Always here

"Lucifer..." Lin Qiye was still trying to process the massive amount of information transmitted by Zhao Kongcheng, lost in thought for a long moment.

"So, you mean... after that mist appeared, the gods from mythology inexplicably started appearing one after another?"

"Yes, the higher-ups have been investigating the reasons behind this phenomenon and have speculated two possibilities," Zhao Kongcheng held up two fingers.

"The first possibility is that these gods themselves did not exist, but some mysterious change occurred after the mist appeared, bringing them into existence from the realm of mythology."

"The second possibility is that mythology is not just the imagination of ancient people, but a reality. These gods have been dormant somewhere on Earth as human activity increased, and for some reason, the sudden appearance of the mist awakened them."

Lin Qiye nodded, "So when you said not all gods exist now, what did you mean by that?"

"The number of existing gods on Earth is not large. Not all mythological beings have descended here. Only a small portion of the vast mythological system has appeared now, and we do not know why it is them. Their appearances seem to be random, not related to strength, popularity of their stories, morality, or national boundaries. There seems to be no pattern to their emergence."

"It's not just the Bible; Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Cthulhu Mythos... among the known gods to humans now, they cover all mythological systems."

"If it's all mythological systems, then what about the gods of Daxia?" Lin Qiye curiously asked, "Like the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Third Prince, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, the Jade Emperor... where are they? If they exist, they should be able to compete with Western mythology, right?"

After a brief silence, Zhao Kongcheng shook his head, "We have also considered what you are thinking. For the past century, we have explored the territory of Daxia countless times, trying to find their whereabouts...

But for a whole century, we have found nothing. Not even a Land Deity.

Some say it's because the mist has not engulfed Daxia yet, so the myth of Daxia has not appeared.

And some say..."

"What do some say?" Lin Qiye couldn't help asking.

"Some say... they have always been here."

"Always here?"

"It's just a speculation, or... a beautiful fantasy," Zhao Kongcheng shook his head, "Regardless, we have not found any trace of the gods of Daxia."

"Okay."

Just hearing this amount of information now, Lin Qiye felt his worldview collapsing. If he hadn't witnessed the existence of the Archangel with his own eyes, he might have called the psychiatric hospital to take Zhao Kongcheng away.

This disease was even more severe than his own back then!

"Then, what was the golden pillar of light emitted from me last night?" Lin Qiye asked the next question.

"The Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng replied, "After the mist shrouded the Earth, the changes that occurred were not limited to the appearance of the gods. These mists seem to have a mysterious effect on our bodies.

Although these mists have not entered the territory of Daxia, their interiors seem to contain some kind of energy similar to radiation, which seems to have a catalytic effect on some people's bodies. Children born after the mist descended have a probability of developing a unique power within their bodies.

Under certain specific environmental influences, these powers can be triggered, forming a special power that can influence the real environment, like a domain. The characteristics of these powers vary from person to person.

And this ability to influence the surrounding extraordinary domain through oneself is called the 'Forbidden Ruins'."

Lin Qiye pondered.

In simple terms, the "Forbidden Ruins" are the extraordinary domains of some lucky individuals.

In that case, being able to perceive everything within a radius of 20 meters using a similar mental perception method, possessing extremely strong dynamic vision, and being able to wield the power of the Archangel were also manifestations of the Forbidden Ruins.

"Can this kind of Forbidden Ruins grow?"

"Yes, the abilities, range, and uniqueness of the Forbidden Ruins will increase as the owner's mental strength increases. Mental strength is an important criterion that influences the strength of the Forbidden Ruins.

Through mental strength, we classify the Forbidden Ruins into six realms.

When mental strength is like water in a cup, still and scarce, it is called the first realm, the 'Cup' realm;

When mental strength is like water in a pond, abundant yet still, it is called the second realm, the 'Pond' realm;

When it flows like a river, abundant and flowing, it is called the third realm, the 'River' realm;

When it is vast like the ocean, it is called the fourth realm, the 'Ocean' realm;

When mental strength is almost endless, vast and majestic, it is the fifth realm, the 'Infinite' realm;

When mental strength is limitless, inexhaustible, breaks through spatial dimensions, and is akin to a Klein bottle, it is the sixth realm, the 'Klein' realm."

"And what about me? What realm am I in now?" Lin Qiye asked.

"You? You are currently in the 'Cup' realm, just a newcomer who has just started using the Forbidden Ruins," Zhao Kongcheng seemed to enjoy undermining Lin Qiye, "You can only be considered... well... a slightly more powerful ordinary person."

Lin Qiye was speechless.

So, the reason he was able to open the doors of the psychiatric hospital in his mind last night was probably because he had just broken through into the 'Cup' realm, and the ability to open Nix's ward door was also for the same reason.

Does this mean that in the future, every time he breaks through into a new realm, he can release another patient?

"And what about you? You're so powerful, what realm are you in?" Lin Qiye looked at Zhao Kongcheng and asked.

Zhao Kongcheng blushed, a little embarrassed, and turned to look out the window. "I, I myself... do not have the Forbidden Ruins, so naturally, I do not have mental strength."

"You don't have the Forbidden Ruins?" Lin Qiye widened his eyes, "Then how did you kill that monster?"

Lin Qiye was truly shocked. The monster was something he could barely handle even with his extraordinary dynamic vision. At that time, Zhao Kongcheng completely overpowered the opponent. How could such a fierce person not have the Forbidden Ruins?

"That thing is called the Ghost-Faced Man," Zhao Kongcheng corrected, "I killed it simply relying on years of training and rich combat experience. Before joining the Night Watchmen, I was a special forces soldier proficient in close combat."

Zhao Kongcheng continued, "There are three ways to obtain the Forbidden Ruins. The first is what I just mentioned, where only a small number of lucky individuals are born with the innate talent to use the Forbidden Ruins;

The second way is to utilize items with the Forbidden Ruins. It's not just humans who can be affected by the mist and possess the Forbidden Ruins; under certain fortuitous circumstances, certain items can also have the Forbidden Ruins. These Forbidden Ruins are generally extremely special and rare. If humans can control them, they can also wield the power of the Forbidden Ruins.

I belong to this second category, but the Forbidden Item I possess is not of the attacking type. It is a standard auxiliary Forbidden Item unique to the Night Watchmen, the 'Signboard,' and it has only one purpose...

To open the [No-Ji Void Zone].