This place looks like a cave with flowing black water. At a glance, I can only see the corner, just ten meters or so from our Drowned Cell. John Chou and I each squat on a protruding stone, and judging from his demeanor, he’s still unhurried. I’m starting to lose patience.
The slow-moving black water below radiates a strange force, as if it’s trying to draw out the Ghost Soul within me. I keep swallowing nervously.
“Since you already knew, why didn’t you say something earlier? If you’d warned me, couldn’t we have prepared for this?”
I asked. John Chou turned his head, looking at me with confusion as he spoke.
“Brother, I already gave you a hint. Back when we entered the Animal Realm, I said it—never trust these creatures who’ve lived for ten thousand years. That’s why I came ahead to check things out. But why did you follow me? Besides, the situation didn’t allow for careful planning; if I hadn’t brought that guy over, you’d have ended up as cat food.”
I drooped my head, feeling only a bit hungry. John Chou pulled a piece of jerky from his thick fur and handed it to me.
“Eat slowly, brother. Who knows how long they plan to keep us here?”
I took it and looked at him.
“What about you?”
“I’ve got another piece.”
John Chou pulled out another large piece of jerky from the fur on his other side. I felt relieved—this much could last us for days.
I nibbled a little, and after swallowing, my stomach felt better. But things were still grim. The Wild Boar King must have seen through John Chou’s identity, and instead of interfering, simply sent us to the Animal Realm.
Last night, the Bullhorn King brought us here, likely to prepare some powerful ritual array. At first, I thought he just wanted to keep his secrets from leaking, so he set up the array. I didn’t expect it was meant to imprison John Chou and me.
“You knew all along, so why didn’t you say anything? Now we’re both doomed, aren’t we?”
“You’re fine, but as for me, yeah, I’m doomed—except I left myself a backup plan.”
I blinked. Just then, I heard the sound of running water. Gradually, I saw a flash of green light—Bullhorn King was holding a green lantern, which he hung on the wall beside the cell. Instantly, the green glow flooded the whole cave.
“John Chou, others might not recognize you, but I do—even if you transformed, I’d still know you. You cut off this horn yourself; it still aches right here.”
Bullhorn King pointed to the spot on his right where his horn was missing, then snorted coldly.
“You’re a shadow of your former self. If you still had your old power, this array couldn’t hold you. But now, you’re so weak you can’t even beat that dead cat.”
“You mean the Tabby Cat King?”
John Chou asked, and the Bullhorn King snorted, laughing through his nose.
“That guy is far stronger than you think. You’d better be careful.”
Bullhorn King glanced at me.
“Ethan Zhang, I’m sending you back to the Ghostrealm now. Don’t get involved with John Chou—none of this concerns you.”
“What do you mean, ‘none of this concerns me’?”
I glared angrily at Bullhorn King.
“You have one day to think it over. John Chou, you’d better talk sense into Ethan Zhang. If he stays here any longer, the Animal Realm’s power will assimilate him, and he’ll never be able to return to normal—he’ll be stuck like this in the Living World forever.”
“What exactly are you trying to do? The Infernal Judges already promised John Chou they’d return the Bloodbane Power to him.”
Bullhorn King’s ears twitched, then he smiled.
“They did promise to return it, but they never said when. You won’t get it back any time soon, John Chou. You’ll be staying here for a while—don’t worry, you won’t starve.”
Bullhorn King pulled out a bundle from behind him and shoved it forward. A wave of green ghostly energy sent the bundle over to John Chou, who opened it to find wine, some rice, and more jerky.
"Remember, John Chou—your deadline is tomorrow. If Ethan Zhang still refuses to leave by then, I’ll force him to go myself."
I swallowed. Bullhorn King turned away, leaving the lantern hanging on the wall. I watched John Chou take a sip of wine, then pass it to me.
"Brother, tomorrow you should just go back to the Living World."
I took the wine jug, shook my head, and drank.
"Looks like they’re dead set on keeping me here. It’s probably the Infernal Judges’ idea. Things aren’t looking good. Ksitigarbha must have poured a huge part of his power into the Sanzu Force, so my strength still hasn’t returned. Interesting."
I saw excitement in John Chou’s eyes and shook my head.
"Is there any way out, John Chou? You’re not the type to just sit and wait to die—you must have a backup plan."
John Chou turned to look at me, amusement filling his eyes.
"It’s all up to you, brother."
"What do you mean? I can’t beat that bull."
John Chou shook his head and said.
"I’m not asking you to fight. Forget the bull—even beating some of the commanders here would be tough for you now. I need you to find someone."
"Who?"
"Tabby Cat King."
I stared at John Chou in shock, unable to believe it.
"When did you and he..."
"From the very beginning, brother. Things might get messy this time, so as soon as I got here, I found him. I don’t know him personally, but having a common enemy is enough. You should be able to escape; after all, they don’t dare kill you."
I was confused.
"Why?"
"As for the reason, I’m not sure. But if you ask Earthly Soul, maybe he’ll tell you. For a while, I couldn’t sense Earthly Soul’s whereabouts, then my Specter Web ended up in Ray Lin’s hands, and Earthly Soul disappeared. The only ones I can think of who could evade my detection are the Infernal Judges and Lady Meng. Where they took Earthly Soul doesn’t matter. What matters is their attitude toward you and Earthly Soul, which is very different from how they treat us Ghost Sovereigns."
I swallowed, and John Chou continued. If I confronted Bullhorn King head-on, I’d be killed instantly. The only way is to escape—I have to use my ghost aura to completely confuse Bullhorn King, keep him from catching me for a while, then cause chaos and escape Bull City, head south to the forest, and meet up with Tabby Cat King.
"What do I do when I find him?"
"Just tell him, ‘Let’s overthrow the Animal Realm together!’ He should figure out a way to help get me out."
I started to understand, my mouth hanging open.
"Did you meet him in the woods earlier and discuss something with him?"
I sighed. Once again, he did everything without telling me a thing, keeping me completely in the dark. He must have guessed what they were planning from the moment we entered the Animal Realm, so he played along and let himself get caught—he must have already thought up a plan.
"Originally, I planned to sneak in quietly, but when I met him, we hit it off and chose the safer route. Brother, it’s all up to you now."
I nodded with a grunt. This is the only way—find Tabby Cat King, a powerful ally, and let him help rescue John Chou. Then we’ll hide out for a while. The only problem is, we’ll be affected by the Animal Realm’s power and might really turn into beasts.
"Don’t you know the way, brother?"
John Chou stared blankly at me.
"You mean 001?"
"Except for that special girl from the family, who else has that kind of power—to twist souls, haha."
I nodded immediately. Even if I turned into an animal after returning, I could still ask 001 for help. I finally felt relieved.
"Brother, as for how to escape, discuss it thoroughly with your ghost souls. As long as your true body isn’t caught, your ghost souls can return to you. Remember, you’re no longer human—you’re a full ghost now, and ghost power is elusive. Keep that in mind, brother."
I sat cross-legged on a rock, ate a little, drank some more, then closed my eyes. I planned to enter my instinct space and consult with my ghost souls about how to escape Bull City.
"Instinct... coexistence..."
Suddenly, I saw the face of a vicious ghost. I jolted awake—when I opened my eyes, my instinct space had completely changed. Red, black, and green colors intertwined throughout, and I stared in surprise at the transformation.
"There’s no time for amazement, Ethan."
Deathbane Ghost was already standing in front of me, and the other ghost souls appeared one after another.
"So what do we do? I have to rely on all of you again."
"It’s simple, Ethan. If you want to fool him, you have to adapt to the power of all eight of us—or, more precisely, match our aura."
Deathbane Ghost explained, but I still didn’t quite get it. Then Shade Ghost walked over and grabbed my hand. I immediately felt a chill of yin energy, an unpredictable sensation, and images of black wind flashed through my mind.
"To be more specific, for example, let me become you and you become me. Then, after we get out, we split into nine and head in nine different directions. You get it now?"
I nodded immediately.