"Sorry, Ethan, I just manifested and I'm not used to this form yet."
Spirit Snake's body sizzled. I saw patches of black on his dark-gold scales, billowing with black smoke. Meanwhile, the Chaos Fiend on the ground seemed almost delighted, its huge mouth opening and closing as if laughing.
"What exactly is that thing?"
I asked.
"It's one of the Four Ancient Fiends, capable of devouring everything. I don't know the details, but its sole purpose here seems to be to consume time itself. Maybe that Mother Goddess Nuwa put it here on purpose."
I floated up in anger. Even floating was exhausting now—maintaining Spirit Snake's manifestation was draining me, and my meager strength couldn't keep up. The consumption of Deathbane Aura was far too great.
Hissing sounds echoed as Spirit Snake nimbly darted through the black substance spewed by the Chaos Fiend.
"You're still the same, you fat pig. I know your weaknesses inside out."
Suddenly, Spirit Snake spat out two streams of green liquid. In an instant, the liquid shot into the Chaos Fiend's two huge nostrils and immediately solidified, like cement.
A series of deafening sounds erupted as the Chaos Fiend thrashed madly. The black whirlpools on the ground bounced around like rubber balls, scattering everywhere from the impact.
"Be careful, Ethan Zhang."
I grunted in response, instantly transforming into a stream of black mist, dodging the swirling black whirlpools. What puzzled me most was that these whirlpools didn't collide or have any physical boundaries—they could pass right through each other.
"Watch me crush you."
Spirit Snake had already coiled around the Chaos Fiend's bloated body, producing a harsh creaking sound. The black whirlpools quieted down, gently settling back onto the ground.
The visible parts of the Chaos Fiend's swollen body bulged under Spirit Snake's immense strength, looking ready to burst. Spirit Snake kept tightening, as if trying to crush the Chaos Fiend completely.
Spirit Snake's massive jaws clamped down on the Chaos Fiend's neck, holding it fast. The fiend twisted its head, trying to retaliate, but found itself powerless—only whimpers and howls escaped.
I was nearly at my limit. Spirit Snake's draining power made whatever energy appeared in my Ghost Soul vanish instantly. On top of that, I had to keep flying, and I couldn't hold on any longer—I started to fall.
Spirit Snake's huge golden-red eyes glanced at me with concern. Just as I was about to fall into a whirlpool, the draining stopped, and I floated up again.
"Sorry, I really can't..."
But at that moment, Spirit Snake suddenly released its grip. The Chaos Fiend's body writhed, morphing into a soft ball of flesh. Spirit Snake tried to adjust its coil, but it was already too late.
With a loud whoosh, Spirit Snake flapped his wings, trying to take flight. Suddenly, his right wing was seized by the Chaos Fiend, who bit down hard. Spirit Snake cried out, rearing his head and rising up.
A stream of green energy poured from his mouth.
With a tearing sound, Chaos Fiend ripped Spirit Snake's entire right wing off.
Inside, I felt chaos erupting—blood kept spilling from the corner of my mouth.
In a flash, as Chaos Fiend swallowed Spirit Snake's wing and pinned him down, the green substance from Spirit Snake's mouth pierced through Chaos Fiend's jaw, circled around like a rope, and returned to Spirit Snake, who bit down on it and twisted his head with all his might. I watched in shock as the Chaos Fiend's huge, bloated body was sent flying, spinning through the air before crashing to the ground with a thunderous impact that shook the entire space.
"What are you standing there for, Ethan Zhang? Hurry up and connect with your Heavenly Soul!"
Spirit Snake's voice echoed impatiently in my mind. I immediately floated up, sitting cross-legged in midair, and began calling out within myself.
The two entities kept fighting. Spirit Snake had the upper hand for a moment, but once he recovered, he soared into the air again. Chaos Fiend writhed and rose, swinging its massive head and twisting its nearly invisible neck, searching for something.
"What the hell is going on?"
"That thing has eyes but can't see, ears but can't hear—only its nose works."
That's why Spirit Snake sealed the Chaos Fiend's nose.
"This isn't the time to just watch, Ethan Zhang. Hurry up, focus!"
Thought Ghost shouted. My ghost energy condensed for a moment, only to be drained away again.
I opened my eyes and flew upward. I had to gain altitude and enter my instinctual space—only there could I connect with my Heavenly Soul. But I was still afraid of those black whirlpools bouncing up.
"Thought Ghost, if anything happens to my body, I'll let you take control."
"Got it, just hurry up, Ethan Zhang. That thing is tough."
"Instinct... coexistence..."
The moment I opened my eyes, I saw the other six Ghost Souls lying weak and dying on the ground, looking utterly frail.
"Coexistence—hurry and connect with the Origin."
I shouted. Just then, a hand pressed down on my shoulder. Startled, I turned to see my own shadow.
"Stop shouting, Ethan Zhang. It's useless. You've already been cut off here by certain forces—they want you dead."
"How do you know that?"
My shadow smiled.
"Do you really think they can't imagine what your instinctual origin is capable of?"
I clenched my fists. Suddenly, I felt an immensely powerful force, and my consciousness nearly vanished in this space.
"Finish that thing off, unleash all your power..."
My shadow burst into wild laughter, then stared at me.
"It's useless. Spirit Snake can only hold it off for a while. Even if you lived another ten thousand years, you couldn't defeat that thing."
"Then what should I do?"
My shadow walked over and grabbed the dying Tong Ghost by the hand.
"It's your turn to step up, Tong Ghost."
Tong Ghost gasped for breath, raised his hand, and gave an OK sign.
"We're counting on you, brother."
Resentful Ghost said weakly.
With a bang, I clutched my head and screamed in pain. My consciousness in the instinctual space was beginning to fade.
I screamed, clutching my neck. In the distance, Chaos Fiend had bitten Spirit Snake's neck, immobilizing him. Though Spirit Snake's body was still wrapped around the fiend, his strength was much weaker than before—my ghost energy was completely depleted.
"Spirit Snake, come back!"
I shouted. Instantly, with a puff, Spirit Snake turned into a cloud of smoke and darted back into my body.
"Behind you, Ethan Zhang..."
Thought Ghost cried out urgently. I turned my head, eyes wide, surrounded by darkness. Suddenly, I felt something wet, and then it was like sliding down a chute—I kept sliding down, trying to grab onto something, but everything was too slippery to hold, and my strength was being sucked out of me.
With a splash, I fell into a mass of sticky liquid and screamed. I could finally see my surroundings—inside Chaos Fiend's stomach, the black stomach walls writhed and squirmed. To my horror, lumps of flesh began to form on the walls, and with a crackling sound, each lump sprouted a mouth.
I cried out as a chunk of flesh was bitten off my shoulder. Instantly, baleful energy began to surge. Although I was recovering, more and more lumps with tiny mouths gnawed at my body. I screamed, flailing in the thick, sticky liquid, completely unable to move. The place felt like a pool of quicksand—the more I struggled, the deeper I sank.
"Don't panic, Ethan. They're eating you, but you can eat them too. Let's see who devours whom. With me here, don't worry."
Tong Ghost's voice rang out. Eyes wide, I sank completely into the stomach acid, my body burning with pain as they kept biting me. My instincts spun desperately, keeping my Ghost Souls from being exposed.
I flailed my arms and shouted, my mouth filling with bitter liquid, until I finally touched something soft.
"Open your mouth wide, Ethan. Eat it. Don't be afraid."
Tong Ghost's voice echoed again.
I roared, both legs bitten clean off. I floated up a bit, my head breaking the surface of the stomach acid. Opening my mouth wide, I bit into the thick black flesh of the stomach wall.
With a wet squelch and a tearing sound, I ripped off a chunk of black flesh and chewed it. Instantly, black juice sprayed everywhere, flooding my mouth with the taste of rot, bitterness, and stench. I retched violently.
"Eat it and you'll survive, Ethan. Don't stop. Keep eating."
Tong Ghost's voice echoed in my mind. I roared, biting off another chunk of flesh and chewing it fiercely. At that moment, countless tiny mouths sprouted across my chest.
With a gulp, I finally swallowed the black flesh. Instantly, a surge of immense power flooded my body—my devoured legs quickly regenerated, even as the lumps of flesh crawled all over me.
"Keep eating, Ethan. Don't stop..."
After vomiting again, I ignored everything and bit off another chunk, swallowing it whole. I kept retching and biting the black flesh, and soon the tiny mouths on my body began to help, biting along with me. Gradually, I stopped vomiting, gripping the stomach wall tightly and devouring it with huge bites.