A rumbling sound echoed as I quietly observed the skeleton before me. Two-thirds of the blood fiend energy had dissipated, and the blood-red orb had shrunk considerably. Most of the blood fiend power had already been infused into John Chou's corpse.
What I still don't understand is how John Chou is supposed to take back a body like this. The skeleton radiates a burning heat. Now that I've entered for the second time, I feel even more that this thing is extremely dangerous—it can even scorch the ghostly power I've inherited from Ethan Zhang.
All the negative energies have been inherited by my body, while that immaculate whiteness has gone into Rachel Lan. Behind me, Ronan Wu keeps a sly smile on his face.
"Just what kind of plan do you have? Can you tell me in advance?"
I asked, and Ronan Wu shook his head.
"I don't really know the specifics. You should ask Boss John. I'm just the one keeping watch. As for the plan itself, that's not my concern."
I snorted coldly. The more I looked at the skeleton, the more uneasy I felt. There was just something about it—clearly a corpse, yet the yang energy was so strong it made me doubt whether this was really John Chou's body.
"Hurry up. That girl should be awake by now."
I stood up and took another look at the skeleton, still feeling that something was off. The skeleton before me seemed to have some sort of problem.
After returning to the surface, I looked down at the village below the mountain. The lights were on again. Most of the living dead had been busy these past few days, and I couldn't quite figure out what they were doing. It felt as if they were preparing for something. I watched as the living dead split into several groups, scattering to different corners of the cape.
I floated upward, sensing that Felix Fan was in the village. In an instant, I transformed into a streak of black lightning and landed right in front of him. He was leisurely drinking and eating.
"What's wrong?"
I quietly watched Felix Fan, feeling that there was something strange about him.
"Do you know something?"
Felix Fan raised his head slightly, glanced at me, then shook his head.
"Not sure what you're asking about, Earthly Soul."
I smiled coldly, already sensing that Rachel Lan had come downstairs. I turned and quickly went to the food shop below, where she was just waking up and eating. I sat down beside her.
"What's the matter? Is there something you want to tell me?"
As soon as I sat down, Rachel Lan asked. I looked at her in confusion, and she smiled.
"Though your personality is completely different from Qingyuan, there's one thing you're just like him—neither of you can hide your feelings on your face."
I smiled helplessly, then looked at Rachel Lan with a serious expression.
"Can you tell me everything that happened when you arrived on this island? From start to finish—don’t leave anything out."
"Is that really necessary? Don’t you already know most of it?"
Rachel Lan looked at me in surprise. I shook my head—something was definitely off. Everything about this island radiated unease.
After finishing her meal, Rachel Lan began to recount her story. When she first arrived, she saw quite a few elderly men and women by the beach, but later never saw them again. Then, as I already knew, she was drawn into Ronan Wu’s Shadow Realm of Life and Death, and her instinct for coexistence emerged during her crisis. John Chou even fought fiercely with Ronan Wu, right up until I arrived.
I stared quietly at Rachel Lan, deep in thought, when she suddenly spoke up.
"I remember the old men and women I saw weren’t hallucinations—they were real people."
I grunted in acknowledgement, continuing to ponder. My mind kept drifting to the place beneath the mountain’s pool—the matter of that skeleton. I wasn’t doubting John Chou, but rather concerned with his methods. I knew his style very well; everything he guided Ethan Zhang to do before was far too dangerous. I glanced at Rachel Lan—I didn’t want the same thing to happen to her, because she was Ethan Zhang’s only hope of returning to this world.
"Alright, let’s go."
After Rachel Lan got up, she patted me on the shoulder. We went straight to yesterday’s clearing, but I wasn’t in the mood to practice with her. She, however, was brimming with confidence. I looked around—the living dead were still everywhere, but for some reason, I kept feeling they were watching Rachel Lan.
Although I wanted to wait until John Chou returned so I could ask him directly, I figured he wouldn't say anything until things were settled.
"Earthly Soul, what are you thinking about? If you have something to say, just spit it out."
I looked at Rachel Lan. She glared at me in annoyance, and I shook my head.
"Did John Chou ever tell you anything special?"
Rachel Lan scratched her head and shook her head.
"Nothing special, really. He just kept urging me that there's no time left, things like that."
I looked up at the sky, wondering why John Chou brought Rachel Lan to this place. Suspicious, I floated upward. Suddenly, Rachel Lan's sword swung toward me, and with a thought, the Deathbane Ghost emerged from my body.
"Today, the Deathbane Ghost will help you train."
Without explaining anything, I left and returned to the pool at the mountaintop. I stared quietly at the black water. Everything inside was isolated from the outside—a world woven with immense life and death energy, completely shutting out everything beyond. This ghost domain was a perfect hiding place. Why did John Chou hide Rachel Lan here? It couldn't be just to evade those outside.
Even if the Immortality Society had all the power in the world, now that John Chou has reclaimed all his strength and Ronan Wu is here, if they joined forces, not even all the Goldmask members of the Immortality Society could gain the upper hand. Besides, at this time, would the Immortality Society really make such a big move?
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The truth of what John Chou said is questionable. My mind drifted back to that skeleton again—I couldn’t shake the feeling that those bones weren’t really his.
Looking around once more, I felt that entering this place required more than just Ronan Wu’s approval—there must be other conditions. After wandering in this ghost domain for so long, my strongest impression was its structure, as if many different spaces were stacked on top of each other.
I first noticed this when Felix Fan brought Xiaoyan’s power in, and John Chou dispersed it with a single strike. The scattered power was wildly volatile—it should have exploded, but for some reason, it didn’t. Though it was only a tiny bit, I saw it directly: it was as if the explosion happened somewhere else.
I don’t know why it’s like this. The whole place feels like a fortress, as if it’s protecting someone.
"What’s wrong, Earthly Soul? Why aren’t you training with Rachel Lan and instead came here?"
Ronan Wu floated out from the pool, and I stared at him intently.
"Is it really just to retrieve John Chou’s corpse?"
I asked again, and Ronan Wu chuckled.
"That’s an interesting question, Earthly Soul. Of course it is—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been preparing here for so long."
I looked at Ronan Wu with suspicion, nodded uncertainly, then turned and pointed at the living dead below, asking:
"What are they doing?"
"Just patrolling, nothing more. You're overthinking it, Earthly Soul."
I clenched my fist and gave a cold laugh.
"Is there really any need to keep me in the dark? Ronan Wu, tell me what you and John Chou are plotting. I may not be certain, but I still trust John's approach. But what exactly are you doing—tell me."
Ronan Wu sighed and shook his head.
"You don't need to know. Just be ready. You have to prepare for certain things—anything extra, you don't need to ask."
Just as Ronan Wu was about to return to the pool below, I rushed over and grabbed his hand.
"Is it about Rachel Lan?"
I asked, and Ronan Wu stared at me for a long moment before finally nodding.
"It really does have to do with Rachel Lan. There are things you might not know, and I don't know either. Maybe only John Chou knows, because I've only been following his instructions."
With a rush, I dragged Ronan Wu across the black lake and back into the cave below. Once again, I saw the skeleton sitting cross-legged on the ground and slowly walked over.
"Is this really John Chou's corpse? Answer me."
I stared wide-eyed at Ronan Wu. He smiled and shook his head.
"Since you've already guessed, there's no need for me to say more."
In shock, I kept staring at the skeleton sitting on the ground—it was Rachel Lan's corpse. In an instant, memories flooded my mind. I clutched my head, unable to believe everything I knew.
"Then what about the Rachel Lan outside?"
"Let me tell you one thing, Earthly Soul: there are beings that are neither human nor ghost who want Rachel Lan dead. But because this place is a rift between life and death, those things can't affect it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
I lowered my head and stared at the ground. After a long while, I remembered when the three of our souls merged, when we went to Exile Town and encountered Jiuchen, who wanted to completely destroy Ethan Zhang.
"Is it time?"
My eyes widened. Suddenly, everything about the Burial Ghost Squad came to mind—their tracking of Rachel Lan began the moment her phone lost signal and they started searching. Rachel herself said she'd been here for more than ten days, but actually, the squad probably only mobilized after I returned.
I looked again at the skeleton sitting cross-legged on the ground. For some reason, my scalp tingled.