"Yin Ghost, I'm sorry. All these years, I've been searching for someone who could save you, or perhaps another ghost, but I've found nothing. I've searched nearly every corner of both the Living World and the Shadow Realm, but still, no luck."
"Hmph, Wraithshade, are you sure you're not lying to me?"
I stared silently, my eyes wide, as everything about the Ghost Tomb Forest flashed through my mind. There was a reason why Yin Ghost came to me—it wasn’t without cause. I looked at Wraithshade, and in that instant, everything around us froze. Wraithshade, with a smile in his eyes, gazed back at me.
"Looks like you understand now, Ethan Zhang. Your arrival at the Ghost Tomb Forest wasn’t a coincidence—it was my doing."
"You bastard."
I glared at Wraithshade with hatred.
"There was no other way. After all, I promised Yin Ghost. It’s been thousands of years—I’ve asked her for help countless times, but still couldn’t find anyone who could free her from this forest. It just happened that you appeared at the right time."
"What exactly do you want? Tell me."
Wraithshade smiled, and the scene around us returned to normal.
"Fine, I’ll trust you this once. After all, you’re the only one in all these years who can hear my voice."
The Yin Ghost spoke, and a black wind instantly swept Elder Peach off the ground. Elder Peter Pine couldn’t see anything and anxiously asked the spirits about his disciple’s condition.
"Don't worry. Your disciple will be saved. There is a way to completely dispel the aura of death and turn your disciple’s body fully to the shadow side, while still preserving his life. After that, you can bring him back to the living world. It will just take a few years for him to gradually absorb yang energy and recover naturally."
Within the black wind, Elder Peach remained suspended in the air for an entire day, after which Wraithshade took Elder Peach and left.
"You’ve saved me once again, sir."
When Elder Peach regained consciousness, his whole body still felt unbearably uncomfortable, but he was keenly aware that before he lost consciousness, he already knew—this was the deadly calamity his master had foretold.
"No need to thank me."
After settling down in a city, Wraithshade sent a ghost to contact Poison Dreadstar, asking her to come directly. The two were separated by eight hundred li; it wouldn’t be a quick journey. Wraithshade planned to wait patiently and, in the meantime, began asking about the details of the Mount Mason Order.
Confined to bed, Elder Peach had already let go of all sect boundaries in his heart. As he spoke with Wraithshade, he soon realized that this veiled, somber man was actually quite wise; everything he said was clear and direct. Through their conversations, Elder Peach learned many things he’d never known before.
Elder Peter Pine was glad to see all this. Elder Peach recovered quickly, and the power within his body grew each day as he absorbed more yang energy. Every night, Wraithshade would go outside to experiment with new spells. He began to create a new ghost-sealing technique; after several failures, he finally succeeded without harming any spirits. Even the weakest ghosts could be sealed and used by him, revealing a new power. Every day was filled with excitement for Wraithshade.
Elder Peach was the same, beginning to refine and comprehend new things himself.
This was something I had never imagined before—Elder Peach actually had such a connection with Wraithshade, almost like friends, or perhaps truly friends. When I entered the Four Saints Realm of the living world, it was Elder Peach whom I asked to send me in.
Thinking carefully about the Dark Banquet, those indecipherable texts and some formations—why did Elder Peach know them? After gaining the approval of the darkness, I discovered a shocking truth: the invitation to the Dark Banquet, those formations and spells, were all written by Wraithshade, after getting the consent of the other three.
"Why did he write those things? Aren’t they supposed to be kept secret?"
I couldn’t help but feel puzzled, looking at the two before me, their relationship like that of mentor and friend.
Time passed quickly, and at last Poison Dreadstar found Wraithshade—but she brought someone with her: Irene Yi.
"Victor Shade."
Irene Yi pulled off her headscarf. Her skin was dry and yellow; the delicate complexion she once had was gone. Her eyes, however, shone with delight as she looked at Wraithshade.
Wraithshade said nothing and turned to leave, but Irene Yi grabbed his hand.
"Victor Shade, I want to be like you all. Can you teach me?"
"Just teach her, Victor Shade. She’s even given up her home for this."
Poison Dreadstar urged him, but Wraithshade still left.
Elder Peach also grew familiar with the two women. He began teaching Irene Yi some basic introductory spells. Though Irene Yi learned slowly, she enjoyed it every day. Occasionally, Wraithshade would come by to watch, but he never spoke a word to Irene Yi.
Time passed quickly. After three months, Elder Peach had almost fully recovered. He planned to bid farewell to Wraithshade and return to the mountain to continue his cultivation.
"Victor Shade, I truly thank you for these past few months."
Wraithshade nodded silently, a faint smile in his eyes.
Elder Peach left. From then on, Wraithshade was troubled every day; Irene Yi would often come by to ask him things.
"Victor Shade, this formation—Lucy explained it to me, but I still don’t really understand."
Wraithshade glanced over. It was a very basic formation, used for cultivation and not much else. He sighed.
"Go back."
Those three cold words made Irene Yi uncomfortable at first, but she quickly smiled.
"I won’t go."
With a cold snort, Irene Yi left the room.
Suddenly, my eyes widened—I seemed to have figured something out.
"You bastards, both of you."
I glared fiercely. In an instant, the surrounding scene shattered. In the final moment, I saw a wicked smile in Wraithshade’s eyes.
With a whoosh, I was suddenly standing inside a barbecue shop. The ghost girl, Little Red, looked at me in terror, while Ghost Dreadstar spat out a mouthful of blood with a hiss.
"What are you doing, Ethan Zhang? Suddenly breaking the connection like that is dangerous. Not only was I hurt, but Little Red was too."
Ghost Dreadstar spoke as she walked over to help Little Red up.
"So you really want to use me to bring Wraithshade back to life, is that it, Poison Dreadstar?"
I said coldly, a dark power rising from my body. Ghost Dreadstar looked at me, then at Little Red, her face full of confusion.
"Come out, Poison Dreadstar!"
I shouted harshly. Suddenly, Little Red clutched her stomach, and after a moment, a faint green glow flew out from her abdomen. Little Red whimpered, and Ghost Dreadstar quickly drew it back inside her.
"Aunt Poison, what are you doing? You nearly killed Little Red! What is this all for?"
Poison Dreadstar looked at me with a smile.
"You finally found out, Ethan Zhang."
I glared fiercely at Poison Dreadstar. Suddenly, I reached out my hand and was instantly in front of her. She couldn’t move, but just as my hand was about to touch her, I stopped. Poison Dreadstar bit her lip, and a trickle of green liquid flowed out.
"What do you want to do?"
"Even if I die, I will protect Victor Shade, Ethan Zhang. Please understand. If you want to use force, here in this darkness, I’m no match for you."
A whooshing sound filled the air as figures in black approached, many of them Dark Banquet officers. In an instant, they surrounded my barbecue shop on the street.
"After Wraithshade died, everything of his scattered in this darkness. So you want to gather his old thoughts and form a thought-body. When that thought-body grows strong enough, it can find the body that’s turned to dust in the darkness. Once the body is found, you just need to use a Dark Banquet artificial soul to bring Wraithshade back to life. Is that your plan?"
I glared furiously at Poison Dreadstar. She gasped and stared quietly at me. The whooshing sound grew louder as the Undertaker, the Sleeper, and the Artificer arrived at my side.
"What exactly are you plotting?"
The Undertaker shouted angrily. Just as he was about to act, I held him back.
"What are you doing, Ethan Zhang?"
I shook my head.
"Go, Poison Dreadstar. You’ve helped me before—I don’t want to kill you."
I said quietly. Poison Dreadstar nodded and slowly floated away.
"Thank you, Ethan Zhang. On Victor Shade’s behalf, I thank you as well."
Poison Dreadstar left. Ghost Dreadstar raised both hands, looking bewildered at his surroundings—he’d already been tied up.
"It’s got nothing to do with me. If possible, can you let me go? I still need to get back to my game."
I sighed helplessly, sat down, and took a sip of wine.
"You’re just letting them go like that?"
The Undertaker asked irritably, and I nodded.
"Back in Ghost Mound Forest, if Poison Dreadstar hadn’t helped, things would’ve been much worse. She’s helped me several times since."
What frustrated me even more was Elder Peach. He also took part in Wraithshade’s resurrection—there was never any real future to speak of.
"Sorry to trouble you all. I need to return to the Ghost Domain and deal with my own affairs."
With a click, I raised my hand and opened the Ghost Domain.
The moment I entered the Ghost Domain, wails echoed. At the entrance of the apartment building, Thought Ghost was hanging, wrapped in red thorny vines. Curse Ghost held a whip, lashing fiercely, and all my ghost souls glared at him viciously.
"Ethan Zhang, save me! I haven’t done anything!"
I walked over coldly, sat down, and a black chair appeared beneath me.
"If you hadn’t done anything, I wouldn’t be here, Thought Ghost."
"Let me give him something harsher."
Resentment Ghost floated over to Thought Ghost, reaching out a hand.
"Since you’re a thought conglomerate, you ought to taste what resentment feels like."
Thought Ghost closed his eyes and kept shouting.
"I really didn’t do anything! You have to believe me!"