“What’s the Black Haired Phantom?” Chu Feng asked.
“I’ve heard of it,” Wuming Xingyun replied, turning to Tantai Xing’er. “But isn’t it said that the Black Haired Phantom vanished 20,000 years ago?”
“Yes, it’s been gone for 20,000 years,” Tantai Xing’er confirmed. “But this black fur—it’s undoubtedly from the Black Haired Phantom. I’ve seen samples collected by our ancestors, and there’s no mistaking it.”
“Could it be a fake?” Wuming Xingyun questioned.
“Senior, it can’t be forged. Look closely…” Tantai Xing’er took the black fur from Chu Feng’s hand and infused it with boundary power.
*Buzz—*
Suddenly, blood-red patterns emerged on the black fur.
Along with them came an overpowering stench of blood—so thick it seemed distilled from the slaughter of thousands.
Chu Feng and the others’ expressions shifted. As boundary masters, they could tell the power in this fur was extraordinary, beyond what ordinary means could replicate.
And now, beyond the intense blood scent, another distinct aura emanated from it.
The aura of the ancient era.
Everyone present could sense how remarkable this black fur was.
“Could the Black Haired Phantom truly have returned?” Wuming Xingyun’s brows furrowed.
“Senior, what exactly is this Black Haired Phantom?” Chu Feng asked again.
“Senior, let me explain it to Young Master Chu Feng,” Tantai Xing’er offered.
She then began recounting the tale of the Black Haired Phantom to Chu Feng…
About 20,000 years ago, an elder of the Tantai Clan named Tantai Yanfeng, along with some like-minded friends, discovered an ancient ruin. Within it, they found a coffin.
Inside the coffin lay a woman of breathtaking beauty, likened to an immortal. All who saw her—men of power and experience in that era—praised her as the most beautiful woman they’d ever beheld.
She appeared to be from the ancient era. Though long dead, her body remained pristine, a faint smile even gracing her lips, suggesting a peaceful passing.
Her preservation was due to a book she clutched—a jade-like tome that shimmered with light, keeping her corpse intact.
If that were its only power, it might’ve been unremarkable. But the book was inscribed with profound, enigmatic text—words that held the secrets of martial cultivation. Even through the crystal coffin, its extraordinary nature was palpable.
Everyone knew that comprehending its teachings could elevate their cultivation and vastly increase their strength.
Such a treasure stirred greed in all who saw it.
But before the coffin stood a stone tablet that instilled dread.
It bore no boundary or array, only seven stark characters:
“Touch the coffin, meet a bad end!!!”
Having already encountered strange and formidable forces from the ancient era within the ruin, the group hesitated, fearing calamity if they disturbed the coffin.
But Tantai Yanfeng was fearless. Ignoring their warnings, he opened the coffin and took the book.
Bold as he was, he wasn’t reckless. Knowing the book’s removal would ruin the woman’s body, he’d prepared a treasure to preserve it, placing it in the coffin before taking the tome.
Yet the moment the book left her hands, something eerie happened.
The corpse seemed to spring to life—her eyes flared with malice, her mouth opened wide, and a chilling scream tore through the air.
At the same time, her once-angelic form began to rot rapidly. From the decaying flesh sprouted black fur.
The fur spread across her body, growing swiftly.
In moments, the heavenly beauty transformed into a foul, monstrous creature.
The scene was horrifying—even the daring Tantai Yanfeng was terrified, let alone the others.
Sensing danger, they fled the ruin.
As they escaped, the ruin sank into the earth, vanishing into the depths as if it had never existed.
Though they got away, unease lingered. Even Tantai Yanfeng, despite his boldness, felt lingering dread.
He even sought refuge with a powerful boundary master from that time.
But a month passed without incident. Everyone remained safe, and Tantai Yanfeng concluded the tablet’s warning was a bluff.
He returned to the Tantai Clan and began cultivating with the book.
That very night, a terrifying scream echoed through the clan.
The next day, his newborn granddaughter vanished.
A search of the entire clan turned up nothing—except a single strand of black fur in her room.
The fur was clearly unusual. Closer study revealed it was even more extraordinary, imbued with an ancient aura and a thick scent of blood.
Seeing it, Tantai Yanfeng broke down. He recognized it as the fur that had grown from the corpse.
And that scream ringing through the clan? It matched the corpse’s cry exactly.
He believed the woman had come for revenge.
At first, the clan didn’t believe him, suspecting a prank—perhaps by one of his companions from the ruin, coveting the book.
So they bolstered their defenses.
But the next night, it happened again. This time, Tantai Yanfeng’s wife of many years disappeared.
From then on, every night brought that dreadful scream, followed by the loss of another clan member tied to Tantai Yanfeng.
No one knew where the missing went. All that remained was the eerie black fur.
Desperate, the Tantai Clan sought help from all quarters, even calling on experts from the Starfield Master Realm.
But neither the strongest boundary masters nor the mightiest cultivators could stop it.
The screams persisted nightly, each accompanied by black fur and another disappearance.
