Only I Cultivate

A strong C-rank Hunter died just like, by a rookie's mistake. This just showed how dangerous and strong ghosts could be.

Their strongest fighters had fallen. And Ma Chen, though barely holding herself together, still stood—like a starving wolf staring at a defenseless flock of sheep.

The expressions of those inside twisted with despair. Ding Qing and Li Kang even wet themselves, but no one noticed or cared.

The teacher, who was closest to the door, dashed toward it, desperate to escape Ma Chen's grasp. But even with one foot in the grave, if that even made sense for a ghost, she was still far stronger than them.

In a blur, Ma Chen moved. Just as the teacher flung the door open, her skeletal hand clamped around his neck, yanking him close.

"N-No! Help me!" he screamed, his voice trembling with terror. 

But his pleas were short-lived.

Ma Chen's jaw stretched unnaturally, opening nearly a foot wide. A powerful force pulled at the teacher's body, and his soul began to separate from his flesh, drawn straight into her gaping maw.

His body slumped lifelessly as his soul vanished inside him. No longer of use, Ma Chen released him, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud.

The charred remains of her body twitched, slowly regenerating. 

While humans could absorb ghosts to increase their spiritual energy, they always suffered severe side effects, ghosts like Ma Chen also could, but without side effects.

Not only could ghosts cultivate and grow stronger without human souls, but they could also consume them, gaining even more power with each one devoured.

Humanity's path to immortality had been cut off, in this universe, only ghosts, who had access to spiritual every from the other side, could cultivate!

This was far from a fair war.

After killing the teacher, Ma Chen turned her gaze toward Feng Fan—or more precisely, toward Luo Li on his back. She knew Luo Li had the strongest soul here, making her the most valuable meal.

Feng Fan's expression hardened. Fear threatened to take over, but beneath it, a strange excitement bubbled up. 

He couldn't understand it. 'Why the hell am I getting excited?'

'Now that I think about it, ever since I got here, my emotions have been off. I even killed someone and didn't feel a thing…'

But the thought didn't linger long. There were more pressing matters at hand. 

Instead of running, he reached up and placed his hand on his straw hat—the very thing that had brought him here.

"Damnit, hat. You dragged me into this mess just to let me die? You better help me now!" he muttered under his breath.

His words made no sense to the others, but no one cared. Their attention was locked on Ma Chen, waiting to see who would be the next to die.

Ma Chen moved like the wind, her bony arm, with barely any flesh left, shooting toward Feng Fan's neck.

He tried to dodge, but no matter how fast his reflexes were, he was nowhere near Ma Chen's speed or strength.

Her grip tightened around his throat like a vice, and an icy energy spread through his body. His vision blurred, darkness creeping at the edges.

'Is this… how I die?'

Feng Fan's expression darkened, his eyes burning with defiance. A fierce determination took over his face.

'Damn ghost, you better pray I don't come back as one, or I'll kill you myself!'

Just as Feng Fan's consciousness was slipping away, the icy energy invading his body was suddenly absorbed by the straw hat on his head.

Ma Chen sensed the strange phenomenon and instinctively released him, retreating in alarm. For the second time in her existence, she felt like prey before a true predator.

The only other time was when the woman wearing the Ace of Spades mask appeared before her.

Dark chains shot out from the straw hat, surging toward Ma Chen. She tried to escape, but they moved too fast. 

The chains wrapped around her body, siphoning her energy. The agony of having her soul and spiritual power drained made her scream, but the chains showed no mercy.

Without Feng Fan's command, the chains suddenly retracted, dragging Ma Chen toward him.

As her energy left his body, Feng Fan's consciousness returned—just in time to see Ma Chen's disfigured face crash into him.

'What the hell?!' His eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, Ma Chen's form dissolved into him, and the chains vanished.

Panicked, Feng Fan frantically patted his body, searching for any sign of possession. 'What's going on? Was I… possessed?'

Before he could figure it out, the darkness around them lifted. A faint sunlight flooded the room, and police sirens wailed from outside.

'The ghost zone… it's gone?'

Just moments ago, he had been on the brink of death, only to be saved by something beyond his understanding.

'What were those chains? Why did she… enter my body?'

Feng Fan didn't have much time to think. A mere breath later, his consciousness was pulled deep into his own body. When he came to, the only thing he could see was Ma Chen, bound in chains, and a slow-beating heart.

The chains restraining Ma Chen were connected to the heart, which only added to Feng Fan's confusion.

Suddenly, the surroundings shifted. The endless darkness gave way to a small mountain beneath the heart, with a vibrant, colorful garden spreading around it.

Then, strange words echoed in Feng Fan's mind:

[9th member and 9th sect master of the Ghost Sealing Sect, receive your sacred mission.]

'Huh? Sacred mission?' Feng Fan thought, baffled by the message.

Then, realization struck him.

'Wait… a sect with only one member per generation? Did the other eight die?! Hell no, I don't want this mission!'

Despite his protests, the words continued.

[Sacred mission assigned: Seal all ghosts! Restore humanity's immortal path!]

'Sealing all ghosts? Restore humanity's immortal path? Goddamn it! I couldn't even lose my V-card in my last life!'

But whether Feng Fan liked it or not, his protests meant nothing. 

The words continued flooding his mind, and soon, the Ghost Sealing Sect's cultivation technique engraved itself into both his mind and body.