"Calm yourself. If you keep going like this, I'll have no choice but to restrain you."
Past Ethan Justice stared sharply at Future Ethan Zhang, who was not far from us. He was breathing heavily, half-crouched on the ground, with black energy occasionally emanating from his body. Because of the earlier commotion, the villagers were all stunned and began heading up the mountain. However, apart from the loud noise just now, they couldn't see what was really happening on the mountain.
Due to the influence of Future Ethan Zhang's power, the entire mountainside was scorched, the vegetation withered, and black dust floated in the air. In many places, black smoke was rising.
Future Ethan Zhang didn't look well. I had just eaten something and regained some strength—my condition hadn't worsened, and night was approaching.
The ground around me and beneath my feet hadn't been affected, all thanks to the sword Past Ethan Justice had planted beside me.
The situation was extremely serious. We couldn't even figure out what this Temporal Loop was all about. I had already died once—even though I'd escaped the loop, I still ended up here.
Juchen Realm had made it clear: he didn't know why we kept coming back here again and again. The Time Gate he opened did lead to a point within the hundred years of Laozi's existence, but we still ended up in this Temporal Loop.
"Maybe this loop was created by someone."
Past Ethan Justice muttered this. I glanced over in confusion. Future Ethan Zhang was now sitting cross-legged on the ground, and the cold, sinister aura around him had completely faded.
"Let me see your hand."
Past Ethan Justice came over and crouched in front of me. I rolled up my sleeve; the black spots were still there, but they hadn't gotten worse. It was strange—my condition should have kept deteriorating at the correct time, but now things seemed much better.
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During this time, we tried three times—I couldn't leave this place, but both Past Ethan Justice and Future Ethan Zhang could. However, once the Temporal Loop started, they might forget everything again.
This is our only worry now. My condition hasn't worsened, but overall I'm not well. I've only regained a little strength. If the loop starts again and neither of them are here, there will be no one to take care of me.
"Did you find anything?"
It was Mona Ouyang before me. I stared at her in surprise as she turned and walked slowly toward me.
"Nothing has changed. It should be just like the first time we came. I checked everyone's memories nearby, but none of them have any memory of Eli Lear."
"Maybe staying here is actually a good thing."
Past Ethan Justice said this, and Future Ethan Zhang nodded, crouching down to look at my arm.
"It's good that it hasn't gotten worse. If it did, there'd be nothing we could do."
After Past Ethan Justice set up a barrier, I felt a lot more at ease. The chilly mountain winds were blocked outside, and Future Ethan Zhang brought me some comfortable dry grass. Soon, I fell asleep.
Half-awake, I smelled a strange fragrance and sensed a dazzling light. My head was still groggy, but I quickly woke up. I was sitting under a big tree, with a flowing stream and a small wooden bridge ahead. On the bridge stood a person, their back to me, surrounded by a sea of flowers.
"Vivian?"
I called out in surprise. As I stood up, I felt dizzy, but soon my body began to recover, strength surging through me. I enjoyed the scent of flowers and the warm sunlight, but this had to be a dream.
"And it's not just us. Even keeping the spectral body doesn't guarantee Ethan's survival. There are others helping too. Ethan is now at the far end of this world, in a place called the Illusory Realm."
It was Mona Ouyang before me. I stared at him in surprise as he turned and walked slowly toward me.
"Why are you here?"
"Dreams are the only place untouched by time. To find you, I crossed countless dreams before finally reaching you. What have you been doing these days? Haven't you dreamed at all?"
I smiled awkwardly, but soon looked at Mona Ouyang with a serious expression.
"Do you know what's happened?"
Mona Ouyang shook his head.
"I don't know much about your current situation, or who you're with. I was sent by John Chou, and your father, Martin Lane. Your father should be coming soon. When you wake up, your body should recover a bit."
I swallowed and nodded, saying thank you.
"You don't need to thank me, Rachel Lan. I agreed because of Vivian Ouyang."
I sat down, comfortably leaning against the tree trunk, enjoying the flower-scented breeze. My strength gradually returned, and I felt completely at ease, as if all the exhaustion from these past days had vanished. Mona Ouyang stood by the stream, quietly watching the flowing water.
"Do you know where Ethan Zhang is, Mona Ouyang?"
I asked. Mona Ouyang turned and nodded. I widened my eyes in surprise, but soon Mona Ouyang shook his head.
"Even if you know, you can't see him. Ethan Zhang is somewhere we can't reach, and whether he can return is still uncertain."
"He definitely can."
I stood up. At this moment, I noticed a blinding fiery red light approaching from afar. Gradually, I saw it clearly—it was my dad, flying toward me at high speed using the Vermilion Mantle.
With a boom, my dad landed right in front of me.
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"Are you alright, daughter?"
I pouted, looking at him with clear annoyance.
"Why didn't you tell me from the start?"
I demanded. My dad shook his head helplessly, placed a hand on my forehead, and pulled me into his arms. For a moment, I was at a loss, but I quietly leaned against his chest. Everything I'd been holding back these days turned to tears—I was at my limit. Honestly, I was exhausted, endlessly trapped in that bizarre Temporal Loop, unable to leave, and my body was starting to fail. I still remembered what Spectral Ethan Zhang told me in that world: as long as I was alive and the Coexistence Instinct remained in me, there was hope for Ethan Zhang to survive.
"You've been through so much, Roxie."
My dad said this and let me sit down beside him, giving a helpless smile.
"Back then, I just said it offhand. I knew about your feelings for Ethan, and Ethan was always special—stubborn, too. I worried he'd die one day for something, so I kept my last soul-retrieving privilege. In fact, I extracted part of Ethan's essence. When you all returned from the darkness, I placed it in the woods that connect life and death."
I looked at my dad in confusion. He raised his head, and Mona Ouyang walked over.
"This is what you all discussed in my world back then, right? John Chou proposed this plan at the time, didn't he?"
My dad nodded.
"That's right. Back then, John Chou and I agreed—if Ethan kept going like this, he'd die eventually. He never knew when to step back, even more stubborn than I thought. So we made this plan. But if we took part of Ethan right away, it would have caused problems. In that darkness, John Chou found the perfect chance—while Ethan wasn't paying attention, he took part of his vitality and gave it to me. I then performed the soul-retrieval ritual and brought that part to the woods, making it into a special spectral form. And it turned out just as we expected."
I acknowledged with a sound. Even though my dad and John Chou kept this from us, I was still grateful. Without them, Ethan Zhang would truly be doomed.
"And it's not just us. Even keeping the spectral body doesn't guarantee Ethan's survival. There are others helping too. Ethan is now at the far end of this world, in a place called the Mirage."
I demanded. My dad shook his head helplessly, placed a hand on my forehead, and pulled me into his arms. For a moment, I was at a loss, but I quietly leaned against his chest. Everything I'd been holding back these days turned to tears—I was at my limit. Honestly, I was exhausted, endlessly trapped in that bizarre Temporal Loop, unable to leave, and my body was starting to fail. I still remembered what Spectral Ethan Zhang told me in that world: as long as I was alive and the Coexistence Instinct remained in me, there was hope for Ethan Zhang to survive. The exhaustion was bone-deep, a relentless ache that made every breath feel heavy, every heartbeat a reminder of how close I was to breaking. I wanted to scream, to sob, but all I could do was let the tears fall, silent and desperate.
"I want to see him."
"Impossible, Roxie. Although the Mirage is just outside the dream realm, it's nearly impossible to see anything inside it. You should give up on that idea. Now, what exactly has happened on your side?"
After a moment, I calmed myself, but I still wanted to see Ethan Zhang. I started explaining what happened to us in this strange Temporal Loop.
"Don't do anything, Roxie. I'll go directly to John Chou and tell him everything. Maybe he'll spot something we've missed."
I made a sound of agreement. Maybe only John Chou can help. I've been through this loop countless times, and I'm exhausted. The two Ethans—past and future—are just as helpless.
"When you return, Roxie, try to keep yourself relaxed. I've now linked my power to your core dream. As long as you dream, I can find you."
Mona Ouyang said this, and I made a sound of agreement. My dad stood up.
"If you don't hesitate, Roxie, I'm heading back now. Take care of yourself. If Past and Future Ethan are with you, I'm much more at ease—their abilities have long surpassed anything human."