Chapter 20: Preaching (New Book Seeking Support)

Mystery of the Calamity, Main Volume, Chapter 20: Preaching in Black Sun Town.

This place was originally just an ordinary small town, later occupied by the Black Sun Cult and transformed into the Cult's headquarters.

Thousands of believers gathered here, even forming patrol squads led by the 'Burning Son' of the Cult, who were responsible for clearing out nearby Dangerous Species and other monsters, forcibly carving out a massive encampment in the midst of the apocalypse.

Aaron had previously followed the prisoner convoy all the way to the town, and only logged off after confirming the Cult's stronghold.

Entering the dream at this time, he naturally arrived inside Black Sun Town.

"Black Sun... I wonder if It can discover me?"

"Although this is just a cult cobbled together by a group of people blindly worshipping It, for the sake of caution, I shouldn't easily approach the sacrificial site..."

Aaron spent some time wandering through Black Sun Town and immediately found Xiu, Aike, and their group.

They were imprisoned inside a stone house, but they had not been mistreated.

"Move! The High Priest is about to preach; it is an supreme honor for you to receive such grace!"

A person in black robes took out a key and opened the cell door.

Xiu walked out, eyes narrowing slightly, emitting a dangerous light, but looking at the believers gathering from all directions, she very wisely chose not to resist.

On the town square in the center of the town, thousands of people soon gathered, many of whom had confused expressions, while some still carried hatred, clearly Scavengers who had been captured.

"Silence!"

The High Priest slowly walked onto the high platform and pressed down with his palms.

An invisible pressure descended, and the scene instantly became deathly silent.

The High Priest smiled with satisfaction and said loudly: "Praise our Lord!"

"Praise our Lord!"

A large number of Black Sun Cult members responded, their expressions pious and fanatical.

"Sing praises to our Lord!"

"Bow before our Lord!"

After three rounds of cheers and responses, the High Priest's expression became solemn: "Our Lord, the 【Black Sun】, is the Lord of the Eclipse, the Undying Sun, and the only Jiusu in this world!"

"He was born from the sun and is the sovereign in the sky!"

"He commands the flames, holds the gates of life and death, and wears a triple crown..."

"Only by strictly adhering to the Taoism of Darkness can we continuously draw closer to Him!"

Within the words, there seemed to be a certain fanaticism; Aaron noticed that even those Scavengers who were originally hostile had expressions that gradually softened.

"The Great Catastrophe is the end of the world, the judgment, and the trial given to us by the Creator! Our Lord is merciful, granting Jiusu to the world, opening the path, and leading us to His kingdom!"

"... To become extraordinary, one must awaken Spirituality! Spirituality is the cornerstone of the extraordinary!"

"Where does Spirituality come from? Spirituality is everywhere! It exists in all things; it was dormant before, and it needs to be awakened!"

"It is Sublimation; it is Darkness!"

"Darkness is the symbol of destruction and Sublimation; it can make us Unburnt. To awaken the Dark Spirit, one must first burn oneself, sacrifice our flesh and blood, cross the three great gates, and undergo the Eclipse Ritual. Those who complete it will be emaciated, but this is also a great achievement!"

Aaron's expression changed repeatedly: "This High Priest really has something; he actually spoke of the secrets of the extraordinary."

This was the true mystery of power, a precious Secret Transmission; even Xiu was listening with rapt attention at this moment.

"Perhaps this is the usual method the Black Sun Cult uses to recruit people..."

Aaron analyzed calmly: "Spirituality awakening, gathering, achieving the extraordinary—is this the extraordinary path of this world?"

"Hmm, it seems there is more than one type of Spirituality, which means there is more than one path!"

"But within the Black Sun Cult, they will of course promote that 'Darkness' path! Preaching requires it, after all..."

Aaron felt he had roughly understood the entry point to the Black Sun Cult's extraordinary path.

According to their theory, Spirituality exists in all things, and naturally, it also exists within every person's body.

To become extraordinary, one needs to constantly stimulate the Spirituality, make it awaken, and then strengthen it through a series of Rituals and means!

Once the Spirituality is concentrated to a certain stage, after undergoing a Ritual, one can completely achieve the extraordinary!

"This doesn't look like a theory that mortals could organize in a short time at all."

Aaron's expression became incomparably grave: "It seems, is this information obtained from the Black Sun?"

The Black Sun Cult worships the Black Sun and will inevitably be constantly immersed in the ravings of the Black Sun.

And such a terrifying existence is simply the Mysterious itself, so it would naturally leak some Mysterious knowledge.

And then, after organizing it, it probably looks like this.

As for how many people the Black Sun Cult drove insane to obtain this data, Aaron could hardly imagine.

"Priest, I... I am willing to join the Cult!"

A homeless man stumbled and crawled to the edge of the high platform, his expression pious and fanatical.

"Child, welcome to becoming a member of the 'Unburnt'!"

The High Priest personally helped him up with a warm smile on his face: "After entering the Cult, everyone is a brother or sister... Next, I will teach you the 'Unburnt Ritual'; it will make you gradually awaken the Dark Spirit and thus become a person like me."

"Wuu wuu..."

The homeless man cried directly: "I want to gain power, I want to take revenge for my parents and children, even if it means falling into the Abyss!"

Power!

In the apocalypse, it appears increasingly important.

And revenge is the flame that incites emotions!

Suddenly, among the Scavengers, several more people stood up and loudly declared their willingness to submit.

The Black Sun Cult refused no one and accepted them all.

Seeing this scene, even Aike felt a bit stirred.

He also wanted to obtain extraordinary power to protect everything he cherished!

Xiu held the two siblings tightly and lowered his voice: "You must be careful of this person. In the apocalypse, everyone is a madman, just to varying degrees... I don't believe he is that selfless, like a saint; he must be plotting some conspiracy!"

Aaron watched this group of people, feeling that they would not be able to hold out for long and would soon throw themselves into the embrace of the Black Sun Cult.

However, this did not matter.

What made him even more pleased was that the High Priest personally explained the extraordinary path to those who had surrendered.

According to the other party, the 'Unburnt' has a total of three stages; at the very beginning, one needs to awaken the Dark Spirit within the body through constant Breathing Technique and Meditation practice, as well as the stimulation of flame scorching.

Aaron saw many Black Sun Cult members with burn scars, who were likely injured because of this, though they called it 'Stigmata'.

And to embark on the extraordinary path requires a certain aptitude; many 'Unburnt' remain stuck at this stage, and some have even burned themselves to death without being able to advance.

However, this still could not stop a large number of Cult members from embarking on this path.