Jiangshi

Jiangshi are undead creatures who feed on the qi of the living. There are many ways for them to be formed including death at the hands of a jiangshi. According to legend, other ways include dark magic, spirit possession, improper burial of a body that has absorbed too much yang qi, as well as lightning striking the body of a suicide victim.  They are known for having bodies so stiff with rigor mortis that their arms are frozen outstretched and may only move by jumping. They also are known to have green skin, supposedly as a result of mold growing on their desiccated bodies. They are completely blind though and supposedly locate their prey by smell or listening for breathing. The easiest way to escape from one is to hold your breath as they supposedly will not be able to find you.

When Jiangshi are first formed, they are extremely weak, but gradually grow more powerful by absorbing qi. There are supposedly six types of jiangshi based on their relative strength. The first is the white jiangshi, so called because it is covered in white hair and at this point they actually walk instead of jump since their bodies are still relatively fresh. These jiangshi feed primarily on docile livestock and will flee from anything that is aggressive to them. They are extremely weak and can perish with exposure to sunlight, fire, or even if they are pushed over roughly enough.

Once the white jiangshi have absorbed enough qi (which usually takes a few months), their hair turns black and they begin feeding more aggressively. Though they flee from metahumans, most animals are open game, particularly cats and dogs. They will feed on metahumans if they get the chance, but the metahumans must be sleeping or otherwise incapacitated for them to do so.

When the black jiangshi have absorbed enough qi (which usually takes a few years), the hair falls out and they become the jumping form of jiangshi that most stories speak of. They are quite dangerous and it is said that dogs become silent in their presence while cats hiss uncontrollably. Fire no longer works on them, nor most other weaponry. Sunlight still repels but does not destroy them. Jiangshi that have become this powerful may only be harmed by weapons made from the wood of a peach tree. However, such trees have mostly gone extinct due to pollution, genetic manipulation and a series of other unfortunate events, with only few still in existence.

The fourth stage of jiangshi comes about usually after a few decades of absorbing qi. The jumping jiangshi then gains the ability to fly and can drain qi without even touching their victims. They are terrors that are quite difficult to defeat a this point as they become highly skilled spellcasters.

The fifth stage usually happens hundreds of years after that, when they grow incredibly powerful, essentially becoming demigods called *ba*. Ba can shapeshift into any creature, control the weather, cause disease, and are so powerful that even dragons fear them.

The final form of a jiangshi supposedly takes thousands of years to come into being, and only one has ever been known to exist. A demon king, whose name lost to time. A jiangshi that has consumed such a massive amount of qi is capable of taking on the very gods themselves. Their powers are said to be without limit and should one ever return to our world, it would mark the end of times.