I stared in agony at the surface of my body as the third black needle pierced in. The pain was so intense that I could no longer speak. At that moment, the old man sealed my mouth with a smear of something black. I had no idea what he intended to do.
"Don't cry, it's alright. This is just the adaptation phase. These black needles will expel the impurities from your body, making your ghost body pure. My name is Howling Elder. From now on, we will be living together for a long time. I will transform you into a powerful ghost."
The old man left. I still couldn't remember who I was, but apart from the pain coursing through my body, I felt no fear at all. Even though I had no memory of myself, trapped in such a bizarre and unfamiliar environment, under someone else's control and subjected to physical torment, I still wasn't afraid in the slightest.
I tried to get up, but found my limbs weak. I wasn't even sure about the state of my own body, because it felt so light, and though I was naked, I didn't feel the slightest chill.
Gradually, I slipped into unconsciousness. When I opened my eyes again, my body was covered with black needles. Howling Elder was still mixing something. I saw him preparing a bowl of some unknown substance—black, sticky, but with other colors mixed in.
After a while, the old man removed the black seal from my mouth, and I could speak again. But my mouth seemed to open on its own, uncontrollably. The old man poured that sticky stuff into my mouth, and I immediately felt a chilling sensation. The things he poured in seemed alive, burrowing straight into my body. The pain intensified, and I screamed, slipping into a daze.
When I woke again, I found myself in another unfamiliar place—a stone prison. My wrists and ankles were shackled. Panting, I pressed my forehead, unsure what had happened, but something definitely felt wrong.
Just then, the cell door opened and Howling Elder walked in again.
"Open your mouth. It's time to eat."
I immediately clamped my mouth shut, shaking my head repeatedly. In the bowl he held, countless wriggling black worms squirmed. In the end, I was forced to eat them, and a gnawing sensation erupted inside my body.
With a thunderous roar, the city was obliterated in an instant, reduced to black fragments. The King of Reincarnation’s body shattered under my power, scattering red particles through the void. I reached into the swirling mass and seized the King’s true form.
"For centuries, you committed countless unspeakable acts, all under the guise of stabilizing the boundary between realms. You judge others, yet you lack the right to call yourselves rulers!"
The King of Reincarnation’s eyes widened in shock. Rings of colored ripples instantly bound my body, but I burst into wild laughter.
"In the end, your ignorance led to the worst possible outcome. Now you shamelessly beg the Ghost Sovereigns and mortals for help? What kind of logic is that?"
Another thunderous boom erupted. A jet-black surge of Deathbane Aura pierced a gaping hole through the city wall. I surged through the ruined gate and landed firmly on the Yellow Springs Road, staring quietly at the Forest of Wailing beside me, where thick resentment gathered, sensing my arrival.
"Do you still want to continue, King of Reincarnation? If you persist, I might just lend a hand to the Emperor Gods myself."
A beam of crimson light slowly descended before me. The ghosts scattered in panic as a red road appeared. I stepped onto it, and a door materialized ahead. The moment I passed through, I found myself inside a grand hall. The King of Reincarnation sat on the throne, staring blankly at me.
I sat down heavily, asking nothing, simply locking eyes with the King of Reincarnation. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Tell me, Earth Soul of the Wraithlord, what did the Wraithlord send you here to do?"
I still didn’t answer—just smiled, then stood up to leave. With a bang, the doors slammed shut.
"If you only intend to ask such dull questions, King of Reincarnation, I’d rather head to the battlefield."
"How can we trust you?"
The King of Reincarnation had barely finished speaking when I shook my head and burst out laughing, firing back with a question of my own.
"And how am I supposed to trust any of you?"
After another tense standoff, I turned and spoke.
"I will never bow to the Wraithlord. That’s all you need to know. Any other questions are meaningless."
With that, I turned and charged at the closed doors. But as I reached them, they swung open, and I vanished into thin air—reappearing at the Ghost Gate.
"Enjoy this rush, Earth Soul—this intoxicating surge of power. But you’d better help me find that zombie."
Wraithlord’s words echoed in my mind. Of course, I planned to help him find Luna Quay—but not right now. I’d never agreed to a timeline. Whether it took years, centuries, or millennia, it was up to me. A wild grin crept onto my lips as I took out the red corpse jade Morgan Shen had given me, crushed it in my palm, and watched the red shards dissolve into black smoke at a single thought.
Right now, all I wanted was to find the Emperor Gods’ true bodies and destroy them—end this war once and for all.
Suddenly, I sensed a surge of ghostly power—far stronger than ever before—rushing toward me. I moved to meet it head-on.
"Earth Soul, you finally made it. We need all the help we can get over here."
Yuna Ji giggled, perched atop a white bone bird. I nodded in response.
"Long time no see, Yuna Ji. You’ve grown even stronger."
Yuna Ji gazed at me in silence.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I just want to finish what Zhang Qingyuan left undone. He’s gone from this world, and our rivalry is over. Now, the only thing left is to end the war he started—so that in the end, I win."
My eyes widened with excitement; Yuna Ji let out a weary sigh.
"Your obsession is as strong as ever, Earth Soul. We’ve all been suffering these past few days. I’ll leave the cleanup to you—deal with those pests!"
I replied with a grunt and drifted past Yuna Ji.
"Save your strength for the Wraithlord. Those ten Judges are unreliable. Right now, only you six Ghost Sovereigns can face him. If you work together, defeating the Wraithlord won’t be impossible."
Yuna Ji burst out laughing. I teleported to the edge of Netherhell, where the thunder of battle cries rose all around. I stared coldly at the mass of ghosts attacking the pass—countless more swarmed in the distance. I raised my hand.
In an instant, I unleashed a torrent of Deathbane Aura. In the blink of an eye, black Deathbane flooded the entire province before me. The battle cries abruptly ceased; every charging ghost was reduced to ash. I tilted my head back—when the Deathbane cleared, nothing remained.
I raised my fist, staring at my own hand. Streams of Deathbane Aura flowed through me—my body felt inexhaustible, power still surging endlessly from within.
Yuna Ji gazed at me in silence.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I just want to finish what Zhang Qingyuan left undone. He’s gone from this world, and our rivalry is over. Now, the only thing left is to end the war he started—so that in the end, I win."
My eyes widened with excitement; Yuna Ji let out a weary sigh.
"Your obsession is as strong as ever, Earth Soul. We’ve all been suffering these past few days. I’ll leave the cleanup to you—deal with those pests!"
I replied with a grunt and drifted past Yuna Ji.
"Save your strength for the Wraithlord. Those ten Judges are unreliable. Right now, only you six Ghost Sovereigns can face him. If you work together, defeating the Wraithlord won’t be impossible."
Yuna Ji burst out laughing. I teleported to the edge of Netherhell, where the thunder of battle cries rose all around. I stared coldly at the mass of ghosts attacking the pass—countless more swarmed in the distance. I raised my hand.
In an instant, I unleashed a torrent of Deathbane Aura. In the blink of an eye, black Deathbane flooded the entire province before me. The battle cries abruptly ceased; every charging ghost was reduced to ash. I tilted my head back—when the Deathbane cleared, nothing remained.
I raised my fist, staring at my own hand. Streams of Deathbane Aura flowed through me—my body felt inexhaustible, power still surging endlessly from within.