[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-262":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269908,4431,"Chapter 262: Reunion","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-262",262,"\u003Cp>When the storm came, the coastal residents realized they were unprepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The existence of the Mirror Demon truly shattered certain balances and tacit understandings, exposing the evil entities lurking in shadows to ordinary citizens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We should shut down the Mirror Demon! The existence of Beasts should not be revealed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beasts and Beast-Touched are two sides of the same coin; merely knowing the knowledge and secrets surrounding them would cause severe instability and negative impacts on the entire Beast-Touched society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we still hide it? We’re already in the Magic Tide period—Beasts are destined to become our enemies. Contrary to past practices, we should publicly disseminate limited knowledge about Beasts within safe limits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “knowledge” of Beast-Touched and Outer Gods is poisonous, but the direction of its toxicity is entirely different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you forgotten the bloodshed in Dongnan City, or the Star Kingdom that has already fallen into the Black Forest? Widespread dissemination of Beast knowledge is absolutely impossible! Absolutely!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beast-Touched instinctively trace their bloodline origins; shedding morality and humanity to reclaim bestial nature is a craving and an uncontrollable desire. Acquiring such knowledge serves as a “guide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It signifies a possibility, a direction—some Beast-Touched who cannot stop themselves step on the accelerator and fully descend into Beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With just a spark, one can gain unstoppable power and instantly rise from an ordinary person to a high-level transcendent. How many could resist such temptation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world is clearly unjust, and if this knowledge spreads widely, it would be more terrifying than everyone armed during the Catastrophe Era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Think of what the victims, the desperate, the ambitious, the oppressors, and the oppressed would do—it’s enough to make one despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knowledge of Beasts has always been strictly controlled—it’s a lesson from history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless ambitious souls who sought shortcuts met tragic ends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Short-term gains often lead to total collapse—that’s history’s lesson. If widely spread, it would inevitably trigger societal upheaval leading to national collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the madness of bestial nature, the light of humanity easily fades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re also using this opportunity to spread propaganda.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Missionaries have appeared in many regions, carrying signs and flyers proclaiming ‘The End Is Near’ and ‘The Day of Return Has Come,’ spreading their message everywhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Order the Knights to act and eliminate these missionaries.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s difficult. The commoners in the docks live in misery; the slaves even more so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In times of chaos, all kinds of cultists naturally emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, alongside the underground’s Horned Ones striking out, the many hidden forces within Huicheng launched a full-scale offensive—the Beast Cult had operated in this city too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would be the consequence of societal collapse, yet could also become the cause of moral and legal breakdown—but reality was slightly better than these noble lords imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyone spreading faith outside the Good Deity Church shall be deemed a cultist and permitted immediate Exorcism and Execution!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The docks, expected to be the worst nightmare—infested with cultists and rioters—somehow held firm this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a former assassin turned female police officer sensed something was wrong, she directly contacted the local “crime boss”—and the first to move was the Bone Shatter Gang of the docks. The dockside police station was beyond reliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Dimon’s leadership, the “Weavers’ Knight Order” set out immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the cooperation of certain constables, the extremely rare “Commoner Holy Knight Order” took over law enforcement in several districts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Investigate Evil!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judgment of the Sin Realm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Red-Red villains! Taste my Exorcism Strike!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, this was the Holy Knights’ usual method of enforcement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In chaotic zones, don’t expect them to follow rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were there wrongful killings? Of course—most were wrongful killings. The villains in the docks outnumbered ants in an anthill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for the Holy Knights, if someone was already a crimson villain—with both “morality” and “crimes” flashing red—they would execute first and ask questions later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They certainly faced strong resistance; though small and chaotic, the docks teemed with all manner of monsters and demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if a powerful evil appeared…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evil! Face the punishment of Divine Fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a roar, a spear of flame pierced the sky and fell like a meteor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chain of explosions, fueled by Divine Fire, turned the resistors to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>",698,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9dffe81ce1878b7ee84b87705ca84c06fcd5d8a2f801bc88cea1198fa4617a70","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-263","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-261",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]