Chapter 18: Unmasking the Creek's Hunger

The chilling whisper of "…join us… stay forever…" echoed not just in the air, but seemingly within Lin Fan's own mind, emanating from the direction of the submerged rune stone. He stood firm, his fifth layer spiritual sense, sharpened by cultivation and aided by the earlier Spirit Recovery Pill, resisting the insidious mental suggestion. The cold, stagnant Yin Qi radiating from the stone was faint but undeniable. This was no natural phenomenon, nor the work of simple Mist Hounds.

One rune stone likely meant others. It was part of a formation, and formations needed multiple points to function effectively. Kneeling again, Lin Fan ignored the whispers and began carefully searching the murky creek bed around the first stone. The dense fog swirled, limiting vision, but he relied on touch and his Qi sense, probing the mud and water.

As he searched, the anomalous phenomena intensified. The whispers grew louder, sometimes overlapping, sounding like the desperate pleas or mournful cries of multiple voices. Fleeting images flickered at the edges of his sight – pale faces half-seen in the mist, beckoning hands reaching from behind willow trees – illusions designed to distract and lure. The ambient temperature continued to drop, the Yin Qi growing thick and cloying, trying to seep into his meridians, carrying a sense of profound despair.

He found a second rune stone five meters upstream, nearly identical to the first, partially hidden beneath a cluster of waterlogged roots. Then a third, downstream, nestled among smooth pebbles. Each pulsed with the same faint, cold energy. They formed a rough triangle, with the area inside feeling particularly oppressive. This was undoubtedly the formation's active zone.

But what was its purpose? And what generated this much Yin Qi and sustained these illusions? Simple rune stones, even ancient ones, usually required a power source or a specific environmental condition. Relying on his Basic Appraisal skill only confirmed they were similar stones infused with Yin Qi, part of an incomplete pattern. He needed more information.

System, Lin Fan decided, the intensifying illusions and whispers becoming a significant annoyance, Identify this formation.

[System Identification function initiated. Analyzing ambient energy patterns, rune structures, and residual spiritual signatures...]

[Identification Target: Active Formation Fragment.]

[Estimated Cost: 300 System Points. Proceed?]

300 points. A significant chunk of his remaining 545, but understanding the threat was crucial. "Proceed."

[Deducting 300 System Points. Identification complete.]

[Current System Points: 545 - 300 = 245]

[Formation Identified: Fragmented Yin Soul Trap Array.]

[Type: Ancient Ghost Path Formation (Incomplete/Damaged)]

[Primary Function: Lures living beings with spiritual potential via illusions and mental suggestions. Traps and slowly drains spiritual energy and life force upon prolonged exposure within the active zone. Creates localized environmental effects (fog intensification, Yin Qi concentration, auditory/visual illusions).]

[Power Source: Ambient Yin Qi concentrated by creek geography, amplified by residual resentment (Yuan Qi) in the area, and likely boosted by previously trapped spiritual remnants.]

[Status: Partially active. Core component likely damaged or missing, preventing full soul extraction but maintaining luring and draining functions. Central control node should be nearby, likely at the point of highest Yin Qi concentration.]

[Weaknesses: Susceptible to concentrated Yang Qi or Holy Light attributes. Disrupting the rune stones or destroying the central node can destabilize the fragment.]

Lin Fan absorbed the information instantly. A Yin Soul Trap Array. Ancient, incomplete, feeding on ambient Yin Qi, resentment, and potentially the trapped 'spiritual remnants' – ghosts? – of its victims. It didn't kill outright but lured victims in, trapped them with illusions, and slowly drained them. This explained the disappearances and the lack of bodies. The disciples likely wandered deeper, caught in illusions, until they collapsed from energy drain, their life force feeding the array, their consciousness perhaps trapped within its influence, contributing to the whispers.

The System mentioned a central control node at the point of highest Yin Qi concentration. Lin Fan closed his eyes briefly, ignoring the flickering illusions, and focused his spiritual sense solely on tracking the cold, stagnant Yin Qi. Aided by the system's confirmation, he could now discern a faint trail, a current of Yin energy flowing towards a spot slightly further upstream, deeper into the fog where it seemed unnaturally thick and dark.

He moved cautiously towards it, sword ready, Iron Skin Art active. The whispers intensified dramatically here, clawing at his resolve. The illusions became more potent – he saw spectral figures resembling disciples stumbling aimlessly, their faces gaunt, eyes empty, reaching out to him. He even thought he saw Zhao Feng among them for a sickening moment before realizing it was just a trick of the mist and malevolent energy.

He pushed through the mental interference, focusing on the converging Yin Qi. It led him to a small, stagnant pool just off the main creek, shrouded by the thickest fog yet. In the center of the pool, half-submerged, wasn't another rune stone, but something different – a blackened, humanoid skull, ancient and cracked, with faint, dark energy swirling around its empty sockets. This felt like the source, the central node concentrating the Yin Qi and powering the fragmented array.

As Lin Fan approached the edge of the pool, the swirling dark energy around the skull intensified. The whispers abruptly stopped, replaced by a single, bone-chilling hiss that seemed to physically lower the temperature several more degrees.

The dark energy erupted upwards from the skull, coalescing rapidly in the air above the stagnant pool. It took shape, forming a tall, spectral figure clad in tattered, ethereal robes. Its form flickered in and out of solidity, its face indistinct but radiating immense malice and cold. Long, wispy claws formed at the ends of its arms, and its presence exuded a terrifying pressure significantly stronger than the Shadowfang Wolf Alpha – peak sixth layer, with an aura that felt dangerously close to the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

This was no mere spiritual remnant. This was a Wraith. A powerful, malevolent spirit born of intense resentment and fed by drained life force. It was the guardian, the beneficiary, and likely the true culprit behind the disappearances.

The Wraith solidified slightly, its indistinct face turning towards Lin Fan. Two points of cold, hateful light ignited where its eyes should be, fixing on him. It sensed his vibrant life force, his potent Qi, but also recognized him as an intruder, someone disrupting its feeding ground and the array that sustained it.

"Intruder..." The voice wasn't spoken aloud but echoed directly in Lin Fan's mind, cold and sharp as ice shards. "You... will... join... them..."

The Wraith raised its spectral claws, dark energy gathering around them. The final confrontation of Old Willow Creek was about to begin.