"So, are you planning to help me?"
Redmond burst out laughing.
"Be grateful for my mercy, Ethan Zhang. Now get down there."
I responded with a simple "Oh," and followed Redmond down to the barren slopes of Shadowbane Mountain. The ground was pitted and scarred, and at the sight of it, Redmond cursed.
"Yuna Ji, that wretched woman."
I could only offer a helpless smile.
"Do you have any ideas?"
"None."
Instantly, frustration welled up inside me. I glared at Redmond.
"Figure something out. Hide my presence—I need to use my instincts now. I’ll try to see if I can slow down this moment from being swallowed."
"It's useless, Ethan Zhang."
Redmond spoke, giving me a meaningful look.
Time is not something you or I can control, and Yunmei’s instincts, Jiuchen, are not under her control either—they belong to time itself. At best, she is just a vessel through which time manifests in the living world. So, you’re finished this time, Ethan Zhang.
If you’re just here to gloat, I’ll handle this myself.
Redmond sighed, his face full of helplessness.
I never thought I’d live with that brat for three years. Tell me, what really happened? What major events have occurred in these three years?
I quietly stared at Redmond, feeling very hesitant.
If you knew what would happen and changed the course of events, what would happen then?
Redmond laughed heartily, shook his head, and pointed to his own head.
Don’t worry, Ethan Zhang. I just want to know the cause and effect. After all, I know far more than you do. Maybe you’ve been set up this time.
After a long while, I was still silently lost in thought.
What's wrong, don't you trust me?
Alright, I'll tell you. The biggest event in these three years was probably when Yin Choujian attacked the founder of Naraku, and people from the Immortality Society and the Corpse Realm besieged him, resulting in his death...
What?
Redmond suddenly roared, his emotions extremely agitated.
Those bastards, that punk Xiaomao, actually dared to do this. Heh, when I get back, I'll take care of him first...
I glared at Redmond. He put away his smile and looked at me.
Their target probably isn't just Yin Choujian, Ethan Zhang. Maybe your name should be added to this death list too.
My heart skipped a beat and my eyes widened.
Nuwa told you this method, right? Go back in time, gather fragments of that girl’s memory, then you can resurrect Huangfu Ruofei. Using the Naraku dog-affinity guy, it could work. But when you arrived at this time point—one with no connection to Huangfu Ruofei—strange things began to happen. This moment is about to be swallowed, and you’ll be trapped in fragments of time, unable to escape.
My heart started pounding and I breathed rapidly.
Nuwa, she couldn't possibly...
At that moment, Redmond stretched out a hand and suddenly stabbed it into my head. I stared in shock as the Flame of Malice burned in front of my forehead.
You bastard, you never change. I spared you last time, but I didn't expect you to show up again.
With a splutter, I spat out a mouthful of black blood. Redmond pulled a black mass out of my head.
It's the Thought Ghost...
I stared wide-eyed as the black mass gradually transformed into a humanoid shape. I was utterly astonished.
When did you...?
Before Huangfu Luoshui sealed me away, I had already marked you. Heh, you'll regret it, Ethan Zhang. I told you before, you should have trusted me.
Redmond chuckled.
Alright, Ethan Zhang, I'm not getting involved in this any further. It looks like this guy knows something, so I'll head back now...
Just then, with a whoosh, Wuming drifted over.
Wait, Redmond, you must erase the memory of meeting Ethan Zhang just now.
The Thought Ghost shouted, blocking Redmond's path.
I know, I'll erase it in a bit.
Suspicion flashed in the Thought Ghost's eyes, while Redmond's face soured.
If you don't erase this memory and change the future, terrible things will happen.
And what would happen...?
Anger twisted Redmond's face.
If you plan to warn Yin Choujian ahead of time, I suggest you forget it. What has happened is set in stone—no changes are allowed. Otherwise, something will happen prematurely, like your own destruction. Even if you don't care about yourself, think about your subordinates. Do you really want to see those tragedies repeat themselves? Redmond, if you understand, erase the memory.
The Thought Ghost urged anxiously.
Redmond's expression flickered, while Wuming watched from the side.
Alright, Wuming, after I erase my memory, I'll have a few minutes of blankness. Take me back then and just make up some excuse to get us through.
Got it, boss. Don’t worry.
Sorry, Redmond...
As I spoke, Redmond closed his eyes, ghostly energy surging from his body. In an instant, he opened his eyes, but they were vacant and lost. Wuming grabbed Redmond, transformed into a streak of green light, and vanished into the distance.
Speak. What’s going on?
I landed on the ground, staring quietly at the Thought Ghost, murderous intent in my eyes.
Glaring at me won’t help, Ethan Zhang. What’s done is done.
Suddenly, I grabbed the Thought Ghost by the throat. He grinned wickedly and spoke.
Long ago, there was a highly unstable force in this world—Yin Choujian. He could even disrupt the Three Paths, stirring chaos among both humans and ghosts. After Yin Choujian faded, people thought things would settle down. But now, another unstable element has appeared in the living world—and that’s you, Ethan Zhang.
[System message skipped as irrelevant to the novel content.]
I swallowed and asked, word by word.
Tell me, Thought Ghost—what am I, really?
The Thought Ghost shook his head.
I don’t know exactly what you are. What I do know is that Nuwa and that old man from Naraku want to destroy you most of all. Yin Choujian is just collateral. Without you, he could never regain his strength. Under Yin Choujian’s influence, you—the new unstable element—grew stronger. This time, Nuwa and the others want to erase you.
Why?
In the shadow world, they realized you hold the key to destroying the future. So the best way isn’t to kill you, but to trap you at a specific point in time, never letting you out—which is the same as killing you.
I clenched my fists and glared at the Thought Ghost in fury.
Blackmoon would never betray me.
I shouted, and the Thought Ghost burst out laughing.
It’s not Blackmoon who betrayed you—it’s the Celestial Dog...
All of this left me so stunned that it took me a long time to recover.
You can’t blame anyone else for this. You acted without thinking, but it’s because you were desperate to resurrect the Prime Ancestor’s little girl. So when the Celestial Dog’s tooth called you here, you agreed instantly. Heh.
With a bang, I slammed my fist into the tree trunk.
Let me tell you—once the Prime Ancestor dies, everything about her, including anyone’s memories of her, will be completely erased. The same goes for that girl. The reason I wanted to consume her was to escape the torment of thought. They claim they want you to save her, but in reality, they want to destroy you in time.
Everything was clear now. The time period in which Huangfu Ruofei existed would be swallowed up. So that’s how it is.
Do you have a way, Thought Ghost?
At this moment, the Thought Ghost burst out laughing.
There is a way, but I’m afraid it’s too late. Besides, my true body is still sealed. Those bastards only want to take from me, never give anything in return.
Why? Nuwa is clearly...
No reason. Compassion, mercy? Mother Earth, caring? Heh, are these labels real? They’re just human fantasies. When the world humans built starts falling apart, do you think she’ll show any mercy to a creature like you—neither human nor ghost? Will she care about the world’s safety, or your personal problem?
Tell me, what are your terms?
I roughly understood what the Thought Ghost wanted to do.
It’s simple—let me become your eighth Ghost Soul, and then recover my true body.
Evil glinted in the Thought Ghost’s eyes. I truly didn’t want to accept this guy who had devoured Huangfu Ruofei.
This method can indeed save Huangfu Ruofei, but whether she’s saved or not depends on Nuwa. If you can’t go back, everything will be lost.
Black ghostly threads extended outward, and excitement shone in the Thought Ghost’s eyes.
Instinct... coexistence...
In a daze, I entered the realm of instinct. All seven of my Ghost Souls were there, standing behind me. The black mass before me was the Thought Ghost.
If you try to betray us, we won’t hesitate to kill you.
Ling Serpent stepped forward and said this. The Thought Ghost burst out laughing.
Brothers and sisters, I can call you that now, right? After all, being with others like me is a thousand times better than being with those other guys. Hurry up, Ethan Zhang, there’s not much time.
Black ghostly threads slowly extended toward the Thought Ghost, and its form began to change. Long black hair appeared, and its shape continued to shift.
Heh, that’s enough, Ethan Zhang.
The Thought Ghost before me had become identical to me, except with long hair trailing to the ground—a bizarre sight.