Whoosh!

The letter in Bai Wan’s hand vanished.

With the disappearance of the Time Letter, the world before them rippled in the next instance, reality itself beginning to shift.

Deep in the crater, the Mountain God’s body started to fade. Its legs turned transparent first, then the enormous body dissolved into dust that scattered into the air. At the very end, its head remained just long enough to glare toward Bai Wan, filled with spite and unwillingness, before it too disintegrated.

A newborn god had been erased from existence.

And along with it, countless paranormal entities from the future disappeared as well. Their hollow eyes dimmed into motes of pale starlight, drifting away in the wind.

Half an hour earlier, while still in its growth stage, the Mountain God had been sealed away. That alone ended everything. Without its younger self, the future Mountain God had no anchor, no chance to descend upon the present.

Everyone stood frozen in shock, watching this impossible rewriting of the timeline.

And then they remembered—the notebook Bai Wan had pulled from his pocket at the last second.

Was it… that notebook’s power? To change the past?

That was absurdly powerful. Even one of the Four Captains, Li Shoushi, couldn’t reverse half an hour of time.

Bai Wan, seeing the Mountain God and the future ghosts vanish, finally exhaled in relief.

The Time Letter was terrifyingly strong. Communication with the past within three days, against even something as overwhelming as the Mountain God—it had the potential to flip the outcome.

Of course, it was partly because of the Mountain God’s unique nature. Its strength came from an absurd loophole: devouring its future self to forcibly rise as a Paranormal God in the present. It wasn’t a “true” god, and its weaknesses were glaring.

If it had been the real Blood Husk Buddha… even reversing three days of time wouldn’t have made a difference.

Still, Bai Wan couldn’t help but ache at the cost.

Ah… one precious use of the Time Letter is gone.

There were only three uses of Time Letter. Now only two remained. The item’s description hinted it could be recharged, but gave no details. And for something this broken, “refilling” would surely be near-impossible. He’d have to wring some compensation out of the Doctor later.

At least there were benefits. Since half an hour earlier the Mountain God had already been sealed, this timeline no longer required summoning the Blood Husk Buddha—so all the Paranormal Coins spent on that “prayer” were restored.

And with the future Mountain God and all its ghosts blocked entirely, the haunting at Black Mount was finally resolved.

Even hunters who had died within that half hour had been snatched back from death’s grasp—revived by the butterfly effect.

Satisfied, Bai Wan nodded… but then froze when he heard a voice.

“Hairy weirdo… Hairy weirdo…”

Bai Wan: “…”

His jaw slackened as he turned toward the source.

There, aimlessly wandering while dialing a phone, was the paranormal entity that looked exactly like him—the future Bai Wan.

You gotta be kidding me!

Bai Wan’s shock curdled into disbelief.

Bro… all the future ghosts were erased. What the hell are you still doing here?!

They had all been tied to the future Mountain God. With it gone, they were erased too. But this one—this ridiculous one—remained.

How is that even possible? It’s illogical! It’s unscientific!

Then the thought hit him.

Oh… but it’s me. Right, then it makes sense. Logic doesn’t apply to me. Updates are released by novelFɪre.net

The others also gathered beside him, staring. Jiang Zai eyed the doppelgänger nervously before blurting, “Uh… Bai Wan, what’s going on here? Why was every other ghost erased…yet this one stayed?”

“It’s not me. It’s the future me,” Bai Wan corrected.

“That’s what I mean—what’s your future self doing here? Why hasn’t he gone back? Did he… get lost? Maybe you should ask him?” Jiang Zai’s tone was hesitant, eyes darting.

“You ask him.” Bai Wan shot back.

“Cough… he’s your bro—he’s you, isn’t he? Easier if you talk to him.” Jiang Zai scratched his nose awkwardly.

None of them had forgotten what they’d just seen. This phone ghost had toyed with the Mountain God—toyed with a Paranormal God! Who would dare get close?

“Bro, my ass…”

Bai Wan shook his head in fear.

Negotiate with that thing? What a joke. I’d be flattened by a meteor before I got within ten steps.

But something didn’t add up. The past had already changed—the future Mountain God never descended. Wasn’t that what brought my future self here? Then why is he still here? Shouldn’t he be gone too?

Too bizarre. Too broken. This is a bug. Definitely a bug!

Had the timeline itself bugged out, leaving the future Bai Wan stuck in Black Mount?

Everyone just stared blankly at him, unsure what to do.

What now? Seal him? Don’t be stupid—who could possibly seal this thing?

Then Bai Wan’s eyes widened—the ghostly Bai Wan’s phone actually connected.

And from the receiver came Su Yuening’s voice: “Hello? Bai Wan? What’s up? Weren’t you hunting at Black Mount? Is it over?”

Bai Wan: “…”

Oh my god, it actually went through?!

The future ghost froze, then kept repeating, “Hairy weirdo… White haired weirdo…”

On the other end, Su Yuening snapped: “Oh, you’ve got guts. Still calling me that? Just come back to Lan City if you dare—I’ll break your leg myself!”

The real Bai Wan’s eyes bulged.

Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit!!

No, stop! Shut up! Shut the hell up, you hairy freak! If this future version wandered into Lan City, the whole place would be doomed.

Bai Wan nearly wept, scrambling through his mind for any item that could stop his double.

I was wrong—staying here in Black Mount is fine! Please, just don’t move! Just stay here!

Luckily, the future Bai Wan just scratched his head and muttered, “Huh, sounded human. Must’ve dialed the wrong number again.”

Then it hung up and started dialing another number.

Bai Wan sagged in relief.

But then—the ghost’s eyes drifted toward him.

Boom! Bai Wan’s heart seized, pounding wildly. His body stiffened, a strange current racing through his veins.

Seconds later it was gone.

Bai Wan looked himself over, baffled.

What the hell was that?

The others exchanged wary glances. Quietly, they all began retreating. Whatever happened, they needed to get off this mountain and report to headquarters.

Faces grave, Jiang Zai and the others agreed. Headquarters had to be warned—a new, even more terrifying unsolvable Paranormal God had descended…

…

First came the phone call report. But the operator girl on duty just froze.

“What?! An unsolvable Paranormal God invaded the past? And now there’s a new one in the present? I—I’ve only been here two and a half months, I’m still an intern! Boss! Where’s boss?!”

She immediately passed it up the chain. Within minutes, headquarters demanded Bai Wan be summoned.

Whoosh!

Their response was fast. Not even ten minutes later, a red-haired girl appeared out of thin air before the group.

“Miss Yu, you’re here!” Jiang Zai almost sagged with relief.

The red-haired girl gave him a nod, then turned to Bai Wan. “I’m Yu Ke, Special Operations. You’re the one they call Family, right? Put your hand on me—don’t move. I’ll take you to headquarters.”

Bai Wan nodded, placing his hand on her shoulder.

He’d heard of Yu Ke before—an official emergency operative, one of the rare few who could spatially teleport. She only appeared for top-level incidents.

Shhhff!

The moment his hand touched her, the world blurred. Within moments, Bai Wan stood in a headquarters chamber.

Several people were already waiting. At the center was a middle-aged man in immaculate attire.

“I’m Li Miao, temporary director of headquarters. Welcome, Family…”

But Li Miao’s face was tight, anxious. Reports had come in, stammered and confused—something about Paranormal Gods descending, about unsolvable paranormal entities breaching the past.

“This Black Mount mission was hard on you,” Li Miao said hurriedly. “Please, tell us everything from the start.”

Bai Wan nodded, beginning his account from the very beginning.

Li Miao glanced at one of the staff members, signaling for him to start recording.

And as Bai Wan spoke, everyone listening grew more and more stupefied…