Preaching (New book seeking support)

Black Sun Town.

This place was originally just an ordinary small town, but it was later occupied by the Black Sun Cult and transformed into the headquarters of their church.

Thousands of believers gathered here, even forming patrol squads led by the 'Son of Burning' from within the church, who were responsible for clearing out nearby dangerous species and other monsters, forcibly carving out a massive encampment in the midst of the apocalypse.

Aaron had previously followed the prisoner transport convoy all the way to the town, and only logged off after confirming the cult's stronghold.

Entering the dream now, he naturally appeared inside Black Sun Town.

Black Sun... I wonder if He can detect me?

Although this is just a cult cobbled together by a group of people blindly worshipping Him, for the sake of caution, I shouldn't get too close to the sacrificial site...

Aaron spent some time wandering through Black Sun Town and quickly located Xiu, Aike, and the others.

They were imprisoned within a stone house, but they had not been subjected to abuse.

"Move! The High Priest is about to preach. It is an supreme honor for you to receive His grace!"

A figure in black robes took out a key and opened the cell door.

Xiu walked out, her eyes narrowing slightly, emitting a dangerous glint, but seeing the believers gathering from all directions, she wisely chose not to resist.

In the civic square at the center of the town, thousands of people had soon gathered; many of them wore expressions of confusion, while others carried hatred—clearly scavengers who had been captured.

"Silence!"

The High Priest slowly walked onto the high platform and pressed his palms downward.

An invisible pressure descended, and the scene instantly fell into absolute silence.

The High Priest smiled with satisfaction and shouted, "Praise our Lord!"

"Praise our Lord!"

A large number of Black Sun Cult members responded, their expressions pious and fanatical.

"Sing praises to our Lord!"

"Bow before our Lord!"

After three rounds of cheers and responses, the High Priest's expression turned solemn: "Our Lord [Black Sun] is the Lord of the Eclipse, the Undying Sun, and the only salvation in this world!"

"He was born from the sun and is the sovereign of the heavens!"

"He commands the flames, holds the gates of life and death, and wears the triple crown..."

"Only by strictly adhering to the Path of Darkness can we continuously draw closer to Him!"

His words seemed to contain a certain fanaticism. Aaron noticed that even the scavengers who had originally been hostile were gradually softening their expressions.

"The Great Cataclysm is the apocalypse, the judgment, and the trial given to us by the Creator! Our Lord is merciful, granting salvation to the world, opening the path, and leading us to His kingdom!"

"...To become extraordinary, one must awaken spirituality! Spirituality is the cornerstone of the extraordinary!"

"Where does spirituality come from? Spirituality is everywhere! It exists in all things; it was dormant, and it needs to be awakened!"

"It is sublimation, it is darkness!"

"Darkness is the symbol of destruction and sublimation; it can keep us from burning. To awaken the spirituality of darkness, one must first burn oneself, sacrifice one's own flesh and blood, cross the three gates, and undergo the Eclipse Ritual. Those who complete it will be withered and gaunt, but this is a great achievement!"

Aaron's expression shifted repeatedly: This High Priest really has something; he actually revealed the secrets of the extraordinary.

This was the true mystery of power, a precious secret transmission. Even Xiu was listening, completely enthralled.

Perhaps this is just the standard method the Black Sun Cult uses to recruit people...

Aaron analyzed calmly: Spirituality awakening, gathering, achieving the extraordinary—is this the path to transcendence in this world?

Hmm, it seems there is more than one type of spirituality, which means there is more than one path!

But within the Black Sun Cult, they will naturally promote the 'Path of Darkness'! It's necessary for proselytizing...

Aaron felt he had roughly grasped the entry-level extraordinary path of the Black Sun Cult.

According to their theory, spirituality exists in all things and naturally exists within every person.

To become extraordinary, one must continuously stimulate their spirituality to awaken it, then enhance it through a series of rituals and methods!

Once the spirituality reaches a certain density, one can undergo a ritual to thoroughly achieve the extraordinary!

This doesn't look like a theory that mortals could have compiled in a short time.

Aaron's expression became extremely grave: It seems this information was obtained from the Black Sun, then?

The Black Sun Cult worshipped the Black Sun and would inevitably be constantly immersed in the whispers of the Black Sun.

And such a terrifying entity was mystery itself, naturally leaking some mysterious knowledge.

And once compiled, it would look something like this.

As for how many people the Black Sun Cult had driven insane to obtain this data, Aaron could hardly imagine.

"High Priest, I... I am willing to join the cult!"

A vagrant stumbled and crawled to the edge of the high platform, his expression one of pious fanaticism.

"Child, welcome to the ranks of the Unburnt!"

The High Priest personally helped him up, a gentle smile on his face. "Once you enter the cult, we are all brothers and sisters... Next, I will teach you the Unburnt Ritual. It will allow you to gradually awaken your dark spirituality, eventually becoming someone just like me."

"Waaah..."

The vagrant burst into tears. "I want to gain power! I want to avenge my parents and children, even if it means falling into the abyss!"

Power!

In this apocalyptic world, it appeared increasingly essential.

And revenge was the flame that fanned the embers of emotion!

Immediately, several more people among the scavengers stood up, loudly declaring their willingness to submit.

The Black Sun Cult turned no one away and accepted them all.

Watching this scene, Aike felt a surge of excitement.

He, too, wished to obtain extraordinary power to protect everything he held dear!

Xiu pulled the two siblings closer, lowering her voice. "You must be careful of this man. In the apocalypse, everyone is a madman, just to varying degrees... I do not believe he is as selfless as a saint; he must be plotting some conspiracy!"

Aaron watched this group, sensing they would not hold out for long and would soon throw themselves into the embrace of the Black Sun Cult.

However, this mattered little to him.

What delighted him more was that the High Priest was personally explaining the extraordinary path to the new recruits.

According to the man, the Unburnt had three stages. At the very beginning, one needed to awaken the dark spirituality within the body through constant breathing techniques, meditation, and the stimulation of burning flames.

Aaron saw many Black Sun Cult members bearing burn scars; these were likely the result of such injuries, though they referred to them as Stigmata.

Walking the extraordinary path required a certain aptitude. Many Unburnt remained stuck at this initial stage, and some even burned themselves to death without ever being able to advance.

Yet, this still could not stop a large number of cult members from embarking on this path.