Shadows had different appearances, too.
Li Yan's shadow had no self-awareness, so in the eyes of other shadows, it seemed a little dull-witted.
But that was only natural.
The Side Effect Normalization System ensured that Li Yan's shadow would never turn against him and would remain one hundred percent loyal to its true self.
And precisely because it was dull-witted, Crescent Shadow had let its guard down around Li Yan.
But now they were watching Li Yan's shadow lie atop the Sacrifice Array, defying all order as it stole Blood Shadow Venerable's energy.
Black qi was siphoned out of the array and flowed into Li Yan's shadow like smoke.
After stealing Blood Shadow Venerable's immortal art, Li Yan had gained a deeper understanding of the Blood Shadow Technique.
Thanks to the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp, Li Yan had an extra shadow compared to other people, divided into a Main Shadow and a Sub Shadow.
The Main Shadow was the one beneath his feet, while the Sub Shadow was the one he projected using the Precious Lotus Lamp.
He could make the Sub Shadow vanish without a trace at any moment simply by extinguishing the lamp.
It was clear that in actual combat, the Sub Shadow was more powerful and convenient.
As long as he extinguished the lamp, he could escape his enemies' pursuit.
Seeing Li Yan steal the Venerable's cultivation,
Crescent Shadow roared, "Who exactly are you?!"
As he spoke, Crescent Shadow raised both hands. His ten fingers turned into little black snakes, each trying to bind Li Yan's shadow.
Seeing shadows closing in from all sides, Li Yan had initially planned to extinguish the lamp and recall his Sub Shadow.
But then a bold idea flashed through his mind, and he began controlling his Sub Shadow to flee.
Beneath the starry sky, two shadows raced through the woods, one chasing the other.
Crescent Shadow sneered. "If I follow your shadow, I can find where your true body is!"
"Kid, let's see where you can run!"
Crescent Shadow thought he was the hunter, unaware that with every step, he was walking deeper into the trap Li Yan had carefully prepared for him.
At that moment, inside the Concealment Array, Li Yan took out a Magic Treasure—the Soul Locking Banner.
Su Mo looked confused. "Master, can this catch shadows?"
She understood what Li Yan was doing, but what she couldn't understand was this:
The one he'd lured over was clearly just a shadow. Could the Soul Locking Banner really be used to catch shadows?
Li Yan's lips curled upward. He didn't explain, but demonstrated on the spot.
He picked up the Soul Locking Banner in his right hand and murmured, "Shadow Transformation, Magic Treasure."
The next moment, both Li Yan's Main Shadow and Sub Shadow had a Soul Locking Banner in their hands.
That's right!
This was the Blood Shadow Immortal Method Li Yan had just learned: extracting the shadow of a Magic Treasure and projecting it into a shadow's hand.
One Main Shadow and one Sub Shadow attacked from both sides at Li Yan's command.
The shadowy Soul Locking Banners in their hands stabbed into the ground!
The Soul Locking Banner, which could only be used against the living and ghosts, could now be used to bind shadows!
Through the Blood Shadow Immortal Method, the Soul Locking Banner had transformed into the Shadow Soul Locking Banner!
With an immortal art, a Magic Treasure in the real world could also be projected into the Shadow World.
The two Shadow Soul Locking Banners raised several walls of shadow, trapping Crescent Shadow between them.
"A Shadow Locking Array?!"
The Shadow Soul Locking Banners formed an array, sealing off every escape route.
At the sight of this, the shadow with a crescent moon between its brows visibly panicked.
"Who exactly are you, sir?!"
"We shadow fiends are all one family. Why have you attacked me, and why are you stealing the Venerable's cultivation?"
Crescent Shadow glanced around and saw that the two shadows surrounding him looked exactly alike. Were they twins?
"You two! I am Moon Shadow Daoist, a subordinate of Blood Shadow Venerable! May I ask your honored names and which sect you hail from?"
Hidden in the darkness, Li Yan judged from what the other had said—
It seemed the Su Family wasn't the only one whose members had been possessed by shadows. A whole group of shadows was even entrenched around Mishan City.
They called themselves shadow fiends, and the outer city was clearly ruled by someone called Blood Shadow Venerable.
Moon Shadow Daoist continued, "Mishan's outer city is Blood Shadow Venerable's mountain gate. You've trapped me here—aren't you afraid the Venerable will punish you?"
The other party mistook Li Yan for a shadow fiend from elsewhere.
And he even called himself Moon Shadow Daoist?
Li Yan couldn't help being amused. Not only had people's shadows turned against them,
they'd even given themselves titles like Venerable and Daoist. It seemed that here on Mount Bugui, even people's shadows wanted to eat them alive.
"Wretched beast, you dare call yourself Moon Shadow Daoist."
Only then did Li Yan speak through his shadow.
Moon Shadow Daoist's eyes darted about, as if he were calculating something.
He let out a series of sinister chuckles. "I thought you were formidable. Judging by your shadow auras, you're only at the fourth level of the Blood Moving Realm."
"Since you refuse to identify yourselves, this Daoist has no choice but to make a move!"
With that, Moon Shadow Daoist shot up from the ground, his shadow turning solid.
The black figure swung a horsetail whisk, harnessing the soft moonlight and directly breaking through the Shadow Soul Locking Banner in front of him.
Moon Shadow Daoist's black shadow gave a cold snort. "You're nothing but two ownerless wild shadows. You've only just awakened your consciousness, yet you dare act so brazenly before this Daoist!"
Then the black shadow formed a hand seal and chanted, "Bright Moon, aid me!"
As the moonlight shone toward Li Yan's two shadows, Li Yan muttered under his breath,
"Looks like I won't get any more information out of him. Time to close the net."
"Golden Body Dharma Aspect, arise!"
As Li Yan activated the incantation, two Golden Body Dharma Aspects rose from the black shadows. Golden light blazed forth, dispelling the darkness!
Moon Shadow Daoist had been completely nonchalant just a moment ago. The next instant, he let out a shrill scream.
"The Yang Si Power?!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!"
The shadow fiend scorched by the golden light—the shadow claiming to be Moon Shadow Daoist—had never in his wildest dreams expected this.
Everyone here was a shadow, an evil, uncanny thing.
Why could he only wield the moon's radiant glow, while Li Yan could summon Golden Body Dharma Aspects?
It made no sense at all.
Shadow fiends were like ghosts. What kind of evil spirit would dare tattoo a mighty heavenly dragon across its back?
For shadow fiends, seeing Li Yan's two shadows transform into Golden Body Dharma Aspects—
was like watching two asura demons transform into Erlang Shen, the Manifest Sage True Lord!
When Moon Shadow Daoist saw the two Golden Body Dharma Aspects rise from the ground, his mind went blank.
Feeling the sting of the golden light, Moon Shadow Daoist immediately fell to his knees and begged for mercy.
"Daoist! Daoist, spare me!"
"You two are the true Shadow Daoists!"
"I made up the name Moon Shadow Daoist myself. I'm just a fool who failed to recognize Mount Tai! I was blind!"
The two Golden Body Dharma Aspects advanced step by step. Moon Shadow Daoist's shadow shrank smaller and smaller, curling up in a crevice and trembling.
Li Yan's lips curled upward. Speaking through his shadow, he said, "Tell me everything you know."
Moon Shadow Daoist stared in terror at the Golden Body Dharma Aspects on either side.
The golden light produced by the Yang Si Power had a powerful suppressive effect on shadow fiends.
Even though his cultivation was considerable, the Golden Body Dharma Aspects had him utterly subdued.
Pinned in place, Moon Shadow Daoist could only answer in a trembling voice, "I'll tell you everything I know! Please, True Shadow Daoist, spare my life."
"Tell me the incantation used for the sacrifice!"
Li Yan's goal was clear: to reap the benefits!
As long as he learned the Sacrifice Incantation, he could use the Side Effect Normalization System to reap benefits from Blood Shadow Venerable!
Stealing the Venerable's cultivation directly—what could be better?
Before you continue