American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

—A coal mining town, an underground fire, the beginnings of a purgatory—these words together are quite, quite ominous…

……

……

"...Centria, the beginnings of Purgatory, God bless..."

At the same time, some people were also experiencing similar concerns to those of a certain young man.

The black Ford sedan quietly rolled over the loose dirt on the outskirts of Los Angeles and came to a stop in front of a neat circle of pointed wooden fences.

The snow-white fence symbolizes the boundary between the mortal world and the Pure Land, and behind it lies a sacred dwelling place blessed by God.

To enhance the design of the doors, windows, and walls, neat, rectangular reddish-brown stone bricks were meticulously polished into slender fan and cylindrical shapes, warmly enveloping the stained glass windows and creating an atmosphere that is both solemn and inviting.

The towering golden domes and crosses in the Byzantine style shimmer with a sacred and magnificent light in the setting sun, serving as a haven for the souls of believers and a refuge for countless hearts.

The church is exquisitely built and cleanly maintained. If one were to find a flaw, it would be that it is a bit small in scale, resembling a temple built in a snail shell.

—After all, although the giant red bear has been gone for more than a decade, it still casts a long shadow behind it, which has also made the status of the Orthodox Church in the Federation somewhat awkward, and many cathedrals have had to be located in remote suburbs.

But to the owner of this place, it was just a trivial matter. Having experienced the ups and downs of the first half of his life, he was quite satisfied with his current life.

“Bishop Nicholas, you’re finally back.” The white-robed deacon struggled to push open the heavy, checkered wooden door. “The worshippers have all left. Would you like some dinner?”

"Bread and water, thank you."

A solemn black robe floated across the floor tiles as he stepped into the private room.

He took off his silk hat, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with thin lips and a high nose in the dressing mirror. He stood silently, pondering the tasks assigned at the official meeting just now.

After a long pause, he gave a self-deprecating laugh. What was there left to think about? Since the source of his former faith had vanished, he could only prostrate himself at the Lord's feet for the rest of his life, sweeping away all evil before he died...

“You look very different now, but I think you had a more scholarly air when you wore glasses.” Just as he was reminiscing about the past, a voice suddenly rang out.

He turned around abruptly, his curly brown hair moving without wind, the Byzantine cross with two horizontal and one vertical lines swirling with holy light, a divine spell about to be released, but then he forcefully stopped it!

"You...you...Ivan?" Upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, the clergyman, who was usually eloquent in his sermons, was now breathing heavily and struggled to utter the other's name.

Behind the tall bookshelf, a burly man with a rugged appearance slowly emerged, flipping through a hardcover New Testament. A mocking smile curled at the corners of his resolute lips.

"After years of lying low, have you completed the mission entrusted to you by the motherland? Have you obtained the [Stargate Project]?"

Bishop Nicholas, or rather… Professor Alexei, the occultist from Moscow University, an agent of the Union Security Committee, and a comrade!

As if struck by a thunderbolt that tore through the sky, the gold-painted black robe rippled outwards in waves.

"Don't call me... that word!" The bishop suppressed his voice, his white teeth bared, and his eyes flashed with a dangerous light, like a lone wolf cornered on a cliff.

However, anyone with a discerning eye could hear the underlying weakness and helplessness in his trembling voice.

“The alliance is dead, it’s disintegrated, it’s gone! The action groups, the special plans, they’re all gone!” he roared angrily, his whole body enveloped in a frenzied aura of anxiety.

“But we are still here.” The man called Ivan glanced at the scripture in his hand, a hint of disgust flashing across his face. He casually closed his palm, and the calfskin cover and paper silently twisted into a pile of rubble.

"This mission has been dragging on for over a decade; it's time to get it done!"

Chapter 383 Conspiracy, Promotion

It was as if a cold, sharp steel rod had pierced through his distant memories, pulling the bishop back to the Cold War era of swords and shadows.

The name Ivan mentioned was the target of his infiltration mission at the time: a secret laboratory researching supernatural powers.

Just when he had finally obtained all the information after expending countless efforts and youthful years, the world played a cruel joke on him.

—The lofty banner fell suddenly, the alliance collapsed, and everything lost its meaning.

A raging wave of chaos swept by, and all living beings struggled and drifted, each going their own way, until the kite's string was broken.

Until today!

"What do you want to do?"

Nicholas suddenly calmed down.

After all, he was a special elite cultivated by a former superpower. After a brief moment of panic, he quickly regained his composure and rationality. Staring at his former superior, who seemed ordinary yet exuded an unusual aura, a strange sense of vigilance welled up in his heart.

An extraordinary agent whose homeland has been destroyed reappears after more than a decade, contacting his colleagues and claiming he wants to complete the interrupted mission. Even someone as slow-witted as a sloth can easily sense the danger in the situation.

Not to mention that after leaving the organization, he received sacred items for many years, and the spiritual insight he cultivated through devout practice was beyond that of ordinary people. He could vaguely sense the deep and intense hatred in the other party's heart.

He made his decision instantly: "I absolutely must not get involved in this mess!"

"Don't overthink it, I mean no harm." As if knowing his worries, Ivan spoke slowly, his voice calm and deep, "I'm here to get all the information on Project Stargate, I won't do anything unnecessary."

"That's pointless. Project Stargate ended long ago, and Hawkins Base is practically abandoned; there's nothing of value left." Nicholas subtly took two steps back, quietly creating a safe distance, before firmly refusing.

"Times are changing too fast. The techniques used to cultivate superhumans are cruel and inefficient and have been phased out."

Ignoring his wariness and aloofness, the man calmly said, "Of course I know. There are no secrets in the intelligence business. This is just to fulfill an unfulfilled wish for my country and for myself."

Seeing that the bishop remained unmoved and refused to utter a word, his shoulders slumped slightly, and his imposing manner softened: "Alright, it seems there's no way to avoid the consultation fee. I might as well tell the truth..."

The man grinned, revealing his teeth. His tough and masculine aura transformed into a slick and mercenary one, and his bluish-gray stubble trembled as his facial muscles twitched.

“I now work for major international clients. You’ve been out of touch for too long and probably don’t understand the market. Even though those instruments and technologies are outdated, they can still fetch exorbitant prices in some regions.”

Ivan maintained a friendly smile, his left hand slightly spread as if counting banknotes: "Just as Your Excellency the Bishop has found a new pillar of faith, I have also found a new pursuit... You can never have too much money!"

Ignoring the subtle sarcasm in his words, Nicholas watched as his right hand tightened at the same time, the Bible, already crumpled into a ball, continued to shrink.

Under the intense pressure of the force field, the distance between the molecular structures of the paper rapidly shortens and polymerizes. The yellowish-white lignocellulose heats up and turns black, then emits a burnt smell of carbonization, and finally crumbles into specks of dust.

With gentle words on the lips and a big stick in hand, the underlying meaning is all too clear.

"Old friend, you can't possibly refuse to help with such a small favor, can you?" Behind the man's gentle words seemed to be the chilling winds of Siberia. "Would a servant of God entrust his loyalty to corrupt imperialism?"

He pressed his advantage, adding, "Don't worry, I can guarantee this is the last time we'll meet, and I can accept your divine contract. From now on, you'll be your divine servant, and I'll be my broker."

“Add another clause to the contract: if harm is caused to others, there will be punishment,” the bishop said quietly, adding the additional condition.

"Deal!" The man laughed gleefully, his canine teeth gleaming coldly under the light.

"If that happens, may I die a horrible death!"

The church's back door closed silently, shutting out any lingering echoes of the old era, never to be heard again.

The lingering sound traveled through the wild grass of the countryside, waded through sharp pebbles and fallen leaves, and plunged into the depths of the dark forest, stopping before a shadow.

The case files floated and flipped open, their winding lines forming a colorful map.

"The border between Indiana and Ohio... is just the right distance from Centria, and there are remnants of spatial rifts there, which is even better. I want to see how they can be so clumsy when they can't keep up with everything."

With a satisfied hiss like a snake, He chuckled softly, evading the pursuit from the unseen realm:

"Therefore I don't need to do anything, others will take care of it... No matter how sacred the prophecy or how skillful the divination, even if it can make gods and demons back down, it cannot touch the hearts of humankind!"

"Go, and hold a grand funeral for your enemy nation, and for yourself!"

……

……

The chemical reaction that occurs when the shadow of the fallen altar of past glory meets the lingering echoes of the old empire has an outcome that the young man cannot yet know.

To be honest, even if I knew, I wouldn't have time to care. If the sky falls, someone taller will take care of it.

At this juncture, he has more important things to do.

In a clear and hazy space, clouds and mist swirl, colorful clouds linger, and countless wondrous scenes appear and disappear. Sometimes wind and thunder clash, sometimes tigers roar and dragons howl, combining strength and gentleness, and giving rise to yin and yang.

Twenty-four clusters of colorful rays danced back and forth, like stars surrounding the Purple Star, moving at varying speeds around a human figure. Each cluster of light seemed to contain a celestial palace of different shapes.

A vast and boundless auspicious light poured out, and an unprecedentedly powerful fluctuation swept across every corner like the flowing Milky Way.

The magnificent palace of colorful light collapsed with a deafening roar, transforming into a boundless ocean of talismans.

These talismans, like thousands of surging tides, instantly filled the entire sky, spreading endlessly in all directions, and then, like rivers flowing into the sea, suddenly converged and recombined together.

A magnificent celestial palace has taken shape once more, with twenty-four halls distributed across three jade platforms, their auras intertwined, forming a unified whole that is indistinguishable from one another. Half of these halls are occupied by a divine being, displaying a solemn and dignified appearance.

Five-colored silk threads cascaded down, strung together with pearls and jade to weave an illusory robe, in which the four directions and five elements, the Milky Sea and the Red River, and various mysterious and unpredictable phenomena appeared in turn.

"Why does it look more like a divine robe than a Taoist immortal's robe?" Zhu Mingyao landed lightly on his feet, looking at the outline of his body that exuded magical power, and made a self-criticism.

"Standing atop the Xuan Tan as the Emperor, amidst the chaos of a hundred gods, the path of the [Shangqing Huangting Neijing Jing] lies between the paths of human immortals and divine immortals in the Five Immortal Daoist methods. It is normal for such extraordinary phenomena to exist."

Lin Xuansheng fiddled with his whisk and walked up with a smile.

Chapter 384 Interlude

Those with knowledge of relevant religious mysticism know that the classification of the Five Immortals' Taoist practices comes from the "Collection of Transmissions of Zhong and Lü," which is a profound sorting and summarization of the Xuanmen cultivation system.

Contrary to popular belief, the Five Immortals' Way is not merely a classification of extraordinary life forms; it is also an interpretation of cultivation paths and directions for entry. The same term can contain multiple meanings, a common cryptic approach found in Taoist scriptures.

Just like the two currently thriving schools, the Alchemy School and the Talisman School, each has its own strengths. In the Five Immortals Daoist arts, the five types—Celestial Immortals, Divine Immortals, Earthly Immortals, Human Immortals, and Ghost Immortals—each have their unique characteristics and specialize in different areas.

The Path of Celestial Immortals uses the universe as a furnace and the void as fire to forge the true spirit, upholding the heavens and aligning with the Dao.

The way of the Earth Immortals is to gather the energy of mountains and rivers, and absorb the essence of the sun, moon and stars, to create blessed lands and grotto heavens.

The path of immortals involves gathering incense and spiritual energy, constructing altars and palaces, with talismans and officials arranged in order, and celestial officials and divine soldiers guarding them.

The path to becoming a human immortal involves tempering oneself, opening up the mysterious gates and acupoints, sublimating into a Dharma body, being reborn from a drop of blood, undergoing countless transformations, and achieving physical sainthood.

The path of the Ghost Immortal requires unwavering concentration, insight into Yin and Yang, control over life and death, and the ability to traverse the void and the netherworld, making one's actions unpredictable and ever-changing.

These paths differ only in their emphasis; there is no fundamental conflict between them. Therefore, some superior cultivation methods may possess the advantages of several paths simultaneously.

Just like Zhu Mingyao's current situation.

After several exchanges, he knew that the sect leader was open-minded about his secret, so he stopped hiding it and directly opened the system:

Zhu Mingyao

Race: human

Age: 20

Class: Celestial Sorcerer LV17

Causal Point Pool: (omitted)

Talents: [Time-Space Adventurer (Purple)] [Mixed Void Gods (Gold)]