Chapter 8: Four New Spirits Added

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Noon, twelve o’clock.

Yang Dai sat at the table eating lunch. The meal was sumptuous, with fish, meat, and soup—every dish exquisitely prepared and visually appetizing.

As he ate, he scrolled through the tablet on his left. The tablet had been provided by the Intelligence Bureau—it was exceptionally powerful. Whatever he needed, he could submit his requests through this device. Huli had even helped him register an account on the Deep Domain Secret Network and granted him the highest access privileges.

The Deep Domain Secret Network was a national library collecting everything from the Deep Domain, containing all sorts of manuals and techniques surrendered by trial-takers. These were categorized by grade, and higher-level techniques required correspondingly higher permissions.

Within the Secret Network, users could also upload their own cultivation methods. The Intelligence Bureau would assess their value and offer rewards accordingly—even the most basic cultivation method could earn a million summer nation coins.

Yang Dai began browsing directly among the highest-level cultivation techniques.

He planned to wait out three days. Once the orthodox cultivators left from outside Wailing Ridge, he would enter the Deep Domain.

He already understood the rules: time in the Deep Domain flowed in sync with reality. Trial-takers couldn’t remain there for more than forty-eight consecutive hours; if they exceeded that limit, they’d be forcibly ejected and would have to spend at least eight hours in reality before re-entering. If they left before reaching the forty-eight-hour mark, there would be no time restriction on their next entry. Additionally, it was impossible to exit the Deep Domain during combat, though what constituted “combat” was subject to a wide interpretation, given the myriad means of cultivators.

The initial location where a trial-taker entered the Deep Domain was random, but thereafter it was fixed—wherever one left the Deep Domain, one would reappear in the same place upon re-entry. The same applied in reality; the departure and return locations were always the same.

Currently, there were five supreme-level techniques available on the Secret Network: True Heart of Divine Thunder, Radiant Sun Energy Art, Sutra of Unfettered Marvels, Devouring Wolf Demon Art, and Verdant Wood Rejuvenation Technique.

Next to each technique was the number of downloads. True Heart of Divine Thunder had the most, with forty-seven downloads.

The Sutra of Unfettered Marvels had the fewest, only nine.

Yang Dai investigated each in turn. It turned out that True Heart of Divine Thunder had already been mastered by a national pillar; it could summon divine thunder to sweep a hundred miles, its power immense—hence its popularity.

No one had yet mastered the Sutra of Unfettered Marvels.

This technique was notoriously difficult: it required the practitioner to split their focus. The first level demanded one to simultaneously cultivate three incantations; the second, nine hand seals.

Currently, there were only four levels of the Sutra. According to its description, reaching the fourth level would grant one spiritual force ten times greater than others at the same realm!

It was astonishing!

Utterly enticing!

Suddenly, Yang Dai had a thought: could he have his Shadow Followers cultivate together? The Shadow Followers were, after all, split souls of the Lord of Shadows of Ten Thousand Realms; all were one with him.

Once this idea arose, it could not be contained.

He immediately downloaded the Sutra of Unfettered Marvels, then proceeded to download all the other techniques as well.

With the highest privileges, he faced no restrictions. Others might have to choose just one, but he could have them all—better to be prepared.

After that, he logged into the Sky Network to check the latest discussions. Besides the trial-takers, the hottest topics were the monstrous beasts and ghosts threatening human civilization.

At present, the greatest threats to the Summer Nation were the Abyssal Sea King in the southeastern maritime regions, the Storm Dragon of Xiya Heights, and the Dream-Devouring Ghost General of the Yangtze River basin. These three powers frequently launched assaults on human cities. Beyond these, there were many other named demons and monsters. Not just in the Summer Nation—all nations could only defend their homelands; every year, smaller countries fell.

Ding!

Suddenly, the door opened and Huli entered, his face alight with a warm smile. He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, exchanging pleasantries with Yang Dai.

After a while, Huli asked, “Yang, could you tell me what your talent is? I’d like to see if I can help you.”

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Yang Dai took a sip of soup and replied, “My ability is to absorb souls and turn them into Shadow Followers. These followers obey my every command. It’s like being a summoner, but my contracts are all with souls.”

Huli’s eyes brightened. “How many Shadow Followers can you have?”

“For now, just five. But I can replace them at any time.”

“Do you draw souls from the living or the dead?”

“The dead.”

“How many do you have now?”

“Just one.”

“Alright, wait here. I’ll fill the remaining four right away.”

Huli stood up and hurried off.

Yang Dai was stunned. What was this guy up to?

Surely he wasn’t going to kill anyone?

No, the Intelligence Bureau was a legitimate organization.

Perhaps he was using his authority to summon death row inmates?

Yang Dai suddenly felt that joining the Bureau had been an excellent decision—cultivation techniques, benefits, and every effort made to meet his needs.

After finishing his meal, Yang Dai lounged on the sofa, continuing to learn about this world and the Deep Domain.

At five in the afternoon, Huli came for him personally, taking Yang Dai out of his room for a walk around the base. They entered a five-story building, and on the ground floor, in one of the rooms, Yang Dai saw four corpses. None were covered with white cloth; each had a bullet wound on the forehead.

So it was true!

Yang Dai’s heart raced with excitement.

If he’d said his Shadow Follower capacity was unlimited, could he have received even more?

No, best not to push too far or reveal everything.

He made a mental note.

Huli smiled and explained, “These four were all Deep Domain trial-takers. The weakest was at the second stage of Qi Gathering, the strongest at the fourth stage. They were the most formidable among this batch of death row inmates executed.”

Yang Dai didn’t stand on ceremony and began absorbing their souls.

Each one’s cultivation was higher than his. With each soul he drew, his head ached. By the time he finished all four, his head felt like it would split open—and then he fainted.

Huli was so alarmed he rushed Yang Dai to the base’s medical facility.

…

Yang Dai woke slowly, opening his eyes to a ceiling of pure white.

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He felt dizzy and nauseous.

Turning his head, he realized he’d been moved back to his suite.

“Yang, you’re finally awake! You nearly scared me to death!”

Huli leaned in close, making Yang Dai shudder.

That old man was always so abrupt!

Yang Dai propped himself up and sat. With a wry smile, he said, “Sorry to worry you, Director Hu.”

Huli laughed. “Just call me Brother Hu. It seems your soul-commanding ability has its limits—you can’t use it too much at once, or perhaps powerful souls are a burden for you. It’s my fault—I got carried away and overlooked the possible consequences. Anyway, summon your Shadow Followers for me; I want to see.”

He’d taken enough verbal abuse these three days—his life had hit another rock bottom.

Yang Dai didn’t refuse. He already sensed four new Shadow Followers in his soul space. He began the summoning.

One after another, green-glowing figures emerged from his brow, hovering above the bed.

They were the four executed inmates.

Their appearances were ordinary, but their eyes were sharp and fierce. In their prison uniforms and close-cropped hair, they looked anything but easy to handle.

“Greetings, Master!”

The four greeted Yang Dai in unison.

Huli stood up, eyes shining as he inspected the Shadow Followers, even snapping photos with his phone. He laughed, “Yang, I have to file a report. The central bureau is very concerned about you. But don’t worry—your abilities are a Bureau secret. We won’t reveal anything unless you do.”

“In the future, if we encounter any powerful death row inmates, I’ll make sure they’re reserved for you.”

Yang Dai was in high spirits and felt his energy returning.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“Almost three days.”

“That long?”

“Yes, you really scared me.”

Huli put his phone away, smiling. “Now you have five Shadow Followers to protect you. You can go cultivate in the Deep Domain. Early on, you don’t need to join a sect. When it’s time to break through to the Heart Spiral Realm, we’ll arrange for you to enter a powerful sect—the state has connections to make that happen. For now, just find a quiet place and cultivate the Secret Network’s techniques. The Deep Domain’s spiritual energy is much denser than Earth’s, which is why most trial-takers train there.”

“Remember, Yang, never rush. Your goal is to survive and keep growing stronger. If you encounter any trouble, tell me at once—I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

With that, Huli patted Yang Dai’s shoulder and left, not disturbing him any further.