The Venerable of Empty Words had been bequeathed a respectful title, but people only addressed it as “venerable” for show. If its given name were too unseemly, people feared that the creature would overhear and retaliate. The truth was, everyone wished they could curse it as “the foul-mouthed immortal” or “the jinx monster.” The worse the moniker, the better, because it really was abominable in the extreme.

That’s right, normal nefarious creatures were frightening, but this one was abominable. If someone was happy, in their moment of joy, it would appear to dump a bucket of cold water over their head—a killjoy in the most literal of terms. Consider, for a moment, the following scenario: this creature appears at the reception for a pair of newlyweds to gobble up the feast and suddenly declare, “It won’t be long before the two of you divorce!” Or as another example: this creature appears just as the master of a household receives a promotion in office and cries out in the midst of all the congratulations, “In just a few years, you’ll be cuffed and sent to jail!”

If it latched itself on to someone, it would become like their shadow, endlessly predicting future misery whenever a joyous occasion should occur. Truly abominable, especially for the superstitious sort who feared ominous signs; if they ran into the thing, they’d surely die from distress alone. No one wanted to be haunted by a monster like this, but if one were unfortunate enough to cross paths with it, one could only accept their fate. After all, the means by which it selected its prey was a mystery.

The "Venerable of Empty Words" draws power from fear in people’s hearts. With this power, it manipulates its victims to realize its predictions and then makes new ones; the cycle continues until the person is thoroughly broken and their mind is lost to despair. The more unsteady one’s heart, the more disadvantageous their position; the more one has, the more one fears loss.

The "Reverend of Empty Words" wasn’t a typical Venerable of Empty Words that could be chased away so easily—it was most ancient indeed, and strong in cultivation. How strong? Even without joyous occasions, it could still mourn. This was how it came to be called "the Reverend of Empty Words". The sale of a single expensive item can feed a business that is otherwise quiet for years, and the Reverend was the very embodiment of this concept. Its eyes were viciously sharp, and it had a taste for prey of legendary character and earthshaking destiny. Some managed to win against it, but their lives were devoted to the fight and their constant struggles provided it with rich meals. Some were utterly destroyed and became its fuel. Having hoarded power for close to a thousand years, its foundation was deep and solid. It had finally awoken after a century’s rest and had decided it was time to stretch its legs—and when it next opened its mouth to feed, it was eager to take a large bite.