The explosion did not occur. My eyes had turned golden-red, and Belle—the weapon in my hand—was drawn with a swift motion, pointing directly at Xu Fu. He caught my Deathbane Bullet with one hand and then tossed it aside.
With a thunderous boom, a surge of black light shot skyward. The raging Deathbane Aura instantly destroyed a large swath of forest to Xu Fu’s left, wild currents tearing through the air.
“Oh, Belle, is it? Heh. The strongest sword forged by Eugene Smithson, and it’s in your hands, Ethan Zhang.”
With a whoosh, I was already in front of Xu Fu. He stood motionless, hands behind his back. In a flash, Belle swept over the top of his head, and Deathbane Aura coiled around the blade. A massive surge of Deathbane Aura swung toward Xu Fu, but he raised a hand, and in an instant, my attack split in two, shooting off to either side of him.
Belle creaked under the pressure, gripped tightly in Xu Fu’s left hand. My right hand clung desperately to Belle, Deathbane Aura raging through my body.
“Ethan Zhang, your ghost state looks dire. If you unleash your instincts and manifest them, you might die right now. I haven’t wronged you, have I?”
I roared in fury, Deathbane Aura pouring chaotically from my body. In my left hand, a massive Deathbane Revolver materialized. Bang! I squeezed the trigger six times—every shot missed, as Xu Fu dodged each one with agile ease.
“Stop shooting. You and I aren’t on the same level. You can’t hurt me at all.”
My raging Deathbane Aura mirrored the turmoil in my heart. I kept swinging Belle, but couldn’t harm Xu Fu in the slightest. It was like striking an unbreakable wall—my Deathbane Aura was powerless before him.
Bang! I crashed to the ground, my ghost energy nearly depleted, and my ghost state in shambles. Xu Fu slowly approached, sat down beside me, pulled out a pipe from his sleeve, lit it, and began to smoke, exhaling thin wisps of blue smoke.
“I have no idea what's happening outside. After all, I have no means of communication. My corpse—let those brats keep it for now.”
I glared at Xu Fu. He had absolutely no interest in me, treating me as an adult would a baby.
“As long as you understand. To defeat me, it’ll take you many years. I won’t say you’ll never beat me. Work hard, become one of the best among ghosts, break through your own limits, and you can defeat me. After all, there’s no such thing as the strongest in this world—only those who survive through endless time can laugh last and stand at the top. John Chou probably told you that, didn’t he?”
Xu Fu spoke as he leaned against a tree trunk, pipe in his mouth, looking utterly relaxed, hands behind his head as he watched me.
“What exactly do you people want?”
“Immortality. Chasing immortality—such an unrealistic dream. Isn’t it fascinating, Ethan Zhang? That’s what people are like: devoting their lives, even their souls, to something they may never achieve. It’s this foolish, impractical pursuit that drives human progress. Aren’t you the same? Maybe you’ll never defeat our Immortality Society, not in your whole life.”
I didn’t argue with Xu Fu. The heights reached by the Immortality Society were still far beyond my grasp.
“Don’t feel inferior. Now that you’re a ghost, your advantage is unlimited time. If you keep at it, you’ll succeed one day. Cut off the heads of the thirteen members of the Immortality Society—use them as stools, plant flowers in them, vent all your rage however you want. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“You people are all insane. Sick in the head.”
“We are sick—terminally ill with the disease of immortality. There’s no cure. Words can’t change anything anymore. Only by defeating us can you silence us, send us to die in silence.”
I climbed up from the ground and sat across from Xu Fu, quietly watching him.
“Can you tell me—weren’t you already dead? Why did you come to this world after death? What are you really after?”
Xu Fu burst out laughing, then coughed a few times.
“Trying to get information from your enemy, huh? Fine, I’ll tell you a little. For the details, wait until you actually reach the world after death—the true Ethereal Isle. Then, I won’t mind telling you my story: how Xu Fu led three thousand boys and girls overseas to seek the elixir of immortality for the First Emperor. Ha, it was a mad journey.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
I stared at Xu Fu with utmost seriousness.
“It’s true—I died. John Chou, after fighting me for days, found an opening and used Bloodbane Power to destroy my heart. That killed me. The moment I became a ghost, John Chou finished me off again—a second death. I hated him for it, screamed that I’d kill him. But now, looking back, I owe him. If he hadn’t killed me, I’d never have glimpsed this side of the world, never known immortality might be possible. The others outside are still experimenting on people, but I’m several steps ahead. I do miss them a little—especially Ms. Genesis and Oblivion. Problem children, aren’t they?”
I didn’t answer, just stared at Xu Fu. The anger was still on my face, but I couldn’t lift a hand against him. No matter how hard a baby swings its fists, it can’t hurt an adult.
“You just mentioned the true Ethereal Isle. What’s really going on here?”
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“How should I put it? After I arrived here, I teamed up with those people to build these nine islands—our experimental base, you could say. But I wasn’t the one who created everything here. It was those lunatics. Turns out, there are beings stronger than me—not just in the underworld or the world of the living, but here as well. The world truly is full of surprises.”
I swallowed hard. There were people even stronger than Xu Fu.
“What are they really after?”
“That I can’t tell you. Enough, Ethan Zhang, that’s all for now. For the first time, a ghost has entered Ethereal Isle. The first time, it was a human—Mr. Wraithshade came. But now, a ghost. How amusing.”
Xu Fu stood up, tapped the ashes from his pipe, then waved at me. In an instant, he vanished before my eyes.
With a heavy heart, I looked at the many animals that had just died from my Deathbane Aura surge. I felt deeply uncomfortable. I decided to head to the mountaintop and tell everyone what I’d seen—and what I’d heard from Xu Fu.
“Kane, you’re finally back. You don’t look so good.”
Kane had already returned. He hadn’t run into anything. Everyone looked at me, seeing the helplessness in my eyes. I found a spot and sat down.
“Did you get into a fight?”
Isabelle Frost asked. I nodded, then immediately shook my head.
“It was Xu Fu.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Deathcurse appeared before me, crouching down and staring at me with those red eyes.
“Hurry up and tell us—what happened?”
I nodded and began to recount everything I’d seen, telling everyone bit by bit. After an hour, I hung my head and simply lay down on the ground.
“So, we were created by someone else?”
Kane raised his hands, looking at his body. A trace of sorrow flickered in his silver eyes. Felix Zhou walked over and comfortingly patted Kane’s arm.
“All of this sounds unbelievable, yet somehow it makes sense. I never expected that Xu Fu would be here. I’ve heard about the Immortality Society’s boss being killed by John Chou—never imagined a second death would bring him to this world. A blessing in disguise, I suppose.”
There was silence. Isabelle Frost looked pale, saying nothing. The Tri-tailed Lynx kept brushing its big tail against her, and she stroked its forehead.
“I knew it—creatures from myths and the Classic of Mountains and Seas couldn’t really exist. Turns out, they were created.”
Ray Lin spoke, walking up to the Tri-tailed Lynx and examining it closely.
“If something created can be this powerful, then the creators themselves must be even stronger.”
Victor Duan’s tone carried a hint of resignation.
The sound of clapping echoed. Black Moon hopped over.
“Alright, let’s go. Since Fang promised the Yaksha mother and child to bring them food, and half a day’s passed, let’s all help deliver it. After all, as leader of the Blackfang, breaking a promise isn’t a good look.”
We all boarded the boat Black Moon had built, drifting slowly downward. Most were silent. On Ethereal Isle, we were weak. Even in the living world, they were the best among ghosts and humans, but here, in the world after death, our power was insignificant.
“Whether created or born of heaven and earth—it doesn’t matter, does it? Kane, what did you get from Mr. Wraithshade?”
Seeing Kane so down, Cao Wanzhi spoke, then pointed to his own chest.
“Even if you’re a ghost, or something else entirely—as long as you have a heart, you’re a person.”