Chapter 55: Blessings

"?" 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 "As long as you learn that 'the Six Paths of Reincarnation have been replaced by the Soul Meat Grinder,' the essence of your soul will undergo some profound metaphysical change.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 world is like meme pollution, which can turn people into lone ghosts and wild spirits after death."

Post-mortem matters!

Suddenly, Li Ang remembered the name of his very first mission. Since that time, he had been possessed by a ghost which informed 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, and finally deduced this rule.

This rule was not a gift from fate but rather Pandora's box. Once the message of the afterlife spreads widely, from one to ten and ten to a hundred, all the living would become lone ghosts and wild spirits after death, never to enter the cycle of rebirth.

At that time, ghosts would roam the world, the cycle of reincarnation would cease to exist, 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, which was to eradicate most of the existing spiritual bodies and to conceal the message of the afterlife from the people, allowing them to still believe in the afterlife's cycle of rebirth, to prevent them from becoming lone ghosts and wild spirits.

The Heterodox Academy thus became the Night's Watch. They swore to defend the secret of death till their dying breath, not to marry, not to be ennobled, not to father children, not to wear crowns, not to seek glory, and to serve with loyalty, living and dying with this duty, starting their vigil now and till death takes 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 overall decline of the Heterodox Academy. Fortunately, the slaughter game gradually ceased, the number of spiritual bodies gradually decreased, and the Heterodox Academy successfully guarded the secret of death, averting the apocalypse."

The Chinese Heterodox Academy's tragic history indeed stirs 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 a 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 the rib-laden chest, pushing the skin up high, their expressions fierce and agonized.

[Skill Name: Heavenly Devil Skill · Yin Yang Bipolar Demon Road (I)]

[Type: Spiritual Energy]

[Special Effect: Absorb the essence, blood, and even the soul of the other party, rejuvenating oneself and increasing power.]

[Consumption: None]

[Learning Requirements: Strength Attribute no less than 10, Intelligence Attribute no less than 8, Physical Attributes no less than 10]

[Note: Heavenly Devil Skill is not designed for human cultivation. If the practitioner lacks the talent, they are very likely to suffer deformation, lose control of their mind, or even go mad and die, or explode and perish. Once successfully cultivated, however, they can dominate the world, invincible.]

The Heavenly Devil Skill is an unparalleled martial art that appears in the Hong Kong comic "Prince Legend," created by the Great Sky Demon. It is divided into the inner skill "Yin Yang Bipolar Demon Road" and the outer skill "Heavenly Devil Divine Skill."

As the inner skill, Yin Yang Bipolar Demon Road may not have the immensely destructive power like the outer Heavenly Devil Divine Skill, but it enables the user to evolve from human to non-human, enhancing themselves by devouring other beings.

"Lone ghosts and stray spirits can't survive in this world, but I am a player chosen by the System. Just let me devour her soul, and she will be able to 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—the same Zeng Weiming who had changed his name, and so much time had passed that I didn't recognize him at first."

"The grudge of stealing my wife, the hatred that ruined my life, made it impossible for me to stay rational, and I was a bit too rough when I dealt with him."

"I pondered at the 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 to understand," he replied.

Zou Zhengze sighed, "Do you see this slum? 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, and they have no chance of 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 happy smile as he spread his arms as if embracing the whole world, "I love them; I have seen their painful struggles, their despair of a 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 that permeated 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, and yin energy overflowed; the entire urban village seemed to plunge into an icy cavern.

Lights flickered on in a row of dilapidated buildings, and many people poked their heads out of the windows only to see a dark cloud vortex forming above the building where Zou Zhengze was.

"The wind is coming!"

With a fierce cry, Zou Zhengze spun the dark clouds formed from pure yin energy above him at high speed. The residents peeking out felt a blur before their eyes, their minds went blank, and their souls seemed to be pulled out of their bodies, drawn into the swirling clouds.

"A family that accumulates good will have an abundance of blessings, a family that accumulates evil will have an abundance of calamity,"

With a kick, Zou Zhengze burst through the ceiling dome, standing beneath the vortex of dark clouds, laughing wildly, "Struggling in poverty, numb with pain, unable to seek blessings in the next life, and unable to cultivate the blessings of many lifetimes. When the gods abandon mankind, I love mankind."

"Love your grandma's leg!"

Li Ang roared, throwing the Battle Axe with one hand, and with the other, taking out a disposable backup cell phone (the SIM card was not registered with his personal information, to be put back into the pack immediately after use to prevent signal tracing) and dialing the Special Affairs Bureau's number.

Reporting emergencies, that's my profession.