Shadow Daoist lowered his voice, his expression turning grave. "Certain urban legends possess a natural attraction to one another, even an instinct to devour each other and become whole.
"When they meet, certain special methods can be used to stir them into action. In their efforts to devour one another, they may manifest a unified 'true form.' [Multitude], which you asked about, is one such case."
Chu Mo motioned for him to continue.
Shadow Daoist gathered his thoughts and said, "The urban legend [Multitude] was born from the union of three different urban legends." "Which three?"
"[Calling Voice], [Family and Friends]... and [Ghost Mirror]."
Shadow Daoist slowly uttered the three names.
Chu Mo's gaze shifted slightly. He had encountered the first two, and he had also witnessed the last one appear.
[Calling Voice] and [Ghost Mirror] both seemed connected to existence. Could [Family and Friends] be the same?
His thoughts raced before he asked, "How did you learn this? Have they successfully merged before?"
A trace of complicated emotion crossed Shadow Daoist's face. "It did happen once, several hundred years ago.
"[Calling Voice], [Family and Friends], and [Ghost Mirror] briefly merged in what was then the Xu Kingdom, manifesting something suspected to be [Multitude]. That day, the entire Xu Kingdom... every living being, whether ordinary commoners or Daoists and cultivators, lost the boundaries of their 'selves' in an instant and became part of it."
"The kingdom remained, its inhabitants were still there, yet it was no longer a world of people."
He paused, then continued, "But for some unknown reason, the fusion did not last. Soon afterward, they separated again, returning to independent urban legends, and have wandered ever since."
As he spoke, Shadow Daoist reached into the shadow beneath him, sending ripples through its darkness. When he withdrew his