Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

His cultivation has only just begun, and what he seeks is the power of the two extraordinary beings.

......

After the destruction of Taiqing Palace, Lingyun Shangren's only spiritual pillar also collapsed.

Having had his cultivation destroyed, he had longed for someone from his sect to come to his rescue. When he learned of this from the interrogators, he became even more agitated and shouted that it was impossible.

It wasn't until he saw the video of the ruins with his own eyes that he smiled in a daze.

"Fake...fake..."

"You've all been lying to me..."

"It won't be long...you will all die!!"

"You can detain me for a while, but can you detain me forever?"

"joke!"

Lingyun Shangren was acting erratically and refused to cooperate. The interrogators from the Nine Departments were unable to extract any useful information from him.

All the awakened individuals skilled in hypnosis and memory stealing, including the experts of the Lü family's Soul-Clearing Technique, experienced their abilities fail after activation, and some even suffered severe backlashes, coughing up blood and feeling as if their souls were being torn apart.

Ultimately, after a three-day stalemate and enduring all sorts of torture, the Nine Departments were helpless against Ling Yun and could only hand him over to Li Qingyu, a Level 4 Awakened from the Security Council, who would construct the 'Time Amber' to seal him, suspending all cellular and subconscious activity and putting him into a state of suspended animation.

At the end of August, the reconstruction plan for Kuhai Prison was finalized.

The nine departments pooled their manpower and resources to establish a new framework on the ruins and rebuild a new prison, which was more fortified than before. It was even equipped with only about a hundred guards, and most of the work was carried out by Class C mechs that were implanted with AI automation programs.

In September, the supernatural ability detection towers were basically set up in every city in China, and the Skynet system for real-time monitoring of data from 9 million awakened individuals came to a successful conclusion. Moreover, the research and development department is still continuously iterating and upgrading the supernatural ability lock.

In the middle of the month, Lu Jin saw that the situation in the Nine Provinces was settled, so he went into seclusion behind the scenes, resigned from his post, returned to his sect, cultivated by collecting the blood of the giant whale, and went to North Kolai Island to cultivate in seclusion.

Three weeks later, the second high school for extraordinary individuals, "Yu Zhuo," was completed and enrolled tens of thousands of students. The school's founding ceremony was equally grand, but it lacked some regrets. Amidst the anticipation of the masses, Jiang Mo did not attend. Instead, Wei Yuanming, the chairman of the Security Council, encouraged the teachers and students on his behalf.

In October, unusual developments were reported overseas: the United States produced its second, third, and fourth Level 5 Awakeners, reaching the top globally and gaining worldwide fame.

Meanwhile, Japan seized the opportunity to communicate with the United States. After talks, they reached a secret cooperation agreement, signed numerous treaties, and obtained the assistance of a Level 5 Awakened. They easily wiped out the rampant Awakened forces, killed more than ten Level 4 Awakened, and completely stabilized the situation.

Afterwards, they turned their attention to neighboring countries, demanding answers based on the deaths of Matsubara Managa and Yano Rin.

On October 12, Karengar, a Level 5 Awakened from the U.S. Bureau of Supernatural Abilities, and five Japanese Level 4 Awakened individuals crossed the sea and were intercepted by several Class B mechs stationed at the customs, resulting in a major battle.

At 16:28, a swordsman from the Ninth Division, along with Wei Yuanming and Zhang Zhiwei from the Security Council, arrived at the scene as quickly as possible, followed by more than twenty Level 4 Awakened.

What came into view was that seven Class B mechs were severely damaged, with parts scattered in the vast sea, and six intruders were coming in aggressively, with a battle about to break out between the two sides.

The vast sea endured the relentless bombardment of these human killing moves. At times, purplish-brown energy beams swept across the battlefield, scorching the void, while at other times, golden light flashed, thunder roared, and waves dozens of feet high splashed up, as the fierce battle raged.

More than an hour later.

As evening fell and the sun dipped below the horizon, the battle came to an end.

Level 5 Awakener Karengar was killed by the combined efforts of the R&D department, the Swordholder clad in heavy cannons, and Zhang Zhiwei. The remaining 5 Awakeners also perished.

That evening, Japan and the United States were shaken. Prime Ministers, presidents, and members of Congress were on tenterhooks, convening emergency meetings to prepare a series of countermeasures to deal with the impending conflict. Until then, they chose to wait and see.

For several days, neither the nine ministries nor the Security Council issued a formal condemnation, as if the incident had never occurred.

They were busy developing the Taiqing Secret Realm and refining the metal resources obtained from the countries that had signed cooperation agreements to mass-produce Class A and Class B mechs. At the same time, they also had to guard against the extraordinary creatures that were about to awaken within their territory and the restless secluded sects. They simply did not have the extra time to deal with the troubles caused by Japan and the United States.

In addition, the bodies of the six invaders were also recovered and studied to explore the mysteries of life's evolution.

This matter, which seemed to be fraught with undercurrents, remained calm throughout and came to an end in less than two weeks.

All three parties maintained a tacit understanding, each keeping this score in secret and preparing to launch a fierce counterattack when the time was right.

At the end of the year, many countries around the world saw the emergence of Level 5 Awakeners, but the British Empire was the first to encounter a crisis. Its first Level 5 Awakener came from a hostile separatist force, and it immediately called the Security Council to inform them of the situation.

On December 4th, the contract took effect.

A fully armed Class A mech, over 200 meters tall, is fully charged.

Departing from the core base of the Nine Divisions, it soared into the sky at a terrifying speed of Mach 50, heading straight for the European continent. It swept across the sky, bringing with it a deafening roar of its engines, symbolizing the countdown to destruction.

In just nine minutes, the mech codenamed 'Candlelight' scanned numerous regions using its equipped ability detector, detected abnormal numerical fluctuations belonging to Level 5 Awakened, and immediately launched a bombardment on the border, unleashing a barrage of artillery fire.

In about half an hour, the area within a 20-kilometer radius was reduced to scorched earth, and the level 5 awakened individual who had recently broken through was hunted down.

After this battle, the world was terrified. No one could have imagined that China's mechs could be so terrifying.

Although they had made predictions, they were still taken aback when they received the news from the front lines. They couldn't help but feel apprehensive: just how many weapons of this caliber did China have left?

On the last day of 2016, a Level 4 Awakened individual belonging to the Security Council broke through the bottleneck and reached a new level of Level 5, causing a national sensation.

Several months have passed in the blink of an eye, and the number of Level 5 Awakeners in various overseas countries has gradually soared to several, no longer relying on China's Class A mechs.

On April 9, 2017, hundreds of thousands of Awakened Ones on the British border were suddenly sacrificed and killed overnight. Several Level 5 Awakened One leaders, fulfilling their ambitious desires, personally opened Pandora's box.

The following day, signs of mythological revival appeared in many parts of the world, including Norse mythology, Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Mayan mythology, Indian mythology, Takamagahara mythology, and so on.

Those gods who were worshipped and worshipped by ancient humans have all returned from the long river of history in alternative forms.

However, they are not true gods.

The gods that humans sing praises to and worship are originally based on human prototypes, but they have long since turned to dust and disappeared into the rolling years.

These resurrected gods are a mixture of the faith of the Awakened believers and the revived dark desires. They possess unimaginable power, comparable to a Level 5 Awakened, or even more.

They manifest miracles, their gaze sweeping across the vast world, seeking to build temples, harvest global faith, completely break free from human constraints, and truly resurrect themselves. They are constantly drawing faith from every corner of the world, and all humans who know their names are being silently plundered.

From the day they arrived, the catastrophe that swept through human civilization officially began.

The awakened ones who stand at the top of each country do not believe in these corrupt demons and monsters. Their bloodlust, which has climbed up from the bottom of the food chain, makes them despise submission, especially the so-called gods. Why should they be above humans?

Living in the same era, how could one know who was strong and who was weak without having killed each other? Besides, they were just a group of monsters cloaked in the name of gods.

On April 13th, Elvis, a Level 5 Awakener from the United States and the world's first Level 5 Awakener, took the lead in wielding his sword against the gods, sparking a great battle.

The two sides destroyed a city, leaving ruins in their wake, and countless refugees died every day.

Whether they are ordinary humans or low-level awakened beings, anyone caught up in the war between level 5 awakened beings and gods is doomed to die.

Chapter 398 The Reason for the Extinction of Gods, and Those Who Harvest Incense Offerings

As war spread across the globe, nearly a hundred gods were resurrected. In various mythological systems, only the most famous and high-ranking chief gods and god-kings received sufficient human inspiration to be reborn.

Their strengths vary greatly; the weakest is only comparable to a level 5 awakened being, and can be annihilated by dropping a high-yield hydrogen bomb.

The strongest of them are almost at the peak of Level 5 Awakened. Whether their divine bodies can withstand a nuclear explosion is still unknown. However, their ability to control natural disasters such as fire, wind, and water can prevent any man-made weapons that pose a threat to them from getting close.

As the world's largest country, before April 2017, excluding the fallen Kalengar, the United States had a total of 24 Level 5 Awakened. Among them, 12 were the original Apostles from Behemoth, and the other half were evolved from the most elites of each continent.

Without a doubt, before the gods unite, the human camp has an absolute advantage.

Poseidon, the sea god who landed on the American coast, is one of the twelve Olympian gods of ancient Greece. He wields a trident, can control the ocean, and can cause tsunamis and earthquakes. He drives a golden chariot pulled by white horses and is one of the strongest beings in the mythological system.

On April 13th, Elvis, along with seven Level 5 Awakened, besieged Poseidon. The ferocity of the battle was unprecedented. The coastal city on the battlefield was reduced to ruins within 12 hours, with rivers of blood flowing. The number of human casualties is unknown, but is estimated to be close to one million.

At night, the sea god's corpse lay sprawled on the earth, eerily translucent, its flesh, organs, and bones still in their rudimentary forms. Over the next few hours, it dissipated into wisps of light, leaving no trace.

After that, war after war broke out, with the United States launching the strongest counterattack. Any deity that landed on their territory was sniped and killed. With a clear numerical advantage, they simply overwhelmed five or six fledgling deities.

Among them are Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire, Apollo, the god of light, and Boujira, the Norse god of wisdom, and Tyr, the one-armed god of war.

As for other countries, they were slightly inferior in both strength and luck, and were bogged down in a quagmire of war with the gods, suffering heavy casualties. When they were forced into a corner, they successively deployed various cutting-edge weapons that were still under development to the battlefield, severely damaging some gods and causing them to flee far away.

Gradually, countries around the world noticed a strange thing: only China did not see the resurgence of its gods. The reason behind this was shrouded in mystery. Despite having a long history and an ancient mythological system, the country was eerily quiet.

Soon, rumors began to circulate that they were behind the global disaster. The Security Council ignored the rumors, and foreign countries lacked sufficient evidence and were wary of the unknown number of Class A mechs, so they dared not press for answers.

Domestic supernatural beings and awakened individuals are also baffled by this strange phenomenon, and there are several explanations circulating among the people.

Firstly, the deity had been resurrected but did not appear, having been secretly executed by Chen Qing Xuan Zun. The appearance of the old-era deity would shake the status of the existing deities, making them naturally hostile and giving them a reason to fight.

Secondly, the local deities are too powerful and are still gathering faith, nearing the edge of revival.

At the same time, this kind of statement is also the most vicious and has the widest influence, causing widespread panic and persuading people to kneel down and believe in gods.

Thirdly, the gods care about humankind and silently protect them in all corners of the world.

The above rumors were labeled as "nonsense and misleading" by the Security Council the day after they appeared.

Those who fabricated rumors to gain traffic were all arrested and executed immediately.

The real reason is known only to the top officials of the nine departments and the two sitting presidents of the Security Council.

According to a seasoned swordsman, the ancients always had the custom of worshipping gods. In history, those powerful and extraordinary people who received incense offerings were revered as gods. With enough faith, they could forge their own faith avatars, which was equivalent to a divine manifestation, helping believers.

However, no matter how powerful those gods are, their prototype is still human. They will grow old and die one day. Usually, before they reach perfect enlightenment and pass away, they will disperse their faith and return to dust.

In the years that followed, any temple that worshipped them could be inspired by countless beliefs, draw upon many desires, and create new 'evil deities'. Such events have occurred in history, causing a temporary upheaval, but in the end, they disappeared without a trace.

The swordsman revealed the truth: the disappearance of those false gods was not because they had a change of heart or could not bear the suffering of the people.

On the contrary, as evil beings created by human desires, they were merely targeted by a more powerful force and became prey, without even the ability to resist, and were forcibly taken away.

This matter involves a certain secluded sect, a force that has never had a conflict with the Nine Departments. It neither enslaves kings and generals nor preys on ordinary people, and tends to be neutral.

For them, they need to do everything themselves to feel at ease, and there are very few things in the mundane world that can interest them. The only resource they must fight for is the inexhaustible power of faith.

In fact, during certain special periods in history, there was war, chaos, and natural disasters.

To ensure the continuity of their faith, these cultivators voluntarily left the secret realm, taking on the divine status revered by the world to save the people from suffering. They then transformed into ordinary warriors, selecting the most outstanding among men to support their ambitions, achieve their hegemony, establish a new dynasty, end the chaos in one fell swoop, and allow all living beings to live in peace and prosperity, thus generating endless incense offerings to aid their cultivation.

This reclusive sect is extremely powerful; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they can control everything. Even the sword wielders dare not directly reveal their names, for fear of being discovered and bringing disaster upon themselves.

Treating the fertile land of the Nine Provinces as a backyard garden, any faith in the gods will form a mysterious power that accumulates in the statues of gods in temples. These statues are then harvested like leeks by those powerful cultivators every one or two hundred years.

This tradition began 1,800 years ago, and all the temples and monasteries in the land of Kyushu have been secretly coveted by greedy eyes.

The gathering of incense offerings never belongs to those statues of gods, but to these cultivators hiding behind the mortal world. No matter how powerful the false god is, to them, it is nothing more than delicious food.

This is the fundamental reason why no deity can be born within the borders of China. After hearing the Swordholder's account, the heads of the nine departments and the two council chairmen present were all terrified.

Compared to the gods, the threats they face are far more mysterious and terrifying.

It is foreseeable that technological advancements, the globalization of superhumans, and the establishment of superhuman academies by the Security Council will lead to a near-extinction of local religious beliefs, inevitably harming the interests of such sects. Conflict between the two sides is almost unavoidable, and a direct confrontation is inevitable sooner or later.

Ning He rubbed his temples, troubled, and inquired about the situation from the swordsman:

"Old Shen, when was the last time they harvested incense offerings?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked over, waiting for an answer with solemn expressions.

"..."

The centenarian swordsman dared not speak loudly, lest he disturb the heavenly beings. He simply ordered the meeting assistant to bring the projector tablet and silently wrote down a string of hastily written numbers.

Putting them together, it comes to 1782. According to a cycle of about two hundred years, it's close to the time when this sect was born.

The head of the R&D department felt utterly exhausted. Last year, three of his Class A mechs were destroyed during trials, one was destroyed while exploring secret realms, leaving only two ready to be deployed for missions, and several more lying on the production line, unable to be manufactured in the short term.

The enemy he now faces is surprisingly powerful, beyond his control. Can the mecha really handle it?

Unsure of himself, he subconsciously turned his head to talk to his colleague beside him, casting a hopeful glance at him.

"Yu Huai, is there any news about your old man?"

"No."

Yu Huai was also unsure when her martial uncle would return.

"What about Chairman Lu?"

Another official pressed further, saying that this is a critical time, and the lack of combat power like Lu Jin's will undoubtedly put the Security Council under greater pressure.

“Still cultivating…” Yu Huai replied calmly.

After the meeting, everyone was heavy-hearted and their faces were filled with sorrow.

Compared to the rampage of gods seen overseas, the increasingly intense life fluctuations of extraordinary creatures within their own borders, and the reclusive forces lurking in various secret realms, are suffocating them. They can only continuously accumulate strength, preparing to face the arrival of war at any time.

In late April, Japan fell. The gods of Takamagahara killed several Level 5 Awakened Ones who challenged them and took over all the land. They began to order humans to build temples to worship them and offer their faith in order to receive protection in the chaos.

In addition, many small countries on other continents also fell one after another. Their top-notch military strength was completely unable to withstand the invasion of the gods. They fell one by one and began a similar process: submitting to force, building temples, and offering their faith.

After February, 90% of the world's countries were ruled by gods from various mythological systems.

The United States became the country that hunted the most gods, killing nearly twenty and losing seven Level 5 Awakened Ones, barely managing to hold its ground.

Other countries that barely managed to stay afloat were mostly crippled or on the verge of collapse. Most of them were allies who had signed contracts for the ability lock. They appealed to the UN Security Council for help and received assistance from Level 5 Awakened individuals, which gave them a much-needed reprieve.

Soon, the gods of all the major systems turned their hostile gazes toward that ancient country in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The fact that no gods had ever appeared there aroused their curiosity. In addition, there was the presence of what was claimed to be the most powerful human in the world, as well as hundreds of millions of potential believers. All these reasons drove them to extend their claws to this place.