Killing Intent, the Yin Soldiers Attack!
Yin wind swept past, rustling the withered leaves. Drawn by the candle flame, the wandering souls in the forest were captured one after another and pulled into it like moths to a flame.
The Dao Rhyme Bright Light Lamp's originally rough body gradually became smooth and lustrous under the constant wash of spiritual light. Fine runes appeared on its surface, flowing with a faint rhythm in time with Lin Xu's breathing, as though it had become a second beating heart.
The candle flame grew a little brighter, and the fiery sun it projected into his sea of consciousness became clearer. The edges of his sea of consciousness expanded noticeably faster, its once-blurred boundary slowly spreading outward like a sheet of xuan paper touched by fire.
The candlelight swept out, and a drop of Yin Dew fell from the tip of an ancient tree's leaf, entering his sea of consciousness in an instant.
Ice and fire mingled, turning into a hazy mist that filled his sea of consciousness. Alternating heat and cold gave rise to a subtle balance, just as yin and yang gave rise to each other.
Though he was cultivating, Lin Xu did not stop walking. He kept part of his attention on the fluctuations of Yin Qi around him as he traveled through the Yin Locust Forest at a steady pace.
He refined wandering souls to replenish the lamp oil, used the candle flame to temper the lamp's body, and drew on Yin Dew to temper his soul in his sea of consciousness, all at the same time.
Only now was he certain that he was using his talents and abilities to their utmost at his current stage, cultivating in the most efficient way possible.
I can move around here without the wandering souls noticing me in advance mostly because the Ice Heart Jade Pendant conceals me...
Lin Xu felt a cool sensation flow from the pendant through his body, blending his presence into the Yin Locust Forest. He was faintly moved.
If a beautiful rich woman had offered to keep him in his previous life, he would have raised all five limbs in surrender long ago.
Unfortunately, no one had taken a fancy to him in his previous life. In this life, romance was merely a seasoning in his life~
Rather than rashly venture deep into the Yin Locust Forest, Lin Xu cautiously stayed within a safe area. He had already noticed that the deeper he went, the denser the Yin Qi became, the more mature yin locust trees there were, and the more densely the wandering souls gathered.
How long has it been since this forest was cleared out? Or is the respawn rate in the Spirit Realm here just that fast?
Some of the Spirit Realm's rules had much in common with games. For instance, monsters killed yesterday might reappear today. No one knew why, but that did not stop adventurers from calling this special mechanism respawning.
Suddenly, Lin Xu stopped in his tracks.
In the shadows cast by the interlocking ancient trees ahead, a wandering soul slowly emerged, wearing battered armor and carrying a broken spear. Nether-blue ghostfire seeped through the gaps in its rust-spotted armor, and its eyes flickered in the darkness like two cold candles.
Name: Yin Soldier · White Race: Ghost Level: 2 Strength: 3 Agility: 12 Constitution: 0 Spirit: 8 Intelligence: 2 Health: 56/56 Mana: 80/80 Skill: Netherfire Pierce · White (beginner) - condenses ghostfire at the spear tip to pierce a living being's soul, with an additional slowing effect Evaluation: Weak, no different from a common foot soldier, but poses a certain threat when appearing in groups
A level 2 ghost...
Lin Xu felt the urge to retreat. He was just getting into the swing of cultivation, and he reckoned that if he continued at this pace, he could break through his current stage and reach level 2 within two days. Rashly engaging the enemy now could very well disrupt his cultivation and even bring greater danger.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the word "groups" in the evaluation. An inexplicable warning suddenly arose in his heart: his spiritual perception was alerting him to danger.
Lin Xu immediately took half a step back and adjusted his footing, preparing to avoid the Yin Soldier ahead.
But just then, the Yin Soldier slowly turned, its hollow eye sockets staring straight toward Lin Xu's hiding place. An invisible strand of soul force reached out and locked precisely onto his presence.
I can't escape!
Lin Xu's gaze sharpened slightly. He gave the spirit lamp in his hand a gentle shake, and the candle flame spread in an arc. Chains tore through the air, heading straight for the Yin Soldier.
The illusory spear thrust out, colliding with the candle flame.
The instant sparks flew, Lin Xu's sea of consciousness trembled. Then the fiery sun of candlelight shone brilliantly, stabilizing his sea of consciousness in an instant.
The next moment, the Bright Light Lamp's flame flickered, and an invisible ripple swept silently over the Yin Soldier as it prepared to give chase.
The spear of netherfire stalled in midair, and the Yin Soldier's spirit body trembled slightly. The fierce netherfire that had flared upon discovering a living person flickered, and its pursuit slowed.
Seizing souls and capturing spirits: this was a property that came naturally with a deep understanding of the Bright Lamp Spirit Kindling Art. There was no need to deliberately practice a spell, yet the art already contained the key to subduing enemies.
Lin Xu seized the chance to break away and retreat swiftly, intending to withdraw into the depths of the shadows beneath the branches.
But just then, a chill shot abruptly from his back to his forehead, and Lin Xu came to a sudden halt. Two figures in battered armor had appeared among the locust branches behind him as well, their rusty spears angled toward the ground and netherfire flickering deep in their eye sockets.
Using the Bright Light Lamp to enhance his Spirit Eye Technique, he swept his gaze over the surroundings. Beneath an ancient locust tree not far away, three figures in battered armor stood motionless, netherfire flickering in their empty eye sockets as they faintly formed an encirclement.
Lin Xu's breath caught. He was surrounded on three sides, and every avenue of retreat had been cut off.
His overclocked thinking kept Lin Xu calm. His spiritual perception quickly swept over the surrounding terrain and locked onto a gap by the roots of a locust tree to his left—the weakest point in the encirclement.
The Yin Soldiers, however, were extremely fast. The slightest hesitation would cost him the initiative.
With a thought, he abruptly activated the Bright Light Lamp. An invisible ripple swept outward, and the Yin Soldiers advancing to surround and kill him instantly faltered, their netherfire slowly dimming.
This was a wide-area use of soul-seizing and spirit-capturing. Its purpose was not to weaken or destroy the enemy, but to pacify them, buying an instant for him to escape with his life!
Without pausing, Lin Xu produced a Light Body Talisman, which burst into flame without wind. His figure skimmed over the ground like a swallow as he used the talisman's power to rush toward the gap.
He had obtained this talisman through arduous practice in the real world. Its quality was the lowest cyan grade, barely qualifying it as a supernatural item, but now it made him feel lighter and increased his speed by a full thirty percent.
I made it!
The instant he passed through the gap, Lin Xu felt a little relieved. Without stopping for a moment, he immediately raced off in the direction he had chosen.
In a mere dozen or so seconds, he covered dozens of meters, and the thin mist once again concealed the Yin Soldiers.
But just then, Lin Xu felt a chill in his heart as he ran. Without hesitation, he threw himself into a roll diagonally forward. Almost at the same instant, an illusory spear swept past, nearly grazing his back.
The spear's image dissipated. Lin Xu lay on the ground, panting, while the Bright Light Lamp's flame surged in his hand, turning into an invisible soul-stabilizing wave that slowed the attacking Yin Soldier's spirit body.
Only then did he have time to look at his attacker:
A much taller Yin Soldier stood in the mist. Its armor was damaged, yet it exuded a chilling pressure. The spear of netherfire in its hand slowly withdrew, while the flames in its eye sockets leaped violently, as though it were enraged at being suppressed by the Bright Light Lamp.
Name: Yin Soldier Squad Leader (Elite) · Cyan Race: Ghost Level: 2 Strength: 5 Agility: 16 Constitution: 0 Spirit: 11 Intelligence: 6 Health: 880/880 Mana: 1100/1100 Talent: [Command Yin Souls · Blue] - can command five Yin Soldiers to fight in coordination Skill: Netherfire Pierce · White (advanced) - condenses ghostfire at the spear tip to pierce a living being's soul, with an additional slowing effect Spear Charge · Cyan (advanced) - rushes forward rapidly and launches a thrust with netherfire enveloping its body; thirty-second cooldown Formation Command · Cyan (beginner) - can command Yin Soldiers to set up simple offensive and defensive formations Evaluation: A ghost-path battle commander with potential, left behind among desolate graves, its talents yet to be fully displayed