After we passed through, just as I expected, I saw John Chou holding a strand of Sunset Vine in his hand. Its color was like a cloud at dusk, and I couldn't contain my excitement. The piece was only about the length of a thumb.
"That's not it, John Chou. My master once said, it has to be the section that's still attached to the gourd, and it must be exactly seven inches and six-tenths long—about the length of a chopstick. This represents the seven passions and six desires of a person. Only the Sunset Vine born from this is valid. Not a fraction more, not a fraction less."
We've reached a complete stalemate. No matter how much we search, I've found vines that look like the sunset color, but they're still far from the seven inches and six-tenths Zhang Jizheng described.
A whole week had passed, and still, there was no progress. Day and night, we searched relentlessly, practically turning over all of Mount Immeasurable, but found nothing.
"The Nine Dao Gate Elders may be arriving soon, young master. What should we do?"
The sun had just risen—it was the morning of the eighth day. But still, there was no sign of the vine.
John Chou was still deep in thought.
"Did your master ever say whether this place really has the Sunset Vine?"
John Chou asked, and Zhang Jizheng nodded.
"My master said this place does have it. But for hundreds of years, many predecessors have been here, and almost none have found it. All they've found are vines with the sunset color, but the size is always wrong."
"Mr. Brown, brother, go and cut down all the sunset-colored vines we've found, bring them here."
Zhang Jizheng stared blankly at John Chou, and we were just as confused. But we had no choice but to follow his instructions.
After a while, Mr. Brown and I went to the marked spot and pulled out the sunset-colored vines. Their lengths varied, and at that moment, John Chou started to smile.
"The so-called Five Immeasurables—Body, Virtue, Power, Character, and Sound—these five are what make up the Immeasurable, right?"
"How do you know that?"
Zhang Jizheng looked at John Chou in bewilderment, then explained: Immeasurable is the original meaning of 'immeasurable,' but in Daoism, it's the foundation of supreme cultivation. It's always been passed down orally, never recorded. John Chou's knowledge of this shocked Zhang Jizheng deeply.
"How I know isn't important. Mr. Brown, try piecing these vines together."
Suddenly, the three of us stared in surprise at the dozen or so sunset-colored vines of varying lengths. Mr. Brown began to piece them together, and as they joined, I swallowed hard—wasn't that the length of a chopstick?
Then, something strange happened. The cut vines, which had been loose, began to merge together. Slowly, with a gentle white glow, they formed a new vine, like a sapling—sunset-colored and beautiful. John Chou picked it up, smiling proudly.
"The so-called seven passions and six desires don't come into being overnight. Just like this vine, they are pieced together, segment by segment, only after experiencing one thing after another."
I always felt John Chou's explanation was a bit forced, but it was the only reasonable one. Just then, Mr. Brown's expression changed, and John Chou immediately started heading down the mountain.
"Hurry up! Those nine guys are almost here."
John Chou said, then dashed off at incredible speed.
"Shit, run faster, Ethan, or you'll end up taking the blame for the young master again."
I let out a startled cry, realizing this was just like stealing something and then running away. The thrill was intense.
I started running quickly too. Zhang Jizheng whooshed back into my pendant. I saw John Chou already at the foot of the mountain, slipping into a cave, with Mr. Brown close behind. I was still halfway up.
"Damn it, wait for me!"
I shouted, panic rising in my chest. Unwittingly, I'd become John Chou's accomplice—and a thief at that. I didn't want that kind of reputation.
Gradually, Mr. Brown and John Chou disappeared from sight. Frustrated, I kept running. Even though John Chou annoyed me, deep down, I found the whole thing strangely thrilling.
I finally reached the cave entrance and rushed inside. John Chou and Mr. Brown were nowhere to be seen. All I could do was keep running through the pitch-black tunnel.
I ran for a long time without seeing the exit. Panic set in. Suddenly, I was stunned—there were two tunnels ahead, both identical. Had I come from the left or the right? I had no idea, since I'd been following Mr. Brown.
"Mr. Brown, are you there?"
I shouted toward the right tunnel—no response. I called out to the left, and a sobbing sound came from that direction, along with a rush of cold, ghostly energy. I hurried over.
"It has to be this way."
I said, rushing toward the left tunnel. The ghostly energy was intense—far heavier than usual. But after a while, I realized something was wrong.
Why did this ghostly energy feel so unfamiliar? I stopped and thought—was it this strong when we first arrived?
The more I thought, the more uneasy I felt. Suddenly, I turned around—the path was gone. I stared in shock; the way back was sealed. I floated up, unable to pass through the wall, but the energy here felt strangely good to me.
"Brother, since you've stumbled in, just keep going. Do you remember who Fifth Tribunal Yama asked you to find? Go to the end and you'll see."
John Chou's voice echoed in my mind. I sighed—he'd outmaneuvered me again.
"You can act as an insider, too. Heh, brother, it's up to you now. The Nine Dao Gate Elders have arrived. Mr. Brown and I are negotiating with them."
I let out a cry. If I ran out now, I'd run straight into the Nine Dao Gate Elders. I had no choice but to grit my teeth and keep floating deeper into the cave.
Gradually, I heard a rumbling sound and felt tremors beneath my feet.
The rumbling grew louder and louder.
As soon as I stepped out, I was stunned—wasn't this Mount Immeasurable at night? But there were no gourds, only a barren mountain and a lone figure standing at the summit. I floated over immediately.
I saw a pillar—no, a beam of light—with a mass of red inside, like blood. It was nearly a meter in diameter, suspended inside the pillar of light. Next to it stood a man, long-haired and powerfully built.
"Haaa..."
Suddenly, the man threw a punch at the pillar of light. With a thunderous crash, the earth shook. I saw an immense wave of black, murderous energy blast out, striking the mountainside and spreading everywhere. The amount of energy was many times greater than my own.
"Who's there?"
The man spotted me. I floated over in a hurry—this was the person Mr. White (White Reaper) had told me about, the one Fifth Tribunal Yama wanted me to find. He was attacking a pillar that would never break, no matter how long he struck it.
"So it's a ghost. Hmph."
I looked at the man before me. He reminded me of the guy I'd seen beneath the Lake of Desire, reading the Blank Desire Tome—both wore the same angry expression. It wasn't that they looked alike, but their faces and bodies seemed chiseled out of stone.
The man ignored me and sat down cross-legged.
"You're here, punching this pillar of light, but you can't break it, can you?"
I asked, and suddenly, his long hair stood on end. He turned, furious, and his glare chilled me to the bone.
"Hmph. I made a bet with someone—I'm sure I can break this pillar. No matter what, it's my strength that's lacking, so I can't shatter it. Hmph."
As he spoke, the man stood again. This time, ghostly energy gathered around his fist—huge amounts of it. With a thunderous crash, the energy punched through the pillar of light and dispersed.
Suddenly, heavy snow began to fall across Mount Immeasurable, and the ground froze. Even as a ghost, I could feel the chill. This man was no ordinary person.
"Hmph, still not enough, not enough. Why is my power so weak? It's still not enough—I can't break it this way."
He looked extremely agitated, pounding the ground again and again, causing thunderous booms. I watched in awe as the entire mountain shook with his blows. I swallowed hard.
Just a simple strike could unleash such power. Compared to him, my strength was nothing.
"Come here."
He pointed at me and called out, not bothering with politeness. I answered and floated over.
"You seem to have decent instincts. Coexistence, huh?"
I answered, and then he pointed at the pillar of light.
"Use your instincts and see if this pillar has any weaknesses. If you tell me, and I'm pleased, I'll teach you a bit about using murderous energy. You're far too weak—pathetically so, for someone with instincts."
I couldn't argue with that. I grinned, then began to release my ghost threads, winding them around the pillar of light.