Cheat God
20. Soul Scripture

Even after taming the Ghost Eye, Liu Chen didn’t leave the Jade Spiritual Nectar Cave. He sat still in meditation, his eyes closed, but his mind focused. Something else was calling him. A low, rhythmic pulse echoed softly in the chamber—not from the Ghost Eye, not from the jade nectar pool—but from the chest bone fragment lying quietly near the edge of the formation.

It was glowing. It had been silent for days, like a dead relic. But now, its silver-black runes shimmered like moonlight on water. Each line of carving seemed to breathe faintly, and a strange pressure began building—ancient, ghostly, and full of intent. Liu Chen slowly opened his eyes.

“It’s reacting… to the Ghost Eye?”

He stood and walked over, cautious but curious. As he neared the bone, the pulsing grew stronger—as though it were alive and calling to him. When he held it, a spark passed through his palm. The Ghost Eye within his soul sea responded instantly, flaring with a faint purple glow. As if some invisible door had been unlocked. The bone pulsed again. He carefully channeled a thread of soul force—filtered through the Ghost Eye—into the bone. The reaction was immediate. The entire chest fragment cracked with a sharp snap, then dissolved into strands of light that surged forward, piercing into Liu Chen’s forehead. His body shuddered.

In the next breath, he was no longer inside the cave—but standing within the vast, misty space of his soul sea. His golden soul sat calmly in the center, while the Ghost Eye floated silently beside it, like a guardian. And before him—a projection appeared. It was a tall figure in long robes, ancient in appearance, with ghostly white eyes and a spirit mark glowing on his brow. The image was faint, like moonlight shining through fog, but the aura it gave off was enough to make the sea tremble.

The projection looked around, then spoke slowly in a deep, aged voice. “If this message has reached you… then the Ghost Eye has found its next bearer.”

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. He didn’t speak, just listened. “I am Hei Xuan, once War Ancestor of the Ghost Clan, during the era when our name shook the three thousand worlds. And what you’ve touched… is not a treasure. It is a legacy.”

The mists of the soul sea stirred, and images began forming in the air around him—scenes of ancient battlefields filled with screaming souls, ghostly warriors riding dark clouds, and a lone man surrounded by enemies—calm, composed, commanding shadows.

“The technique you have inherited is one of the Forbidden Nine—lost to the world for countless eras. Its name is...”

“The Soul Protector Devouring Scripture.”

Liu Chen’s heart skipped a beat. That name… He had heard before.Even as a child, he had once heard his clan’s elders discussing abot forbidden arts—techniques in this world that were so powerful. They were hidden by every major sect and sealed from mortal knowledge. This one was ranked extremely high. But not because it was too violent. 

No—it was forbidden… because it could change pattern of major power system in this world.

“This scripture allows you to harvest the soul of an enemy—not to destroy, but to remake. To refine them into a unique being known as a Protector.”

“These are not mere puppets or undead. They are warrior souls, forged by your will, fed by other soul power, and bound to your sea of consciousness. they can even more powerful than master. They do not decay. They cannot be killed—unless their master falls.”

Liu Chen remained silent, his breath shallow. The old voice continued:

“These Protectors are capable of retaining some abilities of the soul they once were—techniques, martial memories, even Dao insights. Over time, they can evolve into forms far beyond their original selves.”

“Though hard to create, each one is worth an army. Even a single Protector—once fully formed—can fight several cultivators of the same realm without losing. They do not fear death. They do not hesitate. They are eternal, so long as your soul remains whole.”

The mists changed again. Now, they showed scenes of a man surrounded by dozens of enemies. Ghostly beings stood at his side, wielding blades of soul fire and bodies of mist and steel. One turned into a burning hawk. Another became a giant armored knight.

The voice lowered to a whisper: “This art has not appeared for more than eight eras. Not because it was lost—but because it was buried. No clan, no sect, not even the ancient dynasties, wanted this scripture to rise again.”

“Use it… and you’ll gain a strength no one can see. A battlefield that exists within you, always ready. A force that grows stronger the more you take from others.”

The image of Hei Xuan began to fade.

“But be warned: this power walks beside madness. If your will falters, or if your will is weak… they may consume you from within.”

“To command death… you must never fear it.”

With that, the projection dissolved into light and entered Liu Chen’s golden soul. A thin black rune flared on his brow for a breath—then disappeared. Inside his soul sea, the Ghost Eye pulsed once, silently. As if it approved. Liu Chen stood motionless, absorbing everything.

“The Soul Protector Devouring Scripture…”

His mind raced. This wasn’t just a hidden art. It was a forbidden legacy that could turn the tide of entire wars. A Protector—immortal, evolving, able to use ancient soul techniques—and completely bound to his will.

No one else would see them.

No one else would know.

Not until it was too late.

He clenched his fist slowly.

“Heaven-defying?” he whispered to himself. “No… this is heaven-shattering.”

He sat down again, this time not to rest—but to prepare. To create a Protector, he would need a master soul mark that can use to devour other being. And soon… the Great Land of Bliss would open.

He would find plenty of enemies there.

Some strong enough to fight him.

Some strong enough… to keep.