"What? How could this be?"
I cried out in surprise. The young man sitting on the steps ahead nodded. I glanced at the four doors—this place is called the Null Sanctuary because, back then, the only way Sage King could destroy evil ghosts was by consuming them. There was no other way.
When Sage King was young, he could slowly digest the ghosts he consumed. But as he grew old, most of his consciousness was devoured by the ghosts. No one knows how many ghosts he ate. Finally, with the help of Goddess Tara, he created the Null Sanctuary.
To ghosts, this place is an endlessly growing, colossal maze, built from the ghostly energy of those who were devoured. This alone shocked me, and Vincent Swallow and the old eccentric looked even more stunned.
"This place is somewhat like the Hell of Infinite Torment."
At this moment, Vincent Swallow spoke. The young man before us looked at him in surprise, then nodded and said:
"Indeed, when Sage King learned the date of his death, he had a dream—a vision sent by King Kṣitigarbha. When he awoke, he began constructing this maze."
The young man had just explained that this maze was built by Sage King's wisdom and strength. It endlessly absorbs the power of ghosts or anything else, transforming it into its own, and continuously manifests itself as an infinite labyrinth.
Once a ghost enters the maze, all its senses are stripped away. No matter how powerful they are, eventually their strength is consumed by the maze and becomes part of it. And once you step into these paths, you can never hope to escape.
This is a formation with a beginning but no end. The only way to break it is for the ghosts trapped inside to die. But most ghosts possess near-infinite lifespans, and on this land, many have grown terrifyingly strong.
"You people from the Central Plains call them Green Wraiths, right? This place must hold more than a hundred Green Wraiths."
The Null Sanctuary gets its name because it distorts a ghost's senses, especially their sense of direction. What you think is forward could be backward, right, or left. The same goes for sensing power—you may think you're using a lot, but in reality, it's only a fraction. Even perception of things like ghost networks is warped. Often, ghosts inside feel they're about to reach the exit, but they're actually getting farther away. Destroying walls or trying to break the catacombs with force is futile; the walls regenerate endlessly, making escape impossible.
"That can't be. John Chou is a Ghost Sovereign."
I muttered, and Vincent Swallow shook his head helplessly.
"Not necessarily, Roxie. This power is designed to target ghosts. I did hear that John Chou and six other Ghost Sovereigns once escaped from the Hell of Infinite Torment, but that hell is different from this place."
Vincent Swallow spoke as I swallowed hard.
"Miss, a few months before you arrived, another powerful ghost came here and entered the catacombs. I tried to warn him and told him some things, but he insisted on going in. I can't explain the catacombs in front of a ghost—only to humans."
"What happened to him after he went in?"
I asked, and the young man replied.
"Although his senses aren't stripped away, he still faces an endless maze with no way out. His power is slowly devoured, and in the end, he'll starve to death inside."
I glanced at the door we'd entered, but when I remembered the flames that burst out earlier, I felt uneasy—that was ghostly power.
"Didn't ghostly power erupt from inside earlier? Did a ghost find the entrance?"
"Maybe the ghost inside sensed something strange and released all its power, trying to break out, but it was futile."
At this moment, the young man on the steps stood up and turned away.
"If you want to leave, just jump into the water."
"Things seem to be getting worse."
Vincent Swallow spoke, taking off a string of prayer beads. One by one, he sent the beads flying into the four doors, then sat cross-legged, pressed his palms together, and closed his eyes.
After a while, Vincent Swallow opened his eyes, sweat beading on his forehead. He told us he used his Buddhist powers to attach part of his consciousness to the prayer beads. Once inside, the beads encountered countless crossroads. Vincent chose a few paths at random, but when he tried to return, he found many two-meter-wide forks and dead ends—the way back was blocked.
"And the worst part is, external power can't interfere."
When Vincent's power on the prayer beads ran out, the beads were left inside, unable to return.
Three days passed. When my backpack was empty of food, John Chou and Isabelle Frost still hadn't come out. With no other choice, we finally left the catacombs and returned to the base of the tower, jumping into the water as that guy instructed.
When I woke up again, I was back on the gravel field. Outside, the area was swarming with Green Wraiths, which shocked me.
"Miss Roxie, where exactly did you all come from?"
I stared in disbelief as flashes of green light flickered. A crowd of Green Wraiths approached me. Logan the Living Buddha smiled helplessly, Jerry Li looked anxious, Allen Zhang was squatting and investigating, Ronan Wu and Felix Fan were there, and the ever-busy Dean Ding and Tony Tang had also arrived.
"Ha! John Chou brought this on himself, serves him right!"
Dean Ding said this, and all the Green Wraiths glared at him, so he shut his mouth. Just then, Evan Zhao drifted over.
I began to explain everything that had happened to the Green Wraiths. They had rushed over because they suddenly lost all contact with John Chou.
"Sigh, Boss John really was careless, going in unprepared. If what this young lady said is true, and the formation is so powerful, even if we went in, it would be pointless."
Felix Fan spoke, and after a moment of thought, Jerry Li said:
"Monk, open that entrance again so we can take a look."
Jerry Li looked at Vincent Swallow, but Vincent just smiled and shook his head.
"That's impossible. To open it again, I’d need at least ten days to half a month to recover. After all, I'm human, not a ghost—I need time to regain my strength."
Ronan Wu’s face grew heavy. The Green Wraiths all began discussing solutions, but they were like headless flies, arguing among themselves. Some suggested brute-forcing the space open, while others warned that destroying the nearby mountain used to open the space would only make things worse.
The debate grew louder and louder. Felix Fan sighed and came over to join us.
"That's how this bunch is—always has been. Each thinks they're the boss. They never listen to anyone in the Hall of Bloodbane except John Chou, Basil Bertram, and Isabelle Frost. It's a bizarre fighting group."
I sighed helplessly.
"Dean Ding, what the hell do you mean by that?"
Logan the Living Buddha was losing his patience. Usually easygoing, he was angered by Dean Ding’s comment that Logan did nothing all day and didn’t even know the secrets of this land.
"That’s just how it is. Instead of lounging here as the Living Buddha, you should really look into what’s going on in this place."
At that moment, only Evan Zhao and Tony Tang were quietly drinking on the side, watching the argument. Jerry Li and Allen Zhang were red-faced from their quarrel, while Ronan Wu couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
"Are you all done arguing yet?"
Unable to sit still, I shouted angrily. Instantly, all the Green Wraiths turned to look at me. I folded my arms and walked over.
"No matter what method you use, everyone should sit down and talk this through. What's the point of fighting and arguing?"
"That's right, I think Miss Roxie has a point. Let's listen to her advice."
Evan Zhao smiled as he spoke. I sighed, while Ronan Wu glared at me with a sinister look.
I knew very well that the Hall of Bloodbane was just beginning to recover. For these people, this was extremely important. Now, with John Chou and Isabelle Frost trapped in the catacombs and war about to break out, they were understandably anxious.
"Why not ask another Ghost Sovereign for help?"
I muttered, but all the Green Wraiths shook their heads.
"Miss Roxie, that's simply not possible. We have grudges with the subordinates of other Ghost Sovereigns—some are even mortal enemies. We can't do it."
I looked at Evan Zhao, and Dean Ding nodded in agreement.
"Especially if Noah Grimm finds out—what would that do to the Hall of Bloodbane’s reputation?"
I sighed and laughed.
"It’s not a big deal anyway—John Chou brought it on himself, always chasing after the evil ghost inside the glutton’s body."
"How about this, everyone—let’s talk to the people from the Underworld."
The old man suggested this, but the Green Wraiths immediately objected even more strongly.
I sighed again.
"I think we should ask the masters of Tantric Buddhism for help—maybe they have a solution."
That might be our only option now. Only the Tantric lamas seem to understand this place, even if only partially.