Chapter 4: The Eight Shadows

Judging from the wounds, it was most likely the work of a wild beast. There are many such creatures in this area, and it is the spirits and monsters who hold sway. However, these people haven't been dead long, yet their souls are gone—it's likely they encountered a spirit beast. Ghostcry Ridge gets its name because even spirits struggle to survive here. Stone Dragon answered, his face grave.

Right now, he himself was a soul—would he attract those soul-devouring monsters? Yang Dai felt a chill of unease. Weren’t these monsters the perfect nemesis for his Sovereign of Ten Thousand Shadows? It was fortunate his ghostly followers were strong; if not, he’d just be serving himself up as prey.

“Let’s get out of here. As for the bodies, if we come across any, that’s fine, but let’s not force it,” Yang Dai instructed. Stone Dragon nodded; he too was afraid of having his soul devoured.

One man and one soul, they quickened their pace.

Three or four hours later, they stopped to rest halfway up a mountain. During this time, five prompts had flashed before his eyes, all indicating the acquisition of A-rank talents. It seemed only A-rank and above would trigger such prompts; as for S-rank, he hadn’t encountered another yet, let alone SS-rank. After all, his own talent was bought with reincarnation—how could it be so easily obtained by others?

“Is there any way to bypass those righteous sects and leave Ghostcry Ridge?” Yang Dai asked, scanning their surroundings. The fact that the corpses they’d found had no souls left him increasingly uneasy—he decided to stop searching for bodies.

Stone Dragon pondered. “It’s very difficult. The edges of Ghostcry Ridge are covered in ghost mist. The living who enter are stripped of flesh and blood, leaving only bones scattered about. There are only four breaks in the mist, each guarded by righteous cultivators. Unless you’re willing to wait here for three days—this trial ends in three days. After that, the sects will withdraw. Any rogue cultivators who don’t make it out in time are deemed unworthy of immortality.”

Three days…

Yang Dai frowned deeply. He decided to survive until dawn first, trusting Stone Dragon for now. If he really was branded as a demonic cultivator by the righteous sects and killed on the spot…

He recalled what the cop had said—don’t trust anyone in the Deep Domain. The Deep Domain had been running for years; those veteran players must have encountered the righteous sects, yet the warning remained. Clearly, the sects here were far less righteous than on TV.

“How long until dawn?” Yang Dai asked.

“Two more hours,” Stone Dragon estimated.

Four hours… it would be a long wait.

Just then, Yang Dai spotted a group emerging from the woods at the foot of the mountain. He immediately crouched down and whispered, “Stone Dragon, hide.”

Stone Dragon darted into his body at once.

Yang Dai felt a chill run through him. He could sense Stone Dragon’s presence—not in the soul-space of his Sovereign of Ten Thousand Shadows, but simply residing within him.

Right hand gripping his sword, left hand holding his saber, Yang Dai hid behind a large nearby boulder. The mountainside was strewn with rocks—perfect for hiding.

Soon, the group climbed up: seven people, five men and two women. Judging by their clothing, they were clearly from modern Earth. Yang Dai stayed hidden, keeping watch.

A young girl with twin ponytails bent over, panting. “Guys, maybe we should just give up. Let’s find a place to hide and wait for sunrise.”

At the front was a man in casual clothes, solidly built, with a close-cropped haircut. In this environment, his presence would inspire great confidence in ordinary people. He turned and said seriously, “The first day in the Deep Domain is crucial. It looks dangerous, but it might be our chance for fortune. We can’t waste time. There are seven of us, and with my B-rank talent, we’re more than qualified to explore this map! As trial participants, even if we survive, we’ll have to take on real-world missions in the future—there’s no safe retirement. Don’t forget: the real world is an apocalypse!”

“We may come from different places, but we’re all young. The young should be bold! Seven of us, acting together—what is there to fear?”

“If we’re brave, why can’t we succeed? Fear means defeat—and a lifetime of it! Do you want to live your whole life in cowardice, begging for help like dogs when danger comes?”

The others encouraged the girl as well, bolstering her spirits. Gritting her teeth, she stopped complaining and pressed on.

The seven soon crested the mountain and disappeared from Yang Dai’s sight.

“Getting cocky over a B-rank?” Yang Dai frowned. With an SS-rank talent, should he be even bolder? Forget it. No need.

Yang Dai forced Stone Dragon out of his body. One man, one soul—they continued to rest.

An hour later, they set off. Yang Dai followed the path taken by the seven, letting them clear the way. They moved slowly, careful not to catch up.

Two hours passed.

Yang Dai halted, stunned, instinctively taking a step back. Stone Dragon stepped ahead, blade at the ready, shielding him.

Before them, seven corpses lay scattered on the mountainside—the same seven people from before. Each had died horribly, especially the close-cropped man, whose head was crushed in. The twin-ponytailed girl’s chest had been hollowed out, bones exposed.

Stone Dragon pointed to a line of footprints on the ground. “The killer has already left. It looks to have been a person, not a spirit beast—no trace of demonic energy nearby. The blood at their wounds is beginning to dry, so the killer left some time ago. There are no signs of magical tools or spells, so it must’ve been mundane martial arts that did them in.”

Following his gesture, Yang Dai saw the footprints disappearing into the woods nearby. The ground was open and the moon bright, making the deep, pit-like prints easy to spot.

“Go check them,” Yang Dai instructed.

A bold idea was forming in his mind.

Could he absorb the souls of trial participants?

Would absorbing their souls make the real world suspect he was the killer?

He couldn’t worry about that now. The more followers he had, the safer he’d be.

Stone Dragon quickly returned to report that all seven were dead, but he couldn’t tell if their souls remained.

Yang Dai took a deep breath and stepped forward to begin absorbing souls, starting with the most intact corpse.

Within five seconds, a soul surged into his brow. He felt no pain at all—perhaps because they’d all been ordinary people, too weak to resist.

A minute later, Yang Dai and Stone Dragon fled the way they’d come.

He struggled to contain his excitement.

All seven had souls!

His number of followers instantly grew to eight. Though the new seven were just ordinary people, numbers meant strength. As ghosts, their combat power should improve—death freed them from the pain of flesh or the shackles of fear.

After absorbing the seven souls, Yang Dai could clearly feel power surging through him; his stamina was restored.

Stone Dragon kept pace, awestruck.

No spiritual energy, yet he could absorb souls so easily—unbelievable! Even cultivators at the Foundation Gathering stage couldn’t do this!

After traveling a couple of miles, Yang Dai finally relaxed.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

A sound sliced through the air. Before Yang Dai could react, there was a metallic clang—Stone Dragon swung his blade, knocking a flying dart aside.

“Well, well—a soul body! So, you’re a ghost cultivator, eh? All the more reason to kill you!” came a cold, mocking laugh.

Yang Dai whirled around. A figure like a fiend was closing in—draped in a black cloak, short and hunched, moving swiftly among the rocks like a wraith.