Amidst the bustling marketplace of ZhiLu village, a group of villagers gathered, their hushed voices filled with a mix of fear and sorrow. They spoke of the powerful yet outcast Xin family, a family of mysterious origins and remarkable abilities.
"The rumors are true," one villager said, glancing around nervously. "I heard it from my cousin who lives near the Forbidden Woods. The serpent deity, the god of the serpentes has returned."
No one were familiarised with the spirit beasts that had started haunting the land since the beginning of The Eclipse. They were called the apocalyptic spirit beasts to differentiate them from the normal spirit beasts they were used to.
But no other apocalyptic spirit beasts were as dangerous as the serpentes.
Many cuitivators despite their infected qi were able to take down many apocalyptic spirit beasts, however, no one had been able to take down the serpentes.
The serpentes were dragon-like creatures, and they were very dangerous while the god of the serpentes had human features.
Most people who wondered how a creature like that could exist could only speculate how the diety came about.
Could they be one of the cultivators who started The Eclipse by seeking for immortality through the dark path?
No one knew where all the apocalyptic spirit beasts came from.
Almost all the guardian spirit beasts were destroyed by the apocalyptic spirit beasts. It seemed like a battle line had been drawn between the beasts to see who goes to extinct.
Another villager chimed in, "It's been years since we last saw it, but now it's back, and it's more furious than ever. They say it wiped out the entire Xin family."
A murmur of shock and disbelief spread through the crowd. The Xins had always been a topic of speculation and wonder in ZhiLu village living on the outskirts of society, away from the prying eyes of the common people.
"The serpent deity's wrath knows no bounds," a woman added, her eyes filled with dread. "They say it comes to punish those it deems unworthy. What could the Xins have done to provoke such a terrible fate?"
"Their abilities were strong," another villager replied, "but perhaps they delved too deeply into forbidden practices. It's said that even the most powerful cultivators couldn't withstand the serpent deity's fury."
As the villagers exchanged their fearful whispers, they couldn't help but wonder about the fate of the Xin family, especially the two youngest members, Xinjin and Xinyi.
The villagers continuously spread rumours about the ill fate of the Xin family when suddenly, one of the women stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as she noticed something on the ground nearby.
She nudged the person next to her, and soon, everyone's attention was drawn to the sight.
Lying on the ground, a small child, the last surviving member of the Xin family, was wounded and struggling to stay conscious.
Gasps of shock and concern rippled through the crowd. How had this child managed to escape the serpent deity's wrath?
The women gathered, few metres around the injured child while some of the men moved closer to inspect on the cause of the commotion.
"Look at this little one. It's a Xin. Can you believe it?"
The Xins were easy to recognise because of their frosty power, which were significant in their look. Their skin were paler than others and they had silver hair.
Though there were occassions some young people had similar white hair, however, since everyone in the Xin family had that significance, it was safe to say it was one distinct thing that could be used to identify them.
As they continued to discuss the mysterious family, some among the villagers remembered the stories they had heard about the Xins' outcast status.
"I heard they refused to collude with the dark cultivators who walk the forbidden path," one person whispered.
"It's true," another affirmed. "The Xins always held their principles. They didn't want any part of that darkness."
Amid the conversation, a young man in the crowd slowly noticed something peculiar. He leaned closer to the child and then, with a sudden realisation, he shouted, "Look! The serpent deity's tail is stuck to the back of the child's neck!"
"It's a soulshade!" Someone shouted.
Panic swept through the gathering as they understood the implications.
It is rumoured that anyone with the serpent deity's tail embedded in their body would eventually transform into a strange and horrifying creature called Soulshade.
Soulshades are undead creatures who had been injured by serpenthooks; the edge of serpentes' tails or the serpent diety's.
The serpenthook is like an injecting part of a serpentis, where their venoms were enclosed, if injected into a human's system would kill them and turn them into soulshades
"What is a soulshade?" A woman asked the young man who was carefully checking the young girl's body.
He replied, "How come you have not heard of them?"
There was a pause.
It seemed not many people knew exactly what soulshades were while some who knew seemed to want to collect more information.
The young man explained, "I shall enlighten you on a matter of great import. Soulshades, you see, are not wicked beings; they are individuals who have suffered a grievous fate after encountering serpenthooks. These insidious hooks inject a venom that wreaks havoc on the body."
There were few gasps but he continued nevertheless, "The consequences are dire: one's complexion pales, the eyes lose their luster, and a somber countenance takes hold. The transformation is excruciating, as if one's very limbs were being pulled and stretched, rendering them a strange sight.
Yet here's the crux of the matter: those afflicted develop an insatiable craving for the life force of others. They do not do this willingly; it is a gnawing emptiness within that compels them to seek sustenance from the life energies of others."
Someone asked, "And is this young Xin dead?"
"For now, yes. Apparently, she is yet to turn into a soulshade," he answered, index finger beneath his jaw as he looked at the unconscious girl.
"If soulshades take human life force, what are we waiting for? We should do something before the little girl turns."
"Look...she is gasping."
"We should kill her! She looks like the fictional tales we hear about. The zombies!"
The young man proceeded, "Soulshades yearn to break free from this affliction, but the venom of the serpent deity binds them to this unfortunate fate. It is a harsh destiny they bear. It is not their fault. And until this little girl turns completely into a soulshade, we should not do anything to harm her."
There were continuous whispers;
"Is she dead or breathing?"
"Do cuitivators become soulshades?"
"As long as your qi has been completely formed you have a resistance to the venom released by the serpenthook and..."
"This is unfair, does this mean we are the only ones liable to turn into Soulshades?"
However, as the argument proceeded, the young man slowly walked away from their midst.
"Can we believe the young man? He might be a story teller! How could he say such nonsense to us?!"
"But the little girl is turning pale!"
"She is pale! She is a Xin!"
Suddenly, the little girl on the ground began to stir. She slowly curled her limbs and raised her face from the sandy ground, her eyes now fixed upon the onlookers. Confusion was evident on her face as she narrowed her eyes.
"Look at her limbs!" someone exclaimed.
The little girl struggled to stand up, her brows furrowed as she attempted to grasp the situation she found herself in.
"Look at her clothes! They're drenched in blood."
As she took a step away from her initial spot, everyone surrounding her instinctively moved a step back. She staggered, appearing weak and disoriented as she tried to piece together her fragmented memories.
But suddenly, as she took another step forward, her neck turned involuntarily, and black veins began to emerge on her bare neck and skin.
"It's a soulshade!"
Without warning, a heavy wooden object struck the little girl's head.