Chapter 62: Wraith

Rod looked down at the evil spirit in front of him.

This creature was powerful, and its abilities were quite eerie.

The Revived Evil Spirit was a dead body brought back through a resurrection ritual, inhabited by the resentment and hatred of wraiths that had gathered in this basement, turning it into a malevolent entity.

It could grow stronger by killing and devouring the souls of others.

Those it killed would have their souls enslaved and driven by the evil spirit, becoming part of it. As long as the evil spirit existed, the wraiths it enslaved could never truly die. Even if they were killed, they would resurrect.

Facing an endless stream of wraiths that could keep coming back, even a battle of attrition would eventually wear someone down. Moreover, each wraith's presence made the evil spirit stronger. With the combined power of dozens or even hundreds of wraiths, the evil spirit would reach a terrifying level of strength.

A strong evil spirit with the added assistance of countless wraiths was an overwhelming force. Rod would have to risk everything just to defeat it.

But the evil spirit clearly wasn't very smart.

It had summoned all the wraiths, hoping to exhaust Rod through sheer numbers. This tactic might work on others, but for Rod, it was practically offering itself up on a silver platter.

After all, his sacrifice ability didn't care if something could revive or not. Once a sacrifice was made, the wraiths would disappear, and the evil spirit would permanently lose that power.

The creature just stood there, watching as Rod sacrificed all the wraiths. Now, it was all alone.

"With such low intelligence, I almost feel bad bullying you," Rod shook his head.

He had thought this creature might put up a decent fight, but it ended up digging its own grave.

Without the wraiths, the Revived Evil Spirit was basically reverted to its newborn state. It was stronger than an ordinary wraith, but not by much.

Given Rod's current strength, defeating this evil spirit was no more difficult than a gym instructor sparring with a toddler from the neighboring village. He was afraid if he used too much force, he might accidentally crush the creature.

"Killing you seems like a waste."

Rod crouched down and looked at the evil spirit, which had its limbs severed but was slowly regenerating. Even the detached limbs were wriggling, trying to reattach themselves to the body.

Its vitality was truly astounding. Rod couldn't help but marvel—he had never seen something that could survive after being cut to pieces like this.

The revived body was in a state between life and death. If he had to describe it, he might call it a living corpse. It didn't really understand the concept of life and death; it was just a collection of organs and flesh stitched together. As long as the parts were combined, it functioned as a whole. If separated, each part could survive independently.

The same went for its soul.

The evil spirit had no soul of its own; its will and spirit were formed by the accumulated hatred of fetuses and victims trapped in the basement, merging into a twisted evil entity. It was like a set of small blocks pieced together to form a model—together, they made something, but they could also exist separately without issue.

As long as even a shred of its soul or body remained, the creature couldn't truly die. Even if it were gravely injured, reduced to just a head or a finger, it could regenerate by transplanting parts from other corpses to resurrect itself.

This was the terrifying nature of the Revived Evil Spirit.

To truly kill it, you'd have to burn it to ash and grind its soul into dust. Otherwise, it would never be truly dead.

To ordinary people, this was terrifying. But to Rod, this was the perfect material for alchemy. It possessed near-immortal vitality, could heal itself, and could grow stronger through killing. Like a necromancer, it could constantly produce minions.

A necromancer's undead army was already frightening enough, but compared to the Revived Evil Spirit, a typical necromancer was child's play. After all, a necromancer could only use a war of attrition, growing their army through victories but still suffering losses. Eventually, the undead could be wiped out.

But the Revived Evil Spirit was different. As long as it wasn't destroyed, no matter how many wraiths were killed, they could always be resurrected. If Rod could transform it into a 100% loyal alchemical golem, he couldn't even imagine how powerful it would become.

An army of wraiths that couldn't die or be destroyed. A single evil spirit embodying the combined power of that army. Give Rod ten thousand wraiths, and he could flatten a small nation with ease.

"Transforming it into an alchemical golem sounds a bit tricky," Rod muttered, stroking his chin as he watched the Revived Evil Spirit wriggle like a maggot.

While turning this thing into a golem would be simple, creating the perfect alchemical creature he envisioned would require a large amount of alchemical materials. Not to mention, more advanced biological knowledge. With his current expertise, he could only barely create something resembling a human shell. But to make a perfect alchemical creature indistinguishable from a human, he still had a long way to go.

"Such a good material shouldn't go to waste," Rod murmured to himself, using magic to inscribe a complex barrier formation on the ground.

After half an hour, he completed a barrier capable of suppressing dark powers. The function of this barrier was simple: to suppress all evil forces within it. With this barrier in place, a weakened evil spirit wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

"You stay here quietly," Rod said, standing up and glancing at the now motionless evil spirit.

Since the evil spirit was tied to the basement, it couldn't be taken into a portable space. He decided to leave it there for now, intending to return later with the necessary alchemical materials. Perhaps he could sacrifice a few biology books in the meantime. Only then would it be the right time to turn the spirit into a golem.

After looking around at the mess in the basement, Rod sacrificed all the organs floating in the glass containers. Keeping these around would just be a hassle. The less people knew about the Revived Evil Spirit, the better.

Leaving the basement, Rod cast a restoration spell to repair the broken walls, then slowly walked out the door.

"Are you alright?" Tasha, who had been waiting outside the villa, rushed up to him as soon as she saw him emerge.

"These little wraiths can't hurt me," Rod replied casually.

"I've taken care of most of the wraiths in the house, but the evil spirit in the basement is tricky. I'll need to come back during Halloween to fully cleanse it."

"There are still wraiths left?" Tasha's face paled with fear. She looked at the villa as if it were some terrible monster.

Rod sighed. Did she not listen to a word he said?

"The wraiths are gone, and the evil spirit has been sealed in the basement. As long as you don't go down there and break the seal, it won't escape."

Rod explained clearly, but Tasha still looked terrified. After all, who would want to live in a house with an evil spirit sealed just below?

She clearly didn't have the nerve to stay in the house tonight. It was late, and Rod couldn't just leave her and her daughter out on the street. Judging by her expression, she'd rather sleep outside than go back inside.

Rod thought for a moment, then said, "How about I stay with you tonight in the villa? With me around, you won't need to worry about wraiths."

Tasha hesitated but was clearly tempted. Having an exorcist nearby would surely make her feel safer if the wraiths did return. She nodded, accepting his offer.

Rod led the way back into the villa, with Tasha and her daughter cautiously following behind. After escorting them to the bedroom, he was about to leave when Tasha called out.

"Don't go. Stay in this room with us."

Tasha tossed her hair back and locked eyes with Rod.

"Huh?"

Rod was momentarily stunned. Was she really that bold?

"This... doesn't seem appropriate, especially with the child still awake."

They'd only known each other a few days, and she was already inviting him to share her bed?

Rod realized he might have underestimated this neighbor of his. Or perhaps women in this part of the world were just that bold and open.

"You're thinking too much," Tasha said with a slight blush, giving him a playful look. Although her mind had indeed wandered down that path over the past few days, right now all she could think about were the wraiths. The presence of evil spirits had thoroughly shaken her; she wasn't in the mood for anything else.

"I just want you to stay with me and Eileen. What if the wraiths come back? This bed is big enough for the three of us."

She placed her daughter in the middle of the bed and spoke plainly. Only with Rod nearby could she feel any sense of security.

"Oh, I see," Rod said, understanding now. For a brief moment, he felt a little disappointed. He had thought he might enjoy a pleasant evening with this lovely neighbor, but it seemed he'd been overthinking things.

Of course, it made sense—Tasha wasn't some naive young woman from school. She had lived through enough to know better. If it had been someone like Vivienne, she probably would've already jumped on him.

Seeing Rod's slightly disappointed expression, Tasha's heart raced