The gray humanoid figure spoke in a robotic, mechanical voice, each word uttered slowly and unnaturally. It reminded me of the Resentful Ghost I had encountered in the Forest of Wailing, who ultimately stopped Marshal Leopard and saved me.
"Bah, you dog-like thing. Serves you right! You trash!"
My shadow cursed loudly.
"What were you just talking about?"
My shadow turned its head, revealing a pair of golden eyes, and smiled at me.
"Nothing much. He just wants you to help him get out of here."
I made a sound of acknowledgment. Just then, the gray humanoid began to speak again, slowly and deliberately, word by word.
"I want to ask for your help. You, who possess instinct, please save us."
I blinked, looking at my shadow, who gave an awkward smile.
"Stop getting involved with these troublesome matters, Ethan Zhang. It's about time to go back. Just climb up through that hole and you'll be fine."
I let out a cry, staring at my shadow. He seemed to regard the gray figure before us with utter disdain.
"Only you can help us, Ethan Zhang."
The gray humanoid spoke again. This time, the language sounded smoother, more fluent. I scratched my head in confusion, watching him.
Just then, the gray humanoid's body split off a limb—an arm without a hand—which wrapped around my arm and, without explanation, started dragging me forward.
"I'm done with you, Ethan Zhang. Figure it out yourself."
My shadow tossed out this parting remark before returning to my body.
Stumbling and staggering, I was dragged along by the gray humanoid. I still couldn't figure out what he wanted from me.
Gradually, I saw a yellow mist—streams of yellow energy seemed to be seeping out from somewhere.
As I drew closer, I was startled to see a well built of gray stone bricks. The yellow energy was billowing out from within it.
There were two large characters above the well, but I couldn't read them. They looked just like the mysterious script I'd seen before—words only the high officials of the underworld could understand.
I walked up to the edge of the well and peeked inside. It was pitch-black below, and the yellow gas was wafting up from the darkness.
The yellow vapor rising from the well gave me a strange feeling. It was scentless, and though visible, it felt unreal. I reached out, channeling my ghost network, but sensed nothing at all.
"Where is this place?" I asked.
"Huangquan."
The gray humanoid spoke, then suddenly its mouth split into an exaggerated grin, stretching all the way to its ears. I swallowed hard.
"What do you actually want? How am I supposed to help you?" I asked.
The gray, handless arm released me and pointed at the well.
"Extend your ghost network all the way down."
"What exactly are you?" I pressed.
I asked again. The gray humanoid twisted its head toward me, that exaggerated grin still plastered across its face.
"Call me Tong Ghost," it said.
I blinked, nodded, and glanced again at the bottomless well. I hesitated, debating whether to extend my ghost network, but after some thought, I decided to try.
Standing at the edge of the Huangquan Well, I sent out strands of black ghost network, letting them reach deeper and deeper into the endless darkness.
For a long while, I still couldn't sense anything. Just as I was about to speak, a jolt like electricity shot through my body. I shuddered, a tingling sensation spreading—a strange, almost pleasant comfort.
At that moment, I felt an unknown force flow through my ghost network and enter my body. Suddenly, my skin began to turn yellow, and Tong Ghost made a loud, crunching noise, like biting into a cracker.
My whole body started to float upward. Then, I felt a pressure in my chest, as if something inside was about to burst out.
It felt like I was about to explode, my chest bulging. The worst part was, I couldn't move at all. I floated up like a giant yellow balloon, while Tong Ghost reached out with a gray limb and wrapped around me.
"Ah..."
I couldn't hold it in anymore and screamed. As I did, a stream of black energy burst from my mouth.
It was resentment—I could tell right away. The air filled with black ice crystals as torrents of resentment poured from my mouth. My chest felt much better, but the sensation left me deeply unsettled.
Gradually, the stream of resentment stopped. My inflated body returned to normal, and I collapsed to the ground. I watched as the resentment drifting in the air began to gather around Tong Ghost, slowly forming a humanoid shape. It was a Resentful Ghost—I realized immediately.
"You..."
I raised my hand and pointed at Tong Ghost and the Resentful Ghost before me. They looked like they were cast from the same mold—both had exaggerated grins and hollow, white eyes fixed on me, except one was gray and one was black.
As I pointed at them, my ghost network that had extended into the well was completely disconnected.
"We're only here to help you. But since we've helped you, you must help us in return."
In perfect unison, with almost identical tone and inflection, the two ghosts spoke and moved toward me. I raised my hand defensively.
"Wait, what do you actually want? I haven't agreed to anything yet!"
Even as I spoke, streams of black and gray energy seized my left and right hands, pulling me in front of them. My body was instantly paralyzed, and I couldn't utter a sound.
"You have no choice, Ethan Zhang. If you want to blame someone, blame your instincts."
Tong Ghost and the Resentful Ghost spoke again in unison. I stared in shock as strands of black ghost network emerged from within me, reaching out and penetrating their bodies.
Immediately, a flood of sadness and resentment surged through my mind. I screamed, but my ghost network kept pouring out, gradually enveloping Tong Ghost and the Resentful Ghost. Dense, pitch-black threads wrapped them up completely.
Slowly, I began to float upward. I could feel my energy—my internal evil aura—flowing through the ghost network and into their bodies.
"What do you actually want?" I shouted.
Beads of sweat dripped down my forehead. It felt like these two were draining me dry—I didn't even have the strength to scream anymore. They pulled me through the air, siphoning my power without restraint.
I was almost completely depleted. Finally, they let go, and I crashed to the ground, barely able to move, staring at them weakly.
"You..."
But before I could finish, I was stunned. My trembling hand pointed at the ghosts—Tong Ghost and the Resentful Ghost had completely transformed into my likeness. No matter the angle, they were both Ethan Zhang.
Even their expressions matched mine perfectly. When I showed fear, so did they.
"What..."
"They are your ghost souls," came the answer.
Both Ethan Zhangs spoke simultaneously—it was Tong Ghost and the Resentful Ghost. They drifted toward me, and just as I was about to ask something, both figures blurred and, with a whoosh, darted into my body.
I screamed, and in an instant, every cell in my body seemed to ignite with life. A surge of immense power lifted me into the air. I roared as a fierce wind whipped around me, and my ghost network shot into the ground like countless tiny needles.
Inside me, it felt like a vast storage chamber had opened up—unlike before, when excess evil energy could have put me in danger.
The process of drawing power from the ground wasn't something I was doing—it was completely beyond my conscious control.
Gradually, I felt myself regain control. Half-crouched on the ground, I panted, holding up a hand and marveling at the incredible changes in my body.
My body brimmed with resilient strength, as if I'd been completely renewed. With a single thought, I floated into the air, wings unfurling from my back—gray on the left, black on the right.
I moved through the air with newfound speed, reveling in the sensation. Soon, I reached the massive pit, where the white spirits parted respectfully, drifting to the edge to make way for me.
Everything felt surreal. I realized I'd gained two ghost souls, and suddenly understood why the Qing-capturing Ghosts were so formidable. In the world of sorcery, it took a concerted effort—and a steep price—to kill just one of them.
Now, my ghost power had truly taken shape. As my ghost souls multiplied, my strength increased exponentially. I beat my wings and dove into the pit, surrounded by the floating white spirits, who seemed to dance around me.
Gradually, I saw a faint glimmer of light—and then I plunged into the brightness.
I felt solid ground beneath my feet. Opening my eyes, I realized I was back on the Ten Tribunal Road. As soon as I emerged, my power instinctively receded, and I looked around, finding no one nearby. I started to run.
The oppressive silence of the underworld pressed in on me as I ran, every step echoing with the weight of my transformation.