I quietly watched Isabelle Frost. She looked as if she already knew everything, her red eyes fixed on me.
Miss Isabelle, if you knew, why didn't you say so earlier?
I only deduced it from everything that's happened here. Besides, a long time ago, I noticed John Chou's incredible ability to recover. All seven Ghost Sovereigns are like this—no matter how badly they're hurt, by the next day, they're completely healed.
Thinking back, when John Chou first appeared, his condition was worse than the Yellow Pages Ghost. After the brutal fight with the Ghost Mound, the spell cast by Chen Jun, and the Three-Day Ghost Subduing Ritual performed by the Blind Old Woman and the Little Old Man, John Chou was standing before me the next day as if nothing had happened.
All these memories keep surfacing before me. During the time Bertram was enveloped, his Wooden Contract Stone was clearly devoured by Dreadstar, and he himself was on the verge of disappearing. Now, as a ghost, I know that when a ghost suffers severe injuries, even the strongest take a long time to recover.
But John Chou and the others, no matter how badly they're hurt, are always restored by the next day.
No matter how powerful they are, they're still ghosts at the end of the day. Ethan Zhang, haven't you ever wondered about this?
I made a sound of acknowledgment, nodded, glanced at Isabelle Frost, then looked at Jonas Darong.
Village Chief, how do we reach the previous time point?
Although Jonas Darong said he had never seen Yvonne May's primal essence, he only knew about the power's form—the Chronostone. Everything here began after the seven Ghost Sovereigns fought. If we can reach the first January 1st, maybe we'll find Yvonne May's primal essence.
Looks like you understand a little now, Ethan Zhang.
For once, Isabelle Frost smiled. I looked into the distance; the sky was beginning to lighten.
What happens next is up to you.
As Jonas Darong spoke, he slowly dissolved into a faint green light and vanished.
By the way, Miss Isabelle, what did you mean by sleeping on the other side just now? I never sensed you hiding inside my ghost soul.
Isabelle Frost shot me a cold glance, and I shut my mouth. It seemed she wasn't going to tell me.
Ethan Zhang, when you get out, will you need help with what you have to do?
I made a sound of surprise, blinked, and looked at Isabelle Frost. She gazed quietly at me. At that moment, clusters of bright red spider lilies bloomed across the ground.
I do. I hope Miss Isabelle can help me.
Just then, Isabelle Frost clutched her stomach, her face playful as she burst out laughing.
Blackfang, huh? Heh, not bad. Since John Chou likes being on top so much, let's kick him down. That should feel pretty good, right, Ethan Zhang?
He's your brother, after all. And at birth...
Isabelle Frost shot me a cold glare. I shut my mouth and said nothing more.
The darkness you've taken on might be deep, so let's call it Blackfang. But my darkness is above yours.
As Isabelle Frost spoke, I stared in shock as the red spider lilies around us began to turn black, sending a chill through my forehead.
The area all around had been severely affected. The darkness radiating from Isabelle Frost's body turned the land black and scorched, and the crops in the wheat fields withered.
I swallowed hard and hurriedly spoke up.
Alright, alright, Miss Isabelle, I understand.
Isabelle Frost covered her face and smiled, then floated upward, gazing coldly at the distant sky as she spoke.
John Chou, you bastard, just wait. Once we're out, you'll get what's coming to you.
I sighed helplessly and could only shake my head.
Miss Isabelle, what now? I'm completely out of ideas. How do we get to the previous time point—January 1, 1986?
Isabelle Frost pointed toward the front of the village.
If there's truly no end, then how can yin and yang transform into each other? Go look for it—find the place where time flows, then return to that point, and you'll find the way to the previous January 1st.
With that, Isabelle Frost floated across the river toward the temple.
What are you planning to do, Miss Isabelle?
Isabelle Frost didn't answer. She floated to the temple across the river and descended. I didn't ask further. I floated up, looking at the half-destroyed village. Deep down, I felt uneasy, but I had to keep playing the villain until we took down the Immortality Society.
With this chance to disappear from hell, the only people who know I'm back are John Chou, Mr. Brown, and Isabelle Frost. From now on, I'll act in the shadows—I won't let the Immortality Society get the upper hand again.
A much larger plan was stirring within me. To break through the Immortality Society's fog, this might be the only way—becoming a true evil ghost, one of Blackfang's fiends.
By noon, I reached my limit again. My Ghost Souls all returned to my body. To recover, I went to the grove at the edge of the village, leaned against a thick tree trunk, and quietly watched the villagers, who were full of despair.
The so-called flow of time—what I know now is that at midnight, time begins to flow backward, and only then does it rush in reverse. Those white streams must be the result of time's rapid reversal. At zero hour on January 1st, time resumes its normal flow, and its direction becomes invisible.
After sorting everything out in my mind, I understood that only at midnight would I have a chance to see the flow of time.
And before, the memory fragments I found from Liu Tao—what were they, really? Now that I understand part of what's going on here, I'm even more puzzled by those fragments.
Time ticked by. Around eleven o'clock, I floated high above, looking down at the village. Isabelle Frost followed.
We waited quietly, waiting for midnight on January 2nd. Suddenly, massive white streams appeared on the ground, enveloping the whole village, even Isabelle Frost and me.
But faintly, I saw something—the streams weren't flowing straight up, but swirling like a vortex. I tried to look at the center, but thunder rumbled in my ears, rain pounded the grove, and Isabelle Frost was right beside me.
Let's go. It's time to head to January 1, 1986.
I made a sound of surprise and looked at Isabelle Frost. Then she turned into a green light and flew over Liu Tao and his group, who stared in shock. I floated over as well. Suddenly, the air was filled with black arrows of deadly energy, raining down on the entire village.
You... Liu Tao glared at me viciously, but I just smiled coldly.
All around, wails erupted. The awakened villagers screamed in pain, their cries clear in the heavy rain.
Think carefully about how to truly become stronger. Next time I return, this place might come to an end.
Where are you going?
Liu Tao asked. I smiled.
Naturally, I'm going to check on the rest of the Ghost Burial Squad.
I sneered, leaving Liu Tao and his group petrified in the rain.
Isabelle Frost was already standing by the well in the center of the village, quietly gazing inside.
Miss Isabelle, how do we get to January 1, 1986? Do you have a way?
Suddenly, Isabelle Frost waved her hand. A villager flew over, his body pierced by arrows, wailing in pain. He stared at us in terror as Liu Tao and his group rushed over.
Don't let them see for now.
Isabelle Frost spoke. I nodded, waved my hand, and a barrier of black deadly energy sealed off the area.
Is it blood? The Darong Clan's blood in this village?
I asked, staring at Isabelle Frost in surprise. I hadn't considered this. Isabelle slowly lifted the villager over the well, and blood dripped down into it.
But after a long while, nothing happened. Just as I thought maybe it wasn't blood, Isabelle Frost suddenly flew out of the barrier. Soon, she dragged back an elderly man.
You're the village chief, right?
Isabelle Frost asked coldly. The old man nodded repeatedly. Then Isabelle sliced open his palm, letting the blood drip into the well.
Then something strange happened—black-green light started to glow from the well. I stared in shock.
As more blood dripped into the well, the village chief kept shouting. Isabelle Frost used ghost energy to speed up the blood flow, and soon the chief was lifeless, every drop of his blood drained into the well.
Then, at the bottom of the well, I saw a flash of white light.
Stop dawdling, let's go, Ethan Zhang.
Isabelle Frost said, tossing the village chief aside. With a whoosh, she dove into the well. I hurried after her. The white light grew brighter and brighter, and both of us were swallowed by it.