Chapter 568: Follow 2

No longer stopping to 「watch」 the Ascetic Practitioners' performance on the stage.

According to the officer's introduction, these Ascetic Practitioners are all heretical ways.

The correct, ancient ascetic method ought to be the pilgrim Lin An saw.

Through a great amount of time, ascetic practice gains strength.

Rather than relying on self-harm and self-torture to express one's determination.

Just as I am not afraid of death, it means that death cannot destroy my conviction.

The power of conviction seems to be the source of the Ascetic Practitioners' strength.

Along the way.

Lin An, while extending his mental power to observe the fortress's interior, also continually asked the officer for information.

Thanks to the system's cover.

The officer became like a simpleton.

Lin An asks what, and he answers what.

In the question-and-answer, Lin An also outlined a rough picture of the entire secret realm world:

The Great Xia Dynasty, established a thousand years ago.

Before that, the entire *** world was divided into several great empires, warring with each other.

However.

The specific time is unknown.

On an unknowable certain day, blood zombies suddenly appeared, causing a catastrophe.

Like the apocalypse in the real world.

The initial dynasty collapsed, humanity was massacred by blood zombies, facing imminent danger.

Facing blood zombies whose individual strength had reached First Level and who mastered strange technological weapons, humanity had no power to resist.

The empire's cavalry trembled under artillery fire; the bravest general died miserably in the mouths of the corpses.

When the former emperor became a zombie among the zombies, the initial empire collapsed.

When humanity was on the brink of extinction, Ascetic Practitioners appeared.

Under the leadership of Ascetic Practitioners, humanity began to continually counterattack the blood zombies.

This is a tragic survival war.

Fortunately.

In the over-a-thousand-year struggle, humanity finally confined the war against blood zombies to outside the borders.

But being able to do this is already humanity's limit.

Faced with endless blood zombies that seem impossible to kill completely, humanity naturally began encouraging everyone to become Ascetic Practitioners.

Becoming an Ascetic Practitioner not only can fight blood zombies.

In the secret realm's human concept, this is also the supreme honor and the mystery of "eternal life".

Becoming an Ascetic Practitioner, one is not only respected but can even see the Emperor without bowing, with an extraordinarily transcendent status.

Of course, this is also due to the nature of Ascetic Practitioners.

The power of Ascetic Practitioners comes from "steadfast", eternal unchanging conviction.

They cannot lie, cannot do anything against their true hearts.

Otherwise they would lose power and die instantly.

The so-called worldly rights, to enjoy.

For them, it is no less than poison.

And the Great Xia Dynasty, under threat from external enemies, relaxed its control over Ascetic Practitioners.

Even to the present day, Ascetic Practitioners have become half of the dynasty's ruling power.

Under this special restriction's influence, this resulted in the situation Lin An sees.

Ascetic Practitioners, they do not seek pleasure, do not rely on external things, do not care about anything.

Their pursuit is only one: to be steadfast in belief, to strengthen eternal belief to the extreme.

They will only seek the ultimate liberation spoken of by the original Ascetic Practitioners.

Moreover, Ascetic Practitioners are not immortal.

After their rebirth reaches a certain number, they will die completely.

And given the Ascetic Practitioners' "frail" physique, death is too easy.

Taking the previous skirmish as an example, in just a few minutes, that Ascetic Practitioner had already died no less than forty or fifty times.

If he cannot make further progress, in the next battle he will likely die completely.

But there is no way.

Fully armed soldiers, finely forged cavalry can only fight zombies, and even fighting zombies is extremely difficult.

Their only means to resist blood zombies is to forge a "wall" from the flesh and blood of Ascetic Practitioners.

After hearing the officer's heavy narration, Lin An seemed to see a historical scroll, painted with the blood of Ascetic Practitioners covering the dynasty's founding.

How similar it is to the real world.

In the past life, when humanity fought zombies, was it not using the lives of Awakened Ones to fill?

After a silent sigh, Lin An then asked his most doubtful question:

「Why are there human infants among the blood zombies? 」

「Don't you think that's human? 」

「Shouldn't we study them when fighting blood zombies? 」

Lin An remembered clearly: after he killed the blood corpse, those soldiers didn't even glance at the corpse, just tossed it aside.

Although before leaving, he noticed the blood corpse's body structure was dissolving.

This was somewhat similar to the zombies in the Amoeba Worm world.

But obviously, the blood corpse had no ability to absorb spiritual energy.

The guiding officer's steps halted; after a moment of thought he said, somewhat bewildered:

"Infant?"

"An infant like our clansmen?"

"How could you think that?"

"That's a monster!"

"Every blood corpse is exactly the same monster, and the blood seed inside is the same!"

Upon hearing this, Lin An's expression froze, then quickly returned to normal.

Well, I was premature in my assumption, lacking consideration.

Indeed, the idea that blood seeds are infants controlling flesh exoskeleton armor seems utterly absurd, at least to me.

The people here have no idea what flesh exoskeleton armor means.

It's like primitives seeing a firearm and thinking it's magic.

As for infants...

They are monsters.

Just like when he sees a zombie.

Even if a zombie was a cute school belle a second ago, once turned it's a monster.

This doesn't hinder him from chopping off their heads.

In the eyes of the people in this Secret Realm, blood seed is just blood seed, not a human infant.

He chuckled helplessly.

After the cavalry leader finished speaking, he turned back and pointed to a temple-like building ahead.

"Sir, the Ascetic Practitioners' garrison is here."

"You can receive a number, then choose a fortress to garrison."

While speaking, his eyes were full of anticipation.

"Could you choose Fortress No. 7?"

"That's our fortress; you could join us... ah no, would you be willing to lead our team?"

"Sorry, I seemed to have been muddle-headed earlier."

"I actually doubted you..."

Having witnessed Lin An's combat ability differing from other Ascetic Practitioners, the cavalry leader clearly hoped Lin An would join them.

All along he has been earnest and respectful, seeking exactly this.

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers who had been guiding turned their heads in unison, many with pleading faces.

They do not want to die.

Although fighting blood corpses makes death inevitable,

but if Lin An agrees to join, their mortality rate will surely drop greatly.

Looking at several young faces, barely seventeen or eighteen, Zhang Tie's gaze grew complex.

Setting aside their identity as Secret Realm humans, they are actually living people.

During the journey's narration, many young fellows couldn't help telling Xiong Hanzi many stories of their hometowns.

Compared to Lin An's identity as an Ascetic Practitioner, they dared not talk.

And Xiong Hanzi looks like a brave warrior in the army; those with a bit more courage came over to chat a few sentences.

In the conversation,

Many hoped that after discharge they would take their saved money back home, marry and have children.

If they died, they would send the pension back to their elderly parents.

In their view,

Like other Ascetic Practitioners, most serve as meat shields, delaying the blood corpses' work.

Facing the battle aftermath produced by the blood corpses' "flame", Ascetic Practitioners simply cannot withstand.

The few who are strong enough will not join their second-rate mixed infantry-cavalry unit.

Although Lin An's sword looked strange, it must be said, it truly astonished them.

Especially after Lin An revealed he also possesses the ability to foresee battle outcomes (mechanical compass).

A "wild" powerful Ascetic Practitioner, they naturally yearn to follow.

Gazing at the crowd's expectant looks, Lin An neither affirmed nor denied, nodding slightly.

His thoughts were more focused on the temple ahead:

"I will consider..."

Upon hearing this, the crowd burst into joy, couldn't help glancing at each other.

"Sir, then we'll wait outside for you to come out!"

Gazing at the crowd's expectant looks.

Unnoticed, Lin An let out a faint sigh.

Join me, or rather let me "lead" you...

Sorry.

My mission...

You are destined...

You will all die at my hands.