"Slaughter, if you can hear me, answer me. This time, I have to rely on you."
I kept shouting in my heart, and gradually a crimson hue appeared in my mind.
"Ethan Zhang, are you really sure you want to do this?"
"Ah, if I want to kill this guy, now is the only chance. I must finish off Xu Fu for good."
This was the most practical thought I had at the moment. I had no intention of listening to Xu Fu's honeyed words. I gripped Belle tightly in my hand as Xu Fu continued to laugh heartily.
"What exactly are you planning to do?"
This time my tone was calmer, my face expressionless as I stared at Xu Fu. I had to relax little by little, making sure I could inject the power of blood fiend into Xu Fu's heart in an instant, stopping this heart that thumped before me and halting this machine that had gone mad in pursuit of immortality.
The smile vanished from Xu Fu's face. He tilted his head back slightly, a viciousness and anger appearing on his cheeks. Dark veins surfaced on both sides of his forehead. Xu Fu lowered his voice, speaking each word with a hint of laughter.
"To give these hypocrites the ultimate trial."
"Slaughter..."
In an instant, I shouted, raising Belle and stabbing toward Xu Fu's heart. But Xu Fu didn't resist at all—instead, he looked at me, his face full of laughter.
With a tearing sound, black blood splattered. With a clang, my shotgun dropped to the floor. I gripped Belle's hilt tightly—Belle had pierced straight through Xu Fu's heart, and black blood spattered across my cheek.
"Are you satisfied now, Ethan Zhang?"
A hand pressed against my cheek, stroking it. Xu Fu smiled with a distant look in his eyes, leaning in close. My ghost soul began to lose control over its power—fiendish energy raged, and in the four-foot-square room, streams of black energy crashed about.
My strength was ebbing away. Xu Fu stretched out his hand, now smeared with black blood from my cheek. He rubbed his fingers together, laughing heartily.
My hands slowly released Belle's hilt. My body was completely out of control, yet Xu Fu still hadn't fallen—his heart kept beating, and my head felt as if it was melting.
My whole body went limp and I sat down on the floor, my limbs powerless. Leaning against the desk, I quietly watched Xu Fu as he slowly pulled Belle out of his chest, black blood spurting.
With a ding, Belle fell to the floor. Xu Fu's body slumped backward, leaning against the wall, shrinking downward bit by bit. Blood smeared the wall, forming a trail. He sat weakly across from me, staring at me.
"It hurts so much, Ethan Zhang."
I smiled, though my smile was stiff, and then forced out three words.
"You're lying."
Gradually, the spilled blood began to gather at Xu Fu's heart. I had already expected this when the blood on my cheek refused to dry—the blood on my face was being drawn toward Xu Fu's heart. In no time, Xu Fu was completely restored. He came over, helped me up, set me on a chair, then reclined on the bed, resting his chin in his hand and smiling at me.
I failed. My plan to finish Xu Fu in one blow with Bloodbane Power had failed.
"It's genuine Bloodbane Power, but you can't control it. Its strength is halved now. In this ghost realm or the living world, no one can withstand it—except for me."
I stared at Xu Fu in shock. Sweat kept breaking out on his forehead.
"Bloodbane Power from the Grudge Domain is like poison! Only, it's even more vicious and malignant—just like its creator. First, Bloodbane Power throws the victim's strength into chaos, then slowly destroys them, until all their power is gone and they're no different from a corpse. The only reason you can use it is because you have two instincts, but you'll still be corroded. I advise you not to use it recklessly, Ethan Zhang."
Xu Fu wasn't harmed by the Bloodbane Power. Though he looked pale, he was recovering slowly. Before long, Xu Fu sat up.
"Strange, isn't it? Why doesn't Bloodbane Power affect me anymore? Years ago, I died from it—my heart was ravaged, my power drained. I remember my last moment, dying in humiliation behind that self-satisfied face."
Xu Fu stood up and walked toward me, step by step.
"It was this turning point that made me realize how serious things were. No one could break Bloodbane Power, everyone feared it. After years of painstaking research, I finally neutralized it and came back to life."
Xu Fu wasn't lying. The anger on his face was absolutely real.
"You just said you want to give those hypocrites the ultimate trial. What do you mean by that?"
I didn't bother to guess Xu Fu's motives—I just asked him outright.
"Letting the Blue-Faced Man launch a surprise attack—that's the kind of thing you mean, right?"
Seeing that Xu Fu didn't answer, I asked again.
Xu Fu burst out laughing and came up to me, wagging his finger and shaking his head.
"That guy was just the only one to follow me and make it across the Weak Water River, so I decided to put him to use. Too bad you discovered him. Afterward, I told him you weren't all that, either. Hahaha..."
I calmly watched Xu Fu. All I saw in him were two words: madness. Reborn as a human, Xu Fu seemed even more evil in my eyes.
The sound of clapping echoed. Xu Fu laughed to himself.
"I was just joking with him. I didn't expect him to run off on his own, but he did a decent job! You saw those hypocrites' true faces, didn't you?"
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"No, that's not it."
Lord Shenyan came to mind—the things that drew me to him were nothing the hypocrites Xu Fu spoke of could ever possess.
"Do you know? These people talk endlessly about benevolence and morality, performing so-called chivalrous deeds—like Jing Ke, who thought killing the First Emperor of Qin would bring peace to the world. But what followed was two thousand years of the darkest feudal dynasties. Jing Ke's assassination had nothing to do with some grand cause—it was just for Prince Dan, who had helped him. People have always been selfish. You've seen it too, haven't you? What rulers protect isn't the common folk..."
Xu Fu paused, his voice low and drifting.
"It's about protecting their own imperial power. So when their rule is threatened by something stronger, it becomes about protecting the people from tyranny. Hahaha... How hypocritical this world is! Don't you agree, Ethan Zhang?"
I didn't answer. I just watched Xu Fu quietly. I knew a few things about the Ten Swordmasters—they all had followers, and maybe their fate wasn't in their own hands but in those of their followers.
Inside, I wasn't moved at all by Xu Fu's words. In fact, I found myself agreeing with him.
Xu Fu stepped closer, bending down to stare at me in silence.
"Now you're no longer ruled by emotion. You understand, don't you? I noticed it before, so I told you not to let trivial things sway you. Now you've finally done it!"
With a snap, I brushed aside Xu Fu's hand as he reached for me. I'd regained some strength and stared at him in a daze.
"And what about you? How are you any different from them? You're just as obsessed with power, always finding a reason for your own evil. You love exploiting people's weaknesses, feeding on others, stepping over corpses. Everything you've done is far worse than theirs."
It was the first time I'd ever talked back to Xu Fu. He stared at me wide-eyed, then burst out laughing.
"Your so-called immortality is just a lie you tell yourself. Everything you've done is just a game to stave off boredom in your endless life. In the books, you're just one word: disgusting."
Xu Fu's eyes dimmed. He turned and slowly sat down across from me.
"Looks like you've completely left humanity behind, Ethan Zhang. Let me tell you my real reason for coming here this time. See? I'm being good to you, aren't I?"
I ignored him. My mind was as calm as a still lake—or maybe dead water. My thoughts were no longer swayed by anger or sorrow.
"You can't understand people anymore, so there's no point in saying more to you."
Xu Fu kept talking to himself, but now his words seemed muffled, unable to reach my ears. I was beginning to understand—darkness and evil really aren't the same. The people at the Dark Banquet quietly observe the world and scheme in the shadows. But the Immortality Society—only evil. Their evil brings them pleasure, a sense of security.
"Ethan Zhang, Ethan Zhang..."
Rootless fingers waved before my eyes, and Xu Fu's repulsive, fake smile loomed in front of me. His voice faded away, and my mind was shrouded in gray.
Without emotion, a person loses the meaning of existence. So why do I exist? What am I here for?
"Have you forgotten, Ethan Zhang? The words you once spoke to me by the Bridge of Remorse."
Suddenly, I snapped back to myself. The dead water in my mind stirred, and ripples spread out as a drop hit the surface.
I pushed Xu Fu away, then raised my head and gave a stiff, awkward smile.
"Even if this world is full of hypocrisy—even if Ethan Zhang is a hypocrite—I still want to believe in the possibility of humanity."