Chapter 18: The Scripture of Collapse

"When a lie is told with conviction, it becomes law. When law is whispered with doubt, it becomes dust."

—Kael Draven

Tribunal Divine Archive – Hidden Vaults

Deep below the central sanctuary of the Tribunal lay the Vault of Primordial Law—a library no mortal had seen, and few Immortals dared approach. It was sacred. Absolute. The foundation of the Tribunal's legitimacy.

Tonight, it burned.

Not with fire.

But with doubt.

One page at a time.

"He did it again," whispered the Jade Scribe. "Another law replaced."

"Which one?" asked the Grand Archivist.

"Scripture 0. The one that defines obedience."

The Archivist trembled.

"If that's rewritten… then the Tribunal doesn't just lose control."

"We lose reality."

Meanwhile – Chaos Temple Central Hall

Kael Draven stood in the middle of a black lotus field that wasn't there yesterday.

Thousands of petals glowed with false light—projected memory echoes fed by believers.

He turned to Yue Lin, Ghost Fingers, and Moss-Faced Girl.

"Today, we plant a scripture that breaks empires."

"Today… we weaponize certainty."

System Notification

[New Technique: Scripture Inversion Ritual]

Converts sacred doctrines into conceptual traps. Anyone who invokes the altered law unknowingly contributes to Kael's power pool.

[Effect: +20% Cultivation Steal per misused law, +Aura Feedback to Kael]

[Target: Tribunal Grand Canon – Faith Over Flesh Doctrine]

"They believe their faith makes them immune to pain," Kael said.

"Let's flip that belief. Let it invite agony."

Preparation

Kael crafted a new verse:

"When man kneels without understanding, his blood becomes the tithe."

He had Yue Lin chant it into the mirror well.

He had Fodder draw it onto hidden scrolls embedded with aura-seeding runes.

He had Moss-Faced Girl dress as a Tribunal preacher and slip it into a ceremony in the Vermillion Moon Sect.

No one questioned it.

Because the doctrine sounded divine.

"They want order," Kael whispered, "but they crave ritual."

"Give them ritual... and they'll sell their gods for choreography."

In the Tribunal – Unknowingly Feeding Kael

That evening, nine sects held synchronized sermons using the corrupted scripture.

Thousands bowed.

Thousands repeated:

"Faith over flesh! Faith over flesh!"

Their skin cracked.

Their bones screamed.

Kael's aura swelled.

[Aura: 188,000 → 260,000]

[Chaos Points: +2100]

[Fragmented Belief Nodes: 12 established]

Zhou Fan-Style Psychological Bomb

Back in the Tribunal's private halls, Elder Voren wept.

"I heard his voice in my dream… not as a tyrant. But as a teacher."

He read a scroll that should not exist.

It bore Tribunal formatting.

Perfect law alignment.

But it was Kael's.

"The divine punishes those who disobey. But what of those who obey without question?"

"Are they righteous? Or just useful fools?"

Elder Voren went silent for three days.

When he emerged, he did so in black robes.

He did not speak Kael's name.

He carved it into his palm.

Kael's Plan: Infect the Heart

Back at the Chaos Temple, Kael gathered his followers.

"We've cracked their scripture. Now we move to doctrine."

"Yue Lin, write a sermon."

"Make it sound ancient. Cite non-existent sages."

"Ghost Fingers, I want that sermon preached in six provinces before the Tribunal blinks."

He turned to Moss-Faced Girl.

"You'll deliver it. Wear the Tribunal's colors. Wear their mask."

She bowed. "It shall be done."

"And if anyone questions it?"

"We burn their memory and replace it."

Inside Kael's Mind – The Calculations

"They rely on continuity," Kael whispered.

"If we alter the origin point of a belief, the entire structure collapses."

"Let them discover the deception—after they've believed. Not before."

"Because regret makes for better cultists than love ever could."

The Tribunal Strikes Back – And Fails

They released a Correction Decree, purging all rewritten scriptures.

They held purifying ceremonies.

They executed two rogue elders.

But it was too late.

Because the core belief nodes were now parasitic.

Every attempt to erase Kael's verses…

…spread them further.

[System Update: Viral Faith Subroutine Fully Functional]

[Kael's doctrine now propagates through contradiction. The more they refute it, the more it spreads.]

[Cultivation Boost: +700%]

Scene: Tribunal Mirror Room

The Grand Elder stared at his reflection.

Behind him, in the mirror, stood Kael.

Smiling.

Always smiling.

"You didn't lose to war," Kael said.

"You lost to belief."

"And now your believers power my rise."

"Thank you."

The Grand Elder screamed.

The mirror cracked.

Final Scene – Chaos Throne Awakens

Kael stood before a floating monolith covered in shifting black scriptures.

[Chaos System Notification: You have infected 33% of Tribunal doctrine infrastructure.]

[Stage 2: Ideological Collapse – Activated]

The monolith opened.

A throne emerged.

Formed from faith, lies, and reshaped memory.

Kael sat.

The world knelt.

"Let doctrine burn."

"Let truth weep."

"Let the faithful tremble."

"I am the scripture now."