Chapter 52

New Body 3

Juan plunged into the deep sea.

Almost immediately upon entering the water, he separated from Anan’s body. As soon as he did, he fell into a deep sleep.

The injuries he had sustained were far more severe than he’d let on; from the moment the black flames ignited, they had been burning his soul. Even while he was on the road or standing silently by the cliffside, his soul continued to burn beneath his calm exterior.

In the dark depths of the sea, his powerful dragon soul curled into a ball, with black flames quietly burning on the transparent soul form—neither spreading nor extinguishing. The scene was eerie.

Even the sea creatures instinctively sensed the danger of the flames and avoided the area. Juan slept deeply in the silence.

The black fire burned on him for a long time until, at last, one day, it went out. Yet, Juan didn’t wake immediately; he simply continued sleeping, and after some time, he finally awakened.

It felt like he’d had a long, restful sleep. As soon as he woke, Juan stretched instinctively, feeling refreshed.

This feeling… wasn’t right?

Even though the fire had burned him so viciously, he had expected to wake up with a damaged soul. Yet, he was fine!

Carefully sensing his soul, Juan realized it was indeed smaller, yet somehow it felt more solid. He even sensed he was stronger than before.

And it wasn’t just physical strength—his very soul had grown stronger!

Perhaps the fire had done him good—he thought belatedly. But, of course, not everyone could survive it. Most would be incinerated instantly. After all, not everyone’s soul was as immense as his, capable of burning for so long while resting enough to outlast the flames.

In any case, he felt lucky—after checking his body, Juan happily thought. Then, almost immediately, he remembered Peder and the magic book.

Hmm… Peder seemed to be quite far away. Had he traveled that far while Juan was asleep?

Thinking this, Juan began to survey his surroundings and realized, to his surprise, that the area of the sea he was in seemed completely different from before.

The area he’d fallen into was deep and pitch-dark, but this place was clearly shallow, with sunlight streaming down. He could clearly see seaweed, fish, and coral.

Apparently, his soul had drifted far from the original sea area during his slumber.

Understanding this, Juan didn’t rush but instead took an interest in observing the underwater scenery.

This was his first time in the ocean!

In his previous travels, he’d never explored underwater, so everything here was new to him.

Was the ocean always this beautiful?

White sand covered the seabed, with clusters of brightly colored coral scattered throughout, and yellow and blue fish occasionally darted out from the seaweed. These little creatures seemed oblivious to his presence, swimming in and out of his soul.

He tried extending a “fingertip” from his soul, hoping to touch them. But as if finally sensing the presence of a powerful being, the fish scattered just as his “finger” was about to make contact.

They scattered, only to regroup a moment later.

So, the ocean in the post-apocalyptic world was this peaceful? He hadn’t specifically looked into it, but from the occasional hints dropped by Chen Shan and others, he had assumed the ocean would be more dangerous than the land.

Could it be… he had overslept, and it was now years after the apocalypse had ended?

Seeing divers in bikinis with diving gear swimming down from the surface, Juan fell into deep thought.

Then—

Ahead, a sudden burst of light caught his attention. As he looked forward, he saw what appeared to be a room.

The light was coming from that room.

It was a tall room, large enough to contain his dragon form, decorated with rugs and leather sofas. A seamless glass wall separated the room from the ocean, nearly invisible against the water. It looked as though the room appeared out of nowhere on the seabed, but in fact, it had been there all along, only now turning on its lights for him to see.

At this moment, seated on the large sofa facing the ocean floor was a young man.

He wore a blue suit, a black shirt, and a bright yellow tie with intricate patterns, along with shiny black leather shoes.

Every strand of his hair was meticulously styled as though each piece had been carefully placed.

However, under his fine clothing lay a shriveled body, emaciated to a frightening degree. This young man looked ghastly.

This was a man on the verge of death—Juan knew it the moment he saw him.

Glancing at the lively fish swimming nearby, then at the bikini-clad women also swimming around, Juan thought, could it be that this person would be his next body?

No, this man might not have long to live, but he still had some time left; Juan couldn’t wait that long.

Thinking of the distance he sensed between himself and Peder, Juan dismissed the option. He was already considering the idea of possessing a large fish to swim in Peder’s direction.

But then—

“All of you, leave.” A voice suddenly echoed through the water, cool yet tinged with frailty—it was the man in the room speaking.

Somehow, his voice carried through the glass and into the water. At his command, the women immediately left, and even the fish scattered, vanishing without a trace.

Seeing the ocean grow silent in an instant, Juan began to think he should leave too, when the man spoke again—

“Are you… the Grim Reaper?”

Juan hesitated, but, not believing the man could actually see him, he prepared to leave. Yet—

“Have you come to take me away?”

The man coughed and then continued speaking.

“I can see you.”

“In the once-bright water, your dark shadow looms large, coiled in the depths, unseen by all… except me.”

“So…”

“Are you my Grim Reaper?”

The young man said, his gaze fixed intently on Juan.

Well, Juan could now be absolutely certain the man could see him.

Halting his departure, Juan floated up to the glass, pressing himself against it, now face-to-face with the man.

Not exactly “eye to eye,” as he currently had no eyes; in his soul state, his dark form was almost entirely made of “eyes.”

So, leaning in, Juan used his all-seeing “gaze” to fully observe the man.

To the man, it appeared as if the vast shadow suddenly surged toward him, blanketing the glass. He couldn’t see Juan’s eyes, but he could feel that he was being watched.

The pressure was intense—

Swallowing nervously, his face turned even paler, with beads of sweat on his forehead, yet he managed a faint smile.

“Am I… about to die?” he whispered.

“No.” Juan answered, speaking for the first time in his soul state.

No one else could normally hear him, yet somehow, this man could.

Seeing the man’s eyes widen, Juan was certain he’d heard him and continued speaking—

“You should have some time left,” he said. “And I am not the Grim Reaper.”

The man’s pupils widened slightly upon hearing this, though it didn’t seem to comfort him.

With an even more desolate smile, he whispered, “Not the Reaper, then what are you?”

“A soul seeking a new body.” After a moment’s thought, Juan answered simply.

“A new body? A soul?” The man seemed unusually intrigued and, struggling a bit, leaned forward to get closer to Juan.

“So you’re saying that after death, a soul can exist outside the body?”

As he asked, a rare flush of color appeared on his pale face.

“I can, but most people probably can’t. You likely wouldn’t be able to.” Juan replied truthfully.

The man’s faint glimmer of hope was instantly dashed, and he coughed again, laughing bitterly.

“So, even my soul is weak…” Juan barely caught the man muttering, but his voice was too soft to hear clearly.

Deciding not to continue the conversation, Juan was about to leave when he heard the man speak once more.

With sapphire blue eyes fixed on him, the man smiled and asked, “Would you… use my body?”

Stunned by the unexpected offer, Juan paused.

Unfazed by his hesitation, the man continued, “You said… you’re looking for a new body, didn’t you?”

“And I’m about to die.”

“Would you use my body?” He patted his chest lightly with his bony hand, smiling.

“I admit, my body might not be ideal—it’s weak, plagued with illness—but I am very wealthy. Extremely wealthy! After my death, I would leave all my money to you. You could spend it however you like, and in this era, you could enjoy everything humans have to offer, everything you can and can’t imagine!”

“What’s the price?” Not letting the sudden fortune go to his head, Juan asked one simple question.

“The price?” The man’s gaze drifted off as though he was looking far away, lost in thought. After a long pause, he sighed and said, “The price is to spend my money freely, to make sure it doesn’t end up with those I despise, and…”

After another brief pause, he continued, “To go to a place, attend a concert, bring flowers for the singer… and two plane tickets.”

“Plane tickets?” Juan repeated.

“Yes. Will you?” The man looked at Juan expectantly. “Or… must I pay an even greater price to let you use my body?”

He asked devoutly.

In fact, there was one thing—

Recalling the ticket the man had mentioned and considering the current distance to Peder, Juan said, “Yes.”

“Tell me, what do I need to give?”

“A plane ticket.”

Upon hearing Juan’s answer, the man first looked incredulous, then a smile slowly spread across his face. Pressing his thin hand against the glass, he said softly, “Deal.”

Juan then pressed his own “hand” against the glass.

Through the glass, the young man’s pale, thin hand and the massive shadow looming in the water touched.

It was as if that pale hand was drawing him in, or perhaps creating a passage, as the huge shadow in the water gradually disappeared. The moment Juan vanished completely from the ocean, the young man’s pupils shrank, and his expression changed.

Weakness was replaced by calm, and he rose from the sofa.

“So, it can work this way.” Looking at his new body, Juan murmured with a sense of calm.