The night wind was cool. I sat quietly on the rooftop, wrapped tightly in a white trench coat. I was gradually adapting to life in the Shadow Realm. Every day, I worried—the war had dragged on for nearly two months.
Staring at the towering blue spire so close yet impossibly distant, Tan Tian and I arrived before the Phantom Sage’s tower but were stopped. We couldn’t cross. Tan Tian explained this was the Severance Barrier—a space absolutely cut off by the collision of immense supernatural forces. Nothing can pass through.
Tan Tian and I could only stay in the city outside the Severance Barrier—a thoroughly modern metropolis. The shadowfolk here lived their lives by routine. I asked around, but they knew nothing of the war, nor that they were dead. To them, they’d simply always existed in this world.
Beneath me was a three-story house in a quiet residential area. But from the rooftop, I could see the bustle of the street behind. The moon was huge and round, every night the same. Moonlight gently caressed the earth. I felt weary, wondering when it would all end.
"Rachel Lan, come down."
Tan Tian’s voice reached me. I sighed, got up, and climbed down through the skylight—straight to the first floor. At a doorway, I stepped into a faintly visible transparent membrane of corpse-skin. Instantly, my surroundings became a bright, open space. Tan Tian stood before me. Each day, apart from waiting for the Severance Barrier to open, I received Tan Tian’s guidance here.
"We can begin, Rachel Lan."
Tan Tian spoke. I took off my trench coat, tossing it aside. The Revelation Eye was already in my hand. My eyes began to shift, turning a deep violet-black; my whole presence grew strangely seductive. The Revelation Eye, a gift from Tan Tian, allowed me to see every uneven patch and fissure on Tan Tian’s body, as well as the shriveled cracks on his corpse-skin. Nothing escaped my gaze.
But for a moment, I didn’t know how to attack. In nearly two months, I hadn’t landed a single blow on Tan Tian. Only after truly fighting him did I realize just how powerful he was.
"What’s wrong?"
I relaxed my body and helplessly waved my hand.
"I don’t know how to attack you. I haven’t managed to hit you once."
Tan Tian stared at me with a grave expression.
"Attack!"
A streak of crimson fire flashed along Belle’s blade. Crimson Wings unfurled behind me, flames leaping across my skin. Eyes wide, I shot toward Tan Tian.
Belle in hand, I thrust swiftly and precisely at Tan Tian’s neck. He blocked my sword with a single finger. My left foot kicked out, flames jetting forth. Tan Tian dodged the flames with ghostly speed, and as I pressed harder, a powerful gust forced me back. The fire on my Crimson Wings felt as if it would scatter, shifting constantly in the wind. I could see the strengths and weaknesses of the force he unleashed.
This was the benefit of the Revelation Eye—it let me choose to move toward weaker spots, reducing the force’s impact on me.
Tan Tian still stood motionless before me. I gazed at him, seeing flaws everywhere, yet unable to break through his defense.
Golden flames ignited around me, morphing under my will into arrow after arrow. I attacked Tan Tian again, unleashing a volley of golden arrows. But he remained unmoved. I crouched, gripped my sword with both hands, and stabbed toward his chest.
With a thunderous bang, the arrows stopped dead before Tan Tian. At my thought, the arrows condensed into fine streams of flame, gathering on my sword. My power surged, the blade inching closer to Tan Tian’s chest—until the tip struck home but abruptly halted. My strength was scattered by Tan Tian yet again.
"That was a good strike."
Tan Tian spoke. I released Belle, and with a blush of pink light, Belle dissolved into fragments and vanished. I waved my hand.
"No more fighting. I’m going upstairs for a drink—coming with me?"
Tan Tian nodded. We left the underground Corpse Shroud space he’d created and went up to the living room on the second floor. I took out some wine from the cabinet, poured two glasses, and Tan Tian drank, still wearing his corpse-like face.
"Even if you don’t have emotions, at least crack a smile like Lance Quinn. You wear that dead face all day."
Tan Tian didn’t respond. He had no emotions, so words of mockery made no difference to him.
"Once you finish your drink, we’ll continue training. The Corpse Shroud is something you must master now."
I slumped over the table, yawning. Just a few sips and exhaustion hit me all at once.
"Tomorrow. I’m too tired."
Tan Tian said the Severance Barrier sometimes opens a small rift due to clashing forces. Only when it opens can we cross. Everything near the tower is just like here, separated by a single street—but we can’t cross. That street is empty, and the shadowfolk here find nothing strange about it.
"You’ve improved quickly lately. You can now control fire with your mind and shape it as you wish. The powers of Underworld Denizens are unique—unlike others who need rituals, yours are released through faith and emotion. You just need to master finer control, Rachel Lan, you..."
"Shut up."
I looked up at Tan Tian, annoyed, and shot him a glare. He remained humorless. I sighed, grabbed the wine bottle, and drank in gulps. Then I pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and immediately started coughing—still not used to it, but I liked how it eased my anxiety.
(Irrelevant passage—skip translation.)
I exhaled a puff of smoke, staring at Tan Tian.
"Have you ever thought about the future? Are you just waiting for me to give birth to Sylvia Blue? I doubt you’ll ever see it happen!"
I laughed at myself. Tan Tian looked at me, and the smoke drifting toward him didn’t dissipate—instead, it began to change shape, slowly forming my own face. Surprised, I sat up in delight.
"If you achieve precise control and understand the essence of many things in this world, you’ll be able to do it too, Rachel Lan."
My delight vanished instantly. I scattered the smoke, stood up, and walked to the window, gazing at the bustling night street opposite. The shadowfolk on the other side of the Severance Barrier seemed just as normal as here. I still couldn’t figure out how Emperor God and the others managed it.
Now the only place we can search is the Isle of Nine Shadows. But Tan Tian said Emperor God has probably hidden it, and Tan Tian’s two subordinates are also on the other side of the Severance Barrier—so there’s no way to contact them for now.
"By the time we get back, the war will be over."
I gave a bitter smile. Tan Tian shook his head.
"Do you know why Lord Shenyan attacked first and seized half of the Blazing Fields?"
I shook my head.
"The Underworld Court still needs time to prepare. I don’t know what they’re planning, but holding the Blazing Fields is crucial. When the time is right, they’ll retreat to Netherhell for the final defense. The Living World is the same—do you know why all the passages to Hell have been closed?"
"Too many issues. If Emperor God attacks, the Underworld Court won’t be able to handle it."
Tan Tian shook his head.
"Those three may have descended into the Living World, but the power they bring is subject to the laws of Yin and Yang. No one can defy those laws. That’s why Hell hasn’t managed to swallow everything—it’s bound by the world’s laws too."
Suddenly, I understood.
"So the Underworld Court is doing it on purpose?"
Tan Tian nodded.
"They just want to lure Emperor God’s forces in the Living World to the eight channels and wipe them out in one move. It’s the simplest strategy, but the risk is that the Living World’s connections to the Underworld Court aren’t enough for Yin energy to flow into the underworld. So now, the practitioners in the Living World are desperately purifying Yin energy wherever it appears."
"But if Emperor God’s side never shows up, won’t the defenders in the Living World be worn down?"
Tan Tian shook his head.
"Like I said before, the laws of Yin and Yang limit the power Emperor God’s forces can bring into the Living World. If they don’t use it, that power will eventually be expelled back to the Yin Realm. Both sides face this problem—it’s just a matter of who loses patience first. If there’s no way to break through all eight channels at once, Emperor God’s side won’t act rashly."
I sighed and said.
"The greatest threat may be the chimeric beasts sleeping beneath the Styx Sea. They could rush straight toward the Bridge of Remorse. If that happens..."
A thought struck me. There’s only one narrow path into the Styx Sea, and with so many beasts, they couldn’t possibly fit through.
"That path was left on purpose by the Underworld Court. Unless the beasts are sent out at just the right moment, if they’re exposed, the Underworld Court will definitely take action on the River of Forgetfulness."
I stretched and stood up, planning to go upstairs and sleep.
"I’m going to bed. You should think about how to smile. Honestly, I think if you smiled more, maybe your feelings would come back someday. You should give it a try!"
As I spoke, Tan Tian’s lips twitched, but he still didn’t smile. I shook my head with a smile, a little helpless, and went upstairs.