Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Wraith’s Skill

These Li Ming and Zhang Yang each fixed their gaze upon him, their faces twisted into disturbingly strange smiles.
"You... you..." Niu Ben staggered back two steps in terror, only to fall straight into the arms of the teddy bear, which clasped him tightly once more.
"No, no, please!" Niu Ben began to cry out helplessly, while the Li Ming and Zhang Yang figures advanced, incessantly repeating, "You must die, you must die."
The fear of death engulfed Niu Ben's heart. He manipulated his own uncanny force to launch frenzied attacks at the Zhang Yang and Li Ming figures throughout the room, yet no matter how he attacked, they always reverted to their original forms, coming before him to repeat their chilling refrain.
...
Meanwhile, Li Ming was furiously charging ahead, directing his uncanny power toward the door. As he drew closer, his delight grew, and with a leap, he reached the entrance.
"Hahaha, I finally escaped!" He swung the door open, full of hope, but the sight before him made him pause.
Niu Ben stood facing him, and behind Niu Ben stretched an expanse of nothingness.
"When... when did you come out? And what is this place?" Unease crept into his heart.
At that moment, Niu Ben grabbed him and said, "Come quickly, there are many wonderful things here."
"Wonderful things?" Li Ming's curiosity was piqued, and he followed behind Niu Ben.
But Niu Ben led him to the edge of the void, grinning foolishly at him.
Seeing Niu Ben like this made Li Ming uneasy. "Niu Ben, are you having an episode? What are you doing?"
Niu Ben kept smiling, then suddenly said, "Look down there, see what's below." He pointed to the emptiness beneath them.
Li Ming, cautious, peered downward as directed, only to jerk his head back instantly.
Below lay a bottomless abyss, as if connected to the universe itself, inspiring a primal terror—the dread of staring into the void.
"What on earth is going on here? How did it come to this?" Li Ming retreated to what he considered a safe distance and addressed Niu Ben.
But as he turned to look, he noticed Niu Ben had been staring at him the whole time, his gaze unnervingly strange.

Just as unease welled up from the depths of his soul, a force shoved him toward the void. As he fell into that emptiness, he glimpsed the source of the force—another Niu Ben.
"Ah!" His body plummeted uncontrollably, and throughout the descent, something seemed to devour his soul.
The void was bottomless; the farther he fell, the deeper the darkness became, until he was swallowed by the endless black.
...
Of course, all this was merely an illusion induced by the Eye of Divine Void wielded by Feng Tianlin.
In reality, Long Mengting was holding onto Zhang Yang's leg, while Ruan Miao was busy recording the terrified expressions on the three men's faces in her sketchbook. Though all three lay flat on the floor, their faces were contorted with exaggerated fear, which excited her greatly.
"Are you done drawing yet?" Feng Tianlin grew impatient; this girl truly loved her art.
"Almost, almost," Ruan Miao replied absentmindedly.
Before long, Ruan Miao raised her sketchbook, apparently admiring her work.
Seeing that she was finished, Feng Tianlin lifted his hand, ready to send these Spirit Controllers on their final journey. The intense terror they had provided had allowed him to upgrade to rank D—not only that, he had gained an unexpected reward.
He discovered that with each level gained, new skills were added to his system. He had never paid much attention before, but this time he noticed that reaching D rank brought a slew of new abilities, though the level restrictions still couldn't be lifted.
Just then, he noticed the newly recruited Demon was staring intently at the three men, her eyes filled with longing. Feng Tianlin, eager to witness her skills, issued a command.
"You do it. Take care of them."
The Demon received the order and floated forward. As she reached the three, a chilling aura erupted from her, and three ghostly figures emerged beside her.
The three men on the floor suddenly opened their eyes, as though something was pulling them upward; their bodies began to float involuntarily. Soon, several translucent shadows followed, identical in appearance to the men—they were their souls.
At first, these souls remained tethered to their bodies, but gradually they detached entirely, merging into the Demon. Before long, the three ghosts beside her became four.
Her skill was to assimilate the souls of others into her own power!
There was no doubt these ghosts could play a significant role in future battles. Feng Tianlin's eyes widened in astonishment.

"This ability is truly a superpower among uncanny creatures, capable of challenging opponents beyond one's rank."
Once the three souls were fully absorbed, the Demon floated down, standing on the floor with an air of satisfaction, clearly pleased by her new strength.
Feng Tianlin smiled, surprised to have gained such a formidable female ghost as an ally.
He glanced at Ruan Miao. "I'm planning a big move in Spirit City soon. Check your phone and see if there are any large events happening—more people means better. Once that's done, we'll head back to Well City."
Ruan Miao nodded, searching on her phone. After a moment, she said to Feng Tianlin,
"I'm not sure about any events, but Well City has reportedly been sealed off due to a virus leak."
"What?" Feng Tianlin was shocked; he hadn't expected the authorities to lock down the city to contain the uncanny creatures—a decisively ruthless move.
Yet he could only sigh, gazing at the distant stars. "I wonder how much chaos I'll stir up in this city."
With that, he waved his hand. "We can't stay in this hotel any longer—we need to leave."
After killing three Spirit Controllers, staying here would only invite capture. Now was the time for a prudent escape.
A few hours later, two figures clad in brown coats arrived at the hotel. The leader produced a document and addressed the manager, "We are special agents—open room 302 immediately, right now!"
They were official investigators from the Spirit City Bureau of Uncanny Creatures, sent to find Zhang Yang and his companions. The trio's prolonged absence had led the Bureau to conclude they were likely dead, so three stronger Spirit Controllers were dispatched.
The manager, fearful and respectful of their credentials, fetched the room card and led them to the door of Feng Tianlin's former room, unlocking it.
Upon opening the door, they found three men lying flat on the floor. The hotel manager screamed and fled, but no one paid him any mind.
The leader rushed forward, examined the men, and shook his head. "They're alive, but their souls are gone—this is the Demon's handiwork!"
The other two sighed. A rank D uncanny creature capable of killing two Spirit Controllers of the same rank and one of rank E—truly terrifying.