Whoosh~
Two more hours passed and two more black masses flew into the flag.
Shriek~
The three black masses on the Ghost Summoning Flag started tearing each other apart.
Li Mo was a bit amazed.
Ghosts were real. When the body died, the souls persisted for a short time after. While the souls bearing great resentment and rage would last longer as wraiths. If they found a place of yin qi, their spiritual bodies would last through the ages for as long as even thousands of years.
However, most wraiths were unable to keep their memories, only their resentment, a fraction of the memory revolving around it. Their intelligence was also that of a newborn. Even wraiths that have lived for a millennia would only be as smart as a 5 year old at best.
But such a long lasting wraith would have great yin qi. A cultivator turned wraith, after a millennia, was comparable to a peak Qi Condensation Stage in power.
There was also one type of wraith that because it was a cultivator in its life, and because of its constitution, the soul would turn into a ghost. This wraith’s biggest difference was that it retained all its memories. To the point that some soul cultivators could retain all their strength even in death.
Soul cultivators were mostly inheritors of secret sects that lived thousands of years ago. Just as they became ghosts, their power was no weaker than a Spirit Driving Stage expert. Moreover, to nourish their souls, they stayed in places of extreme yin. Normal people hardly ever saw them.
Li Mo’s Ghost Summoning Flag attracted wraiths because it could nourish them. Of course, because it was of the poorest grade, there was no point even mentioning it catching the eyes of those ghosts or millennia wraiths when not even a centennial wraith would come.
Yet even this poor Ghost Summoning Flag had enough to nourish a hundred wraiths. What he found odd though, ‘Why are they fighting as soon as they gathered?’
A low level wraith was only a mass of resentment, with no intelligence to speak of. If the resentment inside them was small, they would fight, if it was large they would never tear each other apart.
Yet reality showed the three were fighting. Was one of them a high wraith that retained some memories of its life?
Li Mo watched from the sidelines the three entangling black masses. Only one would rise victorious, swallowing the other two.
The first to initiate the attack was the first that flew into the Ghost Summoning Flag.
The three fought a bitter battle for a long time and the first black mass began to lose ground fighting two others. While it bit once two bites were taken of it. It may have been strong but with time it was starting to lose.
Shriek~
The losing black mass wailed and charged out of the Ghost Summoning Flag and into the river. It first left the river and now was going back.
Li Mo was finding it all very odd, “So it fled. It must be a special wraith.”
Not even a wraith with some memories remaining would be this smart, functioning only on instinct like the other two wraiths. It was closer to a ghost than a wraith.
Although smart, its appearance was that of a wraith. Ghosts not only kept their memories but even their shape, looking no different as they did while they lived. While a wraith was just a black mass of resentment.
Shriek~
Not long after, that smart wraith flew from the river and into the Ghost Summoning Flag, duking it out with the other two once again.
Li Mo found that in this short half an hour, the smart wraith grew noticeably.
‘It’s yin qi increased. Does this mean the river hides a yin nourishing treasure?’
Li Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
The three wraiths were back to devouring each other. This time, the recovered smart wraith held the advantage, and ultimately swallowed the others after a bitter fight.
The smart wraith’s size doubled and entered the Ghosts Summoning Flag.
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
With the night’s fall, more wraiths entered the Ghost Summoning Flag.
Li Mo was startled, “Was this place a mass grave once?”
The flag he refined could attract wraiths within ten miles. For there to be so many gathered after only a few hours could only mean one thing, this location hid a mass grave.
In fact, Phoenix District was erected over an abandoned mass grave from a dozen years ago.
Shriek~
The strong and smart wraith was enraged, fighting the rest.
This time, it was six against one.
Soon, the smart wraith was close to losing again so he plunged into the river to recover.
Shriek~
Half an hour later, it returned at full power.
It did this several times. One time, it was reduced to the size of a baby’s fist, struggling to return to the river. The six wraiths chased it and by the time the smart wraith reached the river, it was the size of a fingernail.
It was this close to dying.
Shriek~
An hour and a half later, the smart wraith was back in action and came out killing.
But the number of wraiths gathered in the flag reached 20. They all lay inside at peace with each other.
The smart wraith went in and quietly sat in a corner.
“Shriek~”
Loosely translated as, “You and I aren’t the same.” The other wraiths chomped at the smart wraith and it was visibly shrinking.
Shriek~
The smart wraith wailed and escaped the Ghost Summoning Flag with a string of wraiths behind it. They bit each other all this time and the smart wraith was close to reaching its end.
Shriek~
It let out a cry of despair.
Whoosh~
Just as the smart wraith was about to be devoured, Li Mo grabbed it.
The 20 wraiths charged at Li Mo then took a u-turn back to Ghost Summoning Flag.
Li Mo opened his hand. The smart wraith was the size of a pinkie’s fingernail, trembling and uttering weak cries of lamentation.
“The different are never accepted. But your display caught my attention. The fact that you held your own against them all this time, earns you the right to become my Shadow God.”
“Now, let’s see what the water hides!”
Li Mo jumped from the roof and into the river.
