"Mu En, come here!" Guo Nu called out loudly. Immediately, an old, emaciated man stepped out from the group. From the very beginning until now, he had not fought, always protected in the center, clearly a core member of the team.
Without waiting for Guo Nu's orders, he raised his hand, and a Phantom that seemed part dragon, part beast emerged from his palm. It opened its eyes, gazing at the two men before it. The moment the Phantom appeared, everyone fell silent.
This was the projection of the Xie Zhi, a terrifying creature known as an Abyss Witness and an arbiter of disputes among the great hosts of Hell. In its presence, no one could lie, and whatever they spoke would become an oath. Should they break it, they would be eternally subjected to the Abyss Curse.
Knowing the value of this moment, both men spoke their agreed-upon words, and the Phantom of the Xie Zhi vanished.
Mu En, however, seemed to have aged further, his body hunched as he was helped to the side.
"Are you satisfied now?" Guo Nu asked coldly.
"I couldn't be more so."
Xi Jiang burst into laughter. He gestured, and his subordinates opened a case, presenting a large, ferocious Lion Mask. Its mane flew about like crackling electricity, and its eyes were as fierce as a deity's.
As Xi Jiang fitted the Lion Mask to his face, his features suddenly became animated, as if he had truly transformed into a creature with the body of a man and the head of a lion, expelling two hot breaths through its nostrils.
"Let's go."
He laughed heartily, eager for action, and gestured for his subordinates. Together with Guo Nu's group, they entered the dense forest.
In that moment, Huai Shi, gasping for breath, abruptly opened his eyes.
They're here.
Just as he prepared to lie in wait, he felt a sudden tremor on his finger. The Ring of Nibelungen's minuscule darkness instantly collapsed inward, condensing into substance.
Nourished by Huai Shi's excessive vitality, the Ring of Nibelungen finally extended from the Mountain Ghost Stigma a Lower Miracle originating from the Yin Soul.
It was like fruit forming on a branch.
Almost reflexively, Huai Shi waved his hand and saw an ethereal shadow emerge from the darkness before him. It appeared as a faint, dim mist in the light, yet blended into the shadows where there was no light, making its outline hard to discern.
When he reached out to touch it, he felt nothing substantial, as if his hand could pass right through. Only a sensation of coolness, characteristic of negative Source Substance, enveloped his fingers as they seemed to pass into mist.
A complete Yin Soul, indeed, but it was far from as perfect as I had imagined.
Perhaps I shouldn't have compared this Yin Soul to my past self. Seeing this most rudimentary Yin Soul now, I can't help but feel some disappointment.
In terms of concealment and agility, it lacked nothing. Without the encumbrance of a physical body, it was even more flexible than I had ever been.
However, its offensive power was extremely weak. It had only one attack: to forcefully project its negative Source Substance. Sufficient for tormenting ordinary humans, perhaps, but useless for anything more.
Both its quantity and quality were impure, falling within the resistances of any First Stage Sublimator. Compared to my past self, whose immense accumulation could almost solidify into flame, this was much weaker.
As a scout, it wasn't too bad, but its actual combat prowess left much to be desired.
It possessed a Stigma but no Soul, no thought processes or judgment of its own. It could only carry out simple commands, like a robot that could walk and move things.
Just as Huai Shi felt a wash of disappointment, he sensed a sudden tremor from the Book of Fate. Instinctively, he drew out the book, followed its guidance, and slapped it onto the Yin Soul's head.
SMACK!
The two ethereal forms collided, and as the Source Substance flowed between them, a sharp, clear sound burst forth.
Immediately afterward, the silver Feather Pen·Event Branch flew out on its own, settling upon the Yin Soul's vague face and swiftly tracing features Huai Shi hadn't anticipated.
Pale skin, bloodless lips, and defiantly arched eyebrows.
As its eyes were sketched and opened, the Feather Pen·Event Branch dotted them with two points of eerie, will-o'-the-wisp green. The Yin Soul seemed to come alive, as if imbued with a Soul, lifting its gaze from Deep Sleep.
Its expression turned dark yet lively.
As if awakening from a long dream, unaware of its whereabouts, it soon grasped the essence of its own existence, its eyebrows raising slightly.
"So this is how it is..."
The man once known as Red Gloves nodded slowly, looked at Huai Shi, and bluntly asked, "Where is the enemy?"
"Right here."
After a moment of silence, Huai Shi smiled cheerfully, spreading his arms out to show the dark forest behind him and the approaching footsteps, now less distinct.
"Apart from you and me, everyone else is an enemy."