Ahead of us, we could already see several paths leading into the valley. The rocky mountains were completely barren, not a blade of grass in sight. A vast expanse of gray stone stretched onward, disappearing into the distant mist-shrouded peaks.
We must be close to the Himalaya Mountains now. The people of this land call it the Sacred Mountain, and it is also the highest peak in this world.
"Back then, you and your uncle went to the Himalaya Mountains to treat part of your master's Ghost Worm affliction, didn't you?"
Vincent Swallow nodded, as if lost in memories of the past.
"We almost died up there once, during an avalanche. I’ve heard a little about Sky Burial Valley too. Before we go in, we should be careful—especially you, Roxie. Maybe you should wait here for us."
Vincent Swallow spoke, but I shook my head as John Chou climbed into the vehicle.
"If anything happens, you two don’t need to trouble yourselves. Sis, could I ask you for help?"
Isabelle Frost glanced sidelong at John Chou but nodded. I wasn’t worried about running into trouble, since we had two of the smartest ghosts here—both top-tier even among the ghostly ranks.
The vehicle moved on. By a little after five in the afternoon, there was almost no sunlight left. We stopped at the mouth of the valley, where I saw some plastic trash scattered about. In some places, stones had been piled up to make temporary stoves, just as Chief Barry had said—many people came to this dangerous place to play.
Thinking about it made me angry. Every year, so many so-called budget travelers come here with backpacks, hoping to purify their souls, but really just escaping the noise for a while. In the end, when trouble strikes, it’s the locals who have to help, and some simply get lost and die in these lands.
I sighed helplessly at the thought. If you have the ability, anywhere can be fun; if you don’t, everywhere is suffering. Right now, I was relaxed, not the least bit anxious despite the dangerous mountains ahead.
"Humans really are strange creatures."
I muttered to myself. John Chou glanced at me, and we began to enter the valley. The clustered peaks split the whole area into a complex maze. I’d heard Chief Barry talk about this place before—once, it was lush and full of water and grass, with many nomadic tribes and abundant resources in the mountains.
In their faith, the dead are honored with sky burial, letting birds consume the body. I saw many old nests on the cliffs, but now, not a single bird remained.
After walking for a while, I began to feel uneasy. Suddenly, Vincent Swallow pulled out a small cloth bundle from his robe and wrote a string of golden characters on it. He opened it to reveal a monk’s vestment, glowing faintly, and draped it over me.
"What’s wrong?"
Before I could react, the vestment tightened, wrapping me up with only my head and hands exposed.
"So that’s it. There’s an unknown force here that slowly drains away your power. Interesting."
John Chou spoke, and I immediately understood. What I’d just felt—my strength leaking out, as if being devoured—wasn’t my imagination.
"You don’t have to take care of me like this, Master Swallow."
I spoke, and Vincent Swallow smiled.
"We’ll be fine, but you’re different, Roxie. Your body might be okay for a short while, but as time passes, your strength will fade. The deeper we go, the stronger the devouring force becomes."
I swallowed, unsure what Taotie was doing here. Suddenly, I saw an unfamiliar deity carved into the stone, surrounded by shattered offerings. The path was narrow, with seven or eight meters between the mountains. Bones littered the way—animal and even human.
In the past, when people from the tribes died, their bodies would be placed in this valley. Birds gathered here in great numbers, and the corpses would be picked clean to the bone, sometimes by wild beasts too.
After we’d walked a while, Vincent Swallow stopped and crouched down. I stared in surprise—black liquid stained the stone, and it looked fresh.
"That idiot probably came here to end it all."
My eyes widened in shock as John Chou walked over and pressed a finger into the black liquid.
"The blood is still fresh—probably from a few hours ago. Can you keep going?"
John Chou asked, and Old Eccentric sighed. Half-crouching, he traced two large black characters in the air: 'Protect.'
The characters began to split apart, and then he and Vincent Swallow seemed to be wrapped in something invisible.
"Don’t worry, John Chou. I may be frail, and we’re not as strong as you, but we can still handle basic self-defense."
John Chou sneered as we set off. The monk’s vestment wrapped around me kept out the cold, radiating a gentle warmth. Vincent Swallow took a swig from his wine gourd, then removed his prayer beads from his neck. With a soft whoosh, the beads shot out in all directions, glowing gold as if searching for a path.
"All we can do is wait. Who knows where that guy ran off to."
John Chou began to float, but Vincent Swallow called him back.
"No need to trouble yourself, Brother Chou."
The atmosphere grew tense, thanks to John Chou and his earlier remarks. I sighed—his personality really was abrasive, always acting superior. No wonder his sister, Isabelle Frost, disliked him so much.
After a while, one of the prayer beads returned, tainted with ghostly energy. It had gone out golden, but came back dull. We followed it, winding through many paths, until the landscape opened up into a rocky plain at the base of another mountain. There, shrouded in black mist, was Taotie.
Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow exchanged glances and rushed forward. John Chou, meanwhile, crossed his legs and conjured a chair of murderous energy behind him, settling in as if to watch the show.
"What use is a ghost like that to you, anyway?"
John Chou spoke with a cold gaze.
"That ghost isn’t even strong enough to rank among the top hundred in the Blood Fiend Hall. But its uniqueness interests me. Right now, our priority is to regroup the old members of Blood Fiend Hall and consolidate our forces. The other Ghost Lords have started moving, and we can’t fall behind. In the worst case, having strength makes all the difference—you and I both need to keep getting stronger, right?"
I stared at John Chou in surprise. Isabelle Frost snorted coldly.
"Have you discovered anything new lately?"
John Chou nodded, a wicked smile flickering in his eyes.
"Of course. Once I gather those idiots, I’ll announce everything to you all. As for Elder Zhuang, I want you to handle it, Sis. I’m stretched thin right now. The matter with Elder Zhuang..."
Isabelle Frost’s eyes widened, a faint red glimmer appearing within them.
"Don’t order me around. Elder Zhuang is my benefactor—I’d never ignore his situation. Besides, what are the Yamas plotting? They still haven’t given me the token to enter the Six Paths."
A chill ran down my spine as Old Eccentric and Vincent Swallow rushed up to Taotie.
Taotie, you idiot! Snap out of it. You finally got your revenge, and now you’ve turned into this sorry excuse for a ghost.
Vincent Swallow shouted, but suddenly I saw Taotie on the other side slowly lift her silver Tibetan saber, shrouded in black mist. In a flash, she became a black meteor, slashing at Vincent Swallow.
A deafening clang rang out as shards of stone flew. Taotie's saber struck Vincent Swallow’s head, but was blocked by a hard barrier. Old Eccentric gently traced the word 'Suppress' with his finger, and a golden character shot toward Taotie, bursting into fragments of light. She was slammed to the ground by an immense force. John Chou watched with excitement, clapping his hands.
"Not bad. For humans, they’re top-tier fighters."
A rumble sounded as a strong gust blew stones toward us. The rocks passed right through Isabelle Frost and John Chou, but hit me—though I felt nothing, thanks to the monk’s vestment.
"Enough. I can’t watch this anymore—let me finish it."
Isabelle Frost was about to act, but John Chou stopped her.
"Those guys have guts. Let them handle their own business—we shouldn’t interfere."
A crack sounded, followed by Taotie's furious roar. The force holding her down was broken, and a surge of ghostly energy burst forth—its nature totally changed. I felt a chill of fear.
Vincent Swallow crouched quietly, hands in a Buddhist gesture, golden light shooting from his eyes.
"Buddha Form."
With a furious shout, Vincent Swallow grabbed Taotie by the neck, pinning her to the ground.
Taotie let out a piercing scream as Old Eccentric traced character after character in the air.