He watched the terrifying Headless Ghost lunge toward him.
Had Gu Zhe been there in person, he would certainly have trembled. Even with his cheat awakened, his physical self was still just an ordinary man.
But now, through the supernatural powers of his class, a sliver of his consciousness had descended to control his possessions. Watching the Headless Ghost felt much like playing a game.
The Yin-Yang World separated them, across a distance that could not be defined in physical terms.
This Headless Ghost was nowhere near powerful enough to make Gu Zhe feel fear or panic.
His consciousness stirred.
These creations of his already shared an unseen connection with him.
They moved in sync with Gu Zhe's consciousness-or perhaps they needed no orders at all.
After Ritual Transmutation had transformed their bodies and shapes, the paper figures possessed rudimentary intelligence in this world.
It was not particularly advanced, but it was enough to recognize outright hostility and hostile actions.
Facing the Headless Ghost's open hostility, they acted.
Almost at the very instant his severed head flew out.
The thin, eerie bodies of the previously dull, wooden paper figures suddenly seemed to become weightless.
They seemed to twist even further.
Before the ghosts' eyes, those beings that looked fairly normal from the front but eerily thin from the side suddenly bent and twisted in the chilling wind. With a few strange contortions, they appeared in the charging headless ghost's path in what seemed like a blink.
Each strange figure swung a flimsy weapon with its thin arms, becoming a swift blur.
Streaks of white seemed to flash through the air.
Yes, they were as swift and light as the mantis monsters in the movies.
Then.
The flying head, the charging body, the strange howls...
All stopped.
Then they fell to the ground in separate pieces, spilling yin energy and a pungent, bloody stench.
The numerous Blade Hands had dismembered him.
Gu Zhe gave a faint chuckle.
He walked over to a relatively large piece of the head, and the Human Effigy brought its foot down.
Bang!!
It shattered outright.
Then it turned into a putrid wisp of yin energy and vanished into the world.
He was quite satisfied with the result.
Although the paper figures were still mundane objects, these ghosts did not possess many supernatural abilities either. Destroying their bodies would kill them!
He looked at his paper-figure subordinates. The waterproof, fire-resistant, tough specialty paper he had specially ordered online had certainly been worth it. He had also cut out blades and glued them on, and after transmutation in the Underworld, they were quite capable.
[Name: Mysterious Paper Figures] [Master: Gu Zhe] [Rank: Mortal] [Traits: 1. Immune to ordinary water and fire 2. Ordinary toughness 3. Ordinary agility 4. Swift blades 5. Absolute loyalty]
Gu Zhe knew.
Once he had begun locating the Netherworld within the Underworld, the power of the Eerie Paper Folder had begun to show.
Even at the Mortal stage, it could already wield considerable power.
The paper folder's greatest advantage was not his individual combat strength, nor that of his folded-paper subordinates. It was their numbers and the efficiency with which he could fold them.
Even if there really was some revival of the spirit tide and return of an ancient era.
Gu Zhe was confident that his talent and class were second to none.
Their eerie, supernatural qualities surpassed anything anyone or any being could imagine.
Gu Zhe calmly surveyed the ghosts, who had fallen silent.
"The most important thing about being a ghost is knowing your limits. Otherwise, you won't even get to be a ghost anymore!"
None of the ghosts thought this Apartment manager was being arrogant.
That had been a Vengeful Ghost. Perhaps to certain ancient beings, he would have been no different from an ant.
But to these ghosts, most of whom were ordinary spirits, a Vengeful Ghost was powerful. He could resist the erosion of the chilling wind to some extent.
He was especially savage, ferocious, and skilled at fighting.
Yet...
They watched the dismembered chunks slowly dissipate into foul, bloody yin energy. In the end, everything would surely disappear, so there was no need to bury him again.
Except to other Vengeful Ghosts and vicious beasts, a Vengeful Ghost's body was nothing but an infectious poison to ordinary ghosts. What a waste!
Some ghosts instinctively looked toward the woman in red.
Gu Zhe followed their gazes.
He frowned. Something about this woman felt similar to that Headless Ghost. What was the connection?
But the woman's expression remained calm.
She showed none of the greedy desire the ghosts had expected, nor the anger at a kindred spirit's death that Gu Zhe had anticipated.
When she noticed Gu Zhe looking at her.
She tugged at her skirt and gave a lady's curtsy, then smiled, showing her teeth. Together with her vivid dress, she made a very pleasing sight.
Gu Zhe nodded as well.
He returned... a slightly twisted smile.
Just then.
An old ghost in a Zhongshan suit, his hair neatly combed, suddenly pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.
Compared with the other ghosts, who looked shabby and insubstantial, he appeared much more solid and vigorous. He even had a ruddy glow about him.
Who knew how he had managed that.
He was clearly living much more comfortably than the other ghosts.
"Haha, I was planning to wait and see how things went. Impressive, truly impressive! That was a Vengeful Ghost, yet he couldn't fight back at all against the Apartment's guards!"
As he spoke, he gazed eagerly at the eerie paper figures.
"Swift movement, sharp bladework, and no fear of the chilling wind. Though I'm a yin ghost, I admit I'm no match for them!"
"My lord, will these be the security guards protecting the Apartment from now on? Will they maintain order inside?"
Gu Zhe nodded indifferently.
A Vengeful Ghost? And now a yin ghost?
Apparently, these were ranks among ghosts. He would remember these details and gradually come to understand them.
Seeing Gu Zhe nod.
The old ghost smiled.
"Wonderful! I've been searching for a place with order all this time. I once heard of some faction in a distant region, but it seems I won't have to take that risk now. I'll live in this Apartment."
Gu Zhe remained noncommittal.
After a moment of surprise, Old Zhou gave a bitter chuckle.
"Ah, there's no escaping it after all. I knew it. Ghosts like us, with no one to rely on, don't have those Underworld Dark-Iron Coins from the rumors, much less any Talisman Money or Spirit Crystals. We can only... only..."
As the old ghost called Old Zhou spoke.
He abruptly reached into his own body, a pained expression appearing on his face.
It hurt both physically and because he hated to part with what he was taking out.
A ball of dim, ghostly energy appeared in his hand, with what seemed to be faint points of light flickering inside.
"My lord, this bit of spiritual essence should be enough, right? I don't cheat or cut corners. Even as a yin ghost, it takes me eight or ten days of cultivation to produce this much. Other ghosts would probably need half a month!"
"My lord, your Apartment can indeed offer shelter, but spiritual essence is at the very core of us proper ghosts. If we don't have enough, we either become Vengeful Ghosts, turn into ghost beasts, or have our souls scattered... It took me three years after dying to finally cultivate into a yin ghost. I wouldn't dare play games with you, my lord, so I'm being honest and straightforward. My lord, you should also..."
Gu Zhe nodded.
His consciousness stirred.
An eerie paper figure stepped forward.
In truth, he was feeling nervous too.
He had no idea how to accept this so-called spiritual essence.
And spiritual essence, along with those Spirit Crystals, certainly sparked speculation. Could they be related to his system's spirit points?
Old Zhou had no idea that this unfathomable, bizarre being before him was merely a novice.
Seeing the eerie paper figure approach, he respectfully placed the offering in its hand.
The next instant.
In the real world.
A voice rang out in Gu Zhe's mind.
"Ding. Spiritual essence offering detected. Accept?"
A realization flashed through Gu Zhe's mind.
An offering? A ritual? Both involve the deliberate intent of the mind. Is that why I can accept and convert it?
He would find out by trying.
"Accept!"
In the Underworld.
Gu Zhe controlled the Human Effigy and handed Old Zhou a key.
Delighted, Old Zhou shook his head.
"Ah, I finally managed to pay off my mortgage while I was alive. Who would've thought that once I came down here, I'd have to start paying rent again?"
"Oh well, oh well. This is already very good. Much better than having nowhere to stay and having to remain on guard all the time!"
Meanwhile.
Gu Zhe had already withdrawn his consciousness.
He left everything else to the Human Effigy, which would act on its own according to his orders!