"This is just the mildest. I wanted you to experience what it's like to be chewed up—doesn't feel good, does it?"
I shot The Artisan a cold look and spoke.
"It wasn't The Undertaker who told me, and he wouldn't have anyway. I have no idea what's wrong with the people here—it's all so awkward."
"What do you mean?"
I muttered, dazed.
"Everyone wants something, but all you do is suspect and scheme against each other. If this keeps up, you'll end up blind to so much. You..."
"I'm much older than you, Ethan Zhang. You don't get to lecture us. This arrangement has lasted for so many years and still holds strong. Do you know why?"
I shook my head.
"Because all of our goals are the same. So even if we scheme against each other, we still end up working towards that goal. Like I said, I'm running out of patience. Where did you hear about the absolute darkness?"
I said nothing, just stared at The Artisan. Silent, my body began to float upward, slowly drifting toward the gaping maw below.
"I was the one who told him."
Old Cat's aged voice rang out. Instantly, The Artisan glanced around.
"Who could possibly get in here? This really is unbelievable."
The gaping maw on the ground vanished. Now, on the table, a patch of shadow rose—a cat's silhouette. The Artisan immediately turned to look.
"So that's it. The founder of the Nether Syndicate—a cat. I didn't expect you'd be able to break through into pure darkness."
In an instant, The Artisan recognized Old Cat.
"Ethan's right. Even if your goals are aligned, all this suspicion and scheming will only drive you further from them. Disaster is looming and none of you even realize it—you people are truly bizarre."
"Hmph, it's not your place to preach. Even if you know about the fourth layer of darkness—such a deadly secret—you still can't do anything about it. Your Nether Syndicate is useless to us, just like all the other sects in the arts world."
Old Cat burst out laughing.
"Same to you. Everything you've done already defies the laws of nature. Man proposes, but heaven disposes..."
A burst of cat cries—The Artisan grabbed the black cat, and in one swift motion, my eyes widened. Bathed in a faint blue glow, Old Cat was dragged right out of the black cat's body.
With a thud, Old Cat landed on the table, dishes scattering everywhere. The Artisan stood at a distance, staring at her vanished left hand. Wisps of pale blue dust drifted from the gap, fading quickly until her hand reappeared. She flexed her arm.
"Even if you can wield such advanced shadow arts, there's so much about shadows you still don't know. Now that you're here, don't even think about escaping."
Old Cat smiled kindly, then sighed helplessly.
"So that's how it is. To pull me over from the other side in an instant—I've never seen anything like it. But all you did was exploit a flaw in my technique."
The Artisan walked over slowly.
"Enough. Tell me, what exactly are you..."
My eyes widened in an instant—Old Cat's eyes were glowing blue, his face twisted in anger.
"Are you really underestimating us, the Arcane Society?"
"Underestimate? Not exactly. It's just that you have no..."
A whimpering black Synthetic Soul seeped out from Old Cat's spine, its outline identical to his own.
With a meow, a cat made of pale blue flames leapt from the cat-head cane, snatching up the Synthetic Soul. After a brief struggle, it swallowed the soul whole. The fierce blue cat stood upright, its claws embedded in the table, right beside Old Cat.
"Impossible! A Synthetic Soul is..."
"You're strong, but far too shallow. Whether as humans or as a faithless crowd, your shallowness shows in how you see both humans and ghosts. You rely too much on data. That might work on others, but for me, it's useless."
Suddenly, a powerful gust swept in. I saw shadows wielding knives—six or seven appeared at Old Cat's side in a flash. But a pale blue current danced around him, shredding every shadow without exception. The Artisan stepped back, her face pale.
"You're about to face the strongest practitioner in the Arcane Society—the founder of the Nether Syndicate."
The Artisan laughed coldly.
"It's true—your Nether Syndicate is the most mysterious of all sects. When your people die, they fall into the Nether Pit, body and soul, so we can't get any information. But our research on other sects is ancient history. No matter how strong you are, at best you're only at Leo Yuan's level..."
"Seems you met Master Leo Yuan a long time ago."
The Artisan nodded.
"He used the Buddha Statue of Visions in this darkness, but that little bit of light faded quickly—just like the man himself."
The moment The Artisan finished speaking, she vanished from our sight. I saw the blue cat let out a long whimper, half its body already gone.
A pale hand pressed down on Old Cat's head, and a shroud of blackness instantly wrapped around his body.
"Die."
With a boom, the darkness burst apart. The Artisan landed crouched on the water's surface. I noticed Old Cat suddenly hunch over—crack! The cat-head cane shattered. His body arched like a feline, blue-white light seeping from his skin, gradually enveloping him until he took on the form of a cat.
"What is that thing?"
The Artisan stared in confusion. Suddenly, Old Cat darted forward. The Artisan sneered, but in a flash, I saw Old Cat land on the lake behind her. Her eyes filled with disbelief as her body began to crack open.
"How is this possible?"
Old Cat straightened up, the glow fading from his body. He gripped the cat-head cane, turned, and smiled with narrowed eyes.
"Darkness can devour many things, but not what has never existed in darkness."
With a snap, The Artisan, now turned to stone, shattered instantly. Ash scattered across the lake. I stared in shock as Old Cat walked slowly toward me.
"I didn't want to do this—it's been years since I lost my temper. Ethan, let me help you master the fourth layer of absolute darkness."
I stared in disbelief, a chill running through my body.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Old Cat chuckled, sat down, and leaned his head back.
"Defeating Uncle John has been my lifelong wish. Honestly, I sensed it from the start—when I killed him, that feeling, or rather, what I felt in my heart, was false. Not the slightest satisfaction. I thought about it for a long time. Only when we were all implanted with Synthetic Souls did I realize: it was the Warden's Armor, that treasure of the Underworld. Uncle John and his people were able to disappear together because of that armor, blessed by Ksitigarbha. It's capable of things I can't even imagine."
Old Cat looked at me, his eyes full of helplessness. I couldn't understand why—his pure obsession with killing someone radiated from him. He smiled and shook his head.
"Enough about all that. For nearly a month, I've been studying darkness through you—and discovered something interesting. Only you can master absolute darkness."
"What do you mean?"
I looked at Old Cat in confusion. He shook his head, then nodded.
"Because you were born at the fusion of black and white—and because of your desperate longing for goodness—you've become a spiral of contradiction. It's strange, this state. You have an instinct for coexistence: the most intense, blazing light, and the deepest, unfathomable dark, both inside you. I've met many people, but never anyone as conflicted as you. On one hand, you believe in human warmth; on the other, you mourn the pain of being human."
I blinked, saying nothing as I stared at Old Cat. But now, two figures stood behind me: The Sleeper and The Undertaker.
"Impressive. You took down The Artisan in one blow—looks like it wasn't just our imagination."
With a ding, Old Cat stabbed the cat-head cane into the ground, then stood and turned away.
"Do you two want to try your luck and follow in her footsteps?"
The Undertaker looked pale, raising his fist, but The Sleeper stopped him.
"We heard everything you just said. Do you really think the fourth layer of absolute darkness is something the one behind you can master?"
Old Cat shook his head.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. But since The Wraithlord has chosen him, I think my guess is right. No matter how much data you have, before a true human is born in this world, there is only one king. That godlike king chose Ethan Zhang."
I stared in shock, then watched as a blue glow seeped from my body. The Wraithlord gradually appeared beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Let me tell you why I chose Ethan Zhang."
"You..."
My body was frozen. Old Cat turned to me, smiling.
"Lord Wraithlord, I hope what you say isn't a lie."
"Of course. As I said, John Chou will regain his full strength. Then you can finally fulfill your wish to win."