Firelight flickered in the stone hall, casting countless shadows. The guards stood beneath the stone pillars, hugging their swords and bracing their stances. Their imposing auras unfurled, sharp and biting.
Upon the throne in the center, a figure rested his head on one hand, elbow propped on the armrest. He sat half-slanted, his form melting neatly into the shadows so that his features remained obscured. Yet his entire presence was like the depths of a deep pool, divine blades concealed within; though the water seemed to ripple not at all, a razor-sharp intent penetrated the surface.
He was Shadow Ghost.
Though he possessed no true physical form to speak of, habits formed over countless years made him feel this posture was the most comfortable. Whenever he fell into deep thought, he slipped into it unconsciously, and it was in this very state that his mind achieved its greatest peace—so much so that when the alarm bell on his left rang out in an endless, buzzing chime, he did not even alter his posture.
Hearing the alarm, the guards in the hall stiffened, hands gripping their sword hilts.
Shadow Ghost, however, simply shifted his gaze to the right.
At his right hand, on the edge of the high jade platform supporting the throne, wisps of smoke rose like threads, vaguely taking on the shape of Tie Lan. As for their source, it was a large, dark-red pearl resting upon a specialized wooden stand.
The Iron Soul Returning Spirit Pearl.
In the distant past, Tie Lan had merely been an ordinary sword ghost within the Sword Garden. By a stroke of fortuitous coincidence, he obtained this treasure, which allowed him to gain sentience and follow Shadow Ghost in cultivation.
Over these past years, when Yu Ci was imprisoned in the Three-Sided Void,