The mountain peak behind Redmond looked ready to collapse at any moment, its foundation trembling and fractured. Calamity burst out in wild laughter.
"That won't work. If what's behind you gets destroyed, it will definitely draw the attention of the Ghost Judges and the Underworld Court. Can't you figure out such a basic problem?"
Redmond snorted coldly and raised his hand. For the first time, a hint of joy flickered in his eyes—his power was finally growing. He lifted his hand, and a ball of black flame ignited in his palm.
"There's no need to rush. Places where you can increase your power here are pitifully scarce, and it's the same in both the Yin-Yang realms. This era doesn't belong to you, or rather, you can't accomplish anything in this era."
"Get lost."
Redmond spat out the curse, instantly enraged by Calamity's words.
"You'll have to take it slow. This kind of power can't be increased in just a day or two. Compared to other ghosts, you're missing something crucial—negative emotions. Even after death, you live more freely than most people or ghosts ever do."
"What do you mean by that?"
Redmond looked ready to argue, but Calamity just smiled and shook his head.
"What I mean is, your mind never dwells on dark or complicated things. You just take life one day at a time, always looking for happiness. Even though your followers from the living world are all dead, they've gathered together here just the same. For most ghosts, that's an incredibly rare thing. Redmond, just trust me. I would never betray you."
Calamity placed a hand on Redmond's shoulder. Redmond stared at Calamity in confusion.
"So you're saying I'm an idiot?"
Calamity burst out laughing. Redmond immediately swung a fist, but Calamity caught it easily. Redmond's eyes widened—Calamity now had a physical form, apparently from absorbing so much Calamity Power.
"What's wrong with being an idiot? Sometimes it's better to play dumb even when you know the truth. Overthinking can become an obstacle. You're not suited for complicated matters, Redmond. Leave those to Vivian Maple and Noah Grimm—they're your most capable lieutenants. You just need to handle the big picture."
"Who the hell wants to be an idiot, you bastard."
Redmond glared coldly at Calamity, and Calamity finally dropped the smile.
"You're different from the others, Redmond. Think carefully about what you truly want, and what you should do. Everyone has their own path. You should follow yours. If you want to surpass them, you can't do it now. Only in the long, distant future will you be able to."
With those words, Calamity vanished. Redmond sat quietly, lost in thought. Gradually, his expression relaxed, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Forget it. No point fighting with them. As long as I can find cracked ice like this mountain peak, I can absorb some power."
Saying this, Redmond stood up and walked onto the ice field. He casually found a table and began drinking and laughing with the Ghost Judges.
Meanwhile, Ji Yun'er was still trying to fuse the lost souls with skeletons. She had found plenty of fresh souls and bones, and although the Ghost Judges outside would sense something was wrong, everything would settle down after a week. That's because, in this Abyssal Hell where countless timelines intersect, the Ghost Judges' memories only last seven days.
Now, with only two days left in the week, Ji Yun'er anxiously stared at the shattered bones and the exploded remains of lost souls, resting her chin in her hands, glum and frustrated.
"What am I supposed to do? This is so hard. How can I piece these things together? Seriously, my brain isn't as smart as that guy Yin Choujian."
Just mentioning Yin Choujian made Ji Yun'er want to ask him for help, but she quickly dismissed the idea with a pout.
"Forget it. I don't want to rely on that guy. I'll figure it out myself."
Ji Yun'er started trying again, but she was different from when she first entered Abyssal Hell. Back then, she was much more lively, but now she seemed like a completely different person.
Ji Yun'er had always possessed two instincts—one for battle, one for exploration. I had heard a bit about her story, but I didn't really understand her current situation.
"Did Ji Yuner's instincts awaken here?"
I asked, and the Wraithlord smiled, nodding as he replied.
"There's another soul inside her body, which is rare. It was born from years of sorrow, pain, and repression, unable to bear the fate of her nation alone. That's why she has two instincts."
I swallowed hard.
"So, Ji Yun'er's second instinct is actually her true instinct—the one that belongs to the other Ji Yun'er inside her body."
The Wraithlord nodded.
"Instinct itself has a tremendous impact on ghosts. When a ghost's instinct awakens, it can drastically change their power."
I couldn't help but ask, puzzled.
"Do you have an instinct?"
The Wraithlord looked at me and shook his head.
"I have no need for such things."
After two days, Ji Yun'er still hadn't succeeded in fusing lost souls with skeletons. The Ghost Sovereigns gathered again, but Yin Choujian's gaze toward Redmond had changed, as if he'd noticed something new.
The other Ghost Sovereigns were also surprised when they saw Redmond. He seemed completely different now—his expression was relaxed, and he no longer seemed troubled by his inability to increase his power.
"I've finished analyzing the formation. I fully understand the ghost array now. Next, I'll work on increasing my power. Once I've reached a certain level, I'll be able to control the array at the entrance."
[End of this section. Please click next page to continue reading!]
Yin Choujian nodded.
"Hurry up, Ji Yun'er. Once you've finished the fusion, we can start the plan. Soon, we won't have to hide underground like this. There are plenty of interesting places and useful things here for ghosts."
All the Wraithlords stared at Yin Choujian in confusion. Though he'd spent the week training underground, he was often out exploring, getting to know everything about this place and constantly questioning the lost souls and Ghost Judges.
"Tell us, Yin Choujian, what exactly have you found?"
Redmond asked, and Yin Choujian smiled, then nodded.
"The longer ghost energy has a chance to gather, the greater its quality. Most of what we see here is pure ghost energy, but within it, I found something different. I don't know where it came from, but you can think of it like ore from the living world. It's perfect for forging weapons. I've already tried it a bit—we can make our own weapons here."
"Who knows how to forge weapons?"
Ji Yun'er blinked, and Berziran smiled.
"Brother Yin, I've heard that many Specter Green Ghosts come to the ghost realm to find materials for forging their own ghost weapons. But you need skilled craftsmen for that—I'm not sure we can do it ourselves."
"I know a little."
At that moment, Lord Shen Yan spoke up. Yin Choujian smiled and nodded.
"Although Lord Shen Yan can't forge the most intricate weapons, making a basic one isn't hard. For now, all we need is a prototype. Once we leave here, we can find skilled ghosts to help us craft proper weapons."
After some discussion, the seven Ghost Sovereigns decided to go their separate ways. Now, everything depended on when Ji Yun'er could fuse the lost souls with the skeletons. Once she succeeded, they planned to clear out the Ghost Judges in Abyssal Hell and take full control.
"Did you ever teach them anything?"
I asked, and the Wraithlord shook his head.
"Unfortunately, if they'd met me back then, I probably would have killed them. They'd never have escaped Abyssal Hell. The time-space I guard is known only to the Ten Yama Kings—no one else knows about it or can enter. I can see them because my power is far greater than theirs, my consciousness stretches endlessly, covering all time and space. But I can't leave."
"Why?"
The Wraithlord laughed heartily as he replied.
"Because I despise instinct. So even though I had no consciousness back then, if I encountered a ghost with instinct, I would have killed them without mercy."
Back when Zhang Qingyuan and the others went to the base of Mount Wuliang to collect the Wraithlord's blood, the Wraithlord was probably already plotting something.
After the Ghost Sovereigns left, Ji Yun'er started throwing a tantrum again. She still couldn't fuse the skeletons and lost souls, and another attempt ended in failure.
"Letting this drag on won't help."
Ji Yun'er muttered, sinking into deep thought. After a long time, she still couldn't come up with anything, so she got up and tried again—only to fail once more.
"I'm done. I'm done. This is so annoying."
Novelty was extremely important to Ji Yun'er, but now everything had become dull and tedious, with no progress at all.
Ji Yun'er simply lay down on a pile of bones, staring quietly upward as if lost in memory. Gradually, her expression turned cold, and a trace of sorrow appeared in her eyes.
"If I can't do it, then I can't do it. What else can I do? It was like this before, and it's the same now. Honestly..."