This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 245 "What process? The birth of the nebula?"

Strong winds rose over Central China.

The wind was unusual, unlike the usual summer monsoon, carrying instead a scorching heat from high above. Temperatures were rising strangely, and the air currents were causing meteorologists to frown – some of the energy source did not seem to originate from the Earth's surface thermal cycle, but from a higher, more distant place, as if the stars themselves were breathing, stirring up the atmosphere.

The city, especially the area centered around the mountain prison, had become a massive, slowly rotating vortex. The area of ​​the temporary instance, [The Ascension of the Star Worshippers], continued to expand outwards at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye.

Even more disturbingly, sporadic cases of anomalies have begun to appear in the edge areas of the instance: some people have fallen into a deep sleep without warning, their consciousness seemingly dragged into some unknown realm.

Liang Zhenduan stood outside the makeshift command post, gazing into the distance at the prison area shrouded in distorted light and shadow.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Reason told him that, as the highest-ranking official in the city, his priority should be to stay behind and coordinate resources, not to repeatedly and involuntarily approach this dangerous area. He even began to seriously doubt his previous frequent visits to the prison—why would an administrative official be so concerned about a place that held serious criminals? This was simply abnormal!

But at this moment, an indescribable impulse, as if invisible threads were pulling at his soul, urged him to step into that star-filled area.

He gritted his teeth and resisted the temptation with his strong willpower until a team of professionals arrived—including the city's top psychologists, spellcasters skilled in mental protection, and some healers with purification abilities.

"Mr. Liang, please cooperate with the inspection." The leading psychologist was a sharp-eyed middle-aged woman. Without any pleasantries, she directly gestured for Liang Zhen to sit down.

Liang Zhenduan obediently closed his eyes. He could feel several gentle yet irresistible spiritual forces probing into the depths of his consciousness, carefully scanning him.

The process was uncomfortable, like being dissected layer by layer by an invisible scalpel.

A few minutes later, he felt a sharp pain in his forehead, as if something had been forcibly ripped out.

He opened his eyes and saw the psychologist holding a ray of light in his hand, within which was a crystal that shimmered with starlight—it was a star stone.

This star-shaped stone is about the size of a peanut.

"As expected..." the psychologist said gravely, "the level of pollution... is not small."

She looked at Liang Zhenduan: "Director Liang, have you been feeling restless lately, unconsciously thinking about certain issues, or having strong impulses that are not your intentions?"

Liang Zhenduan gave a wry smile and nodded.

As the starstone left his body, he felt a sudden clarity in his mind. The lingering anxiety and inexplicable attraction he had felt earlier lessened considerably, but it also made him more aware of how dangerous his previous state had been.

After this incident, he absolutely must include "important officials must undergo regular mental health checks" in the old city regulations and the proposal to Taira!
“Based on preliminary analysis,” another mage specializing in energy perception added, “this ‘star stone’ is not a natural mineral. It has no fixed concept of purity, and its size is directly related to the depth and intensity of spiritual pollution. But more importantly… its essence seems to be an aggregate of… unknown spiritual entities.”

“Spiritual aggregation?” Liang Zhenduan’s eyes flickered; these words confirmed the information Nie Weiyang had given earlier.

“Yes,” the psychologist continued, “We suspect that there are a large number of wandering spirits around us that have failed to enter the ‘Netherworld’ cycle normally, but we are unable to observe them specifically.”

“These spirits may be harmless in themselves, but through some mechanism we do not yet know—most likely related to the technology mastered by the Cult of Star Gods—they are attracted, bound, and infiltrated into the spiritual world of the living, eventually crystallizing and becoming part of the ‘Star Stone’.”

Liang Zhenduan listened in silence, but his mind flashed back to some of the things Nie Weiyang had said before, as well as the information held by the city's intelligence network.

The Star God Cult... the Returning Sect... and the Cult of Light... their relationship... He suddenly raised his head, his face grim: "It's not just the Star God Cult."

The psychologist and the monk both looked at him.

Liang Zhenduan's voice was low and urgent: "The Star God Cult, the Return Sect, and something called the 'Cult of Light Worship' are all intricately connected! And the Return Sect... what they excel at is manipulating souls!"

The professionals present all changed their expressions.

They all knew about the Return to the Cult, but if Starstone was involved in the Return to the Cult, then the nature of the matter would be completely different.

The Star God Cult may only have mastered the method of utilizing the power of stars, but the Returning Sect is an expert in fundamentally desecrating and distorting souls... Although the opponent is suffering repeated defeats in Zhongzhou, no one present will underestimate it.

“Stars…and souls…” Liang Zhenduan murmured to himself, this sudden association leaving him with inexplicably complex emotions: “How exactly are they connected?”

Is it the power of the stars that attracts wandering souls? Or is it some kind of experiment on a spiritual level that requires the stars as a medium or energy source? Or... is that illusory starlight itself some kind of larger, more ancient spiritual phenomenon?

Moreover, if starstones could be generated in this way: allowing spirits to parasitize the souls of living beings...

Questions arose one after another, but no answers were found. The only certainty was that the crisis facing the old city was far more complex than a temporary instance. Behind it all lay a dark conspiracy involving the stars and souls.

And they haven't even seen their opponent's true colors yet.

"Send this analysis report to Pingdu immediately!" Liang Zhenduan ordered decisively. "At the same time, increase the alert area. All personnel approaching the dungeon area must undergo rigorous mental testing! We must not allow this thing to spread further until we figure out its transmission mechanism!"

He gazed at the increasingly ominous nebula on the ground, and the unease in his heart grew heavier.

"What are the astronomers' analysis results?" he asked.

Those around exchanged glances for a moment, and soon, several astronomers rushed over. Hao Yao, who was leading the group, looked somewhat pale: "This nebula is an illusion; it's simulating some kind of birth and expansion process."

"What process? The birth of a nebula?"

“I don’t know,” Hao Yao replied. “The birth of a nebula, or something else… a planetary system? A supercluster? Even a quasar? I don’t know. We can’t recognize it.”

"Who is the highest-ranking astronomer in the city?" Liang Zhenduan asked anxiously.

Hao Yao and the others exchanged glances.

“…Ping Xingdou,” he said. “Next is Fu Nian.”

Liang Zhenduan: “…”

--Hold.

(End of this chapter)