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"Sacrifice? In the age of railways. Did such savage things happen?" Charlize couldn't quite believe this, so Christian had to explain.
"The term 'sacrifice' doesn't necessarily involve a specific ceremony. Any act where you give your life for a cause, whether intentional or not, meets the basic criteria of a sacrifice," he said, pointing to his feet.
"Back then, the western section of the Pacific Railway posed significant engineering risks, and local laborers were reluctant to work on it. As a result, the railway company relied on immigrant laborers brought from third-world countries to complete these challenging sections. This, of course, resulted in numerous casualties."
Charlize didn't doubt this time. When she first arrived in the United States, she had read some books on the topic to gain a deeper understanding. Though not in great detail, she was aware of the dark history related to it.
"So, is that why you mentioned that this railway section was built at the cost of many lives?"
The girl looked at Christian cautiously, sensing some emotional depth in his words.
"Yes," Christian sighed. He knew Charlize didn't doubt him, but the emotional weight of this topic might be hard for a white girl to fully grasp. He let go of his inner sadness and focused on the present.
"Even without any rituals, a significant loss of lives inevitably generates some residual magical power. While this magic power gradually fades over time, it also lingers in the area."
"The spell you just used tapped into that deposited magical power, right?"
Charlize now fully comprehended Christian's explanation.
"That's right," Christian nodded. "These residual magical energies, combined with the history of the Pacific Railway's prosperity and hardships, become a key to connecting the past and the present, the underworld, and the world of the living. This allowed me to summon the almost visible gates of the underworld at this abandoned crossroad."
"Are those gates the gates to the underworld?" Charlize's interest was piqued.
"How could I know?" Christian admitted, a bit exasperated by Charlize's occasional scatterbrained tendencies.
"Although there are legends about crossroads being gateways to the underworld, in reality, I don't know much more than you. I only know that crossroads are often the scenes of accidents and deaths. Without the deposited magical power here, I'd never have seen such a substantial gateway to the underworld."
"So, you don't know where those ghosts went?"
"Strictly speaking, I know half of it," Christian corrected Charlize. "After passing through the gates of the underworld, I truly don't know where the souls—if they even exist—end up. But I do know that their power dissipates into this land."
Christian looked around and took a deep breath. "Charlize, don't you think that despite the cold, this place clears your mind? It's the Yin energy overflowing after breaking down the ghosts. It's the result of opening the gate at the crossroads—to send away the souls and disperse their energy. Dust to dust, earth to earth."
Besides, it wasn't just the ghosts that were drawn into the gate this time. Before it closed, under its pull, Wei Changhui's remaining spectral power also gravitated towards the gate. Unlike other ghosts that were directly sucked in, this force, devoid of consciousness and driven only by instinct, attempted to attach itself to Christian.
Originally, the Ghost tiger was a form of a mandrill. Although it was a ghost, existing between life and death, it was not a pure undead. Even when the gate to the underworld was opened, its impact on the Ghost Tiger was limited. However, when its consciousness was sealed, the remaining power became more akin to a walking dead, just a step away from being an undead. This made the influence of the gate to the underworld much stronger, making it an attractive target.
Yet, this remaining power was not a pure undead. Its residual instincts drove it to fight for survival, leading it to seek attachment to Christian. But since Christian had set numerous traps for it before, how could it have possibly succeeded?
"Using the Ghost King rune to possess Wei Changhui in his prime wouldn't have worked. But it doesn't mean the same for his remaining power," Christian thought. As the opponent attempted to possess him, Christian activated the Ghost King rune on his body once again and devoured the remaining power of the ghost tiger.
It was almost too much to handle. Even though the gate to the underworld had significantly weakened it in its final moments, it still contained the mana Wei Changhui had accumulated over hundreds of years. Despite being swallowed by a novice magician, it couldn't be immediately absorbed. It needed to be sealed, gradually transforming and increasing Christian's cultivation speed.
But that wasn't the most concerning part.
What truly troubled Christian was the vitality Wei Changhui had absorbed from his victims. For ghosts, this vitality had some use, though it couldn't increase their mana. But for Christian, a living person, it was completely useless.
Living individuals couldn't easily absorb another's vitality. After all, the gift of life was the most precious from nature, and one shouldn't be greedy for more. Violating this law and forcibly absorbing vitality that didn't belong to them would either damage their body or turn them into something inhuman, neither ghost nor human.
In his predicament, Christian had to seal the vitality collected by Wei Changhui within his body.
"This can't continue like this."
"I originally intended to take advantage of this situation to gain power and enhance my magical abilities, but I miscalculated and now can't do anything about it," Christian sighed. He chose not to share these troubles with the blonde girl beside him. Instead, he walked to his car, opened the passenger's door, and retrieved the black backpack he had prepared earlier.
"Now that we've resolved the issue of the Ghost Tiger's remaining power, it's time to give that guy his final send-off."
As he spoke, he took out the ant bottle that had once sealed Alexis but was now housing Wei Changhui. He walked slowly back to the mentioned crossroads.
"Those who have passed on should remain in the pages of history."
Without hesitation, he shattered the ant bottle under his foot.
"What?"
The dust from the bottle formed a ghastly face and lunged toward Christian. This time, Christian remained composed.
"You're already dead."
He gently tapped the ghastly face with his hand, causing it to disintegrate into a cloud of dust.
In the next moment, the dark gate to the underworld once again opened wide beneath Christian's feet. With the magical power deposited in this place, it sucked in the grimace and the dust in one breath.
"Boom"
The door slammed shut.