I stood in silence, staring at the desiccated skeleton before me. The unsettling details I’d sensed earlier now locked into place—these bones were slender, unmistakably a woman’s, not a man’s. But why was this Rachel Lan’s corpse? That question gnawed at me, refusing to let go.
"Don’t look at me. I don’t know the details either. John Chou instructed me to prepare for this plan ages ago."
"How long ago was it, exactly?"
I pressed the question. Instantly, Ronan Wu’s face twisted into a wicked, unnatural grin—so chilling, it sent icy fingers crawling down my spine. I loathed this man; every aspect of him was repugnant, a festering presence that made my skin crawl.
"Two centuries ago."
"That’s impossible. Are you saying John Chou saw all this coming two hundred years ago?"
I pressed on, but Ronan Wu simply waved his hand, dismissive and cold.
(Irrelevant/non-narrative passage omitted as per feedback. Line removed for narrative flow.)
Suddenly, my heart trembled. Images flashed rapidly through my mind, as if I’d realized something. I slowly approached Rachel Lan’s remains, squatted down, and heard a sizzling sound—the immense force of the Living World was burning my skin, making the Ghost Souls inside me restless.
With a thought, all the Ghost Souls emerged from my body.
"You all, go outside."
I knew Rachel Lan had died once before, and I was there at the time. I’d just managed to find the entrance to the Fortress Cell, fought my way in, and barely took down one of Mason Payne’s doubles. But by the time I arrived, it was already too late—Rachel Lan and one of Lao Chongyuan’s doubles had perished together.
That’s the only reason I can think of for why Rachel Lan’s remains are here.
"There’s nothing to worry about. Boss Yin has already arranged everything. Just relax."
Ronan Wu grinned with confidence. I’d heard Rachel Lan mention before that when she came to this island, she began fighting with this skeleton. What struck her as odd was that the skeleton, which John Chou claimed to be his own, could match Rachel Lan’s strength, speed, and even moves exactly. It felt like she was fighting her reflection in a mirror.
Normally, no matter how much you control your power or mimic someone’s moves, it’s impossible to achieve such perfect imitation—there are always subtle differences. Things were getting more complicated, and the only solution was to wait for John Chou to return and explain everything.
Suddenly, I felt the Deathbane Ghost calling me in my mind. I didn’t know what was happening, but I quickly left the underground chamber and returned to the mountaintop. In an instant, I found myself on a flat patch of forest below. Rachel Lan was sitting on the ground, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. The Deathbane Ghost stood nearby, smiling coldly.
"What is it? Why did you call me?"
"Earthly Soul, I don’t want to train with this guy anymore. You take over, or do it yourself."
I looked at the Deathbane Ghost in confusion. He said nothing and returned to my body. Rachel Lan’s face showed a hint of anger, and now all the Ghost Souls had gathered. The Spirit Snake quietly watched Rachel Lan.
"Let me do it. The others are probably too rough—they don’t consider Rachel Lan’s human limits at all."
I nodded. I trusted the Spirit Snake; after all, he’d always been the one in the Nether Syndicate responsible for training snake-attribute heirs—he’d mentored countless people, and Ethan Zhang’s strength had grown bit by bit thanks to his help.
"By the way, Rachel Lan, let me ask you something. After you were resurrected, did you notice anything strange about your body?"
I asked, and Rachel Lan looked at me in confusion, answering with a question of her own.
"What do you mean by strange?"
I didn’t know how to respond, so I just shook my head.
"Rest for a bit and continue training later. I’m heading out."
I couldn’t sit still anymore. I knew bringing Rachel Lan here wasn’t just to train her and protect the two instincts inside her—there was a third purpose, and that was John Chou’s true goal. Otherwise, he’d have taken Rachel Lan to find his Hundred Ghosts, which would have been better training. He would’ve taught Rachel Lan a lot more along the way.
"Go on, go on."
Rachel Lan smiled and stood up again. I saw joy in her eyes and couldn’t help but smile myself. I couldn’t wait for John Chou to come back—I had to find him myself and get answers.
As I floated into the sky, just as I was about to call out, the Shadow Realm split open. I stepped out into blinding sunlight—it was just past noon. I found myself alone on a deserted beach, scanning the surroundings, planning to set up some defenses. Without my permission, no one could enter this island.
With a thought, Endbringer was already in my hand. I quietly stared at the calm sea.
"Domain... open..."
With a hum, darkness instantly fell around me. The island and the surrounding sea were shrouded in a thin black veil. I stabbed Endbringer into the ground—black lightning, like tiny snakes, shot out in all directions, crawling across the island’s sky. No light could penetrate. Once it stabilized, I looked around.
My domain could unleash Endbringer’s Power the moment an enemy entered, shredding anything inside. As long as the Endbringer Blade was here, there was nothing to worry about. Even if Tan Tian showed up, this power could hold for a while, and I’d be able to rush back quickly.
"What are you planning to do?"
Behind me, Ronan Wu appeared. A flash of green light, and I turned my head. The Shadow Realm split open a little, revealing half of Ronan’s face, his eyes slightly red and fixed on me.
This chapter isn’t finished yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!
"It’s just a precaution—I don’t feel safe."
"No need. Like I said, Boss Yin will have everything prepared."