Chapter 818: Ghostly Divine Path

Some time later, figures in white robes, carrying stretchers, arrived at the entrance of the Dark Palace.

"It's down here?"

"Yes, they say dozens have died... Almost all our logistics personnel have been mobilized, otherwise, we wouldn't be able to carry them all away."

"...Was the Dark Palace designed to be this dangerous?"

"It shouldn't have been, but they say it was due to infighting, so..."

"Never mind, that's not our concern. Let's go down and move the bodies. Make sure to match them one by one according to the list; don't miss any."

Numerous logistics personnel entered the Dark Palace one after another. Upon seeing the scenes at various checkpoints, which resembled a human purgatory, their faces instantly paled. They couldn't fathom what could have possibly happened in the Dark Palace to cause such a sight.

"...Something's wrong." A white-robed figure, lifting a body from the ground, suddenly frowned as if sensing something amiss.

"What is it, leader?"

"Where are the souls? Their souls are gone!"

The leader rushed to another body, sensing it with divine perception for a moment, his face growing increasingly grim. After checking several more bodies to verify, he froze in place.

"How is this possible... It shouldn't be..."

"The souls are gone?" Everyone immediately realized the gravity of the situation. "But Mr. Han's Land of the Dying has always covered every corner; no souls should dissipate. They should remain within their bodies... How could they be gone?"

"But they are indeed gone. All the bodies in the Dark Palace are like this."

The leader's eyes flickered, as if deep in thought. Then, he turned and ordered, "Quickly, gather all these bodies in one place. For now, do not move them outside the boundaries of the Land of the Dying... Then urgently contact Mr. Han and see what he says."

"Yes!"

Audience Expectation +4Current Expectation: 67

Chen Ling, who was walking on a street in the Old Quarter, paused slightly as he saw two lines of text float before his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Jian Changsheng, walking beside him, asked curiously when he saw Chen Ling suddenly stop. "Could it be that your conscience has awakened, and you're planning to give me the privilege?"

Chen Ling was speechless.

It was clear that Jian Changsheng really wanted the Celestial Rank.

Chen Ling had expected that his scheme against Tu Tian would increase some audience expectation, but this increase came a bit late. After all, several minutes had passed since Tu Tian left.

Could it be, then, that it wasn't because of Tu Tian?

Chen Ling pondered for a long time but found no other clues. He could only shake his head and continue walking.

But regardless of why the expectation increased, it had now reached 67. With a bit more increase, it would reach 70, allowing for a safe rebirth.

On one hand, having lost an arm made Chen Ling's movements very inconvenient. On the other hand, Chen Ling wanted to try and regain his domain through death.

One of the biggest problems currently bothering Chen Ling was his missing domain. If he hadn't received information about his domain after this advancement because it was "overwritten" by "Mockery" during the "out of control" process, then was it possible that by experiencing death once more, he could re-trigger the "out of control" process?

It was like a game where a reward settlement was in progress, but someone logged in remotely, overwriting the original content. If that were the case, then by simply logging in again with his own account, he could retrieve the interrupted settlement rewards.

If this method still didn't work, Chen Ling truly wouldn't know what to do. Perhaps he would never be able to possess his own domain in this lifetime.

"What are you thinking about?" Jian Changsheng couldn't help but ask, seeing Chen Ling still lost in thought.

Chen Ling mused for a moment, "I'm looking for a chance to die."

Jian Changsheng: "???"

"Such a good thing exists?!" After a brief stunned moment, Jian Changsheng's eyes lit up. "Do you want me to help you?"

"...The problem is, if you kill me here, I won't die."

"True... Hey!" Jian Changsheng raised his right index finger, as if he had thought of something good, and showed a gleaming set of white teeth. "How about I kill you first, to let you get a taste of it?"

Chen Ling: ?

After speaking, Jian Changsheng didn't forget to add, "But before you die, can you transfer the privilege to me?"

Meanwhile, dozens of meters away, participants furtively looking for an opportunity to ambush them heard their conversation. After exchanging confused glances, they looked as if they had seen a ghost.

After hesitating for a few seconds, they quietly chose to flee, unwilling to provoke these two apparent psychopaths.

"Do you really want the Celestial Rank that badly?" Chen Ling couldn't help but ask. "While it offers many benefits, once you accept it, it means you'll become a key development target for the Five Great Domains... At that point, you won't be able to be as free as you are now."

Jian Changsheng froze. After a long silence, he mumbled softly: "I just... don't want to be an unlucky ghost my entire life."

Chen Ling looked at him deeply, then said nothing more.

At the same time, a faint static sound emanated from the walkie-talkie in his pocket.

"This frequency is..." Chen Ling seemed to sense something, immediately took it out, and began to listen to the communication.

Static crackled.

"Are you saying the souls of the bodies beneath the Dark Palace are all gone?"

"Yes, Mr. Han! A total of forty-nine bodies, and their souls have all vanished... We've never encountered a situation like this before."

"Within the Land of the Dying, there was no sensation of souls being dispersed, so they must have been transferred by someone." Mr. Han pondered for a moment. "Don't panic yet; they must still be in the Old Quarter."

"But who transferred these souls? We've never heard of such a method."

After a long pause, a deep voice from the other end of the walkie-talkie spoke, "Yes, someone can do that."

"Who?"

"The Ghost-God Dao," Mr. Han said slowly. "Legend has it that the Ghost-God Dao can control ghosts and seize souls, strengthening themselves by absorbing the nourishment from these souls... The more souls they control at the same time, the more powerful they become."

"That's possible???"

"Not only that, I've seen records in ancient texts stating that the Ghost-God Dao can also use secret methods to re-manifest the abilities of souls from their past lives, and even consume souls to unleash various eerie and unpredictable 'Ghost Dao Divine Powers'... They can move mountains and fill seas, truly omnipotent. It is said that they are guardians of the spirit world, the embodiment of the 'yin' of the world. Their appearance is often accompanied by major disasters, which is why in ancient times, they were also known as Plague Gods."

"The Ghost-God Dao... I remember now. The organizer mentioned that when they were receiving application forms, there was one without a name, photo, or resume... But it had the three characters 'Ghost-God Dao' written on it!"