It was as if someone was chanting Buddhist sutras in a low, droning voice; the sound mingled with the wind, seeping into my bones and making me deeply uneasy. My Ghost Soul quivered with a bizarre sensation, as if it wanted to tear itself from my body and drift away, drawn by the haunting Buddhist chanting that rose and fell in the air.
That feeling grew stronger and stronger, until Quinn Lee suddenly froze in place, turned his head, and stared straight at me.
"Sit down and steady yourself, Brother Zhang. The strange thing about this place is that any ghost who enters is pulled by a mysterious force. Just ignore it."
I nodded and sat down. The Dragon seemed completely untouched by any of this, but I alone felt that strange sensation. It wasn’t painful; instead, my mind was eerily calm and oddly comfortable. I kept feeling as if I might float up at any moment, weightless and almost ready to drift away.
Suddenly, the Buddhist chanting grew sharper, buzzing ceaselessly in my mind. A creeping dread overcame me as my Ghost Soul began to shift, inching its way out, desperate to escape my body.
The chanting grew more intense, and my face turned ashen. The Dragon and Quinn Lee sensed something was wrong; they rushed over, crouching beside me to examine my state.
Something was twisting my thoughts. My Ghost Aura was steadily fading away. The situation was dire—not only did I feel no pain, I was growing dangerously comfortable, as if my whole being was melting, dissolving into formless softness.
My consciousness began to blur; the voices of Quinn Lee and The Dragon faded, receding into a distant haze.
Gradually, I slipped into a pitch-black void—my Instinctive Space. The moment I regained awareness, I sensed something was wrong, a disturbance rippling through my domain.
"Ethan Zhang, snap out of it! Cut off your connection to Instinct, now!"
Suddenly, my shadow appeared behind me. As I turned, I saw my six Ghost Souls—each one seemed bewitched, kneeling devoutly with hands pressed together in prayer. I walked toward them, unsettled.
"What’s wrong with you all?"
I first asked Zhu Tang, but he only lifted his head, looking relaxed and silent, smiling faintly. Even the Yin Ghost’s usual twisted grin had softened into a gentle smile.
"You... have arrived..."
A voice, both commanding and overflowing with an aura of supreme blessing, descended from above. Waves of golden light shimmered, instantly drawing my attention.
I looked up and saw strings of swastika symbols appear in the sky, followed by lines upon lines of glowing script.
"With bowed head, I purify my heart and land. In the southern world, fragrant clouds surge. Countless treasures rain down, endless Buddha stores, great merciful ones. Clouds of flowers, rain of incense—auspicious signs, blessings spread everywhere. The gods and men ask Buddha the reason, all Buddhas of three times praise together. Today I plant good karma, Buddha proclaims Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva King. Bodhisattvas of all ten directions take refuge, extolling Kṣitigarbha’s true merit..."
As those golden words floated before my eyes, my mind grew dazed and muddled. Unconsciously, I began to squat down, then pressed my hands together and knelt on the ground.
"Stay awake, Ethan Zhang! Don’t let yourself be bewitched by this false Buddhist aura!"
My shadow shook my body urgently, but my mind was a tangled mess. All I knew was that I was kneeling, yet deep down I understood—I had to stand up and sever the link between Instinct and myself, or something terrible would happen.