Murim Recurve

A Sha primarily targeted two things: First, a means to secure Fear Qi that it could either use as is or convert it into Ghost Qi. Second, it targeted a body part/memory/emotion/item of its targets based on what it sought.

Based on what they sought, a Sha became as terrifying as possible. Moreover, the more it grew, the greater its range of action until finally, it becomes a ghost beyond the city's capability to handle. In their records, a Ghost had once become such an existence and had to be fought using a large army before it was finally slain. It was a pyrrhic victory.

When a Sha condenses a spiritual form, it becomes a Ghost. It becomes mobile, moving anywhere within a certain range of its shell. Moreover, if its shell moved, it could travel to new places. But when the Sha fuses with an area, it becomes a Poltergeist. It obtains the ability to control everything in the area at will but cannot travel places. It was bound to the place for eternity.

So, despite the tremendous threat they posed, poltergeists weren't scary if they appeared in rural areas. The army just quarantined the area and prevented people from entering it. Moreover, it served as a natural defence mechanism against invaders, so unless they affected the lives of the people, poltergeists were left alone.

But ghosts were different and always targeted the people consciously. So, they were the greatest threat they faced.

After hearing a quick recount from Re'Kha, the lady she had saved cupped her fists, "Thank you for saving my life, lady Re'Luk. I, Burfuna Ki'Nha promise to repay this debt."

"Please don't mind about that," Re'Kha waved her hand, "Besides, we're in this together. Let's save everyone before the Sha feeds on them any longer. I don't need to tell you, but still, please switch to the lightning element."

"We are already using it," Ki'Nha replied, motioning the other two to follow her. Re'Kha sighed in relief, for her hopes had come true. The three ladies were Harmonisers; not to mention, they were from the Burfuna City's Royal Clan.

As the Royal Clan members were descendants of the Celestial Emperor, they were adored by nature. They were the sole populace to possess a cultivation technique that allowed them to wield all four elements. Their Pranic Avatars were also the most powerful of them all, possessing the peak Quintuple Foundation. They were otherwise commonly referred to as Divine Beasts.

Their prefix was Ki, but was usually referred to as the Royal Clan.

"I'll help the children. There should be a master room on the ground floor where they have kept spare keys for all the doors. With that, we don't have to waste our Qi breaking the iron doors." One of the other two ladies said, taking a turn in the corridor to move to the nearby room, changing her element to metal before slamming a palm projection using Metal Qi.

With a single hit, a ringing sound was produced before the door slammed open. In the meantime, Re'Kha and the two Royal Clan ladies descended the stairs, keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary while conversing to find any clues.

"If there are indeed four Sha, the situation is far more dangerous than we had expected." Ki'Nha peered through a window, noticing guards move on cycles as they hollered about the positions of the Sha. She shouted once to get their attention, but the rain and their incessant shouting caused her shout to fall on deaf ears.

"It shouldn't be possible for the Sha to move through the rain. The ground has a lot of Earth Qi that would damage them if they phased through the underground, so their only option is to move through the air." The other Royal Clan lady frowned, "The appearance of four Sha at once is exceedingly rare."

"Has it happened before?" Re'Kha shuddered, feeling her heart thump faster all of a sudden. She expanded her Wind Qi perception throughout the inn, noticing a large blank space move towards them from the ground floor. It phased through all the material and made a beeline towards them.

"Something is coming!" Before Re'Kha shouted, the two Royal Clan ladies entered battle-ready states upon noticing a change in her demeanour. Ki'Nha threw a knife towards Re'Kha, "Use my spare knife for now. It's better than fighting barehanded."

The trio arrived on the third floor, noticing the lanterns in the corridor die out instantly. All forms of sounds vanished, replaced by pin-drop silence. Re'Kha could sense a blanket of blank space wrap around them as something from below tried to swallow them up whole.

"Hit the ground!" Upon her shout, Ki'Nha pointed with her index and middle finger, reeling her hand backward as it shone with violet radiance. Without any excess movements, she thrust her hand forward, unleashing a bolt of lightning.

The lightning bolt made tiny zigzags through the air before slamming into the ground, singeing the place as the corridor brightened once again. The Sha had tried to pull them into a hallucination once again but failed when the blanket was pierced through by the lightning.

The Lightning Qi in it was condensed as it crackled, dancing through the blanket as it outlined it, allowing the ladies to sense the enemy's attack. Black smoke immediately filled the floor as the temperature started to drop. But no matter how much they waited, there was no follow-up attack from the Sha.

Re'Kha noticed the blank spaces gushing out from the trapped people steadily increase in volume, shouting, "It plans to grow further by absorbing the Fear Qi from all the trapped people."

"Then we'll proceed with our objective. That would force it to come before us." Ki'Nha felt a bit numb in her feet, making eye contact with the other Royal Clan lady to see she felt the same. She then noticed the condition of Re'Kha: Pale face, chill pervading the limbs, trembling fingers, and cold breaths.

"Lady Re'Luk, it's for the best if you leave the fighting to us and rest. Your condition doesn't seem too well." Ki'Nha patted her shoulder, expressing concern.

"You are right…" Her heart thumped as she felt a familiar presence in her surroundings, one that seemed to share a faint connection with her. A sense of coldness invaded her lungs and made it difficult for her to breathe.