The soul energy within the crystal flowed endlessly into Lin lan's skeletal frame.
He activated the Eight Desolations Soul-Refining Technique, refining the incoming power into pure death energy. It circulated through his bones in ceaseless cycles. With every revolution, his skeleton grew imperceptibly denser, and his soul flame burned a fraction brighter.
As his spiritual energy penetrated deeper into the crystal, a thread of divine sense followed.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
It was boundless, absolute—like drifting through the void of outer space. Then, pinpricks of light appeared ahead, countless and scattered.
They drifted closer.
Each point of light contained a face.
Twisted in agony. Distorted by hatred.
Lin lan's heart sank.
He understood instantly—each speck was a soul, saturated with extreme suffering and resentment. Souls that had reached the peak of despair did not dissipate normally. Instead, they transformed into something far more dangerous.
Malevolent Spirits.
Even a single one, if released, could devastate an entire region. Yet here—thousands upon thousands had been forcibly sealed inside this crystal.
Sixteenth-century necromancers, drunk on power, had tortured living humans to the brink of madness. At the apex of agony and hatred, they ripped the souls free and imprisoned them here, converting suffering into fuel.
No wonder the Church had branded it the Stone of Evil.
Lin lan sighed silently.
Those necromancers were monsters. But fate was ironic—after all their effort, they barely reaped the benefits. Now the crystal had fallen into his hands.
He was about to increase the absorption—
When the nearest face suddenly opened its eyes.
Vicious. A gaze soaked in madness.
The spirit screamed and lunged straight at his divine sense.
Lin lan cursed inwardly.
The necromancers' seals restricted the spirits—but his divine sense had created a channel. A bridge.
If he didn't sever it immediately, the spirits would flood through and devour him from the inside.
He withdrew his divine sense at once.
Too late.
Malevolent spirits poured out like a broken dam, surging directly toward his soul flame.
For the first time since becoming undead, Lin lan felt pain.
Not physical pain—but agony that tore at the core of his existence. His soul flame was shredded and gnawed upon, assaulted from all sides.
He felt like a fragile boat caught in a raging storm.
"I won't die…"
"I won't die!"
He roared within his soul.
He had survived too much. He had finally glimpsed hope—of flesh, of humanity, of a second life.
He refused to let it end here.
With a will forged in desperation, Lin lan drove the Eight Desolations Soul-Refining Technique to its absolute limit. Death energy surged, attempting to refine, suppress, and devour the invading spirits instead.
This was no longer cultivation.
This was a life-and-death gamble.
Either his soul flame would be consumed—
Or the malevolent spirits would be purified entirely, granting him a terrifying leap in power.
Black mist and streaks of silver light erupted around his body, intertwining violently.
A fragile stalemate formed.
Time would decide everything.
Shen Daolun circled nervously around Lin lan, scanning the surroundings.
They were at the very edge of the Skeleton Wastes. Beyond lay the Shadow Forest—a domain where high-level undead roamed freely.
Including the most feared predators of the region:
Giant Bone Lizards.
These massive undead beasts were formed entirely from enormous bones. Three meters long, half a meter tall, crawling on four limbs with thick tails and jagged skulls.
Pale crimson soul flames flickered in their eye sockets.
Individually, they rivaled Archer Chiefs.
In packs—they were nightmares.
Shen Daolun's task was clear: the moment danger appeared, wake Lin lan and flee.
But as he glanced at Lin lan's eyes, he hesitated.
The soul flame had changed.
White was fading.
A pale crimson hue was emerging.
"Good… it's working," Shen Daolun muttered, finally relaxing slightly.
Then—
Scrrrrk.
A faint grinding sound echoed behind him.
His expression froze.
Bone scraping against gravel.
Giant Bone Lizards.
Exactly what he feared.
He rushed toward Lin lan, shouting desperately.
No response.
Shen Daolun's panic spiked. He knew the Eight Desolations Technique could be interrupted safely—at worst, wasted energy.
So why wasn't Lin lan reacting?
Then he noticed it.
The soul flame in Lin lan's eyes flickered wildly, oscillating between white and crimson. Agonized sounds escaped his throat.
Backlash.
Not from ordinary soul energy—but from something vicious.
Shen Daolun turned pale.
At that moment, shrill howls erupted from the soul crystal.
Thick black mist exploded outward. Within it, countless grotesque souls writhed and screamed, clawing at the air.
Shen Daolun recoiled three meters in terror.
If those spirits touched him, he would be finished.
"Damn it…" he cursed.
He had sensed immense energy—but never imagined this many sealed horrors.
Lin lan was locked in a deadly internal struggle.
And now—
The scraping sound grew louder.
Shen Daolun turned slowly.
From behind the massive boulder, five Giant Bone Lizards emerged, dragging their massive skeletal bodies forward, crimson soul flames burning hungrily.
Internal soul collapse.
External pack predators.
Two deaths closing in at once.
The crisis had fully arrived.