Free Web NovelChapter 102: Chapter 20: The Origin of the Jialan Society
By that definition, the members of the Jialan Society possess immortal bodies. They’ve broken free from the constraints of the flesh, mastered the principles that govern ghosts, yet have kept their human minds. They’ve essentially reaped the benefits of both the living and the dead.
Indeed, put that way, what’s the difference between them and the Immortals of old?
Gao Tian wondered about this. At the same time, though he tried his best not to look at the scene below the ghost train, the corner of his eye couldn’t help but catch a glimpse. The train was now flying over the Inner World. Below were all manner of indescribable, sickening stations of great horror. Blood Gate Village, Corpse Sewing Alley, and the old city district became tiny dots on the ground, passing by one after another.
The disembodied head continued its explanation:
"Everything started when the Jialan Society’s leader, Xu Yuan, discovered that special Supernatural Artifact—the Divine Tree.
"At a certain station in the Inner World, when Xu Yuan was still alive, he saw the great Divine Tree.
"The Divine Tree is a very special Supernatural Artifact because its power involves changing the very laws of life and death.
"When people die and become ghosts, they rapidly lose their original consciousness, degenerating into something like a newborn. But the Divine Tree is different. First, it can act like a bank, storing the lifespan of a living person as if it were savings.
"Then, after you die, if you wish to maintain your consciousness from before your death, you can simply withdraw that stored lifespan from the Divine Tree. As long as the lifespan in the Divine Tree hasn’t been depleted, you can maintain the consciousness of a living person, making you no different from when you were alive.
"The lifespan from the Divine Tree is consumed much faster when used on a ghost than on a living person. For example, three or four years of a living person’s lifespan can only sustain a ghost’s consciousness for about one year.
"Once the lifespan stored in the Divine Tree is exhausted, as a ghost, your consciousness will be instantly devoured by instinct. You’ll truly become a malevolent ghost fallen into Hell, and you can never be restored.
"So, for every ’ghost’ transformed by the Divine Tree, human lifespan is the absolute lifeline. With consciousness, you’re an Immortal. Without it, you’re just a newborn."
The disembodied head’s topic returned to Xu Yuan.
"After discovering this secret, Xu Yuan knew he had his hands on a Supernatural Artifact that could truly change the era. He might even be able to use it to end the Era of the Supernatural.
"Before his death, Xu Yuan had already stored a large amount of lifespan in the Divine Tree. After he died, he was the first to be transformed by the tree. Just as he’d expected, he retained his memories from life and even gained a new killing rule and a Ghost Realm.
"Not only that, but he also used the Divine Tree in the Inner World to turn other Jialan Society Ghost Hunters who died after him into conscious ghosts. Some powerful Ghost Hunters who entered the Inner World and died by accident were also ’resurrected’ by Xu Yuan’s Divine Tree, and they, as a matter of course, joined the Jialan Society.
"These resurrected Ghost Hunters could then use the lifespan they had collected to recruit other Ghost Hunters who died accidentally, making them part of the Divine Tree’s collective as well. In this way, the Jialan Society grew larger and larger, just like a snowball rolling downhill.
"As for me, I was a Ghost Hunter in my previous life. Because I could pilot the ghost train, a special Supernatural Artifact that let me travel between worlds, Xu Yuan deemed me valuable after I died. He granted me life from the Divine Tree, and I was reborn as a ghost."
One could only imagine the shock Gao Tian felt upon hearing the disembodied head’s story.
He’d never imagined that this was the origin of the Jialan Society’s unique "ghosts."
No wonder they were so special.
The disembodied head concluded:
"So, I’m warning you, don’t think you’re invincible just because you’ve become a ghost. In a place like the Inner World, it’s best to be careful.
"Down below, there are special locations and powerful ghosts with killing rules that are completely beyond your imagination. You could be dragged down just for a single glance, or even assimilated and become part of one of the ’attractions.’
"If you get trapped there, your lifespan from the Divine Tree will keep draining away. When time’s up and you still haven’t escaped, you’ll lose the Divine Tree’s protection and become a true ghost."
At this, the disembodied head stroked its chest, a look of lingering fear on its face.
Seeing even a ghost look so terrified, Gao Tian couldn’t help but find it slightly comical.
’So, to sum it up, the members of the Jialan Society are stuck somewhere between human and ghost... like empowered individuals? I can’t find a better word for it right now.’
One step backward and they would become true malevolent ghosts. It was only thanks to the Divine Tree’s protection that they were constantly hovering on the edge of the abyss.
Since the disembodied head had already said so much, Gao Tian decided to take the opportunity to ask about some other things he was wondering about the Divine Tree:
"What about the little bottles growing on the Divine Tree? What are they?
"Don’t mind me asking. I don’t even know who turned me into a ghost. The guy who brought me over didn’t explain any of the basics, so I’m completely in the dark. I just assumed I was a traditional ghost."
Upon hearing the words "little bottles," the eyes on the disembodied head’s thigh revealed a look of envy.
"Did Xu Yuan promise he’d pick a little bottle and give it to you?
"I’m so jealous of you, Memory Ghost. That’s the second effect of the Divine Tree. You’ve really hit the jackpot."
Before Gao Tian could ask, the disembodied head continued on its own:
"The fruit of the Divine Tree is very bizarre. Every so often, it produces a small, transparent bottle.
"These little bottles are very precious. As for what’s inside them... you can ask, but I don’t know. Nobody knows. The contents of each bottle are random.
"If there’s any pattern to it at all, it’s that when a ghost picks a bottle from the tree, the bottle will automatically generate whatever is most suitable for them—the very thing they need most at that moment.
"This is also how Boss Xu Yuan controls the many ghosts in the Jialan Society. The society has converted a lot of freelance Ghost Hunters now. In life, they were all top-tier figures, used to calling the shots. Even if the Jialan Society did them the ’favor’ of saving their lives, how could they be expected to submit to Xu Yuan so easily?
"Only those who follow Xu Yuan’s orders and help him accomplish important tasks can earn the reward of a small bottle. As for the unruly ones, they can forget about ever getting their hands on the special fruits of the Divine Tree.
"I’m so jealous of you, Memory Ghost. Xu Yuan gave you a little bottle so easily... I can’t imagine what you did for him. Sigh. When will I ever be worthy of getting one?"
’Actually, it wasn’t just one little bottle,’ Gao Tian thought to himself. ’It was two.’
’And I didn’t do anything *for* the Jialan Society,’ he continued internally. ’On the contrary, I beat the hell out of two of its junior members.’
Just then, Gao Tian felt the ghost train’s flight begin to slow. Before him, a colossal blood-red tree stood between heaven and earth. Clouds churned around its thick trunk, which looked like a shattered celestial pillar from mythology. It savagely pierced through the heavy cloud layer, extending ever upward. Gao Tian craned his neck as far back as he could, but he still couldn’t see its peak.
The long ghost train began to circle the endless perimeter of the Divine Tree, its own form a stark contrast to the tree’s rough bark, which was covered in bizarre patterns. From this perspective, the vast, menacing train looked like a tiny, wandering insect that had stumbled into a land of giants, squirming clumsily beneath a living city wall made of flesh and withered bone.
Countless, densely packed little dots hung from the surface of the bark, which stretched as far as the eye could see. At this distance, it was still impossible to make out what the little black specks were.
They had arrived at the "Divine Tree" Xu Yuan had spoken of.
