Leveling Up (Please Bookmark)

[Heavenly Show Points: 1 (5%)]

In the small village.

Zhong Shenxiu occupied a quiet room by himself, studying the Heavenly Show System.

"At last, I've scraped together one point."

He looked over his various skills and fell into thought. "Ordinary martial arts and Zither, Go, Calligraphy, and Painting can be discarded. I really only have two choices: Xiantian Qi Gong and the Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment."

"I'm almost able to begin Xiantian Qi Gong, but for the sake of staying alive, I'd better improve the Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment first..."

The thing inside his body had always been Zhong Shenxiu's greatest hidden danger.

After all, there were only a little over ten days left until the next Full Moon.

And he had no idea when the Blood Moon Wheel would hang in the sky and claim his life.

Having made up his mind, Zhong Shenxiu used his only Heavenly Show Point on the Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment.

A message immediately appeared in the Heavenly Show System:

[Consume 1 Heavenly Show Point to improve the Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment?]

"Yes!"

[Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment improved!]

[Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment: First Layer]

"Spiritual Platform Square Inch, comprehend the mystical radiance; Gate of Mysterious Yin, See Ghosts and Gods..."

In an instant, a peculiar realization surfaced in Zhong Shenxiu's heart, granting him a great deal of understanding of this Daoist art.

He had originally been a martial man and had never studied Daoist Arts, so he only half understood many Daoist terms.

If it had been Su Daozhi before, he might still have had a chance of mastering this Daoist art.

But if it were Zhong Shenxiu, the odds would have been pitifully small.

Yet with the aid of Heavenly Show Points, Zhong Shenxiu's understanding of the Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment surpassed Su Daozhi's in an instant, allowing him to grasp many of the subtleties within this Daoist art.

"So this really is merely a method for enslaving ghosts. Generally speaking, once the first layer is mastered, one can barely command the Yin Ghost possessing one's body and send it out to harm others..."

"Unfortunately, the greatest taboo of this Daoist art is controlling a soul far stronger than oneself. There is even the possibility of the guest turning host..."

Zhong Shenxiu's expression immediately turned extremely grim.

The more he understood this Daoist art, the more he felt that Su Daozhi's ability to linger on in a wretched existence until now had been a tremendous stroke of luck.

Now that he had begun the Profound Yin Soul Control Fragment, his ability to See Ghosts and Gods had suddenly grown tenfold.

He wanted to take a good look at the thing inside his body.

Zhong Shenxiu focused his mind upon his Spiritual Platform, visualizing an inch of mysterious radiance that shone forth from it and penetrated his entire body.

Suddenly, his whole body trembled, and all five of his senses sank into darkness.

"My lord Earl!"

A voice entered Zhong Shenxiu's ears.

He suddenly opened his eyes and found himself inside a magnificent hall.

A silver chandelier hung from the ceiling, crammed with candles, its melted wax forming a thick coating.

Beside him, an elderly man with graying hair, dressed in a tailcoat and looking like a butler, bowed deeply. "My lord Earl, the sacrifices have been prepared. The ritual may begin."

"Let us go!"

Zhong Shenxiu moved, seeming to adjust his collar.

He wore a black woolen formal coat, with two rows of golden buttons running down from the collar, each etched with exquisite heraldic crests.

I... can't move...

No... rather than saying it's me, it would be more accurate to say that I've entered this Earl's body and am watching his deeply etched memories as an observer?

Zhong Shenxiu gained a faint understanding.

Though that thing had possessed him, in a certain sense, it was also a part of him. Naturally, they could share some memories.

Judging from this... Su Daozhi hit the jackpot and summoned the Vengeful Spirit of one of the Earls Hestings?

Zhong Shenxiu had no way to control this body and could only watch as it walked through a long stone corridor, emerged from the castle, and saw the knights waiting solemnly in the square ahead.

These knights wore armor like iron cans, yet moved with complete freedom. Clearly, every one of them was an elite.

Even Zhong Shenxiu himself knew that if he were surrounded by them, he would come to no good end.

Earl Hestings took the lead and arrived near the great canyon of Black Mountain.

The knights stood in ranks on either side like the most loyal guards, yet none approached the crack in the canyon.

With the butler in tow, Zhong Shenxiu walked step by step to the edge of the fissure.

The scenery around them was largely similar to how it looked later, though there were differences as well.

The greatest difference was the enormous altar built beside the fissure.

Zhong Shenxiu had never seen this structure during his patrols. It had clearly become ruins long ago, with even its remnants thoroughly cleared away.

Yet at this moment, the altar still stood, its architectural style bizarre beyond compare.

Twisted, asymmetrical, bloody, mad...

Zhong Shenxiu seemed to see a black altar, its stones like writhing flesh, clustering around one mysterious symbol after another.

In his daze, however, he forgot everything he had seen.

Or rather, he only knew that it was an altar in the sense of a "concept," yet could neither describe its exact structure nor recreate one himself.

"My lord Earl."

A Black-robed Man was already waiting atop the altar.

His entire body was concealed beneath black robes.

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a damp, slick quality that made goosebumps rise at the mere sound of it.

"Offer spirit and flesh to the True God... Will the god bless me, bless the entire Felix Family, and let us rule this land generation after generation?"

Zhong Shenxiu heard "himself" ask the question.

Though it was spoken in a foreign tongue, he understood its meaning perfectly.

"Heh heh... My lord Earl, what do you think a god is?"

The Black-robed Priest raised his head, revealing a face as aged as withered tree bark. His scarlet eyes had vertical pupils, and he stared at the Earl like a snake. "The master I serve is not a False God, but a true deity!"

"An existence incomprehensible, indescribable, beyond the imagination of ordinary people. To such an existence, believers who do not even count as ants, along with sacrifices no better than trash, are worth what, exactly?"

The Earl did not grow angry. Or perhaps he had known this all along. He asked calmly, "Then... why are we conducting this ritual?"

"Naturally, in hopes of gaining Its attention!"

"Unfortunately, we are merely ignorant, humble, tiny creatures. The chances are not one in ten thousand. Yet while the True God will not answer prayers, divine power may still react on its own..."

The Black-robed Man answered slowly.

"For a Great Existence like that, even without Its attention, Its power itself will respond to the ritual?"

The Earl seemed to have made up his mind. "I will believe in It—the Great Existence from Boundless Chaos... I hope It will protect me, protect the kingdom I have established, and let it endure forever..."

Zhong Shenxiu tensed, knowing that this Earl was about to begin the ritual.

But in the next moment, an unprecedentedly terrifying sensation surged over him.

He knew that if he continued "watching," it would inevitably bring immense danger.

"Huff... huff..."

Zhong Shenxiu's whole body shuddered as he woke. Looking down at his chest, his expression was complicated. "The First Earl Hestings?"