Black Sun Town.
Originally, this was just an ordinary small town. Later, it was taken over by the Black Sun Cult and transformed into the headquarters of the church.
Thousands of believers have gathered here, even forming a patrol team. The captain, known as the 'Burning Son,' is responsible for clearing nearby dangers and other monsters, creating a large camp in the midst of the apocalypse.
Alan had previously followed the captive convoy to the town and went offline only after confirming the cult's stronghold.
Now entering the dream, he naturally arrived in Black Sun Town.
"Black Sun… I wonder if It can detect me?"
"Although this is just a group of people blindly worshiping It and forming a cult, to be safe, don't casually approach the sacrificial site..."
Alan took some time to stroll around Black Sun Town and immediately found Shu, Ike, and others.
They were imprisoned in a stone house but were not mistreated.
"Let's go, the priest is about to preach. To receive his grace is a supreme honor!"
A man in a black robe took out a key and opened the cell door.
Shu stepped out, her eyes slightly narrowed, emitting a dangerous light. But seeing the gathering believers around, she chose not to resist.
In the central square of the town, thousands of people quickly gathered. Many seemed confused, and some displayed hatred, clearly scavengers who had been captured.
"Silence!"
The High Priest slowly walked onto the stage, pressing down with his palm.
An invisible pressure fell, and the crowd instantly became silent.
Only then did the High Priest smile with satisfaction and proclaimed loudly, "Praise be to our Lord!"
"Praise be to our Lord!"
Many members of the Black Sun Cult responded, their expressions devout and fervent.
"Sing praises to our Lord!"
"Bow to our Lord!"
After three rounds of cheers and responses, the High Priest's expression turned solemn: "Our Lord [Black Sun], is the Lord of Eclipses, the Eternal Sun, the only salvation in this world!"
"It was born from the sun, it is the ruler in the sky!"
"It controls the flames, holds the gate of life and death, wears the triple crown..."
"Only by adhering to the Way of Shadow can we continuously draw near to It!"
Amidst his words, there seemed to be a kind of fervor. Alan noticed that even the scavengers who were initially hostile gradually softened their expressions.
"The cataclysm is the apocalypse, the judgment, the trial given to us by the Creator! Our Lord is merciful, offering salvation to the world, paving the way, leading us to Its kingdom!"
"...To become extraordinary, one must awaken spirituality! Spirituality is the foundation of the extraordinary!"
"Where does spirituality come from? Spirituality is everywhere! It exists in all things, it was dormant before, it needs to be awakened!"
"It is sublimation, it is shadow!"
"Shadow is a symbol of destruction and sublimation; it can make us unburnable. To awaken the spirituality of shadow, we must first burn ourselves, sacrifice our flesh and blood, cross the triple gates, and undergo the eclipse ritual. Those who succeed will emerge with skeletal forms; this is the great achievement!"
Alan's expression changed several times: "This High Priest truly has some depth; he actually revealed the secrets of the extraordinary."
These are the true mysteries of power, precious secret transmissions. Even Shu was listening with rapt attention at this time.
"Perhaps this is the usual method the Black Sun Cult uses to recruit members..."
Alan calmly analyzed: "Spiritual awakening, gathering, achieving the extraordinary. This is the path to transcendence in this world?"
"Hmm, it seems there is more than one kind of spirituality, which means there is more than one path!"
"However, within the Black Sun Cult, they naturally advocate the 'shadow' path! Propagation needs this..."
Alan felt he had roughly understood the introduction to the extraordinary path of the Black Sun Cult.
According to their theory, spirituality exists in everything, and naturally in everyone.
To become extraordinary, one needs to continually stimulate spirituality, making it awaken, and then enhance it through a series of rituals and methods!
When the spirituality becomes rich enough, experience the ritual, and one can completely achieve the extraordinary!
"This doesn't seem like a theory that ordinary people could organize in a short time."
Alan's expression became extremely serious: "It seems they obtained this information from the Black Sun?"
The Black Sun Cult worships Black Sun, and will surely continually immerse themselves in Black Sun's whispers.
And such a terrifying existence is mystery itself, naturally exuding some mysterious knowledge.
When compiled, it probably looks like this.
As for how many people the Black Sun Cult drove insane to obtain this information, Alan could hardly imagine.
"Priest, I... I am willing to join the cult!"
A vagrant staggered to the edge of the stage, devout and fanatical.
"Child, welcome to the ranks of the 'Unburned!'"
The High Priest personally helped him up, his face full of a gentle smile: "After joining the church, everyone is a brother and sister... Next, I will teach you the 'Unburned Ritual.' It will gradually awaken the spirituality of shadow in you, making you a person like me."
"Boohoo..."
The vagrant cried: "I want to gain power; I want to avenge my parents and children, even if I fall into the abyss!"
Power!
In the apocalypse, it becomes increasingly important.
And revenge is the flame that incites emotion!
Immediately, several more people among the scavengers stood up, loudly expressing their willingness to submit.
The Black Sun Cult welcomed everyone, accepting them all.
This scene even made Ike somewhat excited.
He also wanted to gain extraordinary power to protect everything he cherished!
Shu held the two siblings close, lowering her voice: "You must be careful of this person. In the apocalypse, everyone is mad, just to different extents... I don't believe he is so selfless, like a saint. He must be plotting something!"
Alan watched these people, feeling they wouldn't hold out for long before throwing themselves into the arms of the Black Sun Cult.
However, this didn't really matter.
What made him even more delighted was that the High Priest personally explained the path to the extraordinary to the defectors.
According to his explanation, the 'Unburned' path has three stages. At the beginning, one needs to practice continuous breathing techniques and meditation exercises, as well as the stimulation of burning flames, to awaken the spirituality of shadow within the body.
Alan saw that many Black Sun Cult members bore burn scars, likely due to this practice, though they referred to them as 'sacred marks.'
To embark on the extraordinary path, certain qualifications are needed. Many 'Unburned' remain at this stage, some even burning themselves to death without advancing.
However, this did not stop a large number of cult members from embarking on this path.
(End of this Chapter)