The night is as deep as ink.
Under the rule of Scarlet Eye Tower, the nights in this land should have been absolutely silent.
Fear is the most efficient curfew. Everyone is like domesticated livestock, huddled in their own pens, and even their dreams are shrouded in a shadow called "Xuan".
However, at this moment of complete silence.
Dang--
A Bell Resonance sounded without warning.
This sound does not come from the physical world.
It did not vibrate the eardrums through the air, but was like a cold silver needle, instantly piercing the depths of the mind of every creature within the jurisdiction.
It is clear and long, with an indescribable and strange penetrating power that seems to awaken the deepest memory of the soul.
Border Village No. 37, where the ancestral hall was burned.
A shivering young man hiding in the corner of the wooden house raised his head blankly when he heard the bell.
The fear in his eyes briefly faded away, replaced by a deeper sadness.
He seemed to see his grandfather's figure falling in the fire again, and heard the last lamentation of the burned family trees in the wind.
In the bustling central city, a businessman who had just obtained "preparatory citizen" status by reporting on his neighbors was immersed in the satisfaction brought by betrayal.
When the bell rang, his heart twitched violently, and the false sense of glory instantly collapsed, replaced by a burst of unreasonable and sharp self-loathing.
Countless similar scenes were staged at the same moment.
This bell is like an antidote to the spiritual world. Although it is short-lived, it allows people to struggle out of the illusion of "awe" and "fear" imposed by Uchiha Xuan for a moment of clarity.
They remembered their surnames, their relatives who were slaughtered, and their dignity that was trampled on.
Scarlet Eye Tower The top, above the throne.
Uchiha Xuan's closed eyes suddenly opened, and an extremely dangerous cold light flashed in the silver ring Rinnegan.
"Buzz!"
As the absolute master of the "spiritual network", he feels it far more clearly than anyone else.
At that moment, the spiritual dominance force field he had painstakingly constructed, based on fear, experienced an unprecedented and global "fluctuation".
The entire network, like a twitched spider web, triggered a resonance that should not exist.
And that "Bell Resonance" sound is the "howling" produced when this resonance reaches its peak.
"Who is it?"
His voice was low and cold, as if it could freeze the soul.
Someone in his spiritual realm sounded the alarm.
This is not an external intrusion. The perception barrier he has set up does not move at all.
This is... an internal "lesion".
"System, retrieve the 'global mental fluctuation map' and trace the source of the anomaly."
[Instruction received. Data review and analysis in progress...]
[Analysis completed.
The source of abnormal fluctuations is not a single area, but exhibits diffuse and resonant characteristics.
Preliminary judgment: It is caused by the instantaneous synchronous resonance of large-scale, same-frequency negative emotions (sadness, hatred, despair).]
[Alert: The current fluctuations in the stability of the 'Fear Force Field' have calmed down, but the resonance model has been recorded.
There is a possibility of recurrence.]
0.13%.
An insignificant number.
But in Uchiha Xuan's view, this is no different than someone using a quenched carving knife to cut an ugly scar on the perfect work of art that he Teuchi personally created.
This means that there are loopholes in his rule.
"Saori."
The moment the spiritual link was established, Chiyo Saori's figure knelt on one knee under the throne through the slide projection.
Her usually calm face also had a hint of solemnity at this moment.
"Master Xuan, I have detected the mental changes just now. The 'loyalty' evaluation values in all areas have experienced an instantaneous and simultaneous sharp decline. Although they recovered quickly, this..."
"This is not a resistance force, nor is it some hidden master." Uchiha Xuan interrupted her, "This is my 'chosen people' who are using their souls to sound the death knell for their past."
He slowly stood up and looked down at the huge light and shadow map projected under his feet, representing the entire jurisdiction.
Above, countless weak light spots representing "emotional resonance" have just been extinguished.
"I asked them to vote with their hands, but they tried to resist with their hearts. It was very naive and very... noisy."
Chiyo Saori immediately understood the crux of the matter.
The physical eradication and profit-driven betrayal are just superficial efforts.
The memories and emotions in the human heart are the most stubborn fortresses.
When enough people fall into the same emotional abyss at the same time, it can actually trigger a resonance that shakes his mental network.
"Do you need me to activate the 'purification protocol'? Target the area with the highest resonance just now and carry out physical removal. Killing is the most effective way to suppress emotions." She suggested calmly, as if she was discussing how to prune an eyesore.
"No." Uchiha Xuan rejected.
"That's just repairing the cracks in the dam, and what I want to do is to make the 'flood' itself lose its ability to roar forever."
He walked to the center of the hall, raised his hand, and a slowly rotating "Divine Seed" mark composed of countless tiny runes appeared in his palm.
That was his ultimate analysis and control of the "Power of Creation" after devouring Kaguya.
"My current rule is still at the level of 'ideology'. I instill fear and interests in them, but this is an external force after all. Their brains and souls still belong to them. Therefore, they can still 'feel', 'resonate', and make such discordant noises."
His eyes became deep and crazy.
"Saori, have you heard of 'encoding'?"
"Encoding?" Chiyo Saori was slightly startled, "Does it mean the encryption method in information transmission?"
"Not exactly." A cold smile appeared on Uchiha Xuan's lips, "I mean, writing a new set of underlying protocols for the 'soul' itself."
His five fingers slowly closed, and the "Divine Seed" mark shone brightly.
"I want to create a new 'soul code'. From now on, the souls of all newborns born under my rule, and even all the old people who are 'formatted' by me, will no longer be chaotic, free, and full of impurities. They will be written into the rules I have established."
"Rule 1: Absolute loyalty to 'Xuan', which is the first driving force of the soul and is higher than all survival instincts."
"Rule 2: Peel off and shield the invalid emotional resonance area. They can have joy and satisfaction, but sadness, hatred, nostalgia and other resonances that may cause 'Bell Resonance' will be defined as 'errors' from the source and automatically blocked."
"Rule 3: Implant a 'spiritual backdoor'. I will have the highest authority to read, modify, and even delete any soul with one click."
Chiyo Saori felt chills all over after hearing this. Even though she had already given all her loyalty, she could not help but shudder at the horror of this plan.
This is not domination.
This is a conceptual redefinition of the creature "human".
This is truly... an act of creation.
"It's... technically..."
"Technically, 'Myriad Phenomena Devouring System' has completed the analysis of the Otsutsuki Clan's bloodline, Yin–Yang Release, and the countless soul samples I have devoured. The theoretical basis of 'Soul Coding Project' is complete." Uchiha Xuan's tone left no room for doubt.
"I need a testing ground to complete the testing and optimization of the first batch of 'products'."
His eyes fell on the light and shadow map, the area with the strongest resonance - Border Village No. 37.
"Let's start there."
He turned around and sat back on the throne, with the silver Rinnegan overlooking everything like a god.
"Send an order to Baba Tesshin. Let him lead the 'Executors' unit to blockade Village No. 37. It's not to kill people, but to 'collect'. I want the soul samples of everyone there, alive."
"Tell him that the bells have already rung. And I will be the one who personally silences all the bells... forever."
Chiyo Saori bowed his head deeply and responded respectfully, "As you command, my God."
Because all the bells will be melted and cast into the foundation stones of his throne.
And all people will become silent and unified atoms in this cornerstone.
That will be a kind of eternal silence more complete than death.