Right now, they stood at the foot of a mountain so tall, its entire surface bristled with razor-sharp blades—each one gleaming silver and deadly.
The Ghost Princess curled her lips in a mocking smile, plucked a leaf, and strolled over to the edge of Blade Mountain. She waved the leaf around, brought it to her lips, and blew—sending it fluttering into the blades, where it was instantly sliced clean in half.
The watching ghosts, here just for the drama, all gasped in shock. Holy crap, how sharp are those blades? How terrifying is this mountain?!
A chorus of hushed ghostly whispers broke out—obviously, they were saying Ivy Shen must be nuts. Anyone who climbs Blade Mountain is guaranteed to have their soul shredded to bits.
"Big Sis!" Little Pretty stood beside the four men, his face full of worry as he looked at Ivy Shen.
"Little Pretty, take care of them, okay?" Ivy gave him a gentle smile, then glanced at the four men. Right now, they stood off to the side, eyes completely blank. Around each of their necks was a garland—she’d quickly woven Other-Shore Flowers into necklaces for them.
"Don’t worry, I’ll beat the clock, survive all this, and bring your memories back!" Ivy declared firmly. They’d died for her—she could do the same, even if it meant her soul getting obliterated.
The next second, Ivy wiped away her smile and shot King Hades a cold look. "A promise is a promise!"
"Of course, but that depends on whether you can survive," King Hades replied coolly. "If your soul stays intact, you make it through the Oil Cauldron, and still have time to wake them up, then I’ll let you all go back."
The ghosts started whispering again, like, this is obviously impossible!
"Alright!" Ivy Shen agreed without hesitation, catching everyone off guard. She took a deep breath, then pressed her bare hands onto the blades. In an instant—like she was made of flesh and blood—her palms started bleeding. The blades sliced her skin open, and the pain shot straight to her bones.
"The underworld is its own world," King Hades reminded her again, clearly warning: "Even souls here have flesh, blood, and pain. In the mortal realm, a soul is just air, but in the underworld, it's solid. You'd better think this through—Blade Mountain isn't just for show."
"Cut the crap!" Ivy shot back coldly, then started climbing.
"You forgot to take off your shoes!" the Ghost Princess piped up in a petty tone. Hmph—after kicking me, let's see if you don't die on Blade Mountain!
Ivy Shen ignored the Ghost Princess, but still did as she said—kicking off her shoes before climbing. The surrounding ghosts held their breath, watching in total silence.
One step, two steps, three steps—soon, Blade Mountain was slick with blood. Sweat beaded on Ivy Shen’s forehead, and there wasn’t a patch of uncut skin left on her hands. Still, she gritted her teeth and climbed for her life.
"Waaah..." Little Pretty, never having seen anything so brutal, instantly burst into loud sobs.
Even the Ghost Princess, who’d been mocking her nonstop, slowly lost her smirk as she watched Ivy keep climbing, teeth clenched. Her face turned to one of utter disbelief.
"Don’t be scared... don’t be scared... I’ll bring you all home, I swear,” Ivy Shen muttered to herself, pushing on. Even as every blade bit into her flesh, she climbed without hesitation, over and over, never stopping.
The whispers around them gradually faded, until only the sound of breathing and the steady drip of blood from Blade Mountain remained. Nothing else broke the silence.
Black and White Reaper stared, their usual blank expressions finally shifting. In all their years in the underworld, this was the first time they'd seen someone willingly climb Blade Mountain. Was there really a woman this crazy for love? What kind of devotion could reach this level?
"Big Sis... Big Sis..." Little Pretty sat on the ground, crying nonstop, because he honestly didn't know what else to do.
Almost there, just a little more—she was so close to the top...
But right then, Ivy Shen started feeling dizzy from blood loss; her head grew heavier and heavier.
The blades blurred before Ivy’s eyes—she knew this was bad. To keep herself awake, she started singing, belting out: "Facing this trial for love, I take Susan Feng as my model. The Female Prince Consort’s story helped me grow. Where is my beloved now? For Li Lang, I left my home. Who knew I’d win the imperial exam, win the red robe, palace flowers in my hat—oh, so fresh and new..."
The song was supposed to be cheerful, but now it sounded heartbreakingly sad. For some reason, all the ghosts found their eyes growing red and wet.
The Ghost Princess’s expression kept shifting—she looked seriously awkward now.
At last, Ivy Shen, bleeding and humming, scrambled to the summit. She was the first soul ever to willingly reach the top of Blade Mountain, and she’d done it fast—proof of how desperately she wanted to hurry, hurry, hurry.
There she stood, a slender figure drenched in blood, looking so fragile a breeze could blow her away.
But her lips curled into a satisfied smile—because she could see them down below, and that was enough to calm her heart.
"Big brothers, please wake up, wake up!" Little Pretty, still just a kid, couldn't hide his feelings at all and broke down sobbing.
"Y-you can still change your mind—my dad can spare your life!" the Ghost Princess stammered, not even sure why she was saying it, only that watching this hurt.
Maybe she'd never seen a woman willing to go this far for a man before.
All those couples and lovers who came here, swearing they'd never reincarnate and would stay together as ghosts forever—when it came to climbing Blade Mountain or braving the Oil Cauldron, they all chickened out. That kind of love, she despised.
That’s why she never believed anyone could truly love in the face of this.
But this stubborn woman in front of her had shattered all her expectations.
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Ivy Shen just curled her lips coldly at their words, full of disdain.
"Lan Moxuan, Liu Qingyan, Butterfly Rogue, White Crane—Ivy Shen loves you, loves you so much. For one lifetime, no, ten lifetimes, a hundred lifetimes, I’ll be with you all!" Ivy shouted with every ounce of strength she had.
Her voice was full of resolve, faith, and overwhelming love. The ghosts all started sobbing, not even knowing why—just that they wanted to cry, so badly.