Beast Taming: My Intelligence System Chapter 917 - 569: Contract with the Shadow Wraith (2)

Shadow Bind (Skilled): Enters the enemy's shadow, controlling their movements by puppeteering their silhouette. The potency of shadow binding can fluctuate significantly.

Shadow Bomb (Skilled): A shadow entity can be created to self-destruct, unleashing an explosion resembling an acid cloud. This corrosive cloud inflicts substantial harm upon adversaries.

Highly Poisonous Shadow Rain (Skilled): Venom is expelled from the shadow, coalescing into a caustic acid rain that simultaneously poisons and corrodes its victims.

Regeneration Condensation (Skilled): Once a shadow is vanquished, it eventually reconstitutes itself directly from the void.

Split Growth (Skilled): Upon absorbing sufficient souls, the shadow's form bifurcates into two smaller shadows. These shadows can perpetually merge and expand, condensing a soul gem internally.

[Evolutionary Path 1: Minor Shadow Arts → Major Shadow Arts, detailed evolutionary requirements will be revealed upon contact.]

[Evaluation: This entity is considered aristocratic among shadows, possessing a complete evolutionary trajectory and mastery over shadow manipulation. Its strength escalates proportionally to the souls it consumes.]

"Royalty among shadow tricks, quite a skill."

Ye Bai offered a slight smile.

"Very well, let us forge a contract with this illusion beast. Demon Bear Priest, you shall proceed."

"Me?"

The Demon Bear Priest's mouth formed an 'O' shape. "You must be jesting! I am a bear, a bear! You wish for me to sign a contract with the mysterious?"

"Yes, you will sign the contract with the mysterious. Is there an issue?"

"This world is quite peculiar, allowing even illusion beasts to form a symbiotic bond with the mysterious."

"Demon Bear Priest, haven't you felt somewhat lacking in control lately?"

"A shadow trick would perfectly compensate for your shortcomings."

Ye Bai's words prompted the Demon Bear Priest to deliberate for a moment, recalling the shadow's specific attributes Ye Bai had previously shared.

A Tier One Karami capable of shadow binding enemies? If such a shadow-elemental illusion beast were to mature, its destructive potential would undoubtedly be immense.

"Alright," the Demon Bear grudgingly agreed.

Forging a contract with this seemingly high-tier shadow trick felt akin to incurring a debt of two to three million.

The Demon Bear Priest squeezed a drop of dark blood from its palm, allowing it to fall upon the shadow.

The shadow morphed into a figure resembling a little girl, its features nothing more than swirling darkness. It had been compelled into a contract.

"Let us depart and observe how the humans of this realm make pacts with the mysterious."

"Demon Bear Priest, conceal the shadow within my own shadow, subtly guiding it to mask my aura. Do you understand?" Ye Bai instructed with a smile.

"Understood. Merely masking your aura is a trivial task. Allow me to demonstrate my capabilities."

The Demon Bear Priest grasped a scepter haphazardly taped together, twirled it above the shadow's head, and the shadow's presence seamlessly merged with Ye Bai's own shadow.

"Excellent. Now, everyone will believe you have contracted a shadow and possess its aura."

"Let's go witness the spectacle."

"Rest assured, I have disguised myself as a doll animated by the mysterious. No one will be the wiser."

The Demon Bear Priest spun the magic staff in its hand.

It then transformed into a dilapidated little bear, its stuffing beginning to spill out, one eye hanging loosely.

"You needn't make yourself look quite so pathetic," Ye Bai remarked with a trace of disdain.

"Relax, relax. Whatever I transform into, am I not still your bear?"

"No worries, as long as you find it acceptable."

Ye Bai's lips twitched again, his displeasure evident.

"Very well, let us cease this discourse and hasten to observe how the duplicitous denizens here contract with the mysterious."

They arrived at the city's heart, where a colossal ruby was displayed.

A vast throng of citizens had gathered around it.

"Esteemed citizens, today marks Thundercloud City's annual ceremony for summoning the mysterious."

"All citizens of the appropriate age may touch this mystic summoning gem today."

"However, this gem carries a risk; should you, lacking inherent mysterious power, forcefully connect with the mysterious summoning ruby, you will face a backlash from it."

"Upon suffering this backlash, you will become a sacrifice to the mysterious, your very soul potentially consumed. Therefore, steel your resolve, do you understand?"

The individual presiding over the summoning ceremony bore the appearance of a comedic clown, yet his appendages were two sharp, oversized pincers.

His contracted mysterious was none other than Jack the Ripper, an exceptionally rare entity among the mysterious.

"Proceed, form an orderly line, and pledge your devotion to the mysterious, for it bestows power upon you."

Ye Bai observed the ecstatic expressions blooming across the faces of those around him.

This feels wrong. Entirely wrong.

He recalled a crucial piece of information: humans were being… cultivated by the mysterious.

Could this city be nurtured by the mysterious entities?

Are humans merely vessels for these mysterious beings?

Ye Bai found the scene intriguing and observed with keen interest.

A small boy then stepped forward. Lacking hands, he pressed his forehead against a red gem.

However, as the boy drew near the ruby, blood-like, twisted worms burrowed into his body.

Through his 'Eye of Truth', Ye Bai witnessed the boy's mind dissolving into a crimson mist, an exceptionally eerie sight.

The boy writhed on the ground, shrieking, as blood gushed from where his arms should be.

"Hahaha, I succeeded! I have ghost hands now!"

"At last, I have hands!"

The boy cackled manically.

Yet, in the very next moment, these pitch-black ghost hands clamped onto his throat.

"Cough, cough! Let go!

The ghost hands turned the boy's face black as they tightened their grip, a grotesque spectacle.

"Die! Die! Only death can repay this sin!"

The boy's expression contorted strangely.

Dark runes immediately materialized across his body.

"Die, die! Only death can repay the price of defiling the mysterious!"

His ghostly hands constricted his own neck.

The boy's breath hitched, and the ghost hands tore out his still-beating heart.

It was placed reverently upon the blood-red gem.

"Praise the mysterious!"

"Accept my sacrifice!"

With those final words, the boy perished. His body, ensnared by countless blood threads, vanished without a trace as they dispersed.

"Let this serve as a warning: always show reverence to the mysterious. Never grow overconfident, lest misfortune befall you, reducing you to ashes and your soul to a mere sacrifice."

"Remember, never let desire consume you, or you shall become a foul offering."

Jack the Ripper admonished those nearby.

"Demon Bear Priest, did you perceive anything just now?" Ye Bai inquired.

"I sensed the opening of an extra-dimensional space," the priest replied.

"This world might be divided into a surface realm and an inner realm."

"The surface realm is where humans dwell, while the inner realm is the domain of the mysterious."

"Although this is a deceitful realm, the world's laws still maintain a separation between humans and the mysterious. Humans can only summon these entities through specific artifacts, such as that blood-red gem."

"Naturally, due to this world's convergence with Earth Star, disturbances have begun to manifest in both the surface and inner realms, allowing the mysterious to infiltrate this world with greater ease."

"Do you comprehend my explanation?" the Demon Bear Priest asked, his voice muffled.

"Yes, I understand. I never anticipated this world to be so unique."

"So unique it defies belief. This is a medium-sized world composed of countless smaller worlds. If I could master this world and integrate it into Earth Star, might I gain some measure of authority over it?"