Ryugu Castle.

in the basement of a rental building.

There was a cold and damp smell on all sides.

An old, blackened lime brazier burns on the table, releasing a twilight that flickers on and off.

Be the only source of light in this basement.

And where the light does not shine.

The rocking chair squeaked and swayed.

A rickety figure suddenly opened its eyes, and an inhuman glow reflected in its eyes.

"Almost......"

She got up from her rocking chair and slowly walked to the brazier.

The body is exposed to the firelight.

It's an old lady with white hair and a wrinkled face.

At this moment, the flames in the brazier suddenly rose and burst into flames.

Let people see what's burning in it.

It was a dried laurel petal and a small pile of glass residues.

These two things seem to have been burning for a long time.

But according to common sense, they shouldn't have burned for so long.

And now, their burning has finally come to an end.

The sudden burst of flames was like a reflection of light.

Two things turned to ashes in the flames.

At the same time, a trace of black smoke rose from the ashes.

Immediately after, the shadow behind the old lady suddenly wriggled and separated into a small shadow.

It was a ghost.

Like a flowing pitch-black liquid, it condensed into a twisted human form.

With all his facial features, he first looked at the old lady with frightened and awe-inspiring eyes.

Then go to the brazier and inhale those black fumes into your nose.

It was as if he had smelled something incomparably sweet, and his face showed a look of greed and longing.

The old lady's glowing eyes were indifferent, and her voice was hoarse.

"Go, go find him and bring his soul back......"

The shadow saluted respectfully to the old lady, then smiled evilly and walked away towards the outside of the rental building.

…………

Outside the building, the full moon is shining.

The dim streetlights cast long shadows.

And the shadow shuttles between the shadows at an alarming speed.

Straight in one direction, as if something was guiding it.

And quickly.

It leaves the confines of the city of Benlong Palace.

The surrounding scene gradually became barren and grassy.

An abandoned factory is in sight.

A grim smile appeared on the Shadow's face.

The black smoke that it had just absorbed told it.

The people it is looking for are ahead.

And in the smoke, the sweet and mellow taste also let it know.

Those who possess this breath must have an incomparably delicious soul.

It is made up of the evil shadow of the nascent stage, devouring the souls of many living people.

Eventually, it grows into a full-fledged ghost.

A complete Mind has been born, possessing even more unfathomable powers.

But because of this, it also has a greater thirst for the soul.

If you can devour more, better quality souls.

It is entirely possible that it will become a further creation of the spirit and be reborn.

Thereby...... Get rid of that horrible old woman.

Thinking of this, a trace of hatred and fear couldn't help but appear in Phantom's eyes.

Creatures are transformed from the souls of living people.

Although due to the ritual, its memories of being a living person have long been blurred.

The newly born spirit is also different from the original soul.

But...... Some memories are almost engraved in the depths of the soul.

That's how it was brutally murdered, and then the soul was ritually transformed into a sprite creation in boundless agony......

Because of this, it knows more about the horror of that old woman.

Little by little, the shadow approached the abandoned factory.

It could feel the sweetness of the soul that the old woman had let it come to harvest.

Although the old woman's order was for him to bring the soul back.

But...... If you take a bite, the old woman shouldn't be aware of it.

With greed and cruelty on his face, the Phantom infiltrates the factory.

It covets that soul.

I also know that the old woman's evil shadow spirit seems to be lost on the holder of that soul.

Otherwise, the old woman would not have sent him out......

However, the Shadow Sprite is only a creation of the Sprite in the nascent stage.

The means are weird, but because it is a nascent stage, it is also extremely fragile.

If ordinary people have mastered a little secret means.

As long as you can detain the evil shadow until daytime, when the sun rises.

The scorching sun will scorch the shadow into nothingness.

The same is probably true of the owner of that soul.

After all, he hadn't tasted too much of the 'secret' aura from the aura he had just absorbed.

I guess it's just a stroke of luck to find an apprentice who uses methods to target the Evil Shadow.

But it's different, it's a ghost of a mature body.

More powerful, but also weirder.

With only a small means, he can no longer detain him, even if he has a certain resistance to the sun.

It can last at least 10 minutes!

And now, it can't wait to take a bite on that sweet soul.

The ghost's mouth opened in a cruel arc.

Sharp teeth, pitch-black mouth, and unexplained saliva flowing.

He entered the factory.

Suddenly something didn't feel right.

In the middle of the factory, something seems to be going on.

There was something in the air that seemed a little too strong.

Phantom was slightly vigilant in his heart.

Apprentices who are just starting out should not be able to master any methods that are too contrary to common sense.

The shadow continues to go deeper.

Then, when it crosses a certain line.

Suddenly stunned.

He saw a clearing illuminated by moonlight.

A strange man stood there.

And on the ground in front of him, there was a strange bronze mirror.

The smell of blood permeated the air, as if some kind of ritual was going on.

But that's not the point.

The point is, he saw a man who looked exactly like the man.

But it was not pitch black, but a strange shadow of strange glass color, crawling out of the mirror little by little.

As if having discovered it, the figure turned its head in unison and looked at it with a strange, delightful smile on its face.

The shadow instantly changed his face, turned his head and ran.

What a sweet soul, what a mere apprentice who is just getting started.

This breath ...... This breath is clearly an apostle who has been favored by some being!

However, as soon as I tried to run, I found that I seemed to have stepped into the confines of some kind of realm.

Immediately after, several glass-colored moonlit chains shot out and shot towards it.

From the chains, it sensed a very strong threat.

Quickly dispersed the human body, turning into a flattened shadow existence, moving quickly on the ground, avoiding the pursuit of the chains.

And this chain seems to have a finite length.

Seeing that he was about to escape and ascend to heaven.

Phantom surprise.

Then I was terrified and found that I couldn't move.

Looking down, there was a small round mirror next to its leg.

And a moonlit shadow arm was sticking out of the mirror, grabbing its leg.

"Got you......"

Phantom heard a cheerful voice say.

Then a strange force came from the leg and dragged it into the mirror.

With a smile on his face, Jiang Ge walked over and picked up the mirror and stuffed it into the research tank.

"Hehehe, the taste of knowledge...... Thank you for the gift of nature......"