Samuel Young lay motionless before me. I gently lowered his body; he looked so peaceful with his eyes closed. But just as I witnessed his soul leaving his body, a twisted black hole appeared, instantly sucking Samuel’s soul inside.
My eyes widened as I saw a faint smile appear at the corner of Samuel Young’s lips.
“It’s good to have you back, Brother Qingyuan!”
I stared blankly at the lifeless Samuel Young. Familiar faces surrounded me. I saw Master Richard Ming, who had already passed away, sitting in meditation, just as he had in life. With only one hand left, he couldn’t form a Buddhist gesture, so he simply rested his hand on his chest, a string of prayer beads still hanging by a single thread and a bead pinched between his fingers.
I couldn’t understand what was happening. I glanced again at Samuel Young’s peaceful face, then noticed a collapsed house nearby with a black uniform visible. I rushed over and quickly dug out a man who had been dead for some time, his chest pierced and his blood already congealed—Hugh Thompson.
A heavy feeling settled over me as I continued to dig through the earth. Soon, I saw more familiar faces—Howard Lee, Miles Mao, Dalton Fang, and other members of the Ghost Burial Squad. All were dead, their bodies cold and lifeless, no breath left in them.
Just as I was stunned, a flash of red light shot toward me. I looked up in shock as John Chou, looking utterly exhausted, landed right in front of me and sat down on the blood-soaked pile of earth.
“You finally made it back, brother!”
My eyes widened.
“What happened?”
My voice trembled. John Chou gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“Tan Tian is fighting the Wraithlord right now. Only Rachel Lan and I are left. Redmond and Yuna Ji were just killed by that bastard.”
I swallowed hard and turned around. Sure enough, everything at the bottom of Gourd Village felt disturbingly abnormal—powerful forces kept trying to break through.
“What should I do, John Chou? What can I do?”
I asked urgently, and then it hit me—this was the future, not far from now. John Chou just shook his head.
“It’s almost impossible, brother. There’s no way to deal with the Wraithlord. Maybe I gambled and lost in the end.”
I swallowed hard, staring at John Chou.
“How much time do we have left? Tell me.”
“Even if I told you, it wouldn’t matter, brother. You can’t return to the Living World anymore—unless a miracle happens!”
I smiled faintly and stepped in front of John Chou.
“Isn’t this the miracle? I’m back. John Chou, tell me—what’s really going on?”
John Chou managed a bitter smile, then shook his head. After a moment of daze, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
“Only the Time Gate could bring you back here, brother. If you succeed, everything we’re facing now will change. But if you fail, even if you return, all you’ll see is everyone dying all over again.”
I nodded seriously at John Chou.
“So, brother, what are you doing here?”
I began telling John Chou about the three things Mother Goddess Nuwa needed me to find, and how she had tampered with the Wraithlord’s body.
John Chou laughed and stood up.
“I’ll take you, brother. We’ll talk on the way.”
I glanced back at the place behind us.
“We have to hurry. Otherwise, Tan Tian won’t last. In this Track of Time, Rachel Lan is our last hope—the Bloodbane Power growing inside her is the final killing blow against the Wraithlord.”
"What about the Immortality Society? What about the Infernal Judges? Why are they..."
John Chou laughed.
"As expected, Xu Fu finally switched sides. The Infernal Judges have become the foundation of Hell, while the Immortality Society and Emperor God are in Hell, doing everything they can to suppress it. Meanwhile, we’re trying everything to stop the Wraithlord."
I glared at John Chou, gritting my teeth.
Just as I thought, those guys...
"The Earth Soul of the Wraithlord has returned to Hell, becoming part of it. In his final moment, he smiled and said you would come back to take his place and finish everything. Maybe he sensed something!"
I clenched my fists and silently followed John Chou, continuing to fly rapidly through the air.
"He really trusts you, brother."
I responded with a quiet 'mm.'
John Chou began explaining: Tan Tian devised a plan to lure out the Wraithlord because he had a bad feeling. So he used his Golden Soulstone as bait. Sure enough, through the Earth Soul, he successfully drew out the unprepared Wraithlord. Afterward, Tan Tian sealed the Wraithlord in the Nether Syndicate. The group stayed outside, thinking of strategies and taking turns entering the Nether Syndicate to fight the Wraithlord.