The situation was already dire. According to Vincent Swallow, Mona Ouyang had locked onto my Core Dream. Vincent didn’t know the specifics—he only remembered hearing about dreams from someone in the Nether Syndicate centuries ago.
Now, as soon as I fall asleep, I’ll be pulled into a dream. If Mona Ouyang destroys my Core Dream in there, I’ll never wake up again—left in a living death, a vegetative state.
Hearing this, cold sweat broke out all over me. But the exhaustion was overwhelming—I couldn’t fight it any longer.
“Young Master Qingyuan, this is my special Awakening Tea. Drink it.” From a distance, I heard Samantha Simons’ voice. A bitter, fresh aroma drifted over. I took the large bowl of perfectly warm tea from her, downed it in one gulp. The taste was slightly bitter, clean and refreshing. After drinking, warmth spread through my body—I felt much better.
“Can the Dream-Calling Ritual used by the Nether Syndicate help me? In the dream, Yin Qiu told me to look for those two old couples from the Nether Syndicate.” I asked.
Vincent Swallow shook his head.
“It’s useless. The Dream-Calling Ritual is mostly used by the Nether Syndicate to peek into the future, nothing more. Hmph, just mentioning that damned woman makes my blood boil.”
Vincent Swallow spoke through clenched teeth.
“Honestly, the Nether Syndicate is despicable. For us ghosts, they’re mortal enemies. Weak ghosts have to run when they see them—if you don’t run, you die. The stronger ones, like me, if I run into someone from the Nether Syndicate, I won’t hesitate to kill them.”
Wei Lao spoke, a ruthless glint on his face.
"It can't be that serious, can it?" I muttered. But from the moment I first met Damian Chen, I could feel it—he carried a deep hatred for ghosts. Even those who consorted with them were not spared. I’ve fought him before, and I know clearly: I am no match for Damian Chen.
If Samuel Chen had used his supernatural arts back then instead of brute force, I would’ve been finished long ago.
"Qingyuan, back then, the Nether Syndicate organized a massive purge of ghosts. It happened right after the Seven Ghost Sovereigns had just fallen. The Nether Syndicate joined forces with the Mount Mason Order and the Maoshan Sect, launching a slaughter against all ghosts. If you saw a ghost, there was only one word—kill."
Evan Zhao muttered from the side. I looked at him in surprise, and he just chuckled.
"That purge lasted nearly two hundred years. I was crippled during that time, and it was Ling from the Ghost Burial Squad who took me in. Honestly, I’m not really an enemy of the Ghost Burial Squad—they just misunderstood and thought I was one of their captives. I figured I’d spend my life there, but the loneliness was too much. When I sensed the Ghost Sovereign’s resurrection, that’s when I wanted out."
"I’ve heard a bit about that," said Samantha Simons. "Here in Exile Town, a lot of ghosts came in back then, just to escape that massacre."
Samantha Simons spoke, and Old Eccentric suddenly interjected.
"Sigh, I used to have a sworn brother from the Nether Syndicate. I tried to persuade him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen. In the end, his entire family was wiped out—revenge from the ghosts for his part in the massacre."
Old Eccentric spoke with deep sorrow.
"You know, the Ghost Syndicate isn’t as active these days, and there’s a reason for that. That massacre back then didn’t just target ghosts—it hit anyone who consorted with them. The Ghost Syndicate nearly faced extinction. It was the Immortality Society who reached out a helping hand, which is why the two groups are so closely tied now."