Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 146: The Man Who Eats Ghosts

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: The Man Who Eats Ghosts

In the brightly lit room, large full-length mirrors surrounded the area.

In the center, a huge, completely naked man was sitting cross-legged.

He was built like a steel tower, his face covered with thick beard, looking fierce, his exposed skin completely covered with tattoos.

Around his lower abdomen, the tattoos were of beasts, on his stomach were birds, and on his chest were five hollow circles of varying sizes, each surrounded by intricate Manchu script, resembling five eerie suns.

On his back, however, was tattooed a malicious ghost, skin and bones, with a swollen belly and greedy eyes, holding a fork in one hand and a baby in the other, stuffing it into its mouth, the whole image exuding a thick aura of evil and death.

At this moment, the robust man was tattooing the sixth hollow circle on his chest.

Despite his burly size, his tattooing technique was extremely delicate, not even a trace of blood could be seen as the tattoo knife pierced his skin.

The other five hollow circles on his chest were not empty either, as ghostly faces seemed to emerge from time to time, some fierce, some sad and sorrowful, some compassionate, some angrily glaring, others cold, each circle unique.

Before him were placed a gourd, a triangular flag, a small knife, several silver needles, and a basin of foul-smelling unknown liquid.

Though the room was sealed, it was brightly lit, the large mirrors clearly reflecting the big man.

The big man was using these mirrors to tattoo his chest.

Just then, an aged figure suddenly appeared in the mirror across from him.

"The little girl you captured is different from the other dead souls you’ve detained before; she must have a significant background. Aren’t you afraid her family will come for you?"

The big man laughed in response: "So what if they come? In this End of Dharma era, with divine paths obscure and Human Dao flourishing, even if their heritage reaches the heavens, it’s just a mere trifle to me. Just like I do, utilizing bloodlines and cultivating through Human Dao."

"Who would I fear with my Ghost Cultivation? Moreover, I’ve been extremely secretive; they might not even find me. And even if they do, it’s perfect—capture and extract their Ghost Control secrets..."

As the big man spoke, his actions did not pause for an instant, exuding extreme confidence in his words.

Indeed, he had reason to be confident—his ancestors were shamans serving in the Qing court, endowed with some talents in handling beasts and controlling ghosts. After obtaining some inheritances from the Netherworld, even in this present world where divine paths are obscured and reincarnation cut off, he still retained some abilities.

He practiced a Devouring Ghost Skill, an Evil Technique combining Taoist Skills with Shaman Secret Techniques.

It allowed him to swallow ghosts into his stomach and use the Shaman Totem tattoos on his body to confine the ghosts within him, harnessing their power for his own.

As ghosts are part of the Human Dao, humans have their fortunes, and naturally, so do ghosts. In today’s world, where Human Dao is flourishing and countless souls cannot enter reincarnation, these are all cultivation resources for him.

From birth, a person’s destiny is already mapped out by the invisible forces, including death. But death is not the end of fate.

Some are born intelligent, some with great fortune, some physically robust, some with unbeatable talents in music...

The biggest disparity in life is the amniotic fluid, so life is inherently unfair.

Utilizing the Devouring Ghost Skill, the big man compensates for his own deficiencies by swallowing the souls of those with unique talents, stealing their destiny, talents, knowledge, and abilities.

This grants him tremendous intelligence, an athlete-like physique, extraordinary artistic talent, and whatever he does is met with smooth sailing and great fortune...

Thus, he could also be called the Life Stealer.

Although this path is unorthodox, unable to cultivate to immortality, achieve deity status, or attain eternal life, it allows him to live freely in the Mortal World.

He captured Duoduo not only because of her excellent fortune but also for her ability to command the Yin Wind.

He still didn’t know that Duoduo could control Netherworld Fire. Should he truly try to swallow Duoduo, he’d probably end up in big trouble.

Actually, he had taken notice of Dou Dou and Xiao Yue yesterday, but back then, due to the Netherworld Fire on Dou Dou, he hesitated and refrained from making a move.

Today, upon seeing Duoduo alone and mistaking her for Xiao Yue, he used the treasure gourd in his hand to capture her.

The sun-like circular totem tattooed on his body serves as a cage for trapping dead souls. With five similar totems already on his chest—large and small—it indicated that he had consumed at least five dead souls, with Duoduo set to be the sixth.

The old man in the mirror, hearing Big Han’s words, merely revealed a sinister smile.

"Good luck to you."

Big Han, pointing to a sun totem on his chest, said, "Of course I’m lucky. This person naturally has immense fortune, having a life without sickness or calamity. Unfortunately, they met me. They are tough to kill, but by borrowing their life, even if I encounter disasters, I can turn misfortunes into blessings."

"If he’s truly born with good fortune, how could he still meet you?"

"It’s because I am someone who goes beyond his destiny," Big Han said with self-satisfaction.

The old man in the mirror, hearing this, merely smiled faintly without arguing and then disappeared directly from the mirror.

Meanwhile, Big Han continued his tattooing. As soon as the sixth sun totem was successfully inked, he immediately picked up a silver needle, dipped it into the putrid liquid in the basin in front of him, and began to draw Manchu scripts around it.

Devouring ghosts is very simple, even simpler than drinking water. Just place your mouth over the gourd’s opening, take a deep breath, and the dead souls within the gourd will be swallowed.

The difficult part is using secret techniques to trap the ghosts within the totem and link them with one’s own aura, thus allowing one to steal their fate and powers.

Just as Big Han was about to complete the final step, countless ghostly shadows appeared in the floor-length mirrors surrounding him.

"Not good, someone is coming."

Upon hearing this, Big Han stopped his actions, grabbed the triangular flag on the ground, picked up his gourd, and, bare-chested, strode towards the outside door.

"Perfect timing."

Once outside, all that could be seen was a vast garden, which indicated that Big Han must be extremely wealthy to have such a large manor in a bustling area like Xiajing.

The neatly kept plants and trees in the garden clearly received meticulous care. Although the garden was large, it wasn’t dark—rows of magnificent lights illuminated the whole garden as bright as daylight.

No sooner had Big Han stepped outside than he saw a young man appear in his garden, walking towards him.

With his arrival, the lights in the garden started flickering erratically. As the other party slowly approached, they even burst outright, including some hidden surveillance cameras.

Finally, a change came over Big Han’s expression, and his earlier smile vanished.

"Release my people?"

Shen Siyuan scanned the totems on the other’s body, then his gaze settled on the gourd in his right hand.

Hearing this, Big Han’s face twisted ferociously, lifting the triangular flag in his hand and waving it in the air.

Countless dead souls surged out like a tide, charging directly towards Shen Siyuan.

These dead souls seemed to be empowered, emitting bursts of chilling coldness, causing the vegetation in the entire garden to wither instantly.

Seeing this, Shen Siyuan merely scoffed with disdain, thinking you’re playing flags with me?

PS: Another Chapter coming later; I’m feeling slightly dizzy.

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