Glorious God Throne

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War wasn’t just a cold word – it symbolized countless lost lives. Even fifty years later, a war that had engulfed the entire world still left indelible scars on many countries of this planet, like the Green Autonomous Region in the northern Chenxing Empire.

This land once belonged to the Green Kingdom, a tiny territory no larger than two districts of the Chenxing Empire, which became cannon fodder as soon as the war began.

Bordering the Chenxing Empire meant that whether the empire tried to expand outward or other countries attempted to occupy its territory, they inevitably had to deal with this tiny nation first.

The weak Green Kingdom predictably vanished in that war. Its once-prosperous lands became a battlefield fought over by other countries, destroyed by heavy weapons beyond recognition. This region was subsequently incorporated into the Chenxing Empire.

However, the war left many problems in this land. Whether it was those who still refused to accept Chenxing Empire’s rule, the homeless who had drifted here during the war, or the many unidentified individuals with violent pasts, they all posed major obstacles to the empire’s governance. It was difficult to establish the same order as in other regions, so it was temporarily designated as an autonomous region.

Though the Chenxing Empire had the power to subdue such a small territory, they deemed it not worth the effort.

Their assessment showed that the land had suffered severe damage to its economy, culture, and environment during the war. Rebuilding would require massive resources and a long time to win over local hearts – practically like creating an oasis in a desert. After weighing the costs and benefits, the empire’s leadership decided it wasn’t worth it. Letting things run their course and leaving the problems for future generations became their solution.

After all, by then, different people would be in power, and these troubles would become their problem.

This was how the Green Autonomous Region came to be.

The “Unveiling Reality” TV show chose to film in the most desolate corner of the Green Autonomous Region – a battlefield remnant scorched by weapons fire, where no greenery could be seen even today.

Among these ruins stood an ancient castle which, despite severe external damage, maintained its complete structure and was one of the few intact buildings remaining.

Due to historical reasons, there were countless legends about this place.

The production team had put considerable thought and resources into choosing the Green Autonomous Region as their filming location.

In the drone footage, the dusk sky burned with the sun’s remaining fire. Crimson twilight fell upon the dry, desolate land covered in broken walls and ruins, which lay crooked like severed limbs strewn across an ancient battlefield.

Among the ruins, there were several well-trodden dirt paths. The production team’s vehicles followed one of these paths until they stopped before a castle standing amid the ruins, like a hollow shell pieced together from broken limbs.

As twilight illuminated this twisted shell and dark clouds rolled across the sky as the sun’s flames faded, the show’s host finished his final narration.

“Our challenge this time is to spend three days and nights in this abandoned castle, investigating the secrets of the cursed painting.”

“Is the curse real or fake?”

On camera, he turned around, and the guest challengers followed him through the castle’s entrance.

As twilight retreated from the horizon, heavy shadows within the castle enveloped everyone who entered. The host lit an antique oil lamp, and a flame shot up from inside the transparent glass cover. The flickering light illuminated everyone’s faces.

His voice echoed through the empty castle.

“There’s another story about this castle…”

“Its former owner, Sir Worsey, was the last owner of that cursed painting…”

A cool breeze seemed to drift by, making someone shudder involuntarily. The host’s chilling voice echoed through the pitch-black castle, creating an inexplicably eerie atmosphere.

“Back then, after causing the deaths of several owners, the cursed painting suddenly disappeared one day. Legend says it was taken and sealed away by a powerful extraordinary who happened to pass by.”

Such a plot would have been dismissed as a third-rate script in the past. But now, everyone knew that long ago was an era when extraordinaries were active. Evil spirits causing trouble and being sealed by extraordinaries made perfect sense.

Moreover, this wasn’t a story fabricated by the production team. It was a local folk legend they had gathered from multiple sources, with only slight modifications.

“But for some reason, perhaps due to the Age of the Decline of the Dharma’s restrictions on extraordinary powers weakening the seal, this cursed painting reappeared in the world about sixty years ago!”

“The Age of the Decline of the Dharma also limited the evil spirit’s power, and the painting eventually fell into the hands of Sir Worsey, who was obsessed with art.”

He lived alone without family or friends, with only paintings for company. After acquiring this masterpiece, he cherished it deeply, hanging it in his bedroom to admire daily. Over time, he became almost bewitched, falling in love with the woman in the painting – the artist’s wife – and treating the little girl in it as his own daughter.

“…He even gave them his surname, calling them Mrs. Worsey and Miss Worsey.”

“…In his empty castle, it was as if this mother and daughter truly lived there. Sir Worsey unconsciously took on the role of husband and father. Every day, he would bid them good morning and good night, sharing his daily life with them… He maintained this strange yet tender lifestyle until his death.”

As the host narrated, faint footsteps could be heard from deep within the dark castle – one light, one heavy, accompanied by barely distinguishable female whispers.

The sounds passed through the corridor, as if a mother and daughter were walking and chatting…

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The host’s lamp suddenly flickered.

“Ah!” A girl’s small cry rang out in the darkness, followed by a man’s gentle, comforting voice.

— This came from the only couple among the four guests.

The other two guests quickly spoke up. “Are you alright?”

“Did- did you hear something?” The girl who had cried out earlier was quickly comforted by others, but she spoke tremblingly, “There- there couldn’t really be evil spirits, right?”

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“You probably misheard due to stress,” another male guest calmly refuted, “There wasn’t any sound.”

“No, there really was a sound, I definitely heard it.” The girl’s voice sounded close to tears. “It was footsteps, and…” Before she could finish, her boyfriend pulled her into his arms and declared decisively, “Don’t be afraid. I’ve already achieved success in cultivating internal energy. If any evil spirit dares to show up and scare people, I’ll take them down with one punch!”

“That’s right, we’re not just ordinary people without means of self-defense.” Another female guest added with a smile, “Aren’t we all here to complete the challenge and uncover the truth? I’m actually looking forward to meeting these legendary evil spirits. Maybe we could even have a friendly chat?”

Saying this, she borrowed the oil lamp from the host. “Host, may I borrow your lamp?”

She walked toward the source of the sounds her companions had mentioned. The lamp’s light illuminated the dark corridor, revealing nothing but a few pieces of old, broken limestone from the wall scattered on the ground.

A small sigh came from the other girl in the darkness.

“Maybe- maybe I misheard because of stress? Perhaps it was just the wind, the sound of wind knocking things to the ground?” she said uncertainly, her voice much steadier than before.

A timid but cute girl and her protective boyfriend formed the couple responsible for displaying their affection. The other two guests – one a wise and calm observer, the other an action-oriented adventurer with strong curiosity – each played their assigned roles perfectly.

Having been briefed on parts of the script beforehand, they knew there were no real evil spirits or curses. Their job was simply to follow the production team’s mystery-investigation script, creating exciting content to attract viewers, boost ratings, and increase their own popularity.

Even those faint footsteps and whispered conversations were deliberately created by the production team. They were just playing along.

In this era of abundant entertainment shows, this was a formula well understood by production teams, viewers, and guests alike.

Perhaps the only difference was that after the revival of spiritual energy and the arrival of the extraordinary era, these previously lukewarm mystery exploration shows had gained tremendous popularity. Content that everyone had once dismissed as fake was now starting to be believed by many.

After all, times had changed!

In today’s world, places with folk legends had become the most popular destinations for explorers.

Many fantasized about encountering miraculous adventures like novel protagonists, especially after some people actually discovered mysterious objects by chance, which only increased interest further.

Those who yearned for adventure but feared the dangers could only stay safely at home, watching others’ explorations, gasping at their perils, and cheering for their successes – this had become a new form of entertainment in the extraordinary era.

These “cloud explorers” and “mystery watchers” had become the most devoted audience for such now-popular mystery exploration shows.

After the interlude, the host continued with the background. “Having no family or friends, Sir Worsey’s estate was inherited by his distant nephew after his death. However, this young man was an absolute spendthrift who quickly squandered the inheritance and accumulated massive debts, leaving only this castle.”

“…Though the wastrel wanted to sell this last remaining property to pay his debts, he never got the chance.”

His voice suddenly dropped, as if afraid of disturbing something.

“The very night he planned to do so, he died.”

“–He stood on the castle’s highest terrace and jumped. His head smashed against the gray-white stone steps, killing him instantly. Passersby claimed they saw a woman’s figure in a black gauze dress float behind him.”

“–They all said the evil spirit from the painting had awakened.”

“Perhaps Sir Worsey wasn’t just being presumptuous. When he gave his surname to the evil spirits, he might have gained their recognition. Isn’t it natural for a wife and daughter to inherit their husband and father’s estate after his death?”

“Mrs. Worsey and Miss Worsey probably thought so too.”

“However, the war that followed left everyone too preoccupied to care about what happened in this castle. The evil spirits never appeared again. People speculated that the Age of the Decline of the Dharma had restricted them, and their previous awakening was just a one-time miracle.”

“Until now, fifty years later, the Age of the Decline of the Dharma has passed, spiritual energy has revived, and the sleeping evil spirits have awakened again.”

“…Passing explorers seeking shelter have seen their ghosts wandering the castle.”

“…Opportunists who came for the cursed painting have vanished in this land that once buried countless people.”

“It’s said their souls were devoured by the evil spirits.”

“This episode’s theme is to uncover the truth and verify these claims. Now, you may begin your exploration.”

The four guests immediately played their parts.

“This won’t be an easy task. I heard some explorers disappeared here just days ago.” This was fabricated, of course.

“Could the evil spirits really have awakened?”

“It’s probably just rumors. The Green Autonomous Region is chaotic – I think it’s likely human foul play, with evil spirits being used as a scapegoat…”

“Let’s make a bet then, see who’s right in the end.”

They gathered around the oil lamp, discussing.

“So for equipment, do we only have this lamp?”

“What should we do now? Explore the castle first, or decide where to sleep tonight? Should we each pick a room, or should we all stay together?”

“…I think it’s better to explore during daylight?” The seemingly most timid girl raised her hand.

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“So, shall we rest now?”

The lamp’s light stretched from the hall into the corridor as they walked through it, reaching the stairs leading to the second floor.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Just as they stepped onto the last stair, faint footsteps echoed from the corridor behind them.

Accompanying it was the rustling sound of fabric, as if someone in a long dress was walking down the corridor.

‘The production team really knows how to set the mood…’

At this moment, they all thought this simultaneously while pretending they hadn’t heard anything.

Their performance was also crucial for the atmosphere, meant to give streaming viewers a thrill and stir their emotions.

— This was exactly the effect the production team wanted: creating an atmosphere suggesting something was truly wrong with this castle, making viewers empathize with the guests, anxiously watching their ignorant exploration while eagerly anticipating what would happen next.

As expected, viewers watching the livestream were going wild, with comments flooding the screen–

[Run!]

[Evil spirits!]

[It can’t be real, must be special effects?]

[Barrage protection!]

Behind these unknowing guests, in the depths of the pitch-black corridor, two figures – one large and one small – slowly appeared.

They silently watched the backs of those entering the second floor.

At their feet, flowing blood stained the entire corridor red and continued spreading toward the second-floor stairway.

In an instant, the whole castle was tinted crimson.

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