Everything vanished. At that moment, everyone snapped back to awareness. Some people were still writhing and screaming on the ground—those were the ones who had just been torn apart by the black humanoid figures. They were alive. Such a large-scale hallucination left me shocked.
To make everyone fall for it at the same time is truly terrifying. I looked at the supernatural practitioners at the village entrance, their faces twisted in horror. Some still chose to leave. Several Daoist Order members rushed over, angrily rebuking them for their actions.
Still, some people left. I glanced at the Ghost Burial Squad—none of them looked well. I sat back down on the rooftop. The whole village was silent now; no one wanted to speak, especially those who had just experienced real death, only to realize it was an illusion. Their hearts were now completely consumed by fear.
"Forget it. There's no way we can fight something like that."
A supernatural practitioner who had just 'died' muttered, and soon others voiced the same thoughts. The endless troubles of recent days had left many exhausted, both body and soul. What they feared most was the resurrection of the Wraithlord, but now the nightmare had become reality. Anyone who had witnessed the Wraithlord's power was terrified.
Noise erupted at the village entrance, the shouts carrying all the way over here.
"If you want to die, go ahead. There's no way we can beat a monster like that. Move aside."
"Even if you run anywhere, you'll still have to face the Wraithlord in the end. Right now, only if we unite do we have a chance..."
A Daoist, brimming with righteous indignation, hadn't finished his speech before those wanting to leave could no longer hold back and left.
I forced a weary smile and said, then returned to the rooftop. All I could do was keep watch, making sure no one could see what was happening inside. Someone suggested we eat; many started busying themselves, since it was nearly six o'clock. The mood eased a little, but I remained on guard, keeping the view blocked.
Sure enough, after a while, I saw many people talking and laughing again.
"Master Zhang, that's an excellent approach. Our appearance reflects our hearts!"
I looked down—it was Elder Mingde. His empty sleeve caught my eye, and I drifted into thought. After a moment, Mingde smiled and climbed up to the rooftop.
"No need to dwell on it, Master Zhang."
I shook my head.
"It was Rachel Lan's idea, not mine."
Mingde glanced back in surprise at the supernatural practitioners, who were now completely changed.
"Monk, where's that Ghost Worm guy?"
I asked, but Mingde didn't reply. He simply sat beside me and began to meditate.
People kept babbling nonsense and acting strangely, as if fighting invisible enemies. Two Underworld Agents arrived; Troy Duan held up a small gourd, collecting the souls of the dead. Still, many souls died instantly upon exposure to the air.
In no time, over a hundred supernatural practitioners who tried to leave were dead. Daoist Order and Buddhist Sect members emerged from the village, staring at the sudden carnage. Some monks began chanting scriptures.
"Fear made manifest."
I heard a voice—Rachel Lan, murmuring. Samuel Young and Master Jasper Jade hurried over to ask her about it. Rachel began describing what she'd seen before at Snowridge Springs: fear truly manifests and kills those who enter.
I'd never heard of such a thing before. Rachel Lan didn't seem to be joking. I moved closer, listening to her recount what happened at Snowridge Springs, where fear took form. I glanced at the mountainside—now the Wraithlord was laughing maniacally.
Tan Tian's attack hadn't harmed the Wraithlord at all, but the Wraithlord's power was affecting this world.
Many Ghost Burial Squad members came out to handle the corpses. I saw Hugh Thompson still smiling, telling others not to overthink it—what's meant to come will come.
If we keep letting fear control us, maybe we'll end up like the dead. I returned to the mountainside, looking around; those who stayed were all the same, even the meditating monks. Their faces showed no fear, but were grave and heavy.
Now I could confirm one thing: whatever the Wraithlord did, he'd already shifted part of his power outside. Tan Tian hadn't come out to tell us anything—he probably didn't plan to. If he did, it would open a breach, and the Wraithlord wouldn't miss that chance.
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In a daze, I saw a shadow flicker across an Underworld Denizen, but it vanished in the blink of an eye. The man's expression was complicated; he leaned against a cracked house, eyes filled with despair as he stared at the stone wall.
"Tan Tian, how long do you think we'll have to fight before it's over?"
The Wraithlord spoke. I watched silently as Tan Tian appeared before him once again.
"If you agree to separate your three souls and seven spirits, I'll let you go."
The Wraithlord burst out laughing, shaking his head over and over.
"You really do love to joke."
This time, the Wraithlord pressed his hand to the ground again. Tan Tian didn't hesitate—he attacked instantly, his body transforming into hard white bone, his head into a long mouth that bit down on the Wraithlord's hand.
With a thunderous crash, the Wraithlord shattered Tan Tian's body with a single punch. But the ground of the Nether Syndicate began to tremble, and black corpses crawled out of the soil, only to explode immediately.
I watched grimly as the Wraithlord released his grip on the ground. More and more black corpses began to explode.
"Using this method to offset my power. Clever."
As the Wraithlord spoke, I understood—he wanted to channel some of his power out using that method. But Tan Tian had already broken the way the Wraithlord transmitted his power to the outside world.
"Earth Soul, come down."
Rachel Lan's voice came from behind me. I jumped down at once. Rachel's face was grave as she dragged me to a secluded spot.
"We need to think of something, or things are going to get much worse."
"There's nothing to be done. Human fear is like this. What we're facing can't be glossed over with empty words. Everyone has eyes—they see clearly. Just a little fear killed so many. Fear will only grow deeper until it devours us completely."
Rachel Lan nodded, not refuting me, but pointed at the mountainside.
"For now, just make sure no one can see what's happening inside. Can you do that?"
I grunted in reply. Rachel Lan turned and left. I pressed my hand to the ground; streaks of baleful energy spread out, and in an instant, the whole mountainside was shrouded in black. The village erupted in terrified cries as everyone retreated, fearing another incident—but nothing happened.
After a while, the commotion died down. What I used wasn't baleful energy, but compressed the local dark energy to block the view of the mountainside. Now no one could see inside, and people began discussing the manifestation of fear.
"A very clever move."
I forced a weary smile and said, then returned to the rooftop. All I could do was keep watch, making sure no one could see what was happening inside. Someone suggested we eat; many started busying themselves, since it was nearly six o'clock. The mood eased a little, but I remained on guard, keeping the view blocked.
Sure enough, after a while, I saw many people talking and laughing again.
"Master Zhang, that's an excellent approach. Our appearance reflects our hearts!"
I looked down—it was Elder Mingde. His empty sleeve caught my eye, and I drifted into thought. After a moment, Mingde smiled and climbed up to the rooftop.
"No need to dwell on it, Master Zhang."
I shook my head.
"It was Rachel Lan's idea, not mine."
Mingde glanced back in surprise at the supernatural practitioners, who were now completely changed.
"Monk, where's that Ghost Worm guy?"
I asked, but Mingde didn't reply. He simply sat beside me and began to meditate.