After a long time searching, I found nothing. I descended, and some ghosts seemed to sense something was wrong—a few Blue Wraiths drifted over toward me.
One of the female Blue Wraiths was among the Ten Swordmasters. She wore her hair in a high bun, long hair flowing, dressed in blue, with sword-like brows and starry eyes. Her youthful, beautiful face held a hint of heroism, and her gaze was electrifying, captivating the soul.
"May I ask, Mr. Zhang, why did you release the Specter Web?"
I responded with an 'oh' and began explaining to the woman before me. She glanced around at the surroundings.
In a place like this, only I would carry such murderous energy—after all, this is the Spirit Realm, not the Living World.
Beside the female Blue Wraith stood a bald, burly man, smiling. Soon after, the Blue Wraiths gradually departed. I thought it over and decided to inform Lord Shenyan, but the female Blue Wraith remained, still sizing me up.
"Excuse me, miss..."
We returned to the path between the fields. Perry Min and I released the Specter Web, extending it widely in all directions.
I nodded, blinking. I'd heard of Yvette Chao—she was a female swordmaster who taught Yue Kingdom swordsmanship. I quickly realized what she wanted from me.
"Is it..."
"I sense, Mr. Zhang, that someone familiar's aura clings to you—coming from the sword you carry."
Soon, we found a small building and went up to the third floor to sit. I took out 'Beauty,' and Yvette Chao quietly examined it, then nodded.
"This sword indeed carries Victor Fan's aura."
I nodded and told Yvette Chao about the sword's origins and some things about Victor Fan. She smiled, suddenly understanding, then respectfully held the sword and left.
Now I understood—these Blue Wraiths each oversee certain areas of the city, and if anything goes wrong, they respond immediately.
I rose and drifted toward Swordspire Mountain.
"Lord Shenyan, this era has no place for us anymore. After all these years, why do you still cling so stubbornly to John Chou? Whatever you owed him, you've long since repaid."
Just as I reached the small pavilion, I stopped outside, not entering. The voice belonged to Jing Kerr, tinged with anger, while Lord Shenyan remained silent, simply watching him.
"Whether in the Living World or the Spirit Realm, who hasn't made mistakes? Admitting and correcting them is what matters most. You've done enough—for John Chou, you've even risked your own life. But in the end, what changed? People aren't what they used to be. Even with unwavering integrity and ancient convictions, none of that can change anything. This era has no need for swordmasters."
I was startled and quietly looked over. Jing Kerr echoed Madam Gongsun’s words: This era has no need for swordsmen.
"Whether or not the era requires it is irrelevant. What I see with my eyes, hear with my ears, speak with my mouth, and feel in my heart are all real things. No matter how times change, the fire inside me keeps burning."
Jing Kerr said nothing more and sat down quietly. He noticed me and looked embarrassed. I walked over with a chuckle.
"Lord Shenyan, I just sensed a surge of malignant energy in Swordspire City. Do you have any idea where it's coming from?"
Lord Shenyan looked at me. Jing Kerr got up and quickly left, clearly unwilling to stay even a second longer, visibly annoyed.
"The Immortality Society."
I immediately turned serious, staring at Lord Shenyan. The only possibility that came to mind for the source of this malignant energy was a special ghost implanted by the Immortality Society as a means of communication.
Moreover, when we were heading to Mount Shade, we ran into a red-clad ghost who mentioned encountering some masked individuals—one with a blue mask, three with red masks, and several others with black masks.
Lord Shenyan stood up, his eyes burning with anger, fists clenched so tightly they creaked. He closed his eyes, raised a hand, and a streak of red flame shot skyward.
The wind howled. Jing Kerr, who had just left, was the first to return to the pavilion. Soon after, Madam Gongsun, Perry Min, the Swordmistress, and other swordsmen arrived. A crowd of Blue Wraiths gathered outside the pavilion.
"Everyone, please begin searching every inch of Swordspire City."
Lord Shenyan spoke. The Ten Swordmasters looked at him, each with a different expression. Then, Lord Shenyan shared his conclusion.
"A-Shen, the Immortality Society shouldn’t be able to get in, right? Without Old Zhou’s ferry, you can’t cross Styxwater."
Carrie spoke up first. Lord Shenyan shook his head.
"Earlier, on our way here, we ran into a Blue Wraith on Mount Shade. He’d seen members of the Immortality Society—and killed dozens of them."
"Whatever the case, let’s gather everyone and do as Lord Shenyan says."
The swordsman in the straw hat turned and swiftly headed down the mountain. The Blue Wraiths began drifting downhill, and soon I felt ghostly energy gathering—many ghosts were floating into the sky, some of them fierce spirits.
The lower slopes erupted in chaos as swordsmen departed. The Swordmistress, Madam Gongsun, and Perry Min remained.
"What are the odds? Has the Immortality Society already infiltrated here?"
"They probably have."
"Lord Shenyan, why do you think so?"
Madam Gongsun asked, and the Swordmistress drifted upward.
"Now that the location of the Hundred Ghosts of Dreams is known, the Immortality Society must realize their secret has leaked."
With a whoosh, the Swordmistress vanished into the distance. Perry Min chuckled and slung his arm around my shoulder.
"Brother Zhang, lend a hand. Since you use malignant energy, your senses should be sharper than ours. Better to strike first than suffer later, right, Lord Shenyan?"
Without another word, Perry Min pulled me along and we floated out. In the city below, many low-level ghosts returned to their homes. Over a hundred Blue Wraiths and countless fierce ghosts and shadows drifted through the streets, searching every corner for clues.
Just as I was about to descend, Perry Min stopped me.
"Let’s check the riverbank. That’s best. We’ll ask the old man directly."
I nodded and followed Perry Min quickly out of Swordspire City, through the wheat fields to the riverbank. Strangely, I could see the opposite shore clearly. The river seemed only fifty meters wide, and the stone engraved with 'Mount Shade Ferry' was perfectly visible.
"Old Zhou..."
Perry Min called out three times, then sat down.
"We’ll have to wait a while. That old man’s probably drunk at home again."
I acknowledged, still puzzled by everything here. The plants and trees all exuded ghostly energy; for ghosts, eating them was harmless, and there were even some livestock around.
"Heh, this root is pretty sweet."
Perry Min chewed noisily on a stalk of grass. I lay back, feeling at ease.
After a while, Old Zhou appeared on the river in his little boat. I never saw where he came from.
"Perry Min, do you need something?"
We returned to the path between the fields. Perry Min and I released the Specter Web, extending it widely in all directions.
Old Zhou stroked his beard, then started laughing.
"You mean those masked people? So they're the Immortality Society! Heh, they did come to the riverbank, but couldn't cross. My boat only ferries the dead, not the living. Some of them are buried at the bottom of Styxwater now."
Old Zhou continued, saying he'd seen Immortality Society members years ago—more than once. He even saw them a few months back, but never ferried any across.
"Old Zhou, why didn’t you tell us about something so important?"
Old Zhou shook his head helplessly.
"You never asked, so I never said. But you all—after living such peaceful days, don’t you ever miss the swordplay, the flashing blades, the life on the road?"
Perry Min smiled wryly.
"Some of them probably do. I only wandered for a while when I was young and reckless, but sometimes I still think about it."
We bid Old Zhou farewell. He rowed his little boat downstream along Styxwater, gradually disappearing from sight.
We returned to the path between the fields. Perry Min and I released our ghost threads, extending them widely in all directions.
After a long while, neither of us found anything. The search in Swordspire City was still in full swing. Perry Min had already instructed nearby fierce ghosts to report Old Zhou’s sighting of the Immortality Society.
"Let’s check the woods over there."
Perry Min pointed to a vast, sparse forest on our left. We flew over, and I even saw some temple-like structures among the trees.
"Strange, isn’t it? Ghosts worshipping gods and Buddhas."
We landed in the woods, where many fierce ghosts were already searching thoroughly.
I wandered around, searching everywhere. But after a whole day, even as night fell, we still found nothing. Yet the search inside the city continued. Though the residents had come out, the investigation grew stricter, with every ghost questioned.
Long lines formed throughout Swordspire City.
"This commotion will probably last days. We’ll find something eventually, unless they dropped in from the sky."
Perry Min laughed and pulled me toward a restaurant to get something to eat.
I noticed the ghosts lined up in the street showed no fear, cooperating willingly with the inspection. Some even chatted and joked.
"This place is really something—a true paradise."
Perry Min burst out laughing.
"It is! Many ghosts here trust us, treating us like their greatest benefactors!"