The soul shadow of Ashiya Dōman grew smaller and smaller within the Zi Zhu Ming Huo, only the mournful wails of its agony continuing.
*Splat!*
In the end, Ashiya Dōman completely vanished, and a pitch-black bead dropped to the ground.
Ying Chen's eyebrows twitched as he picked it up.
The entire bead was a deep, dark color, like the most profound midnight, revealing nothing.
Yet, it possessed a crystalline translucence, as if it didn't merely absorb light but contained a vast, boundless dark world within.
Because it was impossible to see through from the outside, only complete darkness was visible.
"So, he used this to condense his soul."
"This item contains extreme Yin energy, most suitable for the nurturing of divine souls and thoughts. However, to possess a body and return to the living, this item alone is not enough; another matching artifact is required."
"If I'm not mistaken, there must also be another white ball. One black, one white, one Yin, one Yang. With Yin and Yang born from each other, they form a complete soul condensation and body possession system."
"To possess someone, one must first implant the white ball into their body. After confirming there is no rejection, the Yin and Yang balls generate suction, and Ashiya Dōman's divine soul and thoughts are naturally drawn into the person's body. From then on, he officially replaces them, walking the world in their guise."
"However, I don't know where the white ball is hidden now... such things are either kept in extremely confidential places or in their Eastern Japanese lair."
"Never mind, this kind of item is of no use to me, I can't be bothered to look."
Ying Chen casually pocketed the black ball and took a step forward.
*Rumble!*
The Qian Yue Sen Luo Grand Formation officially shattered.
All illusions before him vanished instantly, and Ying Chen returned to the shrine.
Looking at the plaque of the shrine again, it no longer exuded the previous eerie and terrifying aura, but a gentle warmth.
As for the other enshrined statues within the shrine, they no longer wore ferocious expressions but had returned to their benevolent visages.
However, after the great battle, the entire shrine had been reduced to ruins, making it impossible to continue functioning.
It was likely destined for demolition.
"Hmm?"
Just as Ying Chen was about to leave the shrine and return to the Hu family, his eyes narrowed as he looked at a miniature statue in a shrine.
It seemed that the miniature statue had blinked just now, and something had flown out from its eyes.
"Could Ashiya Dōman have a hidden contingency? Did he leave behind a trace of his spiritual consciousness here?"
Ying Chen beckoned, grabbing the miniature statue.
His fingers exerted force, directly crushing the statue's head.
Dust flew and debris scattered.
The entire head of the statue turned to powder under Ying Chen's might, with only a rice-grain-sized object remaining untouched.
It had disguised itself as the statue's eye, making it difficult to detect.
It was this very object that had suddenly moved, giving Ying Chen the illusion that the statue had opened its eyes.
Ying Chen held the grain-sized object, gazing at it for a moment.
He suddenly tossed it into the air.
Simultaneously, a talismans array condensed in mid-air. As the grain fell into the array, it emitted a brilliant light.
Large swathes of light and shadow flowed unstably within the array.
Wisps of smoke diffused around.
When the light and shadow stabilized and the smoke dissipated, the grain finally emitted a laser-like beam of light, pointing directly southwest.
"So that's where it went," Ying Chen said leisurely, looking towards the southwest.
He then put away the grain and, with a swift movement, flew towards the southwest.
What Ying Chen had performed was a sorcery called "Tracing Shadows and Following Traces."
This sorcery could restore the traces and scenes that had once existed on an object.
The duration of the restoration and the clarity of the scene were limited by the practitioner's cultivation.
The higher the cultivation, the more details could be restored.
If it were in the past, Ying Chen could even have restored the appearance of whatever had fled from the grain.
However, with the current depletion of spiritual energy and Ying Chen's greatly diminished cultivation, he could only roughly restore the direction of its escape.
He had no way of knowing what it was.
"Hmm? It disappeared?"
"Then this is the place!"
Ying Chen, following the restored beam of light, arrived at an ancient house in the suburbs.
However, the ancient house looked like it had been uninhabited for a very long time, appearing dilapidated.
Crows perched on the trees of the ancient house, cawing warnings at Ying Chen's approach, as if this place had long been their territory, forbidding any human entry.
Ying Chen cast a cold glance at the crows, their wings spread in a defensive posture.
With just one look, the cawing, menacing crows instantly fell silent.
They then neatly retreated into their nests, huddling together and trembling.
"Humans bully the weak and fear the strong, are birds any different?"
Ying Chen sighed faintly and waved his hand at the main gate of the ancient house.
*Rumble!*
The tightly shut ancient house gate swung open, revealing a gloomy and desolate scene within.
Judging by the overgrown weeds and the presence of snakes and insects within the house, it had been uninhabited for at least a century.
And in a place as expensive as Yan Jing, even if this location wasn't in the city center, it was abnormal for such a house to be left to decay.
Therefore, either the house had always had an owner, who simply never maintained it; or the house had issues, which prevented anyone from daring to lay claim to it.
Ying Chen leaned towards the latter.
"A guest has arrived, aren't you going to welcome them?"
Ying Chen walked into the ancient house and called out indifferently.
His voice echoed repeatedly in the courtyard, but there was no response.
Seeing this, Ying Chen showed a hint of mockery: "Since politeness is of no use, then force it is."
With that, Ying Chen sharply formed his fingers into a sword and slashed out a brilliant sword light!
*Chiiii!*
The sword light tore through the dark night, heading straight for the main house deep within the ancient structure.
The flock of crows on the trees let out sounds of frightened agitation, flapping their wings and taking to the sky.
Clearly, even they realized this place was not safe to linger, and failing to leave quickly would result in becoming the "fish by the bridge when the city gate catches fire."
"Seeking death!"
Just as the sword light was about to strike the main house door, a shrill female voice emanated from within.
Then, a female ghost in a large red wedding dress floated out from the house.
She flicked the bright red wedding dress towards the sword light.
A large amount of blood-evil energy engulfed the sword light.
It was evident that this female ghost's cultivation was not low.
Ying Chen glanced at the female ghost indifferently: "Was it you who was hiding in the shadows, secretly coveting the Ling Gan Guan Shi Da Wang Shrine?"
The female ghost snorted: "What if it was me? A golden statue nearing completion is most suitable for a celestial spirit like myself, who lacks a physical body. Heaven sent a treasure, and I was fated to obtain it. Is it wrong for me to covet it?"
"It's only because you interfered that I didn't get that golden body! How could it have fallen into the hands of that barbarian from the Land of the Rising Sun?"
So, the entity that had fled from the grain was a wisp of the female ghost's malevolent consciousness.
She had long coveted Ashiya Dōman's golden statue and was preparing to seize it when Ying Chen intervened, getting there first.
What's more, Ying Chen had obtained the golden body and then smashed it!
This made the female ghost grit her teeth; the opportunity she had waited for for so long had vanished into thin air.
"Demons and monsters, attempting to become gods and receive incense?"
"You're thinking too much."
Ying Chen sneered.
Setting aside whether gods truly existed in this world, even if they did, this female ghost could never become one.
At best, she would only be an evil spirit!
"Whether I can become a god or not, I don't know. But I know you will definitely become a ghost today!"
"I will take your life right now and turn you into a lonely wandering ghost!"
The female ghost said sternly.
The next moment, her wedding dress transformed into a vast sea of blood, surging towards Ying Chen.