In my deep sleep, I had a dream. Helen Chen smiled at me and thanked me. I smiled and shook my head.
A sudden itch in my lower abdomen woke me. Rachel Lan was smiling as she helped me change my bandages.
"Did you dream about something happy, Ethan Zhang?"
"N-no, not really. Heh, what time is it?"
Rachel Lan pointed to the alarm clock beside me. I glanced at it—it was already 10 PM.
I looked out the window; the scenery remained as dark and unchanging as ever.
After I got out of bed, pain flared in my lower abdomen.
"Ethan Zhang, you should stay lying down."
I glanced at my lower abdomen, still wrapped tightly in bandages.
"Why is it that even with my kidney pierced, I can still move around like this?"
Rachel Lan nodded.
"It really does seem that way, Ethan Zhang. Your body seems to be undergoing some sort of change, especially after you drank the soup that Yuna Ji gave you."
Then Rachel Lan supported me as we walked into the courtyard. There, I saw Justin Lee sitting under a cherry blossom tree. Beside him, a small box held Helen Chen’s ghostly spirit, a pitch-black mass.
Justin Lee was smiling, muttering to himself.
"Mr. Lee, what are you doing?"
"Mr. Ethan Zhang, are you feeling any better?"
I nodded.
"Here’s the thing—Miss Simons said that talking to Miss Chen more might help her wake up."
"John Chou, please spare me. I’m no match for you."
Evan Zhao looked embarrassed, standing beside the pavilion. John Chou was smiling, and on the table lay Hell's Sentinel.
"You’ve been here for a few days, you should be almost recovered. I just want you to spar with me for a bit."
"Oh come on, Boss Yin, stop joking..."
"What are you guys doing?" I walked over and asked.
"Bro, you’re up! It’s nothing, I just got this Ghost Blade recently and haven’t had a chance to test it out. So I asked this kid to spar with me."
I smiled and looked at Zhao Yuyang.
"Just give it a try!"
Zhao Yuyang shook his head firmly and said nothing.
"Hey, what are you doing over there, Yuner?" Then Yin Choujian looked aside at Ji Yuner, who was laughing at her computer screen, headphones on.
I walked over—Ji Yuner was watching a TV drama. I hadn’t seen it before, but I remembered catching a glimpse of it in the school news recently. 'Little Devil at Your House' was the hottest show right now.
The lead actress was Jing Le, a red-hot superstar who excelled in film, television, and music. She had a perfect face and tall figure—definitely a goddess-level beauty. I wondered why Ji Yuner seemed so obsessed with her computer, watching every day.
Yin Choujian was getting annoyed and yanked Ji Yuner’s headphones off.
"Hey! I was just getting to the good part," Ji Yuner snapped, clearly upset.
"Come spar with me, will you?"
"No time. Go away," Ji Yuner said, diving back into her show.
"Oh yeah? If you don’t spar with me, I might just take your medicine..."
With a loud smack, Ji Yuner shot up, furious, slamming the table.
"Yin Choujian, are you the emperor now? People have to do whatever you say? I’m not Zhang Qingyuan or anyone else here—you can’t just boss me around."
"All right, Yuner, just spar with me. This guy’s been out of it lately."
Yin Choujian picked up the Ghost Blade from the table. It really didn’t look as sharp as before—the shine had faded.
"No way, I’m watching my show—it’s just getting good!"
"How about this—you spar with me, and I’ll lend you Zhang Qingyuan for a few days..." Yin Choujian saw my angry face and quickly corrected himself.
"No, I mean, I’ll have Zhang Qingyuan help you for a few days. How about that?"
Ji Yuner giggled, then looked at me.
"All right."
"Besides, your strength should be mostly recovered by now. Go make a trip to Xieyin Mountain."
Ji Yuner shot Yin Choujian a glare.
Ji Yuner floated up into the air. Yin Choujian gripped the Ghost Blade and followed. Dark energy began to wrap around his right hand.
"Heh, this is going to be good," Zhao Yuyang said, quickly floating up into a cherry blossom tree and sitting down.
Rachel Lan and I left the pavilion too, watching Ji Yuner. Rachel seemed especially interested in her, eyes wide, staring at the two floating in the air.
"Qingyuan, aren’t you curious about what kind of powers Ji Yuner really has?"
What Rachel Lan said made sense. I’d heard Ji Yuner was the most unique among the Seven Ghost Sovereigns, but I’d never seen her true strength. Even at Putian Temple, she’d only used her power in desperate resistance after being locked away for over a hundred years.
"Yin Choujian, you’d better keep your word."
"Don’t worry, Yuner. I’ll lend you Zhang Qingyuan like I promised—but you’d better go all out."
Ji Yuner rested her chin on her hand, striking a pose and giggling.
"As you wish."
"Bro, you’d better watch closely—see how Yuner attacks." Yin Choujian suddenly grinned at me. I made a sound of surprise.
As he spoke, the wind that had been blowing suddenly stopped. The cherry blossoms swirling in the air froze in place. Scarlet mist began to coil around Yin Choujian’s body.
"Things aren’t looking so good."
Zhao Yuyang said, hurriedly floating off into the distance. Suddenly, Sima Ying appeared between Yin Choujian and Ji Yuner.
"Please, you two—if you really must fight, do it in my Ghost Domain. Otherwise, you might harm the nearby living beings. After all, your Ghost Domain isn’t complete."
Sima Ying said this, glancing at Yin Choujian.
"Oh? How did you know my Ghost Domain isn’t complete?"
"I just did a little deduction. If your Ghost Domain lets both humans and ghosts enter without any effect, and someone as distinguished as you has such a shabby domain, it’s obvious."
"Fine. Open your Ghost Domain."
Sima Ying bowed, then her figure dissolved into cherry blossom petals. A melodious flute sounded, and I stared wide-eyed.
An endless desert appeared. In the distance, a full moon hung in the sky, its cold light shining down. Yet we were still in the courtyard of the apartment building—only now, stepping forward would put you in the desert.
"Everyone, don’t step inside. Just watch from here."
"Yuner, it’s starting."
As soon as Yin Choujian finished speaking, I saw a red beam of light shoot through the air, instantly reaching Ji Yuner. Yin Choujian raised the Ghost Blade and slashed at Ji Yuner’s neck.
With several ringing clangs, Yin Choujian hacked at Ji Yuner’s head from different angles.
"What’s that?" I muttered as a patch of white appeared on Ji Yuner’s neck.
"It’s bone, Young Master Qingyuan."
With a thunderous boom, the desert echoed with a deafening roar—Ji Yuner’s entire body glowed with a greenish light.
"Hurry and bring it out—your Nine Nether Extremity."
Ji Yuner giggled. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from her back. White bones, like snakes, creaked and grew from her spine—several white joints appeared.
They spread out behind Ji Yuner like spider legs.
In an instant, all the joints moved. I saw only a blur as nine bone joints struck at Yin Choujian from different directions.
Yin Choujian, though startled, didn’t panic. He raised the Ghost Blade and blocked, sparks flying everywhere.
They fought fiercely in midair. But now, Yin Choujian seemed overwhelmed by the nine swift bone joints, forced back again and again—barely able to defend himself.
"Running won’t help—you forgot, didn’t you?"
Yin Choujian sped up in midair, like a red meteor, trying to escape the reach of the bone joints.
Just as Ji Yuner finished speaking, she released her crossed arms and stretched them out.
"Catch him."
Instantly, green light flickered along the nine bone joints. Thin, arm-like bones sprouted from them, filling the space around Yin Choujian and trapping him.
"Impressive, Lady Ji. Even the Ghost Blade, so sharp, can’t stand up to your Nine Nether Extremity."
Zhao Yuyang said excitedly.
In an instant, the bone joints wrapped tightly around Yin Choujian, squeezing harder and harder. He looked uncomfortable, and I couldn’t help but worry.
"Didn’t expect you to recover so much in such a short time, Yuner. Not bad!"
"Enough talk, Yin Choujian. I’ve shown my current strength—now it’s your turn to fight seriously."
Ji Yuner said, clearly dissatisfied. Suddenly, with a creaking sound, her body began to change. A layer of white bone, like armor, grew over her skin, wrapping around her hands.
With a thunderous crash, the desert beneath Ji Yuner collapsed into a giant pit. She flew straight at Yin Choujian, hands raised, and struck his face with a deafening blow.
I cried out in shock. Ji Yuner’s hands were wrapped in bone gauntlets. Yin Choujian’s head was severed from his body, flying high and crashing into the bone joints before falling.
"Damn..." Ji Yuner’s expression changed suddenly as she turned. The body she’d just grabbed turned to black smoke and vanished, and the head that had fallen did the same.
Yin Choujian crouched, holding the Ghost Blade in one hand. Red light flared around him, his eyes blood-red.
"Die, Yuner!"