Kubero's estate had become a desolate shell in just a month or two, once bustling with life.
During the day, it was somewhat tolerable, but at night, it was filled with ghostly shadows.
The soldiers tasked with guarding the estate heard strange wailing sounds at night, as if a ghostly woman were lamenting, leaving them unable to sleep soundly.
If it weren't for their superiors pushing them, the soldiers would have long since fled.
The Silvermoon Viscount had previously sent a team inside to explore. A major knight and five others entered, but only one knight emerged, and he was clearly mentally unstable.
Standing a short distance away from the estate, the Viscount recalled the loss of the major knight and the others, feeling a pang of regret.
"What's the situation inside now?" Sunan asked.
The secretary beside him quickly replied, "The estate is now overrun with Mandrakes. Most of the original plants have withered away, and sometimes a faint mist appears during the day."
Upon hearing this, Sunan's eyes flickered.
Mandrakes were beautiful and could be used medicinally, but they were also toxic and had hallucinogenic effects.
The Mandrakes accompanying the Bloodstained Mandrakes in the estate would undoubtedly be more potent and hallucinogenic than ordinary ones.
The entire estate was saturated with the pollen and strange fragrance of these Mandrakes, transforming it into a toxic zone. Anyone below knight level entering would likely succumb to poisoning shortly after.
Even knights and major knights would struggle to exert even sixty to seventy percent of their strength in such an environment.
"Sir Ang, what are your plans?" the Silvermoon Viscount asked.
Sunan activated a Shield spell and casually replied, "You all can wait outside."
The Viscount was startled. "Shouldn't I send someone in with you?"
"No need," Sunan waved his hand dismissively.
Knights would be of little use in an evil spirit's domain; they would only hinder him.
He didn't want to find himself in fierce combat only to discover that his allies had been ensnared by illusions and turned against him.
Clutching a Rune Gem in his palm, Sunan strode toward the estate.
He had left the Hidden Dragon and Amy outside.
Evil spirits relied on perception to locate their prey, and the Hidden Dragon's camouflage and phasing abilities would be ineffective against them. Its sharp claws would also be useless.
As for Amy, she would be even less helpful.
Entering the estate, he crossed a threshold, and the light around him dimmed significantly.
Everything he saw seemed to have a grayish hue, exuding an atmosphere of death and eeriness.
The air temperature dropped noticeably, and a cold wind swept through, carrying faint whimpering sounds.
"What a strong concentration of negative energy particles."
Sunan raised an eyebrow.
For wizards specializing in necromancy or those capable of counteracting the effects of negative energy particles on the body, this estate would be a paradise for meditation.
Meditating here would at least double his efficiency.
Unfortunately, Sunan lacked the means to negate the side effects of negative energy particles, so he had to forgo that opportunity.
Even if he could, the evil spirit wouldn't let him meditate in peace.
After a brief pause, he continued deeper into the estate.
Within his line of sight were vividly blooming Mandrake flowers.
As Sunan entered, the flowers began to sway slightly, their movements synchronized, with the petals subtly turning toward him, creating a chilling effect.
However, Sunan remained unfazed, ignoring the Mandrakes.
In his previous life, he had encountered plenty of sanity-draining entities in games, like the Whispers of Madness, Deathstalkers, and various grotesque monsters from the multiverse. Scenes that would make one question the designer's sanity were all too common.
Compared to those, the current situation felt relatively normal.
Passing through the empty courtyard, Sunan entered through a side door, traversing the corridor until he reached the main hall.
Under the influence of negative energy particles, the furniture had begun to rot and decay.
Mandrake vines snaked through the furniture, spreading throughout the hall, nearly engulfing the entire space.
Sunan drew a longsword from the Cube and severed the obstructing vines, ignoring the faint weeping sounds that emanated around him.
After searching several areas, he still found nothing.
All he saw were more Mandrake flowers.
"Indeed, without detection spells for spirits, it's virtually impossible to locate the essence of the evil spirit in this domain using just my eyes."
Sunan paused, glancing at the strange mist that had spread around him without him noticing.
Upon entering the estate, he had activated the Protective Ring.
With the protective field in place, he didn't have to worry about being affected by the toxic mist. However, remaining here for too long would quickly erode the protective field.
"I need to act quickly."
Without further hesitation, Sunan flipped his wrist, revealing a red gem in his palm.
In the next moment, a surge of flames erupted around him, spreading violently in all directions.
As the flames swept through, the Mandrake flowers and vines seemed to panic, thrashing wildly as they attempted to escape, but they were quickly engulfed by the flames and burned fiercely.
In an instant, the entire estate began to boil as if oil had been splashed onto a fire.
The surrounding whimpering sounds rose to a crescendo.
The mist rushed toward the burning Mandrakes, seemingly attempting to extinguish the flames. However, the magic fire formed from high-density energy particles was unlike ordinary flames; the mist was utterly ineffective.
Sunan moved to several other locations, tossing more fire Rune Gems.
Before long, the entire estate was engulfed in flames.
As the Mandrake flowers were reduced to charred remains, the strange fragrance and mist in the air visibly dissipated.
"Ah!!!"
A piercing scream suddenly echoed through the air.
A strange layer of energy seemed to materialize in the void, causing the rapidly spreading flames to halt abruptly before diminishing at an astonishing speed, eventually vanishing.
At the same time, a dark red Mandrake flower suddenly appeared in a clearing a hundred meters ahead, its petals beautifully open, but at the center, a twisted human face emerged.
Beside the Mandrake flower stood a girl in a white dress stained with dark red blood, her hair disheveled, and her face pale and contorted.
She glared at Sunan with vengeful eyes, a creepy smile spreading across her face.
"Finally willing to show yourself?" Sunan raised an eyebrow.
Kekeke!
Accompanied by the eerie laughter, shadowy figures flickered into existence around him, encircling Sunan.
They maintained a humanoid outline, vaguely resembling the faces of those who had died in the estate—many were the deceased servants and soldiers.
Among them were five particularly sinister-looking armored warriors—the very knights and major knights who had perished under the Silvermoon Viscount's command.
These souls had been transformed into vengeful spirits by the Bloodstained Mandrake.
They paused for a moment before shrieking and lunging at Sunan.
Sunan had no intention of dodging; these vengeful spirits could not break through his protective field.
He opened his palm, a pure gem appearing out of thin air.
In the next instant, a ghostly figure suddenly twisted, being pulled toward him by an invisible force, screaming as it was drawn into the gem.
After a flash of strange magical light, the gem took on a peculiar gray hue.
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