"Didn't you say you don't know how long you've been here?"
The guy in front of me actually started laughing.
"Did I say that?"
I didn't want to talk to this guy anymore. I sat quietly on the ground, releasing strands of specter web that spread across the whole mountain, sensing everything around me. But aside from the heavy yin energy, I couldn't feel anything else.
"No wonder you're so weak. The strength of your specter web is far too feeble."
I opened my eyes and looked at the guy in front of me. He was squatting right before me, one hand supporting his chin, staring at me as if observing some rare creature.
"But come to think of it, you're a bit different from ordinary ghosts."
"Do you know how to change the strength of your specter web?"
I asked directly. The guy nodded.
"I do know, but I won't tell you."
I was speechless, and honestly furious. This time, he laughed again, a look of mischief on his face as he stared at me, then pressed a hand down on my head.
"I've been alone here for so long, it's pretty boring. I don't know where you came from, but you can keep me company."
I clenched my fist and knocked his hand away, then swung a punch straight at his cheek. There was a loud bang, and to my shock, a thick layer of Deathbane Aura appeared on his face, as hard as iron.
"Oh, you're not afraid of me. Not bad, not bad. Come on."
As he spoke, the guy suddenly stuck out a finger and jabbed me in the chest with a snap. I spat out a mouthful of black blood and was sent flying backward.
It was the power of Deathbane Aura—I could feel it instantly. He gathered an immense amount of it in his fingertip and sent me flying with a single strike.
I crashed into the mountainside and fell to the ground, staring blankly at the guy, who was clutching his stomach and laughing loudly. Furious, I drew Hell's Sentinel and rushed at him.
This guy was doing it on purpose, just playing with me. When he struck me, he only used enough force to send me flying, immediately pulling back the Deathbane Aura so I wasn't actually hurt.
With a whoosh, I flew up in front of him, raising Hell's Sentinel and slashing at his head.
There was a crisp clang—he blocked Hell's Sentinel with just a single finger.
I kept slashing at him, but the guy in front of me just blocked my attacks playfully, time and again. He was even stronger than Isabelle Frost—I realized that right away.
After a long while, I stopped attacking and just stared at him in silence.
"What's wrong? Go on."
"I can't beat you."
I muttered, then sat down heavily on the ground.
At that moment, the guy squatted down in front of me.
"How about this? I won't fight back this time. I'll just stand here and let you hit me."
I sighed. I didn't have time to play games with this guy—I had to find a way out. That was what mattered most.
With no other choice, I stood before the pillar of light again, trying over and over to probe it with my specter web. I stepped right into the light, and suddenly, I was stunned—a voice rang out.
"John Chou, since you've already gotten what you wanted, could you return at least one of our ritual implements?"
It was Sage Newton's voice. I looked up and, through the pillar of light, saw an image above—Mount Immeasurable scorched under the blazing sun, right beside the giant gourd, with all the Nine Dao Gate Elders present.
John Chou was fiddling with a blood-red jade pendant in his hand. I was stunned.
"I have no idea how this jade pendant ended up here. The color looks pretty green to me, but it’s just an ordinary pendant."
Sage Newton said this, and I stared in surprise. How could the jade pendant be green? To my eyes, it was blood-red, just like the Blood Jade at home—red as blood, though the shape was different. The one at home was square, this one was round.
I couldn't help but remember—the entity inside the Blood Jade once told me to find the other six pendants, then it would reveal some earth-shattering secret.
Back then, I ignored it completely. Now, I saw Samuel Young observing the gourd vine below, looking puzzled, and he asked a question.
"Where’s Ethan Zhang? Didn’t he come?"
"He didn’t come."
John Chou replied with a smile.
"As for your ritual implements, wait a few days and come to the Hall of Malice. We'll negotiate then. After all, the nine ritual implements are in our hands now. If you want them back..."
In that instant, I saw Elder Arthur Young—his face was green with rage, fists clenched, glaring viciously at John Chou. Beside him, Master Claude Long gripped Arthur Young's shoulder tightly.
John Chou looked smug, smiling to himself.
"Hmph, John Chou, you stole our ritual implements while we were away, and now you’re using them to threaten us—aren’t you..."
Elder Arthur Young finally couldn’t hold back his anger and blurted out.
"Sigh, when did I ever sneak into your sect and steal your ritual implements? And with my abilities, how could I even manage it? As for the other four implements, someone was selling them at the Ghost Market, so I had my old steward buy them back. Lucky they ended up with me—otherwise, your implements would’ve been bought by some rogue Daoists."
I watched John Chou speak with a straight face, not the slightest hint of shame. He sighed, and it seemed the Nine Dao Gate Elders had been shut out and couldn’t even protest. Their faces were all sour, except Samuel Young, who still wore a smile.
John Chou even put on an innocent look and waved his hand.
"Fine, since you say so, John Chou, let’s draw up a formal agreement as proof. We don’t want to help your seven Ghost Sovereigns with their tasks only for you to refuse to return our ritual implements afterward."
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Sage Newton, still angry, took out paper and pen and began writing. Then the Nine Dao Gate Elders each pressed their handprints on the agreement.
John Chou crouched down, dipped his hand in cinnabar, and pressed his handprint onto the paper.
The agreement was clear: once the Nine Dao Gate Elders helped three of the seven Ghost Sovereigns complete their tasks, four ritual implements had to be returned. When all tasks were finished, the remaining five implements would be given back.
The paper was huge, and I realized Sage Newton's plan—he would probably have the other six Ghost Sovereigns press their handprints before starting anything.
"By the way, your place has a seal called Nine Yin Nine Yang, right?"
As soon as John Chou said that, all nine elders' faces turned sour.
"May I ask, John Chou, where did you hear that?"
"Heard it from someone—naturally, a member of your Dao Gate."
"Damn it, John Chou, you bastard!"
Suddenly, Zhang Jizheng burst out of my pendant, pointing at John Chou in the image above and cursing loudly.
"May I ask, which Daoist friend was it? What is their Daoist title?"