74: Chapter 74 Beast Tide! The Ring of Calamity! Gathering More Believers
"Almost enough."
After devouring yet another taboo projection, Lin Chuan stopped.
At the same time.
Great Xin Dynasty, Special Operations Bureau Headquarters.
Mr. K stood before a massive holographic map, watching the red dots on it extinguish one by one. A complex expression flickered in his eyes.
"In just three days, nearly twenty taboos have been cleared..."
"This Evil Buddha taboo is indeed unfathomable."
"Director."
A bespectacled member of the Think Tank stepped forward, his expression grave, and said:
"According to our analysis, this 'Evil Buddha' is growing at an extremely rapid pace, and its behavioral patterns exhibit a strong sense of purpose."
"It's not just clearing taboos; it's more like... feeding."
"If we allow it to grow like this, I'm afraid it will eventually become a greater threat than those taboos."
"I know."
Mr. K adjusted his glasses, his tone calm.
"But right now, we need this blade."
"And what if... this blade turns on its master?"
"Then..."
A cold, sharp glint flashed in Mr. K's eyes.
"We'll forge an even sharper blade."
Just then.
On the large screen, an area on the southern border suddenly lit up with a glaring red light.
[Alert! Large-scale biological anomaly detected!]
[Location: Southern Marsh Country border!]
[Type: Beast Tide of the Strange!]
[Estimated number: Three million!!]
"Finally... it's here?"
Looking at the wave of red dots surging across the screen like a crimson tide, Mr. K's face showed little surprise.
"Monstrous Beasts..."
They were a terrifying existence even more frenzied and dangerous than ghosts.
They possessed the characteristics of ghosts, yet retained the bloodthirsty instincts of beasts.
Their killing did not follow rules; it was absolute Chaos and disorder!!
Of course, in essence... they were still ghosts!
It's just that they were more twisted than Fierce Ghosts!
Ordinary people encountering ghosts, or even encountering taboos, had a certain probability of survival.
But encountering Monstrous Beasts... meant certain death, one hundred percent!!
And Southern Marsh Country, that once picturesque small nation, had now completely become a paradise for Monstrous Beasts.
Three million Monstrous Beasts... once they surged out of that small country, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the entire southern region of the Great Xin Dynasty.
And the first to bear the brunt... would be Yanmang Province, which Lin Chuan had just taken over!
"Should we inform that 'Evil Buddha'? These Monstrous Beasts... will probably spread to Yanmang Province very soon."
The Think Tank member asked.
"No need."
Mr. K shook his head, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Since this is his 'diocese,' it's naturally his responsibility to protect it."
"I also very much want to see..."
"Facing these three million Monstrous Beasts that know no fear... and the source behind them..."
"Whether his so-called Evil Buddha can still handle it."
At this point, Mr. K's gaze seemed to penetrate the screen, seeing the shadow behind the Beast Tide of the Strange... Within Rebirth Temple.
Lin Chuan had just returned to the main hall.
Just as he was about to open his panel to check how much more taboo value he needed to level up.
A powerful sense of crisis suddenly came from the south.
"Hmm?"
He expanded his Ghost Domain, his rules spreading wildly, pushing his perception to the limit as he focused on the distant south.
There.
The originally clear sky had, at some unknown time, been covered by a thick, heavy cloud of blood.
The earth trembled, and all beasts fell silent.
An intense, suffocating smell of blood was rushing toward this direction with the wind.
At the far end of the horizon.
Countless grotesque monsters, their bodies oozing pus, blood, and mucus, were sweeping across the land like a black tsunami, blotting out the sky.
Some had three heads, others were covered in eyes, and some resembled giant, skinned wild dogs.
They shrieked, they roared, and wherever they passed, not a blade of grass remained.
"Ghosts? Doesn't seem like it..."
"They seem more like... creatures twisted by some kind of rule!"
Lin Chuan's mind focused. The tidal wave-like number of Monstrous Beasts made even him feel a hint of pressure.
Over three million half-ghost, half-beast creatures—this was an unprecedented disaster for any Ghost Controller faction!!
Lin Chuan himself didn't care about these half-ghost, half-beast creatures!
But protecting all his Believers, protecting the 'chives' he was cultivating from being destroyed, posed a certain degree of difficulty.
Because if even a single Monstrous Beast broke into Rebirth City, it would cause the deaths of a large number of ordinary Believers!
After all, the aura of rules emanating from these creatures was at least C-Rank, and many had even reached A-Rank!
But soon, an uncontrollable excitement surged within Lin Chuan!
Over three million Monstrous Beasts... all of them were experience points!!
By devouring them, Lin Chuan could quickly level up to S-Rank Seventh-Tier, or even S-Rank Eighth-Tier!
As Lin Chuan pondered, a series of messages suddenly popped up on the panel deep within his consciousness:
[Warning! Detection of large-scale Taboo Rule projection!]
[Target: Beast Tide of the Strange!]
[source: S-Rank Eighth-Tier Taboo Entity — ring of calamity!]
[Serial Number: 121!]
[Taboo Rule 1: Projection (Projects its own calamity rules onto living creatures, causing them to mutate into half-ghost, half-beast forms)!]
[Taboo Rule 2: Replication (Monstrous Beasts can devour each other and replicate, increasing their numbers exponentially) (It can also replicate reflections of other targets)!]
Looking at the prompts on the panel, Lin Chuan was not surprised... At this moment.
Qinglong Prefecture, southern border.
BOOM!!!
The earth trembled, mountains crumbled.
Countless Monstrous Beasts, like a black tide, surged through valleys and rivers, madly rushing into Yanmang Province, heading toward Qinglong Prefecture.
They shrieked, they roared, the stench they emitted almost solidifying the air.
"They're here..."
In the Void Realm, Lin Chuan's evil buddha golden body slowly manifested.
He sat cross-legged in the clouds, his huge, hazy Buddha-face lowered, gazing down at the endless tide of Monstrous Beasts below.
"Xiao Hong, Bai Ling, Zhao Linfeng!"
His voice, transmitted through Rule Power, rang directly in the minds of the three.
"Your Disciples are here!"
"Transmit my Dharma decree!"
Lin Chuan's voice was majestic and cold.
"Immediately summon all Ghost Controllers from Rebirth City and Buddha Land City to rush to the southern border!"
"Construct a defensive line at the border!"
"Yes!!"
Receiving the order, the three immediately began mobilizing the Ghost Controllers from Buddha Land City and Rebirth City.
At the same time.
Lin Chuan summoned all the ghosts and taboos under his command!
A moment later.
The Coughing Ghoul, the Fallen Heaven Resentful Spirit, and the Weeping Blood Rakshasa... each stepped out from the Void Realm!
Three figures stood beside Lin Chuan, emanating twisted, evil, and terrifying waves of Rule Power!
Especially the [Weeping Blood Rakshasa], as an S-Rank Second-Tier taboo vassal. The moment it appeared, its bloodthirsty oppressive aura made the surrounding air turn viscous.
"Li Shanyuan!"
Lin Chuan willed again, sending a wisp of his consciousness toward Buddha Land City.
"Your Disciple is here!"
Li Shanyuan's figure emerged from the shadows, kneeling respectfully on the ground.
"You are responsible for broadcasting to the entire province, and even to neighboring provinces."
"Tell all survivors that the Beast Tide of the Strange is about to sweep across the entire south."
"If they wish to seek shelter, they must immediately come to Qinglong Prefecture for refuge!"
"Rebirth City and Buddha Land City will be their sanctuaries!"
Hearing this, Li Shanyuan did not dare delay and immediately began transmitting a series of broadcast frequency signals to the surrounding areas.