Always

"Lucifer..." Lin Qiye hadn't recovered from the massive amount of information Zhao Kongcheng had conveyed, and he stayed stunned for a long time.

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

"That's right. The higher-ups have been investigating the reasons behind this, and they've come up with two possibilities." Zhao Kongcheng held up two fingers.

"The first is that these gods don't actually exist, but when the mist appeared, some mysterious change occurred, manifesting them from mythology."

"The second is that myths weren't the fantasies of ancient people, but were real. As humans became more active, they went into hiding somewhere on Earth for some reason, and the sudden appearance of the mist awakened them."

Lin Qiye nodded. "Then what did you mean when you said not all gods exist?"

"The number of gods currently present on Earth isn't large. Not all mythical creatures have descended here; what has appeared is only a very small portion of the vast mythological systems. We don't know why it's them. It has nothing to do with strength, nothing to do with the spread of stories, nothing to do with good or evil, and nothing to do with national borders. Their appearance seems to have no pattern; it just happened randomly.

It's not just the Bible; there's Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Cthulhu mythos... Among the gods known to humans now, all mythological systems are covered."

"Since it's all mythological systems, what about our Great Xia's gods?" Lin Qiye asked curiously. "For example, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Third Prince, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Jade Emperor... Where are they? If they exist, they could definitely crush Western mythology, right?"

After a brief silence, Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "We've thought about what you're thinking. For the past hundred years, we've searched countless times within Great Xia, trying to find their whereabouts...

But for a full hundred years, we haven't found any, not even a single Earth God.

Some say it's because the mist hasn't engulfed Great Xia yet, so Great Xia's mythology won't appear.

Others say..."

Lin Qiye couldn't help but ask, "What do others say?"

"Others say... they've always been here."

"Always?"

"Why do you think the entire Earth was engulfed by the mist, yet only Great Xia survived? That mist has reached the borders of Great Xia, but it's been blocked at the national border, unable to advance even an inch?" Lin Qiye's mouth widened. "You mean..."

"This is just a guess, or perhaps... a beautiful fantasy." Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "Regardless, we have never found any trace of Great Xia's gods."

"Alright."

Just hearing this much information made Lin Qiye feel like his worldview had collapsed. If he hadn't witnessed the existence of a Seraphim with his own eyes, he might have called the psychiatric hospital to have Zhao Kongcheng dragged away.

This guy was more delusional than he was back then!

"Then what was that golden pillar of light that came from me last night?" Lin Qiye asked his next question.

"Forbidden Zone," Zhao Kongcheng replied. "After the mist enveloped the Earth, the changes weren't limited to the appearance of gods. This mist seems to have a mysterious effect on our bodies.

Although this mist hasn't entered Great Xia's territory, its interior seems to contain some kind of radiation-like energy that has a catalytic effect on some people's bodies. Children born after the mist descended have a chance to develop a peculiar power within them.

Under the influence of certain specific environments, these powers can be stimulated, forming a special power that can affect the real environment, much like a domain. The characteristics of these powers vary from person to person.

And this extraordinary domain that can influence its surroundings through oneself is called a 'Forbidden Zone'."

Lin Qiye pondered.

Simply put, a 'Forbidden Zone' was a superpower domain for a few lucky individuals.

Looking at it this way, his ability to perceive everything within 20 meters using a mental perception-like method, coupled with his extremely strong dynamic vision and the ability to wield Seraphim divine might, were all manifestations of a Forbidden Zone.

"Can this Forbidden Zone grow?"

"Yes, the abilities, range, and special characteristics of a Forbidden Zone increase with the owner's mental power. Mental power is an important standard for influencing the strength of a Forbidden Zone.

Based on mental power, we divide Forbidden Zones into six major realms.

Mental power like water in a cup, little and still, is called the first realm, 'Cup' realm;

Mental power like water in a pond, abundant and still, is called the second realm, 'Pond' realm;

If it's like flowing water in a river, abundant and flowing, it's called the third realm, 'River' realm;

If it's like water in the ocean, vast and boundless, it's called the fourth realm, 'Sea' realm;

If mental power is nearly infinite, vast and mighty, it's the fifth realm, 'Immeasurable';

If mental power is inexhaustible, breaking through spatial dimensions, akin to a Klein bottle, it's the sixth realm, 'Klein'."

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

"You? You're just a 'Cup' realm, a newcomer who can barely use a Forbidden Zone." Zhao Kongcheng seemed to enjoy the feeling of putting Lin Qiye down. "You can only be considered... hmm... a slightly stronger ordinary person."

Lin Qiye was speechless.

Looking at it this way, the reason he could open the door to the mental hospital in his mind last night was likely because he had broken through to the 'Cup' realm, and that was also why he could open Nyx's ward.

Did that mean that every time he broke through to a new realm, he could release another patient?

"Then what about you? You're so powerful, what realm are you?" Lin Qiye asked, looking at Zhao Kongcheng.

Zhao Kongcheng's old face flushed, and he awkwardly turned to look out the window. "I, I myself... don't have a Forbidden Zone, so naturally, I don't have mental power."

"You don't have a Forbidden Zone?" Lin Qiye's eyes widened. "Then how did you kill that monster?"

Lin Qiye was truly shocked. That kind of monster, even with his abnormal dynamic vision, he could only barely cope with. At that time, Zhao Kongcheng was completely dominating it. Such a formidable person actually didn't have a Forbidden Zone?

"That thing is called a Ghost-faced Man," Zhao Kongcheng corrected. "I killed it purely through years of training and extensive combat experience. Before joining the Night Watch, I was a special forces soldier, proficient in close combat."

Zhao Kongcheng continued, "There are three ways to obtain a Forbidden Zone. One is as I just said, only a small portion of lucky individuals are born with the talent to use a Forbidden Zone;

The second is by using items that possess a Forbidden Zone. It's not just humans who can be influenced by the mist to have a Forbidden Zone; some items can also possess a Forbidden Zone through chance encounters. These Forbidden Zones are generally extremely special and rare. If humans can control them, they can also use the power of a Forbidden Zone.

I belong to the second type, but the Forbidden Item I possess is not an offensive one, but a standard auxiliary Forbidden Item unique to the Night Watch, the 'Billboard'. Its sole purpose is...

To activate the [Boundless Void Domain]!"