I sat on a chair formed from Deathbane Aura, quietly gazing ahead. On a floating boulder, just two or three meters below, lay the Lake of Deathbane. Its placid surface reflected Coexistence, who stared at me in shock.
My body grew increasingly light, and wisps of black mist began to seep from every part of me.
"Coexistence, that should be enough. You’ve confirmed my will."
Before my eyes, Coexistence transformed into a stream of black-and-white vapor and vanished. The Lake of Deathbane began to stir, currents of Deathbane Aura surging up from its surface. I watched silently as pillar-like streams of Deathbane Aura shot skyward. Gradually, I saw a face—its features interwoven in black and white—materialize before me.
"Received. Your will—obedience to your will, Ethan Zhang."
I stood up, and the chair behind me vanished.
"John Chou, is this everything you’ve prepared for me?"
Power began to well up from within me, bit by bit. The sole purpose of this game was to win. Everything I’d experienced before was just a prelude, forcing me into this—no choice but to win, no room for defeat. Losing meant losing everything. This time, I truly wanted to win; I had to win.
Thank you, Rachel Lan.
As I spoke, a wave of warmth spread across my neck. The purple crystal pendant glowed, radiating a gentle heat.
"Instinct, named Coexistence..."
My voice was low and guttural. In an instant, I shot out from the apartment building—a Violet Gate had already appeared.
"Coexistence, the excess is no longer necessary. What I need is power—the power to defeat Rachel Lan."
"Understood, Ethan Zhang. As you wish, everything here is at your disposal."
With a whoosh, I passed through the Violet Gate. In the blink of an eye, I was back beneath the swaying branches of that great tree—John Chou was already waiting for me.
"Looks like you did it, brother."
John Chou sized me up for a moment, then smiled and walked over. I nodded in return.
"One last question, John Chou. You need my instinct to break through the Sanzu Force, don’t you?"
A breeze drifted by. I could sense John Chou’s relief—he nodded. For the first time, he answered a question I asked.
"But for now, you still can’t use it, brother. You need to grow—cross this threshold. This is the last time I’ll help you."
"Ah, I understand, John Chou."
The world around me began to fracture. John Chou dissolved into a cloud of blood-red particles, scattering in the wind. Gradually, I returned to the dream where everything had frozen—the violet light above me slowly faded away.
"That’s all I wanted to say, Ethan Zhang."
"Understood, Mr. Ouyang."
My consciousness began to dissipate. In the dream, everything went black—I lost all sense of awareness.
"Awake yet, Ethan Zhang?"
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Isabelle Frost’s slightly angry face.
"What did John Chou say to you?"
I smiled faintly.
"He said you’re his idiot little sister."
For an instant, Isabelle Frost’s expression soured, and she let out a cold snort.
"Don’t think he can control everything, Ethan Zhang. Do you really trust him?"
I nodded. Deathbane Aura began to radiate from my body, and Isabelle Frost looked at me in surprise.
"You did it?"
With a whoosh, I drifted out of this dead body. My strength was gradually returning; all around, particles of black light began to gather toward me.
My ghost soul was being rebuilt, and this time, it was even stronger than before.
Outside the door, the members of Blackfang crowded in, their faces lit with excitement as they looked at me.
"Sorry, everyone, please step outside for now. I have something to take care of. Bring me the Crystal Cat."
The room was empty. On the table sat the Crystal Cat that sealed Xu Fu. Black Deathbane Aura flowed from beneath my feet, quickly spreading around the room—within seconds, it had completely enveloped the space.
I took out a small bottle, twisted off the cap, and tilted it toward the Crystal Cat. A drop of red-black blood dripped onto it. Instantly, there was a sizzling sound. To my astonishment, a large chunk of the cat’s head—sealed as hard as corpse jade—melted away, burning a huge hole through it. Soon, the entire head was hollowed out, and the corrosion stopped.
A faint, swirling mist drifted out from the Crystal Cat, circling my body before gathering in front of me. Gradually, a translucent humanoid form began to take shape, its face and body shifting and changing.
"Looks like you’ve claimed it, Ethan Zhang—your instinct. Congratulations."
I glanced at Xu Fu. This was only his consciousness; his body couldn’t materialize yet. For now, he was powerless.
"So, what kind of deal do you want to make with me, that bastard John Chou?"
I sneered, staring at Xu Fu.
"Looks like you’ve realized—the seal was John Chou’s doing."
Xu Fu gazed at me with a cold, stern expression.
"What John Chou wants to know is exactly what I want to know."
"The matter of seeking immortality overseas, huh? Heh, as expected—he’s starting to doubt. Ethan Zhang, you have more important things to do right now, don’t you?"
I let out a cry. Xu Fu slowly turned into a wisp of white vapor and returned to the Crystal Cat. No matter how many times I called, he didn’t respond.
"You don't want to come out anymore?"
Watching the Crystal Cat, I noticed the part that had just been corroded was already starting to recover. There was still plenty of blood left; just a single drop had allowed Xu Fu's consciousness to emerge from the Crystal Cat. If I poured the whole bottle, I could truly break the seal.
The Deathbane Aura gradually receded, returning to my body. I opened the door and walked out.
"Ready to launch the counterattack, Ethan?"
Lin Rui was the first to speak. I nodded and glanced at them.
"I'm taking everything back."
"Come over and take a look, Ethan. Things are completely out of control now."
Jiang Tianci spoke as I drifted over. He nodded, waved his hand, and a stream of white energy appeared, immediately generating an image.
I widened my eyes. In the image, Rachel Lan stood quietly in the center, surrounded by emptiness. The only thing that caught my attention was a massive pillar in the middle, its surface covered in intricate patterns, the entire column a pale blue.
Illusionborn, Xiao Yan, and the God Emperor were all present, quietly standing behind Rachel Lan.
"Still not working."
Rachel Lan spoke, but her voice was doubled—a second tone, impossible to tell if it was male or female, but icy cold.
"You still can't control this instinct, can you? Keep trying. Once you're skilled, you should succeed."
The God Emperor spoke, but Rachel Lan looked skeptical.
"That's impossible. I've fully inherited Coexistence—I understand it now. After all, the years we've existed aren't shorter than yours. What we know, you can't even comprehend. Instinct is limitless, but this one is special."
Her words surprised me, but I looked at Jiang Tianci in confusion. He should have already stripped the God Emperor of his authority.
"It was Xiao Yan, Ethan. I don't know what that woman is thinking. On the day you lost your instinct, she gave me back my authority."
The conversation in the image continued. The God Emperor, looking anxious, moved to Rachel Lan's side.
"Is it because your own power is too strong, so it overwhelms this instinct?"
"I don't think so. My power in this world is just a drop in the ocean. Lan Miao should have prepared everything by now. As long as I use instinct to break through the boundary between yin and yang, the plan will be halfway done. But the yang above is blocking me. Even when I push Coexistence's power to the limit, it's still not enough."
"I have my doubts—are you sure this instinct is complete?"
Illusionborn's eyes always held a trace of distrust.
"Now, no matter where you look in this world, you can't find Ethan Zhang. When instinct left, he truly died in every sense of the word."
"God Emperor, that's not quite right. The one who came to our world—he's a mystery, not someone who should exist. Maybe he used some kind of trick."
"Enough. The three of you—do your best to finish everything in the proving ground. This half-baked product can't be used as a body."
The conversation left everyone stunned. Isabelle Frost seemed to notice something and then laughed.
"The Dark Banquet crowd seems to want to use these bodies to cross into our world. So, the delay wasn't about timing—it's because..."
Isabelle Frost didn't finish her sentence, just looked at me.
"Because of me. They really did steal my instinct and used Rachel Lan."
"Let's analyze the fighting strength of these three, then split our own forces accordingly. To defeat the rulers of Old Hell, we're still not strong enough. Our only option is to stall—stall until you reclaim your instinct, Ethan."
What the Ghostbook Immortal said was exactly the urgent problem we needed to solve. I looked at Isabelle Frost.
"Everyone, please hear me out."
At that moment, Jiang Tianci spoke, then pointed to himself.
"Our Scarlet Night's strength may not be great, but I have a plan—at the very least, it will help you reclaim your instinct."