I drift quietly through the black void. The piercing howls from earlier have faded into silence, and my body feels unusually calm, suffused with the Bloodbane Power—its presence is almost pleasant.
I have to help John Chou. That's the only thought in my mind right now. My attempt to coexist with the Sanzu Force failed—I couldn't do it. Everything becomes completely silent, and the manifestation of the Sanzu Force begins to stabilize. Yet I haven't regained consciousness; instead, I drift in this space.
Just as Lady Meng finishes speaking, a black rift opens behind her with a whoosh, and Mr. Brown emerges, smiling. I keep calling out to my instinct, hoping for even the slightest sign of change.
But no matter how much time passes, I still can't hear my instinct's voice. In this darkness, I don't feel uncomfortable—on the contrary, I'm strangely at ease. We slowly left the Lake of Deathbane's room; John Chou sat quietly in a small pavilion, sipping tea, his gaze razor-sharp and his smile faint.
That kid used your instinct. When you achieved coexistence with the Sanzu Force, he found the Bloodbane Power within your body and extracted most of it, leaving a portion behind. This way, the Sanzu Force's attention is focused only on the Bloodbane Power inside you, completing the substitution. Memories flicker through my mind, bit by bit.
I still can't understand John Chou's heart—what it's truly like. I can't guess or see through it. But the one thing I know for sure is that, from the moment he was born, he's carried too much: the responsibility of being the family's eldest son, the duty of being a brother, and the burden of the Three Evil Paths—the Hell Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm, and Animal Realm—all pressing upon him.
So many times I've wanted to ask John Chou: Aren't you tired? Lend me Belle, brother.
But maybe the only answer I'd get is, 'No, I'm not tired.' Over thousands of years, he's been through countless things. Luckily, Mr. Brown has always been by his side, never abandoning him. I'm not entirely sure, but John Chou must have left some contingency plan. Otherwise, it wouldn't fit his style at all.
And as for me—what do I really mean to John Chou? He always calls me 'brother,' never by my name. I owe my existence to his efforts; he gave the three of us cognition, thought, and wisdom. I don't know if it was a whim or something he'd planned all along. Once we're out, it's a tough battle, brother. My target is Xu Fu—let's join forces and take him down together.