Louis Yu nodded in affirmation.
"I've been in this world for several centuries, but I've never witnessed a phenomenon like The Dawn."
"I've only been here for less than two months, and I haven't seen it either," Tan Tian replied.
I've been here for almost two months now. Every day, all I see is a starry sky behind a curtain backdrop, a huge, round moon. During the day, the sun is like the deep winter sun—never warming anything, though the daylight is bright enough. I once tried to watch the sunrise, but in the blink of an eye, I was already in daytime. Another blink, and there wasn't even a sunset—no golden dusk, just a sudden shift into night.
"That's unreasonable," Louis Yu and I said in unison.
Both Louis Yu and I blurted it out at the same time. This undead is obviously quite clever, and our thoughts coincided.
"I've been to the Yang Realm before. There, things born from the world itself, under the long-term influence of external forces, violated the laws of the Yang Realm. So, curse energy began to self-generate, leading to the world's self-destruction."
Louis Yu nodded again, and I smiled with delight. He quietly watched my smile once more. Now I understood: John Chou wanted us to find The Dawn because it is something forbidden by this world's laws. If we really do find it, the world's laws will activate and destroy the impossible Dawn that was born here.
Afterwards, Louis Yu told me that the current sun, stars, and moon are all manifestations of the Emperor God's power. Every day, his power is channeled into the world through the Sun Shaman, and at night, it's reclaimed. This cycle turns the world into a giant power-generating machine, allowing the Yinfolk to live joyfully and increase the Emperor God's strength, which is then harvested at night.
During the day, the Emperor God's power manifests as the sun, scattering countless rays of light across the world, distributing energy for the Yinfolk to absorb. Through long-term study, it was found that when Yinfolk feel happiness, a small amount of power is generated within them. The Emperor God targets this naturally occurring energy, collecting it bit by bit. Every night, the energy within the Yinfolk is returned to the night sky, along with the power they produced. This process is fueled by Corpse Essence.
Now I finally understood how the Emperor God's endlessly resurrecting undead armies worked—they generated power using this method. I'd also heard Zhang Qingyuan mention the events on the Isle of Nine Shadows, and the three-colored suns.
We've now found some ways to push this world into self-destruction, but actually making it happen will be extremely difficult.
"I've seen the place where the Emperor God's power manifests as the sun."
I immediately looked at Louis Yu with excitement. He nodded, walked over to a table, and with a wave of his hand, the markings on the tabletop vanished, replaced by three tall towers and a circle in the center.
"Right at the center of the three towers. When I used to work with them, every day there was always one person missing, which puzzled me. Later, I learned that one of them had to disperse their power, manifesting as the sun. The sun's rays would provide growth energy to everything on the Isle of Nine Shadows—animals and plants alike. At night, some of that power would be reclaimed."
"How far is it from here?"
I asked, and Louis Yu shook his head.
"It's impossible to get there. Given the current situation, even if we could, we still wouldn't know how to make The Dawn appear in this world."
"What about the other undead, Louis Chen?"
I asked, and Louis Yu shook his head.
"I haven't contacted him in months. No one knows where he is now. He used to be in the Emperor Gods' laboratory, but after the clan chief broke with the Emperor Gods, he disappeared."
"Can't you move your Corpse Shroud?"
I asked, and Louis Yu shook his head.
"If I move, they'll find us immediately. The Corpse Shroud isn't impossible to open, but it requires the right steps. They know exactly how it works, so moving recklessly would expose our location. Sylvia Yan has already said the same thing in many underground spots near the towers. Using your power and the direction you broke through the tower's barrier, they've roughly pinpointed our area. They just can't confirm our exact location yet."
It seems the Emperor Gods are dead set on digging me out, no matter what. As I was lost in thought, Louis Yu spoke.
"Creating The Dawn isn't difficult."
"Is it possible?"
I asked, puzzled. Louis Yu nodded.
"The power shift between day and night is almost instantaneous, since there's no obstacle. But if we create a trigger that slows the transition, The Dawn might appear."
I replied with a hum. Sure enough, Louis Yu is clever; he immediately came up with a solution and seems confident he can create such a trigger.
"Just endure for now, Rachel Lan. Only by waiting for our chance can we reach the center—the place where they transform their power."
I hummed in response. After a while, I returned to my room, still troubled by those lingering marks. It looked like Louis Yu had been using this space for a long time, and it was clearly a woman's room—very clean, with a cozy arrangement and lots of thoughtful little items.
Louis Yu lied to me. I wasn't sure why, but a woman's intuition is rarely wrong. Their defection from the Corpse Realm probably wasn't just for simple reasons; I suspect feelings were involved.
I stood up and walked to the dressing table, opening the drawer. Inside were cosmetics from different eras. I was surprised—many were nearly used up. Clearly, this was a woman who loved beauty and often wore makeup.
My stomach started rumbling again. For some reason, in this world, I have to eat every three hours or so—always hungry. It's a strange feeling, and lately, the urge to eat has only grown stronger. I often need to grab something to eat, especially meat.
"It's not just your imagination."
I stared in shock at my cheeks. Though I couldn't see clearly, I noticed faint marks under my eyes—darkening, and even my eye color was changing. My body was undergoing some kind of transformation. I hurriedly rolled up my sleeve to check the Corpse Flesh grafted into my arm. It had softened, and pressing it, I felt a slight sensation. The Corpse Flesh was becoming like my own. Horrified, I jumped up, tore open the door, and ran out.
"Can you help me take this thing out?"
Louis Yu glanced at my arm and shook his head.
"No. The clan chief personally implanted that Corpse Flesh. It holds immense power—none of us can remove it. In this world, only the clan chief could possibly take it out."
I swallowed hard and started talking about how my appetite had increased lately—no matter how much I eat, I never gain weight, and I especially crave meat. I get hungry quickly, and just as I was speaking, my stomach growled.
"It's nothing strange. That's a sign of becoming an undead."
I swallowed again, gritted my teeth, and looked around angrily. Tan Tian is trying to turn me into an undead.
Then, fear set in. He doesn't need to wait for Qi to be born; my body already has the Coexistence Instinct, plus John Chou's Bloodbane Power and new abilities. If he manages to turn me into an undead, he can study how I, as an undead, still possess emotions. I was furious.
Just as my emotions surged, I felt my skin begin to itch. Black veins bulged, startling me. I rushed to the mirror—one eye had turned purple-black, and my face looked terrifying.
"Even if you cut it out, it won't work. The Corpse Flesh will always return."
I immediately grabbed the half-used blade, intending to cut the flesh out myself, but Louis Yu stopped me.
"Even if you cut it out, it won't work. The Corpse Flesh will always return."
I was furious. At that moment, Louis Yu pressed my shoulder, and gradually, I felt the itch fade. I saw a faint, grayish mist drift toward Louis Yu.
"That's Corpse Essence. Your body will be gradually overtaken by Corpse Flesh. The only way to resist is to use your own pure power to keep the flesh contained within your left arm."
I swallowed, feeling my arm grow heavier. I tried to ignite flames, and my left arm warmed up. But at my wrist and inner elbow, the warmth hit a wall and couldn't go further. The flesh hardened again, hunger gone.
"I think I understand the clan chief's intent. Maybe he wants you to learn something through this. It's harsh, but ultimately beneficial for you."
I was speechless, but still angry.
"He didn't even ask for my consent."
Louis Yu shook his head, then turned and slowly floated away.
"I'm going out for a bit. You stay here."