to observe Lin Qiye's expression. "Have you ever saw her or someone with blond hair like this?"
The person in the photo was Lin Qiye's younger sister—a subject of his ongoing investigation. Yet, Zhao Kongcheng had to admit the irony of the situation: Lin Qiye was an agent of Michael, while his sister was an agent of Lucifer.
So, she disappeared last night, huh... What a coincidence—Lin Xi Chen wasn't home last night either, right when he awakened Michael's power. Lin Qiye had heard Lin Xi Chen making noise early in the morning, but by then, she had already left...
But then... perhaps Lin Xi Chen had his own reasons for hiding it or didn't dare tell him... Either way, he didn't want these people looking for Lin Xi Chen anymore.
"Nope, our school forbid dyed hair. Anyway...." Lin Qiye rolled his eyes and feigned annoyance at being asked so much about this information; he decided to divert Zhao Kongcheng's attention by acting like a student curious about novel things.
"So you mean... ever since that fog appeared, the gods from mythology have been inexplicably appearing one after another?"
"Can't help it then.... But yeah, that's right, the higher-ups have been investigating the reasons behind this and have deduced two possibilities." Zhao Kongcheng held up two fingers:
"The first possibility is that these gods do not actually exist, but when the mist appeared, some mysterious change occurred, bringing them to life from mythology."
"The second possibility is that mythology is not the fantasy of the ancients, but a real phenomenon. As humanity became more active, they hid somewhere on Earth for some reason, and the sudden appearance of the fog awakened them."
Lin Qiye nodded. "Then what did you mean when you said that not all gods exist?"
"There are not many gods existing on Earth now. Not all mythical creatures have descended here. What has appeared now is only a small part of the vast mythological system. We don't know why it is them. It has nothing to do with strength or weakness, the spread of the story, good or evil, or national borders. Their appearance seems to have no pattern. They just appeared randomly."
"Not only the Bible, but also Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Cthulhu mythology… encompassing all mythological systems among the gods known to humankind today."
"Since it's all mythological systems, what about the gods of our Great Xia?" Lin Qiye asked curiously, "For example, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, the Third Prince, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Jade Emperor... Where are they? If they exist, they could definitely crush Western mythology, right?"
After a brief silence, Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "We've thought about all of these things too. Over the past hundred years, we've searched countless times within the Great Xia Kingdom, trying to find their whereabouts..."
"For a whole hundred years, we have not found it, not even a single local deity."
"Some say that this is because the mist has not yet swallowed up the Great Xia, so the myth of the Great Xia will not appear."
"Some people also say..." Lin Qiye couldn't help but ask, "What did someone say?"
"Some people say... they've always been here."
"Always?"
"Why do you think the entire Earth was swallowed by the mist, with only the Great Xia surviving? The mist has already reached the vicinity of the Great Xia, but it's blocked at the border, unable to advance an inch?"
Lin Qiye's mouth dropped open. "You mean..."
"This is just speculation, or rather... a beautiful fantasy." Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "In any case, we haven't found any trace of the Great Xia gods."
"All right."
Just from the amount of information he's heard so far, Lin Qiye already feels his worldview is collapsing. If he hadn't witnessed the existence of the Seraph with his own eyes, he might have called the mental hospital and dragged Zhao Kongcheng away.
His illness is even more serious than it was back then!
"Then what was that golden beam of light that emanated from me last night?" Lin Qiye asked his next question.
"Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng replied. "After the fog enveloped the earth, the changes that occurred were not limited to the appearance of gods; this fog also seems to have a mysterious effect on our bodies."
"Although these mists did not enter the territory of the Great Xia, they seemed to contain some kind of radiation-like energy that had a catalytic effect on the bodies of some people. Children born after the mists descended had a chance to develop a peculiar power within their bodies."
"Under certain environmental influences, these forces can be activated, forming a special force that can affect the real environment, much like a domain. The characteristics of these forces vary from person to person."
"This extraordinary realm, capable of influencing its surroundings, is known as a 'Forbidden Ruins'."
Lin Qiye seemed to be deep in thought.
Simply put, the "Forbidden Ruins" are the superpowered domains of a few lucky individuals.
From this perspective, the fact that I can perceive everything within a 20-meter radius using a method similar to mental perception, while also possessing extremely strong dynamic vision and being able to use the divine power of the Seraphim, is also a manifestation of the Forbidden Ruins.
"Is it possible for this forbidden area to grow?"
"Yes, the abilities, range, and special characteristics of the Forbidden Ruins will increase as the master's mental strength increases. Mental strength is an important standard that affects the strength of the Forbidden Ruins."
"Using our spiritual power, we divide the Forbidden Ruins into six realms."
"Spiritual power is like water in a cup, small and still, and is called the first realm, the 'Zhan' realm."
"Mental energy is like the water in a pond, abundant yet stagnant, and is known as the second realm, the 'Pool' realm."
"If it is like flowing water, abundant and unobstructed, it is called the third realm, the 'river' realm.If it is like the waters of the ocean, vast and boundless, it is called the fourth realm, the 'Sea' realm."
"If one's spiritual power is nearly limitless and vast, then it is the fifth realm, 'Boundless'."
"If one's spiritual power is inexhaustible and can transcend spatial dimensions, resembling a Klein bottle, then one has reached the sixth realm, 'Klein'."
"And what about me? What realm am I at now?" Lin Qiye asked.
"You? You're just a 'Zhan' Realm cultivator right now, merely a newcomer who's just barely managed to use Forbidden Ruins." Zhao Kongcheng seemed to enjoy humiliating Lin Qiye. "You're just... well... a slightly more capable ordinary person."
Lin Qiye was speechless.
So it seems that the reason he was able to open the door to the mental hospital in his mind last night was because he had broken through to the "Zhan" realm, and that was also the reason he was able to open the door to Nyx's ward.
Does that mean that every time he breaks through to a new level, he can release another patient?
"And what about you? You're so powerful, what level are you at?" Lin Qiye asked Zhao Kongcheng.
Zhao Kongcheng blushed slightly and awkwardly turned to look out the window. "I... I myself... do not possess the Forbidden Realm, so naturally I lack spiritual power."
"You don't have the Forbidden Ruins?" Lin Qiye's eyes widened. "Then how did you kill that monster?"
Lin Qiye was genuinely shocked. Even with his abnormal dynamic vision, he could only barely deal with that kind of monster. At that time, Zhao Kongcheng was completely dominating the opponent. How could such a powerful person not have a forbidden realm?
"That thing is called a masked man," Zhao Kongcheng corrected. "I killed it only because of years of training and rich combat experience. Before joining the Night's Watch, I was a special forces soldier, the kind who's proficient in close combat."
Zhao Kongcheng continued, "There are three ways to obtain Forbidden Ruins. One is what I just mentioned, only a small number of lucky people are born with the talent to use Forbidden Ruins."
"The second method involves using items that possess forbidden realms. It's not only humans who can be influenced by the mist and possess forbidden realms; certain items can also possess forbidden realms by chance. These forbidden realms are generally extremely special and rare, and if humans can control them, they can also use the power of the forbidden realms."
"I belong to the second type, but the forbidden item I possess isn't offensive; it's a standard auxiliary forbidden item unique to the Night Watch, the 'Notice Board,' which has only one function..."
"It means opening up the [Boundless Void]!"