“The next level is the 85th, and there’s a high chance the second Specter’s Canon will appear!”

Mercury checked the state of his soul, feeling increasingly anxious. The emergence of the Specter’s Inheritance was an enormous opportunity for him. The Mercury Family had integrated the Shadow Evil Drake’s blood into their lineage to preserve the Shadow Sect, a process that took centuries of selection to stabilize. Even so, they still needed to consult the Gospel Book to determine the best times for procreation, as the deformity rate was as high as 80% without it.

In return, Mercury’s clansmen were not only naturally attuned to shadow spells, but their soul growth rate far surpassed that of ordinary people. A typical Mercury had a soul strength of three Human Souls, silver had ten, gold had twenty-five, and Sanctuary level had fifty!

With such a solid soul foundation, Mercury’s shadow spells were unstoppable, much like how the Physical Sect required a strong physique as a base; shadow spells needed the soul as a medium for casting.

The Mercury Family also had a Soul Sect Inheritance, but it was incomplete. It was adequate for soul cultivation but lacked the power for offense and defense, which is why it remained obscure. Moreover, while Mercury’s clansmen had high soul growth rates, they were not Elves.

Without being Elves, entering the Soul Sect was exceedingly difficult. However, Mercury’s research showed that while Elves found it easier to enter the Soul Sect, their souls were more sensitive and fragile, requiring careful cultivation. Perhaps due to these soul deficiencies, Elves could keenly sense souls.

In the Specter’s Inheritance, Mercury’s powerful soul was almost like cheating. Not only did it amplify the use of Soul Spirits, but it also allowed him to brute-force through many levels! The rewards from the Specter’s Inheritance compensated for Mercury’s shortcomings in the Soul Sect, allowing him to progress rapidly.

Thus, when the Specter’s Inheritance came under attack, Mercury was among the most anxious. He was confident he was in the first echelon of the Specter’s Inheritance, possibly even the seed player most likely to seize the Codex!

If the Specter’s Inheritance were dismantled in the chaos involving the Divine Sovereign, he would almost certainly lose his chance at the Inheritance meant for him!

“The current pace is a bit strained… but there are probably only two or three days left!” Mercury resolved, “Today, I must push to level 90, so tomorrow I can be the first to seize the Specter’s Codex!”

“The Specter’s Canon I’ve obtained is good, but it lacks the crucial ‘concept’! The concept might be in the Codex, and if I can get it… becoming a Demigod is within reach!”

“Then, the trivial Gospel Kingdom and that wet-behind-the-ears Empress…”

As Mercury pondered, black mist engulfed the hall. Though surprised by this unprecedented change, he quickly used a soul miracle to protect himself, a flowing garment appearing on his body.

This was the Specter’s Appendix miracle he had acquired, the ‘Soulgarment of the Sea’! With this miracle’s protection, he could weaken almost any external influence!

However, as the black mist dissipated, Mercury’s expression changed dramatically!

Before him lay over twenty ‘corpses’ sprawled across the ground!

And four mysterious figures clad in black robes!

Hiss!

Before Mercury could make a move, the chaotic threads had already bound him tightly!

In the next moment, a sword was held against his throat.

“You might want to try using the specter key first,” the figure in black suggested. “Have you realized your situation yet?”

Realizing he couldn’t escape the Specter’s Inheritance, Mercury quickly regained his composure. “What do you want?”

“Show us all the Specter’s Appendix and Canon rewards you’ve obtained from the Specter’s Inheritance,” the figure in black demanded. “We’ll take one spirit.”

“And then you’ll let me go?”

“Not only that, but we’ll also take most of your soul to repair the Specter’s Inheritance.”

The figure in black kicked one of the ‘corpses’ on the ground and added, “Then you’ll end up like them, needing hours to reconnect with your physical body-but at least you’ll survive.”

Repair the Inheritance!?

Mercury’s expression shifted between uncertainty and determination. “Who are you? Why do you want to repair the Specter’s Inheritance?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They think they can’t win, so they want to flip the table and destroy the Specter’s Inheritance, hoping to snatch the core reward. But if there are those who can’t win, naturally there are those who can,” the figure in black explained. “The Codex trial has already begun, and to ensure it proceeds smoothly, the Specter’s Inheritance can’t collapse.”

Mercury murmured, “The Specter’s Inheritance… is it over?”

“Almost, but we’ve already gained partial control over the Specter’s Inheritance,” the figure in black shrugged. “So, will you cooperate? If not, we’ll take your entire soul.”

Mercury chuckled bitterly, “How can I trust you? Just because of these dozens of residual souls you can crush at any moment?”

“Because we don’t know which Kingdom you’re from,” the figure in black replied.

Mercury was taken aback, then understood the underlying message, and sighed, “Which Divine Sovereign are you serving?”

“You first tell us which Kingdom you’re from,” the figure in black retorted, a mocking tone in their voice. “Maybe we’ll spare you.”

Of course, Mercury dared not reveal his origin.

Indeed, he had seen the Divine Sovereign’s forces attacking the Specter’s Inheritance, so he should have known it was predetermined. How could an ordinary Sanctuary like him possibly touch the Codex? He was pleased with reaching the 85th level, unaware that the Divine Sovereign’s chosen ones were already inheriting the Codex.

To ensure their candidate could smoothly inherit the Specter Seer’s heritage, the Divine Sovereign even sent people to take over the Specter’s Inheritance, extracting souls from the Trial Takers to repair it. On reflection, only a Divine Sovereign could control the inheritance left by a Demigod.

Therefore, it was credible that these people wouldn’t kill, because every Kingdom had numerous Sanctuaries, and they might inadvertently kill their own. If Mercury confessed he was from the Gospel Kingdom, but these people weren’t serving the Omniscient Weaver, he’d be doomed.

So Mercury sighed and displayed the rewards he had obtained from the Specter’s Inheritance.

The figure in black glanced at them, frowned, and asked, “What about the Canon? We know how many Canons you’ve acquired; you must have at least one Canon now.”

Mercury replied, “The Canon I obtained isn’t a spirit or a miracle, just a piece of intelligence.”

“What intelligence is worth a Canon?”

“About the Godsmithing Ritual Track of the ‘Static Deity.’”

With a crisp snap, Mercury fell backward, his body almost turning transparent. A bewildered Four-winged Spirit emerged from within him, looking around in confusion, only to be quickly captured by Sonya.

“This Miracle is already quite stable,” Igor remarked, lifting the hood of his black cloak thoughtfully. “There hasn’t been any spell failure or incorrect spirit extraction, so there’s no need for any immediate adjustments.”

These cloaked figures were, of course, Sonya, Deya, Vesser, and Igor.

Since Igor was tasked with improving the procedure, it was impossible to conceal the effects they were longing for. Once he understood what they intended to do, Igor not only worked on refining the procedure but also offered three suggestions.

First, everyone should don black cloaks for disguise. After all, if they encountered a familiar Sanctuary by chance, should they kill or not?

Second, they needed to pose as subordinates of the Divine Sovereign, claiming their actions were to repair the Specter’s Inheritance, with their allies already inheriting the Codex.

Lastly, they should seize part of the Specter’s Inheritance rewards from their victims.

“The rewards from the Specter’s Inheritance are a pleasant surprise for them and won’t harm their original spirit system. Therefore, losing the specter rewards falls into their ‘comfort damage zone.’”

“Comfort damage zone?” Deya asked, puzzled.

Igor explained, “People don’t truly hate losses; sometimes they need losses to feel secure. For example, a lover might accommodate their partner’s quirks, tolerate unreasonable behavior, or waste time on meaningless demands, all to gain ‘security’ in the relationship by sacrificing their own interests.”

“Similarly, if someone is robbed but only loses a small amount of money, they might actually feel grateful. This is because the loss is less than expected, and within an acceptable range, making them feel ‘lucky’ despite the loss, even giving up on pursuing the matter.”

“As long as you hit the ‘comfort damage zone,’ people will give you whatever you want.”

Sonya and Vesser listened intently, while Deya seemed a bit confused. In truth, Sonya and Vesser had already grasped similar concepts through life experiences, but hearing Igor articulate this advanced Con Artist’s wisdom was enlightening and beneficial.

As for deceiving Trial Takers out of their spirits, not only Igor but Sonya and the others were all in agreement.

They might hesitate when it came to killing, but tricking someone out of a spirit carried no such moral burden. In the Virtual Realm, sorcerers were naturally competitors; if you got tricked, you should reflect on your own shortcomings!

Moreover, they had racked their brains to spare these people’s lives, so taking a spirit as a life-saving fee seemed fair enough.

However, they hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

Igor’s mastery of the specter Canon “Soul’s Obsession” happened to complement the first half of the “longing for” procedure, increasing soul extraction efficiency while reducing soul damage. With little extra effort, they created a safe version of longing for.

The first five attempts either resulted in spell failure or failed to acquire the designated spirit, but soon they found their stride. Through several iterations and improvements, the new longing for had become a sustainable Miracle for harvesting spirits.

Even Sonya and the others were getting restless-should they seize the opportunity to steal a Four-winged Spirit for themselves? Opportunities like this to raid the Virtual Realm’s resources might only come once, especially since the Nightmare had given them fifty slots!

“Come over here.”

Vesser suddenly called them over, saying, “This Godsmithing Ritual Track for the Static Deity is surprisingly simple.”

Faced with the robbery, Mercury handed over the Godsmithing Ritual Track without hesitation. Although the Ritual Track was far more important than a spirit, knowing he couldn’t obtain the Codex or any other means to acquire concepts, its value plummeted.

Igor stood aside, not joining them. Deya glanced at him and recited, “Incorporate the ‘Silence’ concept into your being, then carry the Four Wings Lock, Four Wings Break, and Four Wings Erosion spirits within your soul. Endure in the static domain for one white bull cycle to create a Static Deity.”

“Simple, yes,” Sonya remarked, “but putting aside the Silence concept, who can endure a white bull cycle in the static domain? Or was there once a Miracle that allowed movement in the static domain?”

“The final step of the Soul Divinity School is to endure the curse of the Virtual Realm,” Vesser shook her head. “Even if there was a Miracle, it probably can’t be used. The curse of the static domain is a necessary condition for the birth of a Static Deity.”

“No wonder the Soul Divinity School fell into decline,” Sonya shrugged. “If the final step involves a curse from the Virtual Realm that sorcerers can’t withstand, it’s no surprise it hasn’t survived to this day.”

However, Vesser was looking at Sonya thoughtfully, causing the latter to blink. “What’s up?”

“Do you have any spirits you want?”

Vesser suddenly said, “It’s rare to have such an opportunity. It would be a waste not to make good use of it. Let’s steal a few spirits we need.”

Igor slowly opened his eyes.

Outside Black Robe Town, it was still dark. He was still under the influence of the Mirage Prism. In his soul, not only were his spirits intact, but he also had a few more Soul Spirits.

The spirits stolen using the longing for naturally ended up with the three of them. But since the plan to deceive the sanctuary sorcerers into giving up their spirits was Igor’s, and he helped improve the Miracle procedure, they let him choose a few spirits from the spoils as a reward.

Igor left his room, tried Ash’s door, found it locked, and used a spare key to enter.

He saw the red-haired girl lying quietly on the bed, her expression serene, lips slightly pursed, as if she were in a Oneiros.

Igor stood by the bed, watching for a while, and softly said, “It’s truly identical…”

“Is it nice to look at?”

Raven’s distorted voice came from the doorway. He seemed to appear there suddenly, always so silent that he could make wrongdoers break out in a cold sweat.

But Igor was not among those.

“Why does that sound a bit like you’re showing off?” Igor said. “Or have you seen it many times?”

“He’s worth showing off.”

Igor, feeling a headache from this oddball, shook his head and left the room. As he passed Raven, he said, “Since you want to watch, keep a close eye on him these next two days. Don’t let him out of your sight.”

Raven was silent for a moment, then asked solemnly, “Where does the danger come from?”

Igor glanced at him. “The danger comes from himself, from the Virtual Realm you can’t touch.”

After Igor left, Raven sat by Ash’s bed, quietly staring at the floor.

Like a dejected raven.

In the Golden Hall, Ash, who had been resting with his eyes closed, stood up, his gaze meeting the returning teammates.

“The spirits on the list are all gathered,” Sonya announced loudly to the Nightmare. “The spirits we got from ‘casting errors’ should be ours, right?”

“As long as you don’t take spirits from the Nightmare Inheritance, I don’t care,” the Nightmare replied.

With a wave of its hand, the spirits flew towards the crystalline walls on either side of the Golden Hall. Light flickered within the walls, seemingly performing some kind of Miracle detection.

Seconds later, the Nightmare said, “All materials are ready.”

“Godsmithing, commence.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay