"Hey there, brother. What brings you over to our side? Is there something you need?"
Several Blue Wraiths came out to greet him. Although they were all low-level, their eyes were predatory as they watched Evan Zhao. Evan simply smiled and ignored them.
"I'm just passing through. No need to trouble yourselves over me."
But soon, several Blue Wraiths surrounded Evan Zhao.
"Brother, the world is in chaos now, and our Spirit Realm is no exception. Our boss is recruiting; judging by your ghost aura, you're no ordinary soul. Why not come meet our boss?"
One of the Blue Wraiths suggested, but Evan Zhao declined.
"Sorry, everyone. I'm just trying to pass through to somewhere farther away."
As he spoke, Evan Zhao began to move, but the Blue Wraiths quickly blocked his way.
"Brother, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."
A fight broke out. To the Blue Wraiths' surprise, each one was defeated by Evan Zhao in a single blow.
A powerful ghost aura overflowed from Evan Zhao's body. Drawn by it, a Blue Wraith cloaked in black mist quickly approached.
"Well, well, kid, not bad! You managed to humble my men. Impressive, impressive. Let me take you on myself."
I looked at the Blue Wraith in front of me in surprise—wasn't this Dean Ding? He looked disheveled, with long, messy hair. From the start, he and Evan Zhao went all out.
All the ghosts in the city fled as the two began their fierce battle, attacking relentlessly. Dean Ding started to fall behind, but soon the black mist around him faded and he regained the upper hand. Their fight raged from the city into their respective Ghost Domains.
The fight lasted three days before the two finally stopped.
"Not bad, kid. You actually forced me to use my trump card."
At this moment, Evan Zhao also noticed that the Blue Wraith before him was somewhat different from the ones he knew.
"Brother, I was just passing through. Your men attacked first, so I had to teach them a lesson."
Dean Ding burst out laughing.
"Forget it, no fight, no friendship. I'm just here to carve out my own territory. How about a drink, brother?"
Evan Zhao nodded, and soon the two were eating and drinking together.
"Go catch someone, clean them up—a portion for frying, a portion raw, and a portion for hotpot."
Dean Ding shouted, but Evan Zhao immediately stopped him.
"Dean, the world is already in chaos. Disaster has struck humanity, which may benefit us ghosts, but if you keep stirring up trouble, the Arcane Society and Underworld Court will eventually come for you."
"Don't talk about things that might never happen. In this world, power rules. Many ghosts want to be the boss of the Spirit Realm in the Yang Realm. Some nearby are even worse than me and keep trying to invade my turf. Evan, want to join me and seize our own territory? These days, even someone like you, who just wants to pass through quietly, ends up in trouble. Only by carving out a domain and becoming the boss can you live comfortably."
Evan Zhao smiled helplessly.
"Take care of yourself, Dean. I have things to do and must leave."
Evan Zhao did not accept Dean Ding's offer but continued on his way. He understood the situation in the Spirit Realm well enough to know that no high-level Blue Wraith truly held unrivaled power. Though battles raged, there was no certainty about who would reign supreme.
Evan Zhao's prediction proved correct. As the Yang Realm began to stabilize, the Underworld Court joined forces with the Arcane Society to launch a campaign against the Blue Wraiths entrenched throughout the Yang Realm. Many Blue Wraiths either went into hiding, were destroyed, or fled to the Ghost Realm.
When Evan Zhao returned to the city once occupied by Dean Ding, Dean Ding was nowhere to be found. Local ghosts said that a Hell Judge from the Underworld Court had come and Dean Ding, gravely wounded, had escaped.
By now, the city was completely at peace. People had returned to stable lives, the war was over, and the world was rebuilding. Everything was moving in a positive direction.
All these years, Evan Zhao had never gotten involved in any Spirit Realm disputes or conflicts with humans. He was more like a wise traveler.
One day, while drinking in a tavern, Evan Zhao encountered several members of the Daoist Order. They seemed skilled and quickly saw through his identity, then began to scheme and set up their arrangements.
Evan Zhao saw trouble coming but could only smile helplessly, ignoring the Daoist priests setting up formations outside the tavern.
At last, when night fell, the Daoists made their move. An old priest raised his sword and pointed it directly at Evan Zhao.
"Priest, I'm just here drinking and having fun. I haven't harmed anyone. It's better if we all mind our own business."
"Bah! You foul ghost, full of lies. Tonight, we'll put an end to you!"
With that, the Daoists attacked. Evan Zhao, calm and collected, subdued them and broke their formation. He left money on the table and departed. The Daoists, who thought they would die, were shocked when the powerful Blue Wraith let them go.
Time passed, and Evan Zhao wandered through countless places, but eventually he returned to Fallen Hollow.
By now, Fallen Hollow was utterly ruined—worse than it had been when Evan Zhao was alive. The whole town was desperately poor.
Evan Zhao seemed to know the reason. When he returned to the Rivers Mansion, he saw his Shard of Sorrow sitting by a pillar. The Rivers family was down to its last generation, living in hardship. The moment the Shard of Sorrow saw Evan Zhao, it stood up, its face twisted in utter, hopeless grief.
"The time has come. Everything from the past is mine to bear."
Evan Zhao tried to use his power to draw the Shard of Sorrow back into his body, but to his surprise, it was so strong he was helpless. In the end, Evan Zhao failed, left battered and lying on the ground, watching his Shard of Sorrow, and quietly returned to the Rivers Mansion.
Evan Zhao left Fallen Hollow with a smile, continuing to hone his strength. Years later, he returned to the town, but the result was the same—no matter how he fought the Shard of Sorrow, he always lost.
Now, Evan Zhao's smile held more resignation. For decades, he kept returning to Fallen Hollow, but it was always fruitless. He could no longer improve his power, and meanwhile, new ghostly factions were rising in the Yang Realm. Sensing all this, Evan Zhao still refused to be swept up in the turmoil.
One day, while drinking in a tavern, Dean Ding found him.
"Brother Zhao, it's been over a hundred years."
Evan Zhao smiled helplessly, surprised that Dean Ding still remembered him.
"Dean, you seem far less violent now. I suppose it's been a long time since you ate anyone?"
Dean Ding nodded, then spoke.
"You have no idea. I'm following a new boss now—a really formidable guy. I lost fair and square, so I accepted it. There are plenty of powerful people over there."
For a moment, Evan Zhao looked at Dean Ding in surprise. Though it had been years, he knew Dean Ding's strength. He was now even stronger, nearly Evan's equal.
"Can you take me to see?"
Dean Ding nodded.
"I came here to find you. Our boss wants me to recruit strong people, and we need more hands—especially now that the Underworld Court is stirring again."
Hearing this, Evan Zhao could only sigh helplessly.
"I don't want to get involved in any more conflicts."
But in the end, Evan Zhao couldn't refuse Dean Ding. He was brought to a massive Ghost Domain in a city, and was shocked by the strength of the ghosts there—just as Dean Ding had said.
But when he met the master of the Hall of Bloodbane, Evan Zhao was stunned.
"So it's Brother Yin. No wonder."
John Chou smiled and floated up from his chair.
"Brother Zhao, you can live freely as you always have, but I hope you'll join the Hall of Bloodbane."
Evan Zhao nodded, smiling at John Chou. He then shared his stories with many ghosts, surprising the Blue Wraiths. The next day, they asked Evan Zhao to take them to Fallen Hollow. As he conversed with the ghosts, Evan Zhao discovered much about the ghost world he'd never known.
Among those who came with Evan Zhao were Uncle Zhuang, Tang Yao, a woman, and several unfamiliar Blue Wraiths.
On the day they arrived in Fallen Hollow, with the help of the Blue Wraiths, Evan Zhao subdued his Shard of Sorrow. Everyone was puzzled by this strange event. Even though they subdued the Shard of Sorrow, they couldn't return it to Evan Zhao's body, so they eventually left.
I saw Evan Zhao's expression as he left Fallen Hollow—still relaxed, still smiling, but he looked back at the town several times.
Suddenly, darkness fell all around, and the scene began to break apart. But at that moment, everything froze.
"Miss, thank you for coming in."
I looked in surprise at Evan Zhao, who was smiling beside me.
"Please help me, Miss. I owe a lot to John and Ms. Yi. I wanted to reclaim my Shard of Sorrow to help them, but in the end, I lost to myself."