Chapter 39: Ghost Mastery and Demonic Transformation

At this moment, Old Four Gu suddenly smiled and said, "Kid, I won't make things difficult for you. Do me a favor, and I'll consider this matter settled. Furthermore, I won't ask you to pay back that half-catty of gray."

"Captain Old Four, just say what you need to say; stop beating around the bush."

Lin Yi immediately understood. Old Four Gu was truly a cunning man. The way he had pressured him to repay the debt earlier was likely just a setup for this request. After all, Old Four Gu knew perfectly well that the [Fog-Strange Spirit Stone] was gone, and there was no point in nitpicking over it anymore.

Old Four Gu squinted his eyes and said, "This favor carries a fair bit of danger for you, so don't be in a hurry to agree."

"Just tell me, what exactly is it?"

"I need you to log in after midnight and use your special ability to lead me into the core area of the Ancient Grave Valley. There is a cave there..."

Before Old Four Gu could finish, Gu Chenghu, who stood nearby, turned pale.

"Old Four, have you lost your mind? That place has been a restricted zone for a long time. If you want to die, go by yourself, don't drag others to their deaths!"

Ignoring Gu Chenghu, Old Four Gu stared straight at Lin Yi. "Kid, are you going or not? Rest assured, even if I die there, you won't."

Lin Yi frowned. "Captain Old Four, tell me first what kind of place this cave in the core area is, and what you intend to do there. If I can be sure there isn't too much danger, I am willing to make the trip with you."

"Fine, there's no harm in telling you, since it's the dark history of our village anyway."

Old Four Gu began, then nodded and asked, "Qingshan, do you know the origin of this Ancient Grave Valley?"

Lin Yi glanced at Gu Chenghu and said, "I heard from the Captain that this valley was originally the burial ground for the heroes of the village militia, but it was later occupied by a strange spirit that possessed the ability to resurrect the dead. As this spirit long entrenched itself in the valley, the corpses became tainted by its aura, and over time, it became this Ancient Grave Valley."

After listening, Old Four Gu scoffed. "What you said isn't wrong, but true history is often embellished. I'll tell you the truth: the Ancient Grave Valley becoming what it is today is entirely the result of the sins committed by our ancestors."

Old Four Gu found a clean rock, sat down, and continued:

"About three hundred years ago, a civil strife broke out in Gutan Village. One faction was the Divine Sacrifice forces, who controlled the village's most essential resources, while the other consisted of the lower-class 'Strange Spirit Controllers,' who were viewed as heretics."

"The raging war destroyed more than half of the long-standing Gutan Village, and tens of thousands of villagers died in that turmoil."

"In the end, the forces represented by the Divine Sacrifice drove all the Strange Spirit Controllers out..."

Hearing this, Lin Yi couldn't help but ask, "Strange Spirit Controllers? Are they people who can manipulate strange spirits?"

Old Four Gu continued, "Correct. The Apocalypse Continent contains not only the four major professions you know of, but countless unrecognized ones as well. For example, the Strange Spirit Controller and the Demon Transformer professions—both of which can only achieve breakthroughs by utilizing strange spirits and demons, respectively."

"The Strange Spirit Controller is a powerful profession that takes a single strange spirit as its core and accommodates multiple strange spirits within the body to grow. I've read in ancient records that some Strange Spirit Controllers could possess professional-level combat power after practicing for only a few months..."

At this point, Gu Chenghu interjected, "Qingshan, don't listen to Old Four's nonsense. Ancient records state that the Strange Spirit Controller profession is notoriously short-lived. It is an evil profession that demands one's own life as the price. Moreover, prolonged contact with strange spirits gradually warps human nature, eventually causing a total change in temperament until one is no longer human."

After hearing both of them out, Lin Yi understood.

"So, Captain Old Four, you mean that the group of Strange Spirit Controllers from back then didn't all die out, but instead fled into this Ancient Grave Valley and used the methods of certain strange spirits to turn the underground corpses into corpse monsters?"

Old Four Gu snapped his fingers and smiled. "Smart. It's a pleasure talking to a sharp person. You're right; many of those Strange Spirit Controllers fled into the depths of the valley, and the cave I mentioned is where they hid."

Lin Yi pressed further, "What is in that cave? Why do you insist that I be the one to go, and why must it be after midnight?"

Old Four Gu pondered for a moment. "Let me tell you one more thing. Before the turmoil, Gutan Village possessed many inherited secrets and treasures. One of these was a soul artifact passed down from ancient times, capable of sensing strange spirits and absorbing their power to grow."

Lin Yi was startled. Sensing strange spirits and absorbing their power? Wasn't this exactly what his bound Strange Spirit Soul Artifact did? It seemed Old Four Gu already knew the artifact was in his possession.

Taking in Lin Yi's slightly flustered expression, Old Four Gu smiled. "You don't need to worry, kid. You've already bound yourself to the soul artifact. Unless you are killed, even if they dug your heart out, they couldn't separate the Strange Spirit Stone from you."

Lin Yi cursed silently, thinking: *Thanks for the reminder.*

Old Four Gu continued, "When the turmoil happened, many of Gutan Village's secret treasures and inheritances were lost; the Strange Spirit Stone was one of them. The reason I want to go to the cave is because the Divine Sacrifice inheritance that the rebels took with them is there."

"Furthermore, the reason I'm bringing you is that you have the Strange Spirit Stone. To those rebels who fled, this secret treasure is a sacred relic. It's very likely that if they see you, they won't attack you."

Lin Yi's expression shifted. "They?"

Could it be that the group of Strange Spirit Controllers was still alive?

Old Four Gu paused, then added with a hint of mockery, "Oh, I meant 'them'—the strange spirits that signed contracts with those controllers. Years ago, my master, the old village chief, went to that cave."

"The old man said that the Strange Spirit Controllers had long since died, but the strange spirits they served remained, guarding those inheritances. Even he couldn't retrieve those items."

Hearing this, Lin Yi finally understood what Old Four Gu wanted him to do, and he realized the danger within that cave.

"Captain Old Four, if I'm not mistaken, the strange spirits left behind by those controllers must be professional-level entities, right? You want me to risk my life just because you 'might' not be attacked?"

Old Four Gu, tired of sitting, stood up and brushed off his backside. "That's why I promised to give you half of whatever is in the cave. What do you think?"

"I don't think much of it."

Lin Yi shook his head decisively. With his omnipotent talent, he could grow rapidly through steady development; there was no need to risk his life. What good would any treasure in the cave do him if he lost his life? After all, he only had one life to live.