A Chinese Ghost Story
"Fortunately, the monsters in the dungeon helped me solve the biggest problem..."
Lin Xu had considered refining all the Dao soldiers and even the Daoists of Xuanwei Monastery under his command, but he had tried it before and found that the Dharma Seed was very easy to trigger resistance from the self-consciousness when implanted. The stronger the power, the more violent the resistance, and the higher the failure rate.
These heavily injured, dying, and unconscious Dao soldiers and cultivators, whose independent consciousness was almost annihilated, were the perfect vessels!
Following the same method, Lin Xu's fingertips shimmered with light as he implanted the Dharma Seed into the other two wounded soldiers in turn.
When he withdrew his finger, fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
Looking at the three people still unconscious and sensing the faint resonance of their consciousness, Lin Xu breathed a sigh of relief, "Let's see what we gain next."
Even if the war between Xuanwei Monastery and the Underground City resulted in mutual losses, if he wanted to take over the temple in the future, he would still need to cultivate his own direct line of followers.
These guardian deities were not only his eyes and ears, but also the foundation for his future struggle for control of the Daoist temple.
After leaving the ward, Lin Xu returned to his residence, closed the door, sat cross-legged on a futon, and immersed his consciousness in the Bright Light Lamp.
The wounded were merely an unexpected bonus; the Ghost Bride, the hanged ghost, and the elite vengeful spirits suppressed within the Bright Light Lamp were the greatest rewards of this mission.
"Hero..." A burning desire flashed in Lin Xu's eyes as he thought of the Ghost Bride's template and attributes.
Over the years, he would go online to check the Spirit Realm Forum every now and then and record some key information, among which the discussion about "Hero Template" was of utmost importance.
Compared to the Elite Template that appear only occasionally, the Hero Template are extremely rare, and each appearance is accompanied by tremendous opportunities or calamities.
Early reports surfaced about the annihilation of several major Lineage in the Spirit Realm, rumored to have been carried out by the Spirit Realm heroes who attacked and destroyed their entire Spirit Realm strongholds overnight.
Hero Template possess the terrifying potential to rewrite the course of battle, and their creation is extremely difficult. It is rumored that only one hero will be born out of every 100,000 adventurers who have completed the Spirit Realm Trial.
More than a hundred years have passed since the invasion of the Spirit Realm, but there are only about a hundred named heroes worldwide, which shows how rare they are.
"Once I master the Xuanwei Monastery, I should at least be Hero Template..."
Thinking of his self-created "Lamp Kindling Spirit Transformation Chapter," a confident glint flashed in Lin Xu's eyes.
Generally speaking, human heroes can only recruit human troops. The small number of alien troops recruited through special channels cannot form a scale advantage at all.
However, his "Lamp Kindling Spirit Transformation Chapter" can refine alien races into guardian deities, and based on this alone, ordinary heroes cannot compare with him.
My gaze fell upon the Bright Light Lamp, where the Ghost Bride was suspended in the flame, her body entwined with strands of golden patterns, gradually refining her resentment into pure spirituality.
The spirit lamp in his hand flickered, instantly piercing through the Ghost Bride's spiritual consciousness. Lin Xu's divine sense was like a knife, directly cutting into the depths of her sea of consciousness.
Spirit Kindling illuminated her sea of consciousness, dispelling the gloom within and revealing fragments of her memories from her previous life.
A touch of red makeup, a broken hairpin, and torrential rain pouring outside the sedan curtain...
The scattered images flickered intermittently, but at one moment they solidified into a clear scene—her husband was having an affair in their new house, she caught them in the act but was falsely accused of infidelity, and her in-laws ordered her to be drowned in a pond.
Overwhelming resentment transformed into obsession; the soul remained undisturbed, ultimately becoming a vengeful ghost.
"Yan Jingshu, is that your name?" Lin Xu asked softly, his voice as still as a deep well.
The Ghost Bride's soul trembled slightly, and a monstrous wave surged in her sea of consciousness. Resentment surged like a black tide, but it was purified when it touched the spiritual light, transforming into strands of pure spirituality.
Anger and resentment swirled in her mind, yet the spiritual light emanated from her soul like the morning bell and evening drum.
The Dharma Seed was quietly planted deep within her consciousness, and the scattered resentment and magical power were brought under control and transformed into a brand new Lamp Kindling Magic Power.
Strands of resentment were purified, transforming into gentle spirituality that flowed into the soul. The originally ferocious face of the Ghost Bride gradually lost its malevolence, and the golden pattern between her brows bloomed like a lotus.
After an incense stick had burned, Spirit Kindling emerged from the Bright Light Lamp and transformed into a woman in a bright red wedding dress, phoenix coronet, and embroidered robe.
She has a full bust, slender hips and waist, a tall and graceful figure, and exquisite curves.
She knelt on the ground, slowly raised her head, and took the initiative to lift the red veil.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, with long, jet-black hair cascading down her back, arched willow-leaf eyebrows, and eyes that had lost their usual brilliance, leaving only a serene, pale red like candlelight. Her lips were like a touch of vermilion, and her voice was like an autumn leaf falling to the ground. "Jingshu greets her master."
Name: Yan Jingshu (Leader) · Purple
Race: Ghost
Identity: Ghost Bride (Lin Xu)
Occupation: Nether Marriage Guidance
Level: 6
Strength: 12 (+2)
Agility: 19 (+2)
Physical condition: 0
Spirit: 18 (+2)
Intelligence: 13 (+2)
Charisma:20
Health: 1440/1440 (+590)
Mana: 2215/2215 (+615)
Faith: 3.1%
Talent: [Night Parade of One Hundred Demons - Purple] On every full moon, it can summon the hordes of the Nine Netherworlds. If the one holding the lantern arrives, the blood-red palanquin will pierce the air for three zhang, seizing souls and stealing spirits.
Skills: Soul-Bewitching Wedding Decree - Purple (Expert), Paper Umbrella Soul Suppression - Purple (Advanced), Blood Hairpin Nether Hair - Purple (Expert), Lamp Kindling Spirit Transformation Chapter - Soul-Cleansing Song of the Forgotten River (Basic) - Dark Gold (Expert): Using the soul as a candle, it draws the fire of the River of Forgetfulness to burn away past memories, allowing obsessions to dissolve and the old self to be reborn.
Evaluation: The moon hangs high, a melody cleanses the soul, all spirits weep. The dreams of a past life shattered in the flames of the heart, reborn this day, seeking not reincarnation, but forging the power of the underworld, controlling weddings and funerals, commanding the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, vowing to transform all injustice and resentment in the human world into deadly decrees.
A new faith tab appeared on the panel. Since the spirit body was not burdened by the physical body, it had a greater advantage in faith conversion. After accepting the Dharma Seed, it began to transform into Lin Xu's avatar.
Once she reaches 100% completion, she will transform into a being similar to the Holy Spirit in Western mythology.
Lin Xu looked at the kneeling Ghost Bride with satisfaction. He raised his fingertips and a Bright Light Lamp hung in mid-air. The lamplight flickered and reflected her lowered eyebrows and eyes. A faint red glow burned quietly in her eyes, like a guiding candle on the other side of the River Styx.
The Soul-Cleansing Song of the Forgotten River is a secret technique he created by combining the obsession of the Ghost Bride. It uses the memories of the vengeful spirit as fuel to burn away past grudges and hatred.
This was the first time Lin Xu had successfully created a unique and compatible cultivation method for a different species. With several Xuanwei Monastery techniques as his foundation, his understanding of cultivation had entered a completely new realm.
"Come, gather your followers." He smiled and lightly Bright Light Lamp. Spirit Kindling flew out from the flame, transforming into two elite ghosts: a vengeful spirit and a hanged ghost.
These were captured during the previous battle. The ordinary ghosts had all been refined into lamp oil, but these two ghosts had Elite Template, so Lin Xu specially kept them. Now they could serve as the Ghost Bride's subordinates for her to command.
The Ghost Bride raised her hand and waved it lightly. Red silk fluttered from her sleeve and wrapped around the necks of the wronged souls and the hanged ghosts. The magic power was like silk, slowly weaving into their souls.