Darkness stretched endlessly around me. I had no idea where I was, but the surroundings looked vaguely like a village. I kept moving forward, though for some reason, a deep discomfort gnawed at me.
Unconsciously, I found myself by a lakeshore, my throat parched with thirst. I hurried toward the water, but the moment I saw my reflection in the lake, my eyes widened—something was wrong. My hair had grown longer, my skin was deathly pale and dry. A strange sensation crept over me, and my face began to itch.
I reached up to rub my cheek, and to my horror, the entire layer of skin peeled off in my hand. I screamed.
Panting heavily, I gulped down air and stared at the calm, unremarkable surface of the sea in the distance. I grabbed my phone and checked the time—I had slept for nearly three hours. The moment I woke up, my stomach ached with unbearable hunger.
Thinking back to the dream I just had sent a chill down my spine. I glanced toward the village, and sure enough, the Undying were still watching me.
It's now certain the curse of the Undying here wasn't caused by John Chou, but by something else—some other force or spirit. Only a curse could have such an effect. Their bodies are clearly dead, but their souls remain trapped inside, showing no sign of leaving. When I interacted with some of the Undying before, I could sense their souls still within, faintly radiating life.
Such an existence should be impossible; only a curse could cause this. I have no intention of turning against the Undying—I need to find a way, slowly. But right now, food is a major problem. I once joked that I could survive by eating grass and tree bark, but that was just talk.
I must find a solution before things get worse. Since John Chou can't enter here, it must have something to do with my Yang Fire body. I need to quickly figure out the connection between the two. I still plan to head to the mountain top. That's the place where the island's vital and dead energies are most palpable.
After reaching the outskirts of the village, I looked around carefully, then circled past its edge. I ran along the southern beach, and when I neared the woods, I ate some grass to ease my hunger.
Seeing no Undying around, I found a steep path up the mountain. The climb was tough, but after thirty minutes, I reached the thicket outside the Deadwater Pool. The stench from the pool wafted over relentlessly. Pinching my nose, I scanned the area—no Undying in sight.
I crept to a spot overlooking the mountainside and sat down, intending to sense the structure of vital and dead energies here. I took out my phone, opened the drawing app, and sketched as I sensed—white lines for vital energy, black lines for dead energy.
The only explanation I can think of is that the Undying here were created by some kind of curse-based formation. Soon, I finished my drawing. Looking at the crisscrossing lines, I smiled—it really was some kind of formation. I'm not an expert, but I know formations share common origins. The east side of the island is filled with vital energy, but it only gathers there, while the west is heavy with dead energy. The two energies oppose each other, yet are connected by threads that allow them to transform into one another.
That's the only clue I have right now. Next, I need to find John Chou's body. A bold idea popped into my head—Mao Xiaoyu once told me that every formation, no matter what kind, needs a medium to give it power. So, could John Chou's body be the medium for this place, creating this strange formation where vital and dead energies blend?
But that's just a theory—I have to test it myself. The simplest way is to disrupt the formation. I carry a massive amount of vital energy, so I plan to find a connection point between vital and dead energy and unleash a surge from my body to break the balance. That should trigger some kind of change.
I quickly got up and hid in the bushes. Down the mountain, a crowd of Undying had gathered—the whole village had come out. I watched them with a cold smile.
"A bunch of scheming bastards."
The Undying at the foot of the mountain were searching for me, sweeping the area. I crouched in the thick branches of a banyan tree, quietly watching them, keeping my energy tightly restrained. They shouldn't be able to sense me so quickly.
Many of the Undying had reached the edge of Deadwater Pool, still searching. The woods were crawling with Undying. I leaned against the tree, clutching my stomach—my hunger was unbearable.
Thinking back, I've had this kind of experience many times before. The worst was in college, when I was trapped in an abandoned village by a ghost. Xiao Wei and I couldn't get out no matter what we tried, and the ghost wouldn't come near us, just wore us down little by little. I remember we were stuck for almost three days, with barely any water to drink.
Luckily, the Ghost Burial Squad arrived in time and rescued us. It was Xiao Wei who wanted to check out that place, and I just tagged along without thinking. When the ghost realized I was from the Yellow Springs, it tried to eat me instead.
The situation now is a bit like back then. I smiled at the Undying below—if it comes to it, I'll have to act. I've made up my mind; I can't delay any longer. I'll wait until some of the Undying leave, then move to the spot I picked and try to disrupt the strange formation on this island.
After choosing a spot and route, I waited quietly for the Undying near the mountaintop to disperse. I watched a hillside on the north side of the island, sensing vital and dead energies blending there.
This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading the rest!
Gradually, the Undying searching for me in the woods headed toward the sea. Seeing no Undying nearby, I climbed down from the tree and sprinted off.
The island isn't very big. I ran for less than ten minutes before reaching my destination. Suddenly, several Undying burst out of the woods and blocked my path.
"Go back to the village, little girl."
One of the Undying spoke, his voice tinged with anger. I shook my head.
"Where I go is my own choice."
Without another thought, I dashed forward. Four or five Undying blocked my way, but I raised my hand and sent a burst of flame roaring toward them.
A towering blaze erupted. The Undying caught in the flames whimpered as their bodies slowly turned to ash, vanishing soon after. But strangely, I couldn't sense their souls.
Footsteps thundered behind me. Without thinking, I kept running, soon sensing the blend of vital and dead energies in this place.
To disrupt a formation like this, I needed to unleash a massive surge of vital energy all at once to destabilize its balance. After picking my spot, I paused, raised my hand, and strands of white silk shot out. I planned to act on instinct—by channeling my power through the silk, I could release energy in an instant, affecting the whole island.
Gradually, the Undying surrounded me, closing in from all sides. I ignored them. Many of the Undying seemed afraid—they were made of dead energy, so a surge of vital energy would turn them to ash, just like before. Most kept their distance, too scared to approach. I calmly attuned myself to the instincts within my body.
"What are you trying to do, little girl?"
Twenty meters ahead, Uncle Li had arrived. His voice was tinged with sorrow.
"I'm going back, Uncle Li."
"If you do this, we'll die. Don't you have any..."
I stood up and shook my head.
"Uncle Li, tell me what's really going on here. If you all keep lying to me, I'll destroy the formation on this island."
I stared seriously at Uncle Li. He hung his head.
"It's not what you think, little girl. This island is cursed by John Chou, so..."
"Still lying to me, even now?"
I'd lost all patience for talking with these people—the already dead. It was pointless. Their words meant nothing to me. I closed my eyes, feeling the surge of vital energy about to erupt from within.
"Instinct... rebirth..."
With a buzz, everything around me instantly turned to dust. A massive wave of white light radiated out from me, and an ocean of vital energy swallowed everything nearby.
"I warned you, little girl—don't do anything."
I stared wide-eyed at Uncle Li. His body was slowly falling apart, his skeletal hand suddenly gripping my shoulder. As the light faded, the Undying—who'd turned to dust—revived all around me. I swallowed hard.
"What the hell is going on?"
Uncle Li slowly turned away.
"Little girl, all you've done is speed up your own transformation to become just like us."
I stared blankly at Uncle Li, then suddenly screamed. I looked at my hands—my skin and flesh were shriveling. I touched my cheek; it was the same. Panicked, I grabbed my phone and turned on the camera. I was stunned—I was becoming just like them.
"It's dead energy, Roxie. Dead energy is corroding your body."
A new voice echoed in my mind. I panicked, but quickly regained composure. Staring at my shriveled, damaged arms, I began to adjust the vital energy within me. A fresh surge of vital energy welled up, and my transformation stopped.