Jiang Dao slipped the dark red necklace into his pocket, easing the door shut behind him. Back in the quiet of his own room, he settled onto the bed, the necklace resting in his palm. He stared at the impossibly fine script etched into its surface, losing himself in its secrets as the world outside moved on.
Miles away, nestled deep in a tangle of gloomy mountain forest, stood an old, dark mansion. Inside, the air was thick with the foul stench of decay. The bodies of at least seven or eight "spirit children" lay in open coffins.
Suddenly, the abdomen of one of the corpses began to swell, bloating at an unnatural speed as if being pumped full of air. Within seconds, it looked like the belly of a woman ready to give birth. A pale, slender hand punched through the taut skin, tearing the abdomen open from the inside.
A figure, slick with blood and filth, squirmed its way out of the child's ruptured torso. It staggered to its feet, hair hanging in a matted curtain, a wretched and horrifying sight.
"That bastard," the figure rasped, raw terror swimming in its eyes. "He almost got me for good."
"So you failed," a hoarse voice echoed from the shadows. A pair of luminous green eyes opened, fixing on the blood-soaked creature. "The Yin Body is lost?"
If Jiang Dao had been there, he would have recognized her instantly. It was the woman in the white dress, the one he'd personally killed and deep-fried until she was nothing but ash and bone.
And yet, here she was. Alive.
Though clearly, resurrection had taken its toll. "We underestimated him," she hissed, her voice a sharp, angry thing. "He's not just some human. He nearly destroyed me. The Yin Body… he burned it in oil until it was cinders. There's no putting it back together. I won't let him get away with this. I'm going to kill his entire family, and then I'm coming for him."
"For a mere mortal to hand you such a defeat is unprecedented," the black figure in the shadows said, its voice cold as the grave. "And to cost the Spirit Child Palace so many of our children…"
"What of the Palace Master? Is she out of seclusion?" the woman demanded.
"Not yet. Merging with a sacred artifact is no simple task," the shadow replied dismissively. "You will go and eliminate the mortal's family first."
A flicker of fear crossed the woman's face. "But if he finds out I'm still alive, he'll hunt me down and finish the job."
"What is there to fear? His family is in Fengzhou City. He is all the way in Qianyuan City. He will never know," the figure said coldly. "I will send Young Master Shi with you for insurance."
"Well… if Young Master Shi is with me," the woman said, a venomous green light glinting in her eyes, "then even if that mortal shows up, I swear I'll make him pay."
A day flew by. Back in his room, Jiang Dao had been practicing the inner energy technique from the necklace, committing it to memory. The script would only appear on the necklace for about ten minutes at a time, forcing him to prick his finger and anoint it with fresh blood to see it again. But with his powerful memory, it didn't take long to master. After a full day of practice, he finally felt the first spark of Qi ignite within him.
He opened his eyes and called up his internal status panel.
Innate Ultimate Saintly Formula [Modifiable]
I've got three modification chances left, plus the free one for starting a new technique. That's four in total. I wonder how powerful this can become.
Every new skill came with one free upgrade, typically adding thirty or sixty years of practice depending on the technique's rank. It was obvious that the Innate Ultimate Saintly Formula was top-tier.
Jiang Dao focused his will. Modify.
FLASH!
[+30 Years of Practice]
FLASH!
[+60 Years of Practice]
FLASH!
[+90 Years of Practice]
A torrent of heat erupted in his core, rushing through his meridians like molten lava. The power was so intense it burned, a searing pain that was almost overwhelming. The shirt on his upper body instantly smoldered and disintegrated into ash. His veins and meridians bulged under his skin, pulsing with a fiery, raw power.
But then, he frowned. It had stopped at ninety years. It should have kept going.
That means it only used the free upgrade and one of my three chances. But how? I killed three evil spirits. I should have earned six chances, so why did it only use one?
He looked at the panel again and saw that everything had changed.
Strength: 4.9
Speed: 4.0
Spirit: 1.6
Martial Arts:
Innate Ultimate Saintly Formula [Unmodifiable]
Perks: Indestructible, Qi Net Restraint
Health Preservation Formula [Unmodifiable]
Perks: Health Preservation, Healing, Accelerated Recovery, Internal Qi Body Protection
Mad Demon Blood Soul Saber [Unmodifiable]
Perks: Enhanced Speed, Enhanced Malevolence, Enhanced God-Slaying Slash
Eagle Claw Vajra Body [Unmodifiable]
Perks: Vajra Indestructibility
Wind Thunder Poison Sand Palm [Unmodifiable]
Perks: Poison Palm, Thunder Flame
Gale Saber Technique [Unmodifiable]
Perks: Fast
His strength had shattered its previous limits. At the bottom, a new line of text appeared: [Mutation Degree: 0.5%]
My body… is it mutating?
Beyond that, the ninety years of practice had unlocked two new special abilities. Indestructible was one. The other was Qi Net Restraint. That second one was a game-changer. It would allow him to project his inner Qi into an invisible net, trapping any enemy within an eight-meter radius. Against fast-moving spirits, he would no longer be on the defensive. With his current power, crushing someone like the Left Protector would be effortless.
Jiang Dao let out a slow breath, his mind still circling back to the modification count.
Then, a horrifying thought struck him. A thought so impossible it made his heart hammer against his ribs.
What if the woman in the white dress… didn't die?
It seemed insane. He'd watched her body turn to char and crumble into pieces. How could anyone survive that? But if she wasn't alive, what explained the missing modification chances?
A cold dread washed over him. If she were alive, the Spirit Child Palace would be coming for his family. They could be on their way right now.
He shot to his feet, threw on a fresh set of clothes, and burst out of his room.
"Guo Dutian!" he yelled.
His subordinate appeared in an instant. "Hall Master."
"The letter I gave you," Jiang Dao said, his voice low and urgent. "Did you send it?"
"Yes, Hall Master! A messenger is on his way!"
"Has he returned?"
"Not yet," Guo Dutian replied.
The knot of dread in Jiang Dao's stomach tightened. "Get the horses ready. And get me your best men. We're riding out."
"Are you going on a long journey, Hall Master?"
"To Fengzhou City," Jiang Dao growled. I hope to God I'm just being paranoid.
But paranoid or not, the only way to silence the fear was to see his family with his own eyes.
A day later, in Fengzhou City, the Jiang family mansion was alive with the sound of firecrackers and celebration. Jiang Dao's letter had arrived, and his father, Jiang Dalong, was bursting with pride. He'd thrown a massive banquet, inviting guests from every corner of the city to celebrate his son's promotion. The entire estate buzzed with a joyous energy.
"Your eldest is truly one of a kind!" one guest gushed.
"A Hall Master in the Raging Flame Gang! I hear they're the most powerful faction in the entire southern dynasty!" another exclaimed.
"My own nephew has been with the Gang for eight years and is still a nobody," a merchant lamented. "Your son has a blessed fate, Lord Jiang! You must remember us little people when he's on top!"
Jiang Dalong beamed, his grin stretching from ear to ear as he graciously accepted the flood of compliments.
Off to the side, Liu Shucai, the brother of Jiang Dalong's fifth concubine, scanned the crowd with a predator's eye. Dressed impeccably, he was a notorious playboy, and he'd grown bored with the usual women at the brothel. Tonight's party was a fresh hunting ground. Many guests had brought their daughters, young women whose innocent fragrance was, to him, an intoxicating perfume.
"Heh, find your next target, little uncle?" a voice chuckled beside him.
Liu Shucai turned to see Jiang Dalong's two other sons, Jiang Hai and Jiang Rulin—the third and fourth brothers. They were his partners in crime, infamous womanizers who had once spent ten straight days and nights in the city's red-light district.
Just then, Liu Shucai's eyes locked on a figure across the courtyard. A woman in a flowing white dress, her back to them. A curtain of jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her graceful silhouette was enough to captivate him completely.
Jiang Hai and Jiang Rulin noticed her too. They exchanged a sly glance.
"Who is she, uncle?" Jiang Rulin asked.
"No idea. Seems she came alone," Liu Shucai murmured, already starting to move toward her. The two brothers fell in step behind him.
But as they approached, the woman drifted away, heading deeper into the sprawling mansion's grounds. The three men grinned, quickening their pace. She was leading them on, drawing them into the quieter parts of the estate. All the better.
The three playboys pushed through the chattering guests, their eyes fixed on the woman in white. She remained just out of reach, her back always to them, her long, dark hair a silent invitation. She would pause, letting them get close, then glide away again, pulling them deeper into the estate.
They followed her far from the party, ending up in a part of the mansion they didn't recognize.
"Strange," Jiang Hai said, looking around. "I don't think I've ever been in this courtyard before. Have you?"
They had spent the last few days exploring every inch of their new home, but this place was utterly unfamiliar. It was overgrown with weeds and draped in thick cobwebs. More unsettling was the silence. The noise of the party in the front yard was completely gone, swallowed by an oppressive quiet as if they had stepped into another world.
Liu Shucai barely noticed. His attention was entirely on the woman, who had finally stopped beneath a grape arbor. Her white dress seemed to glow in the dim light, and a heavy, sweet fragrance wafted from her.
"Who cares?" Liu Shucai laughed, dismissing his nephew's concern. "We're still on family property. What's there to be afraid of?"
He strode forward, the others close behind.
"Pardon me, miss," Liu Shucai said, his voice smooth as silk as he came to a stop before her. "My name is Liu Shucai. I couldn't help but notice you were all alone."
"Hee hee hee," a shrill giggle escaped her lips. "Are you talking to me, handsome?"
She slowly turned around. "You can call me White Bone."
The three men's flirtatious smiles froze on their faces. Their eyes widened, then filled with a soul-shattering terror that stole the air from their lungs. They tried to scream, but it was too late. An invisible, vise-like grip crushed their hearts. Blood poured from their eyes, ears, and noses as they choked on their own agony. Their fine clothes were instantly soaked in a deep, horrific crimson.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
One by one, they collapsed, their bodies rapidly withering into dry, shriveled husks.
The woman in white—White Bone—let out another chilling giggle. Her eyes were black, empty pits, and her mouth stretched into a grotesque, snake-like smile. She looked back toward the sound of the distant party.
"And now the hunt begins," she whispered to the dead. "Should I kill them all at once? Or… one by one? Oh, one by one is always so much more fun. Hee hee hee…"
In the front yard, the party raged on. Jiang Dalong, smiling, was about to call his sons over for a toast when he realized his third and fourth were nowhere to be seen. He frowned.
"Old Pang," he called to his steward. "Go find those two little troublemakers and drag them back here."
"Yes, Master," Pang Lin said, bowing before disappearing into the crowd.
Time passed. Toasts were made, laughter echoed through the courtyard, but Pang Lin did not return. Jiang Dalong's frown deepened. Did those brats really sneak off to the brothel? On a night like this?
As he fumed, guests continued to rise from their tables, excusing themselves to use the lavatory.
None of them ever came back.
But in the joyful chaos of the party, no one noticed. The music played, wine flowed, and the celebration continued, blissfully unaware.
Suddenly, a figure came sprinting from the back of the mansion, screaming. It was Pang Lin, his face a mask of pure panic.
"MASTER! DISASTER! SOMETHING'S HAPPENED!"
His terrified shouts cut through the noise, and a sudden silence fell over the courtyard. Every head turned to stare at the frantic steward.
"The Third and Fourth Young Masters!" he gasped, stumbling to a halt. "They're… they're…!"
"Where are they? What happened?" Jiang Dalong demanded, already on his feet.
"The backyard!" Pang Lin stammered, his voice trembling. "Master, you have to see for yourself."
Jiang Dalong dropped his wine cup and bolted toward the back of the house. A wave of curious guests followed, eager to see what the commotion was about.
The moment they entered the rear courtyard, a collective gasp of horror rippled through the crowd. Some screamed and collapsed where they stood.
The ground was littered with bodies. Dozens of them, all shriveled and grotesquely twisted, their blood seemingly sucked from their veins. Among the dead were Jiang Hai and Jiang Rulin, and all the guests who had gone to the lavatory.
"What is this?"
"They're dead! The Jiang family is dead!"
"Call the guards!"
"No… this is an evil spirit's work!" someone shrieked. "The Jiang family has been targeted by an evil spirit!"
"An evil spirit? Run! EVERYONE, RUN!"
Panic erupted. The guests shoved and clawed at each other, desperate to flee. Jiang Dalong's mind went white with shock. He stumbled toward the two horribly disfigured corpses that had once been his sons, a raw, guttural cry of agony tearing from his throat. "Hai'er! Rulin!"
The other wives and concubines came running, and their arrival brought a fresh wave of wailing and despair.
"Master, it's an evil spirit!" Pang Lin yelled, grabbing his arm. "We can't stay here! We have to get out!"
The words snapped Jiang Dalong out of his grief. He shoved his weeping fourth wife to the ground. "Get up!" he roared, his eyes wild with terror. "We can't all die here! MOVE!" He ordered his guards to grab the hysterical women, and the remaining family members scrambled toward the front of the mansion.
But when they reached the main gate, they found it sealed shut. A cold, unnatural wind swept through the courtyard, and the daylight seemed to dim. The entire estate was now eerily silent; the other guests had vanished.
Pang Lin ordered his men to open the gate, but it wouldn't budge. They threw their shoulders against the heavy wood, but it was as if an immense, unseen force was holding it closed from the other side.
"Master, it's no use! It won't open!" one of the men cried out in fear.
From just beyond the gate, a sound drifted through the air—a sound like silver bells, a playful, childish giggle that was clear as day.
Hee hee hee…
Every hair on their bodies stood on end.
The evil spirit was here. It had been here all along. And it wasn't waiting for nightfall.