My body was completely immobilized. The Wraithlord sat quietly at the table, while Old Cat sat beside him. When and where did these two first exchange information?
The Undertaker and The Sleeper stared at The Wraithlord in astonishment.
"Wraithlord, we have no quarrel with you. Why are you interfering in our business?"
But only regarding Ethan Zhang—if you intend to kill him, I will crush you.
I widened my eyes. The Wraithlord's attitude was resolute. He raised a hand, and with a sudden wave—crack!—we all stared as cracks appeared on the surface of the glass orb.
"Want to try again? Or will you let Ethan Zhang go?"
The Undertaker and The Sleeper both looked embarrassed; they seemed to realize just how formidable the Wraithlord was.
"Impressive, Wraithlord. Even I can't break through this material, created by the most extreme darkness."
Old Cat spoke, smiling helplessly.
"Then, Wraithlord, may we ask: what exactly did you mean earlier?"
"I chose Ethan Zhang not because he's particularly clever, nor because his soul is especially unique, but because of his compatibility."
I stared at the Wraithlord in disbelief, but seeing both the Undertaker and the Sleeper nod, and even Old Cat looking as if he'd suddenly understood, I realized they all got it.
"What do you mean?"
I asked, and the Wraithlord turned his head with a cold sneer, his face radiating a wicked aura, and said:
"You'll understand in time, Ethan Zhang. Now, let him go immediately—let him return, and don't bother him again. Otherwise, something truly spectacular may unfold in this darkness, something even I can't predict."
The Undertaker looked frustrated, his face darkening, while the Sleeper sighed helplessly.
"Wraithlord, we've heard plenty of threats before. But right now, you're just a soul fragment—can you really do all that?"
"You doubt me? Want me to show you a glimpse of the supreme world you know nothing about?"
The faces of the two before me grew increasingly grim. Suddenly, with a crack, a piece of the glass orb shattered, and a black shadow burst in—it was Wraithshade. He landed behind the Undertaker, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Forget it. I used to want Ethan Zhang dead countless times, but ever since the Wraithlord's soul fragment merged into Ethan's ghost soul, killing him has become nearly impossible—at least for us."
"Fine, we'll let him go, Wraithlord. But if Ethan Zhang does anything to us in the future, don't blame us for what happens next."
The Wraithlord sneered and faded from the table, returning to my body. I could move again immediately, and Old Cat stood up.
Once again, I stood beneath the giant pillar, quietly watching Old Cat.
"What exactly does Wraithlord mean by 'compatibility'?"
Old Cat smiled and nodded, saying nothing as he started walking.
"I can't say for sure, Qingyuan. Some things are better left unknown for now—it's for your own good."
Before I could ask further, Old Cat turned into a faint blue light and vanished. I found myself back in the brilliantly lit city, feeling uneasy.
It was only slightly better than being locked up in that place. Alone, I saw no one—where had Yin Choujian and the others gone, and when would Rachel Lan return?
I returned to the long-missed barbecue shop. Opening the door, a wave of strange odors greeted me—much of the food had spoiled again, and I began cleaning.
It was nighttime. Some regular customers came by, but could only leave helplessly.
I took out some alcohol and drank alone—this feeling was utterly miserable.
Driven by a strange impulse, I went to Old Cat's clinic and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I entered directly, but Old Cat was nowhere to be found.
With a buzz from the alcohol, I returned home. After more than a year in this darkness, I went upstairs and turned on the light—my drunkenness vanished instantly. Someone was sitting in the living room: Xu Fu, sipping tea leisurely, a smile at the corner of his mouth as he watched me in silence.
"You, of all people."
"Want to know where Yin Choujian and the others went?"
I quickly suppressed my anger and nodded.
"They used you as bait to successfully slip out from under the Dark Banquet's watchful eye. They're probably up to something. As for us, after a brief period of continued cooperation with the Dark Banquet, we also chose to break away. That group is simply unreliable."
"Where exactly are they?"
I pressed further, but Xu Fu just shook his head.
"You're toying with me."
I strode over and grabbed Xu Fu by the collar. He just kept smiling and said:
"Only you can find where they've gone. I'm powerless, though I can roughly guess what they're planning. We're all in trouble—and worse is yet to come."
I sat down, head lowered. Everything was making me unbearably miserable—maybe I was nearing my breaking point.
"Those people from the Dark Banquet plan to try guiding the Fourth Darkness into this place, but they've overlooked the danger."
"How do you know?"
Xu Fu nodded.
"Old Cat told me long ago. If they really do this, the two Emperors of Yan and Huang might return—after all, what they're attempting is far too dangerous."
My mind was a mess. What should I do next?
"To be honest with you, Ethan Zhang, this place may not exist much longer."
"What do you mean?"
Xu Fu set down his teacup and beckoned with his hand.
"Come with me."
Watching Xu Fu float in the air, I still found it utterly unbelievable. After a while, we were far from the city, having crossed the mountains.
Xu Fu landed in a field of scattered rocks, yawning and stretching before settling down contentedly.
"What do you want me to see?"
Xu Fu didn't answer. He took out the papers from before and flipped through them for a while—they were the black sheets with golden writing he'd taken away.
"Did you really decipher the writing on them?"
Xu Fu shook his head.
"No, I couldn't decipher it. But I've made guesses. The content is about this darkness."
I sat down, and Xu Fu began to speak.
Long ago, this darkness came into being, existing solely to separate the Unreal from the worlds of Yin and Yang. Its purpose was to keep everything completely apart—not by design, but as a natural phenomenon.
Afterward, things resembling souls began to appear, drifting through the darkness. Even though the realms of Yin and Yang were fully cut off, some places were incomplete—through these cracks, things here could still glimpse into those worlds.
Thus, this world gained mountains, stones, trees, and forests—much like the world of the living. But how these things came to be, those who guided darkness from outside could never know.
The original Dark Residents were born here. They have no intelligence, mere fragments of darkness condensed into soul-like forms. In this lightless world, only light can attract them.
I swallowed. Xu Fu smiled at me, then suddenly grabbed me and brought me to a large boulder to observe.
"What's that?"
Wide-eyed with surprise, I stared at a black humanoid figure in the nearby rubble, sneaking around doing something.
I gradually saw the figure pick up a plastic bottle, examine it closely, then rummage through other trash. Soon, satisfied, it left.
"See that, Ethan Zhang? The original residents of darkness exist, but they have no intelligence. They can't communicate with us or with those who came to this darkness before. Who do you think they resemble?"
Xu Fu asked, looking at me. I stared back in surprise—wasn't that just like me, Xiaobai, and Xiaohei?
"Let's follow and see."
Xu Fu shook his head.
"It's useless. I've tried many times—there's no way to find their exact whereabouts."
Xu Fu then told me he'd seen it many times: these humanoids would come to the rocky outskirts of the city to scavenge trash. Most of this unwanted garbage was dumped right outside the city and would drift with the wind.
"What's really going on?"
Xu Fu chuckled and floated up.
"Let's go back."
I followed Xu Fu as we flew back toward the distant city.
"Those idiots from the Dark Banquet will destroy themselves with what they're doing. They still don't realize it. They think mastering pure darkness means they can control the Fourth Darkness, but that confidence will be their undoing."
When we reached the city's edge, we went straight to the place where Berziran and Jingle once lived.
"So Ethan Zhang, what we need to do now is find a way back before the higher darkness swallows this place—otherwise we'll be caught in the disaster too."
Xu Fu stated his purpose. After thinking it over, I nodded. He was right—we had to find a way to return.
At that moment, Xu Fu walked over to the well, a wicked grin on his face as he looked at the water.
"Don't you think this place is special?"
I looked around in surprise, saying nothing. It was special, but only because of the plants—then my eyes widened.
"Looks like you understand. Though the city has flower shops, everything sold there is extracted from the world of the living. But here, it's different—these plants grow naturally."