Cold air surged everywhere. The Undertaker’s skin cracked layer by layer, then peeled away, revealing new flesh—only for it to shrivel and split again, becoming dead skin. The cycle repeated endlessly in the freezing air.
“Destroying that thing isn’t easy. It can instantly absorb such a high density of dark power and then convert it into other types of energy.”
“It really is difficult. We tried using the Dark Mirror to copy the weapon, hoping to bring back some of its structure and eventually recreate it. But there was a problem—the weapon rejects the Dark Mirror we made.”
Wraithshade spoke, producing a sheet of paper covered in golden script.
"The Founding Emperors, Ancestor Emperor Huang and Emperor Yan, each wrote their own Wordcraft. We’ve only managed to decipher a single page. The soul I received from the Wang Wordsmiths has no talent—aside from its bloodline, it’s useless, so progress is slow. Xu Fu suspects that every weapon needs its corresponding Wordcraft, or else it will keep rejecting us. I really want to go into the city and see for myself."
“What exactly are you trying to do with all this? You’re not just trying to duplicate everything from both worlds, are you?”
I stepped forward and asked. Wraithshade burst into wild laughter, then waved a hand. With a clatter, a chain dragged out a black soul, which whimpered as it appeared.
“All we can do is keep waiting for this soul to sense the script.”
Wraithshade tossed the sheet of paper to the soul, which lay on the ground, whimpering as it began to read.
I stared blankly at Wraithshade, who was still laughing. The Undertaker’s eyes gleamed with excitement, while Tan Tian frowned deeply.
“Answer the question, Wraithshade. If Ethan Zhang wants to know, just tell him.”
I looked at Tan Tian in surprise. I never expected him to speak up for me.
"Alright, Mr. Tan Tian. If we could master a tenth of Ancestor Emperor Huang’s domain and a tenth of Emperor Yan’s, we could set a small goal—like wiping out the neighboring Zen Order. What do you think, Ethan Zhang? With these weapons, breaking through the barriers of darkness and the Zen Order isn’t impossible."
I swallowed hard and immediately shook my head.
“You’re dreaming.”
Wraithshade burst into laughter, and even The Sleeper opened his eyes and laughed.
“Tell Ethan Zhang, Mr. Tan Tian.”
"The Zen and Taoist Orders emerged as products of faith after humanity left clan society. The Supreme Sage I met was formidable, but if the fight continues, I’ll be the one who prevails."
My eyes widened. Tan Tian didn’t sound like he was joking.
"Ethan Zhang, you need to understand a fact: Emperor Yan and Ancestor Emperor Huang are the true gods of the Chinese people, while the Zen and Taoist Orders are merely products of social progress. Which do you think is stronger—the ancient gods or those of later times? The Zen and Taoist Orders exist at the two ends of this darkness, never interfering with it. But what if we interfere? Faith in the Zen and Taoist Orders is trendy, but the true ancient ancestors have long been forgotten. Later generations inherited their legacy, but the world chose to forget them. It’s not that the ancient gods abandoned this world—it’s that the world abandoned them. Every era, they were beings of greatness. So, if one day this greatness collides, wouldn’t you be excited?"
“The Flame and Yellow Emperors already said it: the future now belongs to people of the present. No matter what you do, in the face of the immense faith behind Buddhism and Taoism, you’re just…”
Tan Tian shook his head.
“Ethan Zhang, faith is real and powerful. It can help you transcend death and carve out a future. But that’s only true when the game is relatively fair. If faith is pushed to its extreme, that power can crush everything. It’s a paradox. So there’s no need for you to understand or accept what you’re not willing to believe. You’re a person of this era, so you follow its ways. You don’t need to understand what we, people of the ancient times, believed. That’s what it means for faith to differ.”
Tan Tian gazed at me quietly as he spoke. I swallowed hard.
“Looks like this guy really has no talent. Xu Fu gave me the incantation a long time ago, but it wasn’t until recently that he managed to decipher the one for opening the Yellow Emperor’s domain.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even if it takes a hundred or a thousand years, as long as he still has the power of the incantation, he’ll break through eventually. Time means nothing to us now.”
The Undertaker spoke, and Tan Tian looked toward The Sleeper.
“You’ve already given Xu Fu a piece of Blood Jade?”
The Sleeper nodded. I stared at him, astonished.
“What exactly is your motivation, Wraithshade?”
“Mr. Tan Tian, don’t question us over such trivial matters. The Immortality Society is after the Blood Jade—they won’t rest until they get it. If we can’t meet their demands, or rather, if we can’t satisfy these bloodthirsty overgrown infants, they’ll ruin our plans. There’s no need to hold on to it—give it to them and send them away.”
I sat down and quietly pondered what might happen next. If the Dark Banquet really went through with this, the world would never know peace—endless war would follow.
“It’s dangerous. The Wraithlord’s three children are working day and night to forge a new body that can house his three souls and seven spirits. They’re also preparing to return from the shadow world to reclaim control of Hell.”
“It’s not that simple, Ethan Zhang. If Xu Fu asks you to help, would you?”
Wraithshade suddenly turned to me and asked, his eyes cold.
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“Of course not. Who helps their own enemy?”
“Even if someone important—friend, lover, or family—was in their hands, with a knife at their throat? You still wouldn’t help?”
I swallowed hard, my thoughts instantly turning chaotic.
“In the worst-case scenario, you’ll have to make a choice. Haven’t you already found them—the Wraithlord’s three souls?”
My eyes widened as I stared at Wraithshade. Tan Tian turned and looked at me.
“You found them, Ethan Zhang?”
“Why did you…”
I’d barely finished speaking before I stood up, probing with another question—just like Xu Fu always does.
“Bastard.”
“Don’t give the remaining two Blood Jade fragments to Xu Fu.”
Tan Tian’s voice grew stern. Wraithshade just smiled and shook his head.
“At this point, nothing can be changed. Why do people strive so hard to make weapons, in every era? Because they want to win wars—win them faster, more efficiently. When there’s disagreement and conflict, people turn to war. Maybe that’s humanity’s greatest trait. And I want to witness that greatness. In this all-encompassing darkness, I’ve seen it—the brilliant light of greatness.”
“You’re crazy—just like that lunatic Xu Fu. You…”
Wraithshade walked toward me step by step.
"Do you know, Ethan Zhang? In my life, I have witnessed countless moments of greatness—coronations of new kings, the fall of old ones, heartbreaking farewells, kin turning on each other, lovers slaughtering one another. All these things, all the darkness within humanity, can be seen so clearly in this abyss. The Wraithlord, too, is a being of greatness. I yearn to witness the moment when these great forces burst forth into the world—their brilliance will surely outshine the warmest, brightest sunlight, and burn even hotter."
The Undertaker let out a cold snort.
"We’ve heard enough of your theories, Mr. Wraithshade. It’s time to focus—hurry up and crack the Wordcraft."
"That terrifying, unpredictable future—surely you all know—it started because of one person, Ethan Zhang."
I stared quietly at Wraithshade, my heart no longer turbulent. Just then, I noticed the nearby lost soul clutching its head, whimpering in agony. Instantly, golden script crawled across its body. Wraithshade yanked the chain with a sharp snap, pulling the soul into his own form. Those glowing words were now clenched in his fist.
A sizzling sound erupted as the golden script seared Wraithshade’s entire palm. His eyes flickered with emotion.
"What’s wrong?"
The Sleeper asked nervously, and even I could sense it—the script nearly killed the lost soul in an instant.
"Looks like we’ll have to find a way to strengthen this soul’s essence, or we won’t be able to continue."
"Then we’ll have to head back for now. I want to deliver this news to the Artisans as soon as possible. But right now, the Ghost Lords are over there, and the Immortality Society must already be moving according to your instructions. What exactly did you ask them to do?"
The Undertaker asked, and The Sleeper shook his head.
"Told them to do nothing, but that bunch will never behave. They’ll do whatever it takes to snatch the other piece of Blood Jade from the Artisans."
"Things are about to spiral out of control."
The Undertaker spoke, while Wraithshade turned and looked toward the door.
"There’s a monster outside, watching me, ready to tear me apart. What should I do?"
"Is it Ji Yun’er?"
The Undertaker muttered, and The Sleeper chuckled.
"We’ll just join forces and deal with her together."
In an instant, I blocked the doorway.
"Don’t even think about it."
"Ethan Zhang, this isn’t something you can interfere with. You’d better stay aside and just watch quietly. You—"
Suddenly, Tan Tian stood behind me.
"I’ve thought it over carefully. These things should never appear in the living world. The Blood Jade must remain sealed here forever."