I stared in disbelief at the woman before me. She wore a sweeping crimson gown, her features exquisitely sharp, her expression cold and beautiful. Her hair was swept up high—there was no mistaking it, she was Isabelle Frost. Carefully, she pried off the pieces of Blood Jade that had stuck to my cheek.
"Why did you wait until now to open the Unreal?"
Isabelle Frost's voice was cold, edged with anger. I blinked, speechless.
"I've already regained my full Instinct, Ethan Zhang. I'm asking you a question."
I explained that I'd previously given the key to the three members of the Dark Banquet, and that I'd nearly died in the Unreal before. So I never felt much urge to learn more about it.
"I've waited ages, and still no one came to open the Unreal. This is the only way I could return. Ethan Zhang, is your head made of stone, or are you just numb? After all this time, why haven't you made any progress?"
I had no idea what was happening. For no apparent reason, Isabelle Frost was lecturing me, and I couldn't even argue back. All I could do was bow my head and nod repeatedly.
"What's wrong, Miss Frost?"
Heavenly Soul immediately stepped forward, trying to ease my awkward predicament. But Isabelle Frost turned and glared at Heavenly Soul.
"This doesn't concern you. Stay out of it."
Isabelle Frost raised her hand. Heavenly Soul gave me an awkward smile, glanced at me, then helplessly turned away and sat down outside one of the rooms.
"Welcome back, Miss Frost. Your power..."
"Ethan Zhang, when will you start using your brain? Didn't I teach you to think before you act? Is your head just decoration? If it's useless, I might as well twist it off myself."
I let out a confused sound, blinking. I had no idea why Isabelle Frost was angry. The creaking sound echoed, and I stared wide-eyed at the three Blood Jades in her hand—they were starting to crack.
"You can't even tell they're fake, Ethan Zhang?"
With a loud snap, the three Blood Jades in Isabelle Frost's hand shattered, turning into specks of glowing particles that scattered down. I swallowed, mouth agape, while Heavenly Soul stood up, staring at the powdered remains of the Blood Jade in disbelief.
For a moment, everyone in the room except Sylvia Blue exchanged glances.
A crystal-clear thread, as red as a spider’s silk, was pinched between Isabelle Frost’s fingers. Suddenly, with a loud smack, she slapped the red Specter Web right onto my forehead.
"You've been with that guy for so long, and you still don't know what kind of person he is? I bet John Chou swapped out the Blood Jade ages ago and took it with him to the world of the living."
"That's impossible. It was..."
The truth was right in front of me. The Specter Web I was holding really belonged to John Chou. He had arrived in this darkness long before us and had definitely done something here. I remembered him mentioning something about the Black Prison.
"Your senses are way too dull, Ethan Zhang. Clearly, you still need more training. Let me give you some more practice!"
I swallowed, a chill running down my spine. Isabelle Frost's gaze was icy as she looked at me, but I quickly realized she was venting all her anger about John Chou onto me. I could only shake my head helplessly and smile.
"Thank you, Miss Frost."
I had no idea what John Chou wanted with the Blood Jade, but given the situation, Heavenly Soul and I had worried and worked for nothing.
"Let's head back, Miss Frost."
As I spoke, the three of us floated into the air. At that moment, Isabelle Frost radiated a completely different aura, as if she had grown more mature and composed.
"Um... Miss Frost, can I ask you something?"
Isabelle Frost turned her head, her cold eyes fixed on me. I swallowed and asked.
"What exactly does John Chou plan to do with the Blood Jade?"
"What he's after isn't the kind of power boost that Blood Jade can offer. Not everyone is like you, with the instinct to coexist. So the Blood Jade means little to him; he's only holding onto it for some kind of deal, I suspect."
I nodded thoughtfully.
"By the way, Miss Frost, do you know about the major events happening between the worlds of the living and the dead?"
"I've been trapped in the Unreal for so long, how would I know?"
Isabelle Frost retorted stiffly, and I quickly nodded and began explaining.
Along the way, I told Isabelle Frost a lot about the coming war between the worlds of humans and ghosts. Her brows furrowed and her expression grew increasingly grave.
By the time we returned to the shop, it was already past noon. The shop wasn't opening today anyway. Rachel Lan had already brought Sylvia Blue over and bought food. I looked around the shop in surprise.
Rachel Lan saw Isabelle Frost and immediately spoke up.
"Miss Frost, is everything alright?"
Isabelle Frost nodded, and the tension in her brow eased.
"Qingyuan, go make something nice to eat. Miss Frost probably hasn't had a proper meal in ages."
I responded and started marinating food. Sylvia Blue mischievously ran over to Isabelle Frost, who glared at her.
"You little brat, this is all your doing."
"Oh, sis, I was out of options at the time! You just happened to be in the Unreal, so I brought that old man over to you. Forgive me, please!"
Sylvia Blue put her hands together, blinking at Isabelle Frost.
"Forget it, I won't hold it against you."
Sylvia Blue giggled, tugging at Isabelle Frost's hand and apologizing over and over. Only then did I learn that Sylvia Blue had lured Tan Tian to Isabelle Frost's location, got them fighting, and then slipped away herself.
So, where's that Tan Tian guy now?
I stared in surprise, eyes wide.
No idea. After we clashed violently, there was a huge explosion, and he just disappeared.
I looked at Isabelle Frost. She seemed worried about the current state of the worlds of the living and the dead.
"By the way, Miss Frost, you said before that John Chou was using the Blood Jade as a bargaining chip. Could it be..."
For a moment, everyone in the room except Qi exchanged glances.
"Is he planning to use the Ghost Ancestor's soul to trade with the Empyreal Gods?"
That was the biggest possibility I could think of. Only the Empyreal Gods could make such a trade, and they were obsessed with the Blood Jade—next to them were the people from the Immortality Society.
"Whatever John Chou is up to, we need to hurry back."
I sighed helplessly and shook my head.
"That's impossible. It would take at least another nine years to get back."
Isabelle Frost smiled faintly.
"I have a way to get us back right now."
I nearly dropped the food I was grilling.
"How do we get back?"
I immediately asked, and Isabelle Frost replied.
"My source still remains somewhere in the world of the living. As long as I focus hard enough on recalling my source, it will draw closer to me. Once I find its exact location, I can use spellforce to create a passage connecting to my source."
I swallowed, nodded, and suddenly started smiling.
"But not now, Ethan Zhang."
I looked at Isabelle Frost, puzzled. She rested her chin on her hand, and for a moment I rubbed my eyes—it was as if I saw John Chou. That gesture, they really were siblings.
"And what difference would it make if we went back?"
My heart skipped a beat. Isabelle Frost seemed to hit my sore spot directly.
"Sorry to trouble you again, Miss Frost. I need your guidance once more."
Isabelle Frost stood up, grabbed a bottle of wine and started drinking, then flashed a wicked grin.
"No need for any guidance this time. It's just you and me, one-on-one. If you manage to hurt me, we'll go back."
I made a sound of agreement.
"But John Chou is just too cunning. He got all three pieces of the Ghost Ancestor's soul and kept us all in the dark."
After several rounds of drinks, I spoke weakly. Isabelle Frost nodded.
"Isn't that just like him? By the way, Ethan Zhang, do you know anything else? About the war?"
I started talking about some details, especially how the Ghost Ancestor's earth soul had been moved to the space where Buddhism and Taoism merge.
"The Underworld folks really have no credibility. They agreed with Old Hell, but broke their word and attacked first. Heh."
I understood what Isabelle Frost was getting at. For us, the verbal agreement with the Underworld was the same—after the war, who knows what will happen.
"Here's what we'll do, Ethan Zhang. When we get back, let's remind everyone to have the Underworld draft a formal contract, with all the Yamas signing and stamping it. That should settle things."
I looked at Rachel Lan and smiled, nodding.
"Good idea. We'll do that when we get back—black and white, witnessed by heaven and earth. The Underworld can't back out when the war is over."
Just then, I noticed Isabelle Frost watching me. The coldness in her eyes had faded quite a bit, and I felt a little uneasy, glancing around.
"What's wrong?"
"Ethan Zhang, you look so confident, but do you even know what war really is?"
I shook my head.
"That's true, Miss Frost. I don't know what war really is. All I know is what I have to do—and that's enough for me."
Night had fallen. I didn't open the shop, but went to the outskirts of the city and opened the Ghost Domain. After we all entered, Isabelle Frost and I floated to the open ground on the left, while Lan Ruoxi and the others went up to the rooftop to watch.
"Looks like you've gotten a bit stronger, Ethan Zhang. I won't hold back."
"I know. I'm counting on you, Miss Frost."
With a crisp ring, I heard the clear sound of a bell. Suddenly, my head grew heavy and Isabelle Frost's figure blurred before my eyes. Struggling to stay upright, my body felt leaden, and slowly, I closed my eyes.