Just now, in that fleeting moment, I distinctly felt the malice emanating from the sealed thing in the sky, directed at me.
I told Jules what I sensed. He was silent for a while before he spoke.
"Malice comes from hostility. That thing harbors hostility toward you, so you can sense its malice. Tell me in detail, Ethan Zhang—is the malice directed at you personally, or at your power?"
I shook my head. Apart from the malice, I couldn't tell whether it was aimed at me or at the power I possess.
"Does it matter?"
I asked.
"If the malice is toward you as a ghost, then whatever's inside has its own consciousness. But if it's simply toward your power, then what's inside is just a pure aggregation of force."
I responded with an 'oh,' thought for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. I planned to continue sparring with Isabelle Frost. At this stage, she'd use a bit of her own power, and I needed to respond more effectively.
I didn't know much about Isabelle Frost's abilities, except for Curse Killing—she'd said she wouldn't use that against me.
"From here on, I won't hold back. Be careful, Ethan Zhang."
Isabelle Frost's voice was icy. I nodded, watching her as my eyes gradually turned blood-red. An immense surge of ghostly energy began to fill the space, making the whole room tremble.
I looked around. The floating objects seemed to be pushed by a force, moving slowly and sharply. The ghostly energy radiating from Isabelle Frost was intense, and I could feel her Specter Web starting to devour and invade mine.
A fight between ghosts is like a turf war—if you don’t suppress the other, you’ll be suppressed yourself. Technique, power, and the effect of your own abilities—all these thoughts raced through my mind.
Isabelle Frost’s white dress fluttered, swaying with the intensifying ghostly energy. I focused on her, determined not to miss a single detail.
With a whoosh, Isabelle Frost vanished from in front of me. In a flash, I drew Belle, releasing a torrent of baleful energy all over my body. But Isabelle Frost was already at my chest, her hand gently pressing against it.
A bang, accompanied by a streak of green light. My eyes widened, staring at Isabelle Frost—her face was cruel and merciless. A gaping hole opened in my chest, and before I could even react, it was over.
Gradually, I lost consciousness and blacked out.
When I woke up, my whole body felt uncomfortable. My Ghost Soul was damaged—already broken and battered, and now even more tattered.
My head was still groggy. A gentle melody drifted over, and I looked toward it. Not far away stood an octagonal tower—Isabelle Frost was there, sitting at a small balcony on the second floor, playing music.
"You're awake."
I shook my head. That last strike—I thought I was dead for sure. Isabelle Frost's attack was fierce and ruthless, filled with murderous intent. I couldn't block it, couldn't even react, and I lost.
Suddenly, the rhythm of the music sped up, even becoming a bit chaotic. I sensed that Isabelle Frost was agitated inside, though I didn’t know why. Something slowly drifted behind her.
With a twang, one of the strings snapped. Isabelle Frost looked at me.
"What’s wrong, Miss Isabelle? If something’s on your mind, you can talk about it."
Isabelle Frost shook her head and picked up a book written by the Ghost Painting Book Immortal, flipping through it without acknowledging me. It would take time for me to recover, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was troubling her, especially since we entered this place.
Normally, Isabelle Frost was cold and distant. Only occasionally would she smile—a stark contrast to John Chou, who always wore a smile.
"Is something bothering you, Miss Isabelle? Tell me about it. Maybe talking about John Chou will help. After all, I’m one of the few who truly understands him."
I said, and Isabelle Frost’s brows furrowed as she looked at me.
"Back then, I used to spar with John Chou one-on-one all the time. But he was always the one who lost."
I let out a sound of surprise, staring at Isabelle Frost. Her face was full of resentment.
"John Chou never really fought me seriously. That’s what I hated most about him—so arrogant, always acting superior."
I laughed, floated into the tower, and sat down on the balcony, watching Isabelle Frost as she sighed.
"His behavior is strange, isn’t it, Ethan Zhang?"
I nodded. Indeed, John Chou was meticulous in his actions, but to outsiders, he seemed like a complete evil ghost.
"True, the way John Chou does things can be maddening, but somehow, he always leads people toward something better without them realizing it."
"It’s because he was born that way. You must have seen what’s really going on between me and him, right?"
Isabelle Frost said, and I nodded.
"Though we’re two sides of the same coin—originally one person—after death, we became completely different. I’m already tired."
As Isabelle Frost spoke, I looked at her in surprise. Her face was weary—who knows how many secrets she’s hiding inside.
"If I could lose all my memories, lose everything I have now, and be reborn as a human—what kind of life would I have, Ethan Zhang?"
I couldn’t answer Isabelle Frost’s question—there was no answer. They’d lived for thousands of years, surviving into the present. For them, fighting for power and dominance might seem like their purpose, but even that has an end. After so long, emptiness sets in.
(Irrelevant passage about reading the next page. Skip this line.)
"It’s like those who chase immortality—it’s laughable. If they just reincarnated, they could start a new life. But I want to reincarnate, and I can’t."
I swallowed. Then Isabelle Frost explained: she and John Chou were originally one soul. To reincarnate, their soul must be whole and enter the cycle together—otherwise, reincarnation is impossible.
"Miss Isabelle, didn’t you just say that after death, you two weren’t the same person?"
"A person needs both sides to be complete. Both John Chou and I are missing the most vital part of our soul, so we can’t reincarnate. He once promised me that after he finished what he wanted, he’d reincarnate with me. But he lied. I waited for centuries at the Bridge of Helplessness, but in the end, I could only return to the world of the living. By then, he’d changed—immersed in the title of Ghost Sovereign, cold and ruthless."
"So that’s why you hate John Chou so much, Miss Isabelle?"
I asked, but Isabelle Frost neither nodded nor shook her head.
"It’s always been this way, for centuries. John Chou is both loved and hated, putting those who support him through hell, but never losing them. Even knowing it’s a pit of fire, they still jump in without hesitation. I’m the same."
I sighed. In other words, I’m the same. From the start, I knew so much was under John Chou’s control, that he brought me trouble—but I still jumped in, just like this time. Now, I finally see the heart of the matter.
John Chou probably wanted me to find a way to break down the power that the seven Ghost Sovereigns have accumulated from centuries of suffering.
But right now, I can’t do it at all. Yet he’s been guiding me step by step, giving me this feeling since the beginning. Why did he send Isabelle Frost instead of Mr. Brown?
Because Mr. Brown doesn’t seem like the teaching type, but Isabelle Frost is a good mentor.
"Miss Isabelle, when we get out, let’s work together. We’ll make John Chou laugh and cry at the same time."
Suddenly, Isabelle Frost looked up, her expression cute. She looked at me, and I awkwardly turned my head away. Reaching out, Isabelle Frost put her hand on mine.
"We can’t let everything be under John Chou’s control. Ethan Zhang, how’s your recovery? Can we start?"
Isabelle Frost’s eyes blazed—my words about making John Chou laugh and cry seemed to ignite her fighting spirit.
But I shook my head. I hadn’t forgotten—there are still 31 members of the Ghost Burial Squad trapped here. I found Jiu and asked for help with something.
"Go ahead, Ethan Zhang. What is it?"
"Jiu, send my seven Ghost Souls to where the Ghost Burial Squad is, in their current timeline."
Jiu looked at me in confusion, then nodded. I had to let the Ghost Burial Squad experience despair before showing them hope—a chance to escape. That means defeating Blackfang and understanding that everything here is Blackfang’s doing.
Jiu agreed to my request. My Ghost Souls also need their own training. Time here is frozen, so when we return, it’ll still be January 1, 2013—nothing will have changed.
That works in my favor. When I get out, I’ll find Zhou Fulai and have a good talk with him.
After my Ghost Souls left, I went straight to the octagonal tower where Isabelle Frost was. I hoped she could tell me something about the Immortality Society—she must know a thing or two.