The Soul Saint of the Soul Tower is steeped in ancient hostility.
Bai Yi waited quietly, observing the players' progress. The advanced players were on the verge of uncovering the dungeon's true secret: the origin of the ghost boss.
Ghosts first entered Shia during the ancient god period, which is also when the soul-purifying potion originated. However, during the transition from the ancient gods to the new gods, the Netherworld launched another attack but was ultimately driven out of Shia by the new deities.
Even during the New Gods' Civil War, the Netherworld attempted to invade, suffering significant losses as the gods fought back.
These three invasions have left a lingering presence of ghosts in this world, with the mysterious town serving as one of their remnants.
Yet, this boss is only at the upper gold level. While ghosts can be troublesome, they are not strong enough to pose a significant threat to him.
And this mission? It seems the Soul Tower intends to strengthen this boss!
"Bai Yi, are you still there?" Diane's tone hinted at concern. "Should I come to you now?"
"I'm listening. There's no need for that. I'm contacting others. A Netherworld town has appeared near Dongwu City, and I'm preparing to deal with it," Bai Yi replied, getting ready to reach out to Heidinger and Eric.
When you have the power, the best approach is often to band together for justice.
"The Netherworld?" Diane's eyes lit up. "Wait for me; I'll be there soon! I've always felt that there's no fundamental difference between ghosts and evil spirits. Let me see if I can control the ghosts!"
Bai Yi paused, contemplating. The necromancer's physique is incredibly powerful.
Such a physique can be regarded as the natural king of the undead. In the presence of the god of death, even formidable necromancers could communicate with him.
However, the conditions to become a true necromancer are demanding. There are only two paths: natural and divine.
Others who achieve necromancy through practice are merely pseudo-necromancers, their undead creations just imitations.
Diane's undead physique is a divine gift.
However, ghosts cannot be controlled by necromancers. While both ghosts and evil spirits are phantoms, they are fundamentally different. Ghosts are a distinct race, while evil spirits arise from the souls of the deceased. As such, abilities that target evil spirits do not effectively restrain ghosts.
Before Bai Yi could respond, Diane abruptly cut off the communication, leaving him with a single message: "Wait for me."
Bai Yi contemplated this and decided against stopping her. Diane had never been a burden. The power of the Necromancer class alone, combined with her endless scrolls, made facing opponents of higher levels feasible.
About ten minutes later, Bai Yi sensed a flicker of spatial fluctuations.
In the next moment, Diane and a formidable old man appeared beside him.
This old man was Mithras Tifeng, a councilor well-known to Bai Yi.
"Whiteblight!" Diane exclaimed with a bright smile. "Let me introduce you. This is my grandpa, and you should be familiar with him."
Bai Yi thought for a moment before greeting, "Mithras."
Diane's smile faded slightly, her large eyes narrowing in mock discontent.
Mithras smiled quietly, and the phrase "Mr. Congressman" was on the tip of Bai Yi's tongue, but he hesitated. Instead, he shifted his tone slightly and said, "Grandpa."
With that, both the elder and the young woman appeared satisfied.
Mithras chuckled. "No need for formality. I heard you were collecting soul crystal cores from the black market. These are just gifts for you and Diane. Do visit my home more often when you have the chance."
As Mithras spoke, a small box appeared in his hand, hovering in front of Bai Yi.
Bai Yi accepted the box and opened it to reveal three soul crystal cores, quietly emitting a soft purple glow.
Feeling sincere gratitude, Bai Yi tucked away the crystal cores and said earnestly, "Thank you, Grandpa Mithras."
Mithras nodded in satisfaction, stroking his beard with a pleased expression. Though he was already a well-respected congressman, having another top potential as his grandson brought him joy—especially since Diane seemed to like Bai Yi.
In this world, where adulthood is reached at fifteen, there are few taboos surrounding marriage, and the distinctions between genders are less pronounced. Many matriarchal races exist, such as elves, cat people, and succubi, creating a fluid social dynamic.
Diane landed on the back of the bone dragon hovering in the air, wrapping her arms around Bai Yi's. "Where's the ghost? I don't have a real subordinate yet."
Bai Yi pointed toward the mysterious town. "In a different space."
He assessed the players' progress and estimated, "They should emerge in about two hours."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! After we catch him, we can head to Dongwu City. I've heard it's changed a lot, and I've wanted to see it for a while."
Diane's excitement was palpable as she tugged at Bai Yi, ready to rush forward.
However, Bai Yi halted her. "This ghost may be legendary. It could be quite dangerous. We shouldn't rush in."
No one knew how the Soul Tower would enhance the boss, but with three hundred missiles at their disposal, Bai Yi was confident that, with proper timing, anything below a third-level legend would be reduced to ashes.
Even a fifth-level legend wouldn't fare well against those missiles, and if it were stronger, they could always retreat to the Federation and wait for Romen's support.
"Legendary?" Mithras's eyes gleamed with interest. "What level are we talking about?"
"I'm not sure, but it feels threatening. My instincts are usually spot on," Bai Yi replied seriously. "Let's hold off for a moment. The intercontinental missiles from Dongwu City are locked onto this location. Flattening this place first is definitely the right move."
Diane's expression reflected some conflict as she asked, "As expected of someone I like—you're meticulous in your planning. But what if he kills my subordinates?"
Bai Yi felt somewhat helpless. "That's a legendary creature. If I recall correctly, a necromancer's subordinates can't exceed their level by more than 20, right? Any who exceed level 20 are considered..."
"Really?" Diane interrupted, winking at him with a playful glint in her eyes. "How could I not know?"
Bai Yi:
Mithras:
Both seemed to understand what Diane was up to. Bai Yi smiled. "Well, you might not know everything, but since you're here, why not spend a few days in Dongwu City? What do you say, Grandpa Mithras?"
Mithras felt somewhat deceived by his granddaughter but was also flattered by Bai Yi calling him 'grandpa.' He shot a glare at Diane, who had buried her head into Bai Yi's chest, then nodded reluctantly. "I haven't seen Heidinger in a while, so let's stay for three days!"
Diane looked up, eyes wide with disbelief. Wait, did she actually agree?
Bai Yi felt a sense of helplessness and playfully pinched Diane's cheek, saying gently, "You're not a prisoner. As long as you ensure you keep up with your cultivation, it's perfectly fine for you to come and play—or I can visit your place for a few days."
Diane blushed, feeling as if her secret had been exposed. She gritted her teeth and replied, "Of course I know! I just really want a ghost to be my subordinate!"
Bai Yi couldn't help but tease, "No wonder I always feel like you're a bit silly."
"Nonsense!" Diane retorted, interrupting him. "Where... am I silly...?"
Bai Yi leaned in and kissed her forehead. "But being silly is quite cute."
Diane's gaze faltered for a moment, and the corners of her mouth lifted, though she still insisted, "Cute but not silly!"
"Alright, alright, not silly."
Mithras:
Was he really being fooled by this girl?
He gazed into the distance, contemplating life with a hint of doubt. As expected, one can never stop learning; he still had much to study.
Time passed quickly as Bai Yi kept his eyes on Wei Lu and the others' progress. When the sunlight faded completely and the moon rose, the bone dragon carried the three of them high into the sky.
Meanwhile, in the mysterious town...
"I see," Wei Lu said, studying the mural before him, deep in thought.
"What's wrong? Are the murals significant? Are we close to completing our mission?" Demacia asked, having canceled all his summons. After all, while he was immortal, his summoned creatures would truly perish if they fell in battle.
As a summoner, the cooldown for summoning a creature after its death was absurdly long—ten years!
This was why he had refrained from killing Xiao Mo initially. While he could have killed them and summoned them again, the lengthy cooldown period was prohibitive. Plus, both Xiao Mo and Er Shu were quite popular, so he had chosen to endure.
The only high-level players nearby were Wei Lu, Demacia, Xia Hou Fuxing, and Higanbana Kaikai.
Other high-level players felt it wasn't worth risking death. Although many players buried their equipment in a pit to retrieve it after resurrection, leveling up beyond 20 required at least ten days, if not longer.
This was enough to deter them from pursuing tasks with low rewards.
In this game, exploration only truly begins at maximum level.
Wei Lu pointed at the mural. "This mural was left by a corpse ghost. Combined with the notes and clues we've gathered, the general formation of this place has been revealed. It was likely during the war between the gods that the Netherworld invaded this land."
"But when the new gods defeated the Netherworld and expelled it from Shia, some hidden ghosts remained."
"They rely on possession to grow. While passing through this area, a ghost hid within this small kingdom."
"Over time, the number of zombies in the kingdom increased. Even after repeated purges, they still couldn't be entirely eliminated."
"Eventually, the people of this kingdom discovered that their king had been creating the ghouls and that the ghosts were thriving in his soul."
"But ghost parasitism is hard to detect. They only realized it when the ghost had grown too powerful to be ignored."
"After a war devastated the kingdom, the ghosts became overwhelmingly strong. Coupled with the constant influx of corpses, the kingdom was on the brink of destruction."
"At that critical moment, the king—thought to be dead—suddenly regained consciousness. He brought the ghost with him, using his remaining royal bloodline as a sacrifice to merge with the ghost."
"In the struggle for control, the kingdom was ultimately destroyed. The ghost's power proved too great, and when it clashed with the king's will, a unique energy erupted, forming a powerful seal that has now become the mysterious town."
Wei Lu's eyes sparkled with intrigue. "So the ghost here is essentially the ancient king, having forced his consciousness to merge with the ghost. However, he couldn't control the ghost, leading to his self-imposed seal."
"This tale is epic, but the battle was so brutal that the kingdom was nearly obliterated, resulting in scarce records of the event."
Wei Lu looked around, excitement evident. "So the ghouls are aware of their nature but can only consume their own kind, watching helplessly as they degenerate into demons."
"The ones we've been hunting are actually the king's guards—the first to be transformed into zombies and the most powerful. The king has been feeding them the flesh of criminals."
"Hiss... I'd love to witness the final days of that kingdom as despair clashes with hope."
"So what should we do now? Retreat?" Demacia pondered. "If we must retreat, it should be you. I'm already at max level, so the worst that can happen is I have to level up again."
Xia Hou Fuxing added, "It doesn't matter to me. All my equipment is bound. I can die at will."
"You're really loaded!" Demacia teased. "How about lending me some? I'll help you spend it."
"Get lost! That's the money I earned through live streaming. Hard-earned money!" Xia Hou Fuxing retorted.
The Flower of the Other Shore blooms: Bright level [9.]
Demacia laughed awkwardly. "It's fine; after completing the mission, a hidden profession awaits, and it's quite lucrative. Look at that guy in the Guard Brigade. Although he seems like an archaeologist, who else in the player group can challenge him except for a few top-tier players from the Sun Federation and the Star Federation?"
Xia Hou Fuxing chimed in, "Those others can't beat him, right? I'd say Wei Lu is the number one player."
Demacia sighed. "I know, but if you look into it, that guy from the Sun Federation with the hidden profession of God Envoy is practically a bug. With faith, he can take on a level 50 boss. It's outrageous!"
"The one from the Star Federation is even more absurd; he actually built his own spaceship and equipped it with all sorts of missiles. I can't even fathom how they managed that!"
Xia Hou Fuxing's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? Wait, Wei Lu, where are you going?"
"She asked me to infect her. But she's my angel; how could I? Yet, there's no one here. I can't seem to protect her."
"Ivanovich! Just wait. You are the source of everything. I will use my deepest hatred to ensure you never have a chance to be reborn!"
Wei Lu muttered some ancient words as he approached an ordinary plain.
More than just a few Demacians surrounded him, with players from the Brigade following closely. Some were laughing, but most were glued to the Brigade's live broadcast in the forum.
Listening to Wei Lu recount the stories, they felt as though they were immersed in an escape room game, gradually sinking into the ancient narratives.
As Wei Lu reached an open space, he extended his hand into the alien void.
The entire mysterious town shook violently.
A palpable sense of danger permeated the air. In the sky, a dark blue beam of light pierced the ruins, causing the dark blue mist to spread ominously.
"Ivanovich! Ivanovich!"
Hysterical roars echoed through the atmosphere. An unwilling shadow tried to grasp something but was annihilated by the increasingly potent blue beam of light.
Players' panels lit up with blinding notifications.
[You enter the Netherworld and lose 10 sanity points per second. If your sanity reaches zero, you will die, and your body will mutate into a ghoul.]
(End of this chapter)