"So, why does Martin Ouyang suffer from narcolepsy? When did the Ghost Sovereign begin to release his hold on Martin?"
"From the very beginning," Vivian Ouyang said, sitting cross-legged right in front of me, completely unconcerned. I quickly averted my gaze.
"Why are you so shy, Ethan? Are you afraid I'll eat you?"
"Stop messing around. What's really going on?"
"Ever since Martin Ouyang first entered the dream. Back when the Ouyang Family was in ruins, someone once brought a jar—inside was that Ghost Sovereign. He told the head of the Ouyang Family at the time: if you don't want your family line to die out, take this thing home and worship it."
"Why didn't you say so from the start?" I muttered.
Vivian Ouyang just sighed.
At that time, only the head of the Ouyang Family knew about this. Although he doubted the visitor's credibility, the stranger had accurately described everything about the Ouyang Family. The head had no choice but to believe him. That night, he dreamed.
In the dream, he saw a vague, gray humanoid figure—the Ghost Sovereign named Dream. He told the family head what fate awaited the Ouyang Family, and instructed him to find someone trustworthy to take the young Martin Ouyang away.
Every night, the Ghost Sovereign would remind the family head, day after day. Eventually, just as the Ghost Sovereign had foretold, disaster struck the Ouyang Family.
After that, the head of the Ouyang Family made a pact with the Ghost Sovereign, offering his own life and fortune as the price. In return, the Ghost Sovereign promised that the Ouyang Family would flourish and become wealthy.
"Why was the Ouyang Family chosen?"
I immediately realized the heart of the problem and asked.
Vivian Ouyang laughed, then shook her head.
"I don't know about that, honestly. After all, I was born in modern times—I'm Vivian Ouyang's Second Persona."
When Vivian Ouyang said that, my mouth dropped open—I couldn't close it at all.
I carefully studied Vivian Ouyang, whose aura was filled with a seductive darkness. Despite the sense of evil, there was no malice in her—unlike the Ghost Sovereign, whose presence was pure malevolence.
"What is going on here? What does this all mean?"
"You don't need to know any more than that, Ethan. Just remember this: I won't harm Vivian Ouyang. That's all you need to know. She and I share the same fate, and we definitely don't want the Ghost Sovereign running wild in our bodies again."
I made a sound of acknowledgment and nodded. Vivian Ouyang continued speaking.
Just as Martin Ouyang said, Nathan Ouyang suffered endless torment until his death. Before he died, the Ghost Sovereign locked Nathan's consciousness in a dream, where he has been tortured for centuries, over and over again.
Even now, Nathan Ouyang can’t escape—he is still trapped and endlessly tormented.
Cyrus Ouyang really was Martin Ouyang’s son, and he inherited the family legacy completely. Through his father’s teachings in dreams, he learned all about the Ouyang Family. With the Ghost Sovereign’s help, the family gradually prospered again, surpassing even its former glory.
But then came the pact between the Ghost Sovereign named Dream and the Ouyang Family: in every generation, regardless of gender, one member must be offered as a vessel for the Ghost Sovereign to unleash his power and enter the living world.
"What does this have to do with Vivian Ouyang dying at birth?"
"Simply put, the Ghost Sovereign’s power is so immense that whenever it possesses a member of the Ouyang Family, the newborn soul is too weak to withstand it—and dies instantly."
"Then why is Vivian Ouyang still alive and well?"
"Ethan, you should know by now that among these Ghost Sovereigns, except for that red-haired one whose power has actually increased, the rest have grown weaker."
After the battle of the Seven Sovereigns, Dream Ouyang was seriously wounded and his power was greatly diminished. So even though a vessel was still required—and he could still kill the host—the Ghost Sovereign’s strength kept waning. By the previous generation, he could no longer kill the vessel, and could only coexist with them.
"So the vessel in the previous generation was Vivian Ouyang’s uncle?"
I asked, and Vivian Ouyang nodded.
"That's right. But Vivian Ouyang's uncle was a natural optimist—cheerful and stubborn, refusing to listen to the Ghost Sovereign. The Ghost Sovereign found him hard to control. In the end, when Vivian was born, he chose her uncle as the vessel. Originally, he intended to select her uncle’s brother, Felix Ouyang, but Edward Ouyang wanted Felix to continue the family line. Since the Ghost Sovereign was no longer so feared, they compromised."
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but grit my teeth and clench my fists. Thinking back, Edward Ouyang never looked at Vivian as a daughter—his gaze was cold, as if she were just an object.
"Sigh, Ethan, getting angry won’t do any good. At least Vivian Ouyang has always gotten whatever she wanted. If Edward Ouyang had the ability, he’d even pluck the stars from the sky for her—she’s lived like a princess!"
I realized this too—maybe Edward Ouyang was trying to compensate, acting out of helplessness as a father. I’d heard Vivian Ouyang grew up cherished by both parents; her father never hit or even scolded her.
Listening to all this, I finally understood the tangled relationship between the Ouyang Family and the Ghost Sovereign.
"So why was her uncle locked up? Did he go insane?"
"Not at all, Ethan. Although her uncle was the vessel, he retained a portion of Dream Ouyang’s power. He even declared that he’d end the Ouyang Family’s generations of suffering with ghosts. He planned to unite the major sects and tell them how to destroy Dream Ouyang. That’s why Edward Ouyang locked him up."
I smiled.
"Heh, when I get out, I’ll find a way to rescue Vivian Ouyang’s uncle and ask him for the details. Isn’t that the solution?"
Suddenly, the seductive darkness in Vivian Ouyang’s face shifted—she stared at me coldly.
"Ethan, I could kill you right here, right now. Do you want to die?"
Her words left me stunned, staring blankly at Vivian Ouyang. Why did she suddenly want to kill me? At first, I thought she was joking, but the look in her eyes—so dark and suffocating—made me shiver.
"Ethan, never have thoughts like that again. Do you understand?"
I made a sound of acknowledgment, then asked slowly:
"Why? Does it have something to do with Vivian Ouyang?"
I stared blankly at Vivian Ouyang. She nodded, looking at me seriously.
"If you use her uncle’s method to kill the Ghost Sovereign now, both Dream Ouyang and I would die. If you want to see Rachel Lan crying over Vivian Ouyang’s corpse, then go ahead and do as you wish when you get out."
I shook my head violently—no way, never. I’d rather die than let that happen.
"As long as you understand, Ethan. Now let me tell you about the residents of the dream..."
As soon as Vivian Ouyang finished speaking, a gray monster burst from the ground, its mouth gaping wide—it swallowed her whole. I screamed, tried to summon Deathbane Aura, but was powerless. All I could do was watch as the gray creature enveloped Vivian Ouyang and pushed her upward.
"You little slut, just a moment and you’re already siding with that man. What, you like him now? Damn it, you really are a slut. Don’t you know, if one of us is hurt, the other two suffer too? Do you want to die?"
It was Dream Ouyang—his eerie, mocking voice echoed over. He appeared beside Vivian Ouyang in a flash of purple light, reaching out his hand. Vivian Ouyang clutched her mouth in pain.
I’d seen this scene before—it was just like what happened with Uncle Mo. Vivian Ouyang was restrained.
"What exactly do you want?" I stood up, completely unafraid, clenching my fists as I faced Dream Ouyang.
"Hahaha, Ethan Zhang, your Blue Wraith has already gone back. Now I want my Nightmare Stone—hand it over, or I'll kill Rachel Lan right now."
"Give me Uncle Mo first, then I’ll return it to you. And don’t even think about threatening me with Yin Choujian or the dead demon."
"You? You’re not qualified to bargain with me, Ethan Zhang—you’re as good as dead. Hmph, you—"
"So there’s nothing to discuss?" I said, then bolted and jumped off the edge of the stone.
Just then, the darkness in Vivian Ouyang’s eyes—the last thing she said, about the residents of the dream—gave me hope. I just wanted to hurry into the dream and see for myself, because something felt different in the last dream.
Suddenly, Dream Ouyang appeared before me in a flash of purple light. A powerful Dream Wraith grabbed me, squeezing tightly as I struggled.
"Now, Ethan Zhang, you want to enter the dream, but I won’t let you. You’d better go back and obediently hand over the Nightmare Stone, or I won’t be so polite."
"Whatever you say." I remembered how Yin Choujian once said Uncle Mo was clever and wouldn’t be in too much trouble. Sure enough, impatience flashed across Dream Ouyang’s face as he glared at me.
"You, Ethan Zhang..."
Now I understood—if I wasn’t in my Core Dream, Dream Ouyang couldn’t find me. Seeing his anxious expression, I burst out laughing.
"Hmph, dead demon, if you don’t want to negotiate, you’ll never see your Nightmare Stone again. That’s not the ending I want—so, how about we talk peacefully?"