Ghosts Claiming Lives

What?

The Purple-Robed Grand Elder was furious beyond measure. He stepped forward and grabbed Elder Li by the collar.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

"I... I... drove... Lin Chen... away!" Elder Li exhausted all his strength just to force those words out.

He was no longer regretful now—he was terrified.

The matter of Lin Chen had already spread throughout the entire Scripture Depository, yet he had simply overlooked the information above.

Lin Chen was a menial worker!

Who else could it be, coming here as a menial, if not him?

"Heavens! That person just now was the recently inducted Lin Chen?"

"No wonder! He's a menial on the Sect Leader Peak. In terms of actual standing, he's even higher than us Outer Disciples."

"How ridiculous. We actually looked down on him—utterly foolish."

The surrounding disciples were also filled with regret.

If only they had befriended Lin Chen just now, or even spoken a single good word for him, they might have made a friend from the Sect Leader Peak.

It didn't matter if it was useful or not—as long as they connected that line, there might be a payoff in the future.

Unfortunately, not a single person had spoken up for Lin Chen.

They had even stood aside and mocked him.

But there was one exception—that Duty Disciple.

At this very moment, his heart was blooming with joy.

Thank goodness he hadn't offended Lin Chen!

Aside from him, there was also Liu Xinzhi. She stood to the side, her beautiful eyes shimmering with radiance, gazing in the direction Lin Chen had left, lost in thought about who knew what.

"You're fucking fired!"

At that moment, the Purple-Robed Grand Elder's fury finally erupted.

He flung Elder Li to the ground and delivered a kick.

Elder Li spat blood three feet into the air and passed out on the spot.

Before losing consciousness, he was still thinking: I'm finished!

Sure enough, the next moment, the Purple-Robed Grand Elder announced loudly: "Elder Li is stripped of his position and demoted to the Outer Sect."

Immediately after, this message was sent to everyone through the Sect Token.

Lin Chen had just returned to the Sect Leader Peak when he felt the token at his waist vibrate.

He picked it up and looked, then immediately broke into a smile.

"Is this them trying to curry favor with me? No need for that—I'm just a menial disciple!"

Before he could put the token down, a second message came through.

"The Scripture Depository is now open to everyone in the sect, including menial disciples."

If the first message was meant to show Lin Chen that the Scripture Depository wasn't targeting him—that it was just an individual's mistake—

Then this second one was clearly a gesture of goodwill.

It was simply trying to tell Lin Chen that as long as he came, he could do whatever he wanted.

Lin Chen didn't say anything out loud, but he was pleased inside.

"Alright, I forgive you all. Once my cultivation grows strong enough, I'll go help out at the Scripture Depository."

This thought wasn't for the sake of helping the Scripture Depository—it was for himself.

When the day came that he mastered a thousand techniques and learned ten thousand methods, who in this world could stand against him?

But before that, he had to earn money like crazy.

Watching the sun slant westward, Lin Chen brewed a pot of tea, sat back down in his recliner, and leisurely soaked up the sun.

In a daze, he actually fell asleep.

This time, he didn't dream of those purple eyes.

But he kept feeling like someone was standing beside him.

This person just silently watched him, neither speaking nor moving.

Yet the more that happened, the more terrified Lin Chen became.

He trembled uncontrollably in his sleep, drenched in cold sweat.

Gradually, that person moved.

Closer and closer, until soon a hand reached out, aiming for his neck.

Lin Chen struggled violently, then suddenly woke with a start.

He opened his eyes and was shocked to see a faint figure beside him rapidly fading away.

"Who are you?"

He shouted in terror, leaping straight up from the chair.

But in that brief moment, the shadow had completely dissipated and vanished.

"A ghost?"

Lin Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and activated the Flame Primer, steaming the dampness from his clothes.

He was certain—that had not been an illusion.

After a moment, Lin Chen fully calmed down.

That Soul Shadow seemed less intent on harming him and more like it wanted to convey some message.

"Who could it be?"

Lin Chen couldn't figure it out.

Watching the sun slant westward, he stopped dwelling on it. "Hunger beats all."

He entered the Blaze Defense.

Half an hour later, he emerged with a basin of Hand-Torn Lamb.

The ribs were marbled with fat and lean, giving off a milky fragrance.

The leg meat was firm and fine, with an even richer aroma.

"If only I had sesame paste and some greens."

Too bad he had none—he'd have to make do with a pinch of salt.

He'd barely taken a few bites when the Cloth Rabbit suddenly popped out from behind the basin.

Its crimson eyes were fixed tightly on Lin Chen.

Lin Chen was startled, nearly dropping the meat from his hand.

He immediately remembered—he'd left the Cloth Rabbit in the Kitchen.

When he'd gone in to cook, none of the ingredients had been touched.

"Rabbits don't eat vegetables... do they eat meat?"

Lin Chen tentatively held out the meat in his hand.

Crunch!

He never expected the cloth rabbit to leap up and sink its teeth into his arm.

A piercing pain shot through him. Lin Chen dropped the meat and grabbed at it with his other hand.

Luckily, the little thing bit down and held fast, not dodging at all. Lin Chen caught it squarely and yanked it off.

At that moment, he finally remembered what Second Senior Sister had warned him.

A hungry rabbit bites.

So this cloth doll was alive—and it really did bite.

Lin Chen looked at the bloody wound on his arm, somewhat stunned.

His body had been tempered—he'd reached the entry level of the Body Forging Art, enough to withstand attacks from a Low-Grade Artifact without injury.

Yet a cloth rabbit had torn his flesh to shreds.

"Could this thing be an artifact too?"

Squeak squeak squeak squeak...

Just as he was pondering, the cloth rabbit in his hand suddenly let out a strange cry.

Its four little paws flailed, and its eyebrows shot up.

It looked furious.

"What do you even eat?" Lin Chen said, utterly baffled.

Second Senior Sister had only told him to feed it, but never said what.

Lin Chen frowned, staring at the little rabbit for a long time, until a flash of inspiration struck.

He flipped his hand and pulled a Spirit Stone from his ring, placing it in front of the rabbit.

It immediately stopped struggling, cupped the stone with its two little paws, and hugged it tight.

Crunch!

It bit down, and in moments, devoured the entire Spirit Stone.

"You actually eat Spirit Stones?!"

Lin Chen decided he was going to return this thing.

He couldn't even afford enough Spirit Stones for himself—where would he get extra to feed it?

The little rabbit seemed to understand his meaning. With a forceful struggle, it broke free from Lin Chen's grasp.

With a soft plop, it landed on the ground.

Then, right before Lin Chen's eyes, it transformed.

In the blink of an eye, it became a Violent Savage Rabbit standing a full two meters tall, its muscles coiled like steel cables.

The savage rabbit opened its mouth and roared, then rose upright, pounding its chest with both front paws.

Boom, boom, boom—like war drums, shaking the soul.

"Wait, what's your deal? You eat one of my Spirit Stones, and now you want to fight me?"

Lin Chen scrambled to his feet.

He could feel the terrifying aura radiating from this Violent Savage Rabbit.

It was countless times stronger than him.

What he saw was no longer a rabbit, but a mountain.

The next moment, the rabbit vanished from its spot.

Relying on his sharp spiritual sense, Lin Chen instantly judged the rabbit's trajectory.

He rolled to the side on the ground.

By the time he stood up, the spot where he'd just been had turned into a massive crater.

Lin Chen shot away without hesitation. As he moved, a flying sword materialized beneath his feet.

In an instant, he soared into the air.

Before Lin Chen could relax, he saw the rabbit push off with its hind legs and leap straight up.

Then came a surge of immense force.

"Ah, holy shit!"

Lin Chen, man and sword together, flew out of the courtyard in a perfect parabola.