Those time travelers that year

Three days later, the earth-shattering demonic pearl was torn apart, and the primordial demon's remaining primordial spirit was only 20% intact.

"Uh...deep-fried stinky tofu!!!"

"Okay! There are only two left, let's see what's left!!!"

Having lost 80% of his primordial spirit, the Primordial Demon was utterly crippled, reduced to a state even more pathetic than a salted fish. Two days later, the demonic orbs formed from the final two scenarios were severed, with the orb representing the emptiness of the Void Mirror being the first to be consumed.

"What the hell! Red bean buns!!!" Muttering in dissatisfaction, Charles could only helplessly pick up the magic bead representing the heart of the Heavenly Demon, the Ten Perfect Demon Soldier with the ability to unify nine magic beads, and stuff it into his mouth. Then Charles showed a dissatisfied expression, "...Only five cents left? Otherwise, why is it a white steamed bun! What a poor bastard!"

My flight is at 8 AM today, and I won't arrive in Hangzhou until noon. I also need to report to Shuke (a comic book website) for their event. Shuke is treating me to dinner tonight, so I don't know if I'll have time to write...

413. Next, it's time to fill in the gaps in the main world.

War, war...

No one could have predicted that the already internally turbulent Ruman Empire would erupt into war so quickly. A war driven by power and desire. Everything changed a little over a month ago when two ships carrying soldiers quietly entered the port outside the capital in the early morning.

The Imperial Conservatives, led by the newly enthroned Duke Zavisha Arliut, unexpectedly staged a military coup that very night—or rather, a rebellion! No one truly believed that the Conservatives' actions—killing the general of the garrison in the capital, ruthlessly seizing military power, coordinating with the transported soldiers, and sealing off the entire capital—were the so-called "purging the court of treacherous officials."

In any case, all the reformist members who remained in the capital that day were executed within a week, labeled as traitors and rebels. The blood shed was enough to stain the entire capital's docks crimson. The empire's conservatives publicly declared that the king had been assassinated by the reformists, who claimed they had come to protect the empire…

However, embarrassingly, the situation that should have been foolproof, with the entire capital sealed off, was ruined by the escape of the king and a group of royal ministers. Before long, the so-called "pillars of the nation and models of the empire" conservatives turned into rebels.

In fact, the vanguard of reincarnators was quite embarrassed by this situation… Their original plan was to assist Zavisa in controlling the empire, and then use the country's secular power to track down the other reincarnation teams. However, they never expected that one of the reincarnation teams would make contact with the imperial family ahead of time and somehow gain their trust. On the day of the coup, an unexpected event occurred. Who could have imagined that one member of this reincarnation team, who had enhanced his Sand-Sand Fruit and combined it with the Necronomicon, managed to carve a path through the already besieged palace, smuggling all the important figures out of the capital.

Now, this has turned into a civil war scenario.

During the team's discussion, this is what Lao Wu, the team leader, said about this matter.

"It doesn't matter! That's not our main goal!" Old Wu waved his hand and said, "Now at least the entire capital is under our control. That corrupted guy probably wants to drag the country down with him, but that has nothing to do with us. As long as Xiao Zhao completes the plan, everything will be fine!" After he finished speaking, the team members clapped and applauded, and then hurriedly went to make preparations.

First, there were the churches in the city. All the current priests had been replaced with 'civil service' staff through Zavisa's connections within the church, and the reincarnators had been bribed to obtain church memberships and directly enter those churches. Then, those who were overjoyed, already thinking they could come to the capital to make some money, were controlled by the reincarnation team using various methods.

Immediately afterward, the AP members of the team began setting up transmutation circles throughout the entire Imperial Capital. These were the same transmutation circles used by the Tinker Flask in Fullmetal Alchemist to try and pull down the Philosopher's Stone, only on a smaller scale, covering only the entire Imperial Capital. However, this city is arguably a major global metropolis in this world, with a population of over a million. If so many people were to transmute the Philosopher's Stone, it should be enough to bring down the A-rank boss of this world.

Of course, this is also partly because the A-rank boss seems to be in poor condition. Okay! The vanguard team is in a good position, the vanguard team is planning a big move, the vanguard team has a significant advantage, and the vanguard team is ready to push forward.

Subsequently, because they were the first to stick their necks out, the vanguard team was immediately exposed to the eyes of all the reincarnation teams. Although they didn't know what tricks the vanguard team was up to, after a series of reconnaissance methods were used, one of the reincarnation teams finally discovered that the vanguard team was setting up a refining array throughout the entire capital.

The area is a vast formation covering an entire city.

The people of this world don't know what this is, not even the mystical realm. But the reincarnators know a lot! After some discussion, they decided on a transmutation circle to create the Philosopher's Stone, and one that looked rather unsettling at that. Even if they didn't know what the Vanguard was planning, a Philosopher's Stone created from the power of a million people—if they could control even a portion of its power—would be perfectly capable of creating nuclear bombs by hand.

As the saying goes, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down!" Faced with this attempt to overturn the table, the other reincarnation teams were all unhappy. Moreover, wasn't this forcing them to choose a side?

——————————Divider Line——————————

The capital city at night is devoid of its former bustling, sleepless vibrancy, replaced by a deathly stillness. Since the city was placed under martial law and sealed off by soldiers, its former prosperity has been gone forever.

Of course, things are still relatively peaceful here. In other parts of the empire, due to the mutiny, or rather, the rebellion, all classes and nobles throughout the empire are in chaos.

Had the royal family not escaped unscathed and rallied a large number of supporters to control the situation in the empire, there would certainly be many others vying for a share of the spoils. It's fair to say that Zavisha's decision, in his erratic state, was a truly disastrous one!

But perhaps he no longer cared. No matter how resolute one's will is, it can be worn down by the passage of time, let alone this weak-willed fellow whose soul had been corrupted by the abyss. If one had to say, what Zavisha now desired most was the destruction of everything, whether it be this country, the sanctuary, or the church.

That's why he did it. So what if the unknown people around him were planning to do something blatant blasphemy?!

But he didn't care; plenty of others did. The vanguard's move had already disrupted the balance within the Reincarnation Squads, so under the cover of night, other Reincarnation Squads dispatched scouts into the capital, only to be wiped out completely. This loss made the other squads realize that the capital was now a den of dragons and tigers; venturing in alone meant certain death.

However, if covert tactics didn't work, they resorted to overt ones. Especially in terms of factions, the several reincarnation teams that joined the Imperial Reform faction held a meeting and conspired to directly help the Reform faction gain a significant advantage, thus initiating the war. With the combined efforts of the other reincarnation teams, the loyalist army led by the Reform faction swept through the entire Empire, wiping out the conservative forces. In addition, a large number of conservative opportunists, seeing the situation turning against them, quickly switched sides, causing the conservatives' situation to slide into the abyss.

Faced with this dire situation, not a single member of the vanguard appeared on the battlefield; instead, they remained entrenched in the capital. However, from a perspective unseen by ordinary people, the capital was now bathed in a vast golden light.

Within the golden light, a seal floated, along with a phantom palace site, continuously drawing upon the golden light that was coming from all directions.

I went to a comic convention today, so... well, I can only say I owe you. I'll post five chapters as soon as I get home! How about that? I'm pretty sincere, right? By the way, there will be some borderline content in later chapters, but most importantly, it's just borderline. The author doesn't want to challenge the censors' authority!

414. Start filling in the gaps.

As time passed, the seal, which was suspended in another space, began to condense one talisman after another in the void after absorbing more and more golden light. The palace, which was also suspended in the void like the seal, became clearer and clearer, as if it wanted to transform from illusion into reality.

If anyone could observe this hidden alternate dimension above the capital, they would be astonished to discover that the talismans condensed from the seal have spread throughout the entire city's skies. Furthermore, as the seal absorbs the golden light surging in from all directions, strands of white light condense into a vast net in the void, falling from the sky and covering the entire capital and even extending a thousand miles outwards.

Once the large white net descended, the surrounding earth veins were all integrated by the white net, forming a unified earth net that mirrored the white net in the sky, reminiscent of the mystical net of heaven and earth that Xia Er had seen in the world of divine weapons.

However, once this vast white net covered the sky and connected with the network of ley lines, the princess of the Divine Era, who had been watching from the sidelines hoping to reap the benefits, suddenly realized she had overplayed her hand! Those outsiders, using some unknown means, had directly connected the entire capital's ley lines, and even laid down a celestial net in the sky. The two nets, now connected, firmly controlled a vast area spanning thousands of miles centered on the capital.

Within this area, all extraordinary abilities are restricted. Atia, whose steps had already been slowed by her orders, is now unable to even enter the capital. The closer she gets to the capital—or rather, the closer she gets to the church within the capital—the greater the suppression becomes. With Atia's power, without revealing herself, she can only approach the outer perimeter of the capital…

What is the situation?

Staring at the blurry image displayed in the crystal ball, Princess Kamishiro pondered with a headache. This situation seemed to deviate greatly from her knowledge… Weren't these outsiders stealing the faith of the god of this world, who seemed to have encountered problems and fallen into a slumber? Then, who could tell her why this was happening before her eyes?!

Linking the earth's veins and weaving them into a network was one thing, but that was still within her knowledge. However, what was with that network in the sky? And what else?! Weren't these outsiders stealing the power of faith? Then why? Within the capital city, she actually discovered traces of authoritative power!? And what were those undead armies patrolling outside the city every night?

"Your Highness, I feel things here have gone too far!" Atiya said earnestly to Princess Kamishiro over the communicator. "I can't even get into the city anymore! And this useless bat next to me is even worse; it can't even adapt to this area. Something's wrong!" As she spoke, Atiya stepped aside, and through the crystal ball, Princess Kamishiro could clearly see a silver-haired girl lying on the ground like a dead dog, her whole body pale and trembling. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had been sexually assaulted in the wild…

"I know, I'm trying to figure something out!?" Faced with the complaints coming through the communicator, Princess Kamishiro couldn't help but feel utterly exasperated. Who could have imagined that those mediocre outsiders could create such a situation? They were clearly just weaklings, not even as threatening as those uninvited guests who suddenly appeared on the outskirts of the territory, so why did things turn out this way!?

"So, Your Highness!" Atia said, "You should report this matter to the master immediately! I feel that this matter has already exceeded my capabilities!"

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer..." Princess Kamishiro was at her wit's end, overwhelmed by the situation she had created by meddling on a whim. No matter how hard she tried to recall her past knowledge, she couldn't seem to find a solution. "If only I had just wiped out those outsiders! Who would have thought they'd create so many moths?!" Princess Kamishiro muttered, racking her brains but unable to come up with a good solution. Frustrated, she said to Atia, "...I'll talk to Master. Until then, Atia, just bring the bat you found back first!"

'Yes! '

……

In fact, this unexpected turn of events was something neither the Princess of the Divine Era nor even the reincarnated members of the vanguard had anticipated. Logically speaking, while the City God's Seal and Talisman are divine artifacts, they are mass-produced! They aren't the renowned, at least S-rank magical treasures. These minor deities, barely higher than the Earth Gods, shouldn't have caused such a world-shaking event.

Directly controlling the earth's veins within a thousand miles, weaving a humanistic net and setting it up in the sky, relying on the floating humanistic net to integrate the earth's veins into an earth net, the heaven and earth nets combined into one, forming a net of heaven and earth, encompassing the universe.

This was beyond the vanguard's expectations.

Something feels off here! And it's a big problem. Thinking about it this way, it seems that Zhao Hao in the team was able to obtain the City God's Seal and City God's Talisman in the world of A Chinese Ghost Story... a bit too easy.

"Xiao Zhao! Are you sure there's no problem here?!" Old Wu felt inexplicably worried about the situation. Although the vanguard team's strength had practically doubled under these circumstances, and as long as they didn't leave this area, they all had a temporary B- rank under the support of that vast power of faith, it all seemed too smooth. The 'God' shouldn't have made such a mistake. The 'momentum' his team was currently wielding was simply too much.

"No problem, Captain Wu!" Zhao Hao sat upright in the church, his entire body radiating a faint golden light from the incense offerings, exuding an aura of authority over life and death. "Rest assured! There's absolutely no problem with the City God's Seal and the City God's Talisman! The seal now integrates the eight directions of the earth's veins, weaving a network to form the foundation of the underworld. The talisman absorbs the incense offerings and beliefs, creating the City God's Palace and the divine domain, and weaving a network of human laws. Now, with the three forces of heaven, earth, and humanity, we have the advantage of timing and location. The longer we drag this battle out, the more we can win!"

"Is that really the case?" Old Wu still seemed a little worried.

"Of course it's true!?" Zhao Hao rolled his eyes. "With everyone around B- in strength, how could it be fake?! Besides, there are so many Yin soldiers, Yin generals, and captains! You all have spirit talismans of the civil and military judge ranks, which can mobilize the Yin army at any time. We're not playing a PVP free-for-all anymore, we're playing total war!"

"How could we possibly lose in this situation?! If those guys dare to come, we could just swarm them with ghost soldiers and still not win?!"

Although he felt there was something off about Zhao Hao's words, Old Wu thought about it and realized it really didn't matter. Gathering a secular army would be far more troublesome; at least until Zawisha squandered his fortune, the pacification army wouldn't be able to reach the capital.

I won't get home from Hangzhou until tomorrow night, so please forgive me for the lack of updates...

415. The Tragic Reincarnator

With favorable timing and location, they directly controlled the entire area within a thousand miles of the capital, and this territory was even expanding rapidly. Although slow, as Zhao Hao said, the longer it dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for them. Like before, those seemingly united teams that sent out scouts to investigate their vanguard—weren't they all crippled and left behind?!

In this situation, as long as they can hold onto the capital, they'll have already completed their plan to substitute one person for another before the corrupted NPC, Zavisha, squanders all his wealth. At that point, it'll all be the same; the other reincarnation teams will be powerless to turn the tide, and they'll all be doomed!

After much deliberation, Lao Wu realized he might be worrying unnecessarily. After chatting with Zhao Hao for a few minutes, he disconnected and went off to enjoy himself at the former residence of some reformist noble family that had been disposed of.

After disconnecting the communication, Zhao Hao shrugged. Clearly, he knew just how leisurely the entire team had been these past few days. It's important to understand that while the original reformist nobles in the capital had been wiped out, their wives and daughters hadn't been killed. In short, many of the former upper-class residences had essentially become brothels.

To be honest, if it weren't for the various incense cultivation methods transmitted through the City God Talisman and City God Seal after being activated by the power of faith, such as the incense golden body condensation method, the control of the divine domain, the borrowing of human fortune, and so on, which made Zhao Hao extremely envious and determined to take advantage of this opportunity to improve his power, he would have gone along to enjoy himself too.

Don't overestimate the integrity of these reincarnators; not every reincarnator is a saint. Saints are practically extinct; those who survive are either ruthless or cruel.

Shaking his head, Zhao Hao, who was in the church, quickly banished these thoughts to avoid being influenced by such dark ideas and developing inner demons. His immediate priority was to control these powers of faith and continue expanding the Earth Network.

However, no one saw it, not even Zhao Hao himself, but at that very moment, the golden light flashing in his eyes vanished instantly.

In the alternate dimension of this city, behind the suspended City God's Seal, within the illusory City God's Palace, a deity shrouded in golden light suddenly opened his eyes. In his gaze, everything that had happened, large and small, within a thousand miles was reflected.

A faint divine thought appeared within this mansion and this divine domain.

'I never imagined that fate could be so unpredictable. I thought I would ultimately be unable to escape the great calamity of humanity and the ensuing tribulations of heaven and earth... But who would have thought that these beings from beyond the realms would actually be able to pull my domain away from that world that is on the verge of collapse and the end of Dharma...'

"Alas! If it weren't for the deep entanglement between this manor and the Great Ying Dynasty, and even as the City God of the capital, enjoying the incense offerings and the imperial dragon's aura, I wouldn't have been so deeply involved, unable to extricate myself, and thus forced to enter the great calamity, becoming the first sacrifice... Alas! Helpless, helpless, ultimately, divine power cannot prevail against fate. I have succumbed to the first tribulation of humanity in the end times, perishing and vanishing..."

'Only a wisp of true spirit remained, mingling with the magical artifact, barely clinging to life. Yet, ultimately, the Great Dao's predetermined number is fifty, and the Heavenly Dao's derivative number is forty-nine. I actually managed to touch this sliver of hope; the ancients were truly right.'

'And the powerful figures behind these extraterrestrials…' The divine thought paused, and a deep sense of dread appeared in the eyes of the golden-clad deity surrounded by golden light. 'This method of cultivating pawns to disrupt a world, interfering with destiny and seeking the origin, is terrifying… Alas! If that powerful figure hadn't looked down on me, I'm afraid I would have been in deep trouble!'

'Truly, it is the right time and the right fate!' After uttering this exclamation, the golden deity sat cross-legged, his eyes gazing outwards from the palace. The woven net of earth, the covering of the Dharma net—in the eyes of this deity, the historical timeline of this world began to rewind, silently operating the celestial calculation method. After a long while, the deity suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

'Hahaha... With the arrival of those extraterrestrials in this world, I am truly blessed. Not only have I been able to awaken from my slumber and re-weave the net of heaven, but I can even overstep my authority to lay out the net of human law. This is a blessing that even ten lifetimes of great benevolence could not obtain.'

Although newly awakened from slumber and lacking even actual religious deities, this City God, using the divine summoning technique practiced by the extraterrestrial as a springboard, engaged in theft. However, this world lacked any innate deities, revering only a single human-based god. Furthermore, this god, for various reasons, was forced into slumber, greatly exciting the newly awakened City God.

"The substitution of one person for another is indeed difficult, but alas, in this world, this deity, blessed by heaven, has laid the foundation for the flourishing of humanity from a mere mortal, thus enabling him to enjoy the incense and faith of humankind."

'However, greed knows no bounds; like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, in an attempt to reach even greater heights, he actually conceived the delusional idea of ​​substituting human morality for divine morality, and one's own heart for the will of Heaven…'

'This path to the Great Dao of this world is devoured, severing the path to transcendence for all living beings. Using this as a basis, it vainly attempts to devour the Heavenly Heart Imprint. It's only because this world isn't of a high level; otherwise, if it were a vast world, heh heh, it would simply be a fool subjected to the heavenly tribulation's lightning and fire.'

'But this deity, as the chosen one of Heaven, actually managed to complete the path of devouring the Great Dao through sheer luck and unwavering perseverance, severing the path to transcendence for all beings in this world and severely cracking the Heavenly Heart Imprint of this world.'

'Such a move, I really don't know whether to call it grand ambition or utter folly!' Thinking of this, the City God couldn't help but sigh. '...If he had succeeded, he would have been the only and highest innate deity in this world, the supreme being, practically the Heavenly Emperor... But ultimately, divine power cannot overcome fate. He severed the Heavenly Heart Imprint, incurring the wrath of Heaven; he cut off the path of all living beings, suffering the abandonment of humanity. Under the double backlash, he lost the world's favor and the protection of great fortune. Whether he didn't directly perish and suffer the Five Decays of Heaven, or whether the Heavenly Heart of this world was already damaged because of him... it can be said that he succeeded halfway, but he was just doing the work for someone else, hahahaha...'

Amidst the laughter, the City God gazed towards a certain point in this world, where the original divine kingdom of this realm existed. However, even though the sacred hymns of that kingdom resounded, making it feel holy and inviolable, it could not escape the erosion of the crimson lotus color. If it were not for the endless faith that barely sustained it, that divine kingdom would have long since turned into a meteor and fallen to the ground.

The deity at the center of the divine realm was in even worse shape. The giant deity's body remained half-mutilated, trapped in an eternal slumber, tormented by karmic resentment from which he could not escape. Even that divine realm itself was sealed off by the last celestial core of this world, evolving into a vast net that enveloped the entire world, suppressing it within overlapping spaces and times.

My flight today won't get me back to Hangzhou until at least 6 or 7 pm, and I won't be home until 8 or 9 pm, depending on the weather. It's raining in Hangzhou right now, so there's a high chance my flight will be delayed...

416. Perhaps the City God suffered a similar tragic fate.

"My path to enlightenment is promising!" After withdrawing his gaze, the City God looked at the outsiders who had brought him to this world. "...To think you can ascend to heaven in one step is truly wishful thinking. Enough, enough... In the end, greed has blinded the minds of mortals. The gods of this world are like this, and so are you. Let me assist you in pulling that god with the incomplete body into the mortal world, so that I can carry out the final replacement method, occupy the position in this world, and become the highest in this world..." After saying this, he pointed his hand and extracted the unclaimed faith, turning it into beams of divine light that entered the bodies of the five outsiders, strengthening their power and, incidentally, making them more closely connected with the god sealed by the world.

This close connection continuously draws power from the slumbering deity to strengthen itself, but it is also a one-way channel. As these strengthened individuals continuously use divine power to enhance and refine themselves, this one-way channel becomes increasingly stable until finally the slumbering deity can enter through it.

'You reap what you sow. Since you wish to covet the status and authority of the gods in this world, then you must bear the consequences and karma...'

'Fortunately, this world lacks powerful beings who establish heavenly laws covering the Three Realms and Six Paths; otherwise, I might not be able to easily intervene in the mortal world… But therefore, if I can expand the Human Law Network during this period of substitution, and eventually replace that deity's offerings in this world, it wouldn't be impossible to elevate the Human Law Network to the level of heavenly laws. If I succeed, I can be considered the Heavenly Emperor in this world.'

'Once these beings from beyond the realm are driven by greed and begin fighting each other, I can use this opportunity to drag that deity, along with the karmic burdens of resentment he carries, into the mortal world… And I can use this opportunity to take over that divine kingdom, replacing its core with the seal and divine talismans.'

'Yes, while some of the secrets of heaven are shrouded in mystery, they also make my actions easier. Furthermore, the incomplete nature of the heavenly heart in this world… truly a great opportunity for this lord!'

Having said this, the deity seated in the illusory site of the City God's Palace closed his eyes again. No one knew what had happened here, especially the vanguard of reincarnators, who were completely unaware that a City God who had not perished existed here.

If they knew, their expressions would be quite grim. Unfortunately, these guys are unaware of this. To the Supreme God, they are merely pawns, and now another player has invested in these pawns. However, as the saying goes, "throwing a meat bun to a dog is like throwing it away," meaning it's gone forever. While the Supreme God remains unaware of what lies hidden in this world, the City God, brought out from the world of A Chinese Ghost Story by the vanguard's reincarnators, is likely to suffer a truly unfortunate and tragic fate.

In particular, the scenario where someone has just killed a celestial demon from another world, and then comes to their senses to find that there's an outsider in their own territory, would surely be quite interesting. Then, they discover that this isn't a mouse in the rice jar at all, but rather a strawberry cake that has suddenly appeared in the rice jar.