Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine

Shen Wang thought of the strange arrays back home, and the more he observed this place, the more suspicious it seemed.

Without lingering, he and Gu Dongting walked straight in, surrounded by countless smiling tourists.

"Is this the final resting place of heroes..."

"Alas, our country is too pitiful, bullied by other nations..."

"Thinking about these heroes having parents and children, it just makes me feel so sad..."

Bits of conversation, translated through an interpreter, reached Shen Wang's ears, causing him to pause and look towards the oblivious tourists.

Gu Dongting immediately noticed Shen Wang's emotions and discreetly patted his shoulder, conveying reassurance with his gaze: their priority was to investigate the situation here.

Shen Wang curled his lips, his disdain for this country deepening.

With a dark expression, he moved through the crowd. After several rounds of careful observation, Shen Wang confirmed: "It's an array."

Gu Dongting wasn't surprised by this conclusion: "What kind of array?"

"Similar to the ones in our country's ancient battlefields, used for cultivating Ghost Kings," Shen Wang explained, scrutinizing the man-made 'ancient battlefield', "But this array is more advanced and complex..."

This meant that the numerous arrays emerging in their country likely originated from here.

Remembering the people killed by the arrays and the pervasive arrays across their homeland, anger flared within Shen Wang.

Gu Dongting's expression also soured: No matter how much he despised the hypocritical righteous sects, he would never harm ordinary people, nor could he tolerate foreigners causing harm in his own country.

On their way, they saw weapons that had attacked Huaxia, ancient warplanes, tattered military uniforms and national flags. What disgusted them the most were statues not only of war criminals but also of mothers holding children.

It completely concealed their role as aggressors, painting themselves as victims.

This wretched place, it would be better off burnt to the ground!

The same thought flashed through the minds of Shen Wang and Gu Dongting simultaneously.

Acting on impulse, a single glance was enough for them to understand each other's intentions. Gu Dongting covered while Shen Wang discreetly sabotaged the array... As they destroyed the array along the way, they finally reached the central hall, the core of it all.

This place was also where the malevolent energy was the densest, almost turning the entire sky a sinister black and red.

Shen Wang squinted his eyes against the overwhelming malevolence, accompanied by a nauseating stench, far more intense than Lin Yinyang's use of infants to cultivate Ghost Kings.

In such a terrifying environment, numerous ordinary people were worshiping solemnly, oblivious to the black energy already clinging to them.

This black energy, like twisted serpents, drew pale red life force from these people, channeling it into the grand hall.

Shen Wang sneered: "I thought they were only cruel to people of other countries, but it seems they're just as brutal to their own citizens."

Gu Dongting, unable to see what Shen Wang saw, only noticed the ominous black clouds swirling above the hall and the worshipers engulfed in them. He commented, "Those with a shred of conscience wouldn't worship war criminals. Those who choose to come here don't deserve sympathy."

As they spoke, the black energy seemed to sense something, churning like boiling water, spreading tentacle-like in all directions, searching for the source of their disturbance.

The black energy showed no restraint, and those ordinary people it 'touched' instantly turned ashen, clearly on the brink of death.

"Whatever's inside has noticed us," Shen Wang said coldly.

It was not surprising to be detected by whatever was inside after breaking the outer layer of the array.

Shen Wang and Gu Dongting exchanged a glance, a faint white light flashing in their hands. Then, they deliberately stepped into the black mist.

As soon as they entered, their vision was engulfed by thick darkness, impenetrable even to their outstretched hands. Rough, grating laughter filled their ears amidst chilling winds, sending shivers down their spines.

Just as they were about to be completely swallowed by the black mist, the talismans in their hands emitted a faint white light. The black energy recoiled violently upon contact with the white light, turning the brazen laughter into piercing screams.

"Damned mortals!"

At this moment, Shen Wang finally saw the scene before him clearly.

The vast hall was empty, with spirit tablets faintly visible in the black mist. Numerous ghastly ghosts, drooling over them, appeared. Unlike mindless controlled ghosts, these were clearly conscious.

"Cultivators!"

"Such delicious humans, haven't smelled such fragrant cultivators in a long time, I want to devour them!"

"No, can't eat, can't eat, ask them which clan they belong to first..."

These ghosts seemed to be wary of something. Despite salivating, they only hovered in the distance, eyes fixed on them, not daring to approach.

"These things... are indeed controlled by someone," Shen Wang spoke softly, revealing a rarely seen severity and murderous intent.

Gu Dongting looked at the ghosts, his gaze as frosty as Shen Wang's.

Unlike the controlled ghosts back home, these were well-nurtured, full of Yin energy and malevolence. Even their tattered clothes were replaced with new military uniforms, offered in worship.

They weren't devouring each other, nor fighting amongst themselves, indicating they had another source of food...

Recalling the incessant ghost-nurturing arrays and those set up in ancient battlefields back home, a dark fire ignited in Gu Dongting's heart.

Suddenly, the ghosts parted, making way for a Ghost King of evidently higher power.

The moment Shen Wang saw the Ghost King, he felt a connection. He looked up, locking eyes with the Ghost King.

"Which clan do you young ones belong to?" The Ghost King asked calmly, in stark contrast to the restless lesser ghosts around.

Shen Wang couldn't ignore the disdain and indifference in his eyes. He was certain that a wrong word would provoke the Ghost King to unleash the horde upon him, tearing him to shreds.

Compared to the openly brutal lesser ghosts, this intelligent Ghost King was far more challenging to deal with.

Shen Wang was not afraid of the Ghost King; he just found him oddly familiar, sensing an inexplicable connection of fate.

Shen Wang found it baffling how he could have any karmic ties with a foreign ghost who had died at least a century ago, a connection seemingly out of nowhere.

Impatient with the lack of response, the Ghost King spoke up, "This is a forbidden zone. No cultivator is allowed to enter, regardless of their clan. By stepping in here, you have already..."

A flash of insight struck Shen Wang, as he suddenly realized why the Ghost King seemed familiar!

"Azura!" Shen Wang blurted out, "You are the one who killed Azura!"

At Shen Wang's words, the ghosts abruptly fell silent, only to erupt in an uproar: "It's someone from Huaxia!"

"It's their fault, they killed us, kill them!"

"Damn Huaxia pigs, kill them!"

"Kill them!"

This time, even the Ghost King couldn't control the frenzied horde. A massive wave of malevolent energy surged towards Shen Wang and his companion.

Standing his ground, Shen Wang remained calm, showing no signs of panic.

He finally remembered; this face had appeared in Azura's illusion. It was this person who had killed Azura's sisters.

To avenge their sisters, those powerless courtesans, with unparalleled determination, perished with their enemy, yet were trapped here even in death, becoming nourishment for the array, unable to break free for eternity.

If not for encountering Shen Wang, dissolution of soul and spirit would have been their ultimate fate.

Back then, Shen Wang had shown those vengeful women a glimpse of a new world, leading them to reincarnation, and he promised Azura that he would avenge them.

Now, the time had come to fulfill that promise.

No wonder Azura felt her enemy was still in this world... Shen Wang chuckled softly. Behind him, five swords of different colors appeared, radiating a rainbow-like brilliance.

As the black malevolent energy swept towards him, the next second, the rainbow brilliance pierced through the darkness.

A chilling sword aura followed closely behind.

The ordinary people outside couldn't see the fierce battle within the array. They bowed their heads in devout worship to the evil ghosts, but soon, a tremor disrupted their prayers.

"What's happening?"

"Is it an earthquake??"

"It's an earthquake!!!"

In panic, everyone screamed and scattered, running away from the Jin Guo Shrine. Once outside, their racing hearts calmed as they realized there was no earthquake.

With lingering fear, they gasped for air and looked towards the shaking shrine, bewildered. Then, the massive wooden doors of the shrine wobbled and finally collapsed with a crash.

Everyone was too stunned to react, watching the cracks spread across the ground of the shrine just a stone's throw away. Statues shattered, scattering debris everywhere.

Lastly, the grand hall, once revered and visited by everyone, trembled and turned into a pile of ruins.

As it collapsed, a fierce fire suddenly ignited from nowhere, engulfing the ruins of the grand hall. The flames raged as if fueled by something invisible, the heat felt even from a distance.

"What is going on..."

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the destruction unfolding before their eyes.

Their pride, the Jin Guo Shrine, visited even by emperors and prime ministers, had just vanished so suddenly?

Quickly, the news spread online, becoming the second shocking global news after the museum heist.

Inside Huaxia, major websites were flooded with discussions, even more so than the museum incident.

[Breaking News!! Another earthquake in Liben! Precisely targeted Jin Guo Shrine and brought it down!!!]

[So, when is Mount Fuji going to erupt?]

[Such an unfortunate news (struggling to suppress a smile) Investigate further, report back]

[Such a precise earthquake, truly karma at work, they had it coming]

[Keep it going! Don't stop! Shake it up!]

"The recent news about the nuclear wastewater has been infuriating, got me up and typing."