Chapter 1 of 10

Chapter 1

16 min read3,959 words

In a vast and boundless world, on an endless expanse of land, there lies a bottomless abyss stretching for thousands of miles.

A hundred feet below the rim of the abyss, a misty white fog shrouds the view, descending straight down. When one reaches a depth of about ten thousand feet, the fog suddenly clears, revealing a hidden paradise.

From the endless depths of the abyss, five mountain peaks emerge. The central peak, the largest, covers an area of six or seven hundred miles, while the other four peaks, located to the east, south, west, and north, each span three or four hundred miles. The peaks have been flattened by some heavenly power, and numerous magnificent palaces and halls have been built atop them.

At this moment, a ten-year-old boy named Zhu Jiu stands in the grand hall on the easternmost peak. Inside the hall, there are several hundred other boys and girls, all around ten years old.

The expressions of these children vary: some look pale and frightened, while others appear relatively relaxed, even gathering in small groups to whisper to each other.

Zhu Jiu, dressed in a black traditional robe, is slender and pale, but his pitch-black eyes are filled with a keen interest. He subtly turns his head, scanning the surroundings with a cautious and observant gaze, displaying a level of composure and alertness rare for his age.

The hall is dimly lit, with a dark green stone floor. The main source of light comes from the main entrance, where two black statues, each four to five meters tall, stand guard. They have fierce expressions and emit a chilling aura.

For some reason, just a glance at the two statues made Zhu Jiu shiver, feeling an unusual coldness rise from within. It seemed as if a pair of emotionless eyes were staring back at him from the statues.

Zhu Jiu immediately turned his head, no longer looking around, and instead focused on listening to the conversation of a few boys in front of him, hoping to gather more information. He also muttered to himself:

"After I died and woke up, not only did I find myself in a young boy's body, but I also ended up in this strange and eerie place. It doesn't seem like a good situation. The many fragmented memories in my mind must belong to the original owner of this body. The memories show that this body was water-buried in a large river after a severe illness, and later possessed by my soul. According to these memories, it seems that such a thing as reincarnation really exists, which is hard to believe!"

Zhu Jiu's heart raced with excitement, and he was filled with many questions he couldn't immediately answer. As he tried to calm his shock, he suddenly heard one of the boys in front of him whisper to another:

"This time, besides the relatives and descendants of the sect, there are also many people from various regions who have been offered or even forcibly taken. Heh, these country bumpkins wanting to pass the test with us is just a pipe dream."

The other boy chuckled softly and replied in a low voice:

"According to rumors, some of these country bumpkins have extraordinary talents, and the sect values them highly. They say their minds are particularly suitable for cultivation. Don't underestimate them just because we are well-prepared. How confident are you about the upcoming mind symbol test?"

The boy being asked hesitated for a moment before saying:

"To be honest, whether the mind symbol test succeeds or not depends entirely on one's talent, and I really have no confidence!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jiu's heart raced again. The conversation revealed that cultivation was possible here, but he didn't know what level of cultivation it was. Were they martial arts experts who could leap over eaves and walk on walls, or what did it mean to cultivate with magic?

Shaking his head, Zhu Jiu smiled wryly, looked around, and saw that no one was paying attention to him. He then thought:

"After I died in my previous life, my soul was enveloped by a green light, which allowed me to be reborn here. That light felt very familiar; it must be the ghost-repelling mirror that every corpse handler in western Hunan possesses. Could it be that my mirror is particularly special, possessing the mysterious power to protect the soul and enable reincarnation?"

As Zhu Jiu pondered, he suddenly felt a stir in the crowd. Looking through the gaps between people, he saw an old man in a green robe walk into the hall, followed by a dozen or so attendants of various ages, all of whom had extraordinary manners.

The old man led the group to the center of the hall, his sharp eyes slightly lifting as he scanned the standing boys and girls. He waved his hand, and a jet of black light suddenly appeared at his fingertips, transforming into an ancient and mysterious symbol.

The old man held the symbol in his hand, and as it flickered, countless black mists emerged from it, taking on various forms—human and animal alike. They looked like countless demons and ghosts, roaring and howling in a miniature world in the old man's palm, a sight both strange and terrifying!

Zhu Jiu and the other boys watched in amazement and fear, both awed by the old man's display and terrified by the sight of the countless demons in his palm.

Then, an even more bizarre scene unfolded. Two of the roaring demons in the old man's palm suddenly leaped out and transformed into two human-sized misty figures in the hall.

The old man then waved his hand, and the astonishing image in his palm vanished as if it had never existed.

The two human-shaped black mists, with their eyes glowing with a faint green light, opened their mouths and spewed out a cold mist, which condensed into a high-backed chair. The chair was placed behind the old man, and the two misty figures floated and stood quietly behind it.

This series of wonders made Zhu Jiu feel as if he were in a dream!

One of the middle-aged male attendants behind the old man, noticing the faint green light in the eyes of the two black mists, flattered the old man:

"Even the small ghosts summoned by the Elder's palm ghost kingdom symbol are of the fifth stage green glow level. The chair formed by the ghostly mist is almost indistinguishable from a real one. The Elder's ghost cultivation and corpse refinement techniques are truly unparalleled and powerful!"

The old man sat down on the chair behind him, not responding to the man's flattery. After a moment, he spoke in a dry, hoarse voice, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time:

"I detest these trivial matters of recruiting disciples. I have already declined several times, but as one of the elders of the Corpse Deity Dao, I cannot avoid this task this time. Therefore, my mood is not good, and the selection will be particularly strict. Those who fail will be executed, and their souls will be sealed in soul bottles to serve as fresh food for the ghosts, hehe!"

These words were like a cold wind, sweeping through the entire hall.

The hundreds of boys standing opposite the old man, who had not yet fully recovered from the old man's earlier display, were now even more terrified. When they heard that the two black mists were actually legendary ghosts, they were all shocked and horrified.

Hearing that they would have to participate in a selection and that those who failed would be executed, they were even more terrified, with some of the more timid ones turning pale and green, tears welling in their eyes.

Of course, there were also some boys who had already gathered some information and were not afraid, standing calmly in place.

Zhu Jiu, who had been secretly observing the two ghosts behind the old man, was not afraid of ghosts and spirits due to his knowledge of the family's corpse handling techniques. However, he was concerned about the old man's unpredictable temper and frowned slightly.

The old man, seated on the chair, saw the fear on the faces of the boys and girls and became impatient. He frowned, his greenish-black eyebrows furrowing, and asked the attendants behind him:

"Didn't you say that to save me time, the people below had already screened these boys, and those left are all qualified for cultivation? Why are they still so weak?"

The dozen or so attendants behind the old man exchanged glances, and the same middle-aged man who had flattered the old man cautiously replied:

"These boys come from different backgrounds, so their qualities naturally vary. Please do not blame us, Elder."

The man was about to say more, but the old man waved his hand to interrupt him:

"Let's quickly start the mind symbol planting test. Afterward, send these boys into the demon corpse death realm. Those who successfully communicate with the demon corpses will then fight each other, and we will select the best."

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