"Who are you, and what do you want with Ethan Zhang?"
Rufina Howard looked around in shock, encased in a golden barrier. She herself was floating, reaching out to touch the shimmering shield, only to find she couldn't escape.
I've seen something like this before—at the end of the Lord Wraith incident, Brother Owen and the others controlled my cousin, and Rufina Howard rushed forward. That was when I saw her eyes flash with golden light.
Thinking back, I remember Rufina Howard's expression as she charged forward—it seemed off, somehow.
At this moment, the Eastern Emperor looked at Rufina Howard with clear discomfort, forcing a smile.
"Hey, don't worry about who I am. Little girl, why don't you get some sleep first?"
Rufina Howard grew anxious. The golden halo surrounding her body began to intensify, and I watched as she slowly drifted into unconsciousness.
As for me, the Eastern Emperor had beaten me so badly I looked like a swollen pig. I touched my puffy cheeks—my nose had stopped bleeding, but my mouth tasted of blood. Only now did I understand what Luantian Xuekui meant when she warned me I was in grave danger.
"Listen up, Ethan Zhang. Don't tell anyone about what happened today. In this space, everything is soaked in blood—even the strongest can't sense or touch you, nor can they discover what occurred here."
"Just a little is enough, right? Eastern Emperor, give..."
Suddenly, the Eastern Emperor clenched his fist and rushed up to me. All I saw was a blinding flash of gold—the fist stopped right in front of my cheek, the force of it pressing my face inward.
"Do you want to die, Ethan Zhang? You'd better not bring this up again."
I swallowed hard, but anger welled up inside me. I stared seriously at the Eastern Emperor.
"Are you really going to go against her wishes?"
"I don't care about her wishes. As her guardian, her blood must never be spilled in this world. It's too dangerous."
I looked quietly at the Eastern Emperor. He seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to say more but held back.
"Fine, I'll tell you a little. Do you know how much that guy Redmond has been doing behind the scenes?"
I let out a confused sound, looking at the Eastern Emperor in bewilderment.
"To protect Rufina Howard, Redmond has his left and right hands—Noah Grimm or Vivian Maple—watching over her nearly twenty-four hours a day."
Hearing this, I was deeply shocked. But thinking about Rufina Howard and Redmond's relationship, it made sense. Ever since they returned from Exile Town, they've been close—like an adult caring for a child.
"Now, several people already know about Rufina Howard's existence. Because Redmond is so powerful, no one dares make a move. But this time in the Nether Syndicate, Ethan Zhang, haven't you noticed anything strange?"
I thought hard about it, but still couldn't figure it out.
"Why do you think Luantian Xuekui knows about Rufina Howard?"
I blinked, still baffled.
"Redmond personally came to the Nether Syndicate once and used the Malice Flame to communicate with Luantian Xuekui."
My mouth dropped open in shock, then I smiled knowingly—Redmond really couldn't rest easy.
"Why not let Luantian Xuekui bring Luna Quay in? Just a drop of blood will do."
"One drop is enough."
The Eastern Emperor spoke, still hesitating, deep in thought. I watched him anxiously—time was running out.
"No, it's still too dangerous."
Anger surged within me—I was furious at the Eastern Emperor.
"Don't blame me, Ethan Zhang. This is to protect the last trace of pure blood in the world. Though I'm her guardian, there are forces far stronger than me—in the human world, in the ghost realm, even here in the Nether Syndicate. Especially Tan Tian."
My heart twisted with conflict. Time was running out and I didn't know what to do. According to the Eastern Emperor, only a few people knew about Rufina Howard's special nature. If she leaked even a drop of blood today, she'd be exposed to grave danger.
On one side was Luna Quay, who had saved Yuna Ji. On the other, my friend Rufina Howard. For once, I didn't hesitate.
"Enough talk, Ethan Zhang. I hope you understand—this is all for Rufina Howard's sake. But if you insist on pressing forward, I won't hold back."
Suddenly, I lifted my head and glared at the Eastern Emperor.
"What do I have to do to get a drop of blood?"
The Eastern Emperor replied, word by word.
"Unless you can defeat me."
As soon as he finished speaking, I clenched my fist and swung at him. With a snap, the Eastern Emperor caught my fist, smiling broadly at me.
Suddenly, I realized I could transform into a ghost. With a snap, I turned into a cloud of black mist and vanished in front of the Eastern Emperor. He raised his hand, and the golden staff stuck in the ground flew to him. The moment he grabbed it, he smashed it down where my ghostly spirit was hiding.
Earlier, I sensed the Eastern Emperor was a spirit—and not an ordinary one. He had sealed my powers, but now he released them.
As the staff came down, I conjured a Deathbane Aura Blade. With a crash, I returned to human form, gripping the blade and blocking the staff's blow. The force sent me flying backward.
In a rush, I used the ghost threads I'd left around the Eastern Emperor's body to instantly move above him, turning into mist—just a head and a raised Deathbane Aura Blade, swinging down toward him.
"Go ahead and try, Ethan Zhang. How will you break through the massive wall I've put up?"
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The Eastern Emperor thrust his staff upward with uncanny precision, aiming for my ghostly spirit. I roared, and my other hand shot out from the mist, fingers splayed. Instantly, a creaking sound erupted as black ice formed under the Eastern Emperor's feet, crawling up his body.
To move even faster, I dodged the Eastern Emperor's staff, teleported behind him, and sent streams of Deathbane Aura surging toward his body. In an instant, they formed sharp spikes, stabbing at the immobilized Eastern Emperor.
My moves were smoother than before, flowing together perfectly. I felt I might finally succeed—and added a little insurance.
With a crack, the Eastern Emperor spun around, shattering some of the black ice covering him. He spun his staff, and in an instant, all my Deathbane Aura was severed.
Once again, I used ghost threads to move to the Eastern Emperor's side. I had already prepared several threads to strike at his body. Since he's a spirit, my threads should be able to pierce him—or so I thought.
Sure enough, my ghost threads slowly penetrated the Eastern Emperor's body. Suddenly, I let out a roar. A streak of black appeared in his golden, radiant body as I controlled Deathbane Aura, planning to make it explode inside him.
"Good idea, Ethan Zhang. But against absolute power, thought itself freezes in an instant. Tell me—how will you overcome wall after wall, each greater than the last?"
The Deathbane Aura inside the Eastern Emperor vanished before it could explode. My ghost threads were severed as well. I had no idea what just happened.
With a crash, I was sent flying from the mist to the ground before I could react. I felt a blow to my chest—painful, but not seriously injured.
In that instant, I realized—the Eastern Emperor didn't truly want me to defeat him. It was as if he wanted me to understand something.
"Answer me, Ethan Zhang. How will you cross walls that grow higher and thicker each time?"
I sat on the ground in confusion, staring at the Eastern Emperor. I had no idea how to answer. My strength was still too weak. Just like everyone said, it was impossible for me to take down the Immortality Society—they all told me not to provoke them.
Clenching my fists, I slowly stood up.
"It's true, my power is weak. But one day, I will..."