"Outer divine weapon??!"

The three councilors exclaimed in unison, their expressions shifting to one of sudden wariness as they looked at their mentor. An outer divine weapon is not part of the forbidden item sequence, involving fundamental rules; it is a weapon held by outer gods, and not every outer god possesses one!

Through the **Mind Mentor**, Chen Xiang sensed the intense emotional fluctuations of the three councilors, but his expression remained unchanged as his mist-covered hand slowly extended.

In his palm rested a small bell.

"This... this is..."

The First One's scalp tingled as he nearly lost his voice:

"The Cosmic Silence Bell!!"

The Emperor and the Prophet were equally shaken, their pupils constricting, hairs standing on end!

During the turmoil in the Great City, they had witnessed from afar as the Cosmic Silence Bell fell into a time-space rift and disappeared into the subspace!

Why was it now in their mentor's hand??

Chen Xiang gently caressed the small bell and smiled:

"During the upheaval in the Great City, I just happened to wander into the subspace, and the Greatest One bestowed this bell upon me."

The three councilors swallowed hard in unison.

The Greatest One personally handed the Cosmic Silence Bell to their mentor??

It sounded unreal and absurd, but...

The fact was right in front of them.

After a long pause, the First One reluctantly tore his gaze from the small bell, locking his intense stare onto the mentor shrouded in mysterious mist:

"Who exactly are you?"

"I am merely your mentor, nothing more," Chen Xiang replied flatly. "As for other matters... do not inquire further."

The three councilors fell silent again, their minds in turmoil.

The Prophet spoke hoarsely:

"The Cosmic Silence Bell, as the legend goes, when it rings, it silences all noise in the universe, temporarily erasing the concept of **sound**; it is the only weapon that can kill a **Singer**..."

"I know," Chen Xiang nodded slightly; everything was revealed to him.

The great bell emerging from the cave was not the doing of that outer god; it was called forth, summoned by the **Fool**.

According to the Fool, this was once his favorite toy, stolen by a traitor, and later lost.

And the Fool corresponds to the outer god of silence, one of the nine ancient sovereigns known as the **Master of Silence**.

The outer gods should never use weapons they've stolen from them to counterattack.

Chen Xiang placed the small bell on the round table, stating calmly:

"This is not a forbidden item, so neither I nor you can unleash its true power; we can only invoke its most basic functions. However, I believe it will be sufficient to break the **End of Dimensions Gun**. I can lend it out, but with one condition."

"Please, go ahead," the First One said, unprecedentedly respectful.

"This bell can only be used by my people... Currently, I have a messenger in the Great City, and I will entrust it to one of them."

After a pause, Chen Xiang continued:

"And First One, when you need to use it, you can seek them out to borrow it, but you must ensure their safety; the bell must not be lost again... I'll probably choose that new messenger."

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The First One nodded without hesitation, understanding that their mentor wanted to ensure the bell remained with his own apostles and messengers for easy retrieval through blessings...

It was understandable.

After all, this was an outer divine weapon, a true means to kill a **Singer**!

Taking a deep breath, the First One watched as the mentor slowly stowed away the Cosmic Silence Bell, the surrounding mist swirling like tides, his voice both indifferent and authoritative:

"One more thing."

The mentor spoke slowly:

"After we reclaim the altar, I want it."

The three councilors exchanged puzzled glances but quickly nodded in agreement. The Emperor said,

"No problem, we each hold a piece of the ancient altar, so you should have one as well, as long as the altar does not fall into the hands of the outer gods."

"Agreed."

After a brief exchange, the Prophet subdued his racing heart and returned to the basic information-sharing segment, saying,

"Recently, there have been no abnormalities in **White Star Country**."

"**East Hong Country** is the same," the Emperor added succinctly.

The First One shrugged:

"As you can see, the upheaval in the Great City."

Chen Xiang shook his head slightly:

"I have been traveling through the subspace, and nothing particularly new has happened. I won't be leaving subspace for a long time, so I'm considering finding a spokesperson, likely from my apostles and messengers."

"Spokesperson?" The Emperor looked puzzled.

Chen Xiang didn't explain or attempt to; he just shook his head slightly, leaving the three councilors to speculate.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Little Wei had gone to pick someone up, and he didn't know when she would return.

Not lingering, Chen Xiang rose and said before departing,

"As you mentioned, the gods are stirring, and chaos may not be far off. I need you to devise a plan, a response plan. I hope to receive it at the next council meeting."

As he finished speaking, he gradually faded away, the mist swirling and contracting, coalescing into a point before dissipating.

The three councilors stared at the faint mist left on the high-backed bronze throne, speechless for a long time.

No one questioned their mentor's almost authoritative words.

It seemed it was meant to be.

"Mentor... He might far exceed our imagination," the Prophet said solemnly. "Wandering freely in the subspace, he can meet the Greatest One and even the Greatest of the Greatest, not to mention the last disturbance of the Red Moon..."

The First One nodded slightly:

"This is a good thing... Once we reclaim the altar, it will also be time to re-elect the Speaker."

The Prophet and the Emperor nodded silently.

………………

In a secret chamber.

Chen Xiang emerged from the void, his vast consciousness sensing that Little Wei had not yet returned.

He let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the corner of the secret chamber, frowning in deep thought.

The information was overwhelming.

With various dimensions and the gods stirring, the truth about their descent...

The most crucial point was the First One.

He said he was lying in wait at home.

Had he been there for a long time, or just recently arrived?

If it was the former...

Chen Xiang recalled the madman's words and thought about Little Saren.

He pondered for a moment and softly asked,

"Mirror, do you know about the so-called **Reality Taboo**?"

"I do."

The Mirror replied respectfully:

"As the three just mentioned, gods descend part of their soul or limbs into a vessel, which, bearing divine power and position with a non-divine body, becomes a Reality Taboo."

After a pause, it strained to remember:

"Similar to forbidden items, these are related to the gods, but because they are alive, they are called taboos rather than ‘items'... I vaguely recall one or two from my fragmented memories."

"Who are they?"

"One is the culprit behind the birth of the Mist Sea—the Mist Captain; he is the greatest taboo at sea. The other is the terrifying Scarecrow, who resides atop a mountain, turning every living being he sees into a Scarecrow, making them his kin..."

Chen Xiang frowned slightly:

"Aren't they gods?"

"The vessel descended from part of a god's soul naturally follows the god's will, while a vessel descended from a god's limb has its own will but will absolutely obey the god's commands."

The Mirror explained softly:

"If I remember correctly, every taboo has the ability to drag a tiny part of reality into other dimensions. Although a single taboo's progress in dragging reality is slow, it adds up over time..."

"I understand."

Chen Xiang exhaled slowly, taking out his phone to try calling his sister and second brother, but there was still no signal.

However, since the First One said he was present, there shouldn't be any major problems... The only question was, who exactly was the First One??

Chen Xiang felt a strong possibility about Little Saren.

Little Saren's arrival was too sudden, assigned by the police station; reflecting on it now, it felt somewhat strange...

Could it be him?

He left the secret chamber and walked to the window, gazing at the vast time-space rift in the distance, observing the collapsed buildings and listening to the roar of the flood, feeling a slight tremor in his heart.

In a sense, all of this...

Was initiated by him.

The Eighth Ring, where he had lived for eighteen years, was gone.

Chen Xiang felt a sense of inexplicable loss.

Amidst the loss,

He saw a figure approaching through the flood— it was Little Wei, but she was carrying a large burlap sack?

Hadn't she gone to pick someone up?

In shock,

Wei Qingqiu jumped through the window, carefully placing the sack on the ground before letting out a breath.

"What is this?" Chen Xiang asked curiously.

"A new council member, a new ancient messenger... um, not just yet; we need to report to our Speaker first."

As she spoke, she untied the sack, revealing a familiar, withered face to Chen Xiang.

"Professor Su Luo?" he exclaimed, about to say something when suddenly, the sound of an engine roared from outside the window.

It was an air vehicle, descending.

Chen Xiang and Little Wei exchanged worried glances.