Chapter 363: Twin Soul Seed: Double Lotus

’So Soul Seeds have different qualities, and they can even affect the Apocalypse Game’s attribute template.’

[Twin Soul Seed: Double Lotus]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Trait 1: Two as One]

[Trait 2: Double Lotus Blooms]

Normally, quality should be ranked by letters, but this one was "Excellent." Qi Suian wasn’t sure why.

But he was certain of one thing: this was exactly what he needed. The problem was, Qi Suian found he couldn’t use it.

This thing was a crystallization of rules.

’Don’t tell me it wants me to use this so-called Soul Seed to create a ghost, and then use the Ghost Control Technique to develop a refinement method?’

It was a real possibility. After all, the entity had sensed his wariness. Giving him the raw materials to research and develop on his own was far more tangible than just being handed an answer.

’So a Soul Seed is basically the embryo of a ghost.’

That was the first thing Qi Suian thought of.

’What kind of great secret does the Ghost Control Technique hold, that it can directly interfere with the rules themselves?’

Qi Suian strongly suspected that the founding ancestor of the Ziyue Dynasty was the same shadowy figure he had met—the World Will of the Ghost World.

The entity had no imposing presence or oppressive aura. It was just a shadow. If it weren’t for the events leading up to their meeting...

...Qi Suian would have immediately taken out his Floating Cannons to test the waters.

Ignorance is fearless, after all.

The more you know, the more you learn to be afraid.

’The Apocalypse Game has really run into a tough opponent this time. I wonder how badly it’ll get beaten.’ Qi Suian was certain that the Apocalypse Game was no match for the Ghost World’s Will.

The entity seemed to have some even deeper background.

Like the protagonist halo it had given away.

’Who did it give it to?’

And it was a permanent gift, one that prevented it from ever creating a new protagonist. It was a massive sacrifice.

More importantly, the entity completely ignored the Ghost World’s own apocalypse, acting as if everything was under its control. These methods were beyond Qi Suian’s comprehension.

’I hope it keeps its promise and doesn’t actually kill the Apocalypse Game. It should at least get me out of the Ghost World first. I can die later, in a world where the apocalypse is a little less severe.’

Qi Suian definitely had no intention of staying in the Ghost World. The level of danger here far exceeded that of the Spirit Root World.

The Spider God of the Spirit Root World likely wouldn’t care about one more stowaway transgressor like him. It controlled more than one world, so the chances of him being ignored were high.

But the Ghost World’s Will was different. It only had this one domain. It was already a blessing that it hadn’t dealt with a "virus" like him. Its attitude clearly showed it wanted to send him away, not let him stay.

If he were to actually stay, the chance of it turning on him was not small.

’Its tone was so grandiose, not even taking the Apocalypse Game seriously. It must be from a wealthy world.’

’It probably looks down on the paltry scraps me and the Apocalypse Game have to offer, so the chances of it letting us go aren’t low.’

Qi Suian could only console himself with this thought.

As for his protagonist halo? That thing held no deterrent power whatsoever against an entire world.

If the World Will decided to crush him, his protagonist halo might not even have a chance to activate.

’Alright then, I’ll stick to the original plan.’ Qi Suian stuffed the Twin Soul Seed: Double Lotus into his Subspace Pocket.

After this delay with the World Will, the other survivors had likely uncovered a fair bit of the truth by now.

’Wait, it said it wasn’t exactly Emperor Zhiyue. Does that mean the Ghost City, the Longevity Dew, and all that... wasn’t entirely its handiwork?’

’It’s still connected to the Ziyue Royal Family.’

Qi Suian had discovered this blind spot.

He had only intended to dig up a few hidden leads. Normally, he would have had to investigate the trail leading from the Ghost City, to the Ghost People, to the Celestial Capital, and so on.

But he had skipped the entire process and jumped straight to the answer.

The problem was, without that process, he was completely in the dark and couldn’t make sense of it.

Fortunately, now that he had the World Will’s help, there shouldn’t be any more life-or-death crises for a while.

After all, if he died, how would the Ghost World’s Will cross dimensions to fight the Apocalypse Game and snatch away the survivors?

The entity urgently needed people from other worlds to improve the human race of the Ghost World.

’I wonder how it plans to "improve" them.’

CRACK...

Qi Suian heard a sharp sound. Following the noise, he looked up and saw a crack suddenly appear in the sky.

’What’s going on? Aren’t we still in the layer of truth? Why is it cracking?’

Cracks were only supposed to appear after being dragged into the Sealing Layer.

So this crack was likely related to the Royal Shadow Guards and the Longevity Dew.

"AI Brain, find the other Ghost People... No, I mean the Royal Shadow Guards."

Since he was already here, he couldn’t just go back empty-handed. Qi Suian planned to snatch the Longevity Dew for himself.

He didn’t know what it was, but since he’d stumbled upon it, it was probably a fated opportunity.

The AI Brain immediately began its search and quickly provided Qi Suian with the data.

[They are in the Ghost City Mansion. You must proceed quickly. They have begun some kind of ritual.]

Hearing the words "Ghost City Mansion," Qi Suian didn’t react much.

Apparently, the area he had been to before was just another place disguised as the Ghost City Mansion.

The Tai Sui God had also been affected, its record of that period missing.

Time had passed, but nothing had changed in the record—there was just a large blank.

Most likely, the Tai Sui God had been unable to observe the communication between the World Will and Qi Suian.

"Let’s go. For now, let’s not alert them. We’ll wait to reap the rewards." Qi Suian had no intention of stopping them.

What good would stopping them do? At most, the Lanlou Mansion might be spared a disaster, but Qi Suian himself would get nothing out of it.

As for creating the ghost, there was no rush. That would take a bit more time.

Upon arriving at the Ghost City Mansion, Qi Suian saw the corpses of numerous survivors hanging all around, forming a dense circle.

The Royal Shadow Guards were using some kind of ritual to continuously gather all the ghosts in the Ghost City.

’The humanity within these ghosts has been activated, which is how this group of Royal Shadow Guards is controlling them.’

’To some extent, the ritual can trap the ghosts’ killing rules in a logical contradiction, rendering them ineffective.’

’This must be part of the Ghost Control Technique, too.’

As Qi Suian recorded this, he thought of a possibility.

"AI Brain, what if the ’Control’ in Ghost Control Technique doesn’t mean to ’subdue’ ghosts, but to ’create’ them?"

"Is that why it told me to go to the Celestial Capital to get the complete Ghost Control Technique?" Qi Suian asked aloud.

[That is highly probable. However, I advise you to focus on the present situation.]

The AI Brain reminded Qi Suian. As the ritual progressed, not only did the sky continue to crack, but Qi Suian could also feel the entire layer of truth rapidly falling and awakening.

’The sealing isn’t just to restrain the ghosts, but also to squeeze out their residual value.’

’I have to admit, the Zhiyue People have made incredible progress in utilizing ghosts.’

’The World Will’s support must have been indispensable in all this.’

Qi Suian now knew what the so-called Longevity Dew was.

It was the humanity from within the ghosts.

However, compared to Qi Suian’s unsustainable method of extraction—draining the pond to catch the fish, so to speak—the Royal Shadow Guards were gentler and more considerate of the future.

’From this, I can indirectly confirm that the Royal Family does know about the layer of truth.’

’The Ghost People were created for the purpose of acquiring Longevity Dew, too.’

’But where do the extra Ghost People come from?’

The Royal Shadow Guards soon answered this question for Qi Suian.

The ritual extracted the humanity from the ghosts, but this humanity didn’t immediately form into Longevity Dew. Instead, it was first filtered and purified through the bodies of the Royal Shadow Guards.

Only then did it gather in the stone bowl at the center of the ritual. As for the impurities, they were naturally left behind in the Royal Shadow Guards’ bodies, affecting and twisting their minds until they became Ghost People.

A fresh fragrance emanated from the milky-white liquid, and Qi Suian couldn’t help but swallow.

’This stuff has an irresistible pull on living beings.’

’It’s like needing to eat when you’re hungry or drink when you’re thirsty—a kind of cellular craving.’

Qi Suian did feel an instinctual urge to consume it, but he managed to suppress it.

The ghosts and the Royal Shadow Guards, on the other hand, were able to ignore the temptation because they were not conventional life forms.

"AI Brain, prepare to clear the field," Qi Suian said.

-----------------

"Grand Commander, there’s trouble at the Lanlou Mansion’s Sealing Vault! A large number of seals are showing signs of breaking," Yan Jingxing said, rushing into the courtyard where Nangong Yuan was.

Nangong Yuan’s expression changed instantly. This was no small matter. "Is it because of the survivors?"

The timing was too coincidental. The survivors had only just disappeared, and now the seals in the Sealing Vault were failing—and not just one or two, but a great many of them.

"We don’t know for sure yet," Yan Jingxing said, shaking his head. "But it’s more likely the work of the Ghost People."

"The survivors just seemed to choose Lanlou Mansion at random. The Ghost People, on the other hand, seem to have been targeting Lanlou Mansion for a long time, as if part of a larger plot."

Nangong Yuan was more inclined to believe Yan Jingxing’s theory, but there was one flaw: Ghost People never worked together.

That meant the theory didn’t hold up.

"Let’s put that aside for now. First, we head to the Sealing Vault to provide support and find a way to stop the seals from breaking." Nangong Yuan knew this was no time to be assigning blame.

If something happened to Lanlou Mansion, it would undoubtedly affect the entire prefecture. When that time came, even she would not escape the blame.

"Yes, yes, of course. I came to ask you to lend your aid, Grand Commander," Yan Jingxing said hastily.

If Lanlou Mansion fell, his own Shengshi Mansion would be the first to be hit.

He had a philosophical view of death, but that didn’t mean he was eager to die.

Surviving was, of course, the best outcome.

Nangong Yuan said nothing more. She rose to her feet and, without a shred of hesitation, led Yan Jingxing toward the Sealing Vault of the Lanlou Mansion’s Exorcism Bureau.

However, before they even arrived, they saw a terrifying phenomenon manifest in the sky above the Exorcism Bureau’s Sealing Vault.

"If the situation becomes untenable, abandon Lanlou Mansion and get the survivors out," Nangong Yuan said, her eyes fixed on the phenomenon.