Area Nine Settlement, Guardian Battalion, “Wall of Life” Surveillance Center.

  “Report: A slight breach has been detected in the wall of Eden Town, accompanied by suspected anomalous activity in its vicinity.”

  The monitoring staff promptly relayed the data from the luminous display to their superiors.

  “Eden, you say... Yet if this were merely an initial anomaly, it ought not to have worn away the wall to such an extent…”

  Upon receiving the report, the chief of surveillance resolved to contact the garrison stationed at Eden Town, ordering them to inspect the scene firsthand and repair the wall accordingly.

  In the deathly silence and darkness, David slowly regained his senses, as if the spring sun had melted a layer of ice, allowing thought to flow anew.

  “Where am I?”

  This was the very first notion that arose in David’s mind.

  He recalled being drawn into the embrace of an immense, spectral female figure, and what followed became a blur—a blackout reminiscent of drunken amnesia.

  Damp, frigid, pitch-black soil; withered, lifeless vegetation; blood-red blossoms exuding a grotesque allure; towering trees in the distance; the marks left by wheels; and bodies devoid of warmth…

  All these details converged upon his perception, evoking perplexity:

  The surrounding flora appeared to have withered entirely, yet why did that singular patch of crimson blossoms remain vibrant?

  Why did this corpse evoke a sense of eerie familiarity?

  Wait—could it be that he… seems to be me…

  In an instant, memories of subterranean chambers, altars, and arcane rituals surged back, and David’s mind faltered, overwhelmed:

  To behold such horror... death would scarcely be surprising…

  Yet if I am dead, why then do I still “see” and even think?

  Drawing his thoughts inward, he strained his vision to focus on the nearest object—his gaze traversed from his eyes to his nose, from his nose to his mouth, and from his mouth to his heart—until he beheld the central element of his view: a jet-black, pyramidal obelisk.

  Rising to a height of roughly two men, the obelisk stood beside the “Wall of Life”; on one of its faces, at the center of its apex, were etched inscrutable ancient characters in a language unknown to David.

  This… is my present form?

  In that moment, David realized that the dark obelisk served as his current brain and heart—a repository of memories and consciousness with the power to command certain elements.

  For instance, the soil around him.

  —More precisely, the soil that had been utterly transformed into a deep, inky black, starkly distinct from ordinary dark earth.

  It spread over a radius of just over two meters, serving as limbs under David’s control—capable of meandering at a snail’s pace, yet forever bound to the obelisk.

  —Much like a human cannot wield a severed limb.

  Meanwhile, the black obelisk itself remained immovably fixed, as if it were affixed to the very wall—on its exterior side.

  Most of the soil (his “body”) lay on the inner side of the wall, unable to traverse outward, just as the soil outside could not move inward.

  David, in no haste to shift his form, instead concentrated on scrutinizing the source of all his sensory perception—the jet-black obelisk.

  He harbored a vague recollection of having seen this object before, though its origin eluded him.

  Undoubtedly, it was the principal reason he still “lived” despite the loss of his fleshly form.

  Alas, although he had been resurrected, it was merely a reprieve from death—a state in which he could neither exact vengeance upon the White family nor return to his sister…

  What, then, was the purpose of this rebirth?

  With a measure of bewilderment, David regarded the obelisk when suddenly streams of information began to cascade into his consciousness.

  【Name】: Epitaph of the Ghost Tomb

  —A sealed malevolent artifact devoid of self-awareness.

  Interfered with by higher-dimensional forces, it is now in the early stages of revival, its seal broken; as it reawakens further, it will commandeer more soil to serve as its corporeal form and reclaim its inherently mysterious and sinister power.

  【Dimensions】: 2.5 × 2.5 × 0.5 meters

  It took David a considerable moment to comprehend the revelations unfolding within his mind—as if, in his rebirth, he had received direct feedback from this new vessel.

  The “Epitaph of the Ghost Tomb” must be his current identity…

  I have, in effect, transmogrified into the uncanny!

  —The term “uncanny” denotes the collective of extraordinary, enigmatic entities that defy conventional cognition and scientific understanding.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Furthermore, his perceptual field now spanned roughly ten times his own area, capturing every detail within a fifty-meter radius with remarkable clarity.

  David was momentarily at a loss as to which emotion to embrace.

  Beyond the elation of rebirth, an undercurrent of unease stirred within him—a deep apprehension towards the mysterious, unfathomable forces at work:

  The “Epitaph of the Ghost Tomb” had originally lacked self-awareness, which had allowed its seamless occupation…

  Yet, the dark obelisk should have remained sealed, exhibiting no anomalies.

  What, then, had caused the seal to break and triggered this nascent revival?

  Instantly, David recalled the ritual in which he had been the vessel for impregnation, and the vast, enigmatic female specter beneath the starlit sky.

  Only a profound mystery could account for these incomprehensible events.

  And the origin of the obelisk—the higher-dimensional realm—seemed to be an undeniable reality.

  David dared not delve further into the obscured chronicles of hidden history and the unknowable truths; instead, he persisted in assimilating the information now at his disposal.

  【Rank】: Quasi-Resentment

  —In the higher-dimensional sphere, the uncanny is classified into seven distinct categories: “Resentment, Malevolence, Turbulence, Fratricide, Ferocity, Catastrophe, and Nightmare.”

  Each category is further divided into four tiers: “Quasi, Pale, Obsidian, and Blood.”

  The higher the rank, the greater the danger and horror it embodies.

  Above these seven categories lie the realms of “Quasi-Unknowable” and “Unknowable,” domains forever beyond the reach of human comprehension since time immemorial.

  “This classification aligns with modern society’s stratification of the uncanny’s threat level; it appears the authorities have long since concealed the history of the higher-dimensional world…”

  Though his current rank was merely “Quasi-Resentment,” it would ascend in tandem with his revival until it reached its zenith.

  David surmised that the jet-black obelisk must originally have been an uncanny artifact of at least the “Turbulence” echelon; otherwise, how could it have manifested within the wall?

  Once its revival reached a certain threshold, the prospect of vengeance—or even complete resurrection—was not beyond possibility…

  A flicker of hope ignited within David.

  Yet the subsequent influx of data made him realize that his elation was premature.

  【Soul Lifespan】: 2.5 hours (duration of conscious awareness)

  Once this span elapses, the soul’s consciousness will succumb to an eternal slumber.

  What? Two and a half hours?!

  What does this duration imply?!

  David’s vision darkened, and he nearly fainted from the shock.

  Having at long last escaped the frailty of his mortal shell, the promise of immortality now seemed but a cruel jest—for he would not survive beyond two hours, his lifespan even shorter than that of the most ephemeral creature.

  Such brevity… it appears that my rebirth is rendered utterly futile?

  A final, feeble glow of life…

  David could not help but ruefully chide himself.

  Yet, in the next moment, a fresh cascade of information rekindled his hope:

  【Advancing in Rank can Extend the Duration of Conscious Existence;

  The Key to Such Advancement Lies in “Yin Sha Qi”】

  【Accumulated Yin Sha Qi: 10 units】

  —The principal means of acquiring Yin Sha Qi is through the death of living beings; the demise of an ordinary mortal typically yields 1–2 units.

  Yin Sha Qi will naturally accumulate or dissipate over time depending on environmental factors.

  Moreover, transmuting the dead into “Yin Corpses” similarly generates Yin Sha Qi.

  “Ten units of Yin Sha Qi! Does this not suggest that countless souls lie interred here?! I am not the sole victim…”

  David was astounded; in a modest town called Eden, the White family alone had sullied the land with such a multitude of lives, yet no external outcry had arisen, nor had any official investigation been launched.

  And what of the other affluent residents?

  Had they not too, their hands stained with blood, been cognizant of the White family’s sins—condoning, even abetting them, or partaking as accomplices and beneficiaries…

  Eden, though its name suggests paradise, was in truth a hellish pit where flesh was devoured without so much as discarding the bones.

  Mrs. White, Sophia, and the five maidservants were all complicit in demonic dealings.

  In many respects, they were far more terrifying than the uncanny entity into which David had transformed.

  To exact revenge and expose the town’s dark underbelly, conventional means would be woefully insufficient—especially given his current inability to move or employ tools and weapons.

  Thus, as these thoughts surged through him, the extraordinary capabilities inherent in his uncanny nature flooded David’s consciousness.