A chorus of guttural croaks echoed through the darkness. The scent of fresh grass filled the air. All around me was pitch black, with only starlight overhead—no moon, just a wild field overgrown with weeds. I glanced warily in every direction.
Just now, John Chou and I dropped straight into this place. Now, I had no idea where he’d gone. The air was thick with chaotic Ghost Aura—not from one source, but from a horde, so many I couldn’t even begin to count.
"Hey, Fat Cat, you’re crushing me. Get up before you smother me to death."
I jumped in fright, spun around, but saw nothing.
"Excuse me, where are you?"
I asked quickly.
"Right under your feet, Fat Cat."
I scrambled to my feet and looked down. There, grinning with a papery, smoky shell, was a dung beetle, pushing a massive black ball of filth. It gave off an indescribable stench. I twitched my nose.
"How can you talk?"
I stared in astonishment at the dung beetle—it actually stood up.
"If you can talk, why the hell can't I?"
I thought about it, then scratched the back of my head.
"What should I call you?"
"My name’s David Wong. And you?"
I looked around warily, then answered.
"Ethan Zhang."
David Wong curled his antenna. I climbed down, and he suddenly poked my nose with his spiny leg.
A jolt of pain shot through me. I scrambled up, clutching my nose.
"Fat Cat, look what you’ve done. You nearly crushed my whole family!"
I gasped, staring at the side of the dung ball. There was a tiny hole, now squashed flat.
"Sorry, I just got here. I don’t know what’s going on yet."
David Wong laughed.
"Life as an animal isn’t easy, even for us ghosts."
As he spoke, David Wong floated upward, a faint green glow spilling from his body. My eyes widened.
"Blue Wraith?"
"Looks like you know a bit. I’ve been a dung beetle for almost five thousand years. Got a whole brood of kids too."
I let out a startled sound. David Wong sighed.
"Since you’re new, let me tell you—some have lived over ten thousand years and still haven’t gotten a shot at reincarnation. You’ll have to wait your turn. I think mine’s coming soon; the last one reincarnated after about forty-seven hundred years. I should be next. You’ll get used to it."
Suddenly, waves of Ghost Aura drifted around us. I saw all sorts of insects take flight, laughter echoing everywhere.
"That doesn’t look like a cat. How could a cat be so big?"
"Maybe he was a fat guy when he was alive. That’s why he turned into an animal, and ended up so chubby."
"Yeah, you really ought to lose some weight, Fat Cat."
Annoyed, I glared around. The grass, the sky, the ground—everywhere, insects were talking.
"You guys—haven’t you ever seen a panda?"
I pointed at my own face.
"What’s a panda? Isn’t it just another kind of cat?"
I sighed helplessly, thinking about why the Wild Boar King calls me Fat Cat. Maybe they really haven’t seen a panda before.
"By the way, is there anyone in this place..."
I remembered the Wild Boar King’s warning and quickly corrected myself.
"Any towns where animals gather around here?"
David Wong laughed again.
"You really should go to those places. I bet you did a lot of good deeds in your past life, otherwise you’d be an insect like us."
I looked at David Wong in confusion. He explained:
In the Animal Realm, most who ran animal businesses in life end up as the creatures they slaughtered after death. David Wong became a dung beetle because, as a child, he loved playing with bugs—burning them, drowning them, smashing them with rocks. He killed plenty.
Some who were doctors used insects for medicine, and after falling into the Animal Realm, they became bugs too. Their habits here are just like those of living insects. Only those who did good deeds despite treating animals poorly might become animals instead.
There’s another type—born from animal ghosts mating in this realm. These are animal ghosts from birth and get priority for reincarnation. Many never get a chance to reincarnate, doomed to live forever as insects, fish, birds, or beasts in the Animal Realm.
I swallowed hard. David Wong sighed.
"There’s nothing we can do. We’re stuck here, living like this. Everyone wants to reincarnate, but chances are rare. You’ll get used to it. If you head that way, you’ll find a village."
"Can you show me the way?"
Immediately, the insect ghosts scattered in all directions.
"Don’t joke. This place is dangerous—we’ve got plenty of natural enemies. If we get eaten, that’s it. No more chance at reincarnation."
I gasped, then headed in the direction David Wong indicated. I had to use all fours to move—it was slow walking upright, so I started to run.
Gradually, I saw a cluster of grass huts, though they looked more like piles of straw. I rushed over.
Suddenly, a flash of green light—then a mountain goat charged at me. With a bang, I was sent flying before I could react, landing hard on the ground.
"Careful, it’s a wild beast."
A burly mountain goat spoke up. I saw goats crawling out of the straw heaps, and soon I was surrounded—horns pointed at me, hostile eyes staring.
"Fat Cat, don’t even think about it. You’d better get lost, or we’ll kill you."
The lead goat said, and I stood up, hands on my hips.
"I’m not some wild beast. Look at me—I’m a panda, and I eat bamboo."
The goat leader circled me, inspecting closely before speaking.
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"True, no matter what kind of cat you are, you’re still a feline. You’ve got teeth—could kill us if you wanted. But you’re so fat, hunting would be tough for you."
I grunted, then explained I’d just arrived and was searching for a wolf covered in red fur. The sheep immediately looked frightened.
"Didn’t expect wolves around here. Looks like we’ll have to move again."
"Isn’t there any order here? Like, someone who..."
The goat leader came up to me, glanced at me, and said:
"Only a few places have order. Mostly, it’s just like the wild in the living world—there’s a food chain."
"Aren’t you all Blue Wraiths?"
I asked, and the goat leader laughed.
"No, we’ve just been here so long our Ghost Aura turned green. We started out as ordinary ghosts—just a bit tougher now. In a fight, all we’ve got are these horns."
The goat leader called out:
"Up, everyone! There are wolves nearby—we’re no match for them. We need to move fast, or we’ll all die when the wolves show up."
I saw skinny ewes and lambs coming out of the straw piles, quickly following the leader.
"How can I get to a place with order?"
I asked, and the goat leader shook his head.
"I don’t know. We’ve lived here for over a thousand years. Our herd used to be huge—now we’re less than a hundred. Didn’t expect to move again. If only I hadn’t opened that mutton restaurant back then."
I swallowed, looking at the goat leader. Under the starry night, the flock followed him away. Soon, they were gone. I looked around—there was too much chaotic Ghost Aura here, and its density was high. Finding John Chou would be tough.
I lay down in the straw, staring at the sky. Everything here felt strange. Most who fell into the Animal Realm probably lived as insects, fish, birds, or beasts for ages, unable to reincarnate.
Suddenly, I felt something—the ground trembled. In the distance, I saw a swarm of green lights heading this way.
I stared in shock—a pride of lions, led by a massive male. Over a dozen lions charged the flock. I rushed over, but by the time I arrived, the sheep were slaughtered—blood everywhere. The lions feasted on their prey.