An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 54 Elite Shadow Ghost
There's a rumor circulating on the Awakeners forum.

Among those high-level awakened beings above the ferocious rank, there are many who don't look like humans. Having a few extra arms is considered mild. Some are covered in tentacles and pustules and look like the evil god Cthulhu. If they go out at night, they can scare children to death!

Of course, this may just be a fabrication by someone with a fondness for good things, and Chu Xiu doesn't know the specifics.

The reason he chose to fuse traits without hesitation was that his life essence would change each time he advanced, allowing him to take the opportunity to wash away traits that were not deeply fused with his body.

Even if this tough skin has some side effects, he will be able to advance to the next level soon, and he can just wash it off then. He also needs to strengthen himself as much as possible before the advancement trial.

As the [Tough Skin] was absorbed, Chu Xiu felt as if his skin had hardened, becoming visibly rough, like the skin of a worker who had worked on a construction site for decades.

At the same time, he felt a powerful pumping sensation surging from his heart.

【Fusion is complete! 】

[Skin protection +3.6, with significantly enhanced heat insulation, acid resistance, and shock absorption.]

[Mutation occurred: Strength +1.2, Life Regeneration +1.8, Energy Level -2.5.]

The result was roughly as he had predicted.

The mutation effect was very slight, and it wasn't all negative buffs; it even added 1.2 to his strength.

The only slight complaint was that his appearance had declined somewhat after his skin became rough.

Saying it's a decline isn't entirely accurate; his rough skin gives him a weathered, experienced look, adding to his mature charm, which might actually appeal more to those who prefer older men.

However, Chu Xiu naturally wouldn't care about these things.

He continued collecting his spoils.

Compared to what this elite warrior-rank ghoul dropped, its corpse itself is far more valuable!
Chu Xiu raised his hand and waved it, and the enormous soul of the corpse demon was extracted and entered the White Bone Yin Soul Banner.

Chu Xiu was very much looking forward to seeing how far this elite warrior's soul could grow in the future!

But then, something unexpected happened.

Even though he didn't activate the Soul Banner to refine it, the soul of the warrior-level corpse demon suddenly bit into the soul body of an ordinary soul after entering the Soul Banner!
"Wow!"

The living soul let out a sharp scream, but the strength of the warrior-level ghoul's living soul was too high. With a forceful tug, it tore the ordinary ghoul's soul body to shreds and began to devour it!
"Oh?"

This sudden turn of events made Chu Xiu raise an eyebrow.

The soul of that elite warrior-level ghoul was not as muddled as that of an ordinary soul; rather, one could sense a violent emotion emanating from it!

It roams within the banner of spirits, constantly hunting and devouring other living souls!

"interesting."

Chu Xiu thought for a moment and did not stop him. Instead, he waved the Yin Soul Banner again, binding all the remaining corpse ghost souls around him and throwing them into the Yin Soul Banner, letting these souls fight with the souls of the elite corpse ghosts! He remembered a saying.

When receiving the inheritance, the panel only displays the most basic information; a large amount of other information will directly enter his brain.

Regarding the practice of refining Yin spirits, some people have mentioned that some living spirits are inherently cruel and will actively attack other living spirits!
These living souls possess immense growth potential, but are not easily controlled; some can even break free from the Yin Soul Banner's restraints! Devour the Master!

The safest approach would be to immediately restrain these highly aggressive special souls with the restriction of the Yin Soul Banner, but this would reduce their potential to that of ordinary souls.

Chu Xiu was confident that he could suppress this special soul, but he was more curious about how far it could grow!
Under Chu Xiu's expectant gaze, the elite corpse ghost devoured a large number of living souls in a very short time and transformed into a Yin ghost!

But it didn't stop there; it turned its attention to the other two ghosts and continued its attack!
A fierce battle took place inside the Yin Soul Banner, where three Yin Ghosts fought each other, tearing and devouring one another!

Finally, after the two ordinary ghosts also became food, an extremely terrifying creature was born.

【Shadow Demon (Elite)】

[Rank] Mortal Rank 9

[Attributes] Constitution 0, Spirit 16.5, Energy Level 22.5
[Skills] Yin Wind Blade (Mastery), Life Drain (Minor Mastery), Earth Binding Technique (Beginner)
【Traits】Soul Body (Greatly reduces physical damage; attributes decrease under intense sunlight.) Brutality (Possesses extremely strong aggression and combat instincts.)

[Talent] Manifestation (Transforms into physical form, loses the trait [Soul Body], gains the trait [Claws], loses the skill [Life Drain], gains the skill [Powerful Claw Strike], the skill [Shadow Wind Blade] is upgraded to max level, Constitution +25.5)

[Note: This ghost has the potential to evolve into a vengeful spirit.]

A level 9 elite ghoul! It has the potential to evolve into a vengeful ghost!
The brand-new panel surprised and delighted Chu Xiu!

This was the first time he had ever seen this annotation!
Although Chu Xiu didn't know what a vengeful ghost was, the fact that the system specifically mentioned it meant that it was definitely not an ordinary creature!

Even without considering future potential, their current combat strength is already astonishing!

With its exceptionally high constitution attribute, the combat power bonus from the [Berserk] trait, and two higher skill levels, plus an extra control skill, it's estimated that it could easily crush four or five ordinary Yin Ghosts at the same time!
If Chu Xiu had possessed this creature earlier, he would have likely severely injured the warrior-level corpse demon in the first round of Yin Wind Blade attacks!

"It seems my decision was right. This vicious fellow is far superior to any ordinary ghost."

However, just as Chu Xiu was secretly pleased, a violent roar suddenly rang out from the Yin Soul Banner, and the Yin Soul Banner shook violently!
The next moment, a huge transparent figure rushed out from the Yin Soul Banner and solidified in the blink of an eye. Its sharp claws swung towards Chu Xiu without the slightest hesitation!

"So it really is going to devour its master after all?"

Chu Xiu frowned slightly, but remained calm and composed. He activated the Great Perfection of the Mysterious Steps and slid backward.

But the elite ghost was extremely fast, giving him no time to catch his breath, and followed up like a persistent leech, its sharp claws flashing with a chilling light as it swung down at him!
Chu Xiu snorted coldly and waved the Yin Soul Banner in his hand. Immediately, the banner shone brightly with spiritual light. The fierce elite Yin ghost let out a miserable scream and squatted down in pain. Tiny inscriptions appeared on its skin, like chains that bound it.

Chu Xiu let out a soft breath, just about to continue activating the incantation, when the Yin Ghost suddenly let out a sharp howl! It struggled violently, and as it struggled, the restrictions on its body crumbled piece by piece! At the same time, a crisp "crack" was heard, and to Chu Xiu's astonishment, a crack appeared in the Yin Soul Banner in his hand!
Before he could react, the ghoul suddenly lunged forward! Chu Xiu was about to escape when he suddenly felt something gripping his legs tightly! Looking down, he saw two small, grayish-yellow ghosts!

[Earthbinding Technique]! This elite ghoul's exclusive skill!
(End of this chapter)