I followed John Chou through the vine-choked hillside to the base of the giant gourd, with Xu Fu quickly catching up behind us.
"Back to the previous topic, John Chou, why should I trust you?"
John Chou sneered as he spoke.
"Wasn't it you who proposed the deal with me? If you can't even uphold the basic integrity of a negotiation, what are you doing here?"
With that, John Chou crouched down, holding the Starshard Radiance in his hand. With a crack, I saw the ground split open. He grabbed my arm, preparing to descend. Xu Fu rushed ahead into the white light, but instantly jumped back out.
"What's wrong? Do you believe me now?"
Xu Fu nodded.
"Alright, it's exactly midnight now. The entrance that's been opened will only last for a few minutes at most. If you miss this chance, you'll have to wait a long time for another."
Xu Fu hesitated for a moment. After a while, he smiled, then pulled out a black talisman covered in red runes. He opened his mouth and swallowed the talisman whole, then closed his eyes, looking extremely uncomfortable—his brows furrowed, and his face turned pale.
After about a dozen seconds, Xu Fu opened his eyes and stared coldly at John Chou.
"You'd better not be lying to me, John Chou. Otherwise..."
"At worst, we'll both go down together, won't we? Besides, you anticipated this, which is why you brought that talisman allowing you to swap places with your double, isn't it?"
Then Xu Fu was the first to disappear into the crack emitting white light, with John Chou and me following closely behind.
"Brother, watch for the right moment. Use all your strength. When I open the passage, take me out immediately."
My eyes widened as John Chou's voice echoed in my mind. In an instant, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a wilderness beneath the night sky. In the distance stood an endless pillar of pale blue light. Next to the pillar sat a person—the Earth Soul of the Wraithlord. I swallowed hard. Xu Fu was standing right in front of us, but he didn't approach immediately; instead, he smiled excitedly.
"Finally found it. This time, I'm just here to confirm. John Chou, our cooperation is halfway complete. Next, I want to check on the Wraithlord's condition."
"Suit yourself."
As John Chou spoke, Xu Fu suddenly turned around and walked over, grabbing John Chou's hand.
"If you take Ethan Zhang and leave while I'm gone, wouldn't I be trapped here?"
John Chou sneered. I was startled, not expecting Xu Fu to have considered this possibility.
But since John Chou gave no instructions, it meant the time wasn't right yet.
A snoring sound echoed. We found ourselves about ten meters from the Wraithlord, who was sleeping beside the pillar. Only now did I notice the pillar was made of light and shadow.
"So that's it. He tries to break this pillar every day? Hahaha, what a cosmic joke. Who knows how many years he's been at it, and he's still hammering away."
"Now that we've confirmed it, can we leave?"
John Chou spoke, but Xu Fu shook his head.
"As I said, our cooperation is only halfway. Once we leave, it will be a long time before we can come back. We've studied this formation in detail—it's easy to enter, but difficult to leave. Once inside, the outside automatically locks down, and anyone approaching will be attacked by the primal spirits. After leaving, it takes years to re-enter. But those inside can open a passage. It's a strange setup, so I hope you'll wait here for a while. It won't take long, a few days at most. Our entire team will arrive, and once we've subdued the Wraithlord, our deal is complete. Then the Immortality Society will do everything in its power to help you, John Chou. Rest assured."
Xu Fu chuckled, still holding John Chou's hand tightly. I knew exactly what Xu Fu was trying to do—if anything seemed off, he'd do whatever it took, never letting go of John Chou's hand, making sure we couldn't escape on our own.
"Since you know so much and are still so suspicious, Xu Fu, why not test the Wraithlord's strength for yourself? I'd like to see how you fare against him."
"No thanks, John Chou. I know full well I'm no match for the Wraithlord, so don't try to goad me."
Xu Fu pulled John Chou down to sit cross-legged. I stared quietly at the Wraithlord, thinking about how to coordinate with John Chou to escape. If Xu Fu got trapped here, when the people from the Ritual World and Underworld arrived to move the Wraithlord, he'd be moved along with him. That would be a disaster for him, so his vigilance toward John Chou made sense—he'd suffered at John Chou's hands more than once before.
Last time, at the Dark Banquet, their top fighter Tan Tian was sent to the Asura Realm—all because John Chou had infiltrated the banquet and set it up in advance.
Although I don't know what John Chou did behind the scenes afterward, it was probably something extremely important.
"John Chou, are you scheming something? You agreed to my request so easily, and even brought me into the seal."
"Xu Fu, is this just your nature?"
John Chou sighed helplessly.
"That's what I want to ask. John Chou, were you born this cunning?"
I gave an awkward smile. Xu Fu turned to me and said,
"See? Even Ethan Zhang feels awkward about your scheming."
"That's you, Xu Fu. Two grown men holding hands—what's that about? Do you have some kind of kink?"
Xu Fu chuckled and shook his head.
"I don't like men or women. I'm obsessed only with the idea of immortality—it's the only thing I have feelings for. This is just a precaution."
I immediately changed the subject and asked,
"Will you really help John Chou? Won't you just betray him after you get the Wraithlord's Earth Soul?"
"What do you take us for, Ethan Zhang? Think about it—we in the Immortality Society have worked with countless people from the Ritual World and ghosts. As long as it's beneficial, we always reciprocate. Our reputation is excellent; otherwise, why would so many people and ghosts still work with us after all these years? Isn't that obvious? Virtue wins respect, and integrity is our foundation."
I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach, then sighed helplessly.
"Those eight words sound twisted coming from you. I've never seen anyone so shameless. Xu Fu, I know all about the shady things you've done for your own gain—don't play innocent. I'm not the Ethan Zhang who still feels something inexplicable for you."
Time passed second by second. I had no idea how long it had been when the Wraithlord woke up. He opened his eyes, and a piercing cold swept over us.
"A ghost, a human, and something half-human, half-ghost—what are you doing here? Are you here to challenge me?"
Xu Fu and John Chou both shook their heads. I stared at the Wraithlord, then, with a whoosh, flew toward him. The moment I clenched my fist, the power of the End surged from within me. Since John Chou couldn't create an opening, I'd have to make one for him.
Crackling sounds erupted as my entire body transformed into a surge of violent black lightning, striking at the Wraithlord.
With a bang, lightning exploded, black bolts scattering everywhere. My eyes widened as the Wraithlord raised a finger, pointing at me. My fist stopped mere centimeters from his fingertip, unable to advance further, and the power of the End was instantly shattered.
"So strong."
"That's how power should be used."
Suddenly, the Wraithlord glared, and a wave of black energy—killing aura—burst from him. My eyes widened, and with a thunderous roar, I was instantly engulfed by the overwhelming aura.
When I regained my senses, a hand was pressed against my back. The world before me was filled with explosions; the killing aura had completely detonated in the distance. Space trembled, and cracks appeared in the ground and sky, but they quickly healed.
"Sorry, I almost killed you. It's rare to have visitors—if I killed you, I'd have no one to pass the time with. You two, who's next?"
The Wraithlord looked at Xu Fu and John Chou.
I swallowed and straightened up. I had no idea what had just happened, but I knew that the power that nearly crushed me was beyond belief.
"No need. How about we just talk?"
Xu Fu smiled and spoke. The Wraithlord slowly walked over to Xu Fu and John Chou and sat down.
"Why are you two holding hands?"
"Of course, it's because we're in love. People hold hands when they're in love, don't they?"
I gagged, while John Chou sighed helplessly. The Wraithlord watched Xu Fu with keen interest.
"You seem much stronger than the kid who fought me earlier. Aren't you going to challenge me? Maybe you could relieve my boredom. If I'm pleased, I might even give you a few pointers."
Xu Fu still shook his head. I was considering our next move. According to Xu Fu, the Immortality Society would launch a full assault on Mount Immeasurable. We had to escape quickly; once outside, we'd flee immediately. Even if the Immortality Society broke into the mountain, without the key, they couldn't open the seal, and Xu Fu would be trapped here, forced to face the Wraithlord every day. I couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny, kid?"
The Wraithlord turned and glared at me.
"I just think the long-haired guy in front of you might be stronger than you. Why not give it a try?"
As I spoke, Xu Fu shot me a cold glare. The Wraithlord laughed, placing a hand on Xu Fu's shoulder, his interest fully piqued.
"If you won't make a move, then I will."
With that, the Wraithlord stood up, black killing aura spilling from him. Xu Fu's face turned ashen. John Chou glanced at me, and I began gathering the power of the End.