A cracking sound echoed as the guard before me slowly turned into black stone, then shattered into fragments and dissolved into black particles, vanishing without a trace.
If the timing was correct, there were still twelve days before the Dark Banquet began. I needed to hurry back and resolve whatever was happening to Rachel Lan.
I swallowed, a tremor running through me as I stared at John Chou. The image of the other Rachel Lan who once existed in the Shadow Realm surfaced in my mind—so different from the Rachel I knew, her entire being saturated with a suffocating darkness.
I let out a low, uncertain hum—my nerves frayed—and asked,
"Mr. Brown, where have you been all this time?"
Xu Fu pointed at me with one finger, his tone lazy and unhurried: "Of course I'm waiting for you. By the way, where's John Chou? Tell him to come out and have a drink with us!"
All my Ghost Souls clustered tightly around me. I swallowed hard, feeling the oppressive presence of Mr. Brown and John Chou just behind. Deathbane Aura flooded my Shadow Realm, suffocating and cold. I was about to step out, but the moment I opened a breach, the darkness would surge in—my Ghost Souls had to unite, blocking the invasion in a single, desperate instant.
"Are you ready, Ethan Zhang?"
Shock froze me in place; my eyes locked on John Chou. With a flicker of thought, Curse Ghost materialized beside us. The clatter of chains echoed as the dark heart was drawn from her body and set on the table, still wrapped in chains. I felt nothing—no change, no pulse—only a deepening dread.
Mr. Brown and I exchanged glances, a silent dread passing between us. We both understood—and I had lived it myself: those two shadows that had haunted me and my Earth Soul for ages, both from the Dark Banquet. One was a mimic, the other a copycat. The consequences were terrifyingly real.
"Brother, no matter when, you should always have a backup plan—maybe even a third or fourth one."
I responded with an 'oh' and looked at Mr. Brown in confusion. He smiled and shook his head.
"Young master, your mind is always filled with so many things. I'm afraid one day it will be too much for you."
"Mr. Brown, how did you get in here? You clearly didn't receive an invitation, did you?"
This was the biggest mystery in my heart right now. Mr. Brown nodded in response.
"I came in through the Asura Realm."
I gasped. That was one of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. I stared at Mr. Brown in disbelief. At this moment, John Chou began walking slowly toward the newly restored pavilion, and Mr. Brown and I followed.
"Just say what you need to, John Chou. Roxie's situation isn't looking good."
As soon as I finished speaking, John Chou frowned, then smiled.
"Go back and tell that woman. Tell her what darkness really is."
I let out an 'oh' and looked at John Chou, my mind growing foggy. To be honest, I couldn't precisely define what darkness was either.
"Strictly speaking, darkness is a kind of loneliness—a loneliness that doesn't need to be understood. Think about it, brother. If you can't comprehend darkness, then darkness will never accept you. When you go back, have a real conversation with the other Roxie. If she still chooses to do nothing, then Roxie will be in danger."
I swallowed and quietly stared at John Chou. In my mind, the other Roxie who once existed in the Shadow Realm surfaced—completely different from this Roxie, her whole being radiating an intense, overwhelming darkness.
Thinking about it, Lan Yin also exists in the Living World as another version of himself, but they are almost identical—opportunities and all. Roxie, though, is different; her other self is the complete opposite.
"Was it the Saints who caused this?"
I immediately asked, and John Chou nodded.
"Originally, a person's soul couldn't split into two to become two people. But when Roxie died, the Saints forcibly took the part of her soul belonging to the Living World so you could enter the Four Sacred Realm. The part belonging to the Shadow Realm naturally went to the Shadow Realm. At first, maybe both sides were the same, but over time, they became different."
"Was it the same for you back then?"
I immediately asked. I had once seen the memories of John Chou and the Yixuehan siblings' birth. John Chou stared at me and shook his head.
"Not quite. We are living people, while Roxie is already dead. Now, maybe Roxie's other half is still sleeping. After all, she knows Roxie has been resurrected. She must erase the consciousness that arose from their separation, or else it will affect Roxie's entire existence. That's just my theory. As for the details, brother, you'll have to figure that out yourself."
I let out an 'oh,' and at that moment Mr. Brown looked around, his face troubled.
"Ethan, whatever you do, don't open your Shadow Realm after you leave. If the aura of darkness gets in, it will know I'm here. I'm not a being of pure darkness—this world doesn't allow my existence. I may be cast out. Thanks to your instincts, I can temporarily exist within your Shadow Realm."
I nodded with an 'oh.' Both Mr. Brown and I turned to John Chou, waiting for his explanation about the dark heart he had brought.
"As for that dark heart, I don't really know either. You..."
Before John Chou could finish, Mr. Brown suddenly grabbed him by the collar in anger, slammed him onto the table, and pinned his hands down.
"Young master, you always talk in half-measures. You were the one who asked me to come. If you don't give me a proper explanation, I won't be so polite."
"Alright, alright, I get it, Mr. Brown."
"This thing is dangerous. That's all I know. And this heart is connected to the Immortality Society. Based on my investigation, if this heart is implanted into a suitable body, it can grant immortality."
My eyes widened as I stared motionlessly at John Chou. Then, with a thought, Curse Ghost appeared beside us. With a clatter of chains, the dark heart emerged from her body and was placed on the table, still bound by chains. I couldn't sense anything different about it.
"My theory was confirmed on Yvonne May, so I took the risk to steal this finished heart."
Mr. Brown's expression shifted between gloom and uncertainty as he stared quietly at John Chou, then asked gravely.
"Young master, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"It could escalate into a massive war. Do you know why those Dark Banquet people can't stay long in the Living World? And why they only appear at night—never in the daytime?"
I thought about it carefully.
"No physical form."
"Strictly speaking, it's because they've absorbed the power of the solar darkness—or rather, they've already fused with the Dark. It's a darkness that light cannot pierce. Based on my long-term observations, this heart works just like this world: if it's implanted in a person, their time as a human will freeze, which is essentially immortality."
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John Chou glanced at the sky and then sneered.
"Or, to put it another way, it's semi-immortality. After all, this heart is just a substitute. Eventually, it will need to be replaced. And if a heart created directly from the Dark is implanted into someone from the Living World... Heh, surely you haven't failed to consider the consequences?"
Mr. Brown and I exchanged glances, then nodded. We both realized it—and I had personally experienced it, those two shadows that had followed me and my Earth Soul for a long time, from the Dark Banquet: one a mimic, the other a copycat.
Their only common trait was that their power wasn't strong—one was ranked 13th, the other 19th. It wouldn't be so easy for them to send me and Earth Soul back into the Dark. But with the Dark Heart, these people could completely replace those shadows and become conduits for the power of the Dark. With the Dark Heart, they could act openly in the Living World, maybe even seize it for themselves.
"That's all I know for now. Brother, you should get going, or they'll start to suspect something."
I responded with an 'oh,' but glanced at the entrance to the apartment building and asked.
"The guard we just took out..."
"As far as I know, people from the Dark Banquet can't die here—their time is frozen, so death is impossible. Mr. Brown only scattered him temporarily. He might be considered defeated, but he'll wake up somewhere else soon, probably in about a month. That's why I said we need to hurry, brother. But Xu Fu really is spineless, haha!"
I didn't understand what John Chou meant by that last remark, but it sounded rather helpless.
All my Ghost Souls gathered around me. I swallowed, with Mr. Brown and John Chou behind me, watching. Deathbane Aura had filled my Shadow Realm. Now I had to go out, but the moment I opened a gap, there was a high chance the aura of the Dark would rush in, so my Ghost Souls had to work together to block it instantly.
"Are you ready, Ethan?"
Tong Ghost asked, and I nodded. Holding my breath, I stared ahead. With a crack, my Shadow Realm split open, and sure enough, threads of dark energy surged in. Tong Ghost rushed over and swallowed the aura. With a whoosh, I exited the Shadow Realm, and it disappeared behind me.
I let out a sigh of relief. Nothing unusual happened around me. I floated up and flew toward the ring-shaped city ahead. The black-clad men searching for John Chou in the sky had vanished.
I headed straight for District 13. John Chou had reminded me again to keep this secret for now and not to tell the other Ghost Sovereigns. We had to wait until the Dark Banquet began before making any plans.
If the schedule was right, there were still more than twelve days before the Dark Banquet would start. I had to hurry back and solve the problem happening to Roxie.
"Hey, Ethan Zhang, where are you off to in such a rush?"
With a whoosh, I stopped, eyes wide and fists clenched. Just as I floated past the rooftop of a building, Xu Fu's voice drifted over. He sat at the edge of the rooftop, holding a jug of wine, smiling at me.
"What are you doing here?"
Xu Fu pointed a finger at me and said leisurely, "Of course I'm waiting for you. By the way, where's John Chou? Tell him to come out and have a drink with us!"
I looked around but didn't sense any other presence.