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The night was deep.
In the southwest of the Douluo Continent, dark clouds pressed down on the sky. This was a small border town called Yunluo City, located between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. It was far from the main battlefield and far from the struggles between Titled Douluo and God Position inheritors.
The city was not rich, but it was lively. After nightfall, a few dim lights still flickered on the street. The drunken laughter of a man drifted out from the tavern, the worker in the inn was yawning while closing the door, and a few merchants traveling at night pulled their carriages slowly through the city gate. They did not know that tonight, this city would disappear from the map of the Douluo Continent.
Ten miles outside the city, black mist surged inside a desolate mass grave. Withered tree branches swayed in the night wind like thin, bony ghost hands. Crows perched on the graves, their red eyes staring at the distant city. They suddenly flapped their wings together and let out harsh cries as the wind turned cold.
A figure in a black robe walked slowly out of the mist. It was Tang San. At this moment, he no longer looked like the Shrek genius he once was. His long hair was messy, his eyes glowed with a ghostly green light, and the Rakshasa mark on his forehead pulsed constantly like a rotting heart.
On his chest, a blue-gold scar remained. It was left behind when Tang Chen defeated him. Tang Chen's life force acted like bone-eating insects. Even though Tang San suppressed it with Rakshasa Divine Power, he could not completely dispel it. Whenever this scar grew hot, Tang Chen's calm face would appear in Tang San's mind. That calm look hurt more than mockery.
"Tang Chen," Tang San murmured in a low voice, slowly clenching his fingers.
The Rakshasa Demonic Scythe appeared in his palm. The moment the scythe appeared, all the grave mounds vibrated at the same time. Wisps of gray-white cold energy rose from the ground and were swallowed by the scythe. Tang San looked up at the bright Yunluo City in the distance.
"Aren't you able to save people? Don't you claim to be the Lord of Life? Unfortunately, you're still on Sea God Island. By the time you rush back, it'll be too late."
The corners of his mouth slowly curled up into a smile that was cold and crazy.
"Xiao Wu, don't be anxious. I'll let you return very soon. Today is just the first city."
As his voice fell, Tang San took a step forward. Black mist spread from under his feet like a tide, hugging the ground and moving silently toward Yunluo City.
The city guards were the first to notice the strange mist. At the city gate, two soldiers were leaning against the wall chatting. Suddenly, one of them shivered. "Why's it suddenly so cold?"
The other soldier frowned and looked outside the city. He saw black mist rolling in from the distant road. Inside the mist, countless twisted faces were struggling and roaring. The soldier's face turned pale. He was just about to sound the alarm when a green chain shot out from the mist, piercing straight through his chest.
There was no blood and no scream. The soldier froze in place, his eyes losing their light. Right after, a glowing spirit was dragged out of his body by the chain. He still looked terrified with his mouth open, but his spirit could not make a sound. The green chain dragged his spirit into the black mist.
The other soldier turned to run. "Enemy—"
Before he could shout the full word, the light of the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe flashed. His body fell heavily, and his spirit was pulled out, turning into a gray light that sank into Tang San's palm.
Tang San walked slowly out of the black mist. He did not look at the bodies on the ground. He raised his hand and pressed it gently on the city gate.
"Rakshasa Domain, seal the city!"
A purple-black curtain of light rose from the city gate, spreading rapidly along the walls. In just a few breaths, all of Yunluo City was covered in a huge purple-black barrier. All the lights in the city dimmed at the same time.
The people on the streets looked up in confusion. Some saw the sky turn into an eerie purple color. Some saw the city walls covered in green flames. Others saw the figures of their dead loved ones walking toward them from the black mist. Fear began to spread.
Tang San stood at the city gate and raised the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe. The black mist exploded, and countless ghost shadows rushed out from behind him, running toward every street and alley in the city. Those shadows had no physical form, so they passed right through walls. They went into houses, inns, taverns, and the City Lord's Mansion.
Crying and screaming soon filled the entire city. A woman holding a child rushed out of a house, but as soon as she ran onto the street, a ghost shadow caught up to her. She knelt on the ground, holding the child tightly in her arms.
"Don't kill us! Spirit Master, we're just ordinary people, we've never hurt you!"
Tang San walked over from the end of the street. His footsteps were slow, and the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe dragged on the stone road, making a harsh sound. He stopped in front of her and looked down at the child. The child was too young to know fear and just watched him with clean eyes.
For a second, Xiao Wu's face appeared in Tang San's mind. She was the girl who once wore a long braid at Notting Academy and smiled brightly at him. Tang San's eyes looked dazed, but then the blue-gold scar on his chest hurt sharply. Tang Chen's face appeared in his mind again, and Tang San's eyes turned cold.
"Ordinary people? Can't ordinary people help me bring Xiao Wu back? How else can I resurrect her?"
The woman did not understand what he meant. The Rakshasa Demonic Scythe fell gently, and green flames rose. Two spirits were pulled out and flew into a pink altar in the air.
Tang San kept walking forward. With every step he took, a Rakshasa pattern formed under his feet. Where the pattern spread, all life ended quickly.
In the inn, merchants used tables and chairs to block the door, but black mist squeezed through the cracks. A moment later, the room became silent as spirits were dragged out one by one. In the tavern, a drunkard rushed at a shadow with a knife, but a pale ghost hand pressed his head down before he could swing.
Inside the City Lord's Mansion, the City Lord gathered all the Spirit Master guards to fight back. A dozen Spirit Masters released their Spirits at the same time, and spirit rings of various colors lit up. However, the strongest among them was only a Spirit Ancestor. Facing Tang San, they did not have the strength to make him fight seriously.
Tang San stood outside the mansion gate and swung the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe gently. A green blade of light swept across. All spirit rings shattered at the same time, and all Spirits cried out in pain.
The City Lord fell to his knees, his face pale. "Who are you? Yunluo City has never joined any war, and our people are innocent!"
Tang San raised his eyes. "Innocent? Where in this world is anyone truly innocent? While they're alive, they take energy from Heaven and Earth. When they die, they become my power. That's the point of their lives."
The City Lord stared at him in horror. "You're an Evil Spirit Master!"
Tang San laughed out loud. "An Evil Spirit Master? I was once a genius Spirit Master. I protected the weak, trusted my friends, and believed in justice. But what happened? Xiao Wu died, Shrek was destroyed, and everyone left me! Tang Chen stepped on me and took all the glory that belonged to me!"
Tang San raised his hand and grabbed the air, lifting the City Lord's body into the sky. His spirit was pulled out bit by bit, shaking with pain.
Tang San looked into his eyes and spoke clearly. "Since this world won't give me justice, I'll rebuild it with my own hands using your spirits."
The City Lord's spirit was completely pulled out, turning into a bright ball of light that flew into the air. Above Yunluo City, the Rakshasa altar took form. It was a huge altar made from purple-black divine force, surrounded by floating spirits that cried and struggled.
Tang San stood in the center of the altar with his arms open while the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe hovered behind him.
"Rakshasa Soul Refining Array, activate!"
The entire city shook violently. Countless spirits were swallowed by the altar, turning into gray energy that poured into a pink crystal at the center. That was the remaining spirit fragment of Xiao Wu. The dim crystal finally lit up with a soft pink light after absorbing the spirits.
Seeing this, Tang San's eyes turned wild. "It works! It really works! Xiao Wu, do you see this? I can save you!"
In Yunluo City, the last light went out, turning the entire place into a dead city. But Yunluo City was only the start.
Three days later, in the southern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, Fengling City was swallowed by black mist. All thirty-seven thousand people died. Tang San used their spirits to form Xiao Wu's first shadow in the altar.
Five days later, Blackwater City fell. This city was larger and had more Spirit Masters. Two Spirit Saints led hundreds of Spirit Masters to fight back, but under the Rakshasa Domain, their Spirit Abilities were ruined and their spirit power was drained. In the end, their Spirits were torn apart. Tang San refined their spirits separately and put them into Xiao Wu's shadow, making her body solid. She now had her long hair, her face, and her familiar pink dress.
Tang San stood in front of the altar, looking at her with red eyes. "Xiao Wu, I'm almost done."
On the seventh day, Luoxia City fell. On the ninth day, Baishi City was destroyed. On the eleventh day, three small cities near the old capital of Heaven Dou turned into dead zones.
Tang San was no longer happy with taking one city at a time. He began placing Rakshasa energy points across the continent. Each point created a Death Domain that trapped everyone inside. Spirit Masters could resist for a moment, but ordinary people had no chance.
The entire Douluo Continent fell into panic. Cities closed their gates, and families tried to run away. However, Tang San moved without leaving a trace using Rakshasa Space. He appeared in the south one day and at the border of Star Luo the next. No one knew where he would strike next.
In those dead cities, there were no survivors and no wounded people left behind, only empty bodies. Every spirit had been stolen.
On the thirteenth day, Tang San went to an abandoned ancient battlefield in the center of the Douluo Continent. This was where two great empires had once fought, and countless bodies were buried underground.
Night fell without any stars in the sky. Thick dark clouds hung low over the ground. On the ancient battlefield, dozens of Rakshasa energy points lit up at the same time. Purple-black pillars of light shot into the sky, joining together to form a massive altar. Around it floated the spirit power collected from seven dead cities, flowing like rivers of gray energy that let out loud wails.
Tang San stood in the middle of the altar. His face was extremely pale, but his eyes were bright. The Rakshasa Demonic Scythe stood beside him with red runes flashing on the blade.
In front of him were seven spirit cores: pink, purple-black, dark gold, red, yellow, golden chrysanthemum, and black. These seven cores belonged to the seven people he wanted to resurrect: Xiao Wu, Bibi Dong, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tai Long, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei.
They had died on the battlefield from divine power, lost their spirits, or only had small spirit marks left. Normally, it was impossible to bring them back. But Rakshasa Divine Power was the power of death and hatred. As long as there were enough spirits to feed it, he could force the broken spirits back together. This was not real life, but a dark creation that made dead bodies stand up again. Tang San knew this, but he did not care as long as he got them back.
"Let's begin," Tang San said softly.
The Rakshasa Demonic Scythe vibrated as seven spirit rivers fell onto the altar. The pink spirit core lit up first.
Tang San reached out his hand and shouted, "Resurrect, my love!"
Countless spirits rushed into the pink core. The core shook, and a pink shadow emerged. First it was a blurry shape, then long hair appeared, followed by her braid and slender body. Finally, the face Tang San dreamed about took shape.
Xiao Wu floated quietly above the altar with her eyes closed and her face pale. Tang San's body shook as he looked at her.
"Xiao Wu, I did it! I really did it!"
He reached out to touch her face. Just then, Xiao Wu opened her eyes. They were gray eyes with no light, no spirit, no memory, and no love. She stared blankly ahead like a cold doll.
Tang San's hand stopped in the air, and his smile froze. "Xiao Wu?"
Xiao Wu did not reply.
Tang San took another step forward. "Xiao Wu, it's me. I'm your Third Brother. Look at me."
Xiao Wu still did not react. Gray energy rose around her, and nine spirit rings appeared under her feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red. The aura of a Titled Douluo spread from her body.
Tang San looked at her blankly before laughing to himself. "It doesn't matter. She just came back, so her mind hasn't woken up yet. Once I become a god and master the Rakshasa God Position, I'll bring you back completely."
He spoke as if comforting her, but he was only tricking himself. Xiao Wu landed slowly behind him, keeping her head down like an undead puppet ruled by Rakshasa power.
Tang San closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the soft look in his eyes was replaced by madness.
"Continue."
The second spirit core lit up with a purple-black light. Bibi Dong's remaining spirit had already been changed by Rakshasa Divine Power, so her revival was easier. Spirits poured into the core, and a tall figure walked out of the black mist. She wore rich robes, had long purple hair, and possessed a cold face. It was Bibi Dong.
Her eyes were also gray and lifeless. Behind her, the shadows of the Death Spider Emperor and Soul Eating Spider Emperor appeared together. Nine spirit rings floated beneath her feet as the pressure of a Titled Douluo covered the battlefield.
Tang San looked at Bibi Dong with complicated feelings. This woman was once the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall and the inheritor of the Rakshasa God.