After spending an hour in the Ghost Domain, my Ghost Souls confirmed that the Bullhorn King was no longer nearby. I emerged from the Ghost Domain.
"Wow, it's the big fat cat."
As soon as I came out, I saw a four-legged lizard on the wall speaking. Immediately, a cacophony of voices erupted around me. The cave was teeming with insects, and the ghostly aura was thick and chaotic.
"Do you know where the Tabby Cat King is?"
I asked, and the insects began to chatter. Some said he was deep in the forest, others claimed they'd seen him leave. Each had their own story. I didn't think much of it and walked straight out of the cave.
John Chou should only be imprisoned, not in danger. After all, they still want to rely on John Chou's Bloodbane Power to prevent the collision of the Three Paths.
In my memory, the Three Paths—the three great spheres—were indeed very close. From afar, they looked as if they were about to collide. The problems with the Three Paths may be related to John Chou. I didn't ask anything; John Chou seemed unwilling for me to probe further.
Finding the Tabby Cat King in this vast and chaotic ghostly aura was nearly impossible. I could only ask around. The birds, beasts, and insects in the forest all knew of the Tabby Cat King, and they were clearly terrified of him.
The Tabby Cat King has lingered in this forest for ages, having eaten countless creatures, from insects to beasts. Many in the woods have witnessed his power.
With no other choice, I followed the road, asking around as I went, until I reached the place where we fought before. I decided to start searching from the east, since the Tabby Cat King had left from there. Sure enough, I found a creature in the east who'd seen the Tabby Cat King the day before, and I began to make my way through the forest with difficulty.
I couldn't release too much ghostly energy. Even from this distance, if the Bullhorn King came directly, I wouldn't stand a chance.
"Fat Cat, are you trying to get yourself killed by looking for the Tabby Cat King?"
Just then, I saw a spider descend, hanging by a thread.
"Do you know where he is?"
"Fat Cat, do me a favor and I'll take you to him."
I nodded immediately. The spider asked me to carry him to a nearby tree.
"I've helped you, so shouldn't you..."
Before I could finish, a larger spider with red and black stripes crawled over, mounted the first spider, and began to devour it. I was startled.
"Alright, just keep going this way. If you see a lot of bones, you might find the Tabby Cat King."
The spider before me was eaten by the other. I swallowed and suddenly remembered that in spider mating, the female often eats the male.
I blinked. The male spider lay motionless, while the female spider feasted on his corpse.
"What's there to see? That guy probably didn't want to live anymore."
At that moment, I noticed a dazzlingly colorful little frog squatting on a large green leaf, its mouth pulsing.
"Fat Cat, let me ride on your head. Carry me for a while."
I didn't think much of it and leaned over. The frog jumped onto my head, and I started walking slowly.
"Life in the Animal Realm is getting harder and harder."
"Why?"
The frog kept sighing. After a while, as I walked on, he finally spoke.
"A lot of us in the Animal Realm have lived far too long. The more we cling to life, the harder it gets. Even if we've grown used to being animals, deep down we're still human. I miss the past—life was tough, but at least I had hands and feet, could go wherever I wanted. Now, in this form, if you want to travel far, you have to think about food first."
I didn't respond and kept walking. Soon, I saw a skeleton crawling with black insects. A foul stench filled the air, and I immediately stood up straight. The skeleton looked fresh. Many trees here had been damaged, and there were plenty of bones—some old, some new. The fresh pig skeleton's flesh was already rotting, and the black insects chirped happily, delighted to have something to eat.
I skirted around the skeleton, and the frog patted my head.
"Go over there, to that pond."
I looked to the left and, sure enough, saw a pond covered in lotus leaves. After I approached, the frog jumped onto one of the leaves.
"Thank you, Fat Cat. I advise you not to seek out the Tabby Cat King. He's cruel by nature—sometimes, even when he's not hungry, he'll kill anyone nearby just for fun."
I shook my head and kept walking. Along the way, I saw countless white bones, but still no sign of the Tabby Cat King.
"I hear you've been looking for me, Fat Cat."
A sinister voice sounded behind me. I spun around, ready to float into the air, but a shadow flashed before my eyes. Instantly, the Tabby Cat King pinned me to the ground, his claws gripping the back of my neck.
"John Chou sent you, didn't he? That bastard stabbed me—I still feel the pain. I'm in a foul mood, so just die already, Fat Cat!"
My eyes widened. I instantly turned into a mass of mud—splattering everywhere. I quickly slipped free from the Tabby Cat King's claws. He landed, unmoving, his coppery, slightly green eyes rotating like bells.
"You're still no match for me, Fat Cat."
As we spoke, I pulled the Tabby Cat King out of the mud.
"You bastard."
With a thought, crimson curse marks appeared all over my body. The Tabby Cat King, astonished, released me and leapt lightly to a distance.
"Just kidding with you, Fat Cat."
I glared at him, emotions running high.
"What exactly do you want?"
I was deeply disgusted by this neurotic cat before me.
"I want to leave the Animal Realm, but without one of the Twelve to guide me, nobody can escape from here."
[Irrelevant system prompt about continuing to the next page. Skip translation.]
I let my guard down a little. The Tabby Cat King hopped over and started talking to me. A few days ago, while wandering the forest, he saw a red-furred wolf running wild and decided to eat it.
But when the Tabby Cat King attacked, he found that, although the wolf's ghostly energy was low, it fought with extraordinary ferocity—so much so that he was put at a disadvantage and had to stop.
After that, John Chou discussed with him about overthrowing the Animal Realm. The two quickly reached an agreement. Then I arrived—Tabby Cat King attacked me on purpose, while John Chou brought the Bullhorn King over. Their goal was to test the Bullhorn King.
Sure enough, the Bullhorn King made his move the day after returning, capturing both me and John Chou.
"Why? What exactly..."
"Think about it, Fat Cat. If someone wanted to harm you, what would they do?"
Immediately, Xu Fu's repulsive smile popped into my mind.
"Of course they'd trick you first, then slowly lure you in."
The Tabby Cat King laughed heartily, stroking his whiskers.
"When I learned that guy's true identity was the Bloodbane Ghost Sovereign who disrupted the Animal Realm centuries ago, I told him a few things. Based on my years of observation, the Twelve have always used the legend of the Beast Lord to deceive everyone here. They're never going to reincarnate—they're doomed to spend eternity in the Animal Realm. The point is to give them a glimmer of hope, so they'll unknowingly die chasing it."
"But didn't the Bullhorn King say that if you're eaten, a portion of your pure soul will reach the edge of the Animal Realm, and you can enter the cycle of reincarnation?"
The Tabby Cat King immediately laughed and shook his head.
"It's not reincarnation you're headed for, but somewhere else. You've seen those black currents, right? The waters of the Three Paths."
I nodded.
"In the Animal Realm, or in the other two realms—the Hungry Ghost Realm and the Infernal Hell—when you die, you become part of that water. Reincarnation for souls begins at the River of Forgetfulness, which holds countless souls. They flow into the Three Paths, and once there, they're transformed by its power into animals, hungry ghosts, or evil spirits in Hell. Do you know why?"
"Is it to subject them to punishment?"
The Tabby Cat King shook his head.
"Long ago, souls in the Animal Realm and Hungry Ghost Realm could enter reincarnation after a certain period. But over a thousand years ago, reincarnation stopped accepting souls from these two realms. I don't know why. My investigations led me to the waters of the Three Paths, but I still don't know where they flow—probably nowhere worth praising!"
"Then with so many new lives born every year, why..."
The Tabby Cat King raised a finger, pointing to the sky.
"All those new lives are born from the power of Heaven itself. The Animal Realm and Hungry Ghost Realm can no longer reincarnate any ghosts. The chance for reincarnation was stripped away by Heaven long ago."
"How do you know so much?"
I looked at the Tabby Cat King in surprise. He burst out laughing.
"Have you ever heard the story of the birth of the Zodiac Twelve?"
I nodded. There are many versions, but the gist is that a god or Buddha wanted to establish the Zodiac Twelve. The rat was notified first and told to inform the others, including the cat. The rat promised to wake the cat early the next morning, but didn't. When the cat arrived, the Zodiac Twelve had already been chosen, and since then, cat and rat have been sworn enemies.
"Does that have anything to do with you?"
The Tabby Cat King smiled, stood up straight, and said nothing.
"Let's go. If you want to rescue John Chou, you'll have to find the entrance to Bullhorn King's ghost domain."
"So that place really is Bullhorn King's ghost domain?"
I exclaimed in surprise. The Tabby Cat King smiled.