Istanbul is a city I deeply adore—being here is nothing short of enchanting.
Chen Xi was a bundle of unresolved questions.
Seven years ago, the barrier separating the living realm from the realm of the dead had shattered.
That night, an uncountable horde of spirits surged into the world of the living.
Chen Xi had been one of them.
The stronger a ghost's power, the more improbable it was for them to cross the shattered threshold into the mortal realm. She couldn't comprehend how an entity as formidable as Mo Lin—a being of Yin Division rank—had managed to traverse the divide and manifest himself here.
These doubts only flashed through her mind briefly before fading. Right now, she had only one thought: to escape, and to do so swiftly.
"Stay where you are," Mo Lin's voice rang out, a sharp rebuke cloaked in command.
In an instant, an overwhelming pressure descended upon Chen Xi, suffocating and absolute.
Her ghostly head floated in the air, paralyzed, not daring to make the slightest movement. A single misstep, she feared, would lead to her soul being annihilated.
"Spare me, Lord Mo Lin!" she pleaded reflexively, her tone trembling with dread.
"You know me?" Mo Lin asked, his gaze narrowing with a hint of suspicion.
"We're from the same hometown, my lord. I am a ghost of Yetou," she began, trying to establish rapport with him.
"Seven years ago, when you were still a minor ghost official, I had the honor of seeing you in action."
"I remember you battling spirits from the Ghost Domain back then—I even cheered you on."
"I never imagined you would rise to become a Lord of the Yin Division. Allow me to offer my sincere congratulations on your promotion," she flattered, her tone smooth and submissive.
"Please, my lord, I have done no harm since arriving in the mortal realm. I beg you, spare me."
"Change your face," Mo Lin commanded, his eyes lingering on her ghastly visage with clear distaste.
These terrifying ghost faces—he had seen far too many in the underworld. He had grown weary of them.
He preferred beauty—refined, delicate, and serene.
Chen Xi quickly nodded, and using her spectral energy, altered her appearance. Her face morphed into one of delicate elegance, almost pleasing to behold.
What rotten luck, she cursed inwardly. Of all the beings she could have met, it had to be a Yin Division Lord.
"Tell me what the mortal world is like now," Mo Lin said flatly, his tone carrying both authority and curiosity. Having just returned, he knew little of the current state of the world.
Chen Xi, now calmer, explained without haste.
Only then did Mo Lin realize that the mortal realm had become a place of strange coexistence—where the living and the dead now shared the same space.
In order to accumulate ghost energy, some spirits had signed contracts with humans, while others claimed secluded places for solitary cultivation.
The world had changed dramatically, turned upside down by the chaos.
Mo Lin's thoughts drifted suddenly to his own family. He wondered how they were faring under such circumstances.
"Do not fear. I have no intention of harming you," he said, his voice softening.
Chen Xi, overwhelmed with gratitude, bowed deeply. "Thank you, my lord, for your mercy."
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she prepared to leave.
"Though I won't kill you, I also won't let you go," Mo Lin added, his voice now calm but resolute.
"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion, just as Mo Lin's palm hovered over her ghostly head.
"Suppress."
A single character—镇 (Seal)—appeared on her forehead. And then, in the blink of an eye, her head vanished, followed closely by the rest of her body.
"Congratulations. You have acquired Ghost Technique: Ghost Eye."
The voice echoed in Mo Lin's mind.
It was the voice of the Soul Suppression Tome.
At the same time, within his consciousness, the first page of the tome revealed a new inscription:
Name: Chen Xi
Realm: Perilous Grade
Skill: Ghost Eye
Nether Coin Yield: 20 coins/day
Note: The higher the ghost's level, the greater the nether coin yield.
Mo Lin's eyes lit up, unable to conceal the excitement rising within him.
Nether coins—objects of immense value—were formed by refining dense ghost energy.
Ghosts or ghost officials would absorb raw ghost energy, purify it into nether energy, and then transmute that into nether coins of equivalent value.
The higher the denomination of a coin, the more ghost energy it held.
A ghost of the Perilous Grade could, over the course of a year, refine enough nether energy to form a single 20-coin note.
Nether coins were vital for numerous things—such as elevating a ghost's cultivation level, or for the official ordination of ghost officials.
To be conferred the title of a Yin Division Lord? That alone required a staggering one million nether coins.
A million nether coins—that was the equivalent of all Yetou's nether coin reserves for over thirty years.
Wasn't this tome essentially a money-printing machine?
If Mo Lin could capture enough ghosts, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger—nether coins would flow in endlessly.
The higher he cultivated each ghost's realm, the more lucrative the returns.
A single Perilous Grade ghost generated 20 coins a day. Ten such ghosts would yield 200 coins per day—over 60,000 coins annually.
Back when Mo Lin had served as a minor ghost official in the underworld, his annual salary had barely reached 100 coins.
And the rewards didn't stop there—he even obtained their ghost skills.
Capture the ghost, and the skill was his.
That alone was reason enough for celebration.
For the first time, Mo Lin truly sensed the overwhelming power of the Soul Suppression Tome.
"Let me out!"
Chen Xi now found herself trapped in a vast, walled void. Her voice echoed as she shouted into the distance, pleading.
But there was no response.
"Let me ou—wait… this place…"
She stopped abruptly, a subtle smile creeping onto her lips as she surveyed the space.
It was rich—no, saturated—with ghost energy. More so than even the underworld itself.
Ghost energy was the lifeblood of all spirits. It was also the most essential resource for their cultivation.
She had spent years in the mortal realm, exhausting time and effort to gather even the smallest fraction of energy.
Yet here, with a mere breath, she absorbed more than she would in a month of external labor.
In that instant, her desire to escape melted away.
Remaining here didn't seem so bad after all.
At least she no longer needed to worry about cultivating ghost energy.
To her, this place wasn't a prison—it was paradise.
The sacred dream of all ghosts.
Meanwhile, Mo Lin extended his palm, and from the void materialized a pitch-black book, no larger than his hand.
Three bold characters were emblazoned on the cover: Soul Suppression Tome.
Opening it, he saw Chen Xi pacing inside the pages, as though she had become part of a two-dimensional realm—a mere figure in ink and parchment.
He gave the tome a slight shake.
With that motion, Chen Xi was expelled from the pages, reappearing before him on the mountaintop.
Her eyes darted around in alarm, utterly disoriented.
A moment ago, she had been locked in a sealed and mysterious space. Now, she was back in the living realm.
Though she was a ghost, even she had never encountered such supernatural might.
"You want me to release you?" Mo Lin asked casually, almost bemused.
"No, no! Not at all…" Chen Xi shook her head fervently. "To be taken in by you is a blessing—I am more than willing to serve."
Leave?
She would never be that foolish.
To dwell in such a treasure trove of ghost energy—this was fortune itself.
And she would cling to it.
Pointing to the tome in Mo Lin's hand, Chen Xi asked playfully, "My lord, was it this book that you used to capture me?"
Mo Lin cast her a cold glance, offering no reply.
The Soul Suppression Tome was his secret. He wouldn't reveal a single syllable about it to a minor spirit.
Realizing her mistake, Chen Xi withdrew slightly, sheepishly sticking out her tongue in apology.
"What does the Ghost Eye do?" Mo Lin asked. That was the true reason he had summoned her again.
Chen Xi's eyes sparkled with pride as she began to explain, clearly eager to impress.
"Ghost Eye is my innate ghost technique. With it, I can see the cultivation levels of other spirits and the techniques they possess."
Not wanting Mo Lin to underestimate her ability, she added quickly:
"It doesn't just show me what ghost skills they have—I can even discern the exact functions of their techniques."
"Please, my lord, do not underestimate the power of my Ghost Eye…"