As night fell, the distant sky was painted gold and red by the setting sun. Victor Wu sat alone at the entrance to Yin Family Village, quietly drinking and gazing at the two diverging roads ahead.
The road to the right led to Dingtown, while the left path went to Chu Kingdom. He had already decided to leave. Over the years, Victor Wu and Victor Fan had become friends who shared everything. Now, as he prepared to go, he felt reluctant. He asked Zhuang Xian to notify Victor Fan that he would be leaving tonight.
From afar came the sound of hooves, raising clouds of dust in the direction of Dingtown. The sound grew closer, and Victor Fan arrived, his face full of urgency. As soon as he reached Victor Wu, he dismounted.
"Are you leaving, Mr. Wu?"
Victor Wu nodded and looked toward the road to Chu Kingdom. He walked over and patted Victor Fan on the shoulder.
"Once we part, I fear we'll never meet again."
Victor Fan smiled faintly.
"Yes, Mr. Wu. In this life, to have met a confidant and teacher like you, I am content."
Victor Wu began to walk away slowly.
"We may not meet again in this life, but perhaps we'll have a chance after death."
Victor Wu smiled and spoke. Victor Fan watched Victor Wu's back and slowly bowed.
Suddenly, Victor Fan hurried after him.
"Mr. Wu, you should keep this."
As he spoke, Victor Fan handed the Soulreaver Blade to Victor Wu. Victor Wu accepted it and nodded.
"You don't need to worry about Cecilia. I will slowly uncover the mysteries within. Such intense resentment will not simply disappear."
Victor Wu left, his figure fading into the distance along the road to Chu Kingdom. Victor Fan watched him quietly, a sorrow rising in his heart.
Turning back, Henderson Village lay behind him. There were children entrusted to him by disciples there. He resolved to fulfill his final responsibility as a teacher. Determined, Victor Fan mounted his horse and rode toward Henderson Village.
"Youchen, I won't let this child follow your old path. Rest easy."
As the years passed, Victor Wu traveled with Belle to many places, even returning to his own teacher, Laozi. Yet he could find nothing within Belle. Cecilia's ghost had vanished.
But within Belle, a force was taking shape. Gradually, Victor Wu felt as if the sword was developing a consciousness of its own.
After years of searching, Victor Wu grew weary. No matter how he tried, he could not find Cecilia's ghost. At last, he decided to leave Belle in a cave within a mountain—pure, spiritual, and untouched by people.
Having made his decision, Victor Wu hid Belle in the spiritual mountain and left.
"You just left it here for so many years?"
I asked curiously. The Soulreaver Blade beside me chuckled.
"That old bastard Victor Wu left me here for over a thousand years. Damn, if I weren't clever, I'd still be stuck there."
Belle began to develop its own consciousness, quietly dormant among the mountains. Yet this consciousness was lonely. As a peerless sword, it longed to be wielded.
But the mountain's aura made it increasingly pure. The ghostly energy that once clung to it vanished completely. Yet, as the saying goes, extremes breed reversal—Victor Wu never returned.
As time passed, Belle's self-awareness grew ever lonelier. Its pure desire to be used overflowed. Gradually, Belle sensed an unusual presence within itself—strange, yet eerily familiar.
It was Cecilia. Her ghost had awakened within the sword. But Belle was no longer a mere vessel; an evil aura began to seep from it. The once-beautiful, spiritual mountain started to wither, and the trees died one after another.
It kept calling out, hoping to be discovered. Driven by this intense consciousness, one day, some refugees passed by. Belle's aura began to enchant them.
But tragedy struck. The villagers lured to Belle's location died one after another in the cave, and without exception, their souls were all absorbed by Belle.
Belle, now filled with ever-increasing malice, realized that ordinary people could not wield it. It began to enchant travelers passing nearby, drawn by tales of gold left by bandits in the mountain.
Rumors spread, and many entered the mountain seeking treasure. But none survived Belle's trial; unable to withstand the sword's malice, they died in the cave.
Then, one day, a truly vicious man arrived. He passed Belle's trial. He was a notorious bandit, used to robbery and murder.
The bandit found no gold and was furious. All he saw were piles of bones. As he prepared to leave, thinking the gold had already been taken, a metallic sound echoed from the cave's depths—the sound of coins clinking together.
The bandit rushed to the end of the cave and saw Belle. Before him lay a heap of glittering gold. Overjoyed, he grabbed Belle.
In that instant, the bandit became Belle's puppet. He left the mountain with Belle, continuing his crimes. Every officer who pursued him was killed with a single stroke, their bodies left in pieces.
Even the capital dispatched Six Doors officers, but all returned empty-handed. The bandit was wanted across the land.
By now, the bandit was little more than a walking corpse—his soul long since devoured by Belle. Word spread among ghost practitioners that the bandit wielded a formidable Hell's Sentinel.
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One night, driven by a murderous impulse, the bandit wielded Belle and slaughtered an entire village. Belle's malice grew stronger. Inside the sword, a voice echoed: Kill, kill, kill.
"Oh, I thought it was something else. Turns out it's just a mad Hell's Sentinel?"
The moon hung high. The bandit stood dazed on a rooftop, watching as a group of ghosts emitting green light floated toward him.
It was Lord Shenyan. I stared in astonishment—he wore a long robe embroidered with flames, leading a host of Blue Wraiths.
"Oh, such a powerful ghost—I've never seen one like you. If you join forces with me, you could..."
With a clang, I stared in shock—Belle snapped in two. The bandit, now a puppet, was consumed by raging flames and reduced to ashes.
"No, don't! Why do this? If you used me, I could..."
"Shut up. Madman—you spared not even women or children. I've always hated your kind. Though your story is tragic, you deserve to die."
A blue flame wrapped around the broken Soulreaver Blade, letting out mournful cries. I watched in awe as white souls flew from the sword, freed from suffering, illuminating the sky. Lord Shenyan watched in silence.
"Let's go. It's done. John Chou should be satisfied now."
As Lord Shenyan departed, the Blue Wraiths followed and disappeared.
Belle still struggled, resisting the flames that threatened to melt it completely. Suddenly, a sinister laugh echoed from the shadows.
"Never seen anyone that strong, huh? You country bumpkin. Heh, let me save you."
From the darkness emerged a Blue Wraith—Thousand Hands. I stared in shock; though he wore his hair long, his sinister, smiling face was unforgettable.
Thousand Hands smiled, waiting for the flames to die down, then picked up the broken Belle.
"If you don't know, let me tell you. That fellow just now is called a Ghost Sovereign in the ghost world—extremely powerful. Any Blue Wraith under him could easily kill you. But you—you're special, very powerful."
Thousand Hands picked up the Soulreaver Blade and told Belle, who knew nothing, that the ghost world was no longer as it once was. Now, there are many powerful beings, led by seven Ghost Sovereigns.
Thousand Hands took Belle to a fortress-like place surrounded by mountains. I watched in astonishment—everyone there wore black or blue masks.
"Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Thousand Hands."
I stared in surprise at the gold-masked man—I recognized him as Lao Chongyuan. He watched with interest as Thousand Hands brought back the broken sword.
"The aura of life and death here is intense—I've never seen anything like it before."
Inside a lavish, ancient hall, I saw two gold-masked figures—Ms. Genesis and Mr. Oblivion. Both were present.
"Damn you, Thousand Hands! You bastard, I'll kill you!"
Just then, an angry female voice came from outside the hall—it was Winona Wu, who burst in, furious.
"Oh, Lady Wu, you can't blame me. There are always deviations. I told you before the experiment began."
With a whoosh, Winona Wu attacked, but Mr. Oblivion blocked her strike.
"Still so hot-tempered. With that attitude, you'll never get married."
Mr. Oblivion joked, but with a bang, he was sent flying. Ms. Genesis caught him with one hand, absorbing the impact—Mr. Oblivion's chest caved in.