The old man sat on the sofa, his face twitching.

"Feeling heartbroken?" A frail voice echoed, as another Dean Wang appeared seemingly from nowhere.

"That little brat is indeed greedy, but it's fine; everything will yield greater returns."

The Titan Dean rubbed his temples:

"I really don't know if collaborating with you is right or wrong, but you're bold to approach me directly."

"If it weren't for the incident in the Eighth Ring, we wouldn't seek your cooperation. What's wrong with this collaboration?"

The orphanage dean said calmly:

"You provide us with a perfect vessel to welcome the divine, to transform into a **Great Taboo**."

"And we give you a legitimate opportunity to enter the Ninth Ring, helping you complete the **Death Ceremony** at the Holy Luo Square, obtaining the Domain of Death, and stepping onto the ladder of divinity…"

"A mutually beneficial affair."

Upon hearing this, the Titan Dean nodded slightly and reminded,

"Let's make it clear; you still owe us a section of that true god's finger bone."

"No problem. A finger bone in exchange for an unprecedented perfect vessel is certainly worth it," they both chuckled, and then walked away side by side.

After they left, a shadow in the office began to stir slightly.

……………

"I see."

Returning to the secret chamber of the Eighth Ring, Chen Xiang confirmed that Professor Su Luo was still unconscious. He retracted a part of his shadow and sighed softly.

"This is a good thing."

The mirror suddenly spoke.

"Why not take this opportunity…"

"To become a taboo?"

Chen Xiang's expression shifted:

"What do you mean?"

The mirror explained quietly:

"That tiny ant wants you to be a vessel, to carry the soul of the god or a part of its secondary body, right? Whichever it is, you could turn the tables and absorb that part of the god's essence, resonating with the rules and becoming a real taboo."

Turn the tables? Become a taboo?

Chen Xiang's eyes lit up slightly:

"What do I need to do?"

"How would I know?" The mirror replied straightforwardly.

Chen Xiang's mouth twitched, fighting the urge to hit the mirror, gritting his teeth:

"So you want me to turn the tables??"

The mirror chuckled:

"I only know this is feasible. Your soul's origin is above all; if part of its soul descends, you can directly devour it. As for a secondary body descending…"

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After a moment, the mirror continued:

"As long as your body's status is above that secondary body, it's fine."

Chen Xiang furrowed his brow:

"What does ‘secondary body' mean?"

"Gods' true bodies have already become corpses, scattered in reality, so they will naturally construct new bodies for themselves. These new bodies are considered sub-bodies; I prefer to call them secondary bodies."

"You seem to know quite a bit…"

"In response to your remark, it suddenly came to mind."

Chen Xiang pondered:

"A body's status above a god? How could that be possible? Are you referring to the ancient rituals that old fox mentioned?"

"Exactly!"

The mirror said cheerfully:

"If that old fox really uses the brain marrow of the Seven-Headed Hell Hound, the roots of the Immortal Tree, and even the blood of the Lord of Death, your body could at least rival a saint or even a Celestial Envoy, and your status could leap to compare with a false god!"

Chen Xiang contemplated this:

"But even so, that's still far from a true god, right?"

"Why not secretly add some extra power?"

"Oh?"

Chen Xiang's thoughts scattered; extra power…

He recalled the wooden house from his dreams. Since he could bring things out of the dream, could he bring blood?

The blood of the little dwarf, or even his own blood from the dream?

Chen Xiang smiled.

"Mirror, you've done well. This might really work: turning the tables and becoming a taboo... If I do this, will I still be human?"

The mirror looked puzzled:

"What makes you think you are human?"

Chen Xiang was momentarily speechless.

After a while, he shook his head and murmured:

"What exactly is a taboo…"

Chen Xiang checked Professor Su Luo's condition. His spirit was weak, his body severely injured, and he was in a deep coma.

The mirror interjected:

"Despite the reality's suppression, he's too close to the Outer God's weapon, causing his soul to be heavily damaged."

Chen Xiang frowned:

"How can I make up for this? Can I use the **god** I obtained from the Black Flame on Professor Su?"

"In response to your question, I don't know, but it seems feasible. The Lord of the Abyss can directly bestow divinity, greatly enhancing a being's vitality."

"Okay, I'll try that later."

Leaning against the corner of the secret chamber, Chen Xiang reinforced a time loop rune, then closed his eyes, gradually falling into a dream.

……………

In the Seventh Ring, in a certain dark alley.

"**The Fourteenth.**"

Chen Shaoyan's sharp knife glided across a young man's neck, blood spraying.

She felt somewhat exhausted:

"Axin, we're being watched; the pursuers are increasing…"

Chen Xin covered Silly Girl's eyes, frowning:

"Sister, we underestimated things; the entire underground forces of the Seventh Ring have been unified by that so-called Seventh Ring Construction… We're in big trouble now. What should we do?"

Leaning against the blood-stained wall, Chen Shaoyan closed her eyes and said:

"There are three options. First, find the gatekeeper; second, go to the Governance Office to register your identity."

After a pause, she added:

"The first is a matter of luck. The Seventh Ring is chaotic, and the signals haven't restored, so finding the gatekeeper is like searching for a needle in a haystack; the second option is too uncertain. The unified underground forces in the Seventh Ring must be in cahoots with the Governance Office. If we go there, we might be walking into a trap."

Chen Xin felt helpless:

"What about the third option?"

"Let the gatekeeper find us."

"Huh?" Chen Xin looked confused:

"Sister, I don't understand what you mean."

Chen Shaoyan spoke decisively:

"Make ourselves known in the Seventh Ring, let our names echo here, and the gatekeeper will naturally come looking for us."

Chen Xin was even more bewildered:

"How… how do we do that?"

"Set off fireworks and take revenge."

Chen Shaoyan gazed into the distance at the large chemical factory belonging to the Seventh Ring Construction, lowering her brow:

"Big fireworks."

……………

Chen Xiang opened his eyes to the familiar misty sky, colors swirling in indescribable chaos, forming turbulent vortices.

"Don't blow the horn."

He got up, quickly silencing the foolish horn, and turned to Dui beside him:

"Are there any high-level biological remains in the wooden house? Or sharp tools that can cut my skin?"

Dui looked a bit confused, nodding then shaking his head:

"For the first, yes; for the second, no."

Chen Xiang furrowed his brow slightly, then decisively said:

"Let's go to the wooden house."

"Okay, dear!"

Under the puzzled gaze of the other six little dwarfs, Chen Xiang and Dui opened the door and walked into the wooden house, which was as empty as ever.

"Let me see…" Dui murmured, adjusting his empty glasses, extending a hand to pinch a dust particle invisible to the naked eye, while Han entered and blew a breath.

The particle expanded into a dog's corpse.

Chen Xiang was slightly stunned; the ‘dog' had nine heads, each pierced by an arrow, the whole body black, and flames still flickering around its feet.

This wasn't abyssal black flames, but an unknown fire.

"Let me see… hmm, this is called the Nine-Headed Hell Hound," Dui seemed to be reading the information from the dog's corpse and recited,

"One of the ancient ancestors of hell hounds. This wasn't a sacrifice; it was sent by **Mang**… it's been a long time since Mang sent anything."

"**Mang**?"

Chen Xiang turned to ask.