Chapter 44: The Infernal Wraiths Cannot Attain Sainthood

“Even the dead can rise again—could this be the source of my unease?” Ye Chen mused inwardly. That head let out a strange shriek and lunged toward him, but then, with a thunderous blast, it exploded into pieces. Ye Chen summoned a wisp of divine power, fused with Ebony’s soul, to neutralize the attack. Blood and bone scattered everywhere, and then a crimson glow began to coalesce, faintly outlining the phantom of a head.

“Give me back my head.”

A ghostly wail echoed through the air, brimming with resentment.

“I’ve lost my head, so I’ll just take yours instead.”

The voice was thick with venom. On the ground, the headless corpse—felled by Ye Chen—dissolved into billowing black mist, like a surging tide, merging with the ghostly head.

In an instant, the aura surged.

“No, this isn’t Ebony,” the shaman said anxiously. “Has some fiend possessed Ebony’s body?”

The scene was bizarre, perilous. Ye Chen’s heart grew heavy; this change was wholly unexpected.

“Could Ebony have died long ago?” Ye Chen wondered. “These are such mysterious means, perhaps even Ebony himself never knew when he fell victim, his memories tampered with—otherwise, I would have noticed something.”

“If fiends are at work, there may be a grand conspiracy behind all this. The Bamboo and Dove Tribes both suffered ruin—could there be an unseen hand binding these events together?”

A chill crept up Ye Chen’s spine. The deeper he probed, the colder he felt; it was terrifying. He wished he was overthinking it, worrying needlessly—that would be the best outcome.

“I can’t let my mind wander further, or I’ll lose my courage. No matter what, the enemy hides in darkness while I stand in the open, but I still have a fighting chance.”

“As a deity forging a new path, I possess methods the enemy cannot fathom. Besides, if not for this unusual path, destiny might have deceived me—I could have been completely fooled.”

“But now, by a twist of fate, I’ve struck down Ebony. Who knows whose schemes I have inadvertently shattered?”

At this thought, Ye Chen felt a trace of pride. No matter what the future brings, at least he was not the one to suffer now; that was enough. There was no use planning too far ahead.

With a roar, the phantom head, filled with black mist, took on a terrifying, spectral aspect and darted wildly through the void. Suddenly, a divine radiance flashed, scattering into endless brilliant rain, instantly illuminating the area. All the black mist froze, a shriek of terror rang out, and then, like snow under a blazing sun, the darkness quickly melted away.

A gleaming light shimmered on the bone token, gentle yet vibrant, trembling as though trying to break free from Ye Chen’s control.

“The bone token wants to rebel?” Ye Chen snorted. “Delusional.”

It turned out the bone token had also been tampered with, but Ye Chen unleashed a surge of divine power upon it, sweeping the token into the void realm.

For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. Then, wielding his divine power, Ye Chen swung his bamboo blade through the phantom head, reducing it to ashes.

Peace returned. Ye Chen glanced at the shaman, whose mood was bleak and heavy.

“Did something occur to you?” Ye Chen asked with a smile, though he harbored little hope. The shaman’s memories were an open book to him; anything the shaman knew, Ye Chen also knew, and nothing out of the ordinary had been found.

It was not knowing the root of the problem that bred such unease; if the enemy were before him, he might have summoned more courage.

But should he blind himself, ignore all signs? Ye Chen sighed inwardly. If he dared do so, the likely end would be a senseless death.

The shaman shook his head silently, and Ye Chen did not press further.

Since he could learn nothing from the shaman, he would have to seek Ning Peach Blossom.

Within the void realm, a peach tree rooted itself in the earth, spreading graceful branches as blossoms fell like rain. Then, the peach tree transformed into a graceful woman, bone token in hand, a trace of gravity in her eyes.

“The bone token is connected to a strange artifact,” Ning Peach Blossom said gravely. “I think I’ve guessed what is amiss with that man.”

“What is it?” Ye Chen asked urgently. The changes in Ebony were highly unusual. While alive, Ebony had not troubled him much; only in death did unease take root in Ye Chen’s heart.

Suddenly, the earth shook as if endless thunder rolled. In the void, surging waves of energy crashed toward the heavens, and the sky changed.

In an instant, night fell; heavy black clouds pressed down, as if intent on crushing all beneath them. Dark, turbid waves pierced the heavens and earth, and the setting sun was soon obscured.

The world was plunged into inky darkness; one could not see a hand before one’s face. Yet in the churning clouds, like black dragons spewing angry flame, a chilling terror could be felt even without light.

The black tide swept away forests and mountains, uprooting trees. Within its depths, one could vaguely see peerless demons roaring in fury, as though some grand scheme had been foiled, driving them to wrath and despair.

In the void, lantern-like eyes glowed coldly, indifferent and merciless, brimming with murderous intent.

Ye Chen’s heart sank. He sensed that unimaginable being was likely searching for him—or rather, for the bone token in his possession.

“When the bone token first fell into my hands, there was no such upheaval. Now that Ebony is dead and I’ve taken the token into the void realm, has it finally grown desperate?”

Panic pricked at Ye Chen. Such commotion could only be caused by an ancient, formidable being. If that creature emerged to wreak havoc, how could Ye Chen possibly contend with it?

What a perilous situation—how had he, a mere fledgling, managed to encounter such a monstrous figure so soon? Did the heavens mean to torment him?

“Don’t worry. That one cannot find you,” Ning Peach Blossom said calmly. “He may seem formidable, but he can’t truly rise again. Just watch—he’s only managed to poke his head out for a breath before being sealed away again.”

Ye Chen hesitated, but before he could reply, the rolling black tide abruptly shrank, as if a giant hand had smacked it flat.

It was like a game of whack-a-mole: barely had the monster surfaced before it was struck down.

“The bone token is the treasure of the Bone Demon, one of the most formidable fiends in Demon Ridge. But it’s said that the tallest tree catches the wind—eventually the Bone Demon met disaster, and the token vanished.”

“Legend has it that the bone token can open the White Bone Secret Realm, where many strange artifacts lie hidden, including secrets to the Bone Demon’s path to transcendence.”