Knowledge, information, essence.

Chen Xiang was perceiving everything.

He could clearly "see" the operational principles of the time loop runes and the essence of time's existence, though he could only see but not fully understand;

he glimpsed a wealth of information surrounding Professor Su, but ultimately, he wasn't the all-seeing eye and could only perceive a portion of Professor Su's blurred past, presented purely as information.

A plethora of complex and endless information filled Chen Xiang's vision, saturating his mental world.

He felt a throbbing headache... so exhausting.

Upon opening the Eye of the Thinker, Chen Xiang distinctly felt a fatigue deep in his soul; the sheer volume of information was overwhelming, vastly different from when he borrowed Li Xiaotong's perspective.

It was that his soul's origin wasn't strong enough.

No, this was just one reason; he realized he could see much more now than he could back then through Li Xiaotong's eyes... he understood.

He focused on slightly constraining the Eye of the Thinker, and the things he "saw" became much more manageable, yet it still surpassed the information perceived through Li Xiaotong's perspective.

As he further restrained it, he finally synced with Li Xiaotong's view, and the fatigue in his soul gradually dissipated.

"So that's how it is."

Completely liberating the Eye of the Thinker allowed one to discern the essence of all things based on the strength of their soul's origin, tracing back to past information.

Chen Xiang even suspected that if the strength of one's soul's origin were high enough, this eye could perceive the future or, in other words, deduce it.

When every particle in the universe's trajectory is grasped, predicting the future isn't a difficult task.

If one merely partially liberated it, they could still perceive the information and essence of things within the strength of their soul but wouldn't be able to further analyze the past or future;

a basic release would resemble Li Xiaotong's state... not much consumption, but the complex information still induced a headache.

It seemed better to maintain some restraint in daily life.

To truly unleash the power of the Eye of the Thinker, one needed to enhance the strength of their soul's origin... hmm, he should give Da Hei Niu more ghosts; it should still be able to handle it!

Chen Xiang exhaled slowly, retracting the third eye filled with a ripping and vast power, leaving his forehead smooth again, as the ethereal divine presence gradually faded, and the stagnant air began to flow once more.

He glanced at the still-sleeping Professor Su, noting that the information gleaned from the Eye of the Thinker indicated that Professor Su wouldn't remain unconscious for long... time to add some fuel.

The mirror summoned over a hundred ghosts, igniting them in black flames. The ghosts were burned to pure essence, the pure essence then passed on to Professor Su.

In just a moment, the withered old man stirred, coughing violently, struggling to open his eyes.

"Where... am I?" Professor Su looked around in confusion.

"In a secret chamber." Chen Xiang helped the old man up and briefly explained the current situation, reminding him, "You are now classified as a cultist, wanted citywide; for now, you can only stay in this secret chamber."

"I... actually survived?"

Professor Su chuckled bitterly, "That's quite a pleasant surprise."

Chen Xiang smiled and said, "It was another ancient messenger who brought you here..."

After a pause, he extended an invitation to Professor Su, just as Wei Qingqiu had once invited him.

Chen Xiang briefly introduced the distinctions between sparks, messengers, apostles, and council members, and solemnly said, "On behalf of the Old Council, I invite you to become a new ‘Ancient Messenger.' During the resurrection of the Old Ones, you may witness it firsthand."

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As expected, the weary-looking Professor Su nodded decisively, accepting the invitation.

In Winter City, when responding to the doubts of the Supremes, he had already turned his heart toward the Old Ones.

"The floating car from the Giant Academy has likely arrived; I cannot linger. I will come to see you again once the council approves it."

Chen Xiang stood up, preparing to leave, and thoughtfully asked, "I have one more question for you... Do you understand the Forbidden?"

"The Forbidden?" Professor Su's voice was hoarse, his throat nearly scorched from the previous flames, making it difficult to recover.

He asked, "Are you referring to forbidden objects or the reality of the Forbidden?"

"Reality of the Forbidden."

Professor Su softly explained: "Naturally, I understand. The concept of the Forbidden is complex, varying in strength, but all possess god-like, astonishing qualities. They are all the products of true gods performing ‘soul descent' or ‘body descent.'

The former involves the will of a god controlling a body, while the latter is one's own will controlling a body, but remaining absolutely submissive to the god... more like a divine agent.

In comparison, soul descent is exceedingly rare for unknown reasons; the vast majority of existing Forbidden are the products of body descent."

After a pause, Professor Su added softly, "Reality Forbidden is actually more akin to terrifying legends; gods require belief, and such god-like beings are quite similar, growing stronger the more widely they are spread, which is why various nations try hard to conceal their existence..."

Chen Xiang listened quietly, his mind racing; reality Forbidden being akin to terrifying legends? The more widely they spread, the stronger they become...

He recalled the conclusions this withered old man had drawn from his previous research on the Old Ones.

"When everyone in reality chants the name of Emperor Titan, He shall return."

In a way, there seemed to be similarities between the two... was it a coincidence, or was there a deeper reason?

Professor Su continued, "I once personally encountered the third-ranked reality Forbidden—the captain who eternally sails in the misty sea."

Saying this, a serious expression crossed Professor Su's face:

"He, or rather, it, is the only friendly Forbidden, but still fearsome, exceeding my imagination; perhaps it can even be compared to a true god?"

Chen Xiang pondered; if he desired to become a reality Forbidden by taking the initiative, he needed to understand more. He curiously asked, "Is there a ranking for the reality Forbidden?"

"Only the top five are recognized, all terrifying legends comparable to true gods."

Professor Su coughed weakly, briefly narrating in a fatigued manner: "The fifth is called the Terrifying Scarecrow, symbolizing the most ancient fears, accompanied by countless harbingers of death. It stands in high mountains or wheat fields, and when it swings its sickle, disaster strikes."

He paused for a moment, speaking more quickly and concisely:

"The fourth-ranked Forbidden, recognized, is called the End Nightmare, rarely appearing in the world, almost merely a terrifying legend. The third is the Mist Captain I once encountered; it's said He broke free from divine control, and the Misty Sea arose because of Him."

Broke free from divine control?

Chen Xiang nodded slightly. It seemed that the Mist Captain must be a product of a certain deity's **body descent**, possessing self-will, surprising that He could break free from the shackles...

"The second Forbidden is the originator of the Fallen Nation's Spirit Realm descent; He is called the Deep Space Star Spirit. No one has seen Him, and those who have are already dead."

Listening intently, Chen Xiang curiously asked, "What about the first? Has anyone seen Him?"

"Quite the opposite..."

Professor Su leaned against the wall, struggling with his frail body, and said with difficulty:

"The first-ranked Forbidden is omnipresent... I cannot describe it, cannot speak of it; once I do, I may be watched by Him!"

Chen Xiang was taken aback.

Omnipresent... what does that mean?

Seeing that Professor Su was reluctant to elaborate, he refrained from probing further and quickly organized the newly acquired information in his mind.

The Forbidden are strong and weak, more like terrifying legends, with their strength depending on the degree of their legend. Clearly, they are merely products of true gods' descent used to break the curse of Emperor Titan, yet the strongest of these Forbidden can even rival true gods!

After pondering for a moment, Chen Xiang noticed Professor Su's extreme fatigue. He suppressed his many questions and, after expressing his gratitude, hurriedly left the secret chamber.

The floating car was probably getting anxious.

Upon reaching the living room, the floating car was hovering outside the window, the driver yawning in boredom. Hearing footsteps, he quickly leaned out:

"Mr. Chen!"

He respectfully said, "I'm here to take you to the Seven Rings!"

"Let's go." Chen Xiang replied softly.

The driver nodded respectfully, a hint of confusion on his face; he felt that today's Mr. Chen was somewhat different from yesterday.

There was a new air about him.

This aura carried a unique majesty, indescribable, reminiscent of the feeling when gazing upon the great statue of the death deity in the Cathedral of Death.

………………

The floating car soon arrived above the Seven Rings.

"When will the signal be restored?" Chen Xiang asked, feeling bored.

"Mr. Chen, that's hard to say."

The driver shook his head: "It seems the underground satellites have been destroyed and are being rebuilt. Before the reconstruction, there probably won't be any signals in the outer and middle three rings..."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and handed over a document:

"Oh, Mr. Chen, this is the information on the Seven Rings Construction; you can take a look at it first. The director instructed me to assist you in fully taking over the construction group."

Just as Chen Xiang took the document and was about to skim through it,

‘Boom!!!'

A deafening explosion shook the air!

He turned in shock, looking through the window, clearly seeing a mushroom cloud rising from a large factory...

The floating car rocked violently in the gust from the explosion.