"Lucifer..." Lin Qiye was still processing the massive amount of information transmitted by Zhao Kongcheng, remaining stunned for quite a while."So, you're saying... ever since the mist appeared, gods from myths have been inexplicably appearing one after another?""That's right. The higher-ups have been investigating the cause behind this phenomenon, and they've come up with two possible explanations." Zhao Kongcheng raised two fingers:"First, these gods may not have existed at all, but when the mist appeared, some mysterious change occurred that materialized them from the myths.""Second, myths weren't just fantasies of ancient people, but were real. They may have been lurking on Earth for some reason, and the sudden appearance of the mist woke them up."Lin Qiye nodded. "Then what did you mean earlier when you said not all gods exist?""The number of gods currently on Earth is quite small. Not all the mythological beings have come into existence; only a tiny portion of the vast mythological systems has manifested. We don't know why it's them, and it has nothing to do with strength, story spread, good or evil, or national boundaries. Their appearance seems completely random, just like that. It's not only gods from the Bible, but also from Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Cthulhu mythos... among the gods known to humanity, all mythological systems are represented.""Then what about the gods of Great Xia?" Lin Qiye asked curiously. "For example, the Monkey King, the Third Prince, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Jade Emperor... where are they? If they exist, they should be able to easily defeat the Western gods, right?"After a brief silence, Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "These are things we've wondered about too. Over the past century, we've repeatedly searched within the borders of Great Xia, trying to find any trace of them...But for a whole century, we haven't found a single one, not even a land god.Some say that the mist hasn't swallowed Great Xia yet, so its gods haven't appeared.Others say..."Lin Qiye couldn't help but ask, "Others say what?""Others say... they've always been there.""Always been there?""Do you think it's a coincidence that the entire Earth was swallowed by the mist, yet only Great Xia survived? The mist has reached the borders of Great Xia, but it can't cross the national boundary?"Lin Qiye's mouth dropped open. "You mean...""This is just a guess, or perhaps... a beautiful fantasy," Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "Regardless, we've never found any trace of the gods of Great Xia.""Okay."Just hearing all this information was enough for Lin Qiye to feel his worldview collapse. If he hadn't witnessed the presence of the Seraph, he might have even called a mental hospital to take Zhao Kongcheng away.This disease is worse than his own back in the day!"Then what about the golden light pillar that came from me last night?" Lin Qiye asked the next question."Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng answered. "After the mist enveloped the Earth, the changes were not limited to the appearance of gods. The mist seems to have some mysterious effect on human bodies as well.Although the mist hasn't entered Great Xia's territory, it seems to contain an energy similar to radiation, which has a catalytic effect on certain people's bodies. Children born after the mist descended have a chance to develop a strange power within them.Under specific conditions, this power can be activated, creating a special power that can influence the surrounding environment, like a domain. These powers differ for each person and have their own unique characteristics.This kind of extraordinary domain, which can affect reality, is called 'Forbidden Ruins.'"Lin Qiye thought for a moment.Simply put, "Forbidden Ruins" are superpower domains of some lucky individuals.Looking at it this way, his ability to sense everything within a 20-meter radius with a sort of mental perception, along with his enhanced dynamic vision and ability to summon Seraphim's divine might, was indeed an expression of a Forbidden Ruin."Can these Forbidden Ruins grow?" Lin Qiye asked."Yes, the abilities, range, and special characteristics of a Forbidden Ruin grow with the owner's mental power. Mental power is a key factor in the strength of a Forbidden Ruin.Based on mental power, we classify Forbidden Ruins into six realms:
When mental power is like a small cup of water, minimal and unmoving, it is called the first realm 'Cup' realm;When mental power is like the water in a pond, abundant but still, it is called the second realm 'Pond' realm;When it is like flowing river water, abundant and circulating, it is the third realm 'River' realm;When it is like the vast ocean, boundless, it is the fourth realm 'Ocean' realm;When mental power is nearly infinite, vast and mighty, it is the fifth realm 'Boundless' realm;When mental power is endless, infinite, breaking space-time dimensions, similar to a Klein bottle, it is the sixth realm 'Klein' realm."
"What about me? What realm am I at now?" Lin Qiye asked."You? You're still at the 'Cup' realm, just a beginner who can barely use Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng seemed to enjoy teasing Lin Qiye. "You're just... um... a slightly stronger ordinary person."Lin Qiye immediately became speechless.Looking at it this way, the reason he was able to open the door to the mental hospital in his mind last night must have been because he had broken through to the "Cup" realm. The reason he could open Nyx's ward door was likely the same.Does that mean every time he advances to a new realm, he will release another patient?"What about you? You're so strong, what realm are you in?" Lin Qiye asked Zhao Kongcheng.Zhao Kongcheng's face reddened, and he awkwardly turned to look out the window. "I, I don't actually... have a Forbidden Ruin, so I don't have any mental power.""You don't have a Forbidden Ruin?" Lin Qiye widened his eyes. "Then how did you kill that monster?"Lin Qiye was truly stunned. Even with his enhanced dynamic vision, he could only barely handle the monster. Zhao Kongcheng had completely overpowered it. How could someone so powerful not have a Forbidden Ruin?"That thing was called the Ghost-Faced Man," Zhao Kongcheng corrected. "I killed it purely through years of training and rich combat experience. Before joining the Nightwatchers, I was a special forces soldier, skilled in close combat."Zhao Kongcheng continued, "There are three ways to obtain a Forbidden Ruin. One is that, as I mentioned earlier, only a small number of lucky individuals are born with the talent to use Forbidden Ruins.The second is to use objects that have Forbidden Ruins. It's not just humans who can be affected by the mist. Some objects, by coincidence, can also possess Forbidden Ruins. These Forbidden Ruins are usually very unique and rare. If humans can control them, they can also harness the power of Forbidden Ruins.I belong to this second category. However, the Forbidden Object I possess is not an attack-type one. It's an auxiliary-type Forbidden Object unique to the Nightwatchers, the 'Noticeboard.' Its function is simple...It opens the [Voidless Zone]!"