Before Yuna Ji could finish speaking, she abruptly stood up, looking around as if she had heard or seen something. She kept scanning her surroundings, tense and alert.
"Who? Who's there? Show yourself, now!"
Yuna Ji shouted, but no one responded. She clutched her head, as if tormented by some sound. At that moment, the scattered remains of Skeletal Shades and fragments of Lost Souls on the ground began to move, rapidly converging.
Yuna Ji swallowed hard, staring at the unbelievable scene before her. A Skeletal Shade and a Lost Soul merged into one, without any sign of explosion or violence.
"Your Majesty."
A dull, heavy voice echoed in the air. Yuna Ji's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the Skeletal Shade kneeling on one knee before her, its eyes glowing a vivid green. She swallowed again, unsettled.
"What is going on?"
But soon Yuna Ji was clutching her head again, scanning her surroundings anxiously.
"What's wrong with you?"
Yuna Ji asked, and the kneeling Skeletal Shade slowly raised its head.
“Wasn’t it Your Majesty who called your subordinate here?”
Yuna Ji grew even more puzzled. She realized she couldn’t get anything useful out of this Skeletal Shade, so she tried merging other Lost Souls and Skeletal Shades, but every attempt failed. Only the one that had fused suddenly before remained intact.
“What’s really going on here?”
Yuna Ji looked thoroughly frustrated, unable to figure out anything at all.
Day after day passed, and Yuna Ji still couldn’t figure out how that particular Skeletal Shade had fused. At least, the fused one obeyed her completely, following every command without question.
"It must be the power of Battle Instinct at work."
I muttered under my breath, and the Wraithlord nodded in agreement.
"If you want to force two things that repel each other to fuse, you have to find what they have in common. The only thing they share is battle intent. Battle Instinct stirs that intent, and most Lost Souls here have it."
Another week was almost up—just one day left. No matter how many times Yuna Ji tried, there was no progress. She finally gave up and slumped into a chair made of bones, planning to wander outside and wait for the other Ghost Sovereigns. She’d have to ask John Chou, since she really couldn’t figure out why these Skeletal Shades and Lost Souls could fuse.
The day passed quickly. The Ghost Sovereigns gathered again. Basil Bertram was already sparring with John Chou. Over the past week, the two had trained together constantly, each determined to grow stronger.
Lord Shenyan had already finished carving a second Buddha statue, while Redmond remained the same as before—except he had found a new place to draw power from. In just a few days, he would be able to move on.
"I have something to tell you all."
At this moment, Mona Ouyang spoke. She and Yvonne May had always been quiet and reserved, rarely saying anything. Today, however, Mona Ouyang seemed exceptionally lucid.
"I can leave this place."
As soon as Mona Ouyang finished speaking, all the Ghost Sovereigns stared at her in astonishment, eyes wide.
"How do you leave?"
Redmond asked immediately. He seemed to have had enough of this prison life—he was suffocating.
"You cannot leave, but I can—and I can even return here."
Mona Ouyang replied with a strange smile, her tone mocking. Redmond immediately grabbed her.
"Dead freak, you bastard—hurry up and tell us how you can get out of here!"
"Redmond, even if you know the method, you can't do it. It's a dream, isn't it, Mona Ouyang?"
John Chou spoke, and Mona Ouyang nodded.
In the living world, the Ouyang Family had produced someone suitable for Mona Ouyang to possess, and the person had reached the right age. In the dream, Mona Ouyang had already negotiated with the family, promising them wealth and fame through the True Dream.
Everyone in the Ouyang Family agreed, allowing their member to become Mona Ouyang's vessel. Through the dream realm, Mona Ouyang could transfer her consciousness at any time to that vessel, leaving her Ghost Body and even her Ghost Soul behind here.
At this, I was instantly stunned.
"So all along, Mona Ouyang has been using her consciousness to wield power? Her Ghost Body and Ghost Soul are somewhere else?"
The Wraithlord hummed in agreement. Suddenly, I realized everything that had happened—Mona Ouyang had no physical body, and it was likely her body was under the control of The Immortality Society.
From now on, Mona Ouyang could use the same method to let her Blue Wraiths survive in the dream realm—even their Ghost Bodies and Ghost Souls had vanished.
This matter is inseparable from those Ghost Syndicate/Immortality Society people.
"That makes things easier. I need you to do us a favor."
John Chou spoke, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
"Why should I help you?"
Mona Ouyang muttered, but John Chou immediately shook his head.
"Even if your consciousness travels to the living world and possesses someone from the Ouyang Family, your Ghost Body and Ghost Soul are still here. Don't you need someone to watch over them? Besides, I have a proposal to make our path smoother once we leave here."
John Chou then began to explain what he wanted Mona Ouyang to do in the living world.
First, contact the remaining Ghost Sovereign factions in the living world and have them hide. Next, disrupt the Underworld Court's surveillance—the simplest way is to leak information about Abyssal Hell, and investigate the movements of those in the sorcery world.
"What's the point of that? Even if news from Abyssal Hell gets out, won't the Underworld Court just send someone down to check?"
Mona Ouyang retorted, and John Chou smiled.
"I want to confirm something. If ordinary Infernal Judges come down to investigate, we can simply kill them. If a Yanluo descends, then it's all over."
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All the Ghost Sovereigns widened their eyes, but at that moment, The Wraithlord began to laugh again.
"What's going on? This is such a risky plan—if a Yanluo really comes down, they'll kill us outright."
I spoke, and The Wraithlord shook his head.
"It's precisely because the Yanluo can't come down here that John Chou dares to do this. To prove his theory: if a power too great enters, Abyssal Hell will collapse. I escaped from here long ago because there was once such a collapse. That's why the Yanluo ultimately had to use their power to create countless disjointed timelines here. The ever-growing ghost energy would otherwise burst this place apart. As more Lost Souls accumulate, the ghost energy only increases. These disjointed timelines serve to distribute the energy evenly. If one timeline accumulates too much ghost energy, a new one is created. In short, this is a place no Yanluo can enter."
"Brother Chou, if the Underworld Court hears the rumors and a Yanluo really comes down, we won't stand a chance."
Basil Bertram's concern was shared by the other Ghost Sovereigns, but John Chou shook his head.
"It's only to confirm a theory. The Yanluo would never come to Abyssal Hell. Of course, the rumor should only be spread when we're ready to leave. Basil Bertram, even if you can control the ghost formation and open the entrance, can we really get out?"
John Chou spoke, and Basil Bertram's eyes widened. The Ghost Sovereigns all looked at him, and at last, Basil Bertram shook his head.
"You can enter, but not leave. Getting out is almost impossible."
John Chou burst out laughing, then continued speaking.
"Just as I thought. If we want to get out, we have to spread the truth about Abyssal Hell. We can't leave, but the Yanluo surely have a way. They'll probably send the Ten Infernal Marshals or one of the Four Judges. If we defeat them, we'll know how to escape."
I stared at John Chou in shock. So all this time, his wandering outside wasn't just to look for ghost-forging materials, but to find a way out.
"What a hassle."
Mona Ouyang said, and John Chou looked at her, asking:
"If you go out, you'll be alone. The sorcery world's factions won't just let you be."
In the end, Mona Ouyang agreed, promising to return once a week. Yuna Ji had the Skeletal Shades prepare a comfortable spot for her. She lay down and soon fell asleep. Gradually, the Ghost Sovereigns noticed that Mona Ouyang's ghost energy seemed to vanish.
"Will things really go as you wish, John Chou? If a Yanluo really comes, we're done for."
Yuna Ji asked, still worried.
"Just keep working on your fusion experiments, Yuna Ji."
At this, Yuna Ji finally sighed helplessly.
"I succeeded once, but I have no idea how."
With that, Yuna Ji snapped her fingers. A black Skeletal Shade rushed out, its tone cheerful.
"Your Majesty, your subordinate is here."
All the Ghost Sovereigns stared, watching the fused Skeletal Shade.
John Chou glanced at it and laughed.
"Tell me everything, Yuna Ji."
Yuna Ji began to explain, though she looked reluctant.
"Could it be that something worked in one of the steps while Yuna Ji was fiddling around?"
Basil Bertram muttered, but John Chou shook his head.
"Randomly messing with things isn't so easy. Think carefully, Yuna Ji—when you fused the Skeletal Shade and Lost Soul, what did you see or hear? What were you thinking?"