Death Island

After long hours of contemplation, Strider found himself growing more and more irritated.

No matter how hard he tried to analyze the unease he felt, no answers revealed themselves.

Finally, he laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Why waste time thinking so much?"

His path was simple—power.

If he grew stronger, then whatever challenge awaited him would naturally reveal itself.

And when it did—he would be ready.

With that thought, his body began to shimmer and distort.

A faint chilling mist spread around him as he let go of his human disguise, reverting to his true wraith form.

His dark, translucent body became one with the shadows, shifting between corporeal and incorporeal states at will.

Then, without hesitation, he vanished from the prison cell.

His cell mate thought he saw an illusion but when he confirmed that you are gone he fainted from the shock.

Moving through the air as a wraith, Strider let his spiritual sense expand outward—his perception as vast as the sky itself.

His power, comparable to a Lesser Core Building Realm cultivator, allowed him to instantly scan every inch of Ashyn Prison Island.

In mere moments, he located the highest authority figure on the island.

A middle-aged man, sitting inside the tallest building, overseeing the entire facility.

"The Commander."

With a mere thought, Strider appeared before him.

The moment the man saw Strider's wraith form, his face turned ashen pale. His hands trembled, and for a brief second, he tried to scream—

But he never got the chance.

Before a single sound could escape, Strider's shadowy tendrils reached forward, wrapping around the man's body.

His wraithly corruption seeped into the man's very soul.

His struggles stilled.

His eyes turned empty.

His mind became bound.

A moment later, the man fell to his knees, his face blank yet obedient.

"What is your will, Master?"

Strider smiled darkly.

"From this day forward, Ashyn Prison belongs to me."

And so it began.

[With total control over the commander, Strider's influence spread like a silent plague.]

[He slowly enslaved every high-ranking official, bending their wills to his command.]

[Now, he could operate in the shadows, unhindered.]

[With absolute authority over the prison, he set his grand plan into motion—

Turning Ashyn Prison into a Yin Land.]

[This world lacked naturally occurring Yin Lands, as it was still undergoing its spiritual transformation.]

So, instead of searching for one—

Strider would create one himself.

[He inscribed ancient runes across the entire island, setting up an intricate formation designed to drain the vitality of every living being inside Ashyn Prison.]

[Over time, the very essence of death would build up, converting this once-normal island into a land of lingering souls and condensed Yin energy.]

[The suffering of the prisoners, their resentment, their tragic deaths—all of it fed the ritual.]

[And so, the years passed.]

Thirty years later—

Ashyn Prison no longer existed.

The world now called it Death Island.

A permanent black fog covered the land, so thick and dense that no natural light ever reached its surface.

People whispered terrifying rumors about the island.

No one who entered ever returned.

Even the Nalthis government, despite its military dominance, found itself helpless to reclaim control over it.

The official excuse?

The island was home to a dormant volcano, which had begun emitting toxic black fumes, rendering it uninhabitable.

Of course—that was a lie.

A lie woven and spread by Strider's puppets.

In truth, the black fog was the result of three decades of accumulated death and resentment energy, transforming the island into one of the most concentrated Yin Lands in history.

With this—Strider had created the perfect environment for his evolution.

But he was not yet satisfied.

"To ensure a 100% success rate, I need even more Yin accumulation."

And so, he continued to wait and prepare.

Though he remained isolated on Death Island, Strider had not disconnected from the world outside.

He had sensed it happening.

Across Lumar, the gradual increase in spiritual energy was leading to unexpected changes.

Various heaven-and-earth resources had begun to appear, plants and substances that, when consumed, unlocked supernatural abilities in humans.

At first, people thought they had simply gained superpowers.

But Strider knew the truth.

"They have unknowingly stepped onto the path of Physical Cultivation."

Without proper guidance, these newfound "superhumans" had no idea how to control their power.

Crime rates skyrocketed.

Governments struggled to maintain order as more and more people awakened to abilities they did not understand.

Strider, however, benefited from this chaos.

Using his immense spiritual senses, he personally collected several rare resources and fed them to his enslaved higher-ups on Death Island.

As a result—

Every single one of them had reached the Mid Mortal Transformation Realm.

Now, even if someone discovered the truth, they would face a force that no normal human army could defeat.

He also found one of the higher up good at physical cultivation as he can eat those resources like candy and reached the mid stage of energy accumulation realm.

When this person reaches the peak of energy accumulation realm you can use him as a vessel to store the specter essence during evolution.

On the 31st year after your coming in this world, the world itself shifted.

One day—

Without warning—

The sky cracked open.

And three massive gates emerged.

From within these mysterious portals, monstrous creatures began to pour out, bringing destruction to the world of Lumar.

At that moment, Strider froze.

The strange unease he had felt since first arriving in this simulation—

He now understood its source.

"Of course…"

"How could I forget? In every story, when a world's spiritual energy rises—gates always follow."

The revitalization of Lumar's spiritual energy had not only awakened cultivators—

It had also opened pathways to other dimensions, allowing monsters to invade.

Strider smirked.

"So this is the true challenge of this simulation."

But even knowing that—

He did not move.

He simply observed.

"This world's completion must be linked to these Gates somehow."

"But I won't act yet."

"Not until my Yin Land reaches its full potential."

Because in the end—

His primary goal in this simulation was clear.

He had one major task to complete before engaging in whatever challenge lay ahead—

Evolving from a Wraith into a Specter.