I told James Grant everything we had witnessed, along with some of my own deductions. He seemed deep in thought. Outside, the city was already coming alive with noise. We talked the whole night, drinking more than a few rounds.
"Nine Isles... I never imagined Emperor God and the others would do something like that. I truly didn't know. Hearing you say this, Ethan Zhang, the only thing that comes to mind is that every year, countless people are created in this world, and then vanish without a trace. Over the years, more than a million have disappeared."
I swallowed, looking at James Grant.
"So, Emperor God and the others took those who fit the criteria, and transformed them into all sorts of animals on those isles—and into Wraith Enforcers as well."
James Grant nodded.
"Emperor God's purpose isn't just to attack the Underworld Court—it might only be a kind of test. After I founded Crimson Night more than two thousand years ago, I started investigating. What I discovered is that this place is 'Yin,' even more so than the Underworld Court itself. Its opposite is 'Yang.'"
James Grant continued, and I nodded. Of course, this was only his speculation; the details remain unknown even now.
"I've fallen into the hands of Emperor God or others nineteen times, but I always managed to escape. The three of them want to capture me, so now I rarely go out. I stay behind and personally train new members of Crimson Night."
I made a sound of acknowledgement, and James Grant continued. This world was created by Emperor God, Sylvia Yan, and Phantom Sage—Emperor God and Phantom Sage are men, Sylvia Yan is a woman.
None of the three would yield to the others, yet they maintained a delicate balance of power, splitting the world evenly into three. Of the three, Emperor God is the strongest—this was James Grant's greatest impression after facing all of them.
I listened quietly to James Grant's account. As for his strength—he was powerful, perhaps stronger than any of us.
"Give it a try, Ethan Zhang."
James Grant seemed to sense what I was thinking and spoke. I looked at him, a bit embarrassed.
"Don't feel ashamed. After all, you're strong too. When one strong person meets another, it's only natural to want to challenge them. There's no need to feel embarrassed about that."
I made a sound of acknowledgement. James Grant stood up, walked to the center of the room, and pressed down on a floor tile with one hand. A dark opening appeared. I glanced at it—he jumped in first, and I followed right after. There were so many things I wanted to ask him about this world, but no matter what he said, I might never fully understand. Sometimes, a direct contest is simpler than words.
It was the same space I had seen before—except now, cracks had appeared everywhere, signs of damage. Though repairs had been made, it was still scarred and battered.
"This is a training space I created specifically to nurture talented people. Ethan Zhang, the people of this world are the complete opposite of those in the Yang Realm. People in the Yang Realm have a bit of Yin energy inside them—it's innate, for balance. But here, no one has Yang energy, yet they live normally. That alone is extremely strange."
All things under heaven possess both Yin and Yang. Yet, here, up until now, aside from the power Lan Ruoxi brought, I've never seen anything of Yang.
Suddenly, James Grant appeared right in front of me. My eyes widened. He hadn't seemed to move, yet he was there—I'd seen nothing of how he did it. It reminded me of Xu Fu; back then, he too arrived before me without any visible movement. His explanation was: spatial movement.
"How do you do that?"
In an instant, James Grant was behind me. I turned and stared at him, utterly baffled.
"As you know, Qingyuan, this place is made entirely of Yin energy. Whether it's people, plants, buildings—everything here is Yin energy. This way of moving, I figured out after witnessing Emperor God and the others use their powers."
I nodded, watching James Grant intently. If I could master this kind of movement, I could take someone out in an instant—it's incredibly powerful.
"It's Yin energy. Our bodies are made entirely of Yin energy, so this movement relies on consciousness. Your mind marks a spot, and then, using the Yin energy in the air around that spot, you recreate yourself there. The version of me standing here vanishes."
I was a bit confused by his explanation. James Grant smiled.
"You could put it this way: it's like a glass of water breaking down into countless particles, merging with the air. In another place, the same components in the air reassemble into the same glass of water. But Qingyuan, you probably can't do it."
I think I understood. If that's the case, then my 'glass of water' is mixed with things different from the air here—so I can't move like that.
"Judging by your reaction, you've seen it before, haven't you?"
James Grant said, and I nodded, telling him that a man named Xu Fu had used this kind of movement.
"No wonder. His explanation of spatial movement isn't wrong. But this kind of movement can be countered."
My eyes widened as I stared at James Grant. This was exactly what I wanted to know—even if I couldn't do it myself, if there was a way to counter it, I wouldn't be so helpless in a fight with their kind.
"This method of movement was first described by Mr. Li Er, who proposed a way to break it. But unfortunately, in this world, there's only Yin energy. To counter it, you'd have to use a force that doesn't exist here—fill the surrounding space with it, drive out the local air, and their movement would be stopped. Try it."
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading the rest!)
As James Grant spoke, I began to release a massive amount of Deathbane Aura. It drifted around me, at first as a thin mist, then thickening until it was like I was submerged in a black current.
"Here it comes."
James Grant spoke, then vanished. In that instant, I caught the smile on his face—and I smiled too. It worked: James Grant couldn't move any closer, stopped three meters away by the mass of Deathbane Aura. He couldn't advance at all.
"Thank you, Mr. Grant."
I said, and James Grant smiled.
Yes, yes. Just remember to practice, Ethan Zhang. Your Deathbane Aura fills the space too slowly. I timed it—thirty-one seconds. In that time, you could've died a hundred times over.
I understood what James Grant meant. I realized we didn't need to fight—what I needed was for him to gradually teach me about the powers in this world, so I could find ways to counter them.
"This world isn't without its exceptions—there are Yang realm spells here, and I can use them. But in this world, spells are greatly restricted, their power barely a tenth of what they'd be elsewhere."
That made me think of Black Moon. In this world, I've hardly ever seen him attack—he's always defending. But as one of the strongest in the sorcerer world, his offensive spells can't possibly be weak.
You need to strengthen the way you release Deathbane Aura. It should be done in less than a second, with just a thought. Remember, in this world, ghostly powers aren't limited to movement alone. As for attacks—watch closely.
As James Grant spoke, he raised his hand. Instantly, wounds appeared all over my body, black blood dripping to the floor.
"Is this the same kind of power as that movement just now?"
Seeing James Grant nod, I looked at the wounds on my body. I could imagine how he'd manipulated the air around me, slicing me in an instant.
"Looks like defending against this kind of attack is going to be a real hassle."
This is just a basic attack and movement, Ethan Zhang. There are plenty of beings in this world stronger than you. All I can teach you are the fundamentals. As for your power, I'm not sure how far you can go.
As James Grant spoke, I saw a transparent aura surge around his hands and feet. The space nearby twisted and warped. It reminded me of the Immortality Society's fists.
"Try to block it with your strongest power."
As James Grant spoke, he suddenly floated toward me. I wrapped myself in Deathbane Aura and raised the Belle Sword. But James Grant simply extended a finger—ding!—striking the Belle Sword. Instantly, a tremendous force sent me flying backward.
Bang—a pair of hands caught me. I coughed up black blood, my vision blurring.
"Was it the air?"
I muttered, and James Grant let go of me.
"Not exactly. It's about altering the mass of a part of your body using the Yin energy in the surrounding air—that's all this attack was, just a simple strike. If you want to defend against it, you'll have to think differently. The advantage in speed and power makes it very hard to block."
I smiled and mentioned what Isabelle Frost had done. James Grant looked at me in astonishment.
Ethan Zhang, if you're not joking, that young woman's power—if it weren't restricted—even I might not be her match. Is that what you call genius?
"Should I call everyone over?"
James Grant shook his head.
"I'll go myself."