"?" Li Ang paused for a moment. The first explanation was understandable, but what about the second method?
"Language, like Talismans, incantations, and rituals, inherently possesses extraordinary attributes," Zou Zhengze explained. "As long as you learn that 'the Six Paths of Reincarnation have been replaced by the Soul Meat Grinder,' the essence of your soul will undergo some profound metaphysical change. The act of spreading the truth about the afterlife is like Meme Pollution, which can turn people into Lone Ghosts after death."
Afterlife affairs!
Suddenly, Li Ang remembered the name of his very first mission. Since that time, he had been informed by the Ghost possessing him of the afterlife's truth, subjecting him to Meme Pollution...
Seeing the subtle changes in Li Ang's facial expressions, Zou Zhengze smiled. "Five hundred years ago, the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the entire netherworld vanished. The Heterodox Academy frantically gathered data and conducted experiments, finally deducing this rule. This rule was not a gift from fate but rather Pandora's Box. Once the truth about the afterlife spreads widely—from one to ten, and ten to a hundred—all living beings would become Lone Ghosts after death, never to enter the cycle of rebirth. At that time, Ghosts would roam the world, the cycle of reincarnation would cease, and newborns would become soulless living corpses! This is the existential threat of an apocalypse for all living beings!
"The Cultivators of the Heterodox Academy, after a heated debate, reached a compromise: to eradicate most existing Spiritual Bodies and conceal the truth about the afterlife from the populace. This would allow people to continue believing in the cycle of rebirth, preventing them from becoming Lone Ghosts. The Heterodox Academy thus became the Night's Watch. They swore to defend the secret of death: not to marry, not to be ennobled, not to father children, not to wear crowns, not to seek glory. They would serve with loyalty, living and dying with this duty, starting their vigil from that day forth, until death took them! For this reason, the Heterodox Academy did not hesitate to wage war against Feng Du, decimating most of the Evil Spirits at a terrible cost, leading to the Heterodox Academy's overall decline. Fortunately, the killing games gradually ceased, the number of Spiritual Bodies decreased, and the Heterodox Academy successfully guarded the secret of death, averting the apocalypse."
The Chinese Heterodox Academy's tragic history indeed stirred the soul, but Zou Zhengze's expression gradually became distorted. "I loved Fang Ni more than myself, more than anything in this world. After learning the secret of the afterlife, I could not accept her Soul dissipating and becoming mere fuel for reincarnation. Initially, I planned to tell her the secret of the death realm, to contaminate her with the Meme, so she would become a Ghost after death. But that wasn't enough. A Lone Ghost might exist for over a hundred years, but eventually, it will still naturally dissipate."
"So, you killed her?" Li Ang asked.
"Correct," Zou Zhengze nodded and ripped open his shirt, revealing his gaunt chest.
The faces of a man and a woman, Zeng Weiming and Wang Fangni, emerged from his rib-laden chest, pushing the skin taut, their expressions fierce and agonized.
[Skill Name: Heavenly Devil Skill · Yin Yang Bipolar Demon Road (I)]
[Type: Spiritual Energy]
[Special Effect: Absorb the target's essence, blood, and even Soul, rejuvenating oneself and increasing power.]
[Consumption: None]
[Learning Requirements: Strength Attribute at least 10, Intelligence Attribute at least 8, Physical Attributes at least 10]
[Note: The Heavenly Devil Skill is not designed for human cultivation. If a practitioner lacks sufficient talent, they are highly likely to suffer physical deformation, lose mental control, or even descend into madness and die, or their body might explode. Once successfully cultivated, however, they can dominate the world, invincible.]
The Heavenly Devil Skill is an unparalleled martial art from the Hong Kong comic "Prince Legend," created by the Great Sky Demon. It is divided into the internal skill "Yin Yang Bipolar Demon Road" and the external skill "Heavenly Devil Divine Skill." As an internal skill, Yin Yang Bipolar Demon Road may not possess the immense destructive power of the external Heavenly Devil Divine Skill, but it enables the user to evolve from human to non-human, enhancing themselves by devouring other beings.
"Lone Ghosts can't survive alone in this world, but I am a player chosen by the System. If I devour her Soul, she can stay safely with me, surviving this killing game until the Six Paths of Reincarnation open once again. When that time comes, I will let Fang Ni return to the cycle of reincarnation, maintaining her self, without succumbing to the fate of soul disintegration."
Zou Zhengze said hoarsely, "But when I opened their front door, I found her husband, Zeng Weiming—the very man who stole my firefighter Mask in the blaze. He had changed his name, and so much time had passed that I didn't recognize him at first. The grudge of him stealing my wife, the hatred for how he ruined my life, made it impossible for me to stay rational. I was a bit rough when I dealt with him. I pondered at their fridge door for a long time, ultimately choosing to forgive them, still opting to devour their Souls, to grant them the blessing of retaining their soul's essence."
Li Ang couldn't help but retort, "You call being devoured to the last scrap a blessing? I didn't believe you were a genuine madman before, but now I'm starting to have doubts."
"I knew you wouldn't understand me, but I don't need anyone's understanding," Zou Zhengze sighed. "Do you see this slum?" he continued. "It's filled with poverty, numbness, struggle, and despair. What's worse, even in death, they can't escape the tragic fate of soul disintegration, with no hope for happiness in the next life."
Thinking of the alley brimming with yin energy, a sudden unease surged in Li Ang's heart. "...What do you intend to do?"
"In the next life, I want to give them a peaceful and happy reincarnation."
Zou Zhengze's face beamed with a blissful smile as he spread his arms, as if embracing the whole world. "I love them. I've seen their painful struggles, their hopeless future. Therefore, I want them to merge with me, maintain the essence of their Souls, and wait for the reopening of the Six Paths of Reincarnation to welcome the blessings of the next life. Not for this life, but for the next!!"
Zou Zhengze's arms trembled wildly. The yin energy permeating the entire shantytown surged like a sweeping windstorm, howling into the cramped rooms. The curtains fluttered violently; tables and chairs slammed against the walls, shattering to pieces. Dust filled the air, yin energy overflowing. The entire urban village seemed to plunge into an icy cavern.
Lights flickered on in rows of dilapidated buildings. Many people poked their heads out of their windows, only to see a dark cloud vortex forming above the building where Zou Zhengze was.
"Come, wind!"
Waving his arms with a wild cry, Zou Zhengze sent the dark clouds of pure yin energy above him spinning at high speed. The residents peeking out felt their vision blur and their minds go blank; it was as if their souls were being pulled from their bodies, drawn into the swirling vortex.
Zou Zhengze kicked off, bursting through the ceiling. He stood beneath the vortex of dark clouds, laughing wildly. "'A family that accumulates good will have an abundance of blessings; a family that accumulates evil will have an abundance of calamity.' Struggling in poverty, numb with pain, unable to seek blessings in the next life, unable to cultivate grace through lifetimes of virtue! If the gods abandon humanity, then I shall love humanity!"
"Love humanity? My ass!" Li Ang roared, hurling his Battle Axe with one hand. With the other, he whipped out a disposable backup cell phone—its SIM card untraceable to him, ready to be stashed back in his inventory immediately after use to avoid signal tracking—and dialed the Special Affairs Bureau.
When it comes to reporting emergencies, I'm a professional.