Chapter 3: Wailing Ghost Ridge

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Shi Long, a wandering cultivator in the martial world, thirty-six years old this year, had come to Ghost Wailing Ridge in pursuit of rumored hidden treasures, only to suffer a grievous injury from an attack by a spirit creature.

Upon hearing Shi Long’s introduction, Yang Dai grew tense immediately.

“What did the spirit creature look like?” he asked hurriedly.

Shi Long replied, “It was a tree demon, about three miles from here. Rest assured, master—the creature’s cultivation is low, and it cannot move. It can only wait for prey to approach, lying in ambush.”

Yang Dai followed up, “You’re a rogue cultivator, and you just mentioned cultivation. Could you explain cultivation to me?”

Shi Long was puzzled—how could someone with such abilities not know about cultivation?

But now that he was a shade, unable to resist Yang Dai, he could only answer honestly.

“Cultivation is the absorption of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, transforming it into spiritual power to strengthen oneself. Humans who do this are called cultivators; monsters who do so are called demons. My cultivation is only at the first layer of Qi Gathering. The cultivation realms I know, from lowest to highest, are Qi Gathering, Heart Rotation, and Spirit Illumination. I’ve just begun the path. If my cultivation were higher, I wouldn’t have died from physical injuries.”

Shi Long sighed, deeply frustrated.

Yang Dai observed his expression and couldn’t help but wonder—was this fellow’s broken leg caused by that tree demon’s snare?

“Show me your strength,” Yang Dai said thoughtfully. He didn’t immediately ask Shi Long for cultivation methods; survival till dawn was his priority. He needed to gather intelligence about the deep domain first.

Shi Long stood up, raised his hand, and summoned his treasured blade from the ground—it flew into his palm.

Yang Dai’s eyes lit up at such a display.

So this is the power of a Qi Gathering expert? He loved it!

Shi Long took the blade, walked to the creek, and began a dazzling display of swordplay. The swift, fluid movements sent gusts of wind rippling even several meters away, making Yang Dai feel an immediate surge of security.

After Shi Long had finished his sword routine, Yang Dai stepped forward to touch him.

After some experimentation, Yang Dai understood the abilities of a shade.

When a shade attacks, its soul takes on physical form; otherwise, it remains intangible, untouchable, like a projection—Yang Dai’s hand would pass right through its soul body.

Quite formidable!

But when it becomes material, it might also be Shi Long’s weakness. Shades feel no pain, their soul bodies recover autonomously, and blades passing through them seem to do nothing—recovery takes only seconds. But what if the soul body were shattered entirely?

Yang Dai didn’t dare to test what would happen if Shi Long’s materialized form were obliterated—after all, he only had this one shade, and no ability to do so.

It was worth noting that Yang Dai discovered summoning Shi Long exacted no price—a true SS-level talent.

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He decided to keep Shi Long by his side at all times, lest he be ambushed.

Yang Dai asked Shi Long to describe Ghost Wailing Ridge, as he pondered how to survive till dawn.

“Ghost Wailing Ridge is one of the minor forbidden grounds of the Great Xia Dynasty. Mortals are forbidden entry; it stretches for eight hundred miles, shrouded in ghostly mist, making it easy to lose one’s way. It is said a millennium-old ghost king hides here. Over the centuries, many cultivators have perished, leaving behind countless magical artifacts and spiritual elixirs. This is my first time here, and I am still exploring—it seems we are on the outskirts of the Ridge.”

Shi Long paused suddenly, as if hesitant.

Yang Dai prompted, “If you have something to say, speak.”

Shi Long took a deep breath and said, “Ghost Wailing Ridge is a trial ground chosen by the righteous sects of the Great Xia Dynasty, meant for rogue cultivators. In two days, the Ridge will close. Your abilities resemble those of a ghost cultivator. In Great Xia, righteousness and demonic paths are opposed—ghost cultivators are considered heretics. When the trial ends, if you encounter them, you will surely be hunted down.”

He shuddered inwardly—he had actually been soul-absorbed by the other, yet couldn’t help but worry for his captor.

Such instincts were terrifying.

[Congratulations, Summer Nation’s trial participant ‘Lulu’ has obtained an A-rank talent]

Yang Dai ignored the floating prompt, frowned, and asked, “If I don’t reveal my soul-absorbing abilities and hide you, could anyone tell I’m a ghost cultivator?”

“No, but I can’t be sure whether Heart Rotation cultivators could sense my presence.”

“That is indeed a problem,” Yang Dai conceded. He couldn’t simply release Shi Long; he still needed his protection to survive till dawn.

“Tell me about your pouch,” Yang Dai said, producing Shi Long’s belongings.

Shi Long’s mouth twitched.

Opening the cloth bag, Yang Dai found two small bottles, some scattered silver coins, and a piece of yellow talisman paper inscribed with strange runes.

“This bottle is Rejuvenation Pills—they quickly stop bleeding and heal wounds, even mend broken bones. The other is Viscera Dissolving Pills—they look similar to Rejuvenation Pills but are actually poison. After ingestion, within the time it takes for incense to burn, your organs dissolve into blood, causing instant death. As for the talisman, it’s a Scarlet Flame Curse—infuse it with spiritual power, and it will shoot flames in the direction it’s facing, with great effect. I spent all my savings to acquire it; it’s as powerful as a fifth-layer Qi Gathering cultivator.”

Shi Long introduced these with pride, making Yang Dai wary of the Viscera Dissolving Pills.

Out of curiosity, Yang Dai asked, “With such a powerful talisman, why didn’t you destroy that spirit creature?”

Shi Long replied awkwardly, “I was ambushed and badly wounded. Since the spirit creature can’t move, I could simply flee—no need to waste the talisman. Besides, I needed it for protection while injured. I didn’t expect the creature’s vine tentacles to be poisonous, worsening my wounds and causing my spiritual power to scatter. In the end, I died from the poison…”

Yang Dai took note—he’d have to be cautious of flora in the future.

Now, the Scarlet Flame Curse would be his trump card. He had no spiritual power, but Shi Long could use it.

After chatting a while longer, they set out.

Yang Dai wanted to find more corpses to absorb souls and had Shi Long lead the way.

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Yang Dai noticed a chill emanating from Shi Long as they walked together—would he eventually freeze if he summoned more shades?

Though uneasy, he dared not stray far from Shi Long.

With Shi Long beside him, Yang Dai felt more at ease. He returned the treasured blade to Shi Long and picked up a wooden stick for self-defense.

Time passed, minute by minute.

An hour later.

Shi Long led Yang Dai to a corpse—an old man, ragged, his body mangled, half his face chewed away, making Yang Dai nauseous.

“Before entering Ghost Wailing Ridge, I met this old man in a nearby town. He was said to be at the third layer of Qi Gathering, hoping to join a sect through this trial. Who knew he’d die so terribly,” Shi Long lamented. He himself was dead now—old acquaintances, reunited as corpses.

Yang Dai couldn’t tell if the soul remained in the body. According to legend in the Summer Nation, the soul lingers for seven days after death before returning home—so within that period, it remains in the mortal world.

Suppressing his revulsion, Yang Dai placed his hand on the old man’s forehead.

Yet he sensed no soul.

He had to give up.

He had Shi Long search the corpse and was pleasantly surprised to find a storage pouch.

According to Shi Long, storage pouches were rare—even he didn’t have one. To use a storage pouch, one had to cultivate spiritual power.

Yang Dai had Shi Long examine the contents—three bottles of Rejuvenation Pills, one bottle of Qi Gathering Pills, and seven spirit stones.

Qi Gathering Pills accelerate the cultivation of Qi Gathering practitioners, while spirit stones serve the same purpose, but using them directly for cultivation is wasteful—they’re better suited for crafting magical artifacts and arrays, making them the universal currency of the cultivation world.

A good haul!

Yang Dai was quite satisfied and felt addicted to looting corpses.

Shi Long continued to lead the way.

The next two corpses they found were equally mutilated, with no souls present; Shi Long found no storage pouches, only empty coin purses. Fortunately, Yang Dai found a longsword to replace his wooden stick.

A sudden thought struck Yang Dai as they walked. He asked, “From your perspective, were those three killed by wild beasts or spirit creatures?”