I'm an antique shop owner, so it's reasonable for me to know some magic

Chapter 513 The Intermediate State, the Obsession of the Dead Soul
"That scoundrel, on his way to betray the sect, assassinated many highly respected seniors within the Daoist community. His meticulousness and swiftness are beyond the reach of ordinary people. How could he be that foolish person?"

Shen Xuanxuan sighed again as he finished speaking.

"That person's departure destroyed the trust between the Taoist sects that had been built up over the years, and had an extremely negative impact."

Many with ulterior motives who switched to practicing evil arts followed suit and fled to other countries to commit crimes.

Since then, communication between various lineages has gradually ceased, slowly leading to the current situation where the construction of sect gates and the transmission of cultivation methods are not permitted.

"What's the name of that defector from the Taoist sect?"

Theresa asked curiously.

"Who knows his name? So many years have passed, and people are still deliberately blocking the news. Maybe that guy has already suffered retribution and been struck dead by lightning in some remote mountain."

After Shen Xuanxuan finished speaking, he stopped walking.

He wasn't just looking at the project proposal on the computer; he also took the opportunity to learn about the hotel's layout and staff distribution.

If such an important figure as Julian has been possessed by an evil spirit, the other managers in the hotel are likely in grave danger.

As for the hotel's customers, they had already left when the incident happened, fearing they would be tainted by bad luck.

Most of the large penthouses on the top floor are decorated as luxury suites. The hotel management offices are located on the fourth floor, and the elevators will not stop on the fourth floor unless a card is swiped.

Of course, the main reason for not taking the elevator is that the evil spirits would attack from there, making it difficult to fight back.

Boundless Heavenly Venerable, he is not that Golden Core Immortal standing in mid-air, his physical strength is not strong enough to withstand free fall.

The door leading into the building was half-closed, and a chilling aura emanated from the gap, strong enough to dispel the thin layer of Qi on an ordinary person's body.

Shen Xuanxuan was naturally unaffected, but he was still on high alert.

"I might have to deal with the ghosts later, so I'll trouble Miss Selva to cover for me."

"no problem."

Theresa nodded.

Shen Xuanxuan remembered that there was still a burden on him. He had just turned his head to say a few more words when he saw the boy standing next to Miss Selva, looking like a big bird clinging to her. He spat inwardly.

He's a gigolo.

I'm so envious... and they're so shameless.

Shen Xuanxuan held the Thunder Seal in his hand and chanted incantations. After about thirty seconds, a faint light flickered in his palm inside his sleeve.

Once he was ready, he flicked his sleeves and opened the wooden door.

The anticipated scene of a hundred demons parading at night did not appear. Instead, a group of well-dressed men and women with an elite demeanor were busy at their respective workstations.

The noise he made when he opened the door wasn't small, but it didn't attract anyone else's attention.

"How is this going?"

Theresa walked in shortly after and, seeing the scene, couldn't help but ask a question.

"them……"

She was about to say something when the young man holding her hand gestured for her to be quiet.

The latter lowered his voice and leaned close to his ear.

“You’re right. They exude an eerie aura and have deathly expressions on their faces. They’re actually already dead, but they haven’t realized it yet.”

"When a person dies suddenly and unexpectedly, their soul enters a strange state. They are unaware that they have died, their memories appear but are missing, and they wander in the places they frequented most in their previous life, repeatedly doing the same thing."

This state is called the intermediate state (bardo).

A similar story is recorded in the *Yijiong Baibian*. If you're interested, I can get it for you from an antique shop later.

As a cultivator, Shen Xuanxuan was sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, so he naturally heard the young man behind him clearly and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

This kid is physically weak, but he's learned the basics quite well.

The soul in the intermediate state (bardo) is unaware that it has died and cannot be seen by ordinary people.

If someone were suddenly told that they were dead, they would be overwhelmed by immense shock, their already fragile soul shattering instantly—a state commonly known as "the soul being scattered." "Don't act rashly. Although they are dead, it hasn't been too long since the incident."

Keep reading to find out what really happened.

Shen Xuanxuan also lowered his voice and gave the instructions, after which a hint of regret appeared in his eyes.

If the situation weren't so urgent, he would probably hold a ritual to send these souls who died unjustly to where they belong.

Unfortunately, circumstances are beyond our control.

"Really? But what will we do once they realize that fact?"

The young man suddenly voiced such an objection.

"The region of Europe is different from where you were before. All sorts of monsters and evil forces are everywhere."

Will they obediently go where they're supposed to go?

Shen Xuanxuan was taken aback, unsure how to refute, when a commotion came from not far away.

"Another cleaner has fallen to her death outside..."

"This seems to be the third time this week..."

"This is happening too frequently, could it be insurance fraud?"

"I don't know. I don't care if they're committing insurance fraud or not. If they want to die, they can go die somewhere else. If the hotel's revenue doesn't meet the target this month, the higher-ups will come after me."

"There are pros and cons, I guess. When the police come to investigate, we can take half a day off. When was the last time we had a day off?"

"The last time I took a vacation was when someone fell from a building."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The busy managers were expressionless, showing no reaction whatsoever to the death of a life; they were utterly numb.

"Speaking of which, wasn't Manager Julian supposed to be coming over for a research visit? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"No, I seem to remember that he's already been here."

"Me too."

"Me too……"

Their laughter abruptly stopped as they all turned to look at the main entrance of the office not far away.

But the figure that should have appeared at the door did not show up.

Those faces, once shrouded in darkness, gradually turned pale and lost their color.

The last vestiges of life began to fade from them.

They all stopped what they were doing and looked at their hands.

The bright and tidy office environment became blurred and fragmented, and then suddenly disappeared.

A folder stained with blood, a broken computer, and a translucent hand.

And beneath his feet, his face was unrecognizable, his eyes wide open in death.

Suddenly, a terrifying shriek erupted from the entire space, and all light disappeared, quickly plunging it into darkness!
"It hurts!"

Something popped out of my stomach!

"Ugh! Ugh! This...this is hair! Why?!"

They remembered.

They finally remembered.

It turns out they were already dead, killed by some terrifying being.

It was only because of his unyielding obsession that he became this inhuman and ghostly thing.

(End of this chapter)