Quinn Shepherd looked ahead and saw only gray-toned mountains, rivers, and land. Even the earth was gray. Not far away, shadowy figures flickered in and out of sight—probably monsters—moving like darkness itself, appearing and vanishing in a swirl of black smoke, impossible to grasp.
Some monsters crept behind a black-gray tree, secretly watching him.
Quinn heard a rustling sound by his ear again. Whenever those monsters drew near, darkness would flow and make a sand-like rustle.
He walked forward. Though there were monsters here, the place felt utterly desolate—maybe because of all the gray. Still, there were trees, flowers, and plants, and strange monsters whose names he didn’t know. If only there were more color, perhaps it would look like a different world entirely.
The monsters kept sneaking closer, but always watched from a distance and didn’t come any nearer. Quinn wanted to get a good look at their true forms, but it was difficult—the place was simply too dark and gray.
Suddenly, he felt a stir in his heart and took out a piece of beef from his Glutton Dragon Pouch.
Whoosh—
The beef in his hand vanished in an instant, as if something had snatched and devoured it. Quinn jumped, barely glimpsing a shadow dart toward the meat—he couldn’t even see what it was!
“These bizarre creatures are everywhere, and their speed is unbelievable. What exactly are the monsters of the Umbral World?”
That explained why you couldn’t step into the darkness of the Great Ruins lightly—if you did, these ever-present monsters would swarm you and devour your flesh.
From afar came the sound of chewing. Quinn followed the noise and vaguely saw a monster hiding behind a boulder, eating something.
He walked closer, but the monster bolted away in panic—he still couldn’t make out what it looked like.
The sky was murky and dim. Quinn looked back, making sure to remember the direction he’d come from so he wouldn’t get lost, then continued onward.
In the gloom, he heard many whispers. Some monsters gathered together, as if discussing something, but when he approached, they scattered like black sand swept away by a fierce wind.
“Is the Umbral World always this gray and bleak? Is there nothing else here? Is the darkness really coming from this place?”
Quinn searched around but found nothing useful. At last, unable to hold back, he took out the Book of Life and Death and shone it at one of the monsters.
The monster suddenly let out a shrill, miserable scream. Black smoke gushed from its body, and in an instant it shriveled up and collapsed to the ground.
“What is this...?”
Quinn’s face changed dramatically. He hurried over, only to see that the shriveled monster had turned into a sheet of human skin!
Just like the god he’d seen at the Umbral World Stele—nothing left but a skin!
Quinn was stunned and muttered, “So these monsters are all just skins? Does that mean there aren’t any real monsters at all?”
His mind was in chaos, unable to fathom such a bizarre situation. After thinking it over, he walked some distance away and watched from afar.
After a while, he saw darkness flow like sand, rustling as it drilled into the empty skin. Soon, the monster stood up again, flickering in and out of sight, vanishing without a trace.
Quinn steadied himself, then suddenly turned back the way he’d come, arriving at the Stele. He bowed to the god-skin and said, “Forgive me for disturbing you, senior.”
He picked up the skin with both hands and walked back into the Umbral World.
The moment he entered, the skin in his hands sprouted legs and bolted away, vanishing in an instant!
“Just as I thought!”
Quinn was shaken—these monsters really weren’t true monsters, but just skins!
Inside, there was no flesh or blood—just black matter filling the skins, moving with incredible speed. But when exposed to the Book of Life and Death, the dark substance would drain away, leaving only an empty husk.
“Why do they crave flesh?”
Quinn felt he was a little closer to the truth, but still far from uncovering it. "To reveal the truth of this darkness, I’ll have to explore the secrets behind the Umbral World."
He walked forward, when suddenly a rustling sound came—a monster approached. Quinn paused, sensing something familiar about it.
It’s that lantern-bearing god from the Pioneer Era!
The monster that was once the god stopped a short distance ahead. Quinn moved closer, and the monster immediately fled, but after running a short way, it stopped again and looked back.
He’s faster than light or lightning, far beyond me. The reason he keeps stopping is so I’ll follow him!
Quinn’s heart stirred—he sped up, chasing after the monster.
Man and monster raced across the gray continent. Quinn ran for who knows how long, panting with exhaustion. The monster was considerate—whenever Quinn couldn’t keep up, it slowed down or stopped, waiting quietly for Quinn to recover.
After traveling an unknown distance, Quinn suddenly saw color ahead—his eyes lit up.
There, the mountains were clear, the waters beautiful, birds sang, flowers bloomed, the lakes were blue, and the air seemed fresh.
There was even a town—pavilions and towers, long bridges over water, elevated walkways. From afar, silhouettes moved, vibrant and lively. Quinn never imagined such a place could exist in the Umbral World.
The monster entered the valley, and the grayness seemed to fall away, turning into a vibrant god.
Quinn hurried after it, but didn’t step in right away. He observed the area first, sensed no danger, and then entered the valley.
The streets bustled with gods, laughing, cursing, singing boldly—a lively city scene.
“You’ve come a long way, friend. Sorry we didn’t greet you sooner—please forgive us!”
An elderly god in a high crown and broad sash strode over, laughing. “We rarely get visitors here—hope we haven’t neglected you. Please, come inside.”
An elderly god in a high crown and broad sash strode over, laughing. “We rarely get visitors here—hope we haven’t neglected you. Please, come inside.”
Though he looked old, his spirit was lively and his face ruddy, showing no sign of age.
“This is Merry Hollow in the Umbral World—a place where gods come to enjoy themselves.”
“This is Merry Hollow in the Umbral World—a place where gods come to enjoy themselves.”
The elderly god’s voice boomed. “Here, goddesses abound—beauties who soothe worries and tired bodies. No wonder people linger and lose themselves here. Calling it Merry Hollow is no exaggeration.”
Just then, many goddesses appeared, singing and dancing in dazzling colors—charming, sweet, cold, hot, all kinds. They laughed: “Honored guest, you must be happy in Merry Hollow!”
Quinn laughed, hugging beauties on both sides. “With such leisure in the Umbral World, of course I’ll have fun. But with only two hands, how can I hold you all? Ha ha!”
The other goddesses laughed too. The elder joked, “If you stay here and become like us, you’ll be able to hold—and sleep with—everyone eventually.”
Quinn laughed, “Become like you? Wouldn’t that make me a corpse-husk?”
“Corpse-husk?”
The elder’s face changed, and the goddesses around Quinn grew grim. “Corpse-husk? What do you know?”
“Hungry ghosts are just corpse-husks,” Quinn said, smiling.
The goddesses clamped his arms, immobilizing him. The elder sneered, “You know? Then it’s too late. We’re starving—”
The other goddesses laughed harshly. “We ate all our flesh long ago. We’re so hungry—”
The goddesses lifted Quinn and carried him to the town center, where countless gods gathered, rejoicing and preparing to feast.
At the center, Quinn was set down. The elderly god sat on a throne before the grand hall. Two beautiful goddesses held Quinn’s arms while tens of thousands of gods below looked ravenous.
The elderly god laughed, “We’ve been trapped here for countless millennia, so hungry we ate ourselves—bones and all—leaving only skin. At last, a living one to feast on!”
Below, the crowd of gods cheered, clamoring for food.
The elderly god smiled at Quinn: “Don’t worry, guest. Once we’ve eaten you, you’ll become one of us—but you’ll be hungry forever.”
Quinn laughed, “So this is your Merry Hollow? What a way to treat guests! No wonder you never get rich.”
“Huh, you’re not afraid at all—maybe you’re hiding something?”
The elderly god said, “But in the Umbral World, even Heaven Duke and Tu Bo can’t help you. Here, you can only die obediently!”
Quinn said, “So what’s with the darkness in the Umbral World? Why does it leak out? If I’m about to die, can you at least satisfy my curiosity?”
The elderly god laughed, “Only Lady Umbral can answer that. You’ll meet her soon enough.”
“Since you corpse-husks won’t answer…”
Suddenly, four more arms sprouted from Quinn’s sides. He held the Book of Life and Death, snapped it open, and shone its light everywhere. “Guess I’ll go meet Lady Umbral myself.”
Aaaah—!
Screams rang out. Gods covered their faces as black smoke poured from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses. One by one, they shriveled up and fell as sheets of skin.
The two goddesses holding Quinn’s arms shriveled up too, turning into skins.
Quinn turned to the elderly god on the throne, walking toward him. The god trembled, scrambling to his feet and staring at the Book of Life and Death in Quinn’s hands.
“Mingdu’s Book of Life and Death… It’s Mingdu’s Book!”
He kept retreating, muttering, “You’re using Chiming-era divine arts. You have six arms…”
Quinn stepped forward and sat on the throne, smiling. “You’re quite perceptive. Even as a corpse-husk, you’ve kept some memories from life. So, can you tell me why the Umbral World became like this? Who is Lady Umbral? And is there any connection between the Umbral World and Mingdu?”