Silence fell. For a moment, it seemed everyone understood; Ghostpaint Sage began to laugh.
“Indeed, if a ghost were to die here, certain phenomena might occur—perhaps enough to guide us toward Ethereal Isle. The key question is, who will die for it?”
No one dared to guarantee that, after dying, they could come back to life. To die for something so absurd—no one here was capable of that.
At that moment, Cao Wanzhi started laughing. He pulled out a photograph, and all our eyes turned to it. It showed the two Hell's Registrars and a ghost from our time on the Underworld Path.
In the photo, they looked terrified, frozen in place. Now, everyone’s eyes lit up with joy, laughter spreading among them. My mind buzzed—I couldn’t laugh. Isabelle Frost glanced at me and slowly walked over. Felix Zhou seemed to notice something in me too, grinning as he watched.
“Three chances, huh? Heh, not bad—a ghost and two Hell's Registrars. Just perfect.”
Just then, someone stepped out from the cabin—it was a Wraith Enforcer. He stood silently, watching us without saying a word. We’d asked him before, but his memory was incomplete. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall anything about Ethereal Isle.
Since we set sail, the Wraith Enforcer had stayed inside the cabin. Even with the violent storm just now, he never came out. But I knew—he was protecting the hull. He just wasn’t good at dealing with the rest of us.
“Remember anything yet?”
Deathcurse asked, his voice icy. The Wraith Enforcer shook his head and sat cross-legged on the floor.
"Let one out first. If we kill him and it doesn't work, we'll reconsider. After all, we only have three chances."
Deathcurse spoke, and Cao Wanzhi nodded. My head was buzzing. With a whoosh, a Hell's Registrar emerged from the photo. As he realized where he was, he cried out in terror, but Deathcurse gripped his throat with one hand, silencing him. He whimpered, struggling desperately.
"Alright, let's give it a try first."
In that instant, images of the Immortality Society kept flashing through my mind. Suddenly, I stood up. Isabelle Frost placed a hand firmly on my shoulder.
"You are who you are. There's no need to change for anyone."
I looked at her, eyes wide with surprise. Isabelle Frost smiled, and I returned a smile, nodding slightly.
"Stop."
A dozen eyes fixed on me.
"Let him go. He hasn't done anything wrong. I've seen others do this before—the Immortality Society, I'm sure you've all heard of them."
Black Moon clapped his hands and burst out laughing. Deathcurse released the Hell's Registrar, and Cao Wanzhi returned him to the photo.
"I've told you before—I could never do what they do, using others' lives as stepping stones. Many of you still don't trust me, and I know that."
As I spoke, I scanned the group. The Wraith Enforcer stared at me with cold indifference.
I clenched my fists.
"All my life, I could never become like the Immortality Society. Whether you trust me or not, it doesn't matter. Even if you call me naive, it's that very naivety that's kept me alive until now. Even as a ghost, that will never change. If I did change, maybe the one I love would cry for me."
"So what should we do, Fang?"
The Wraith Enforcer asked. I smiled and pointed at myself.
"Kill me."
In an instant, Deathcurse burst out laughing, and Black Moon doubled over with laughter.
"But, Boss, if the leader of Blackfang dies, aren't we all doomed?"
Black Moon asked in confusion. I smiled, then with a swift motion, drew the Ghostblade from my back and placed it before them. Waves of pink light spilled out.
Everyone looked over in confusion.
"I've died once before. It was this guy who preserved my ghost soul, and now, my ghost soul is still in a state of death."
Ghostpaint Sage walked over in astonishment, placing a hand on my shoulder. After probing for a while, his spectral threads fully pierced into my body, and I offered no resistance.
"How could it be so strange?"
Ghostpaint Sage was stunned, then explained to everyone that my ghost soul was already shattered. Yet, a powerful force of enchantment was holding it together, like a bottle of universal glue, keeping my fragmented soul intact. That's why I still exist.
"I didn't expect it to be so peculiar."
Ghostpaint Sage muttered again, then quietly watched me. Yaksha stood up.
"Miss Xi Shi, please help me one more time. I need your help."
As soon as I finished speaking, a wave of pink mist surged from the beauty, gradually taking human form.
"Heh, only when you need me do you remember I exist. How unfair."
I looked around awkwardly as laughter rippled through the group.
A half-dead state means Xi Shi will withdraw part of the enchantment holding my ghost soul together. She must be precise, so my soul enters a gradual process of dying—approaching true death.
As long as my ghost soul is on the brink of death, Xi Shi only needs to leave a trace behind—enough that my consciousness survives. If successful, my death could guide us to Ethereal Isle.
"But there's a problem."
Deathcurse spoke up.
"It's doable, but the risk is huge, Fang. If you lose control even a little, you'll truly die. Your ghost soul is already dead, only held together by her enchantment. If that breaks..."
[SKIP - Irrelevant website prompt]
"Quit whining. Trust my skills. After all, I've been doing this for a thousand years."
Xi Shi said, giggling. I stared at her in amazement, remembering the exquisitely crafted beauties I'd seen in her domain—each one unique, shaped by her painstaking effort over centuries.
I lay down on the ground, with everyone gathered around me.
"Let's add some insurance."
Isabelle Frost said, pressing a finger to my chest, right over my heart.
"Fang, listen carefully. If you die, all your consciousness will be sealed into this Red Spider Lily by a curse. We'll figure out what to do then. This is your choice. If we used unrelated Hell's Registrars and ghosts, things wouldn't be so complicated."
I smiled.
"It's precisely because they're unrelated that I don't want them dragged into this. I hope you all remember that."
Gradually, I closed my eyes, waiting. Inside, I felt a wave of bitterness—I knew this was dangerous. If Xi Shi lost control and couldn't slow my death, I might truly die in an instant.
"Let's begin."
I said, and immediately felt something strange in my ghost soul. My eyes snapped open—it was ghost energy, leaking out from my soul with a whooshing sound. All seven fragments of my ghost soul flew out, looking at me with worry.
"It's alright. It'll work."
I smiled and spoke. Then I felt a chill, bone-deep cold I hadn't experienced in ages. But I knew—my ghost soul was fading, just like the day I unleashed power far beyond my limits and died.
It began—my body, my fingers, first turned to ash. But then, something changed.
"Looks like my hypothesis was correct."
Yihan Yi spoke. Everyone stared at the drifting ash. I struggled to keep my eyes open, teeth chattering, watching as the ash floated away.
"Move quickly—keep up! Don't lose direction. The wind will carry us to Ethereal Isle."
Everyone scrambled, lowering the sails. The wind picked up, carrying the ash toward the pitch-black sea. My body was fading, but the path was clear now—the road to Ethereal Isle. All they had to do was follow the ash drifting into the ocean.
"No, it's too slow—we might lose track."
Black Moon shouted, then suddenly reached out. Moons appeared, shifting into crescent shapes, stretching out—one for each person.
"Row! Row hard—don't lose track!"
A chill seeped into my bones. My mouth hung open, but no sound came. My left arm was gone; now my leg too. Xi Shi kept trying to withdraw the enchantment bit by bit, but it was hard to control the amount precisely.
But it was enough. As long as we kept following, we'd find Ethereal Isle.
The boat picked up speed. Everyone rowed their crescent-shaped oars with all their strength. My mind grew hazy. I had no idea how long we'd been rowing—nothing but the pitch-black sea ahead, empty and endless.
Both legs were gone now; my body kept fading.
"Hang in there, Qingyuan! Want me to stop for a bit?"
"No, Miss Xi Shi! This path was so hard to find—don't stop now!"
I roared, and everyone rowed even harder.