"Just as I thought! Your very existence is a mistake!"
Xu Fu's smile vanished from his face. I held Belle in my hand, the tip of the sword pressed against Xu Fu's neck.
"What you call hypocrisy, those ghosts outside see as justice, as kindness."
"Justice?"
Xu Fu burst out laughing again.
"That's just the wishful thinking of the common folk. In every era, in every circumstance, the victor is... justice..."
With a wave of Xu Fu's hand, the wall behind him turned transparent. I silently watched the scene before me—it was a full view of Swordspire City. Inside, the Blue Wraiths drifted about, searching for me.
I noticed in the center of the city, there was a spot glowing with a dark purple hue. Above it, clouds swirled around a faint layer of purple mist, dimming the air.
"What is that?"
I hurried over, grabbing Xu Fu by the collar. He looked at me with a smile.
"I told you, these hypocrites deserve the harshest trial. The thing I managed to obtain from Three-Eyed must be put to good use—and tested for its capabilities."
I quietly observed that purple-tinged object in the center. Though it existed within Swordspire City, no one seemed aware of it. The only explanation was that it existed in the realm of dreams—a dream within the city.
"Why are you able to use Mona Ouyang's power? You..."
Xu Fu gave a wicked grin. Soon, I understood—it was a trait of Three-Eyed's ghostly soul.
"What did you do to him?"
"Nothing at all. I simply made him see certain truths."
I kept staring at that purple glow. My eyes slowly turned gold and red. The city was suffused with a purple mist, and a wave of fear flooded my mind. I had some idea what Xu Fu wanted to do, but couldn't piece it all together.
"Stop thinking, Ethan Zhang. This is the VIP seat. Soon, you'll witness how these hypocrites fare."
I was trapped in some kind of space; I couldn't get out. My power wasn't enough to break free. The only way out was a key—and Xu Fu surely held it.
I examined everything closely. This room seemed familiar. In that horror story, I once rescued Victor Duan—he'd hidden in a room just like this.
Xu Fu turned to stare at me in silence.
"Looks like you've noticed something."
"What exactly do you want with these horror stories?"
Xu Fu pointed toward Swordspire City, speaking with ease.
"It's all just an experiment, nothing more. Just watch quietly."
I stared closely at the screen, watching the purple mist spread throughout the city, gradually thickening.
"Speaking of which, it was Lord Shenyan who found our base back then."
Xu Fu muttered. I looked at him.
"Do you know why John Chou entrusted so much to Lord Shenyan?"
"Why?"
"Because he would never betray himself, and the harsher the environment, the better he thrives. He's always been a lone wolf, wandering the wastelands. We were all surprised when he became a Ghost Sovereign—he's always kept to himself, never mingling much with others. Yet somehow, he ended up leading this whole swordmaster group."
Xu Fu's words cleared up some of my doubts. Lord Shenyan seemed similar to the other swordmasters, but was fundamentally different. That difference fascinated me.
"Sometimes, justice can drive people mad!"
Anxiety crept in. The more I thought about Xu Fu's plans, the more afraid I became.
"In a world where self-interest reigns, why do you think 'everyone for me' exists but not 'me for everyone'?"
"That's just one side of humanity. What you call weakness is simply human nature. If someone isn't swayed by personal gain, they're not human at all."
"Exactly."
Xu Fu laughed heartily.
"Let me tell you a story."
I started thinking about how to escape. I had to act before things got worse. Since this was a room from the world of horror stories, I must be inside the book—maybe even inside a particular story.
The only one who truly frightened me was Ken Wang. He was probably under the control of the Immortality Society by now, which meant the horror stories had a new author. A wild, almost absurd idea popped into my head.
Does a true utopia really exist? And if so, what could possibly be there? I kept replaying every detail in my mind.
"Once there was a wandering beast, who lived by hunting justice. Eventually, due to a twist of fate, the beast lost its ability to hunt justice and began to go mad—driven insane by justice itself. Just as the beast was about to break, someone gave it hope—a reason to go on. In exchange, the beast willingly shackled itself. Under those shackles, the justice in its heart was constantly suppressed..."
"Are you talking about Lord Shenyan?"
I instantly realized what Xu Fu meant. Xu Fu burst out laughing.
"And my goal is to break the beast's shackles and set it free. I want to see what that beast, who craves, enacts, and chases after justice, will truly become."
"You..."
Xu Fu stood right in front of me.
"These rotten, hypocritical, self-righteous people—it's time to wake them up. When justice becomes entangled with power, it loses its original meaning, doesn't it? Purity doesn't really exist..."
(This chapter is not over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
I couldn't respond to Xu Fu, but I didn't agree with him. There was always a question in my mind—what was it about Lord Shenyan that drew me in? I still couldn't see it clearly, but that was exactly what fascinated me. So I couldn't accept Xu Fu's theory about hypocrites.
Maybe the others were just as Xu Fu described, but Lord Shenyan was different.
"Face reality, Ethan Zhang. You can't do anything. Everything in this world is built on sacrifice and gain—you can't change that. The golden house of comfort, after centuries, is about to collapse."
My eyes widened. Xu Fu raised his hands in triumph; I couldn't bear to look at the screen behind me.
"Why is it that evil always seems stronger in this era?"
I remembered what Elder Peach had told me before.
"Gentleness can't save anything, kindness can't change anything. Only what happens before your eyes is real..."
Two hands landed on my shoulders. Memories flashed through my mind, all stopping at Rachel Lan's final, smiling profile. A tear fell from her eye onto my cheek.
"Admit it, Ethan Zhang. You feel nothing now—no love, no hate, not even anger..."
Xu Fu's voice rose to a shout.
"You and those from the Corpse Realm are all the same—no longer human, and never can be. No matter how much you pretend, you're still you. Humans are frightening, aren't they? Full of hypocrisy... That's what terrifies you, and it's the root of your tragedy as Ethan Zhang, isn't it...?"
My eyes widened, my thoughts froze—like a lake under harsh winter frost, everything turned white, the world seemed to stop, solidifying in the biting wind as the last bit of warmth slowly faded.
"That's right. You've accepted yourself, accepted the world. Hahaha..."
Xu Fu's manic laughter echoed in my ears. He threw his head back, laughing nonstop. My consciousness blurred, fading away—I no longer knew where to go.
The beliefs built on emotion began to collapse, like a cup shattering on the floor, its sound ringing in my ears.
Suddenly, I glimpsed a flash of red light.
"Coldness isn't forever. Even in the harshest frost, humans are warm..."
A clear voice rang out. A hand rested on my shoulder. I regained some awareness and slowly turned—Lord Shenyan stood behind me.
A rainbow flame flickered on my shoulder.
"No matter how hard things get, Ethan Zhang, remember this: is it really so easy to forget the warmth in your heart? Whether human or not, everything has its warmth—humans, trees, the earth, the sky..."