Right now, my body feels like a bucket only half-filled with water; the other half is completely empty. At this moment, Mr. Blackmask and the others notice me and gather around.
"It's quite special, Ethan Zhang, your ghost soul."
Ma Yongjie looked at me. Right now, I could feel so much more than before. Previously, I could only sense certain powers, but now I could pick up on the scents and temperature in the air. The sensation was strange.
Just then, a few meters away, I sensed something beneath the ground. I called Ma Yongjie and the others, and we rushed over. A small black snake seemed to sense something unusual underground. I hurried over, and Mr. Blackmask immediately reached out and slammed his fist down.
The ground cracked open, revealing something like a piece of paper. I quickly crouched down—it was a photograph. I picked it up. It was Ronan Wu. I stared in astonishment at his image, sitting somewhere with mounds of earth piled up behind him.
At this moment, the snakes I sent out found several more photographs underground, each depicting a different ghost—likely Mona Ouyang's Hundred Ghosts. In one photo, I even saw the Angry Monk, sitting cross-legged and seemingly unconscious, with more mounds of earth behind him.
"What exactly is this?" I stared at the photo in shock, recalling the ones from the photo studio—each so vivid, almost as if they were real.
Just then, one of the dozen or so photos we found suddenly released a Blue Wraith, who flew out and appeared in midair.
Mr. Blackmask immediately leaped up and, before the Blue Wraith could fully emerge, took it out with a punch. I saw that the Blue Wraith was gone from the photo, but as time passed, it reappeared—then, accompanied by a burst of green light, flew out again.
This time, it was Tammy Blade who took care of it.
"Only ten seconds?" Oddball Moe murmured. Suddenly, I saw the photograph ignite—a mass of black flame, the Malice Flame conjured by Redmond. I let go, and the entire photo was consumed to ash.
Immediately, every photo we held was engulfed by the Malice Flame, burning to ash. Stunned, I watched as Vivian Maple flashed into view before us.
Vivian Maple said, "I'm afraid ever since you brought so many ghosts into the Hall of Malice, Ethan Zhang, this many photos have been buried here."
As Vivian Maple spoke, I looked over. The black snakes formed from my Deathbane aura rose up from the ground—so many that the earth seemed to ripple with them. Oddball Moe hurried over, digging into the soil, and sure enough, more photos were hidden there, each carrying a strange scent.
The scent was strange, yet oddly familiar. I sniffed, but couldn't detect anything myself—only the Deathbane aura snakes I'd released could sense it. I tried to recall where I'd smelled it before.
The memory surfaced—when I was a child, my parents took me to a photo studio. That same scent: the heavy drape, dust mixed in, and the faint plastic tang from the camera.
I looked around. Above us, Blue Wraiths were still appearing, one after another, all emerging from the photographs.
"Ethan Zhang, you need to get out there—find the location of that Blue Wraith!" Vivian Maple urged.
Vivian Maple spoke, and I nodded. Right now, the only way to stabilize the situation is to trace these photos to their source and find a way to deal with that Blue Wraith.
But thinking it through, all of this is my fault. Back when Redmond hosted the Feast of Ten Thousand Ghosts, I brought in a large group—ghosts and practitioners alike—because of my own choices. These photos must have been set up by someone during that feast.
"Tell Redmond, I'll find the source."
As I spoke, Vivian Maple nodded, then raised her blade and sliced the air. With a sharp hiss, a rift split open, revealing the rooftop of Hongyun Corporation outside. I nodded to the others, and Ma Yongjie, Tammy Blade, and Oddball Moe followed me through.
The moment we reached the rooftop, blinding sunlight forced my eyes shut. Suddenly, a sound blared from below—a van with loudspeakers was circling, broadcasting a repeated message.
"Attention, citizens: please stay indoors and do not go outside. A severe hurricane has already caused..."