After arriving at the capital airport, they changed vehicles and continued toward the research institute.
It was already nighttime.
Xu Muchan lowered the car window and looked outside, discovering that there were many more armed police patrols and vehicles on the roads. However, the streets were not nearly as deserted as those in Jiangcheng. Vehicles and pedestrians were still as crowded as usual.
After all, this was the capital.
Although abnormal incidents were occurring frequently, the panic online had not yet spread on a large scale into the real world.
When they arrived at the research institute, Xu Muchan said goodbye to Pan Minghui and the others and was taken to a conference room by a staff member.
Only on the way there did Xu Muchan learn from the staff member that He Yunyi and several others had already been waiting for him for the entire evening.
All the blinds in the conference room had been lowered.
When Xu Muchan pushed open the door, he discovered that quite a few people were sitting inside.
Besides familiar faces such as He Yunyi, Jin Qingqing, and Chai Ming, there were also several very old men sitting beside He Yunyi.
The moment Xu Muchan entered, everyone’s eyes turned toward him in unison.
If Xu Muchan had merely been an ordinary high school student, perhaps the oppressive gazes alone would have been enough to make him lose his nerve.
But he was no longer an ordinary person.
And compared with the pressure he felt, the others seemed even more astonished when they saw his appearance.
Xu Muchan took the only empty seat in the conference room.
Beside him, Jin Qingqing looked at him with concern.
“Captain Pan said something went wrong when he came to pick you up. What happened to you? How did your face end up like this?”
Xu Muchan had had plenty of time to consider his words during the journey.
Hearing Jin Qingqing’s question, he followed the opening naturally.
“After returning from Yundong, I went back to my residence. That night, I encountered a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.”
“A Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?”
The term, something normally seen only in television dramas and novels, left everyone exchanging glances.
But Xu Muchan’s identity was no secret. Everyone who could sit in this room knew that he was not an ordinary person, but an extremely dangerous Ghost King.
“What do you mean?” He Yunyi finally asked.
Xu Muchan spoke slowly.
“You should have heard about Jiangcheng’s current situation. ‘A Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’ means exactly what it sounds like. Last night, I saw many ghosts and evil entities appearing. They gathered together and headed in the same direction…”
Before anyone else could ask, he continued.
“…Out of curiosity, I followed them. And then I saw the real Black River.”
“I obtained some information from the Black River.”
He did not rush to reveal everything all at once.
Xu Muchan’s gaze slowly swept across everyone in the room, taking in every change in their expressions and emotions.
Although the events involving the Ouyang family had caused Xu Muchan to choose to trust He Yunyi and decide to cooperate with the research institute, He Yunyi was ultimately only the director of the Black River Research Institute.
After what had happened with the Ouyang family, Xu Muchan still maintained his suspicions.
Everyone present wore different expressions.
Most were worried and startled, and their concerns were not all focused on the same things.
He Yunyi pressed him.
“The Black River? You saw the Black River?”
The old man sitting beside He Yunyi asked in a gentle voice,
“What… information?”
One pair of eyes after another turned toward Xu Muchan.
Xu Muchan said,
“Information concerning the source of the recent water contamination in various regions, as well as… the final flood tide.”
That single sentence contained an astonishing amount of information.
For a moment, He Yunyi and the several old men were speechless.
Instead, a young man dressed like a Taoist priest sitting at the very end exclaimed delightedly,
“You found the source of the water contamination? That’s wonderful! Everyone has been running themselves ragged lately trying to stop the contamination from spreading, but all we’ve been doing is treating the symptoms rather than the root cause… If we can solve it at the source, that would be ideal…”
But as he continued speaking, he seemed to notice the grave expressions on everyone else’s faces and gradually fell silent.
Uneasily, he looked at the others in the conference room.
“You mentioned the Black River. Is the source of the water contamination related to the Black River?” Chai Ming asked bluntly.
“What does ‘final flood tide’ mean?” He Yunyi asked next.
“The final flood tide is the reason the rivers in various places are being contaminated now.”
Xu Muchan said,
“Through the Black River, I saw its origin. The reason water sources in various places are now being contaminated by Black Taisui is that the Black River is calling back all the gods and ghosts that were once born from it.
“The Black River is consciously accumulating its strength.
“When these gods and ghosts merge with the Black River and its power reaches its peak, the final flood tide will arrive.”
“Its power may be enough to wipe out the entire human civilization.”
“Wait, isn’t that a little too exaggerated? Why does it sound like the end of the world?” Chai Ming tried to break the heavy atmosphere.
But not a single person present could relax.
His own expression gradually tightened as well.
Looking at Xu Muchan, who remained silent with his lips pressed together, he murmured,
“Could it really be the end of the world?”
Xu Muchan said,
“All I can say is that the scope of the final flood tide, as well as the harm it will cause, will far exceed that of any flood tide in recorded history.”
“Do you have any definite evidence for what you’re saying?”
Another old man, who had remained silent until now, fixed a sharp gaze on Xu Muchan.
He Yunyi had never introduced the identities of these people, but judging from the man’s seat and the imposing authority accumulated from years in a position of power, Xu Muchan could guess that he was most likely a higher-ranking leader.
Xu Muchan met the old man’s gaze and shook his head.
“No.”
The old man frowned and said heavily,
“According to what you’re saying, the final flood tide may affect the entire course of human civilization. Yet you can’t provide any evidence. How are we supposed to believe you?”
“Little fellow, this concerns far too many people. We cannot take action based solely on your word. If the final flood tide you described ultimately does not occur, the manpower, resources, and money wasted would be immeasurable. No one can bear that responsibility.”
The old man’s words made perfect sense, but Xu Muchan had not come to the capital to persuade them. Facing the other man’s solemn gaze, he slowly shook his head again.
“I’m not saying all this because I want to convince you. I want to cooperate with you.”
“Cooperate? What kind of cooperation?” He Yunyi frowned.
Xu Muchan said, “Based on the information I obtained, the final flood tide requires an enormous amount of power. The reason the Black River is so turbulent now, and why supernatural incidents are occurring frequently everywhere, is because the Black River’s current power—or energy, if you will—is far from sufficient. So it has begun summoning all the gods and ghosts that were once born from within it. Only after all those forces that once separated from its body return will the final flood tide arrive.”
“Ordinary people—even the military—have no way of fighting the Black River. It’s like how humanity still has no way to fight natural disasters. If we want to stop the final flood tide from arriving, the only thing we can do is find a way to prevent the gods and ghosts from continuing to return to the Black River. If the Black River cannot accumulate enough power, then naturally, the final flood tide will not arrive.”
Of course, there was actually one crucial element missing from this explanation: the existence of the incarnation of the Black River.
But that involved Wei Xilou. Even when facing He Yunyi and the others, Xu Muchan had no intention of revealing everything.
“According to what you’re saying, as long as we prevent those gods and ghosts from returning to the Black River, we can resolve the threat of the final flood tide. But that sounds simple. In practice, it would be extremely difficult. It’s almost an impossible task.”
The middle-aged man speaking sat opposite Xu Muchan. He was a senior member of the Religious Association.
The Religious Association governed all the sects of the esoteric schools. During this period, water contamination had caused supernatural incidents to occur frequently across the country, and everyone in the Religious Association had been so busy that their feet barely touched the ground. They understood the situation across the country better than anyone.
Quite a few people within the Religious Association had actually already realized the seriousness of the crisis. Many old men who had retired and withdrawn from the world had come out of seclusion, trying to do whatever they could to help with this disaster.
But reality did not proceed as smoothly as it did in movies and television dramas. When facing natural disasters, humanity could still use the power of technology to fight and obstruct them. But when facing these elusive gods and ghosts, all that remained was helplessness.
Many of these people had spent their entire lives worshiping gods and capturing ghosts, only to discover when the crisis finally arrived that what they had seen was merely the tiniest corner of the truth.
When the cruel reality of this world revealed itself, all they could do was stand helpless.
Xu Muchan looked at him.
“I don’t know much about the esoteric schools, but I have a good relationship with Daoist Yan He of the Mount Lao Sect. I know that many sects worship their own founding masters, as well as certain gods with whom they have a connection. Is that right?”
The man nodded, his expression inexplicably solemn.
“Yes.”
Xu Muchan continued, “Have these gods still been responding to you recently?”
The middle-aged man’s expression changed slightly. He stared wide-eyed at Xu Muchan, his lips trembling faintly. After a long while, he finally said hoarsely, “No.”
Any sect that had managed to pass down its traditions through the generations had its own gods whom it worshiped. On ordinary days, these gods accepted incense offerings from their disciples, and when something happened, they were also willing to lend some of their power.
But no one knew when it had started. Even the gods who had once been the easiest to summon had stopped responding.
Having the gods they worshiped stop responding to their disciples was not something they could proudly announce to others. At first, everyone kept it hidden, but as time went on, the signs gradually became apparent. When everyone gathered together and compared notes, they discovered that this was not happening to just one sect. Only then did they realize that something was wrong.
The reason disaster relief had been so difficult for them during this period was also because, after losing the protection of the gods, many spells that required borrowing divine power had become ineffective.
Xu Muchan said, “This is the cooperation I’m talking about. I may be able to find a way to help you reestablish contact with these gods. But I can’t take care of so many people by myself, so I need you to select an elite team to enter the source of the Black River with me.”
“When the time comes, you will be responsible for holding a Daoist ritual outside. The larger, the better. Humanity’s faith and spiritual power may be able to help those gods break free from the Black River’s restraints.”
Most of these gods, who had received incense offerings from generation to generation, had deep ties with humanity, and their allegiance also leaned more toward humans—just like Goddess Jinhua, who protected the Wei family.
As long as they were unwilling to return to the Black River, the amount of power the Black River could reclaim would be reduced. Even if this could not completely stop the final flood tide, it could at least delay it.