"Is it the color of those suns?"
Xu Fu chuckled and nodded, then waved his hand and said:
"Since the truth is out, I'll tell you. The green sun is the vital energy source for everything on this island. The purple sun allows things to move and transmit behavioral patterns. The red sun lets the island's strongest beings start devouring others—if something resists, it replaces the strongest. The black sun drives all mobile creatures into a frenzy. It's all for survival of the fittest, natural selection. The real name of this place is the Isle of Nine Shadows."
Everything became clear with Xu Fu's explanation. I stared at him in a daze.
"So, you're saying that everything here was created for a specific purpose?"
"That's one way to put it. From the world you saw with human civilization governed by three creators, to the testing ground for the seven emotions, and now to this Isle of Nine Shadows—it's all for filtering, layer by layer, just to obtain something they desire."
"What do you think they want? Spending so many years and so much effort to build all of this."
I asked bluntly. I knew Xu Fu had some answers, but he seemed unwilling to tell me. His sinister face looked as if he was enjoying manipulating everything bit by bit.
"Alright, Ethan Zhang, I'll tell you. They're likely trying to build the strongest body for some specific purpose, and that's tied to the Dark Banquet. That's all I know."
"Have you heard of the Duality Seal?"
I asked, feeling that everything in this world was somehow connected to what I saw beneath Mount Immeasurable, at the Dao Sect. Back then, John Chou mentioned the Nine Yin and Nine Yang, and Xu Fu said this place was called the Isle of Nine Shadows.
"I don't know what that is."
A wicked smile flickered across Xu Fu's lips. I sneered and scanned the surroundings.
"Even you seem unable to handle whatever lives on the ninth island."
Xu Fu nodded.
"When I first arrived, these nine islands were already here. They're arranged in tiers, from the first to the ninth, and only the strongest from each tribe can ascend to the next island."
"How do we get out?"
"You must have seen the colored paths—they link the nine islands together. The islands are all connected, but none of those paths lead back to the outside world. I let you in to get their research results, but as for why they allowed me to bring you, what do you think?"
As Xu Fu spoke, he climbed down from the tree. I followed close behind. He looked around cautiously, then beckoned me over.
"I'll take you somewhere safe—a place where you can temporarily avoid the beasts' attacks."
I followed Xu Fu through the forest, moving swiftly. According to him, he couldn't take me out of here.
All around us in the forest, massive and bizarre beasts prowled. Xu Fu and I had to hide and dodge them as we made our way. After about an hour, we reached a stretch of rocky ground, littered with brownish-yellow stones. Xu Fu led me through the rocks until we arrived at the entrance to a cave.
"Don't worry. I set up this place long ago. I've scattered some special substances outside—the beasts can't find us here."
Once inside, a flame flickered to life on the cave wall, illuminating the space. The cave was small, just a few dozen square meters, with a stone bed covered in bedding. Xu Fu entered and lay down.
"Earlier, you asked why they allowed you in."
"Those three—when talking about your instincts, they dodge the question, but as soon as you arrived, their eyes went red. They're eager to use your instincts for their own ends."
"Isn't that what you want too?"
I asked. Xu Fu looked at me for a long moment before nodding.
"That's right. They want to link this world to the living realm. They sent out a Yaksha before, but it failed. They've tried everything, but the barrier of the Underworld still stands. So they created these powerful monsters here—if enough strength is gathered, maybe the barrier can be broken. But now, you're here."
"Is that so."
I remembered how the members of the Immortality Society once tried to seize my instincts. I scoffed and glared at Xu Fu.
"Hey, don't glare at me, Ethan Zhang. Those people are your enemies; I may be one indirectly, but that's a separate matter. Right now, neither of us is safe. The only way is to survive here."
"Weren't you able to move freely before? Across these three worlds?"
Xu Fu sat up.
"My privileges have been revoked. It's like a game—I used to be the admin, but now those three have stripped me of my rights. In the game they've built, you and I are just pieces for them to control."
That's the last thing I wanted to hear—my fate controlled by others.
"Those three know that if they force you, it'll backfire. It's happened before—when you're cornered, even the strongest, like Lao Chongyuan and his group, fell. It's almost laughable."
"My goal has always been the same—I came here to find my woman."
"Then that's exactly what they want. The moment you succeed, they'll be able to connect this world to the living realm. Think carefully, Ethan Zhang."
I nodded.
"If we reach the realm of the living, we'll be equals. No matter how strong they are here, the living world isn't..."
"You've misunderstood, Ethan Zhang. If their ambitions were limited to the living realm, those three would have died by my hand long ago. Their plans are far from small. What they're doing—though the destination differs from ours—requires more time than we can imagine, and may never be achieved."
For a while, Xu Fu and I fell silent. I stared at the greenish sky outside. Xu Fu lay on the bed, eyes closed, resting.
What I was doing amounted to helping the Emperor God and Xu Fu—even worsening the situation.
Troubled, I sat at the cave entrance. So much was unclear to me. I wanted to ask Yin Choujian, but we could no longer communicate. My physical body was destroyed when I became a fiend, and the tricks Yin Choujian once played inside me had long lost their effect.
Just then, I stood up in surprise. Amid the piles of rocks in the distance, something gray-blue caught my eye—so different from the surrounding stones. I looked around, then dashed toward it.
As I drew closer, I realized it was a statue. Approaching, I saw it clearly—a statue of Nuwa. I swallowed hard. This was a deity from the era of the Yellow Emperor, a statue radiating solemnity, sitting quietly among the rocks.
The statue's surface was still pristine, betraying no age. It was strange—why would a statue of Nuwa be here? I've been in this world a long time, but faith in gods doesn't exist here.
I've never seen a statue of a god or Buddha in this world.
"It's been here for many years—since I arrived, about five hundred years ago."
Xu Fu suddenly appeared behind me. He walked over, touched the statue, and smiled.
"Mother Goddess Nuwa, the ancestor of humanity—you know her, right? The Eight Ancient Clans of antiquity."
I nodded.
"Ji, Jiang, Yao, Ying, Si, Yun, Gui, Ji—all eight have the character for 'woman' in their names."
"That's right. These eight great surnames inherited a trace of Nuwa's bloodline and were named after her."
I made a sound of acknowledgment and looked at Xu Fu. He gazed at the statue of Nuwa with a wicked smile.
"I've thought about the things in this world. Maybe those impossible things really do exist, Ethan Zhang."
At that moment, I sensed something strange. Xu Fu's heart skipped a beat; he turned and shouted.
"Run!"
I nodded and ran with Xu Fu. In the distant sky, a swarm of dark shapes approached. I couldn't see clearly, so I kept my head down and ran. Then I heard a piercing shriek. Looking up, something shot toward me like an arrow. I dodged, and the shadow immediately targeted me again.
With a snap, Xu Fu grabbed something strange—it looked like a bird, its body shaped like a cone, its beak sharp as a blade, and no wings were visible.
"Hurry, Ethan Zhang!"
As he spoke, Xu Fu crushed the strange bird in his hand and ran with me back to the cave. My heart pounded as I looked outside. The sky was swarming with shadowy birds, circling above us.
"Things are getting complicated."
I didn't need him to tell me—we'd been discovered. The strange birds kept shrieking, crowding around our hiding place like a living wall.