"Is this where they found the path to their own power?"
Watching the Seven Ghost Sovereigns depart, I asked quietly. The Wraithlord beside me nodded.
"Perhaps it was because I sensed something different back then, so I let my consciousness envelop all of Abyssal Hell, witnessing their growth and seeing many things I hadn't before. Next, you can watch them one by one. Maybe you'll have new ideas."
I hummed in acknowledgment. I was always curious about how the Ghost Sovereigns honed their powers—especially John Chou. I knew well how formidable Bloodbane Power was: it could disrupt an opponent's strength and was almost impossible to counter. That's why the Underworld Court kept a close watch on John Chou, and why the other Ghost Sovereigns' abilities were all extraordinary exceptions.
Gradually, The Wraithlord and I moved to the scorched earth. John Chou entered a cave near the northern entrance. Once inside, piles of skeletons crowded around him. But John Chou simply raised his hand. Each Ghost Sovereign wore a streak of Yuna Ji's instinctively crafted dark green Specter Web—like a bracelet—on their wrist.
Though not as effective as direct orders from Yuna Ji herself, the skeletons quickly dispersed, forming a circle and standing silently on the perimeter. John Chou went straight down to the bottom of the pit, quietly contemplating.
'Wraithlord' is used for '鬼祖' again. This is a recurring error and should be corrected throughout the chapter for clarity and consistency with glossary.
John Chou murmured with a slight smile. Then, with a thought, one of the skeletons stepped forward. The most effective way to strengthen himself was to fight these sturdy, ghost aura-infused skeletons.
John Chou glanced around—there were no weapons—so he clenched his fists, ready to fight the skeletons barehanded. The black skeletons clacked their jaws, as if receiving his command, then charged at him.
Just as John Chou was about to unleash his power, a black skeleton already had its fist flying toward him—its movements swift and precise. John Chou dodged back, but the skeleton immediately kicked at him, its actions smooth and fluid, showing none of the stiffness you'd expect from bones. It moved nothing like a typical skeleton.
It dawned on me—these skeletons must have been formidable warriors in life, each guilty of heinous crimes and countless murders. Sure enough, the black skeleton quickly overpowered John Chou, forcing him to keep dodging, clearly struggling.
"How is he doing this?"
I watched John Chou in astonishment. He wasn't using any ghost aura at all—just the body of a wraith to dodge, occasionally landing a blow that rang out on the black skeleton's hard surface. The skeleton didn't react and kept attacking him.
"Have you ever tried it? Fighting an opponent stronger than yourself without using any powers?"
I shook my head and looked at The Wraithlord.
"What about you?"
The Wraithlord smiled and shook his head.
"Not really. I was born strong, or maybe I was originally powerless, but Nuwa didn't want me to die so easily—so she gave me strength."
The fight lasted more than ten minutes before John Chou finally called a halt. He was clearly exhausted. What surprised me most was that not a trace of ghost aura had been spent, and he hadn't been hit by the skeleton once.
But after just a few minutes of rest, John Chou ordered two skeletons forward at once. They attacked him from both sides, landing blows that forced him to retreat. As the two skeletons chased him, John Chou defended himself with both hands, his feet nimbly dodging away.
Gradually, I noticed the skeletons' attacks could no longer land on John Chou. He dodged nimbly and blocked their strikes, moving immediately to avoid taking the full force and losing his balance.
"He's adapting."
I said quickly, and The Wraithlord nodded.
"Exactly, he's adapting. These skeletons seem to hold a lot of ghost aura and fight fiercely, but ultimately they're mindless, attacking only by the memory of their bodies in life. He'll adjust soon enough."
Sure enough, John Chou quickly adjusted. After a short rest, he added another skeleton to the fight. With three attacking at once, John Chou was immediately in trouble, and as he took hit after hit, his ghost aura began to deplete.
But as the battle continued, John Chou adapted again, dodging attacks with precision. Soon, the three skeletons couldn't touch him at all. This time, he didn't stop but kept fighting.
The three skeletons relentlessly chased John Chou, attacking him in every way they could. He dodged through the open underground, occasionally throwing punches, but his fists had no effect on their hard bones. Even using ghost aura didn't help—the skeletons' bodies absorbed it instantly.
I watched John Chou in awe. He'd been fighting the skeletons for nearly three hours and showed no signs of stopping. The ghost aura sealed inside the skeletons never faded. I noticed that on the edges, some skeletons' surfaces suddenly turned white—it looked like a wraith had revived, and the ghost aura was transferred over.
Finally, John Chou stopped, his body now a bit translucent. Prolonged combat gradually depleted his ghost aura. Then, one skeleton transmitted ghost aura to him, and he recovered. He picked several blackened skeletons for the next round—this time, four.
Facing four skeletons, John Chou was in real danger. His ghost aura drained rapidly, and in less than half an hour, his body was already turning translucent.
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After resting for a while, John Chou had another skeleton replenish his ghost aura, then resumed fighting. This time, he chose just one skeleton, staring quietly at the charging, swinging bones before dodging aside, his eyes tinged faintly red.
A speck of blood-red energy floated at John Chou's left fingertip. I watched in silence. Suddenly, after dodging the skeleton's attack, he ducked low and darted forward, pressing one finger to the skeleton's mouth.
That blood-red particle slipped into the skeleton's mouth. Instantly, the black skeleton began to creak and rattle, its bones seeming on the verge of falling apart.
But the skeleton quickly returned to normal and attacked John Chou again.
"Stop."
The skeleton, about to attack again, stopped. John Chou sat down, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he smiled.
"This power is truly difficult. Breaking through such heavy ghost aura is no easy feat."
What John Chou had just used was likely the earliest form of Bloodbane Power—far weaker than its fully developed state, but still effective.
Then John Chou kept experimenting, failing again and again. I didn't understand why he used so little power—he'd done the same with the wraiths before, just a single particle. But those wraiths had no physical form, so Bloodbane Power worked quickly, disrupting their ghost aura. The same happened with the ghost warden he subdued—he succeeded only because the warden was caught off guard and John Chou injected far more power. Without Redhair's help, it wouldn't have worked so easily.
I asked, and The Wraithlord nodded, then shook his head.
"I used to be able to, but now I probably can't. This guy is clever—always coming up with something new. The Bloodbane Power now is likely different from before. All seven Ghost Sovereigns are like this, able to manifest various effects with their own powers. To achieve this, it takes not only years of practice but also years of thinking and experience."
I snorted and sat down heavily. Now I finally understood why The Wraithlord wanted to show me this episode of dread, and why Zhang Qingyuan suddenly gained such overwhelming power—why I was never his match.
"Looks like you understand the importance of the basics now, Earth Soul."
I hummed in response. Even without The Wraithlord's words, I could understand. Zhang Qingyuan, under John Chou's guidance, had relentlessly honed his foundation. By the time he emerged from the Forest of Desire, his base was solid. Coupled with all his later experiences—especially at the Dark Banquet—what was easy for me, Zhang Qingyuan could only achieve through stubborn effort and repeated training. These tiny gaps might be quickly bridged by the clever ones, who grasp and master the basics after just a few tries, ready for the next stage.
But those small gaps, after repeated honing, can suddenly close in an instant. Looking back, when we merged our three souls, I was amazed that Zhang Qingyuan could completely suppress my power and the Heaven Soul's. I hadn't thought much of it before, but now, reflecting deeply, I understood—I never had Zhang Qingyuan's foundation, nor anyone to guide me in building it.
What the Ghost Sovereigns are doing now is the most fundamental of all—each laying an unshakable foundation. And when they emerge, they can look down on the world, becoming truly unique beings.