"Where is Master Zachary Wu? He did all this for me..."
Just as I was about to speak, Zachary Justice raised his hand and shook his head.
"You don't need to blame yourself. Although Zhang Anle is dead, his soul remains intact. Didn't you already release him from the Underworld?"
I nodded with a hum.
"Next, I want to talk about the Starshard Radiance."
I swallowed and nodded seriously, listening intently.
"At that time, the Wraithlord's three souls briefly escaped from Hell."
My eyes widened in astonishment.
Zachary Justice began explaining: Long ago, after Tao had survived its most perilous phase and started to stabilize, the new Hell was taking shape. It was the time when the Sixfold Cycle system was first established, and the foundation of the new Hell was still fragile.
However, the mortal world was in chaos. Hundreds of schools of thought emerged, and ancient faith had already faded. This was the last gate left in the world after the gods abandoned it. But because faith had declined, the gate grew narrower and narrower. Eventually, even Mother Goddess Nuwa's power was no longer enough to suppress the Wraithlord's Earthly Soul imprisoned in Hell.
It was at this moment that the Earthly Soul escaped, leaving Hell for the living world. The Taoist sect took notice of this formidable ghost, and Laozi, the founder of the sect who was nearing the end of his life, responded immediately. Countless members of the sect perished.
To deal with this ghost, wave after wave of Taoists rushed forward, and even the Underworld sent many ghosts to help. Yet, they still couldn't subdue the Wraithlord's Earthly Soul. It kept searching for the pillar, muttering about the pillar incessantly.
Finally, things became unmanageable. Laozi created the strongest Dragon Plaza Binding Circle, and with the combined strength of his nine disciples, they managed to execute the Wraithlord's Earthly Soul. But nothing truly changed—the formation weakened as time passed.
In the years that followed, as Laozi was about to depart, he finally devised a solution: he moved the Wraithlord's restriction to a new location, the bottom of Mount Immeasurable—a place of extreme yin and cold, the Nine Yin Domain. By harnessing the transformation of yin and yang, space and time constantly shifted, and with the power of the sun, moon, and stars, he created an even stronger reverse seal.
Originally, Laozi intended to completely seal the Wraithlord's Earthly Soul, so it could never escape. But he hesitated. Even with such a profound sealing method, the buildup over time would inevitably lead to disaster. So Laozi left behind a key to freely enter the sealed domain, naming it the Starshard Radiance.
At the moment of his passing, he infused the stone with all his Tao, bringing it to life. The Starshard Radiance would then choose its successor, guiding the chosen one to Mount Immeasurable to guard the mountain's yin-yang cycle. Each day, they would observe the balance, and if anything went wrong, they could intervene. For over two thousand years, the formation operated peacefully.
Later, even after Mount Immeasurable lost its guardian, the Boundless Vine formed from Master Boundless after his death firmly stabilized the mountain's yin-yang transformation. When Zachary Justice died, his disciple Wuju told everything to the Taoist sect.
To protect Mount Immeasurable, the nine Taoist heirs of each generation, upon death, would send their primordial spirit to the mountain’s outskirts to guard it. Only this way could the mountain be fully protected. That’s why, even though the Immortality Society knew the location, they never dared to act.
My eyes widened as I started to understand.
"Indeed, because you have the Starshard Radiance within you, those primordial spirits didn’t attack. Last time, John Chou took the Wraithlord’s blood—that was likely the best gift for him. Some Taoists who survived back then know the truth: John Chou and his group made a great effort to approach Mount Immeasurable. The Immortality Society has already started targeting Taoists in secret to weaken their power. If not for the Seven Ghost Sovereigns, the Immortality Society would have wiped out the Taoists long ago. So, knowing all this, John Chou used you for his plans, and they pretended nothing happened—as long as the Wraithlord’s Earthly Soul remains at the bottom of Mount Immeasurable."
I remembered that time, fighting the Nether Syndicate Operatives in the Nether Pit. Yin Chou handed me a small vial of black blood. After I drank it, a power surged inside me, nearly tearing me apart.
Zachary Justice continued speaking.
The reason there has been peace for so many years is because the Wraithlord's Earthly Soul was sealed. His Earthly Soul is the strongest; the Human Soul and Heavenly Soul are far weaker. That's why the Forest of Desire and the space-time restriction on the Heavenly Soul are still secure—the two souls can't break through. The most important thing now is the Wraithlord's Seven Souls: I have one inside me, the Immortality Society has one, three are lost in this darkness, and two remain missing.
But at that moment, my heart was in chaos. I couldn't describe the Zachary Justice before me—he felt different, somehow not quite the same. I didn't know why, but that's how I felt.
Zachary Justice stopped talking. He looked at me with a helpless gaze and a faint smile.
"It seems you already know, Qingyuan..."
I lifted my head, a swirl of emotions inside me.
"You said it before, didn't you? You're already dead. While Zachary Justice was powerful in life, he's gone now. Even if his primordial spirit is sealed in a talisman, it's long since severed from his body and soul. Zachary Justice is no longer in this world—in fact, he doesn't exist anywhere anymore."
I quietly crouched down, hugging my arms, unsure how to handle the sadness in my heart.
"You can't even say a word—not even the simplest words of thanks."