One-Eyed Monster

Kuyi Tulan’s confidence came from the narratives of the Shadow Ghost.

He gleaned a lot from these narratives, things that might be insignificant to the Shadow Ghost but were just some of his experiences. However, for Kuyi Tulan, these were crucial; through them, he could slowly deduce what kind of weaknesses this Shadow Ghost had. He was good at this sort of thing, so the things the Shadow Ghost mentioned were very valuable to him.

When people are proud, they tend to disclose a lot about themselves. In moments of pride, one’s thoughts are relaxed and scattered, eager to share everything about themselves, much like when one’s strength is superior, they mock others. It was only then that Kuyi Tulan realized flattery could lead someone to expose their weaknesses because most people are vulnerable to flattery. Just like the Shadow Ghost in front of him, who was nearly floating, clearly fallen under the spell of such fawning words.

This sort of thing is hard to comprehend, but not entirely, as Kuyi Tulan had similar experiences. Yet, Kuyi Tulan still harbored some disbelief; how could a Shadow Ghost that commanded so many powerful figures be so easily swayed by a few simple words. Kuyi Tulan thought such sycophantic words, this Shadow Ghost must have heard quite a lot before; why now did he act as innocent as a child who had just received praise. It was indeed perplexing and hard to believe.

Kuyi Tulan himself had been flattered before, but over time, these sycophants could no longer bring him novelty, and he became numb to such flattery, having adapted through similar experiences.

He thought the Shadow Ghost should have gone through similar experiences, but now, on the surface, it seemed not to be the case at all.

What kind of fragile psyche would be so unable to withstand a little praise? A little bit of praise, and this Shadow Ghost seemed capable of soaring to the skies.

But this was good news for Kuyi Tulan because only then could the Shadow Ghost reveal more about himself. The more he reveals, the more Kuyi Tulan could use; dealing with such enemies often depended on details. Details determine success or failure; these enemies were naturally powerful, but they all had a less than solid psyche, and Kuyi Tulan aimed to breach their defenses through their psyches.

Facts also proved that this method often yielded noticeable results, bringing victory to Kuyi Tulan. This sort of thing was quite normal.

The Shadow Ghost was still indulging in those flattery words, speaking much about his understanding of Devouring, an understanding that was his key to becoming a ruler in the realm of Devouring. Unconsciously, he had shared these keys with Kuyi Tulan. Although these were not particularly useful to Kuyi Tulan, as those techniques he could explore on his own, it was just a matter of time. Kuyi Tulan’s focus wasn’t on these things.

His focus was on other aspects, on other aspects that could take this Shadow Ghost down, aspects that were details, some unknown details.

It seemed unlikely the Shadow Ghost would voluntarily disclose these aspects, requiring Kuyi Tulan to guide them slowly.

How would Kuyi Tulan guide? This would depend on his skill in flattery. In principle, Kuyi Tulan was not familiar with the art of flattery, as he had spent his life treading the world as a genius. But Kuyi Tulan himself lacked this talent, though those he had devoured did possess it! Among those he devoured were masters of flattery, and these memories happened to assist him, allowing him to quickly make use of them. Such a thing he himself did not anticipate, that such seemingly trivial memories would prove useful now.

”You all still need strength. When you reach my level, you will understand the meaning of my words,” the Shadow Ghost continued, his words filled with pride, a pride built from Kuyi Tulan’s flattering words.

No one expected the situation would become like this. The Shadow Ghost, flattered to the point of forgetting himself, seemed to forget even his purpose.

”We are just nobodies, incomparable to you. You can cover the sky here; to you, the sky is just a backdrop,” Kuyi Tulan continued to flatter, now slowly guiding. He knew where to begin. For instance, he now wanted to know why this Shadow Ghost had come here in the first place.

This question puzzled him; he couldn’t understand how Xiso knew the Shadow Ghost would come here or what Bigas and the others were guarding.

This shared cemetery had nothing special; his Alchemy Workshop had early on scanned every corner of Xinbal. Compared to the Royal Cemetery and those of ancient families, this cemetery indeed had no exploration value.

Yet why did the Shadow Ghost come here? Given the Shadow Ghost’s strength, going to the Royal Cemetery or those of ancient families wouldn’t be much trouble; why choose to be here?

”Our vision can’t compare to yours; we’re always looking at what you’ve abandoned, while you always see the glamorous places. The brilliance of this place, we can’t see, because our eyes can’t compare to yours.”

”Hmph, haha. Why is this place so radiant, then? Why can’t I feel it?” The Shadow Ghost didn’t quite understand Kuyi Tulan’s words, but he liked this way of speaking.

Seeing the Shadow Ghost already caught in his trap, Kuyi Tulan pushed further, feeling he was about to discover the Shadow Ghost’s reason for coming here.

”My god, what is the mystery here? Why can we find nothing? Why is this place filled with treasure yet we can’t see anything? Is our vision really faulty?”

”No, you don’t understand. There’s indeed nothing here,” the Shadow Ghost continued his response.

”Are you here for all the living dead, then, to make them realize their full potential? That’s waste utilization!” Kuyi Tulan continued his offensive.

”No, I can pick any bunch of those guys easily. I’m not here for them; I’m here only for myself.”

When the Shadow Ghost spoke of himself, a trace of sadness slipped into his tone.