Wu Family Manor.

"What happened here?"

The middle-aged man in the black hood frowned as he surveyed the ruins.

"You called me here in such a hurry for this?"

"No."

Wu Jinlu shook his head, sitting calmly among the debris.

"Mandong is dead."

The middle-aged man's hood trembled, falling silent for a moment.

"Is the body still there?"

"Gone. Only a head left, unusable."

Another long silence ensued before the middle-aged man exhaled heavily.

"That's troublesome. Mandong was one of the two suitable vessels... In that case, we can only use your son."

"My son lost an arm."

The middle-aged man's eyelids twitched violently.

"Can it be reattached?"

"He's already been sent to the hospital, but that arm was crushed and completely destroyed."

The middle-aged man's face under the hood twisted in agony.

"So your son is incomplete."

"Exactly. Shangpin can no longer be a vessel..."

Wu Jinlu's voice grew somber.

"Guess who did this?"

"Li Dongyun? I don't care..."

The middle-aged man said coldly.

"The current problem is how to find a new vessel, someone with a physique close to Mandong's who hasn't stepped into the extraordinary realm."

He paused before continuing.

"As for brewing a special vessel like your son... it's basically impossible. That would take five years, and we don't have five years; the master can't wait that long!"

At the end, the middle-aged man nearly roared, shaking the entire ruins as the ground cracked!

Wu Jinlu sighed softly.

"Alright, don't take it out on me; this is closely related to you... The one who killed Mandong and severed my son's arm is the same person..."

"It's all because of that Assistant Chen you recruited!"

The middle-aged man suddenly froze.

"No way!"

His brows knitted tightly.

"Mandong was comparable to a weak extraordinary being; you're telling me it was that kid? Wu Jinlu..."

"This is the truth," Wu Jinlu replied coldly.

"He either hid his strength or..."

He fell silent, locking eyes with the middle-aged man.

Both spoke in unison:

"Is it that wooden box?"

Wu Jinlu took a deep breath.

"If it really is the box, what's inside? What could make an ordinary person grow to such a level in just two days..."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Lin Yulang, wearing the hood, shook his head.

"How would I know? It was ordered from above; if there's a chance, find the box and take it... Someone from above should be coming."

Wu Jinlu nodded thoughtfully.

"By the way, there's good news. I can confirm that Chen Xiang hasn't entered the extraordinary realm... Understand what I mean?"

Lin Yulang's eyes lit up.

"So he can serve as a vessel??"

"Exactly!"

"Great, I'll report this. To be safe, let's wait for the envoy to arrive before handling it."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on Lin Yulang's face.

"Praise the Void."

Wu Jinlu twisted the ring on his hand.

"Praise the Void..."

Before he could finish,

*Bang!

It was as if a giant spotlight had been turned on, flooding the Wu Family Manor with soft light.

"What is this??"

Wu Jinlu frowned, squinting against the light to see a tall man with a long beard in the distance atop a skyscraper, along with...

A mirror?

The light came from the mirror?

Wu Jinlu felt a surge of dread.

In the next moment, he and Lin Yulang saw ripples in the void as a ghost slowly crawled out.

"Little... Little Long?"

Wu Jinlu looked at the ghost in confusion.

Little Long, the security captain of the manor, had been killed by Li Dongyun two hours ago.

"Boss, it's me."

The ghost named Little Long nodded affirmatively.

"Boss, I'm here. Be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged forward, claws bared.

Then he was smashed to pieces by Lin Yulang's punch.

"Reviving souls?" Lin Yulang frowned, watching as more and more ghosts emerged around them.

Some were recent deaths from the Wu Family Manor, seemingly retaining their intelligence and awareness,

While others, having died over a year ago, were hazy and lacked consciousness.

"Is it the light?"

Wu Jinlu speculated, his expression calm; just some ghosts didn't seem too concerning:

"Perhaps it's an extraordinary item from the Abyss or Hell? Quite interesting..."

He started to smile.

But then,

The smile faded.

The number of ghosts... was alarming.

One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand...

On the distant skyscraper, the mirror remarked:

"Ten years ago, quite a few souls perished here..."

Chen Xiang felt a chill, gazing at the mass of ghosts in the Wu Family Manor.

"Looks like there are at least ten thousand? Over ten thousand people have died here in ten years?"

"Indeed, that's the case."

Chen Xiang nodded, gazing at the Wu Family Manor.

"I just don't know who that person next to Wu Jinlu is... Wu Jinlu is extraordinary, at least possessing the special ability of a phantasmal body. Are these ghosts enough?"

"Ordinary ghosts shouldn't be,"

the mirror whispered.

"But... I've discovered a big guy."

As those words fell,

At the Wu Family Manor.

"No, no!!"

Wu Jinlu shouted as he killed ghost after ghost.

"I see the familiar faces from ten years ago! This isn't something an extraordinary item can do; it's a forbidden object, a forbidden object!!"

"A forbidden object??" Lin Yulang panted.

"We need to leave; otherwise, we'll be worn out here!"

These ordinary ghosts were weak, but their overwhelming numbers—thousands upon thousands—were unbearable for anyone.

Fortunately, they were just ordinary ghosts. A martial artist without aura might struggle,

but for the two who had already stepped into the extraordinary secret path, it wasn't too much of a problem.

At least they could escape.

The two tried to carve a path through the throng of ghosts, with cries, sobs, and manic laughter layering over each other,

accompanied by the whispers of some aware ghosts.

"Wu Jinlu, return my life..."

"Return my life..."

"Get lost!" Wu Jinlu shouted violently, his fingers twisting the rings as heavenly thunder crackled, raging fire surged, and fierce winds sliced!

Large swathes of ghosts were reaped!

Just as the two approached the manor's exit, suddenly,

the cries, sobs, and laughter fell silent.

Tens of thousands of ghosts simultaneously stopped, parting to create a wide path.

"This... this isn't right..."

Lin Yulang's eyelids twitched, cold dread washing over him.

Wu Jinlu also frowned tightly, murmuring:

"Souls, souls... could it be?"

Lin Yulang's back broke out in cold sweat.

"What's happening? Explain clearly!"

Wu Jinlu, lost in thought, looked toward the center of the manor, trembling slightly.

"Did you forget? The manor was built twenty-four years ago."

Lin Yulang recalled silently:

"Twenty-four years ago?"

"Exactly... A Celestial Envoy fell here, and the manor was built to seek the... relics of the Celestial Envoy."

Lin Yulang's scalp tingled, panic gripping him!

He looked horrified at the center of the manor and saw a ghost slowly crawling out of the void.

A ghost over a hundred meters tall.

As it opened its eyes, the already resurrected hundred thousand ghosts all roared and cried out in unison!

"Holy crap!"

Far away on the skyscraper, Chen Xiang's eyelids twitched.

"Mirror, disperse some of the ghosts!"

"Can't do it." The mirror said sincerely.

"A soul of a Celestial Envoy has been resurrected, turning into a ghost."

Chen Xiang's hair stood on end.

"What is a Celestial Envoy... and why can't we disperse it?"

The mirror replied earnestly,

"A Celestial Envoy is like an angel, at the peak of the extraordinary secret path, approximately six levels taller than your current body?"

After a pause, it continued,

"I can't control ghosts that are three levels above the mirror holder~"

Angels??

Chen Xiang took a deep breath.

"So..."

He stared at the towering ghost in the distance, feeling an oppressive terror like an abyss, watching as the giant ghost swallowed Wu Jinlu whole...

"Have we dug ourselves a grave?"

"Yes indeed!" The mirror chirped happily.

"I sense that someone very powerful is coming; I suggest you make a quick getaway!"