With a brisk stride, I arrived at the village. This time, I could only explain a few things to the villagers, since those who entered the mountains or whose family members went missing were not questioned. The villagers received me kindly. I chose to stay at Lee Hsing’s house and have now lived there for over a month.
Now, all I can do is wait for tomorrow at noon. Then, I will follow Eli Lear’s Mother and the others into the mountains, once again entering that world of ghosts. When I am about to return to the starting point, I will use my consciousness to cross over.
After dinner, I pondered for a while and finally understood. Eli Lear and the others likely created this cycle because they suspected the Eye of Time would do whatever it took to kill me. So, they moved those three people from other points in time ahead of time, intending to use my body’s instinctive traits to guide me, along with those three, to the moment of Eli Lear’s birth.
This way, they could protect me. The Eye of Time shouldn’t be able to find this time point, which has become a false cycle. I had wondered before why those changes wouldn’t appear in this cycle—because it’s a false time loop. That’s why both the past and future Ethan Zhang could enter. But this time, they didn’t come. Maybe the two already understood what’s really happening, and all of this is something I must face alone.
I spent the entire day resting, trying to keep my mood light. There’s only a fleeting chance—if I miss it, I’ll have to start all over again.
That intense sense of awareness—I don’t know how many times I’ve felt it. Now, the only thing I need to pay attention to is that I’ve entered the real moment of Laozi’s birth. The Buddhist and Taoist powers in my body can temporarily make me invisible to both humans and ghosts, but I still have to be careful. I finally understand why, no matter what Juchen Realm did before, they couldn’t send us to the correct moment in time.
It’s because Laozi was born in the Ghostrealm, and that Green Wraith is likely a natural-born ghost. I’m certain of that. That guy, like Ding Dacheng, has a ghostly aura with a physical form—just like a human body. I also heard John Chou say that when ghosts mate with other ghosts, their offspring are born as ghosts.
I asked John Chou why such things happen. He said he couldn’t explain it, as there’s no way to verify.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was noon the next day. I was already standing on the mountain path, waiting for Eli Lear’s Mother and the other two to appear. Sure enough, at the fixed time, just as the villagers finished their rest and came outside, the three appeared on the mountain path.
After that, I managed to push forward by a full day. The original end point was supposed to be tonight, but it didn’t end as expected—the cycle of time stretched longer. I still remember how I felt then; I spent the entire night praying I wouldn’t have to repeat the cycle again.
But things really did turn out as I thought—the cycle of time stretched longer, and when I reached the Ghostrealm, the cycle suddenly ended. At that moment, aside from my shock, my mind no longer held that intense awareness.
As a result, I was pulled back into the cycle again. I followed the father, daughter, and son, still watching them argue fiercely. I never asked why they came to these shadowy, intertwined mountains to gather herbs—I simply followed along.
By nightfall, I felt exceptionally alert, constantly thinking that I must keep up. Sure enough, when the time came, I wasn’t pulled back into the cycle. As dawn approached, I rested for a while.
When I opened my eyes, the three had vanished. I hurried after them and, relying on the route in my memory, finally caught up by noon. By then, the father, daughter, and son had separated.
Sure enough, they soon began preparing the ropes, planning to harvest Dragonblood Flower. I swallowed hard, helplessly watching the scene before me. After the father and daughter fell, I quickly walked over and jumped down after them.
As expected, the moment I landed in the Ghostrealm, my body turned into light and shadow. A Ghost Deity, looking terrified, drifted out from the woods, but was quickly killed by the Green Wraith who was in pursuit. My emotions surged—I had to focus all my feelings and awareness to cross this infinite cycle and enter the true cycle before Eli Lear’s birth.
Breathing rapidly, I couldn’t spare a glance for the Green Wraith, Eli Lear’s Mother, or Eli Lear’s Grandfather. The chill wind kept blowing, and my consciousness began to blur. I fought desperately to keep from passing out, clinging to one thought: I must make it back alive.
Gradually, Ethan Zhang’s face appeared in my mind. I closed my eyes, feeling my body being pulled away, my awareness fading, and even Ethan Zhang’s face began to blur.
Suddenly, I opened my eyes wide and started running. Ethan Zhang’s image grew clear again in my mind. I refused to return to that cycle—I had to find a way to survive. I already knew the method; all I had to do was keep moving forward to find it.
Gradually, the breeze vanished from my face. I stared in disbelief at the black earth and the overwhelming stench. I had succeeded. In the distance, I could still see the three walking.
Stumbling, I hurried after them. I felt as if something was blocking my way—my feet seemed held back by something. I stopped; the three ahead were getting farther and farther away. I had to do something.
"Coexistence, help me."
As I spoke, a soft, pure white light flared on my body’s surface. The moment I could move, I dashed forward. Suddenly, it felt like I’d fallen into water—my body grew unbearably heavy, and I could only inch forward.
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My breathing grew heavy—I felt like I was about to suffocate.
"Keep moving forward and you’ll enter the past before Eli Lear’s birth."
I nodded, dragging myself forward bit by bit. The three ahead had vanished completely. Suddenly, I felt something at my feet. Looking down, it seemed like a black hand was gripping my ankle. I kicked it away angrily, then strode ahead.
I finally made it through. That was my strongest feeling at that moment. As soon as I crossed over, the three appeared before me. More accurately, it was one ghost and two people. Eli Lear’s Mother was still sobbing, clearly mourning her brother’s death, while Eli Lear’s Grandfather remained vigilant, watching the ghost.
"What exactly are you?"
At that moment, Eli Lear’s Grandfather asked, and the Green Wraith stopped, turned, and smiled.
"I am a ghost."
At once, the father and daughter stared at the ghost in terror. He smiled helplessly.
"Seeing your expressions reminds me of a long time ago, when I visited other provinces and heard other ghosts talk about a being completely opposite to us ghosts—they called them humans."
I stood quietly to the side. It seemed they couldn’t see me, but the atmosphere was heavy.
"Go on, I won’t harm you. You’ve wandered into our world by mistake. This has happened before—most people who stray into the Ghostrealm end up being eaten by ghosts and become ghosts themselves."
"Then... will I ever see my brother again?"
Eli Lear’s Mother spoke, her voice like a little bee. The Green Wraith laughed, shook his head, then nodded.
"Perhaps. The Ghostrealm is vast, and the dead don’t immediately become ghosts. No one knows where they go—maybe to the Living World. If Hell’s Registrar catches them, you probably won’t see them again."
A sobbing sound—Eli Lear’s Mother began crying again. The Green Wraith approached, while Eli Lear’s Grandfather watched him warily. Their fear was obvious; humanity’s terror of ghosts has existed since ancient times. Though it’s mostly rumor, and many never see a ghost in their lifetime, right now, Eli Lear’s Mother and Grandfather were truly conversing with one—and not just any ghost, but the Green Wraith.
Once Eli Lear’s Mother calmed down, they continued walking with the Green Wraith. He was interested in the father and daughter, but showed no hostility. I followed the three of them.
Gradually, a small lake appeared before my eyes. A rough wooden bridge led to a small island in the center, where several wooden huts stood. The father and daughter followed the Green Wraith across.
There were four huts in total, all looking quite ordinary—nothing seemed amiss.
"If you're tired, take a rest. I used to live here with my parents, but they've been gone for many years. Now I live alone."
The Green Wraith yawned as he spoke, floated up to the roof, and lay down. Eli Lear’s father and daughter quickly found a hut near the water, and inside, the daughter began sobbing again.
All the way, they kept asking if there was a way to return. But the Green Wraith’s answer was that he didn’t know the way, nor was he obliged to help. After all, bringing two people was like carrying fresh food—there were countless powerful ghosts here, and he didn’t want trouble.
I continued to stand outside. What struck me was that I didn’t feel hungry—I couldn’t even sense the world’s breath.
"Would you two like something to eat? The fish in this lake taste pretty good."
Suddenly, the Green Wraith came down, looked at the father and daughter inside. They were startled, but quickly nodded. The Green Wraith rolled up his sleeves and excitedly ran to the lake.
I let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, it seemed like the Green Wraith was looking right at me.