I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been walking. I’ve passed through countless towns, most nestled deep in forests. Purelands is full of hills and valleys, lush mountains everywhere, and many towns lining the roads. Along the way, I’ve crossed many intersections.
Torches burning with green flames stand at intervals along the road, meant to keep the mindless, starving ghosts in the woods from attacking passing spirits.
I’ve encountered many ghosts along the way. Life here is much more comfortable than in Blazing Fields. From talking to some of these fellow ghosts, I’ve learned that this place has been peaceful for years—no disturbances at all. Blue Wraiths serve as the rulers of Purelands, peacefully coexisting in this province that’s only half the size of Wildlands and The Barrens. Both commerce and agriculture thrive here.
What surprises me is that, even though this is the Ghostrealm, they can grow strange foods that ghosts actually eat.
I’m getting closer and closer to John Chou—almost at the heart of Purelands, just thirty or forty kilometers away. To avoid drawing attention, I’m traveling on foot. Still, walking through these shadowy, green forest roads puts me in a decent mood.
“Business has been good lately.”
I heard voices ahead at the intersection. Looking over, I saw two figures standing beneath a massive sign. Instantly, my eyes widened in disbelief—one had a pig’s head and a human body, the other a dog’s head and a human body. I even doubted my own eyes and rubbed them, but as I approached, I realized I hadn’t been mistaken. Both the pig-headed and dog-headed ones were Animal Wraiths of the shadow rank—I could feel it immediately.
I just said, “Oh.”
The dog-headed one bared its white teeth, glaring at me with burning eyes, its ears pricked up. I hurried away without a word, but curiosity gnawed at me and I stopped.
“How did you two end up like this? What happened to you… Are you like The Bullheaded Keeper and The Horsefaced Sentinel?”
“We’re born this way. Haven’t you seen us before?”
I couldn’t argue with him, but I was stuck with no options. Helpless, I considered trying to get some money from other ghosts, but looking around, most seemed to be refugees—I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Then something even more startling appeared—a deer, or more precisely, a talking deer standing upright in clothes, with human feet.
Before I knew it, it was my turn. Just as I was starting to panic, a cheerful voice rang out.
The deer-man had a backpack and kept laughing. The nearby ghosts were muttering among themselves. I walked over and asked him a question.
I wiped the mud from my mouth, feeling the evil worm I’d just swallowed. Suddenly, my ghostly energy surged inside me.
“Most of the plants here grow by absorbing ghostly energy. Their fruits can be eaten safely by ordinary ghosts, with little harm. These strange plants dilute the ghostly energy and present it as fruit, so ghosts can eat them without much risk. They can even replace the offerings from the living world. Whoever came up with this is truly remarkable. This is my first time here, and it’s strange—this place is developing in its own direction, completely different from other parts of the Ghostrealm.”
“They say these guys originally fell into the Animal Realm, but for some reason, they didn’t reincarnate as animals. Instead, they kept their animal shapes and became ghosts. It seems strange at first, but you get used to it. After all, we’re all ghosts here.”
As we walked, John Chou kept up a stream of idle chatter, none of it important.
Seeing so many bizarre ghosts at once, I couldn’t help but think of The Bullheaded Keeper and The Horsefaced Sentinel. That thought made it a bit easier to accept, and I kept walking.
I could clearly sense John Chou’s presence now, so I picked up my pace. Along the way, normal ghosts and animal wraiths mingled everywhere.
Eventually, I stopped. Ahead, a long line stretched out, and in the distance I saw a city gate—John Chou was inside. I could feel it. There was a signboard over the gate with large characters. I stared at it for a long time but couldn’t read what it said.
“What does that sign say?”
I asked a nearby ghost—a monkey-shaped wraith, covered in fur and constantly scratching himself, occasionally releasing a pungent odor.
“Boarhead Ridge. Can’t read at your age? Pathetic.”
I blinked, deciding not to bother with the monkey-shaped ghost.
“First time here, old man? This is the Wild Boar King’s territory—the central city of Purelands.”
I gave a simple "Oh."
“You have to pay a tax to enter the city, old man. Get your money ready.”
My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t brought any money when I left—how was I supposed to pay the tax?
Seeing my anxious face, the monkey-shaped ghost sighed.
“If you don’t have money, you can’t get in. Whether you’re human or ghost, you need money to survive.”
I couldn’t argue with him, but I was stuck with no options. Helpless, I considered trying to get some money from other ghosts, but looking around, most seemed to be refugees. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Before I knew it, it was my turn. Just as I was panicking, a cheerful voice rang out.
“You finally made it! That’s my relative—please let him through, I’m here to pick him up.”
It was John Chou. My jaw nearly dropped in shock. He was dressed like a farmer—bucket boots, waterproof pants, an apron, and his hands were covered in mud.
The two wild boar ghosts at the gate nodded, and John Chou hurried over to grab me and lead me away.
“You finally came. I told you to come ages ago, but you wouldn’t listen.”
As we walked, John Chou kept chatting about trivial things—none of it really mattered.
Once inside, I realized the gate was built at an intersection. To the left was a vast sloping field, filled with colorful plants I’d never seen before. On the right was a cluster of houses, most built alongside huge trees, and I saw plenty of tree hollows.
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“What are you actually doing here?”
After we left the wild boar ghosts guarding the gate, John Chou led me down the main road to a small earthen hut on the left.
“Farming, brother. Can’t you see?”
John Chou looked at me with a half-smile, and I couldn’t help but get a little irritated.
“Alright, alright, I’m not joking anymore. I’m looking for the entrance to the Animal Realm.”
I blinked, staring at John Chou, completely lost.
“Enough talking—change your clothes and come with me to the fields.”
I looked around, changed into farming clothes, and followed John Chou outside. He led me down the road, and I saw many ghosts—some normal, some animal wraiths—all busy in the fields. John Chou explained he’d been farming here for a month and hadn’t found a single clue, so he kept waiting for me. When he sensed I’d returned, he told the authorities he had a relative coming, also a skilled farmer.
I swallowed and entered a rice paddy. There, I saw rows of purple plants only twenty or thirty centimeters tall—I had no idea what they were. John Chou had me help him, bending over to inspect something. Soon, he pulled wriggling black worms from the roots of the purple seedlings.
“Want to try one?”
John Chou popped a worm into his mouth and chewed, mud dripping from his lips. I stared in shock as he held another worm out to me.
“It tastes pretty good, brother. Try it—you’re not human anymore, after all.”
Reluctantly, I took the worm and stuffed it into my mouth. After a few chews, my eyes widened. I smacked my lips and found it surprisingly delicious—like eating seafood, fresh and chewy.
“Let’s get to business.”
I wiped the mud from my mouth, feeling the evil worm I’d just swallowed. Suddenly, my ghostly energy surged within me.
“Most of the plants here grow by absorbing ghostly energy. Their fruits can be eaten safely by ordinary ghosts, with little harm. It seems these strange plants dilute the ghostly energy and present it as fruit, so ghosts can eat them without much risk. They can even replace the offerings from the living world. Whoever came up with and implemented this idea is truly remarkable. This is my first time here, and it’s strange—this place is developing in its own direction, completely different from other parts of the Ghostrealm.”
John Chou pulled me along, busying himself in the fields. He explained it was simple: the roots of these plants attract worms unique to the Ghostrealm. The worms eat the roots, so you just stimulate them with ghostly energy and they’ll latch on, making them easy to catch. The soil here is condensed ghostly energy—unless you use intense ghostly energy, you won’t trigger any detection.
Under John Chou’s guidance, I managed to catch a worm and popped it into my mouth. The mud tasted like syrup to me, which was incredible. But if an ordinary ghost ate it, they’d probably burst—their ghostly souls can’t digest such high-intensity condensed ghostly energy.
Just then, I noticed a few armored pig-headed ghosts approaching. One was much larger—probably a Blue Wraith, judging by the dense ghostly energy.
“Good. This field is yours now. Remember to catch worms every day.”
John Chou nodded and smiled. The pig-headed ghosts dispersed, heading off to inspect other crop fields.