Between heaven and earth, that abnormally powerful force came to an abrupt halt. Everything returned to calm. Tan Tian also stopped his attack, revealing his true form. A trace of green light shimmered as the broken spear in Yuna Ji’s hand transformed into sparkling, emerald-green fragments that then dissipated into the air.
I collapsed to the ground, unable to move. In that brief moment, it was Luna Quay who protected Yuna Ji. Now, Luna Quay wore a gentle smile, showing no sign of distress from the recent attack.
Struggling, I propped myself up and slowly crawled to my feet. I had no idea what had just happened—only that, in an instant, as I kept absorbing the power of the Nether Syndicate, all my ghost threads snapped and vanished at once.
Rufina Howard hurried to my side and helped me up. My whole body trembled, feeling utterly weak. Her frail figure supported me as she led me toward Luna Quay and the others.
At this moment, Yuna Ji's face was clouded with sorrow. Tears, like broken pearls, kept falling. The resolute look she once wore was gone; now, she was simply a girl crying in heartbreak.
Luna Quay still wore a gentle smile. He raised a hand, gently wiping away Yuna Ji’s tears, while Tan Tian stood silently to the side.
"Let me do it myself, little one."
Seeing Rufina Howard struggling to support me, I said, but she stubbornly shook her head and kept guiding me toward Luna Quay.
When I reached Luna Quay, I saw that his chest shimmered with flecks of silver light. There was a gaping hole there, and a silver, diamond-like object—partially transparent—had formed deep cracks. Its edges were turning to dust, gradually scattering and floating away.
"Luna Quay, why is it that you could see through my killing move?"
"Tan Tian, it was Master Ethan who warned me. When he saw through your true form, you didn’t retreat but struck directly. That’s when I saw it clearly. Impressive, really."
Luna Quay’s body began to stiffen, as if turning to stone, little by little. Still, he kept reaching out to wipe away the tears on Yuna Ji’s cheeks.
"Yuna, don’t cry. As long as you’re safe, that’s enough. You’re beautiful, you know. I saw your Instinct—was this always who you were?"
Yuna Ji just shook her head weakly. From the look of Tan Tian, it seemed he had already given up the fight.
I looked at Luna Quay in deep regret, clenching my fists, though my fingers no longer obeyed me. If I hadn’t recklessly tried to disrupt this wedding, Luna Quay and Yuna Ji wouldn’t have ended up like this.
"Master Ethan, you don’t need to blame yourself. In truth, I never intended to marry Yuna."
As soon as Luna Quay finished, Tan Tian crouched down, grabbing Luna Quay’s gradually petrifying hand with force. The petrification slowed.
"Luna Quay, speak. Is there anything else you want to say?"
From Tan Tian’s tone, it seemed Luna Quay was at his limit—about to fade away.
Yuna Ji began to tremble all over, silently crying. She looked nothing like a Ghoul Lord now.
"Yuna, do you remember? The face that never fades in twilight, the warmth in life that never leaves."
Luna Quay had said this to me before, just last night. Yuna Ji nodded vigorously. Luna Quay slowly raised a hand, and a sparkling tear lifted his fingers ever so slightly.
"I can't feel it—not at all. This tear, once warm, feels as if it doesn't exist in my hand."
Tan Tian suddenly furrowed his brows and stared blankly at Luna Quay.
"It's fading away—every feeling I ever had." As Luna Quay finished speaking, Tan Tian looked utterly shocked, mouth agape.
"What’s happening?" I asked.
Tan Tian explained that Luna Quay, though a revenant, once possessed human emotions. He was an anomaly among revenants, who normally cannot feel heat, cold, or any emotion—no joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure. They are mere walking corpses, unable to even taste what they eat.
A thousand years ago, Luna Quay happened to meet Yuna Ji and realized that ghosts and revenants were strikingly similar. As a ghost, Yuna Ji could manipulate the dead, and her powers allowed her to subtly control revenants, making them obey her.
From that moment, the revenant clan began to take notice of Yuna Ji. After long observation, Luna Quay and Yuna Ji made contact and reached a certain agreement. But things did not go as they expected.
Yuna Ji was captured by the Underworld Court, and Luna Quay failed to save her.
"Yuna, last time I couldn't save you—I watched helplessly as you fell into Abyssal Hell. But this time, I saved you!"
As Luna Quay spoke, Yuna Ji kept shaking her head.
In the years that followed, Luna Quay and the people of the Nether Syndicate tried everything they could. But since the Underworld Court ruled the earth, they were powerless. Against the strength of the Ten Judges, they could never win Yuna Ji back.
Unexpected events always happened. While the three clans of the Nether Syndicate were searching for a solution, Luna Quay heard about John Chou establishing the Hall of Bloodbane. He went to visit John Chou, and after learning Yuna Ji’s whereabouts...
The entire Nether Syndicate supported Yuna Ji. In a short time, she became the Last Ghost Sovereign. Meanwhile, Tan Tian accidentally overheard a method...
That was: if someone from the Nether Syndicate married Yuna Ji, becoming her spouse, the union would be extremely special. It could only happen on certain days—and just now was one of those moments.
Normally, heaven and earth would never permit such a union. But Tan Tian explained that, every few centuries, there are rare moments called Hidden Time—a day that does not exist in this world.
At this point, I suddenly remembered: the founder of the Nether Syndicate, Old Man Naylor, who was born on that nonexistent day—hence, his cat-like nature.
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Only during this time that does not exist in the world can the two become husband and wife, thus bypassing the laws of heaven and earth. Only then can a union between a human and a revenant be recognized.
Once Yuna Ji and Luna Quay are united, they can give birth to new life. Tan Tian heard that if a revenant with emotions marries Yuna Ji, what they create could help the revenant clan reclaim their lost feelings.
"Who told you all this?" Yuna Ji wiped her tears, looking at Tan Tian. But Tan Tian only shook his head.
"I don’t know. But that person is even stronger than I am."
For a moment, I was stunned, staring at Tan Tian. His strength was overwhelming, so to hear him say this—the one who told him this secret must be unimaginably powerful. I can’t even imagine it.
Now I finally understood why Tan Tian suddenly tried to kill Yuna Ji. Perhaps their clan’s hope was destroyed—a thousand years of hope, gone in an instant.
"Maybe it’s just an illusion, a flower in water, a moon in the mirror. Maybe that person lied to us. Even if the one I love stands before me, I feel no warmth. Even knowing my beloved is grieving, I feel no trace of sadness. My emotions are almost gone; only memories remain in this cold body. Even knowing that we revenants are an unnatural existence—a sorrowful existence—I feel no anger at this irrationality. No matter how much power I have, it’s nothing compared to the tear on my fingertip, this warmth... I wish I could feel it once more..."
Luna Quay’s voice was low, almost mournful. Yet on his cracked, peerless face, I felt no sadness—he was still smiling.
Luna Quay’s body was fading away, along with the silver Golden Soulstone in his chest. Yuna Ji broke down in tears, while I watched Luna Quay in silence.
Suddenly, there was a commotion. I turned my head slightly—it was Lance Quinn. He walked over slowly and knelt on one knee before Luna Quay.
"Boss, even if you can’t feel it—even if only memories remain—you did what you had to do. Your body may be cold, without warmth, but... you truly did it. You broke through the limits of being a revenant. For the one you love, having that awareness is enough. Boss..."
Lance Quinn looked agitated, but his face still wore that sly grin. If I didn’t know the real story, I might have punched him.
Luna Quay was as gentle as ever, smiling and shaking his head, raising his hand—half gone with the wind—to caress Yuna Ji’s cheek.
Yuna Ji kept shaking her head, saying nothing.
Though they were all revenants—walking corpses with thoughts but no human feelings—they were still alive. I looked seriously at Luna Quay.
"Master Ethan, tell Brother John to be careful. Out there, plenty of people may be after his head."
"I will," I choked out, then slowly sat down beside Luna Quay.
At that moment, silver-gray moonlight poured down again. Luna Quay looked up, peaceful, leaning against Yuna Ji’s embrace. He raised his hand toward the full moon in the sky. His body kept cracking, about to vanish with the swirling moonlit leaves.
"Wait..."
Luantian Xuekui suddenly approached and looked at Tan Tian.
"Tan Tian, try to hold on a little longer. There may be a way to save Luna Quay."
In an instant, every one of us—human and ghost alike—showed surprise on our faces.
Luantian Xuekui came right up to me. I blinked. She reached out and roughly moved me aside, then suddenly knelt on one knee before Rufina Howard.
"Young lady, please save Luna Quay."